Even After Reincarnation, I'm Going to the Academy

Chapter 5

『 Translator – Divinity 』

I couldn't believe my ears.

"...A dark mage?"

"Yes."

The professor lowered his head as if ashamed.

"A dark mage evaded our eyes and entered this forest. We're currently tracking him, but... we haven't even located him yet."

'A dark mage is here?'

I stroked my chin.

This forest was where the temple of the God of War was located.

For someone like a dark mage, who is hostile to 'God,' to enter this place was no different from a criminal moving in next door to a police station.

'There's no way Arcana would allow this...'

Dark mages are those who sell their souls to the 'calamity' in exchange for power.

The calamity is hostile to God and seeks to destroy the continent.

There was no way the gods, who were responsible for managing the continent, would leave such people alone.

'Did they intentionally leave him be...?'

Because of whom?

'Because of me?'

It made sense.

I was severely lacking in experience.

A fight with a dark mage would be quite beneficial.

'I could gain information about the calamity...'

And if I left him alone, he might become a danger later.

'I'll have to get rid of him.'

It was an unavoidable choice, even for securing proper cooperation from Niphella Aoman.

"So, you don't know anything right now?"

"We only know his identity and approximate power level."

"You can't leave until you catch him, right?"

"We have about three weeks before the entrance exam. If we can't catch him... um, I'll stay. I don't even want to consider that possibility. I just hope he's caught within that time."

"Alright. Then I'll cooperate."

"?"

Niphella Aoman looked at me with questioning eyes.

I smiled lightly.

"I can't just leave heretics like dark mages alone."

"But then I'll be deeply indebted to you."

"Don't think of it as a debt. Instead, would you grant me a favor?"

"Of course. I'll do anything."

"I'll tell you later. For now, shall we go inside?"

– ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ –

We soon arrived at the encampment.

A young boy was standing outside.

He held a bottle of vodka in his left hand, and his vacant eyes made him look like a wreck.

'Who is he?'

A soldier?

But his clothes were luxurious, and his skin was smooth. His aura wasn't that of a child soldier at all.

"Young Master. Why are you out here?"

"...Professor Niphella. Where have you been all this time?"

"I told you before I left that I was going to help the isolated soldiers with the reinforcements. Don't you remember?"

"My head hurts because of the hangover..."

Judging from the fact that he was called 'Young Master,' he seemed to be the one who brought these soldiers here.

Was he the child of a lord from a nearby territory?

'But why is he holding alcohol?'

He looked like a young boy no matter how I looked at him.

'Are there no restrictions on that here?'

Well, who would dare impose such restrictions on a noble?

Unless it was someone of high status or his parents.

'Are his parents neglecting him...'

More than that, my eyes kept being drawn to the bottle in his hand.

'Alcohol...'

Vodka.

In my past life, I died early, so I couldn't even properly drink a bottle of soju.

My current body was incredibly strong and had divine power, so even if I drank vodka, I would be fine.

I want to try it...

'But if I drink it, Arcana will scold me.'

In the end, I just swallowed my craving.

Professor Niphella cast a spell on the young master and pushed him inside the tent.

"Please stay inside, Young Master. And stop drinking."

"But,"

"You shouldn't drink just to escape reality. How can you be so weak when you're going to be a lord in the future? And didn't you say you wanted to go to Sky Academy?"

"That's right..."

"Then alcohol is even more prohibited. Your hangover will wear off soon, so please go inside the tent and wait. This alcohol is confiscated."

Snatch!

Niphella's hand snatched the vodka.

"Ahh..."

The young master, having lost his alcohol, let out a sound of regret and reached out with lingering attachment, but the vodka was long gone.

Eventually, the boy lowered his hand, and his vacant eyes turned towards me.

"...Who is that behind you?"

"This is the priest who saved me. Greet him."

I smiled and approached him, extending my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Eugene Arcana, a servant of God."

"...I am Moshick Karma."

The boy hesitated for a moment before taking my outstretched hand.

There wasn't a single callus on his hand. Seeing that he hadn't done a single day of rough work, I narrowed my eyes.

'Why is someone like him in charge of commanding?'

What is the most important thing on a battlefield?

