「Hey, isn’t that the person the one who tried to violate Princess Nell in the school cafeteria」

「Yikes, his face is so sca~ry」

I get out to the corridor after completing the class of pharmaceutics, related to making potions and knowledge about various medicinal plants. Some girls in the corridor were gossiping whisperingly.

Thanks to body modifications, my listening power is great, so I can hear their secret talk, no, it’s almost as if they didn’t even want to hide it.

「Kyaah! He’s glaring this way!」

「No! I hate tentacles!!」

While I look over two female students dashing away while screaming, I let out a sigh.

「*Sigh*, I give up」

After that incident in school cafeteria my face became famous overnight, albeit in a bad way.

I learnt about the fact of Nell-san truly being a Royalty from Spada, and that the red-haired girl is called as Charlotte Tristan Spada, the Third Princess of Spada, well, this is something I heard from her true brother, Wil, the next day.

Moreover, the thing that increased their popularity was that they were the famous Rank 5 Adventurer Party『Wing Road』.

They have a status of royalty, have outstanding facial looks, and while being a student they hold the power of reaching till Rank 5, in short, they are something like an idol of the Academy.

Like that, because I got into a quarrel with them, though the origin was a misunderstanding, I became the worst, cruel person, just as the two female students from before said.

The people who witnessed the incident in school cafeteria also helped in getting this rumor spread faster. It’s not like the related party, those royalty people, would spread rumors on their own.

Like that, currently I’m famous as a sex offender, who tried to rape a maiden with tentacles of darkness.

It is said that rumors last for 75 days, but......truly, I give up, nothing else can I say. Everyone might think the rumor as false at first, but after looking at my face, they all show reaction of believing the rumor.

What the fuck, acting like my looks are wicked and mean......no, well, they’re truly wicked and mean......damn fucking shit!

Thanks to that, one week is about to pass, but let alone a friend, I don’t even have made a single acquaintance.

Well, Simon and Wil believe in my innocence, so it’s somewhat good.

Simon was resenting them saying『That’s why I hate those hot-shots!』, and Wil was apologizing to me saying『Sorry, my sister......』

Apparently, just like I had thought during that incident, Princess Charlotte seems to have quite a hysterical personality.

And, it’s a good thing that no bad rumors have reached to Lily and Fiona.

Unlike me, Lily is already getting friendly with other students of every course, like Elite, Knight, Civil, Magical Engineering and Adventurers’ Course. She is even getting her head stroked by them, getting candies from them, so she already became quite a celebrity.

Right now too, she might be showing her cute smile, while offering healing to lost souls.

While thinking like that, I walk and reach the place which is now our,『Element Master』’s, new home, the former dorm a.k.a Simon’s lab.

Сoincidentally, Lily is an old acquaintance of this place’s Chairperson, and so she borrowed this place from her.

There is no dorm mother for supervising, and neither does this place get support like other dorms, however, this place doesn’t take any room rent for living.

Though it is somewhat worn-down, but it’s nothing if one get’s used to it. From the viewpoint of Adventurers sleeping on streets, even this place would seem like a palace to them.

If a time comes when the building reaches its limit and falls down, then I will reinforce it with my blackening.

I walk down the corridor, which makes eerie creaking sound upon walking, and open the door to my room, which is still giving a fresh feeling to me.

This room is just like Simon’s room, and because this room was originally a double room, it is truly spacious.

Though I say that, I’m sleeping together with Lily, so you can say that I’m perfectly using the double room in the right manner.

Among the furniture provided in here are closet, bed and an old-style table with the chair, which were thrown in the storage room.

So this completely and absolutely plain room is not only used as a living space, but also as my study room, as I have been seriously studying recently, no, saying it more neatly and stylishly, I am doing research about Magic Engineering.

「For the time being, I have to learn『Eternity』fast」

On the top of the desk, the same one as used in classrooms, lays a mountain of books and heap of papers with badly drawn magic circles on them.

Thinking back, it’s the first time I have started the research of my black magic ever since living with Lily in the hut of the mage in the forest.

Though I was forced to learn the hard way in the first class that I will not be able to learn Model Magic, however, my magic research ways is still not completely run out of options, there are lots of things I still can still do.

