A solemn atmosphere filled the conference room.
Under dim lighting, one by one, robed mages entered.
Without exchanging a single word, they quietly took their seats around the round table.
“…”
Soon, the mages removed their robes, revealing their faces.
Each of them was a renowned Grand Mage, instantly recognizable by appearance alone.
Key figures from the military, academia, and the Vatican had all gathered in one place.
“Shall we begin the meeting?”
“Agreed.”
“The first agenda item, as expected…”
Documents were placed in front of the mages.
After confirming the text at the top of the first page, they all nodded in understanding.
‘Countermeasures Against Black Magic.’
A highly timely and pressing topic.
“When we say ‘Black Magic’ here, we are referring to Count Vermont, correct?”
“Yes. He is the only true Black Mage currently in existence.”
“So, we need to counterbalance the powerful Black Magic forces under Vermont’s rule?”
“That is correct.”
It was a point of unanimous agreement among the gathered mages.
The military strength of Vermont’s domain had grown exponentially.
Yet, even as they acquired a Necromancer commanding legions of the undead, a Dark Knight wielding a cursed sword, and finally, a Sword Master, no one had actively intervened.
Many factions across the world possessed such forces individually, so Vermont was not considered an anomaly—until now.
However, Black Magic was a different matter entirely.
It was an unprecedented power, found nowhere else in the world, solely possessed by Vermont’s domain.
Now that matters had escalated to this point, they could no longer stand by idly.
“Indeed… If this continues, a catastrophe is inevitable…”
“Exactly. If we keep lagging behind, Count Vermont alone will take all the glory—that’s a serious problem, isn’t it?”
“Precisely. Grand Mages? Sorcerers? Those titles are becoming too common and uninspiring. These days, the trend is Black Magic. Soon enough, even ordinary mages, let alone Grand Mages, will be considered outdated relics.”
“…”
The Grand Mages’ eyebrows twitched.
Relics?
They had sacrificed their youth, given up love and family, all for the sake of becoming Grand Mages.
Why?
So that when they donned their robes, put on their pointed hats, and carried their oversized yet practically useless staffs, people would gaze at them in awe.
To look cool.
That sole purpose had driven them to dedicate their entire lives to magic, even as their backs hunched and their beards turned white.
And now, after all that effort, they were to be dismissed as relics?
Unacceptable.
“From now on, the military will allocate additional budget for the development of Black Magic units.”
“The academia will establish Black Magic departments in our academies and structure appropriate curriculums.”
“Then, the Vatican will send priests for specialized training in Black Magic studies.”
Normally, these factions would clash due to their conflicting interests.
But when it came to Black Magic, the Grand Mages were instantly united.
There were no objections.
Anyone who had dedicated their life to magic to the point of becoming a Grand Mage had the same goal.
“But even if we proceed with independent research and training institutions, it will take quite some time to produce Black Mages of meaningful skill, won’t it?”
“That’s irrelevant. Even if we master Black Magic just before we die of old age, as long as we wield that ominous black mist before passing, we will have no regrets.”
“An ancient, white-bearded elder wielding Black Magic on the brink of death… Just imagining it is an explosion of sheer magnificence, isn’t it?”
“I completely agree… If I could cast Black Magic even once before dying, I’d want my image etched into a woodblock print and displayed at my funeral…”
Although Count Vermont had already laid out the fundamental theories and mechanics of Black Magic, he had yet to disclose the actual methods and techniques for acquiring it.
They could not afford to wait indefinitely for Count Vermont’s generosity.
Thus, the Grand Mages resolved to pour their resources and manpower into independent research.
It would require astronomical sums of money and time.
But that did not matter.
For Grand Mages who had already committed their entire lives to magic, time was a meaningless concept.
They had already sacrificed everything for the sake of coolness, so what was there to regret now?
“Count Vermont has warned that a Black Mage will always be possessed by an Evil God without exception. However, since there is no scientific way to prove this, he was unable to systematize it.”
