TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None

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'What the hell? What's that?'

Ian quickly spotted what Herta had discovered.

'Whatever it is, it's disgusting.'

Karenne's face was protruding from the back of the nobleman's head.

It was a horrifying sight straight out of a horror movie.

As if they'd glimpsed the darkness of this fantasy world.

In a realm different from reality, one could encounter beings that defied common sense in such dark ways.

"P-Please... save me..."

[No, darling! I said we should run away, not go to the wizards!]

'It really is Karenne.'

Ian could only come to that bewildering conclusion.

The face parasitizing Theo's body was indeed the transmuter Karenne.

He didn't know how she'd escaped from that ice block, but...

It seemed she'd barely managed to flee and latch onto Theo's body.

"W-Why should I listen to you?!"

[I'm disappointed in you, darling! Is this all our love amounts to?]

"Love my ass! I've never dated a monster like you..."

Urgh!

Theo's body flashed erratically before changing direction and moving away.

... It was an ominous guess, but.

It seemed Karenne had seized control of the body.

[I'll deal with you later! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!]

"N-No! Wizards! Please save me! I beg you!"

Ian understood the whole situation.

Karenne, a black wizard, had been manipulating this proxy baron from behind the scenes, causing the current incident.

Even the awkward and strange behavior of the proxy baron made sense now.

'Should I chase after them?'

"Ian! I'll follow them!"

"I'll go too!"

Herta and Anton stepped up at just the right moment.

Ian attached Jubal to the two wizards.

"Take Jubal with you. Jubal! Help the seniors!"

"Yes sir!"

Ian couldn't leave his post until Pentagon was defeated.

Fortunately, Pentagon didn't last much longer.

"Arrrgh!"

Belenka, empowered by the buffs, completely defeated Pentagon.

"It fled back to hell."

Belenka said, sheathing her sword.

Pentagon didn't leave a corpse behind. Demons were cunning creatures, and a high-ranking demon like Pentagon was bound to have an ace up its sleeve.

"Ian."

"What happened?"

"... We lost them."

Ian shook his head.

Karenne was a transmuter, so she likely transformed into something strange again to escape.

This is why wizards were such a pain to deal with.

There were so many versatile ones who could catch opponents off guard with all sorts of bizarre magic.

Of course, Ian wasn't one to talk, having screwed over plenty of beings in similar ways...

"Let's deal with what we can for now."

"Alright."

Ian began the cleanup.

---

---

A blood-soaked day passed.

First, Ian released Professor Inglan.

"... I'm truly ashamed."

Ian explained the details of the incident, and Professor Inglan was at a loss for words, not knowing how to apologize.

Ian gently consoled Inglan.

"It couldn't be helped."

Inglan had simply acted like a typical wizard.

The Empire's wizards were originally beings who received (or exploited) the patronage of nobles, and it wasn't unusual for them to accept help from nobles while traveling.

The black wizards had set a trap targeting this trait of wizards, and Inglan had simply fallen for it.

"I should stop traveling now."

"You probably should."

The days of carefree travel were over.

Now that the black wizards had shown their teeth, countermeasures had to be devised.

"I'll inform the other wizards about this incident and tell them to be vigilant against black wizards."

Inglan naturally suggested to Ian.

"I'm returning to the Imperial University. Would you like to come along?"

It was an offer Ian had no reason to refuse.

Ian was also starting to feel burdened by travel.

These damn black wizards kept showing up at every destination to cause trouble, as if they had some grudge against Ian.

Of course, Ian wasn't burning with a sense of justice to eradicate black wizards from the Empire.

While black wizards were bastards, exterminating them was another matter entirely.

How long would it take to find and eliminate black wizards across this vast Empire?

Moreover, being wizards themselves, they were bound to have prepared all sorts of troublesome magic.

Preparing for black wizards wasn't something Ian could handle alone.

He needed to join forces with other wizards to prepare.

"Actually, I'd like to help some friends."

"Help them?"

"I want them to study at the university..."

He was talking about Kira and Maria.

Ian had been traveling constantly until now, so he didn't have the money to enroll the two of them.

He could earn money by running errands for nobles, but...

That was a bit of a hassle.

Ian's sense of entitlement as a privileged wizard was growing stronger, making the concept of earning money through labor seem increasingly foreign.

I don't want to work, but I want to make money!

Ian had somewhat achieved what 99.9% of modern people desire.

So far, patronage had been rolling in just for breathing.

"They're quite talented friends. They pulled their weight in this incident too."

Though his tone was polite, Ian's eyes were those of a hyena.

If he were a carnivore, he would have bitten Inglan's nape right then and there!

"Ahem. Sponsoring two people would be quite a burden."

"No need to state the obvious."

"Then we'll have to search diligently for sponsors..."

"Ugh. Suddenly, the wound I got fighting the demon..."

When Ian let out a groan, Inglan was momentarily flustered.

He looked fine on the outside, but...

Could he have been injured?!

"No, let's stop here. You should go rest!"

"But the matter of my friends' enrollment..."

"I'll figure something out!"

"Oh. Is that so? Thank you, Professor."

As soon as Inglan said that, Ian became perfectly fine.

Inglan stared at Ian with a dumbfounded expression.

"Your wound from the demon..."

"The pain vanished as soon as you said you'd sponsor them, Professor."

"... There was never any wound, was there..."

