My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 52

The students begin to wake up one by one, regaining their senses.

Like someone waking up from a nap, they glance around aimlessly with vacant eyes, as if nothing had happened.

Professors, including Professor Paracelsus, who had stayed on the scene, checked the condition of the students regaining consciousness.

"That was a good nap after a long time."

Unlike the students receiving attention, Professor Carlson stretches as he gets up from his seat, unnoticed by anyone.

Then, he calmly stretches again to loosen up his stiff joints, slowly looking around.

"It seems the incident has been resolved peacefully."

The children have woken up.

This meant that all the connections of shared magic power had been severed. In other words, something had happened to the Black Mage, the administrator.

Whether he had been killed or had a Magic Restraint placed on him.

"But the atmosphere feels a bit strange, doesn't it?"

Where is the Black Mage, the culprit?

Why are there so few professors here?

"Could it be that the Black Mage managed to escape?"

He thought that couldn't be the case, but judging by the atmosphere, it seemed likely.

'How could such a big mistake have happened...?'

Could the Black Mage have had some kind of special trick up his sleeve?

Professor Carlson, unaware of the involvement of Jealousy from the Seven Deadly Sins of the Dark District, could only tilt his head in confusion, wondering how the other professors could have made such a major mistake.

Well, at least the outcome seemed to have turned out successfully, as evident.

"Professor Carlson."

"Yes?"

Who could it be? Who would show such a welcome interest in him?

Hearing his name called for the first time since regaining consciousness, Professor Carlson turned his head with delight.

"Ah, Student Jeon. What brings you here?"

And his excitement quickly faded.

Jeon Reidel, someone who hated Black Mages more than anyone else in the world.

There was no way someone like him would call out to a Black Mage like himself out of concern.

After all, he had likely just regained consciousness after losing it.

"I apologize."

Still, a professor couldn't show disappointment when called by a student.

With that thought, he greeted him with a smile, and Jeon immediately bowed his head toward Professor Carlson to apologize.

"It was my fault."

Burning with a desire for revenge against the Black Mage, he acted impulsively without trusting the professor.

If only he had reported to him even once before activating the app, the incident might have been resolved more quickly.

"No, it's fine."

Professor Carlson's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected apology.

Could it be that Jeon had opened his heart to him, even a little?

"Student Jeon did nothing wrong."

The reason Professor Magnus refrains from assigning tasks to students.

It was partly to allow them to fully focus on the Academy schedule, but at the same time, it was to avoid placing even a bit of responsibility for mistakes on them.

Students bear no fault.

Whether things went well or, as in this case, the Black Mage escaped due to a mistake, the responsibility lay solely with the professors.

Praising their assistance was fine, but placing responsibility for mistakes on them was unthinkable for a professor.

"Ah, let me correct myself. There is one thing you did wrong—recklessly trying to jump into that massive Magic Sphere without thinking."

Unless he had some absurd cheat item like a Divine Artifact from the Masao Family that exerted absolute influence over magic, Jeon's action was a reckless, life-threatening move.

"Other than that, everything was fine. Thank you for your help, Student Jeon."

"......."

Jeon hadn't contributed to this incident at all.

He hadn't informed him about the Magic Boost App, and his rash activation of the app had only caused unnecessary danger.

Even chasing the Black Mage out was entirely Professor Carlson's doing.

The only thing Jeon had done was watch his actions from the sidelines.

And yet, he was being thanked.

The fact that there was no hint of mockery in those words left Jeon feeling an unexplainable emotion as he bowed his head.

'This person is different.'

Unlike the perpetrators of this incident, the criminal Black Mages who caused trouble wherever they went.

He wasn't the kind of Black Mage that Jeon hated and resented, but a genuine scholar who found Black Magic fascinating and sought to study it.

Someone who shouldn't be disliked simply for being a Black Mage.

"Thank you, Professor."

This time, Jeon bowed his head with genuine respect.

Professor Carlson scratched his cheek awkwardly at the sight.

Perhaps because of his usually gloomy demeanor and penchant for contextless jokes, it was the first time he had received such respect from a student.

The situation somehow felt very embarrassing and awkward.

Even Arina, who was usually friendly with him, had never shown such reverence.

'Not bad.'

However, it wasn't unpleasant at all.

In fact, it felt good.

