My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 41

Rumors about the Magic Boost spreading rapidly among the students.

Professors Magnus and Carlson anticipated it would eventually reach the first years, but the speed exceeded their expectations to an unimaginable degree.

Barely a week after asking Tokun Masao, stories about the Magic Boost were already being casually mentioned among the first-year students.

"I didn’t expect much, but that kid’s not bad."

And behind it all was a single man.

Perhaps it was because the collaborator he had carelessly dealt with, thinking it would either work out or not, had shown unexpectedly decent results.

With a pleased smile, Jealousy leaned back against his chair.

A chair tilted so dangerously that it looked as if it might fall over backward.

Using the legs propped on the desk, he rocked back and forth like a rocking chair, his gaze drifting toward the fluorescent-lit ceiling.

'So, what’s your next move?'

The opponent was a coward.

A third-rate small fry who could never amount to anything big.

In the past, they had been bold enough to commit large-scale multi-level scams through anonymous cybercrimes, but after their identity was revealed once, even that was no longer possible. Now, they were stuck pulling small-time schemes on kids in a minor academy like this.

They were so paranoid about being caught by the professors that their nervous cowardice was almost laughable, eliciting nothing but scorn.

So, for now, he would divert the water flow into the lake of networks the opponent had created.

While the professors floundered, unable to find any trace and growing increasingly disoriented, the rumors spread rapidly even among the first years.

How would the culprit perceive the situation?

'They’ll surely boast about their own abilities.'

A history of one successful attempt in the past.

That alone was enough for such a timid, small-minded individual to become intoxicated with their own capabilities.

They probably wouldn’t notice anything strange.

Like arrogance, this small fry, far from being a great evil of the Dark District, would praise their own magnificence.

Yes, thinking about how they once created a stir in the world, they would believe that starting trouble in such a small academy would be no challenge at all.

They’d look down on and mock the professors for failing to find their presence.

Just like how Jealousy was mocking and underestimating them now.

'And then, they’ll grow bolder and bolder.'

Their fear would diminish.

Their actions would become increasingly reckless.

Without a clue as to why the rumors were spreading so quickly, they’d extend their influence rapidly even among the first years.

And when that happened, their immature and clumsy skills would lead to one mistake after another.

Mistakes that would become clues to tracking them down.

"How boring."

To this end, Jealousy spread the rumors quickly even to the first years.

In other words, he had thrown the entire first year of Benedict Academy as bait in front of the culprit.

A stark contrast to Professor Magnus’s policy of keeping students completely uninvolved in the matter—Jealousy employed the unscrupulous methods of the Dark District.

But even this was a mild strategy from Jealousy’s perspective.

Truthfully, he wanted to escalate things and drag the culprit out into the open, but such an approach risked involving the Young Lady, so he opted for this relatively peaceful method instead.

"Ah, I just want to wrap this up quickly and go get a massage. That oil massage I had last time wasn’t bad."

Though it would still take some time, the situation was nearing checkmate.

If only someone as significant as the Twin Ghosts Guardians had appeared, he might have enjoyed it, but that wasn’t the case.

Bored, Jealousy pulled a smartphone out of his pocket.

"Sigh."

He let out a long, irritated sigh as if even this was bothersome.

A text message he had no idea when it had arrived.

It was a simple greeting asking what he was up to, but for Jealousy, it was an infuriatingly persistent message.

"Is this spam or what?"

It was because the sender was a bothersome woman who kept sending messages, oblivious to whether or not he replied.

Wasn’t she supposed to be an entertainer? Did she really have nothing better to do?

Thinking he shouldn’t have given her his phone number, he ignored the message as usual, returned the tilted chair to its upright position, and slumped over the desk.

"I want a massage~! I need to redo my nails and visit the shop, too."

That damned third-rate small fry.

Why did they have to stir up trouble at the academy and waste his time?

'Just wait until I catch you. I won’t let you off.'

The most temperamental and petulant existence in the Dark District.

