Surviving as an Academy Black Magician - Surviving as an Academy Black Magician chapter 39

I asked back, taken aback by the sudden offer.

“… Religion? suddenly?”

Eden nodded.

“That’s right.”

“If you are a teacher, you already have it, right?”

Suddenly, memories of that time came to mind. An old man who shed tears of joy upon receiving Andromalius.

‘ah… . He’s dead.’

I remember going to heaven without even feeling joy. The guy next to him also died right away because he stuttered.

Maybe the guy next to him became the leader because of the fisherman’s geography.

The selection process was quite dynamic, but in my memory, the cult leader definitely existed. Although it is said that he was lucky, wasn’t he a person who was directly chosen by his god?

“He is dead.”

I looked at him with a puzzled face.

“… … dead? why?”

Eden said it didn’t matter.

“Not long after I became the leader, I kidnapped the residents of a nearby village to see the incarnation of Lord Andromalius once again. In the end, he was executed by being stepped on by the Heretic Questioner. Because of that, an entire branch was destroyed. Well, that was an obvious result. He wasn’t particularly smart, and he wasn’t particularly talented in black magic either. I remember that there was a lot of dissatisfaction even within the church.”

As the Heretic Questioner… … . They would have met a terrible end if they were caught by them, who were used to hunting pagans.

“I understand the situation. But why are you making such an offer to me? If that’s the case, wouldn’t it just be you becoming a religious leader? It seems that you are already qualified for that.”

He is also an apostle of Andromalius.

Unlike me, who became an apostle through a transaction, it is assumed that he has been involved in the church for quite some time.

What is the reason for a guy who is knowledgeable about the situation in the church and has enough ability to make such a proposal to me?

“I can’t. Because I don’t have the ability to do that. Watching this situation, I felt it to the bone. The church, which had barely maintained its existence, is now facing the crisis of its existence. What is needed to remedy this situation is a good leader. A leader who has both overwhelming force and charisma that can dominate the church members.”

“Is that me?”

“That’s right. Who else could be more suitable than my older brother? At least to the extent I know, there is no person like my older brother. Someone like me who was born lazy is not worthy of being a leader. Please become a religious leader and revitalize our church. Although the number has decreased considerably compared to the past, the link with other denominations is still intact, so it will still be useful.”

It is an undeniable fact that the 72nd Church has helped me a lot.

Thanks to this, he was able to gain disguised status and enter the academy, and also obtained the Noble Phantasm of the Sieghard family.

However, that is a benefit that can be fully enjoyed with the status of an apostle.

‘Any other denomination would be those who worship demons of a similar class as Andromalius. The power itself is not great.’

Do I have any gains from becoming a leader and reviving the church even at the risk of being trampled on by the heretic inquisitors?

No matter how I looked at it, it looked like he had other plans.

“Please become the leader of a church that is on the verge of collapsing… … . Do you think the loss outweighs the gain?”

“If the 72nd Order were to perish like this, wouldn’t it also be revealed that the Sieghard family was involved with us in the process? Maybe the hounds of the church who smelled it might be looking for a new prey.”

I will never forget her cold eyes as she looked at me.

‘… The next Archbishop of the Blue Cross Society. Chris Valentine.’

I was already a body that had encountered her once.

I raised my spirits and glared at him. Eden’s eyes, which had been trembling exaggeratedly, curved like crescent moons.

“… Sounds like a threat?”

“Isn’t that up to interpretation after all? At least I want to maintain a friendly relationship with you.”

I had to make a clear decision whether to cut my tail here and now, or to carry it with me even at the risk.

“Either. If there’s something you’re hiding, you’ll have to tell it all now. You can’t convince me with a hand like this.”

Eden, who had been staring blankly at me, let out a slow laugh.

“ha ha ha! He is also your brother. To be honest, the oracle has not come down to Andromalius at all. Originally, he wasn’t a very communicative person, but… … .”

After taking a look at me, he spoke again.

“As of one day, the oracle does not come down at all. I received an oracle that said that if everything went according to plan, I was very happy that I would finally be able to surpass Dantalion and rise to the top of the hierarchy… . Do you have any guesses?”

A conversation with Asmodeus that suddenly comes to mind.

– No big deal. I cut off the limbs of Andromalius, who asked me to give him legions, and personally put them in his mouth.

– Nothing to worry about. We have reached an amicable agreement. In addition, the heads of Halfas and Raum are displayed. They took advantage of the war and fearlessly invaded my territory. It’s a new head, so it’s perfect for decoration.

amicable agreement… … .

Big hum.

“… I don’t know.”

“Is that so. Anyway, the church members are trembling with anxiety as the oracle did not come down to Andromalius even after the religious leader was executed. At this rate, it will end up being absorbed by the Alliance before being killed by the Heretic Questioner.”

“… Union?”

“yes. It is a union of demon worshipers called ‘GOETIA’.”

“The devil worshipers created an alliance… ?”

Demon worshipers are originally beings that cannot unite as one.

In the first place, they were extremely independent entities from the demons they worshiped. They may have different inclinations, but basically they are beings living under the ideology of strong self-respect.

The strong reign, the weak struggle.

Demons who endlessly repeat struggle and slaughter, and blindly pursue only to step on the opponent and climb up.

