66 — Chapter 66

The scorpion scuttled toward Alienor with a clicking sound.

“Eek! Stay back! Don’t come any closer!”

Alienor fled, half in tears.

“Master, that is quite a magnificent scorpion. If you put this up for auction, collectors would pay a handsome price for it,” Cerulia said, picking up the large arachnid.

“I don’t really plan on making a profit by selling it. But what am I supposed to do with this thing now that I’ve summoned it?”

I felt like if I carelessly released it into the woods, I’d be charged with some kind of crime. Messing up the ecosystem isn’t exactly good behavior.

“There is a spell called ‘Abyssal Banished’ (Demon Realm Expulsion). Let’s send it to some random spot in the Demon Realm. A poisonous scorpion won’t be out of place there.”

“I see. Let’s go with that.”

Cerulia chanted the banishment spell and sent the scorpion flying back to the Demon Realm. Note to self: be careful with summoning-type spells.

“Hmph! The scorpion is gone, I see. F-fine! I wasn’t intimidated by a thing like that! Alienor, direct descendant of the Carlyle family—the most famous black magic practitioners in the Morco Woods—will not yield to such trifles!”

Alienor came back yet again.

Well, I’d be troubled if she “yielded” already; we’ve only done the self-introductions.
Also, where exactly is the Morco Woods? Even being told she’s the most famous person there, it’s hard to tell just how impressive that is.

“What’s wrong? Is that all? You’ve only summoned a big scorpion so far. I-I mean, it was fairly impressive, I suppose… but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance for me to win this on points…”

“Um, well then… since it’s easier to understand if we do the same thing, I’ll use Life Drain next.”

Life Drain (Moderate)

Come to think of it, my Life Drain has leveled up too. Well, there’s no way it’ll be fatal. Since it absorbs energy, it should be less efficient than raw damage, and since it doesn’t leave physical wounds, it’s actually quite “user-friendly” for a situation like this.

“Orti, baran, torquet, darfeel.”

I cast the spell at Alienor. I didn’t want to go too overboard, so I didn’t bother tracing a magic circle on the floor with my staff. It was the simplified, incantation-only version.

Suddenly, Alienor’s eyes went vacant.

“C-curse you… Something like this… won’t… wah, aaaah…”

Alienor collapsed onto the floor in a heap. She seemed conscious, but she couldn’t stand up. Wait, did I overdo it…?

Chairman “Ethelred of the Stake” walked over.

“Alienor, can you stand? No? Alright then—the winner of this self-introduction is Franz, representing the Necrogrant Black Magic Company!”

Cheers erupted from the other trainees watching the scene.

“Not bad!” “That Life Drain had no wasted movement!” “It’s only natural for Franz to be this good” (that last one was Mary).

Look, I really don’t think you can call this a “self-introduction”… is no one going to point that out? Am I the crazy one?

The first day ended with an explanation of the Black Magic Association and other industry-related talk.

After resting in my room for a while, it was time for dinner in the mess hall.

The menu was surprisingly lavish: salmon meunière, vegetable terrine, a dish resembling jellied broth, and bread kneaded with cheese.

The only awkward part was that Alienor was sitting directly across from me.

The seats weren’t assigned, so she must have rushed to claim that spot.

“Listen here, you corporate dog! I lost today, but if you think it ends here, you’re dead wrong! I’ll make sure the name Alienor is etched into your heart!”

“Oh, uh, okay… I already remember your name, so I’m good.”

“No! I don’t literally mean I just want you to memorize my name! You’re mocking me, aren’t you?! You probably think I’m just some self-employed brat who inherited her parents’ business!”

Ah, I see. Not everyone involved in black magic works for a company (though Necrogrant has very few employees itself). It’s perfectly natural for a child to inherit the craft from their parents.

“So your parents do black magic too. My family did something completely different. I just told them I wanted to do magic and started living on my own in the capital.”

“What? You aren’t even a ‘thoroughbred,’ so why is your magic so powerful?! N-no, it’s not actually that strong… It’s just that I was nervous yesterday and didn’t sleep well, so I wasn’t at my best… It’s not like I was curious to see what other black mages were like or anything…”

She’s a handful, but I get the feeling she isn’t a bad person—basically good-hearted. At the very least, she’s not a villain.

“I look forward to working with you.”

I extended my hand for a handshake.

“Hey! Why do you react like that after I picked a fight with you?! You’re making this so difficult!”

She took it as me taunting her again and refused to shake my hand. This is tough…
Just then, the Chairman—who looked like nothing more than a fluffy white creature—approached us.

“Good work on day one. Now, eat well and recover your strength. By the way, I haven’t put out the dessert for this meal yet.”

A visually stunning pie packed with fruit was brought out.

“This fruit pie shall only be presented to those who win an ‘Evil Spirit Summoning’ duel against someone else here! However, as payment, you must wager one of your own dishes. If you lose, you lose the dish to your opponent. Only the victor takes all. That is the teaching of black magic.”

I want the dessert, but making someone else lose a part of their meal… that’s a bit much. It’s hard to challenge anyone like that.

“Right then—a duel, Franz! I wager my meunière!”

I was challenged to a duel from across the table. I knew it!

“Maybe you should wager an appetizer or something instead…”

“No! It’s a disgrace to wager an appetizer out of fear of losing! I wager my salmon meunière!”

As a result of the duel, it was decided that the evil spirit I summoned was of superior quality, so I won.

“This evil spirit has a denser grudge and a more chilling aura of terror. On the other hand, Alienor’s spirit feels like it’s thinking, ‘Eh, maybe I should just pass on to the afterlife~’ and lacks commitment. Therefore, Franz is the winner!”

Half-sobbing, Alienor pushed her plate of meunière toward me.

“H-here, take it… The winner takes all…”

“Um, how about I just give this back to you?”

“There’s no way I could accept such a thing!”

In the end, Mary said she wanted the dish, so I gave it to her.

I have a feeling Alienor is going to keep bothering me for a while…