It's the commander. If the commander leading the battle is excellent, they can win even with insufficient forces.

But what if the commander is incompetent? They lose even battles they should win.

'This isn't exactly a battlefield, but...'

Isn't it similar, though? The dark mage is using goblins as soldiers and exploiting them.

'If this continues... it seems like a disaster is bound to happen.'

Goblins aren't a particularly strong race. However, they have excellent reproductive abilities, and there's a significant difference in rank between individuals.

And I heard that the chimera goblins created by the dark mage possess power surpassing that of intermediate-level monsters.

Even with several excellent commanders gathered, it would be a close call, and with a weakling like this, it was sure to be a disaster.

'It's frustrating not knowing anything.'

I wish the dark mage would just attack this place.

I sighed inwardly, but outwardly, I maintained a gentle smile and said,

"Your hangover must be giving you a hard time."

"Ah, yes..."

"I'll help you a little."

I infused a small amount of divine power through our clasped hands.

Although it was a small amount, it was no problem at all to completely erase the hangover that had been partially relieved by magic.

"Oh...?"

"How do you feel?"

"Th-This is..."

The boy, seemingly dumbfounded, fumbled with his head.

I left him be and looked down at my hand. While infusing him with divine power, I naturally examined his physical condition and discovered something strange.

'His body hasn't grown properly. And there's also mana concentrated around his head.'

This was like...

'A curse.'

I think I know why he came here. Since there's a dark mage, it's probably related to him.

Maintaining my smile, I asked,

"How do you feel?"

"My condition... it's much better. Thank you, Priest."

"It's nothing. But, by any chance, do you have headaches or experience stunted growth?"

"Huh? Ah, no... not at all."

Seeing his attempt to hide it, I didn't pry further and stepped back.

"I see. Still, rest is the top priority for a patient, so it would be best to rest for a bit and then take care of the situation."

I glanced at the soldiers behind him.

He also looked at the soldiers and nodded with a heavy expression.

"Thank you... Priest. If you wish, you may stay here for a while. But please be sure to accompany Professor Niphella."

"I'll keep that in mind. Then, I'll impose on you for a while."

"This way, Priest. Young Master, I'll join you shortly."

"Alright... You must come quickly."

"Of course."

The boy passed us with heavy footsteps.

We entered a nearby tent. The professor had me sit in a comfortable spot and let out an awkward laugh.

"The atmosphere isn't great, is it?"

"Indeed. But, although it wasn't intentional, I happened to see the Young Master's condition. He's cursed."

The professor took off his monocle. His eyes were dark and filled with worry.

"...That's right. The Young Master is cursed, and to break it, his teacher, myself, and the Lord sent the soldiers into this forest together."

The curse on the boy wasn't a simple one.

It suppressed his growth and weakened his mental strength. It seemed simple, but he was around the same age as me.

He was only 17. A curse that hindered the growth and broke the spirit of such a young boy was indescribably vicious.

I understood why he looked like a wreck and why he was drinking alcohol at such a young age.

"Are you sure it will be lifted if we kill the dark mage?"

"Yes. Although I couldn't break the curse myself, I was able to find a clue to its solution. It's certain that it will be lifted if we kill the dark mage who entered this forest."

Niphella's face was filled with conviction as he spoke.

I nodded.

"I see. Then we need to kill the dark mage as soon as possible. I'll help you."

"But wouldn't that be too much of a burden for you, Priest...?"

"Not at all. I have no intention of leaving a dark mage who dares to insult God alone."

That was one reason, but this incident would also make the young master feel 'indebted' to me.

'It wouldn't be bad to establish a connection with a noble, no matter what.'

Niphella, with a touched expression, clasped both of my hands.

"Thank you so much, Priest...!"

...Just what have the other priests been doing?

I looked at Niphella, who was about to cry, with a dubious expression.

I didn't say much, so I didn't understand why he was so moved.

"But why were you missing, Professor?"

Ahem.

I coughed to change the atmosphere and diverted the conversation.

"Ah... that's..."

Niphella's face darkened.

"It's embarrassing, but I was attacked. I shouted 'Stop!', but they attacked me mercilessly. I'm not very good at actual combat."

