Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

With my face set in a bored expression, I’m finally taking my first magic class in Eldain.

[Imperial Basic Magic].

It was taught by Professor Lars von Celestia, a renowned magician.

To kill time, I opened Professor Lars von Celestia’s status window.

__________________

[Basic Info]

Name: Lars von Celestia

Gender: Male

Age: 35

Primary Element: Earth

Achievements: [Professor at Eldain Academy]

[Traits]

Positives: [Scholarly] / [Self-reflective] / [Gifted in memorization].

Neutral: [Principled].

Negative: [Obsessive] / [Paranoid] / [Traumatized] / [Weak Mental] / [Obsessed]

[Stats]

Physique: 12

MP: 18

Luck: 3

Willpower: 21

Charm: 19

[Skills].

Passive Skills: [Fountain of Knowledge].

Active Skills: [Call of the Earth] / [Heat Release] / [Basic Northern Swordsmanship], etc.

__________________

‘Not so strong after all.’

The traits and stat allocations were typical of Professor Lars, who had established himself on the basis of theoretical knowledge. With that kind of power, he became a professor in Eldain.

He was a great man in many ways.

There must be a lot to learn from him.

‘Well, I’ve barely scratched the surface.’

New students at Elydain are required to take common courses in their first week.

For example, “History of the Arkheim Empire” and “Horsemanship”.

Later in the week, they would be able to choose electives and focus on them, but for now, the foundation was the most important thing.

“Magic is basically the art of taking the myriad of basic elements that exist in the natural world and transforming them, manifesting them, and changing their properties.”

Most of the other students don’t seem to understand, but I don’t mind.

I’ve always been a pretty good memorizer.

Plus.

[Talent ‘Master of Memorization’ is activating].

My talent is also aiding me.

With this momentum, if nothing else, I should be able to get good grades in theory, right?

I feel motivated.

Why?

Could it be that all my memories of my school days have flown away, and I’m enjoying my current situation without realizing it?

…… If that’s the case, it’s a little sad.

‘Professor Lars’ skill is obvious. He’s from the prestigious Celestia family, known for their magic.

I looked at Lars and nodded.

He’s handsome, but a bit stubborn.

Lars was a character I often encountered in the game.

He was quite popular with female gamers back in the day before the player base drifted away.

His magical abilities were obvious, so he was the kind of character who would benefit from being seen as much as possible.

It was then that Lars’ gaze shifted to me as he explained the theory of magic.

“So, then. Cadet Nox von Reinhafer. Let me ask you a question: do you know what element you possess?”

“Darkness.”

The abruptness of the question didn’t falter my [Acting Talent] at all. I give my answer nonchalantly, and Lars asks again with a slightly crumpled face for some reason.

“…Very well, then, please explain the characteristics of the dark element in a simple manner.”

“It’s turbid and doesn’t mix well with other properties, but its basic destructive power is very high compared to other elements. It’s also notoriously difficult to handle, so I understand that there are only a limited number of people who can use it properly.”

“……The symmetrical element is…….”

“Holy.”

“…….”

What?

I don’t know why, but the silent Lars is looking at me with an oddly heated gaze. Have I interpreted something wrong?

Or is there more to Lars’ backstory?

It’s a backstory I don’t even know, so I keep my mouth shut. Whatever the case, I figured, if you shut up, you’ll never meet in the middle.

Lars’ questions continued for a few more minutes, then died down.

Things like how to draw basic magical formulas and how to be more efficient with mana management. How to breathe, too.

‘Hmm…… something is really weird…?’

When we got to that point, even I felt strange.

No matter how much I think about it, this doesn’t seem to be the kind of difficulty you’d ask a freshman…?

But Lars didn’t stop asking questions.

What could I do?

To avoid being labeled as incompetent, I answered all of his questions with a blank stare.

Snap.

(Jjagjjag.)

Lars finally clapped his hands and his sullen face lit up. There was a hint of anxiety in his face, a change from the first time.

“Excellent…! You’ve been practicing quite well.”

It’s weird.

I’m being complimented, but somehow my crisis detection sensors are triggered.

As I press my eyes against the snowball of exhaustion, Lars continues.

“Nox von Reinhafer. Looks like they weren’t kidding when they said you had talent. I’d like to claim it right now.”

“……?”

That last one must be a mistake, right?

I thought, and then let it slide. Not that he’d bring it up in public like that, anyway.

Lars is a pretty common-sense guy, as far as I know. Most professors in Eldain are said to be insane… but Lars is diligent about his papers and has a reputation for getting things done.

Lars continued to lecture nonchalantly.

“Okay, enough theory, let’s do a quick lab for the elite students, teaching assistant!”

“Yes!”

At the sound of the call for assistants, a group of de facto slaves appeared, distributing dozens of cages to each student.

Inside was a half-naked, badly disfigured demon.

It was then that I realized something was wrong.

I thought this was supposed to be a sophomore class at most…?

Why did they assign this to a freshman?

What variables were at play…….

At that moment, I had to admit that I had been thinking stupidly.

That variable…….

Of course, it’s me again. Damn it.

* * *

{Zitri POV}

“Anyway, Young Master, you forget things surprisingly often.”

