My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 42

I did it again!

Behind the deserted main building.

Gripping his head and silently screaming in despair, Jeon Reidelly collapsed to the ground.

If anyone had witnessed the scene, they would have doubted their own eyes.

A fidgety and restless demeanor, completely unlike the usual cold and reserved "Ice Prince" image of Jeon.

"......What a hopeless idiot."

He then slumped down again, looking utterly dejected.

His legs refused to hold him up.

Even he couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.

"I can’t even muster the courage to talk to the girl I like."

Falling in love at first sight was something he thought only happened in novels or comics.

The moment Arina stepped onto the stage during the entrance ceremony as the representative of the freshmen.

Jeon felt as though flower petals were scattering around her.

The scent of spring blossoms brushed past his nose.

Whenever he looked at her, it was as if he was blind to everything else around him.

All he could hear was the intense pounding of his own heart.

The violent thudding, as though his heart would burst, was so intense it hurt.

'I never realized I was such a coward.'

At first, he couldn’t understand why people got nervous and tongue-tied in front of someone they liked.

Whether it would lead to a relationship or end in rejection.

You had to confess to move on to the next step, didn’t you?

But once he became the one involved, he realized why.

Just saying a single word, let alone confessing, was incredibly difficult.

"Haa."

He was well aware of the bad rumors about himself.

Simply because he lacked the courage to approach her, the rumors had twisted to say he hated or even despised her.

Despite having no such intentions, the rumors spiraled out of control, growing so exaggerated that they couldn’t be contained.

'I really owe the Princess a huge thanks.'

The only fortunate thing was that Arina herself seemed completely unaware of those rumors.

For that alone, he could thank Princess Maril a hundred times over.

Arina misunderstanding his feelings and ending up disliking him.

That was a horrifying and bleak future, even to imagine.

'It’s fine.'

It’s still okay.

There’s still plenty of time to make up for it.

First, I need to apologize.

Then, start with exchanging greetings like "hello."

"......."

Just the thought made a foolish smile spread across his face.

Jeon quickly cleared his throat, suppressing his emotions, and abruptly stood up.

Facing the wall, he took several deep breaths as if steeling himself.

"Hup!"

He glared fiercely at the wall ahead, eyes wide open.

He looked as if he were staring down his mortal enemy.

"H-Hello? E-Earlier, I-I’m s-sorry!"

Ah, that was wrong.

Stammering like that, there was no way anyone could understand what he was trying to say.

Feeling defeated again, Jeon hung his head low.

Ding.

Suddenly, startled by the sound of a machine, he whipped his head around so quickly it was as if his neck might snap.

"Ah, looks like I ran out of storage space."

Smiling nonchalantly, Professor Carlson slipped the smartphone he had been recording with back into his pocket.

Then, with his usual sinister expression brightened by an exaggeratedly cheerful smile, he raised his hand toward Jeon.

"Hey, nice to meet you, Student Jeon."

"......!"

For a moment, Jeon blinked, unable to grasp the situation as he stared at the professor.

But soon enough, he came to his senses, his face flushing red as he grabbed Professor Carlson by the collar.

"From where did you start recording?!"

A student grabbing a professor by the collar and shaking him.

It was a clear act of insubordination, but Carlson didn’t seem to mind, simply looking at the furious Jeon with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Not long, just from when you rushed over here and collapsed."

That’s practically the entire beginning!

If you were there, you should’ve announced yourself or made your presence known!

Of course, it was his own fault for being too distressed to check his surroundings, but Jeon, blinded by humiliation, couldn’t think that far.

"Why were you recording a video?!"

"Because it’s amusing. It’s a new side of you, Student Jeon, who’s usually so reserved. I thought it’d be fun to share it with the other professors and dispel some of their misconceptions about you."

"That’s unnecessary meddling. Please delete it."

"......."

Professor Carlson simply stared blankly at him in response.

Seeing that, Jeon realized.

This man has no intention of deleting it......!

"Wow, what luck. I was already curious about why you kept staring at Arina during the last class. To think it wasn’t out of dislike but because you liked her."

This was genuinely surprising.

While the kingdom was more liberal and less aristocratic compared to other countries, that was still relative.

Nobles were still nobles, and the Reidelly Marquis Family was one of the most prestigious in the kingdom.

Though their influence had weakened somewhat due to an incident ten years ago, a marquisate was still a marquisate.

For a noble of such a prominent family, let alone the younger brother of the current head, to be flustered over a mere commoner girl—it was indeed a rare sight.

"After seeing you bump into Arina in the hallway, I wondered where you were off to and decided to follow you. It paid off."

Jeon’s hands, still gripping Professor Carlson’s collar, trembled with uncontrollable rage.

"......What will it take for you to delete it?"

But he soon let go, stepping back two paces as if resigned.

His gaze clearly conveyed, "If you weren’t a professor, I’d have hit you."

"Oh, is this a negotiation? Perfect. I actually have a favor to ask of you too."

Shameless.

His audacity was truly astounding.

Meeting Jeon’s glare head-on, Professor Carlson continued with an unsettling, languid gesture.

