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We regret to inform you that, based on the results of the Royal Capital White Magic Inspection Association examination, you have not been selected. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

“Another ‘Best of Luck’ letter!”

I clutched my head in front of the dormitory mailboxes.

This was my thirty-fourth rejection… No, was it the thirty-fifth? Once I passed the count of thirty, I started losing count.

Up until about the third one, I had the mental fortitude to rip the notices up, thinking the employers simply lacked an eye for talent. But somewhere along the way, my spirit was the one that got ripped apart.

Am I really such a worthless man that over thirty companies have said ‘no’ to me…?

Dejected, I headed to the magic school’s dining hall, where the air was filled with the voices of students discussing their new lives for the coming year.

“So, where are you working?”

“A mid-sized White Magic workshop in the town next to the Capital.”

“Nice. I’m going to be a magic tutor for kids. I barely took any teaching classes, so I’m not exactly confident.”

“Lucky you. You’ll have girls as old as fourteen in your classes, right? Maybe you’ll have a shot at a forbidden romance with a student or something.”

“Don’t say stupid stuff! My career is on the line here!”

“By the way, did you hear that Kiris from the next class over got accepted as an executive official for the Military Magic?”

“That guy got onto the fast track? Man… his future is set.”

Damn it, why isn’t ‘Magic to Make Normies Explode’ part of the curriculum…? If I knew a spell like that, I’d set it off right now…

“Alright, Franz-san, don’t look so gloomy! Eat up and find some energy!”

A massive loaf of bread—nearly the size of my face—and a giant mountain of salad were slammed down in front of me.

It was Lise-chan, the girl in charge of the dorm meals.

She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. I call her “-chan,” but she’s actually a few years older than us. It’s just an unspoken rule that everyone calls her Lise-chan. Since she was working, her long hair was tucked neatly into a cap, which actually suited her quite well.

Despite her adorable appearance, her defining trait was serving everything in extra-large portions to the students.

“I can’t help it… I failed again. I’m probably the only one left who hasn’t found a job…”

“True. In this dorm, you’re the only one left without a job, Franz-san.”

“No words of comfort…?”

Well, it’s not like I’d actually feel better if she gave me some baseless reassurance, but still.

“Sigh… the competition is just too high everywhere. Besides, when it comes to magic skills, everyone’s grades are basically the same, so it all comes down to the interview anyway.”

The Royal Capital International Magic School, where I study, is a four-year institution for those aged fifteen to eighteen. It’s where we learn the basics of being professional mages before heading out into the workforce.

Of course, the elite students get positions as researchers or teaching assistants, but that’s an exceptional path for less than ten percent of the student body. Besides, the truly brilliant ones go to the Capital’s top-tier university.

And so, here I am, having failed my job hunt continuously until now.

By the way, it is currently August.

Graduation is next month, which means I’ll be kicked out of this dorm. My status as a student lasts until the end of September, so I can technically stay through the month after the ceremony, but that’s a negligible margin.

“How about failing on purpose to stay back a year, then doing the job hunt again next year as a ‘new grad’?”

“I thought of that, Lise-chan. But by the time I did, I’d already completed all the credits required to graduate… Since I wasn’t exactly a failing student, you see.”

“I see. So Franz-san, you’re the type who can handle schoolwork seriously but is completely useless at job hunting.”

“Lise-chan, you’re the type of person who kicks a corpse and then sets it on fire, aren’t you?”

The worst part was that she was mostly right, so I couldn’t even argue.

“Hmm… if I were to suggest something, I think you should give the Dark Magic industry a shot.”

I made a face.

“Ehh… Dark Magic isn’t popular these days. People call it the ‘3D’ industry—* *Dirty, Disgusting, and Dangerous. I’d rather stick to the safety of White Magic…”

There are seven colors of magic in this world.

White, Black, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, and Gold.

Strictly speaking, there are mixed colors like Rainbow, but they aren’t counted as primary categories. However, despite the apparent variety, White Magic is overwhelmingly dominant. Red Magic is basically only for attacking, and Green Magic is mostly used by Elves. Purple Magic interferes with the human psyche, but the difficulty level is way too high. The others are similar.

Therefore, working in the magic industry almost always means White Magic.

Technically, Dark Magic exists, but it has nothing but a negative image: offering sacrifices, shortening your lifespan, being covered in filth. It might be a prejudice, but that’s the general consensus. There used to be a fair number of Dark Mages, but they were deemed irrational, and applicants dwindled until the field was on the verge of extinction.

“Even the Capital newspapers were saying the ‘withdrawal of youth from Dark Magic’ is a serious issue. No one wants to walk a dangerous path if they don’t have to. It’s quite literally a ‘black’ industry; even people who aren’t young hate it. There are only so many mages to go around, so obviously everyone chooses a safe White Magic company.”

“I know Dark Magic has a bad reputation. But a bad reputation means the competition is low, right? Just try getting a job there, and if the work turns out to be something creepy like ‘sacrificing a sheep’s head every night,’ you can just quit.”

“Quitting immediately would probably look bad on my resume…”

“But if you stay like this, you’ll just be unemployed in a month, right?”

The weight of the word “unemployed” was too heavy to ignore.

“Fine… I’ll try looking into the Dark Magic industry. But still…”

There were other hurdles.

“Even at job fairs, you almost never see the Dark Magic industry. I don’t even know who is hiring.”

Only big companies can afford large information sessions. I don’t recall seeing many Dark Magic postings on the bulletin board in the school’s career office either. Or, if they were there, I might have just filtered them out unconsciously.

“Oh, in that case, I know a woman who works in Dark Magic. She’s a regular at my favorite cafe. Let’s go talk to her!”

“You know someone like that? You have a lot of connections, Lise-chan…”

“This is the Royal Capital. Of course there are people working in Dark Magic.”

It wasn’t like I’d have a job anyway if I didn’t meet her. Might as well go for broke.

“Alright… could you set up an appointment for me?”

And that was how I ended up going to consult with someone from the Dark Magic industry.