A green-haired girl sighs and shakes her head. The girl heads inside the mansion in Reinhafer Territory, a familiar sight.

She has flowing green hair, porcelain skin, and a pale face.

It’s Zitri, Nox’s personal maid.

She was visiting the mansion for a short time on Nox’s instructions. To check on the progress of the Chasers and their land development project.

And to make sure Grine was doing his job.

‘By the way, no matter how much I think about it, the tasks the master asks me to do are too much for a mere maid…….’

Of course, it was her master’s orders.

There was no way she was going to protest.

For now, she could only do her best with what she was given.

‘Be as helpful to Young Master Nox as you can, and maybe that will lessen his notoriety a bit. He has a tendency to take on too many roles, after all.’

I shake my head, remembering Nox’s usual behavior.

It would be nice to talk a little bit, but isn’t it Knox who enjoys fighting the enemy by talking with a sharp edge?

It was especially evident in his fight with Paracelsus.

Zone 4.

I hadn’t expected to see Paracelsus and my master fighting there.

‘In addition, lately, he has been sneaking out after putting sleeping pills in the tea he gave me. I must not let that happen again!’

Once or twice, I was happy to accept his favors.

However, I realized that this would never end.

He always seemed to get into trouble when I was sleeping.

“Haah.”

What can I do?

He’s still an asshole.

If I don’t take care of him, he’ll suffer.

Zitri knew Nox better than anyone.

And so it was, as she ruminated about him.

She began to hear busy voices around her.

-Is it true that the First Master has returned to the family?

-Yes. It is. He’s in the family room right now, having a conversation.

-What else is going to happen this time…

-I hope you’re okay, I hope nothing’s wrong.

The voices around her were describing exactly what had happened. Zitri walked over to a nearby maid to make sure.

“Hello. I’m Zitri, is there something going on at the manor right now?”

“Oh, you must be Master Nox’s maid, nothing much….”

“Let me explain!”

A woman interrupted their conversation.

It was none other than Rona.

An unexpectedly likable unit with a big mouth, known for gossiping behind Nox’s back.

With Nox out of the picture lately, she was probably the one with the loudest mouth. When Zitri shifted her gaze to the source of the voice, she continued.

“The first Young Master, Garen, has arrived at House Reinhafer. He is currently in the family room, speaking with Lord Theo.”

“Ah….”

Zitri nodded in understanding.

Rona put a hand on her waist.

“He’s quite the dandy, so he’ll be a sight to behold, though I’d have to say Young Master Nox, the scoundrel, is the most handsome……. That’s what they say about God being fair, he’s got a face that’s almost a mole on one side, don’t you think, Zitri?”

“Haha….”

Indeed, Theo was a very handsome middle-aged man.

In the past, he had made countless women cry. Nox had inherited his blood the thickest. His face was a disaster for other men.

But it didn’t really matter anyway; to Zitri, it was a face, and to him, it didn’t really matter.

All that mattered was, right now, would this situation work in Nox’s favor?

That was all that mattered.

“Let’s wait and see.”

As I made my decision, I heard a voice behind me.

A familiar voice, accompanied by a faint odor of drunkenness.

Sure enough, it was Elena and Mei.

“Zitrii… where’s my honey…?”

“I guess you just heard a name. Elina-nim.”

“I’m sorry. I should have stopped her, but she was sneaking drinks into her mouth. She’s a genius at that….”

Mei looked like she had almost given up. Hagiya, this was more Elena’s problem than Mei’s.

Anyway, the three of them casually shared what had been going on. Elena and Mei didn’t say anything, but it was clear that they were eager to get into Eldain.

In fact, with Nox’s authority, there might be a way to get them in somehow… but they weren’t fully trusted yet.

At least not Rona, who had the [Single-mindedness] trait, characters like Elena and Mei could always give up their place and transfer if the conditions were better. That’s what I thought.

Not that Nox would let them, of course.

“Anyway, it’s really good to see you again after all this time.”

“Didn’t ‘that’ Young Master Knox have an accident in Eldain? I heard that he already had an accident in the entrance exam.”

“Hmph, did the news get that far already?”

Where was Rona getting this information from?

I couldn’t figure it out at the time, but I thought it was amazing in more ways than one.

After all, a maid who had survived on this side of Reinhafer for more than a decade? This was unparalleled in that regard(?). {1}

“So what happened is…….”

Zitri briefly explained what had been going on.

Not only Rona but also Elena and Mei listened intently.

When it was all over, Rona clicked her tongue. Apparently, she wasn’t happy with Nox’s performance.

While this may not have been the case, it was at least a disappointment to Rona, who was looking for something to tease.

Elena, on the other hand, clasped her hands together in awe.

“My groom…….”

“Well. Elena, no matter how much you want to be, you’ll never be Mrs. Nox, and I’ve told you before, marriage is a weight class.”

Mei protested, but Elena covered her ears as if she didn’t hear.

While they were catching up.

On the other side, a very serious conversation was beginning.

The place is private. There were Theo and Rodwell, the butler.

And the first son, Garen.

Garen spoke, a cold smile on his face.

“Long time no see. Father.”

“Garen.”

There was a murderous energy between the two men that would not be normally seen between father and son.

{1} : I believe the author wants us to question “how” Rona has survived so far.

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