I Studied Mainly Textbooks! Chapter 27

The reason that shadows existed was because of light, the brighter the source of light, the darker the shadow would appear in contrast. For that reason, darkness would accompany light wherever it went. For the past 30 years, the world had ushered in an era of peace with light seemingly illuminating every nook and cranny. However, it was simply that the ongoings within the confines of the dark would remain unseen.

However, the contest for power had always maintained a sense of congruity. The four factions pursuing black magic since some 20 millennia ago had ultimately combined into one organization known as 'Apocnaty'. The denizens of the dark had gathered together when the light shining on the continent was at its brightest.

With the 'Demon Worshippers', the oldest faction, at the helm, there was also the 'Necro School', who researched necromancy, 'Plague', who researched diseases and curses, and finally the 'Dark Mages' who pursued power single mindedly.

They had begun their preparations to break into the illuminated world. Once they tasted freedom, they would then aim to devour the source of light, possibly the sun itself. Though their ultimate goal remained unknown, as of yet.

"The most suitable time seems to be in about 2 years time."
A man, who had peculiar pockmarks covering half of his face, spoke up.

"Urgh, I can't endure this itch anymore. We should start right now!"
A very skinny man, who seemed to have suffered from malnutrition since birth, made his opinion known. He had virtually no flesh, an amalgamation of skin and bones.

"We've waited for 30 years. What's the difference in waiting for another two?"
A familiar voice was there as well. It was the masked man.

This was the Apocnaty Supreme Council chaired by the heads of the four factions. Their appearances didn't look ordinary at all, having at least some sort of deficiency on their bodies. seemingly as if the basic requirements of joining a black magic faction was to look freaky.

It was unknown whether the black mages had joined their factions because they were unable to blend into society, or that practicing black magic had made them look like that.

"In two years, we can enthrone our candidate as the Emperor of Kreuz. We should focus on raising our forces until then."

The most normal amongst the group spoke up with a very deep voice. Heck, his voice had seemingly been pa.s.sed through a woofer.

2 years. It was neither too short, nor too long. Once their anger reaches a peak and erupted, the world will tremble in fear.

Although he called Kyle daily as per usual, Kyle seemed to be behaving strangely recently.

"Why aren't you giving me anything to calculate lately?"

[Hur hur, I've halted my research for a little while. There are a lot of things to do.]

"What are you up to?"

Well, he was perfectly fine with not calculating stuff for Kyle, but he still wondered what Kyle was doing that made him stop his favorite activity of research.

[The state of affairs is troublesome right now… I was investigating since the dark existences seem to have awoken again. The ambush on you last time is likely a result of that as well.]

"Oh, you mean the black mages?"

[Whoa! How do you know about that?]

'Hmm… Should I be honest about it?'

That he had locked a black mage in an inescapable prison and turned him into a mana battery?

From the record, it seemed that Kyle also had a habit of wiping out any black mages he met, so he might like it?

Abel seemed to have made up his mind as he spoke.
"Actually…"

.
.
.

[So such a thing happened. Imprisoning one's soul… that's a revolutionary method. You don't need to stain your hands with blood either.]

Though, from the captive's standpoint, it was a fate crueler than death.

[But from this grandpa's perspective, it might be better to kill him and burn the body afterwards. They would go so far as using dead bodies to attack after all….]

'Whoa! Kyle seemed to have very bad blood with them.'
Kyle who muttered scary words like nothing was amiss, seemed to possess deep anger towards them.

"Oh right! Cain confessed that he bought the black magic book from a stolen goods merchant named 'Kurt'. Do you think you can get anything out of that?"

[Alright, I shall look into it. Abel, you must be careful as well… It's good to be dedicated in researching dimensional gates, but you must be able to protect yourself at all times. Do not neglect your practical magic studies, and return to the tower right after graduating. I shall teach you battle magic myself.]

"Okay! Don't worry too much about it though. I'm really not that weak."
Abel clenched fist and waved it about to show his confidence. He really wasn't that weak either.

Along with the movements of the dark, the guardian of light, Tardema, was making preparations as well. Though, the future remained unpredictable.

Months pa.s.sed and it was now his final winter holiday. Once this holiday ended, Abel would become a 5th year student of the graduating cohort. He was past his teenage prime now.

With the pa.s.sage of time, his achievements in white magic had risen dramatically as well. He had already learned all the magic spells within the 2nd book of Thrandriel. Now, he was in need of the mysterious 3rd volume.

Abel remembered the contents from the final pages of the 2nd book.

He didn't know where Yggdrasil was located so he could only ask Kyle about it.

"Yggdrasil, you say… that seems to be somewhere from ancient times. I don't know the exact location. Though… my archaeologist friend might have some clues…"

"Where would he be right now?"

