My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

-What’s going on?

You answered earlier than I expected.

Normally, you’re the type to only pick up when the ringtone is about to end.

When Oman paused, seemingly surprised by this fact, the other party, perhaps realizing the meaning of the silence, responded in a casual tone.

-I just finished doing my nails and had some time left, so I was browsing the news on my smartphone when you called. That’s all.

Being a professor turned out to be less busy than expected.

Or is it because I’m a new professor and my workload is relatively lighter?

But even so, all the other professors seem so busy, running around like they don’t have a moment to breathe.

-I’m doing less than half of what I usually handle.

It was practically close enough to be called a vacation.

A professor’s duties are not limited to just teaching students.

Building connections, writing papers, and enhancing one’s credentials are also part of a professor’s responsibilities.

On top of that, depending on experienced professors like Professor Magnus, additional tasks such as external consultations and other miscellaneous duties often pile up.

Even with an assistant professor, there were many cases where time and energy were still insufficient.

But that’s usually the case for well-known professors.

For new professors, the priority was to first establish their reputation, and the faster ones were only just beginning to prepare their papers.

Moreover, since this was the first semester as a newly appointed professor, just adapting to the role was enough to make the day pass in a whirlwind.

In such circumstances, it was natural for someone like Jealousy, who had infiltrated the Academy to protect the Dark District’s Young Lady, Arina, to have plenty of free time since all they needed to do was focus on teaching their classes properly without dealing with any of the troublesome tasks.

On top of that, as a member of the Seven Deadly Sins, Jealousy, while not as overburdened as Oman, still handled a considerable workload.

-I know why you’re calling. The forged documents went unnoticed, and I’ve successfully infiltrated. There’s nothing to worry about, so just focus on your own work, alright? You’re already working yourself to death; didn’t you also take on all of my tasks on top of that?

“I’m the one who sent you there. Of course, it’s my responsibility.”

Oman responded with utmost calm and gravity, a stark contrast to how he spoke with Cain.

And as if to emphasize caution, he repeated the nagging advice he had given Jealousy so many times that it could practically form calluses in their ears.

“Let me repeat: do your best not to get caught by the Master.”

-I know. I don’t want to get scolded by the Master either.

From the other side of the smartphone, there was a faint sound of trembling lips, as though the mere thought of it was repulsive.

There’s no need to worry.

Jealousy was a specialist in infiltration.

When they decided to hide, even other members of the Seven Deadly Sins couldn’t detect them—a perfect spy.

Though, for some reason, they always got caught by the Master.

‘As expected of the Master.’

Even though Cain hadn’t done anything in particular, Oman’s respect for him grew even further in his heart.

-Ah, someone’s coming. I don’t want to leave any evidence during the mission, so don’t call me again.

With that, Jealousy abruptly hung up.

Placing the smartphone down on the desk, Oman closed his eyes indifferently.

‘There shouldn’t be any problems.’

Jealousy was right.

Making a call like this was more likely to inconvenience Jealousy during their infiltration.

The concern Oman was feeling now was nothing more than needless anxiety.

As always, Jealousy would carry out their role flawlessly.

But why was it?

In Oman’s mind, as if foreseeing the future, a blurry image appeared of Jealousy kneeling before the Master, who had discovered their infiltration, with Oman standing beside them.

‘As expected of the Master.’

Indeed, it seemed that nothing could be hidden from the Master.

Once again, despite having done nothing, Oman’s respect for Cain soared endlessly in his imagination.

It was almost akin to worship or reverence.

Constantly displaying his loyalty toward Cain, Oman reached out to tackle the mountain of tasks that had grown as much as his respect for Cain in that brief moment.

In stark contrast to Jealousy, who was on a vacation that wasn’t really a vacation, Oman was once again buried under a pile of work today.

＊＊＊

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Sunken eyes shadowed by dark circles.

A voice noticeably quieter compared to the other professors.

A gaunt, skeletal frame that seemed more suited for a hospital than a podium, evoking concern that he might collapse at any moment.

“I’m Carlson, and I’ll be teaching Curse Studies with you all this year.”

A figure so thin it seemed as though a light tap would break him, his bony frame hidden under loose-fitting clothes.

He was a professor full of flaws, a stark contrast to the immaculate and unyielding Professor Magnus.

“First, let me clarify that while this course is called Curse Studies, it’s not about teaching you how to curse others.”

Professor Carlson picked up a piece of chalk thicker than his own fingers.

“Since Benedict Academy specializes in magic, if you wanted to learn something else, you’d have gone to a different academy.”

Most of the students enrolled in this Academy aspired to become magicians.

Of course, there might be some who wanted to learn black magic alongside their studies.

But forcing that into the curriculum wasn’t feasible.

Those who were interested could study it later through extracurricular activities.

“What I’ll be teaching is not how to curse but rather ‘What is a curse?’ and ‘How do you break one?’”

Most of the classes at Benedict Academy followed this general approach.

Every course was tailored to magicians.

From improving their magical skills to learning how to confront enemies from a magician’s perspective.

In other words, Carlson’s class focused on teaching magicians how to counter the curses of black mages.

“Since this is our first class, I’ll start with a simple story to pique your interest, rather than diving straight into the dry textbook material.”

After writing something on the blackboard, Carlson turned to face the students.

On the board was written the name “Death King.”

Even with just those two words, the students’ eyes widened reflexively, sensing something profound.

“You all know this name, right? As magicians, you probably admire the Demon Lord the most, but as a black mage, I can’t help but hold this figure in the highest regard.”

