‘Why do I feel so excited…?’
As Yuri stepped into the grand hall of the Imperial Magic Academy, she felt her heart flutter.
People gathered here and there, exchanging polite conversations.
It wasn’t particularly noisy, but rather exuded an air of refined elegance—
a place that truly befit a gathering of scholars.
Should I even be here?
Among the many round tables, Yuri found the seat with her name on it and sat down quietly.
“Wow…!”
“Charlotte, shh! You have to be quiet here…”
Familiar voices rang from behind her.
Charlotte and Julia had spotted Yuri and dashed toward her in a flurry of footsteps.
Just moments ago, the event had seemed like an upscale, prestigious gathering.
But as soon as the two arrived, the atmosphere was instantly shattered.
Yuri couldn’t help but laugh.
“Guys, this is our seat.”
“Yuri! I heard about it! You were amazing yesterday!”
“Hehehe…”
Charlotte and Julia plopped down beside Yuri, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
Well, I did do quite a lot yesterday… no, actually, a ton!
“Right? Yesterday, I stopped the Count’s—uh…”
“The Count’s what?”
“Ahem! I stopped an assassin from slipping an unidentified substance into his drink!”
“Whoa…!”
Yuri had barely stopped herself from saying “laxative” at the last second.
I mean, saying I prevented someone from spiking his drink with a laxative just sounds so lame!
But calling it an “unidentified substance” makes it seem like I prevented some serious crime.
And technically, I did stop something that could have ruined the entire academic conference!
Convincing herself that she hadn’t actually lied, Yuri continued,
“And not only that, but I even used my, uh… authority to make the assassin spill his secrets!”
“Wow…!”
Of course, the reality was that the assassin had simply mistaken her for a saint and blurted everything out himself.
But wasn’t that still a form of authority?
So technically… this wasn’t a lie either!
With Charlotte and Julia gasping in admiration, Yuri felt proud, her lips twitching into a smug grin.
“Yuri, you’re amazing! We only heard about it late because we were playing with the Miss…”
“Hehe.”
“But in return, we held Mister’s hand and slept beside him since he was too scared to sleep alone!”
“…!?”
Yuri, who had been calmly sipping her tea, nearly spat it out.
Wait… WHAT?!
“Huh??”
“D-don’t misunderstand! Aslan just seemed anxious, so we only held his hand!”
“…!?”
Aslan Vermont? That cold-blooded man?
Anxious?? Over almost drinking a laxative?!
And so terrified that he held hands with Charlotte and Julia while sleeping??
This… this is just an excuse to hold their hands, isn’t it?!
“Wait a minute—!”
“Now, we shall commence the academic conference.”
Just as Yuri was about to object, the host’s voice rang throughout the hall, silencing her.
Aslan Vermont, you cunning bastard…!
He tricked innocent Charlotte and Julia into holding hands with him while he slept?!
Meanwhile, I was in the next room, staying up all night, keeping watch?!
I wanted to sleep next to Charlotte and Julia too…!
As Yuri swallowed her frustration, Aslan stepped onto the podium.
The hall quickly fell into solemn silence.
‘Huh… He actually looks kind of… dignified?’
Strange.
She had always thought of Aslan as a frivolous, unserious person—
someone completely unsuited for serious academic settings.
And yet, for some reason, today…
His poised steps and composed posture suited this event perfectly.
Frowning slightly, Yuri sharpened her focus.
She was determined to pick apart Aslan’s arguments and mercilessly tear into him during the Q&A session.
“Greetings, everyone. I am Aslan Vermont, your first presenter today.
My presentation is titled: ‘Proposing a New Paradigm Without Disrupting the Existing Mana-Based Magic System.’ …But that’s far too long. From now on, I’ll simply refer to it as Black Magic.”
“…!?”
At his words, the audience erupted in murmurs.
And yet, Aslan remained completely unfazed, continuing his speech as if nothing had happened.
This conference allowed for open debates and on-the-spot questioning.
If necessary, scholars could even bombard the presenter with aggressive, disruptive challenges.
But despite Aslan Vermont boldly using a term as taboo as Black Magic…
Not a single scholar interrupted.
And the reason was obvious.
Scholars were people whose curiosity far outweighed their instinctive repulsion.