Unfortunately for the Black Mage causing trouble at the academy, Jealousy’s stress and annoyance toward them were rising in real time for various reasons.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Monday, April 21.

Arina looked at Maril, who had once again visited the infirmary early in the morning, with a gaze full of concern.

About a week ago, starting after Professor Carlson’s class, Maril had been visiting the infirmary unusually often.

Could she be experiencing aftereffects from seeing the Reverse World?

"Are you feeling really unwell?"

"......."

Her worried eyes were full of concern.

Moist and glistening, they seemed as if they might shed tears on her behalf.

Seeing her so genuinely worried, Maril felt an unexpected pang of guilt and avoided Arina’s gaze.

'This is what makes friendship so inconvenient.'

When dealing with nobles who only think in terms of profit and loss, she could put on a poker face without hesitation.

But when it came to Arina, she found herself unable to lie.

Because the truth was, her frequent visits to the infirmary were all a sham.

"I’m sorry."

In the end, Maril, unable to resist Arina’s gaze, chose to confess the truth.

"What?! A sham..."

"Shh! Quiet down! What if someone hears you?"

Startled by her words, Arina raised her voice, only for Maril to quickly cover her mouth and cautiously look around.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, she continued speaking.

"Think about it. If I were really unwell, wouldn’t they have called a doctor or sent me to a hospital? Would I just keep frequenting the infirmary?"

"......."

That made sense.

If a princess of this country were to fall ill, the lack of any uproar would indeed be strange.

"It’s a deal. By drafting infirmary records every time there’s a class I don’t want to attend, I created a legitimate excuse to skip."

At Benedict Academy, unexcused absences were a severe violation of the school’s rules, even grounds for expulsion.

This rule applied even to the princess of the country, forcing her to attend classes she disliked.

To create legitimate excuses, she had struck a deal with Professor Clara, and that deal had come into play during last week’s joint Curse Studies class with Professor Carlson.

'Now that I think about it, every time Maril went to the infirmary, it was during Professor Scape’s class.'

To think she would go so far as to strike a deal with a professor just to avoid attending class.

Just how much did she hate physical activity?

The concern in Arina’s eyes, which had been so evident until a moment ago, was replaced with disbelief.

Feeling awkward under that gaze, Maril forced a bitter smile.

"Don’t misunderstand. It was she who approached me first."

"What did you give Professor Clara for her to offer you such a benefit?"

"That’s a secret. Part of the deal was never to disclose its details to anyone."

With an apologetic expression, Maril looked at Arina, clearly worried about her reaction.

Though Maril feared Arina might be angry or upset, Arina replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, okay."

"......."

No, this felt like Arina wasn’t interested in her at all, which stung in its own way.

Of course, Maril understood that Arina didn’t want to pry, worried it might make things harder for her.

Instead, there seemed to be a fundamental trust that, no matter how much Maril wanted to skip class, she wouldn’t resort to anything bad or strange. This left Maril with mixed feelings.

She didn’t know whether to feel hurt or grateful about it.

"Why are you acting like that?"

"......Nothing, it's nothing."

Despite being known as a genius princess who skillfully manipulates nobles with her extraordinary intellect at a young age when outside—

Here, there existed a master of push-and-pull who surpassed even herself.

'Her future boyfriend is going to have a tough time.'

The more important point was that all of this wasn't calculated—it was entirely natural.

"At least that's a relief. You're not unwell."

"Thank you."

"But it's a shame. Unlike you, I still don't have any friends at the Academy yet. I liked attending class together with you."

"......."

Look at that.

Do you really think using a line like that with such a disappointed expression will let you skip class again next time?

That’s why I didn’t say anything and kept it hidden until now.

'Farewell, my legitimate excuse to skip class.'

It was a deal I had skillfully negotiated with excellent diplomatic skills, befitting a princess.

But it seemed I would have to give up on the benefits I was supposed to receive from Professor Clara.