If you shout "Stop!", it's common sense for them to stop, like, "Oh, he declared 'Stop!' Let's stop."

"Was it the dark mage?"

"I'm not sure. It could have been someone who hates me who hired them, or it could have been the dark mage trying to hinder me... I don't know."

I stroked my chin. Were there others besides the dark mage?

"?"

Just then, I felt a strange presence.

It was literally strange. It wasn't the presence I felt from ordinary people.

A dark, gloomy, and strange presence that made my stomach churn just by feeling it.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Yes? Priest, be careful. The one who attacked me could be here."

I ignored his warning and opened the tent flap. A group I hadn't seen before was wandering around the encampment.

"Who are those people?"

"Ah... they've arrived. They're the reinforcements I requested from Karma territory a day ago."

"There's a priest... and the culprit too?"

"Huh?"

"Excuse me."

I stepped out of the tent and strode towards the reinforcements.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

"Wait, don't come any closer..."

I pushed past the person trying to stop me.

A disgusting smell pierced my nose. My cheeks twitched. An irresistible instinct, befitting a servant of God, burned within me.

"Excuse me."

I spoke to an ordinary-looking servant. He had unremarkable features, brown hair, and rough hands.

But I could sense it. And my instincts whispered in my head.

"Yes?"

Punish the filth. Bring divine retribution upon those who defile God.

"You. You're the dark mage, aren't you?"

At my words, the servant's eyes changed. mana, hidden within his ordinary brown eyes, was revealed.

The servant, no, the dark mage, stumbled back.

"Wh-What?!"

"Hey! Reinhardt! Isn't that your servant?!"

"I-I don't know anything about this..."

The robe he had been wearing since he was a servant fluttered. From within the fluttering robe, a staff with a goat's head emerged.

Unintelligible words flowed from the dark mage's mouth.

"Mình đã tăng cân rất nhiều!"

The ground cracked open, and skeletal skeletons crawled out.

Clank, clank!

"Oh, skeletons? They're all ugly. Do they take after you?"

I lightly provoked him and stretched both hands forward.

Divine Barrier.

Woooong—

"Th-This is..."

"P-Priest Marin! P-Priest, quickly do something...!"

"I-I..."

I raised my hand towards the murmuring crowd.

"Everyone, stay within the divine barrier and don't move. And that priest over there, can I see you later?"

You couldn't even recognize a dark mage reeking of such a foul stench right in front of you?

Your divine power seems weak too. I don't understand why a priest like that came with the reinforcements.

Ignoring the trembling priest, I took a light breath. I slowly lowered my body, kicked off the ground, and charged.

Clatter, clatter!

The skeletons swung their weapons.

There was no need to destroy them. With agile movements, I kicked their skulls with my feet and landed in front of the dark mage.

Before he could finish casting, I landed right in front of him and swung my hand, imbued with abundant divine power.

"!"

The divine power infiltrated the magic circle and disrupted his casting.

The dark mage grimaced and raised his staff.

"How dare a mere priest!"

His stance was quite good. But in the end, he was just a mage.

"A mere priest?"

Thud!

I grabbed the goat-headed staff as he swung it.

"...!"

Ignoring his shocked expression at how I caught his staff, I put strength into my hand.

Crack!

The staff shattered. I grabbed the dark mage by the collar as he tried to back away in shock.

"Say that again."

"A-A mere priest..."

"Yeah? What are you going to do now that your staff is broken by a mere priest?"

I channeled divine power properly, making sure to knock him unconscious.

The dark mage's face turned pale as he felt the divine power surging through my hand.

"Sự khởi đầu hoàn toàn hỏng bét..."

He hurriedly chanted a spell, but I didn't give him a chance.

I slammed the dark mage to the ground.

Crash!

With a shattering sound, the ground caved in, forming a crater.

Just in case, I stomped hard on the head of the dark mage sprawled on the ground.

"...!"

As I lifted my foot, broken teeth fell from between his parted lips.

I scoffed at the dark mage who fainted without even taking a single hit.

"See? That's what happens when you, a mage, let me get close."

I dusted off my dirty hands and turned my head.

"Hey. Come quickly and restrain him..."

"......"

"......"

"?"

People were staring at me with their mouths agape.