So much so that he wondered if this was why people became professors.

"Professor!"

Speak of the tiger, and it appears.

Just as he thought of Arina, her voice came from behind.

Seeing him awake, she ran toward him, filled with worry.

Flinch.

At the same time, Jeon's body, standing before Professor Carlson, froze like ice.

Unlike others who moved with fluid, natural motions, his stiff, angular movements resembled those of a golem from the Magic Tower.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Ah, finally, for the first time after waking up, someone expressed concern for him.

Moved by this fact, Professor Carlson wiped the tears welling up in his eyes with the back of his hand.

It was already the second time today he felt glad to have become a professor.

Could today be his birthday?

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Student Arina."

"That's a relief."

Ah, how wonderful it would be if all the Academy's students were like Arina.

Then he wouldn't need to have deep conversations with Professor Clara about why students tended to avoid him.

'By the way, has Student Jeon not been noticed yet?'

Was he hidden behind Professor Carlson?

Or was Arina deliberately ignoring Jeon's sharp glare, weighed down by nervousness and excitement?

Knowing Arina's personality, the former seemed more likely.

"Professor, I'll take my leave now."

Was it because he couldn't handle the pounding of his heart on the verge of bursting?

Jeon bowed his head and quickly walked in the opposite direction of Arina, his behavior reminiscent of his previously hostile demeanor before opening up to Professor Carlson.

Perhaps he'd soon hide somewhere, sit down, and stomp his feet in regret, wondering why he had acted that way.

"He's still unpleasant. That guy."

Watching Jeon leave, Maril approached Arina with a dissatisfied look, staring after him.

"To act like that just because he got beaten in grades once. How can someone with such a narrow mind hope to achieve greatness?"

Was it that he had thoroughly fallen out of favor?

Maril's words were full of negative feelings toward Jeon.

'At this point, I think he's worse off than me.'

No matter how much courage one had to endure being disliked, receiving such treatment from someone you liked would be a deep wound.

Still, if there was a silver lining, it was that this misunderstanding would soon be cleared up.

Since the students shared memories of the incident, his near-public confession of his feelings had already spread across the entire first year.

"Well, don't hate him too much. Student Jeon must have his own struggles and circumstances."

With those words, a mischievous smile spread across Professor Carlson's face.

That smile, overlapping with the somber atmosphere, created a scene reminiscent of a criminal mastermind.

"Soon, you'll probably hear some amusing rumors about him."

Leaving behind his unsettling laughter.

Arina and Maril tilted their heads in unison, exchanging puzzled glances at Professor Carlson's cryptic remark.

* * *

The police, responding to the report, surrounded the scene of the incident.

"What on earth happened here...."

Patrol Officer Jack, the first to arrive at the scene, was speechless at the horrific sight before him.

A half-destroyed water tank and a massive amount of blood that seemed to have spilled from within.

There was no corpse, but even so, the blood-soaked ground and the overwhelming stench of blood were enough to make an ordinary person unable to bear looking at it properly.

All Jack could do was secure the scene and prevent civilians from entering until the investigative team arrived from headquarters.

'Who on earth could have done such a thing?'

One thing was certain—it was undoubtedly a murder case.

There was no way a victim could have survived after losing that much blood.

"Hmm?"

While he was lost in thought, someone approached the scene.

Long hair tied tightly behind the head.

A perfectly tailored black suit and sharp, piercing eyes that exuded an air of intelligence and professionalism.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Before Jack could block their way, she pulled out her ID card.

Julia Evergreen, Violent Crimes Unit 1 of the Special Investigation Unit.

Upon confirming her name, Jack's body stiffened with tension, and cold sweat ran down his back.

"Sir!"

"May I take a look inside?"

"Of course!"

As Jack stepped aside, the woman entered the police line.

Watching her, Jack let out a long sigh.

The Special Investigation Unit.

A department within the Police Headquarters specializing in handling matters related to the Dark District.

Due to the nature of their work, they often took on dangerous missions, making their entry requirements incredibly stringent—an elite group by necessity.

Naturally, this led them to maintain a small and highly selective team.

This was Jack's first time seeing someone from the Special Investigation Unit in person.

'Wait, does that mean today's incident is related to the Dark District?'

Seniors always said that getting involved with the Dark District could ruin your life.

