Chapter 106. From Senior to Junior

"We have to report this to the higher-ups too, right?"

"……Do you even have to ask?"

Pirenzo and Armandy sighed as they left the dungeon.

It hadn't been long since the report on the 'Black Fang' incident was submitted, and now to submit a report on this incident as well, their future looked bleak.

"Should we report the dungeon clear later?"

"Sigh……. Don't sound so weak."

Because I might get weak too.

Armandy clenched his teeth.

The two had not written down all the circumstances related to themselves in the report.

- The 8th Prince raided and annihilated the headquarters of 'Black Fang' during a combat magic practical.

They had reported the 8th Prince's actions in this way, but there was no need to write down everything the agents had done there.

It was a matter they would report verbally when they went to headquarters later anyway.

If only they hadn't been discovered by the 8th Prince earlier, they could have passed by without entering the dungeon.

Because of that foolish colleague, things had gotten twisted from the start.

Armandy jeered at Pirenzo.

"Didn't you say you were prepared for disciplinary action last time? So I thought you confidently entered the dungeon?"

"Then should I have said, 'yes, sir,' and let only His Highness enter the dungeon?"

"Instead of obediently entering, you should have persuaded him somehow not to enter!"

"If it were that easy, you should have said it!"

Pirenzo also had a lot to say.

That guy was subtly trying to shift the blame to him, even though they had done it together.

He couldn't help but be a terrible guy who pushed his colleague instead of covering for him.

"So why did you jump out instead of hiding well?"

"Huh, you also jumped out as soon as His Highness called you. I thought you were some kind of dog."

"What did you say, you bastard? Then what are you, who jumped out without even being called?"

Seeing the increasingly hostile Armandy and Pirenzo, Radel, who was following behind, smiled.

"It's nice that you two seem close."

At those words, the two shouted in unison.

"Absolutely not!"

"We are not close!"

Radel shrugged his shoulders.

Don't they know that acting like that makes them look even closer?

Perhaps embarrassed at having the truth pointed out, the two turned their heads away and didn't look at each other.

And as if they wanted to reduce the time they were together even a little, they strode forward with quick steps.

Behind the two who were moving quickly without anyone taking the lead, Radel carefully took out the key.

The key shone with a black light.

Looking closely, a fragmented jewel of the same black light was embedded in the center.

In Hayden's map, this dungeon was also marked in black.

A black dungeon and a black key.

There might be some connection.

‘This doesn't seem like an ordinary object.’

Even to Radel, it felt unusual.

However, he couldn't figure out what it was used for.

Although artifacts sometimes came out of dungeons, he had never heard of a key coming out.

‘At the very least, it seems certain that there is a secret in the dungeon.’

The moment he broke the phylactery, when the key was placed in his hand, the lich's scream echoed in Radel's head.

- My master, Belphegor-nim, will not leave you alone!’

Belphegor.

He had heard that name before.

Wasn't it one of the names of the Archdevils?

It seemed he needed to investigate further.

* * *

A dungeon somewhere in the Empire.

Rumble!

A huge monster appeared as the damp, dark wall cracked open.

- Kiaaak!

It was a zombie wyvern with flesh dripping off.

It was a monster created by casting a curse on the corpse of a wyvern, and it was twice as hard to defeat as an ordinary wyvern.

Not only did it not die easily because it was an undead, but when attacked, its health was depleted along with a curse.

The wyvern's most powerful weapon, its breath, was also a threat.

Such a large monster had appeared as a boss.

When the zombie wyvern appeared, the expressions of the people in the boss room changed.

"It's a zombie wyvern!"

"Goodness!"

However, what appeared on their faces was not fear but joy.

"Everyone to your positions!"

The group scattered in the boss room formed a formation in perfect order according to the leader's shout.

They were all wearing black robes, and in their hands, they held daggers.

"Begin."

As the leader gestured, everyone, without anyone taking the lead, slit their forearms with their daggers.

Pitter-patter.

And then, the blood sprinkled on the floor wriggled as if alive and crossed the floor.

Soon, a reddish-black magic circle drawn with blood was completed.

"It's done!"

"Offer the sacrifice."

As soon as the leader's words fell, someone pushed a man's back into the magic circle.

The man called a sacrifice was trembling.

Because he knew what was about to happen.

"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

The leader nodded at him and gave a signal.

He raised his dagger, trembling.

"For the master!"

The blade of the dagger shone.

Thump.

Soon, his body collapsed limply, and a reddish-black light flowed from the magic circle.

No magic of the Empire offered the blood of a living person.

Except for one magic.

The only forbidden magic in the Empire.

A wicked magic that borrowed the power of devils was being openly performed here.

These were devil worshippers who had dabbled in forbidden power.

In the Empire, their organization was called the Black Order.

- Kiaaaak!

The zombie wyvern opened its mouth to spew its breath.

At the same time, something was happening in the magic circle.

Flash!

Light erupted from the magic circle, and black hands shot out.

A short while later.

A zombie wyvern stood in the center of the devastated boss room.

The zombie wyvern, which had been barely holding on, finally dropped its wings to the ground and knelt.