"He should be, hmm, excavating ruins in Cecily in the Kreuz Empire."

Kreuz Empire… he had time to spare since he was on holiday anyways.

"Can I go meet him directly?"

"To Cecily? That's too dangerous. It's no longer within Hela territory. He'll return to our country in about a year, so why don't you wait?"

1 year was too long. What if there were matters related to dimensional magic in the 3rd volume?

"I'll be back before you know it! The Kreuz Empire is our neighbor so I won't be long!"

Actually, it wasn't exactly 'neighboring'. Although the two countries shared a border at some obscure geographical region, it amounted to less than 5 percent. What was fortunate was that Cecily was near that shared border.

"Hur hur, okay then. I guess it's not a bad thing for you to leave the Hela Empire at least once to broaden your horizons. There doesn't seem to be any news of black mages recently, either… However, my bottom line is that Reina accompanies you! Also, you must call me every day with the communication orb. If I don't get a call from you, I shall depart to find you personally."

Ugh, he was such a busybody…overly attached…

"I'm not going off to war or anything, just think of it as a vacation."

Though, Abel didn't exactly feel bad having someone who worried about him.

The Gaia Church, founded on the belief in the G.o.ddess of Earth 'Gaia', was the largest religious body in the Kornos continent.

The cardinals of Gaia Church had gathered in one location. They had headaches due to rumors of an occult religion that began circulating recently.

"Who is spreading the nonsensical rumor that the apocalypse will happen again soon?"
The man occupying the highest seat at the table spoke up. He seemed to be the chairman of this meeting.

"We've learned that followers of the occult religion 'Dawn's End' are spreading the rumors. They correctly prophesied the epidemic spreading in the west of the Kreuz Empire. From what I know, some of our own believers were poached by them."
"Tsk, foolish humans…. Why is the pope not doing anything? He should have taken them all to trial."
"Our reputation will be damaged if we stay still. Let's send the holy maiden candidates to treat the disease."
"I agree! Moreover, this only happened because a holy maiden has yet to be chosen! How long do we have to wait? Our current candidates seem to have no hope, so let's send them to the regions with the epidemic."

The situation was leaning towards that way.

"Then we shall send the maiden candidates to the regions affected by the epidemic."

Bang!
The chairman of the meeting tapped the soundblock with the gavel, adjourning the meeting.

It had been three years since a maiden had not been chosen. The value of the thousand or so maiden candidates had fallen as low as they could get.

The faint winds of fate blew towards the Kreuz Empire.

The weather was slightly chilly. Autumn had pa.s.sed, and in came winter, the time of hibernation for animals.

"Let's take the warp to the border."
Abel said to Reina.

Abel was wearing a thick coat and seemed to be well-prepared for travel, but Reina's was a little different.

She was wearing light clothing despite the weather.

Reina had matured now. The skin-tight leather pants were an indication of her fashion philosophy. Her body was very well tempered. She looked like an actress from a soju ad.

The sunlight was faint, and the gentle shimmering on her blond hair added to her beauty. 

However, despite her appearance, Abel still treated her like a little sister since he had watched her grow up.

"Hey, don't you feel cold at all?"

An ordinary person would have long since frozen to death. However, Reina was now able to freely manipulate her mana. She had a protective layer of mana on her skin so she didn't feel the cold. It was completely different from when she had first enrolled.

She willingly expend her mana for fashion! She was fashionable all the way, to the max!

"It's not cold at all, so let's go."
Reina said grumpily. She had done her best to dress up since they were going to travel together, but that was his reaction….

Abel and Reina walked into the warp center.

It was possible to warp between countries, but the process was exceedingly complex, having to first go through diplomatic channels and whatnot. This was why Abel planned to warp near to the border before crossing it afterward. Since Cecily was near the border anyway, it was much better than going through complicated paperwork.

Swoosh.
He entered the coordinates and the warp core was activated. The figures of the two disappeared.

Abel and Reina were warped to a small city near the border, where the border patrol trained.

When they arrived, Abel rummaged through his magic pouch and took out a map he had prepared beforehand. He opened it and double checked the distance and coordinates.

"Hm. Judging from the distance, it will take us a day and a half by foot."

But was there a need to do that? Admiring the scenery? There was nothing but mountains near the border.

The roads weren't paved and rough stones were scattered all over the place. This reminded him of doing a night march when he was in the military. It was the perfect opportunity to get blisters all over his feet.

"Looks like 4 teleports will suffice."
Although Abel was lacking in terms of white mana quant.i.ty, he was still able to cast teleport 4 times consecutively without replenishing mana in between.

"…Teleport!"
Abel cast his magic while holding onto Reina's hand.