Master 41

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“Tsk….”  

The female teacher, who had been walking past Whitney towards the ominous magic circle exuding a foreboding aura, clicked her tongue as her expression twisted.  

“A mere rookie, and yet you dared to interfere with our plans once again.”  

Muttering in a low voice, she bit her nails, her eyes gradually turning black once more.  

‘I’ve spent years holding my breath, blending into the academy… and now, of all times?’  

She was well aware that after the failed engagement operation at the recent Shadow Union meeting, nearly all the black mages involved had faced a gruesome fate, with only a rare few escaping punishment.  

That was why she had been given the order to find a moderately talented child before the Young Talents Selection Tournament and prepare them as a substitute for the saintess in summoning the demon.  

She had no choice but to ensure the success of this plan.  

‘Damn it, white mages are always such a nuisance.’  

However, the artifact she had prepared with the approval of the Tower Master and the sub-highest-tier monster, which had been forcefully readied for the plan’s success, had been effortlessly neutralized by Whitney.  

Of course, now that he had lifted his power-sealing magic, she could still move the monster again.  

But the problem was that the artifact, the core of the plan, had fallen into Whitney’s hands.  

‘Should I launch a surprise attack and steal the artifact back…?’  

That solution briefly crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought.  

‘No, that would be reckless.’  

Pedro, the mastermind behind the engagement operation, had mentioned that Whitney possessed the ability to track movements even in absolute darkness, something that was supposed to be lethal to white mages.  

Even if she managed to snatch the artifact back, she would need to infuse it with a massive amount of dark mana to reactivate it.  

Considering that she had already infused a considerable amount of dark mana into Adele’s necklace under the guise of a security check, pulling this off while dealing with a white mage would be extremely difficult.  

‘Thankfully, the dark mana emanating from the magic circle has concealed my identity. I should focus on erasing the evidence and wait for another opportunity.’  

With that thought, she took a deep breath, making a rational decision as she stood before the magic circle.  

‘There’s still time left. If I can just find another chance….’  

Just as she was about to reach out to erase the runes inscribed within the magic circle, holding her breath—  

“Are you trying to get rid of that?”  

“…!?”  

A playful whisper suddenly rang beside her, making her freeze in shock.  

“Rather than erasing it, wouldn’t it be less suspicious to leave it as it is?”  

Whitney, who had apparently left the maze earlier, had now returned alone, standing beside her with a sly grin.  

Had he already put Adele somewhere else?  

“W-What do you mean by that?”  

“Hmm, well….”  

Seeing him like that, she broke into a cold sweat but forced herself to feign ignorance and remain calm.  

Whitney, in turn, seemed lost in thought for a moment.  

“Could I borrow your ear for a second?”  

“…At a time like this?”  

“It’ll only take a moment.”  

His unexpected request, paired with his half-lidded gaze, made her hesitate.  

After some deliberation, she ultimately leaned in cautiously, ready to cast dark magic at a moment’s notice.  

“…For the Moon’s Shadow.”  

The moment he whispered in her ear, wearing a chillingly wicked expression—  

“Th-That’s impossible.”  

Her face went blank for a brief moment before she hastily stumbled backward, muttering in disbelief.  

“T-That can’t be… If that’s true, then why…?”  

“What do you mean?”  

“…Why did you interfere with us?”  

It was an understandable reaction.  

The phrase Whitney had whispered was a secret code used among black mages to identify each other.  

“You’ve ruined our plans twice already—there’s no way you’re a member of the Shadow Union….”  

“Haha, if you shift your perspective just a little, it all makes sense.”  

It was too much of a coincidence.  

A non-black mage couldn’t possibly know that code.  

Even if he had somehow learned it through other means, what were the chances of him whispering it at precisely this moment?  

“…Have you never considered that everything happening recently might all be part of a grand plan?”  

Despite her skepticism, Whitney’s composed response made her tense.  

She narrowed her eyes and, lowering her voice, demanded proof.  

“P-Prove it.”  

“Proof?”  

“Prove that you’re on our side.”  

If Whitney truly was one of them, there were countless ways to prove it.  

The black mages were a highly secretive group, wary of infiltrators, and had put great effort into creating foolproof identification methods.  

“Hmm….”  

“Ha, damn it. So it was just a deception after all.”  

However, when Whitney remained silent, merely swallowing hard, her expression immediately turned cold, and she hastily began to summon dark mana into both hands.  

“I don’t know where you learned that code, but now that it’s come to this, I can’t let you leave.”  

Then, as her gaze shifted to the headless knight, who had been standing motionless with his sword raised per her command—  

“Being of the Abyss and Darkness, fulfill your duty to your contractor.”  

She gave the order with a sinister smile.  

“…..”  

