Chapter 36

When I went into work that day, President Kelkel handed me a book.

“Here you go! This book finally arrived!”

“Ah, the one I ordered!”

The title was exactly as expected: Basic Knowledge for Dark Mages: New Member Support Edition. It was supposed to be packed with essential tips and mindsets for rookies working in the Dark Magic industry—or so I’d heard. I hadn’t read it yet, so I didn’t know the details.

Still, not buying it wasn’t an option. The reason being…

“It’s very useful to have a copy of the New Member Support Edition.” (President Kelkel)

“Wait, you haven’t bought the New Member Support Edition yet?” (Senior Tototo)

“The New Member Support Edition is a must-have item.” (Senior Farphistanya)

“Master, are you not going to buy the New Member Support Edition?” (Cerulia)

I had been recommended the book by every single employee and familiar. It would have been awkward not to buy it at that point. Since everyone mentioned it, I figured it had to be beneficial.

“That special issue is popular every year; even veteran Dark Mages who aren’t new to the workforce read it often. I actually own two copies—one for reading and one for preservation.”

“It’s that good? My expectations are rising.”

“Yes, please read it thoroughly! As your President, I’m rooting for you!”

I immediately opened the book during my break time. I was currently summoning Imps to help pick up trash from a small pond.

I bet this is full of professional know-how. I’m going to become a fine Dark Mage!

…It was an incredibly “fluffy” book.

“What is this…? It starts with a ten-page gallery titled ‘Illustrations of This Year’s Beautiful Rookie Dark Mages’…”

From there, the headlines were anything but professional: “The Third Black Cat Boom for Familiars! High-Quality Living with a Fluffy Black Cat!” or “Red Flag Companies: Superiors Like This are a Landmine,” and “The Trendy Staff Material is Oak. Girls, Go for a Sweet Look with Ribbons!”

“Oh, you’ve purchased the book.”

Cerulia immediately bit at the topic.

“Did I get the wrong book? I don’t feel like I’m going to grow as a Dark Mage reading this…”

“It is very light and ‘pop,’ isn’t it?”

“Yeah, so light and pop it’s almost off-putting…”

“That is proof that the Dark Magic industry is trying to change its image.”

“Change its image?”

Cerulia nodded vigorously.

“You see, the traditional image of the Dark Magic industry was that it was insular and gloomy, which was one of the reasons they couldn’t recruit new employees. It’s true that there were many elements that were harder to understand compared to White Magic. The textbooks were so stiff you’d fall asleep after five lines.”

If you actually fell asleep in five lines, that was probably a description of a sleep-inducing spell. But I got the point.

“Furthermore, Dark Magic had a much stronger apprenticeship system compared to White Magic. The master’s word was absolute, and no other values were allowed in. Because of that, rookies couldn’t judge if what their master was saying was crazy or just normal for Dark Magic. So, new people wanted to know the ‘common sense’ of the industry.”

“I see. So that’s why a magazine like this was created.”

Now that she mentioned it, the book did clearly outline the common sense, customs, and things that were considered “outdated” or “lame” in Dark Magic. Since not every boss is as open as President Kelkel, a rookie under a “my-way-or-the-highway” superior would lose their sense of what’s right without this kind of outside information.

“It’s a book designed to lower the barrier to entry as much as possible. Yet, it also takes care to ensure the reader grows as a Dark Mage.”

“Huh… if you’re praising it that much, Cerulia, it must be something special.”

“For example, look here. It says: ‘Add Your Own Personality to Summoning Magic. Summon a Cute Familiar!’”

Again with the soft headlines…

“It’s written simply, but adding original elements to summoning magic is actually quite difficult. However, succeeding at it is a major step up. The magazine makes it sound fun just to get you to try it.”

“It really is well-made…”

But what Cerulia said made sense. Adding a tiny original element—like summoning a familiar with one extra horn—is usually impossible for a rookie. It’s beyond their skill level.

“‘Summoning a Terrifying Demon?! Such a Big Shot is Sleeping…’ This article looks interesting.”

I flipped to the page to find the incantation and magic circle clearly printed. I wondered if it was the type of thing that was impossible for a rookie to actually succeed at. Greedy Abyss Dream, Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares, Death Eater… names like those were lined up.

“That section is there to show rookies that such high-level Dark Magic exists. However, most of those are summoning spells that a new graduate could never succeed at.”

“Yeah, they all look hard… but maybe some aren’t entirely impossible.”

There was almost no explanation for each demon. The book simply said: “It is said that no one has even laid eyes on them for several hundred years. Face the truth once you become a Great Mage. At the very least, it is impossible for you.”

Being told something is impossible just makes a person want to try it.

“Since I’m here, I might as well give it a shot.”

I took my staff and began drawing a magic circle while chanting.

“Ketore, Norf, Banra, Banra, Gona, Dejohn, Hyooooookkira, Noha-ha, Iruma…”

The pronunciation was difficult… Surely, I wouldn’t succeed. My reading of some words was definitely shaky. I figured I’d have to practice and try again later. I probably didn’t even get the intonation right.

However, the moment I finished the chant and the drawing—

The magic circle emitted a sudden, violent flash of light. It was a glare so intense it was scary. It was so bright I wanted to turn tail and run!

“Wait… did I actually succeed…?”

“That’s a problem! That was the summoning spell for the ‘Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares’!” Cerulia shrieked.

“Does that… definitely mean something terrible is going to happen?”

“It is certain that there is danger…!”

And then, stepping out of the magic circle was—

A demon girl wearing a babydoll nightgown.

She had bat-like wings and was tightly hugging a pillow in her arms. Her hair was glossy but had a bit of “bedhead” going on—or maybe that was just a cowlick. A large ribbon sat on her head like a trademark. She looked about four years younger than me—roughly middle school age.

“Art thou the one who hath disturbed my slumber?”