In the first place, after I learnt the basics of dark magic from Mossan, I was able to complete my『Shadow Gate』 and 『Anchor Hand』. So, though I might not be able to learn magic spells, if I grasp a better understanding about magic equations and use my imagination, there shold be some sort of effect.

There is still a lot of room for improvement of my Black Magic.

And more than anything, those Handlet Members (Experimental subjects) were able to use better spells and Martial Skills than me, it means they evolved. So if they can, why can’t I?

At present, I’m researching (learning) the『Eternity』, needed for blackening stuff and creating bullets for a gun. It is an enhanced version of the current Black Magic, it’s a new magic which I’m developing by using other types of Magic too, for handling the divine protection of fire and other stuff.

Incidentally, I learned that I can use only『KuroNagi』with any weapon, probably because I’ve used it the most in battles, that my body learned it advertently.

In that case I will try to learn the other Martial Skills present in the weapon by using them in fighting quests. At the very least, it won’t take as much time as learning a totally new Martial Skill.

Well,『AkaNagi』and『YamiNagi』are skills that activate not only with the ability of user, but also require the use of power residing in the hatchet itself, so it is the so-called exclusive skill.

Let it be Magic or Martial Skills, the things I need to do from now on are just too much.

But it won’t do any good if I will do it in a hurry, so I’m building up my power steadily.

Though, it’s not like I never ask myself, just when I’ll be able to overtake those Apostles......

「Kurono-san, are you inside?」

While I’m practicing to draw a magic circle, thinking of other stuff, a knock along with Fiona’s voice reached my ears.

「I’m here, come in」

“Excuse me”, she notified before entering, with a snack like a Cheros in her hands.

Recently, whenever I see Fiona, she seems to be holding some new sort of food, looks like she is not only researching about magic, but also in pursuit of the way of food.

「I have brought you a new book」

「I see, you saved me there」

All the books I’m using as reference are the stuff Fiona has brought to me.

Fiona already knows that I can’t decipher any language related to Magic with chanting of spells.

And so, she doesn’t bring grimoires, which are all filled with spells, but rather she brings the books about Magic Equations and History of Magic, the ones I can read.

She’s even looking out for me while she is searching something herself, I just can’t match her.

「How is your progress?」

「I still have a long way to understand『Eternity』」

I replied with a wry smile.

「Is that so, please do your best, Kurono-san」

Maybe it’s some sort of encouragement from her, she holds out the snack in her hand to me.

“Does this mean she is giving me a bite?” I bite the front of the light brown snack in her hands.

「Oh, this is tasty」

「It’s good that it was to your taste」

The surface is crunchy and inside is soft, and have a faint sense of sweetness. The sugar seems to be revolving around my head and replenishing my energy.

「So what sort of book did you bring today?」

「It’s about Boost」

It’s called as Common Support Types, a sort of magic which has the effect of increasing the physical ability or the power of magic. I have experienced that effect with my own body.

I was able to fight on equal grounds with sealed Ai when I got a lower grade boost, I was even able to overpower the Wrath-Pun, that holds tremendous power and speed.

If I have to fight against Apostles or Rank 5 monsters, then I need to have effect of Boost casted over myself.

「But can I use Boost Magic?」

I have known the Martial Skill of pouring magical energy in my body and rotate it to increase the physical ability ever since I was in the laboratory, this Martial Skill can be said to be similar to Boost Magic.

But conversely speaking, I can’t learn any more than this, I even have the enhancement from black magical energy casted over myself, so I can’t get an image of a new sort of enhancement.

「The Black Magic in itself if pretty rare, so you won’t find the Magic Equations for enhancing it just easily. However, the current Kurono can use the fire attribute, albeit an imitation version」

“We won’t know until you actually try it, but”, with that as the preface, Fiona continued.

「The『Force Boost』system is based upon the fire color magic, so you might be able to use it with your black magic flames」

.

.

.

Simon’s lab have tools and materials scattered here and there, seeming as if a war occurred in here.

Normally, there is only the owner, Simon, present in the room, but currently an unexpected visitor has come here.