Thump!

The leader approached the zombie wyvern, whose two eyes were pierced and was leaking black demonic energy.

It was the moment he had been waiting for.

The leader opened his mouth and asked.

"Who is your master?"

The zombie wyvern's thoughts flowed into the leader's head.

- My master is…… the great Belphe……gor-nim…….

The zombie wyvern left behind its thoughts and its breath was cut off.

At the same time, a black key was placed in the leader's hand.

"Finally."

The leader smiled with satisfaction.

It was the same for the others surrounding him.

Now that they had cleared this dungeon, all that was left was that place.

The leader looked around at his comrades and said.

"We have to go to the academy."

For the resurrection of the master.

* * *

Radel was in the library, looking for books about devils.

Books that were not in the exam scope could be read normally without meeting the spirit of the library.

"The Great Encyclopedia of Devils, Everything About Archdevils, The Story of the Seven Devils, One After Another……."

Radel, who had found several books about devils, turned the pages.

"Belphegor…… here it is."

One of the seven devils who rule the demon world.

He is the devil of sloth and there are records of him appearing with the horns of a mountain goat.

Those who make a contract with Belphegor get a mark on their feet.

The content was similar to the seven devils he had seen in his previous life.

The difference was that they were just fictional beings then, but here they really existed.

‘You get a mark if you make a contract with a devil?’

Radel recalled the devil worshippers he had seen at the Supreme Deity Order's temple in Marcellent.

He had thought there were some tattoos on their bodies here and there, but it seemed they were the marks of heretics.

It was also written that if you infuse strong divine power, the mark is revealed, so the priests of the Supreme Deity Order use that to identify heretics.

It was the moment Radel closed the book, thinking he should remember it.

"Oh, to meet you here, junior."

Pasion from the third year found Radel and approached him.

There were several books in his hands as well, and the titles were as follows:

The Winning Method of Verbal Fights, If You Don't Think You Can Win, Deviate from the Point, Eight Moments When Personal Attacks are Necessary…….

‘Is he going to have a verbal fight with someone?’

As Radel was wondering, Pasion grinned and said.

"Ah, this? It's for the exchange meeting that's coming up. Aren't you preparing too, junior?"

"An exchange meeting?"

It was the first time Radel had heard of it.

"You must not have heard yet."

According to Pasion's brief explanation, students from Hellington, a magic school in the capital, would be coming soon.

He said they would hold a debate and a friendly competition to have an exchange between the magic schools.

The friendly competition, in particular, was a competition to see which school could clear the dungeons inside the academy faster.

His explanation was that since the purpose was purely exchange, the atmosphere wasn't that serious, but since their pride was on the line, neither side wanted to lose.

"So I'm preparing in advance. I was chosen to participate in the debate as the third-year representative."

"How is it decided who participates in the exchange meeting?"

"Usually, the supervising professor decides."

The supervising professor of the Blue Eagle Dormitory where Pasion lived was Professor Thomas Arcane of Transmutation Magic.

"Professor Thomas hates having his schedule disrupted, so he tends to inform us of school events a bit early. That's why we're preparing early too."

"I see. I haven't heard anything yet."

"That's probably the case. Professor Marianne is more relaxed than Professor Thomas."

Pasion, who was double-majoring in Transmutation Magic and Summoning Magic, was in a position of serving two professors.

To survive while doing two majors, he had no choice but to grasp all of the professors' tendencies.

As Radel was nodding, Pasion looked around and whispered.

It was the voice for telling a secret story.

"This is a secret, but the third-years are already practicing in the dungeon."

"Pardon?"

Radel asked calmly back.

"Aren't you not allowed to go in there now? I know that entering the dungeon is prohibited by the academy……."

"That's why it's a secret."

Pasion smiled playfully.

"There's a saying in the academy. As long as you don't get caught by the golems, you can do anything."

It was a saying similar to Radel's thoughts.

Hadn't he been able to return safely without being caught when he cleared the dungeon last time by avoiding the flying golems?

If it was possible for Radel, who was only a first-year, there was no way the seniors couldn't do it.

‘So the seniors had all gone through this path too.’

Radel deeply sympathized with the academy seniors' words.

The seniors had the wisdom that came from their experience of attending the academy.

Seeing Radel's impressed expression, Pasion added.

"But that doesn't mean anything is okay. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I know."

Radel answered politely and then a question suddenly arose.

Then how do they dispose of the dungeon rewards?

"But what do you seniors do with the rewards from the dungeon? You can't go to Marcellent every week."

"Right. You haven't been to that place yet."

Pasion lowered his voice even more.

"Actually, there's a place to buy and sell things inside the academy too."

There's a shop?

Since Radel hadn't seen such a thing inside the academy, he wondered what this was about.

Pasion nodded as if he knew Radel's mind completely.

"I didn't know anything in my first year either. I used to just count the days until I could go to Marcellent. Until I found out about that place, that is."

Pasion reminisced about his first-year days for the first time in a while.

He had also heard this story from a senior.

Now it was his turn to pass it on to a junior.

"We call that place the black market."