And if the power Aslan used yesterday to stop the Mana Disruption Incident truly was Black Magic…
Suppressing their preconceptions and aversions, the scholars determined that this was a discussion worth hearing through to the end.
Those who harbored resentment toward Black Magic would scrutinize Aslan’s thesis and presentation down to the very last word in an effort to criticize him.
Yet, ironically, that would result in the most rigorous validation possible.
“As originally conceived, my research began with the quantitative analysis and mechanistic study of Black Magic. However, that phase was completed far too easily. So, I moved on to the next step—integrating Black Magic into the existing mana system.”
“But Black Magic occurs in spaces devoid of mana. How do you propose integrating something that exists outside of mana into a system where mana is the fundamental unit?”
“That is both correct and incorrect. While it is true that Black Magic manifests in places where mana is absent, it is nonetheless governed by mana’s influence.”
Aslan walked to the side of the hall and pressed a switch on the wall.
Thunk!
Instantly, the entire hall was plunged into pitch-black darkness.
In that abyss, Aslan’s voice echoed.
“Darkness is merely the absence of light. There is no actual substance or force called ‘darkness.’ Yet, we treat it as though it exists, giving it a name and discussing it as if it were a tangible thing. Black Magic is the same. Black Magic does not exist.”
“…?”
“It is merely a phenomenon that arises in the absence of mana. Just as we call the absence of light ‘darkness,’ I will now assign a name to the absence of mana. From this moment on, I will refer to this state as Anti-Mana.”
“Preposterous! Anti-Mana? In the absence of mana, nothing can—”
“Nothing can happen?” Aslan cut in. “That is only true when mana exists in minuscule amounts. What I am discussing is an environment where mana has been completely expelled. A state that can only be achieved through a material that repels mana—Neomium.”
“…!?”
Aslan switched the lights back on, and the hall erupted into chaos.
Until now, the measurement of mana levels had always been relative.
The lowest measurable threshold was defined as the point where mana particles no longer reacted to external stimuli.
Strictly speaking, it was never confirmed whether mana had truly reached absolute zero—but it was considered irrelevant.
If the quantity of mana was too insignificant to be detected, then for all practical purposes, it was as good as nonexistent.
However, in a world where Black Magic could only emerge when mana was entirely absent, that level of precision was insufficient.
“As our fundamental assumptions differ, it is only natural that our perspectives diverge. In that case, let us establish some common ground. Tell me, what do you believe is the amount of mana present in the atmosphere?”
“…”
That was elementary knowledge—even a first-year student knew the answer.
The atmospheric mana concentration was extremely low, measured in units of 10⁻⁶, almost negligible.
In basic experiments, students sometimes even assumed it to be zero.
“You perceive it as nearly insignificant. But what about now?”
“…!?”
Snap!
Aslan snapped his fingers.
At that very instant, the entire hall was engulfed in darkness.
Or so it seemed.
‘Wait…? It’s still bright, isn’t it?’
The lights had not actually been extinguished.
Instead, an unexplainable change in perception had occurred—
Making it feel as though everything had dimmed.
The lamps remained as they were.
Yet, somehow, the hall appeared darker.
Had something happened to their vision?
But that wasn’t it either.
As confusion spread among the scholars, Aslan’s voice rang once more.
“And now—this is what it feels like when mana is completely absent from the air.”
“…What?”
“Do you feel it? That minuscule trace of mana you once dismissed as insignificant—
it has been shaping your vision all along. Though you never noticed it in your daily lives, mana in the atmosphere plays a role in light refraction. The presence—or absence—of mana alters your very perception of reality.”
This was a mana-devoid environment?
But such a state should only be possible locally, and only temporarily, near high-density Neomium.
And yet… had he managed to eliminate mana from this entire grand hall?!
As astonishment rippled through the crowd—
A third wave of shock struck as their eyes drifted toward the stage.
“In a world where mana has truly vanished, a strange phenomenon occurs. And I have chosen to call that phenomenon Black Magic.”
“…!”
Behind Aslan Vermont, massive, ebon tendrils rose and twisted through the air—
an unmistakable manifestation of Black Magic.
It was the very same dark haze that had appeared above the palace on the day of the Imperial Palace Attack Incident.