"Ack! The wound I got while saving you, Professor!"

"..."

Inglan couldn't utter a single complaint.

He knew all too well that Ian had gone through hell to save him.

If he wanted, Ian could have abandoned Inglan and fled, but he stuck to his principles until the end, which put Inglan deeply in his debt.

'I'll have to find sponsors... somehow.'

Inglan thought to himself as he laughed nervously.

It wasn't something to frown upon, after all, since new wizards were being born.

"Who are these friends you want to enroll?"

"Kira and Maria. They aspire to be a flame wizard and a necromancer, respectively."

"A flame wizard is one thing, but a necromancer..."

Necromancy is generally perceived as magic straddling the boundary between normal and black magic.

It's wicked in some ways, yet acceptable in others - that's necromancy.

"I'm not sure if we still have a professor for necromancy."

"Oh. Did they go on a trip?"

"No? The previous professor was caught digging up a noble's grave and was executed."

"... Was execution really necessary?"

In fact, Inglan's words were closer to a self-introduction.

The bastard who got caught digging up a noble's grave = Inglan.

But Inglan had paid a ransom and survived, while the necromancy professor was executed.

"Ah. He was trying to revive the exhumed corpse as an undead. Apparently it was mummified, so he thought it was worth a shot..."

"..."

What kind of absolute madman...!

Ian was dumbfounded, but found himself accepting it unbelievably quickly.

Hmm. He might have dug up the grave out of an overwhelming desire to become closer to the mysteries of death.

Ian had long been steeped in the wizard's way of thinking.

"I'll arrange a position for you too, so feel free to study comfortably while you're there."

"I appreciate your consideration, Professor."

Ian bowed his head as he spoke.

Normally, he wouldn't be very interested, but with black wizards being so active now, the university would serve as an excellent refuge.

If lucky, he might even learn new magic.

"Ah. That's right."

Inglan held out something to Ian.

"What's this?"

"Actually, I was trying to find this when I ran out of travel funds and stopped by Baron Vincents' domain."

"Oh."

Ian checked the leather piece Inglan handed over with an excited heart.

"It's a treasure map."

"A treasure map?"

What Inglan handed over was a kind of treasure map.

Ian was secretly excited.

Whatever it was, it must be something extraordinary if Inglan, a professor at the Magic University, was looking for it...

"What kind of magical artifact is it? Or ancient magic?"

"I don't know either."

There was only a mark indicating that something precious was hidden here, but he couldn't figure out what kind of item was hidden.

"Why don't you try finding it?"

Inglan said bitterly.

"It seems the opportunity isn't meant for me."

"Professor..."

"Ah. The only clue I gathered is that it's the 'Book of the Gods'."

The Book of the Gods.

So, the treasure was some kind of book.

As a wizard, Ian felt his curiosity piqued.

Books are always a wizard's good friend.

"Well, good luck with that."

After finishing their chat, Ian and Inglan began cleaning up the mess in the barony.

"For now, let's have Inglan serve as the interim proxy baron."

"Well... I suppose we must."

Not a single person of high rank remained in the barony.

All the knights were dead, and Gremlin's Theo was missing (probably kidnapped).

Even the civil officials working at the castle had been eaten by the transmuter Karenne.

In the end, Inglan was the only one who could give any sort of instructions.

The other wizards didn't have as much administrative experience as Inglan.

Despite Inglan's tendency to get into all sorts of trouble, he was originally a professor at a magic university.

"I am Inglan Kate, professor at Dranheim Magic University, serving as the interim proxy baron."

Inglan, like the seasoned wizard he was, demonstrated his skillful administrative abilities.

"Organize a vigilante group to strengthen patrols, and report immediately if you see any suspicious individuals."

"Each household should report in detail any damage suffered from black wizards."

"Prepare a cemetery and gather the victims in one place to prevent the spread of disease."

"Focus on releasing cats to catch mice."

And so on and so forth...

Inglan issued orders with a skill rivaling that of a real baron.

The domain's residents followed Inglan's instructions with expressions that seemed to say, 'What the hell is going on?'

During the vigilantes' patrol, they discovered the earth wizard Carl.

Whether he was quick-witted or just incredibly scared...

Carl had made a fortress in a place full of earth energy and was in the process of plastering it with magic circles.

"You lot! There are demons roaming in the baron's castle..."

"We've caught him."

"???"

If Ian had retreated as he was, Carl's magic circles would have been put to good use.

But they were rendered useless after being caught before that.

"I thought Carl had been taken down by the demon."

"... I thought you all had been taken down."

Ian shrugged his shoulders.

It was a bit disappointing that Carl couldn't join the battle.

Well. At least he's alive. Let's have a drink~

"Still, let's keep the magic circles in place just in case."

"Good idea."

The wizards installed magic circles here and there in the domain to prepare for emergencies.

All the wizards except Krysus installed at least one magic circle.

"Why is the senior just lazing around?"

"L-Lazing around?! I've been searching for cold spots!"

Ian marveled anew at the impressive performance of ice magic.

As expected of ice magic.

It was impossible to even install a magic circle without a cold place...

As they spent time like this, a visitor arrived from outside the domain.

More precisely, the domain's owner had returned.

"Professor! Count Gremlin has arrived!"

"Well, well. He's here rather quickly."

Inglan grumbled as he put down his quill.

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