「Err, what might you want, Lily-san?」

In front of the stiffened from nervousness Simon was Lily, in little girl form, with the brain of an adult, and was sitting on a small chair while crossing her legs.

It’s been some days since they have started living under the same roof, but in this small time the bad feelings Simon had regarding Lily surely didn’t go away.

「It isn’t something great, but I wanted to show it to you just in case」

Lily draws a magic circle in the mid-air, it can be understood at a glance that this is the Dimension Magic.

The thing she took out from there was a simple-looking ring, which can only be regarded as a white ring.

「What is that?」

The moment Simon neared his face to the ring due to curiosity, the ring made a *clang* sound, and seven needles protruded from inside of the ring.

「Whoah!?」

Lily started her explanations with a cold expression, not moving her brows for even a bit towards Simon’s reaction.

「This is the a magic item those experimental subjects, like Kurono, had on their heads. It’s called『Thought Control Unit: Angel Ring』, hearing its name you should be able to guess it’s effect right?」

「Thought control unit......don’t tell me!?」

Though not being able to use magic, the honor student Simon sure has a lot of knowledge in that area, hence, looking over the item’s name and shape, he understood at once.

That by stabbing these seven needles in the head of a person, the wearer can be controlled. It’s a type of brainwashing equipment.

「Now you are going to even use forbidden arts like this!」

The brainwashing magic which can control a human are severely supervised in this Pandora Continent.

With Panic, Berserk and Charm as the representatives, there are various magics that can distort a person’s awareness, but they are all recognized as Bad Effect, so there is no problem in learning them, but the magic which make one listen to the caster’s order forever with absolute obedience are banned.

Ever since a structural society called City-state established law, the powerful brainwashing magic has been regarded as dangerous existence.

「But there is a genuine example present right here. Even you might have seen the figures of people wearing this fighting, so I don’t have to explain the extent of this magic, right」

Simon has fought against a mixed group of Light Golem and experimental subjects, together with the adventurers.

He still remembers those experimental subjects wearing a gray robe and using the same black magic as Kurono, not letting out even a single sound if they injured.

He thought that they might have enhanced their bodies with some kind of magic or medicines, but he had never guessed that they were all brainwashed.

「Don’t you think that this thing has a great effect」

「That is......Yeah, when we were fighting, there was sings of brainwashing dispelling......」

Though brainwashing, this thing is not an omnipotent power, which gives the effect for unlimited amount of time.

Upon getting some sort of external shock, the consciousness might return, or it may return at any time for no reason at all, in short, brainwashing can be said to be a delicate magic.

「Moreover, it also have the function of telepathic communication installed」

「Eh, wow! So that was the reason for their too-good coordinated attacks」

The movement of experimental subjects was as if they had eyes on the back, even Rank 1 Adventurer like Simon was able to understand their good coordinated movements.

He was now convinced, if they are communicating with telepathy, they won’t need to speak or even give a signal.

「By the way, I have been taking the classes for Summoning Magic ever since I have started attending this school」

「Eh, oh, I see」

On the abrupt topic change, Simon was only able to express a vague answer.

“Just what is she doing suddenly”, Simon thought that, and Lily started speaking as if chatting.

「In Alsace, that Summoner who controlled monsters helped a lot, so I became somewhat interested in magic to control others, hence, I even took the classes of Necromancy」

「O-oh—, that’s great」

「There’s nothing great about it, though I attended the classes, but Summoning Magic needs to train summoned monster and Necromancy can only be learned if someone can use darkness attribute, which is impossible for me, as I can only use light magic」

Though she said that, Lily had no disappointed expression, but rather, she was even laughing.

This is the cute smile that had grabbed the hearts of various students of the Academy within past week, however seeing that smile, Simon only felt his spine gone cold.

「But, if that me have this sort of superb ring——」

Lily traced the white surface with her finger, and this time again, while making a *clang* sound, the needles went back in.

「——I can use servants」

「Eh, don’t tell me, Lily-san!?」

「So, now to the main part, hey Simon, can this『Angel Ring』be mass-produced?」

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Will you hear to Lily’s request?

?Yes

YES