Turns Out He Was a Good Black Mage - Dismissed
Red light crashed from the sky with a thunderous roar. In that split-second flash, it tore through the dark night, splitting the heavens, and left a vicious, deep gouge in the ground.
Hans, watching me fire off the spell with a blank expression, let out a deep sigh.
"Did I take a hit like that?"
Ever since I'd given him the grimoire, Hans had started using formal speech. It felt awkward, but respecting his stubborn insistence that it was more comfortable, I shook my head.
"No. Back then, I dialed it down—it'll be weaker than this."
"So that was you holding back...? Haha."
Hans gave a wry smile and began filling in the crater in the yard. Watching his enthusiastic, primitive shoveling, I could infer just how diligently he'd lived in the Magic Tower.
"You're pretty good with a shovel."
"I worked at construction sites when I was a kid."
"Doesn't the Tower give you pocket money?"
"How could I spend money that isn't mine? Besides, back then I couldn't even use magic, so I had to watch my step."
Hans had turned out far more upright than I'd expected. Unlike that green-haired idiot from the same Tower, he had his humanity intact. Smiling in satisfaction, I pointed to a corner of the yard.
"Would you mind filling that spot too?"
"Of course."
"That one over there."
"Yes, understood."
Hans obeyed my words better than I'd anticipated. Bound by the contract or not, you'd think he'd grumble a bit, but his polite demeanor sparked some doubt in me. After all, this wasn't the Hans from the original story.
There, he had this rebellious, darkening-straight-A-student vibe. But the Hans before me now was as deferential as a model student handed a study guide summary.
I slipped my hand into my pocket and asked him outright. Better to get it clear now— if he suddenly snapped and grumbled something like 'Kissing ass is fucking exhausting,' it'd just make things awkward for both of us.
"Why are you being so deferential?"
Hans looked puzzled by my question and countered.
"Why are you being so good to me?"
"Pardon?"
"That grimoire you gave me."
He placed a hand over his heart, his face brimming with emotion.
"An ancient grimoire, right? The work of the great mage who defended the Empire in the ancient wars... and you gave it to me. Why treat me so well?"
"Oh, that?"
"Just seeing a grimoire I'd only read about in textbooks is an honor, but you let me read it... Sniff."
His face lit up like a boy who'd found treasure. If I mentioned I had more to pass on, I'd probably see this grown man burst into tears, so I swallowed the thought and nodded.
'It's not that impressive.'
The grimoire I'd handed Hans, Black Barrier, was indeed penned by an ancient mage. But it was riddled with more exaggeration than I'd realized. Sure, he'd achieved great feats in that ancient war, but the enemy never even reached the Empire's borders, and the so-called "Impregnable" great mage wasn't all that remarkable.
Hand on heart, I didn't think much of it myself—I knew its limits well enough. Better grimoires abounded. Plus, in the novel, Hans barely used Black Barrier. He relied on stolen spells as his main arsenal; that one gathered dust.
So yeah, it made sense to give it to him...
"Bro."
Well, he seemed satisfied, so all good. Whatever—good is good. I flashed a half-hearted smirk and rolled my wrists.
"Shall we get started, then?"
Gulp.
Hans eyed me with trembling eyes. Our nightly sparring sessions had him on edge. I set Tyrfing aside and addressed him.
"Same as always: I'll use a wooden sword, no magic. You do your best."
"Just a moment to prepare—!"
I didn't give him the chance, kicking off the ground and charging at him.
—Boom.
The air-piercing roar echoed as Hans hurriedly chanted.
"[Area]"
⟨ Domain Expansion ⟩
Black magical barriers spread from Hans's body, slowly eroding the space until they reached my feet. I swiftly shifted my gaze, stepping out of his domain.
'Since when does he have this...?'
Puzzled by this unfamiliar spell—not from the novel—I voiced my doubt.
"That's a new one."
"I developed it recently."
"?"
"A fusion of black magic and regular spells... Rediscovering my passion for magic helped...!"