“Huh…?”  

Yet, the headless knight remained motionless, maintaining complete silence.  

“W-What’s going on…?”  

Startled, she tried to regain her composure and was just about to issue another command when—  

“B-Being of the Abyss and…!”  

“…Being of the Abyss and Darkness.”  

Whitney, who had been quietly observing, suddenly repeated her command in a soft, measured tone.  

“Fulfill your duty to me.”  

The moment he finished speaking—  

Clank…  

The headless knight slowly sheathed his sword at his waist, then kneeled before Whitney, bowing his head.  

“Is there any clearer proof than this?”  

“…Is this real?”  

Blinking in disbelief, the female teacher rubbed her eyes, then, hearing Whitney’s calm voice beside her, she hesitantly asked,  

“Are you really on our side…?”  

Whitney responded with his signature eye-smile and gave a quiet nod.  

‘Wait… this actually worked?’  

In truth, he was just as baffled as she was.  

*****  

To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what’s happening right now.  

‘In the original story, I died in the Embergreen Ducal estate’s garden before the game even started, so how would I know?’  

I could understand lower-tier monsters obeying me, but for even that high-tier headless knight to follow my command?  

If this got out, the Holy Order might light a fire under my ass and try to kill me.  

‘Once this is over, I really need to figure out what’s going on with my abilities.’  

But right now, the priority was ending this damned situation.  

“What’s your real identity, aside from your cover?”  

“I-I’m Rebecca, a member of the Shadow Union’s Eastern Branch.”  

As she sat there, dazed, I gave her a casual smile and threw out the question.  

Snapping back to reality, she stammered as she introduced herself.  

“I-I’m currently on an infiltration mission in the academy, so I haven’t had much direct contact with the Union….”  

“Are you the only infiltrator here?”  

“…There are a few others, but they’re just servants under my command.”  

With her identity and the black mages’ movements inside the academy so easily revealed, I decided to push my advantage.  

“Alright, listen carefully, Rebecca.”  

If I could plant a double agent among the black mages, everything would become much easier moving forward.  

“Approaching Lady Meredia and becoming her fiancé.”  

“…?”  

“Anticipating the engagement operation’s failure and secretly spiriting away the saintess. Using that situation to deceive the emperor and rise as the empire’s hero for defeating the black mages.”  

As I recounted the events leading up to now, Rebecca, the black mage, stared at me in confusion.  

“And getting appointed as a judge for the Young Talents Selection Tournament—everything up to this point.”  

“!”  

“It’s all just a part of my grand plan.”  

At my words, her pupils dilated in shock.  

“Then… could it be…?”  

A few moments later, she finally said what I had been waiting for.  

“You are… our great—”  

“Shh.”  

I swiftly placed a finger against her lips to silence her, then flicked my other hand’s fingers with a low whisper.  

“You should have realized it the moment I controlled the monsters, shouldn’t you?”  

Right on cue, the low-tier monsters lurking nearby began writhing toward me.  

“Ah…”  

Rebecca, staring blankly at the convincingly theatrical display, flinched as the grotesque creatures rubbed against my legs.  

Then, she suddenly bowed her head to the ground and shouted,  

“I-I greet the Great Shadow!”  

It seemed my plan to make them mistake me for their leader had worked.  

“Th-Then what about the order I received to find a replacement for the saintess…?”  

“Ahaha… That must have been a decision made independently by the executives.”  

With that, everything else would fall into place.  

Once a person falls for a misconception, it’s not easy to break free from it.  

“I’ll personally bring the saintess to the selection tournament, so there’s no need for substitutes.”  

“I-I see?”  

“But Rebecca, do you know why I’m telling you such confidential information?”  

With just a little seasoning, misconceptions can expand rapidly.  

“I’m planning to replace the soon-to-be-purged executives and give you an important position.”  

“A-Ah…”  

“It’s about time we prioritized field operatives like you over those who sit safely in their hideouts, only engaging in empty discussions.”  

As expected, her body trembled, and she muttered in a teary voice,  

“I… I thought I would just rot away in the academy and be discarded….”  

It was oddly amusing that, whether in my past life or this one, even black mages suffered the same workplace frustrations.  

“I will…! I will devote my life in loyalty!”  

“Haha, good.”  

“If you take off your shoes right now, I will seal the oath with a kiss….”  

“No, there’s no need to go that far.”  

I hastily pulled her away as she crawled toward my feet, attempting a black mage-style oath.  

Then, crouching down in front of her, I whispered in a low voice.  

“I have a request for you.”  

“W-Whatever it is, just command me! I will accomplish it without fail!”  

Now that I had successfully secured a pawn within the black mages, it was time to turn their own tactics against them.  

“Right now, I need you to attack me with dark magic.”  