"Actually, I heard Professor Clara recently struck some sort of deal with a student as well."

That was why Professor Scape personally went to see her today.

Forging a medical record to excuse a student from class when they weren’t even sick.

It was a clear overreach of authority, not to mention an abuse of her own.

In fact, Professor Scape, who kindly went to hear her explanation, was being lenient; she could have demanded a formal apology right then and there.

Knowing this, Professor Clara immediately apologized to Professor Scape upon her arrival.

"It was terrifying~"

"Of course, it was. Professor Scape was genuinely furious."

"I figured I just had to endure until today, thinking I wouldn’t have to skip class anymore~"

Despite Professor Scape’s sharp warning that this would be her last chance, Professor Clara showed no signs of remorse.

"But I had my own reasons~"

"I see."

Hearing that, Professor Carlson had a sudden epiphany.

Yes, to pursue one’s own convictions, one must be prepared to confront even senior colleagues......

Of course, this was a completely misguided realization.

In this situation, Professor Clara had done nothing commendable, nor was she demonstrating a sense of chivalry in opposing injustice.

The kind of mindset that makes someone a perfect target for workplace ostracism.

Perhaps it was because of such warped logic that he had chosen the path of Black Magic.

"Based on that realization, I’ve decided to push my own perspective a little further."

Professor Magnus had said it.

That students could not be involved in this matter.

That professors alone should resolve it so that students wouldn’t even have time to sense the issue.

At the time, he respected that opinion and accepted it, as it seemed like the best course under the assumption that things would go smoothly.

Unfortunately, the situation did not unfold as the professors had hoped.

'The pace of progression is too fast.'

The case was escalating so rapidly it was hard to believe the perpetrator had been acting passively until now.

While no damage had occurred yet, at this pace, it might become impossible to preemptively prevent the incident as Professor Magnus hoped.

'Then I’ll have to proceed with my own methods.'

Taking a page from Professor Clara's book.

Professor Carlson decided to directly confront Professor Magnus’s approach.

Well, in the end, as long as no harm occurred, it wouldn’t matter whether students were involved or not, right?

"Magic Boost. You’re aware of it, right?"

"......."

"I’d like you to investigate it. See if there are students in Class B who actually have the app installed. And if so, discreetly share that information with me. Simple enough, isn’t it?"

One Tokun Masao wasn’t enough.

At least one person per class needed to be stationed.

For that, they needed a student, like Tokun Masao, who would likely be targeted but would never succumb to the perpetrator’s temptations.

'In that sense, Student Jeon is perfect.'

The runner-up beneath the top student.

Of course, this misunderstanding arose from him frequently gazing at Arina due to his feelings for her, but only Jeon himself and Professor Carlson knew the truth.

Rumors were rampant in the academy that he stared at Arina with hostility out of inferiority, making him an ideal target for the perpetrator’s next move.

Furthermore, he had a solid reason to never fall for the perpetrator’s schemes.

"We’re still not entirely sure what the incident is about, so it’s hard to explain, but the most likely suspect we professors have in mind is a Black Mage."

"......."

"You dislike them, don’t you? Black Mages."

Watching Jeon’s eyes change from earlier, Carlson smiled playfully.

Jeon Reidel.

The younger brother of the current Marquis Reidel.

The possibility of him falling for a Black Mage’s tricks was absolutely nil.

After all, to him, Black Mages were mortal enemies who had killed his father, the former head of the family, and brought his household to the brink of collapse.

"I understand, Student Jeon. To be honest, I don’t like them either. Black Mages, that is. As a professor, it’s sad, but what can we do? Circumstances are what they are."

"......."

"But this is for the safety of the students. I hope you’ll cooperate."

Saying that, Carlson took out the smartphone he had tucked away and waved it in front of him as if to lighten the mood.

"This was just a joke. If you’d like, I can delete it right now. So, if you don’t want to do it, just say so honestly. I don’t want to force responsibility onto the students."

To prove his point, Professor Carlson deleted the video he had taken earlier right in front of Jeon.

"So, what do you think? Will you help?"

Professor Carlson asked with a serious gaze, as if he would completely respect Jeon’s decision.

Clicking his tongue, Jeon turned his head away as he stared back.

"Honestly, your actions just now made me dislike you even more."

"That’s sad to hear. I joined this academy because I wanted to be a professor loved by my students."

"Fine. I’ll cooperate."

Professor Carlson had been right.

He hated Black Mages.

No, he didn’t just hate them—he despised them.

A pest worse than insects that must be eradicated from this world.

Even without Professor Carlson’s request, if he had learned that a Black Mage was plotting something within the academy, he would have stepped in of his own accord.

"Oh, just to clarify, Student Jeon, your role is to let me know if you see any students using suspicious apps. Understood? The opponent is a dangerous Black Mage."

"......."

"Hey, at this point, you should respond... Student Jeon?! Hey?!"

Huh? Did I make a mistake somehow?

Watching Jeon walk away silently, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Professor Carlson’s forehead.

He had underestimated the fiery nature typical of adolescence.

'This won’t cause some butterfly effect that leads to problems down the line, right?'

Professor Carlson fervently hoped that such a thing would never happen.