Hans cut off mid-sentence, unleashing his magic. Black hands extended from the shadows, writhing to drag me into his domain. I dodged them effortlessly, a faint smile tugging at my lips as intrigue sparked.
'Interesting.'
Day by day, Hans improved—I smiled, pleased. He wasn't at the overwhelming level from the novel, but compared to the current protagonists, he was plenty strong. Worth cultivating.
"I'm curious."
"About what...!"
"What you'll show me next."
"Pardon...?"
Red aura began flowing from my hand. As Hans's pupils quivered, I lowered my stance. He swallowed hard, bracing for the incoming strike. I inhaled and spoke.
"Wooden swords have too many limitations."
"..."
"Hard to land lethal blows, and they just splinter no matter where I hit."
"Exactly."
—Crack!
Hans twisted at the waist, letting out a silent groan. Looking up in bewilderment, he found me already poised for the next move. His crumbling domain. His eyes trembled at the sight of my red-glowing gaze and the swinging wooden sword.
"Take the hit first."
I swung at him.
*
After our light spar, I smiled faintly at Hans sprawled on the ground.
"You're plenty good enough as a bodyguard."
"Cough... cough. What kind of bodyguard gets beaten like this!"
"That's how I know I can trust you with the job."
Hans gazed at me, face alight with emotion. Touched by being called useful, it seemed. Seeing his unexpectedly sound character, I offered him a water bottle with a gentle smile.
He gulped it down. In a smooth, clarifying tone, I continued.
"By the way, when you first came to our mansion, why mention the cockatrice habitat?"
"..."
At "cockatrice," Hans froze like a robot. I regarded him with a chilling smile.
Cough. Choking, he bowed his head.
"How did you know?"
"I know everything."
"..."
"You could just come clean."
Hans's eyes darted wildly. His "perfect crime" had a witness, after all. To dispel misunderstandings, I added a note of mercy—he'd come running hard, after all.
"I know you were trying to bury me. Not judging—just curious."
"Sniff."
"Was I that annoying?"
"Cough...!"
"I went easy on you. Kinda hurt my feelings."
"I'm sorry. The truth is..."
Hans spilled everything. After I clocked his identity, he tossed in a compliment about me being a monster, then slowly detailed his plan. I nodded along with an "I see," watching his expressions.
When he confessed to luring me to the cockatrice nest to bury me with the heretics, his trembling voice was priceless. Especially surprising: when I pressed if there was more, he admitted, "I planned to kidnap Olivia."
If he'd hidden that, I'd have hounded him to death. Petty? Sure, but that's me.
Clearing the air on past issues benefits everyone. I nodded at his apology for plotting against the young lady.
Then, the key question.
"Any heretic plans involving the young lady's safety that I don't know about?"
Figured there might be overlaps in our messy encounters.
"None—"
Hans stopped, pointing to his tongue. The gesture signaled a heretic-imposed curse. I nodded, snapped my fingers—with a click—and watched his dumbfounded face.
Muttering 'Impossible,' he stared.
"How'd you break it?"
"Trade secret."
He nodded, clasping his hands. 'It's certain...' he murmured meaningfully. I chuckled softly.
'Thanks to Tyrfing, but best keep it secret.'
Skipping explanations, I eyed him. Snapping out of his daze, he answered properly.
"None."
"Really? I figured there was."
"No info on you or Olivia has leaked in the heretics. You cover your tracks too well, and I never talked. See?"
"Heavier tongue than I thought."
"Even among heretics, I held a decent rank... Reporting failure felt off."
"Fair enough."
I nodded, understanding. A brief silence, then—
Ah! As if it just hit him, Hans exclaimed.
"Come to think of it, there is one thing the heretics are planning."
"What?"
"Yes."
He swallowed.
"Mikhail."
"The heretics are targeting Mikhail."
I shrugged it off casually, hand in pocket.
"Oh, that. I knew."
"Huh?"
"Just had a hunch."
Leaving his baffled expression behind, I headed to the mansion. It was a novel episode: 'Murder.' The point where Mikhail's mercy for heretics truly vanished.