“…What?”  

For example, I planned to spread false information that Whitney had been critically wounded inside the maze and could not serve as a judge in the Young Talents Selection Tournament.  

“It would be best if the injuries looked serious.”  

“……?”  

“Ah, but make sure it’s non-fatal. I need to manipulate the situation.”  

“…Ah! I see what you’re doing!”  

Huh. Why does this feel like I’ve truly become some kind of mastermind?  

*****  

Some time later, at the entrance of the examination hall outside the maze—  

“Lady Meredia, you cannot go in.”  

“…Step aside.”  

Unlike the now somewhat settled situation inside, the atmosphere outside was on the verge of exploding.  

“No matter who you are, my lady, I cannot allow it.”  

“Are you not hearing me?”  

“I hear you perfectly well. That is precisely why I’m stopping you.”  

Meredia, the chairwoman of the academy’s board and the dean, who had rushed over with the academy’s magic faculty upon hearing the situation, were at a standstill.  

“You intend to forcibly tear down the barrier? The maze has essentially transformed into a dungeon. If you interfere recklessly, the students inside could be put at risk.”  

“You think I don’t know that?”  

After having her demands dismissed for the third time, Lady Meredia glared at the dean, her expression full of killing intent.  

“How amusing. You people claim to care so much about student safety, and yet you let this disaster happen.”  

“…I have no excuse for that. And, of course, I will take full responsibility.”  

However, the dean had his own reasons for blocking her path.  

“The magic faculty is working together to safely dismantle the barrier. Just a little more time, and—”  

“Didn’t you say the same thing when I first arrived?”  

“…Please, my lady. You understand the potential side effects of forcibly destroying a dungeon barrier.”  

As the dean anxiously stroked his beard, Meredia’s expression twisted into something even more terrifying.  

“If it were an ordinary magic circle, I wouldn’t even be arguing. But no one has ever documented what happens when an overloaded dark magic-infused circle collapses….”  

“My fiancé is a white mage. What exactly are you so worried about?”  

At her sharp remark, the dean fell silent for a moment before speaking in a trembling voice.  

“…Isn’t it precisely because of that fiancé that you are more concerned than you would be for the students?”  

Meredia, who had been glaring at him in silence, clenched her trembling right hand with her other, steadying herself.  

“Then let me ask you in return.”  

“Go ahead.”  

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t be more worried about my fiancé than students I’ve never even met.”  

Had there been gossipers around, they might have interpreted her words as a headline-worthy romantic declaration.  

But with the murderous aura radiating from her and the crimson glow intensifying in her gemstone eyes, no one dared entertain such frivolous thoughts.  

“It seems we have reached an impasse.”  

“I agree. So, this is my final warning.”  

Having failed to negotiate with the dean, Lady Meredia began issuing her ultimatum.  

“If you do not move aside this instant, I will—”  

“…D-Dean! Lady Meredia!”  

Suddenly, a panicked assistant ran up behind them, interrupting her declaration just in time.  

“The maze is collapsing!”  

The moment those words were spoken, Meredia immediately stopped paying attention to the dean and rushed toward the examination hall.  

“……Ah.”  

And then, a weak gasp escaped her lips.  

Kugugugugu—!  

Just as the assistant had said, the maze before her was crumbling helplessly.  

Clatter…  

After a long period of collapse, the maze had turned into a wasteland.  

A small stone, dislodged by the destruction, rolled to a stop at her feet.  

“……”  

Meredia stood there, frozen, her complexion gradually turning pale.  

“Well, I must say, seeing that damn maze finally collapse is oddly satisfying.”  

At that moment, a familiar voice—brazen and unfazed—spoke beside her.  

“It’s truly a pleasure to see you again, my lady.”  

Whitney, holding a female student in a princess carry, stood beside her, supported by the female teacher, flashing his signature sly grin.  

“You really have a talent for irritating people.”  

“Haha….”  

“You couldn’t even handle such a minor incident properly, and yet you expect to serve as a judge—”  

Meredia, who had been glaring icily at the girl clinging to Whitney’s waist, began her usual cold tirade.  

But then—  

“…What is that?”  

She suddenly noticed the dark, ominously stained wound on his side, where his torn clothes revealed his injured skin.  

Her eyes widened, and her expression changed instantly.  

“Oh, this….”  

Whitney tried to explain with a pale smile, but before he could finish—  

“There was a lot… that happened inside….”  

“……!”  

“…Ugh.”  

His balance faltered, and he collapsed.  

Meredia instinctively reached out and caught him, cradling him against her.  

“…Call the medic.”  

Her eyes trembled as she looked down at him.  

Then, pressing her still-quivering right hand against his face, she raised her voice urgently.  

“Summon the medic, now!”  

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