“My goodness. A mysterious entity beyond human comprehension? Just imagining it is incredibly cool…”
“Then we must find a way to observe the Evil God immediately—”
“No! We must not! The allure of an Evil God lies in its inability to be perceived or recognized. The moment we analyze and logically define it, it loses its mystique and becomes lame!”
“Urgh! What should we do?!”
The clash between two values—
The scholarly duty to uncover and explain all unknowns, and the pursuit of the ultimate coolness as a Grand Mage—
sent the meeting into a deadlock.
How should they handle the issue of the Evil God?
Despite prolonged debate, no consensus was reached.
The discussion became so heated that one Grand Mage clutched his neck and collapsed, requiring immediate hospitalization.
In the interest of participant safety, they decided to suspend the meeting for the time being.
“Since we can’t reach a conclusion, we will table the Evil God discussion as a separate future agenda. For now, let’s move on to the next topic.”
“Understood.”
“What else is left? It feels like we’ve covered the most important issues already.”
“The next agenda item concerns the safety of the world.”
“Y-you don’t mean—?”
“Yes. It appears that the world is facing an impending crisis.”
“…!”
The mages immediately understood what was being discussed.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room turned ice-cold.
A crisis that threatened the very survival of the world.
Such crises had appeared countless times in history.
And each time, a hero—referred to as the Champion—had emerged to save the world.
“What is the basis for this claim…?”
“There is no concrete evidence. I just have a really bad feeling.”
“I agree. If we examine the intervals at which crises have occurred in the past—240 years, 180 years, 330 years, 280 years… Yes, absolutely no pattern whatsoever. But since the last 300 years have been unusually peaceful, it feels like we’re overdue for another one.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Who let this conspiracy theorist in?”
“This isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s a fact based on psychology and social science—”
“Hey! The old men are losing it again! Get them out of here!”
Due to the prolonged meeting, some of the Grand Mages began showing early signs of dementia, leading to an unfortunate situation.
Those affected were swiftly escorted to a retirement home, and the meeting resumed shortly thereafter.
“Of course, the claim that this crisis will occur in the immediate future may be a bit of a stretch… But it is true that this period of peace has lasted unusually long. And this is also the first time in history that the Champion’s position has remained vacant for so long. Therefore, it would be wise to start searching for a Champion in preparation for any potential threat.”
“Oh. There actually was a designated Champion. It was the first nomination in a hundred years since Callista, the last individual with the authority to appoint one.”
“Who was it?! If a nomination was made, why is the position still vacant?”
“Well… It was a girl named Charlotte, one of Count Vermont’s slaves. But she refused.”
“…So they canceled the appointment just because she said no?”
“Yes. That’s correct. If she doesn’t want to do it, what can we do?”
“…”
The mages were all at a loss for words.
The title of Champion was not something just anyone could receive.
Throughout history, no one who had been chosen as a Champion had ever rejected the title.
But if she truly didn’t want it, there was no helping it.
It’s not as if they could force someone to be the Champion…
Faced with this unprecedented refusal of the Champion’s appointment, the conference room was filled with an atmosphere of utter despair.
“In that case, let’s forget about the Champion for now. How about we focus on finding the Saint first?”
“Agreed. If we find the Saint, the Champion is bound to follow. Let’s prioritize the search for the Saint.”
“How is a Saint chosen?”
“First, we use a crystal imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit to identify a suitable candidate. However, this only activates when a truly worthy individual appears—”
“Wait, that glowing thing over there! Isn’t it activating right now?”
“…!?”
At that moment, the crystal orb in front of the Pope began to glow.
Light gathered inside it, gradually forming a clear image.
The mages all crowded around the orb, their anticipation rising.
The Holy Spirit had finally identified a Saint after all this time.
Just what kind of person would it be?
Surely, a noble and graceful individual…
…Or so they thought.
“Wait a minute… That’s not a Saint, that’s a gangster…?”
“Hold on. Isn’t that my student? Yuri? Why is she there?”
Inside the crystal orb, the projected scene revealed—
A countless number of thugs sprawled across the ground, covered in blood.
And in the center of it all, a girl standing with her fists soaked in crimson.