Surely, nothing would happen to him just because he controlled access to the scene, right?

As he recalled the exaggerated warnings his seniors had told to scare a junior, Jack trembled in fear on his own.

Judging by his expression, it seemed his dreams tonight were destined to be nightmares.

"So, have you found anything?"

Meanwhile, Julia, now inside the crime scene, approached a forensic team member moving around the area.

At her words, the investigator glanced at her briefly before refocusing on examining the unidentified magic tool.

"Upon investigation, it matches that Black Mage."

Did they already have some familiarity?

Without any formalities, the investigator immediately got to the point.

"The pattern of Negative Dimensional Magic Power discovered in the Benedict Academy auditorium is identical."

Individual magic power is like a fingerprint.

Even the magic power of the Umbral Dimension used by Black Mages is no exception.

"The blood on the ground is the same. It's exactly identical to the blood found on the auditorium floor."

In other words, the entity that caused the commotion here was the Black Mage who escaped from the Academy.

And he was clearly the victim in this case.

"However, while traces of the victim are scattered everywhere, not a single trace of the perpetrator has been found."

Even though their use of abilities was evident, not a single speck of magic power had been detected.

This was undoubtedly the work of a professional.

And that's precisely why Julia was dispatched to this location.

"Who on earth could have done this...."

"It's fine. I already have a suspect in mind."

At the investigator's words, Julia responded calmly.

Then, she briefly scanned her surroundings and pulled out her smartphone.

"If you find anything else, please let me know immediately. You have my number, right?"

"Of course."

Saying this, Julia distanced herself from the investigator, who was meticulously examining the magic tool.

She then made a phone call and began speaking.

"I've checked the scene. As expected, it seems the Dark District is involved. And it's Jealousy himself."

Even a skilled professional wouldn't be able to erase traces this perfectly.

Usually, they would try to mislead by altering traces elsewhere.

However, despite having the capability, erasing only their own traces as cleanly as this was one of the particularly nasty habits of Jealousy from the Seven Deadly Sins.

"It's as if they're blatantly advertising that they did it."

As expected, the Dark District had directly intervened in this matter.

Now that this fact was confirmed, there was no need for further investigation into this case.

There were no civilian casualties, and the only one captured was a Black Mage targeting the Academy students.

As per the agreement with His Majesty the King, they had thoroughly resolved the matter in the shadows, away from public knowledge.

-I just confirmed it here as well. All the Academy students, including the child who was hospitalized, have regained consciousness.

"Then I'll conclude the investigation here. Team Leader."

-Alright, good work. Just tell the public that the culprit has been caught. I'll handle the report to the higher-ups, so you can head home and rest.

"I've already been resting this whole time, though."

-Just take a break. We need to rest when we can. Who knows when we'll get the chance again?

"That's true, but still."

After the deal with Oman, the workload of the Special Investigation Unit had noticeably decreased.

All the various incidents and accidents caused by the Dark District had been brought under control in the name of the Seven Deadly Sins.

This was a clear indication that they were serious about their deal with the Elemental Kingdom.

But from Julia's perspective, she couldn't help but wish they'd done this sooner.

'The Dark District's forces infiltrated the Kingdom, yet things have somehow become more peaceful.'

It was deeply ironic and paradoxical.

Honestly, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd had such a proper rest.

It had gotten to the point where Julia found herself hoping they’d take their time finishing their work and stay in the country a little longer.

Of course, unlike the Special Investigation Unit, the Royal Mage Corps, directly communicating with Oman and taking on all the original responsibilities of the Unit, were drowning in a mountain of work, constantly on edge for any emergencies.

Well, considering their cushy jobs most of the time, they might as well suffer a little now.

'It’ll all be over in a few months at most.'

The thought of a mere few months' respite felt far too short.

Thinking this, Julia hung up the call, glancing briefly at the forensic team members busily working, unaware that the investigation was already nearing its conclusion.

She wanted to tell them to take it easy, but she couldn’t.

The details of the negotiations with the Dark District were top secret.

Even Julia, who directly investigated the Dark District as part of the Special Investigation Unit, wouldn't have known about it otherwise.

'Come to think of it, I'm out of cigarettes. Should I grab a few on the way home?'

With such mundane thoughts in mind, she quietly left the scene.