Chapter 92
I had always thought he was a cynical person, but I had never felt his gaze as cold as it was today.
I found myself nervously making excuses to Jedin.
I had even prepared something to say, in case I was caught reading books on black magic.
“The greatest threat to humans comes from the beings of the demon realm. As more and more monsters are crossing over, I wanted to properly understand our enemies. I heard that black magic is their greatest power.”
“Is that so?”
Luckily, my excuse seemed plausible, and Jedin’s previously sharp expression softened slightly.
“Knowledge of black magic is strictly forbidden even in the Mage Tower.”
“Why?”
“Because in the ancient Magician Kingdom, black magicians colluded with demons and caused chaos across the continent.”
“But I have no intention of becoming a black magician.”
“Of course. Few people study black magic theory intending to become black magicians from the start.”
Jedin took the books from my hands and returned them to the shelf with a small sigh.
“Power is always alluring. But not everyone can obtain it.”
I was a bit confused by the sudden change of topic, but Jedin continued speaking.
“There are those who cannot become strong no matter how hard they try, and those who become strong even without effort. Strong power is an unfair reward. But black magic is different.”
‘He talks as if…’
“Black magic seems fair, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Black magic is fair.”
Jedin admitted this willingly.
“If I demand a price, I will always give a corresponding amount of power. Very fairly. That is how black magic tempts humans.”
“So you mean we are forbidden from being curious about black magic because we could be tempted too?”
“Exactly.”
“So that means there’s still quite a bit of knowledge about black magic. You already know about it too, Jedin.”
“…Astute students can be quite troublesome.”
Jedin sighed and adjusted his glasses.
“But I cannot tell you. Any scholar you ask would answer the same. There aren’t many scholars who can even access that knowledge in the first place.”
“Then at least tell me how the knowledge of black magic has survived. After Liam fell, all black magicians disappeared. How did this knowledge remain? That should be fine, right?”
“…Very well. That is not dangerous information.”
Jedin hesitated briefly, then nodded and began to speak.
“I will tell you. On the condition that you promise to stop being curious about black magic afterwards.”
“I promise!”
“….”
Jedin looked skeptical but began explaining slowly.
“Even before you discovered the ruins of ancient Liam, some of their relics had been passed down. One of them is the ‘Book of Darkness.’ It contains theories of black magic.”
“Was that a book containing theories that could really make someone a black magician?”
“Yes. Black magic can be divided into two main types: curses and necromancy. The Book of Darkness deals with necromancy.”
“Necromancy…?”
“In simple terms, it’s the summoning of demons or monsters. Those summoned through necromancy obey the summoner in exchange for a price.”
Demons and monsters are extremely powerful.
If someone could summon them as subordinates, they would gain tremendous power.
Of course, if someone with ill intent used necromancy, peace would be at risk.
‘So that’s why people are completely blocked from accessing it.’
“What happens if someone resists magic cast by a black magician?”
“Both the caster and the target suffer. The level of damage depends on how powerful the magic is.”
Blanche had returned nearly dead, which meant the magic cast was extremely powerful.
Who could have done it?
What kind of magic was it?
Countless questions swirled through my mind.
“This is all I can tell you. Beyond that…”
“I’m not curious. Your explanation is enough, Jedin.”
“Yes, understood. But…”
Jedin narrowed his eyes, seemingly assessing my true intentions.
“You must be quite bored, to take an interest even in something as useless as black magic.”
‘Bored?’
A bad feeling ran down the back of my neck.
“No! I’m not bored—”
“Homework.”
Before I could refute him, Jedin’s ominous word was faster.
“I will give you an interesting homework assignment for a student who becomes curious about useless things out of boredom. It’s a special New Year’s holiday assignment.”
‘No….’
Could “interesting” and “homework” even exist in the same sentence?
Seeing Jedin smile slightly, I had a feeling that the assignment would be extremely difficult.
‘That feeling is never wrong.’
The ominous premonition proved to be entirely correct.
Jedin’s assignment was so challenging that I had to spend the entire precious New Year’s holiday working on it.
Lucas, unaware of my predicament, looked at my far more haggard face than before the holiday and widened his eyes.
“What did you do over the New Year’s holiday to end up like this?”
‘Heh. So many things happened.’
With Jedin’s assignment and the Blanche incident combined, I couldn’t properly enjoy the holiday.
“But you, Lucas, look very well.”
Unlike me, half-dead, Lucas’s face was full of energy.
“Right?”
He didn’t deny it, perhaps aware of it himself.
“Something very good happened.”
“Something good?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask what it is?”
“You’ll see soon enough when you look at these documents.”
Ah, now that I thought about it, Lucas had been holding documents when he came to find me.
‘Right. The holiday is over, and work begins again.’
Even a week away from work made it feel strangely unfamiliar to resume tasks.
I stared blankly at the documents, and Lucas looked at me with concern.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t seem up for work. Why not take one more day off?”
The suggestion was tempting, but I shook my head.
“I’m a little tired, but I’m curious about your good news, so I won’t rest.”
“You won’t regret it. I promise.”
“Hearing you say that makes me even more curious.”
I reached out my hand, and Lucas confidently handed me the documents.
“These show Devon’s current financial situation.”
“Current financial situation? Does it include expenses from the New Year period?”
“Yes.”
My eyes practically lit up.
Expenses for food given to the residents, and the money spent on the three brothers’ party are reflected here!
‘I don’t even need to look. It’s going to be a mess of deficits.’
Then why did Lucas call this good news?
‘Well, it’s good news for someone trying to bankrupt the estate…’
Curious, I examined the documents. I needed to see the details to understand the situation.
‘Wow. I really worked hard last year.’
Seeing the detailed expenses made me smile with pride, though I tried to suppress it.
‘I can’t look too happy.’
I forced my twitching lips to remain neutral and slowly flipped through the papers.
‘Even though the Elmhaven was purified, that doesn’t immediately generate income.’
So it was just expenditure after expenditure, with barely any income.
The pre-existing schemes by the local vassals before my arrival also contributed, making the finances terrible.
But…
The number on the last page of the documents wasn’t negative. It was positive.
And it was an enormous positive.
‘…What? What’s going on here?’
A cold sweat ran down my back at the unexpected turn.
I rubbed my eyes several times, thinking I must be seeing things, but the number on the paper didn’t change.
‘What…?’
Could Devon’s finances really be in the black? Even after spending so freely without proper income?
Something felt off.
‘It wouldn’t be strange if a minus sign were here… Ah!’
The moment I realized, a light flashed in my mind, and understanding struck.
‘Of course! The minus sign is missing in front of the number!’