Naturally, the worshipers who worship them also have a strong tendency. In a world where the logic of power becomes the rule, how can those who worship different gods unite?

Not all demon worshipers are the same demon worshipers.

From a general point of view, they would all look the same, but from the point of view of the parties, they are no different from cults worshiping other gods.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and among them there will be groups that maintain friendly relations.

However, it is only out of necessity. There has never been a single alliance of demon worshipers in history.

―Even in the settings I made.

“yes. As you know, isn’t it impossible to unite people like us into one force? However, they seem to have used some kind of magic, starting with absorbing three or four small churches, and recently they are rapidly expanding their power.”

“How big is it?”

“I hear… I heard that they are showing up not only in the Empire, but also in various parts of the continent, such as the Argon Kingdom and the Principality of Kaisir. There are only rumors about it. Other than that, nothing is known.”

… It was bigger than I imagined. At this scale, it was said that there was something other than simply suppressing them by force.

“Have you ever had any contact with them?”

Eden nodded.

“yes.”

“… That’s how it happened.”

Little by little, the puzzle started to come together as to why he wanted to appoint me as the religious leader. Before I was an apostle of Andromalius, I was an apostle of Asmodeus.

Symbolizing the 7 deadly sins, the top-level demon regardless of rank.

Asmodeus, the demon of lust and rage.

If I become the leader, they will no longer be Andromalius, but will be protected under the name Asmodeus.

“… … a wicked fellow What suggestions did they make?”

Eden smiled shyly.

“hahahaha… . They seemed to be looking for some artifact. If you cooperate in finding it, he said that he would support our church and Andromalius in return, but if you refuse… . Well, even if you don’t say anything after that, you’ll know. I haven’t been able to give you a definite answer yet, but in fact, it’s no different from tacitly agreeing.”

It’s really tearful faith.

“Did you hear what artifacts they were talking about?”

“We haven’t heard anything, either. But he definitely pointed out the Salomon Academy here.”

Is that why there were members of the 72 denominations inside the academy?

‘The Alliance of Demon Worshipers… . Salomon Academy. And artifacts.’

The ominous forebodings that popped up in my head were quickly turning into certainties.

“It’s possible that the other demon worshipers you mentioned are also members of that coalition.”

“… It’s very likely, but it’s still only a handful of people who have contacted us directly. Recently, the process of entering the academy has become more complicated.”

Given the size of the alliance, it was impossible to guess how many demon worshipers would sneak into the academy in the future.

Even if you were not a student or professor, there was a possibility of changing your identity and infiltrating as a shop owner or maid.

“How many members of the 72 denominations are inside the academy?”

“There are about 50 people, to put it mildly.”

I have 50 sources of information that I can move independently… … .

“Did you get any information about the artifact?”

The corners of Eden’s mouth went up.

“I can’t tell you that yet. Isn’t it a problem with the lifeline of our church? I don’t know if my older brother becomes a teacher… … .”

“would.”

“yes?”

“Chief. I will.”

“Is that true?”

“okay. However, from now on, all information will be managed by me, the religious leader. Report to me everything related to the search for artifacts and the alliance.”

“Of course, no. Then, when will the inauguration ceremony be held? Before that, first meet with the elders and learn about this… … .”

I raised my head and looked at the sky. Soon the sun was setting and darkness was falling.

Two days from today is the weekend.

The ox horns were also thinned out.

I got up and said.

“now.”

“You mean now? No matter what, take your time and do it slowly… … .”

I spoke again with one letter, one letter correct pronunciation.

“ji. gold.”

Eden, who was looking at me with a strange face, burst into laughter and said.

“ha ha ha! All right! We will guide you right now. Shall we summon all the elders as well?”

“Call them all. If you have a dissatisfaction, tell me to face it.”

he replied playfully.

“I will obey the command of the leader.”

After completing our simple preparations, we left the academy right away.

He did not forget to make an appropriate excuse to Bella Trey, the dormitory superintendent, in case of any unforeseen circumstances. She didn’t touch her much, but strangely, she reacted very sensitively to eating breakfast together.

Once, Eden overslept and skipped breakfast without a word, and that evening a painful moan resounded in the gymnasium. I remember probably not being able to walk properly for two days.

I also told my roommate, Frey, that he might not be able to come in tonight because of circumstances.

Then she asked a lot of questions with a very sad face, and in the end I hurriedly flinched and escaped as if I was running away.

At the last moment, I hurried my steps, earnestly praying that her eyes looking at me without focus were purely my illusion.

The place we arrived was in the mountains, less than 10 kilometers away from the academy.

“Maybe this is it… … . yes!”

Standing in front of a huge rock, Eden chanted a spell, and a small door appeared, barely large enough for one person to enter.

Inside was a stone statue of Andromalius, a corpse of a beast in front of it, and a space transfer magic circle.

“You made an altar in a place like this.”

“hahahaha, don’t they say it’s dark under the lamp?”

As Eden stood in front of the stone statue and recited an unknown prayer, black demonic energy rose from his body.

The magic circle embroidered on the floor glowed, and darkness covered the room.

A feeling of bodily collapse.

After a while.

When the darkness cleared and I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a huge stone statue and human corpses piled up like a mountain in front of it.

“Welcome to the 72nd Order.”