Compared to what I had done, it had been a fair trade.

'Now it’s become a deal where I give everything and get nothing in return—what a sucker’s transaction.'

Was there an onion being sliced nearby or something?

For some reason, Maril felt her eyes welling up with tears.

"I only chat with everyone here and there. You're the only one I can truly call a friend."

Well, I should at least clear that misunderstanding.

As a princess, it was true that I tried to get along with my classmates to build camaraderie and make new friends.

In fact, it was also necessary to fulfill the conditions set by Professor Clara.

But so far, Arina was the only one I truly shared my heart with and felt close to.

Because only Arina treated me sincerely without any pretense or burden.

"But I don’t even have those kinds of friends to talk to."

"That’s because you never make the first move."

"But I don’t know what to say to start a conversation."

With Arina’s timid personality, it took significant courage for her to approach someone and start talking.

It was completely different from Maril, who had a naturally outgoing disposition.

"There are plenty of topics to talk about. Like trending subjects these days, popular foods, or famous entertainers."

"For example?"

Arina, who had set a goal to make ten friends, focused intently on Maril’s words as if she were attending a lecture by Professor Magnus.

Quite an overwhelming gaze.

Maril, avoiding her intense focus, answered hesitantly.

"For example, Magic Boost or something......."

As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake.

Since she had been discussing this topic with other kids a lot lately, it had slipped out naturally.

"Or in your case, you could talk about Laila Ruby. I think she recently released a new song."

She smoothly changed the topic.

A poker face honed through years of conversing with nobles.

"She’s such a popular singer that many kids probably like her. I’ll introduce you to someone next time."

"Thank you!"

"But don’t forget. No matter how many friends you make, your number one friend will always be me."

"Of course, that’s obvious."

Did she manage to divert the topic successfully?

Maril let out a deep sigh inwardly as she watched Arina smile brightly.

Thud.

Perhaps she had been too engrossed in their conversation.

Without noticing the person in front of her, she bumped her head.

"I’m sorry."

Arina instinctively apologized first and then belatedly looked at the other person.

A boy so tall that even Arina, standing at 153cm, and Maril, at 151cm, had to tilt their heads back to look up at him.

His hair was a deep blue, nearly navy.

Sharp, slanted eyes and icy blue pupils that looked like they had frozen shards of ice embedded in them.

Jeon Reidel, the first-year second rank.

Arina flinched and shrank back at Jeon’s sharp gaze, which seemed as though he was silently angry.

"......."

Without a word, Jeon brushed past her and kept walking.

Maril scoffed and glared at his retreating back, unlike the silent Arina.

"What a show-off. What an obnoxious guy."

"Don’t say that. It was my fault."

"It’s mutual fault. He didn’t see you and bumped into you too, didn’t he?"

"Maybe it’s because we’re too short to be noticed."

"That’s insulting in its own way."

At those words, Arina awkwardly laughed, embarrassed.

Watching her, Maril sighed and thought in frustration.

'That’s not the only issue.'

Unlike Arina, who was oblivious to rumors, Maril, who was well-versed in school gossip, knew.

That every time Arina passed by, Jeon Reidel would stare at her with the same icy gaze.

A rumor that had already spread far and wide among the students.

The most plausible reason being that she had taken the top spot from him.

Even during last week’s joint Curse Studies class, he had been glaring at her for a long time.

Maril had worked so hard to block that gaze, ensuring Arina wouldn’t notice.

'If she found out someone disliked her, she’d definitely get terribly depressed.'

Thanks to Maril’s efforts, the only first-year student unaware of Jeon Reidel’s behavior was Arina herself.

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to protect you."

"Huh? Oh, thank you. But don’t get into any fights."

Although she didn’t understand Maril’s words, Arina was still grateful for her concern.

This pure sincerity of Arina’s was something Maril vowed to protect no matter what.

With that determination, Maril glared at Jeon’s retreating figure and clenched her fists tightly.