The Elemental Kingdom was relatively more liberal compared to other nations.

It didn’t judge individuals for their personal likes or dislikes.

If this were the Great Nature Yggdrasil in the south, the mere mention of the Death King’s name would have caused the Empress to have a fit and demand his immediate execution.

But in the Elemental Kingdom, the Death King’s name wasn’t viewed as particularly negative.

At least, as long as he wasn’t provoked, he wouldn’t retaliate.

In fact, the Twin Ghosts of the east, who constantly picked fights with the Elemental Kingdom, carried a more negative reputation.

“When we think of the Death King, the first thing that comes to mind is his mastery of necromancy, centered around the strongest summoned creatures.”

“…….”

“But his curse techniques cannot be overlooked either.”

During the large-scale battle against the Great Nature Yggdrasil in the past, his curses, which instantly killed numerous 8-star superhumans, remained a legendary tale among curse casters to this day.

“Let me explain the basic mechanics of curse techniques. As you know, the fundamental principles of black magic are distinctly different from regular magic.”

Magic and spirit magic operate based on the laws of this world.

But black magic applies its own set of rules to the world.

Its foundation lies in the Shadow World.

“It’s akin to planting a virus into the world. And all living beings, including you, fall under the category of ‘the world.’”

In other words, all of us are susceptible to being infected by that virus.

That’s the basic principle of curse techniques.

Simply put, curse techniques are about contaminating others with one’s own rules.

“That’s why the type and strength of curses can vary infinitely depending on the individual.”

To block a curse, one must deal with the other person’s Shadow World.

Either break it, neutralize it,

or counteract it.

And that’s precisely what Professor Carlson intended to teach in this course.

What the Shadow World is and how its mechanisms function.

“Now, let’s return to the story of the Death King. Does anyone here not know his other title?”

“Heukcheon!”

“Oh, excellent. Who answered just now?”

At Tokun’s booming response, Professor Carlson confirmed his name.

“Student Tokun? Ah, you’re the one Professor Magnus mentioned. He said you aspire to be like the Demon Lord? Professor Magnus seemed quite pleased to hear that there’s already a student who has found their dream.”

“Thank you!”

“Anyway, as Student Tokun said, Heukcheon. And that name was given because of his unique Reverse World.”

The Reverse World of a Black Mage was usually crimson, like a sunset.

However, the Death King’s Reverse World was entirely pitch black.

This signified that he had reached such a high level that he could completely strip the world of its colors.

The curses cast by the Death King, who possessed such a Reverse World—

It would be stranger if they were weak.

“As you can see, the appearance of the Reverse World also changes depending on the level of the Black Mage. If you can’t gauge your opponent’s skill, you can estimate it by observing their Reverse World.”

“…….”

“If the opportunity arises later, I’ll show you my own Reverse World. After all, seeing it once with your eyes is much faster to understand than hearing about it multiple times.”

Of course, when it comes to curses, if I mismanage them, it could lead to serious trouble, so I have no intention of using them at all.”

With a smile, he slowly looked around at the children brimming with anticipation.

“As I mentioned earlier, the types of curses are endless. I can’t guarantee that everyone will become completely immune to curses through this class. Even I can’t claim that. No matter how much I boast in front of you, there’s no telling when I might meet a tragic end due to another Black Mage’s curse.”

“…….”

“That said, everything ultimately comes down to experience. Didn’t the Demon Lord also say something similar? That a magician must experience as much as possible. This isn’t just advice for magicians. When it comes to studying and progressing in any field, there’s no better teacher than experience.”

“…….”

“I sincerely hope that my class will be of great help to all of you. And if the experiences I share, as Professor Magnus puts it, help you decide on your future dreams, then nothing would make me happier.”

A dream is truly a wonderful thing.

It serves as the driving force that propels humans forward.

Of course, talking about hope with a face that looked like it might collapse from malnutrition at any moment was quite unbalanced.

Still, he was someone who genuinely liked such hopeful words.

“This has nothing to do with the class, but just as Student Tokun boldly declared his ambition to reach the same heights as the Demon Lord, I too have a dream.”

Strictly speaking, it’s more of a goal than a dream.

‘What could it be?’

At first glance, the professor had seemed strange.

But as she continued to listen to him, she realized he was actually a very normal and good person.

She found herself naturally drawn to his eloquent speech, her ears perking up more than she expected.

Arina stared intently at Professor Carlson, waiting for his next words.

As if to meet her expectations, Professor Carlson smiled brightly and continued speaking.

“It’s not just my dream but the dream of all Curse Casters—to witness the Death King’s curse firsthand.”

What kind of profound laws could possibly be hidden within it?

What kind of world had the Death King created?

He wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Of course, dying would be inevitable.

Even transcendents of the eighth star couldn’t withstand it, and even Absolutes avoided receiving it directly. That was the Death King’s curse.

There was no way Professor Carlson could endure it.

“It would be great if I could build enough skill to survive it, but unfortunately, I’m not as bold as Student Tokun, so I can’t aim that high. Haha.”

Watching him scratch his head awkwardly, his hair sticking out in all directions, Arina blinked her eyes wide for a moment.

She rescinded her earlier judgment about him being normal and good.

He was a good person, yes, but after hearing that, he didn’t seem all that normal.

“Ah, since we’re already on the topic, shall we skip the first day’s lesson and continue talking about the Death King? So, the first time he appeared in this world was…”

A quintessential Death King enthusiast.

From the very first day, he revealed his true colors without reservation.

That day, Professor Carlson’s class began and ended with stories about the Death King.