Chapter 25

"All right, that's no problem. What else?"

Lady Angela smiled at me, not the cold, imposing smile from before, but a warmer, more sincere one. "I still have to thank you both. The real elite troops were inside the prison that night. We were all distracted by the commotion the mechs were making outside. If you hadn't stepped in when you did and wiped out those cyborgs, things would have gone very badly at the prison."

Huh? Was that what happened?

I was a little surprised. Lady Angela didn't seem like she would lie to me. Now that I thought back on it, a few of those cyborgs really had been hard to deal with. I had even spent ten-odd minutes fighting one who was on his own. He hadn't dressed any differently from the others, but once we started fighting, I discovered that he was exceptionally agile and particularly good at flailing his arms and legs. He had twisted his body out of the way of my spells several times, forcing me to lock onto him with my mental power and use nothing but tracking spells. His blood had also nearly splattered all over me. It really had been quite a dangerous battle.

"I'm honored I could help." I smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'm a member of the Federation too, and I'm glad I could make a difference. Mel feels the same way."

Angela smiled knowingly again. "I see. In that case, I'd like to invite you both to join my investigation team. I need to look carefully into the mastermind behind these prison raiders. I take it you can accept on Mephistopheles's behalf as well?"

Hmm... Mel probably wouldn't refuse either. He was more adventurous than I was, and he loved the Federation too. We both hoped this country could remain peaceful and stable. Since we were mages with greater power, we ought to do what we could with our abilities while pursuing truth and knowledge. Otherwise, no matter how much knowledge we gained, all we would be doing was knowing things.

"All right, we accept." I nodded.

"Deal!" Angela snapped her fingers and said with satisfaction, "I'll contact you when I need you. It'll be from this number, so don't hang up again."

"All right, I'll save it."

That brought my phone contacts to three people, counting Reynold, whom I had blocked. Besides, Lady Angela was a respectable warrior, and her number was well worth saving.

A moment later, Lady Angela sent me another text, along with the numbers of Lusien, captain of the Shield of the New Star, and Lady Alessia, commander of the Magitech Corps. She also wrote, "Your Excellency the Archmage who loves hanging up, give these two a pass too. Don't hang up on them."

Wow, that brought the total to five in one go. Lady Alessia was the commander who cultivated both magic and martial arts and piloted the fiery red mech. She was another remarkable warrior.

This was nice. I put my phone away with satisfaction. It really was true: ever since I met Mel, good things had been happening one after another. Mel had to be a lucky star.

I turned my attention back to the screen. The replay of today's summit would begin soon. I was looking forward to Mel's speech, so even the politicians' long, sleep-inducing speeches became easier to bear.

I wondered what Mel would talk about.

Chapter 25

The comments floating all over the screen reflected my own feelings. The vast majority of the viewers were looking forward to Mel's speech. Before I met Mel himself, I had found it surprising—a black mage whose identity had been exposed, who had slaughtered people on a massive scale on the battlefield, had actually won so many "fans"?

Come to think of it, young people these days really were unfathomable. The more perverse the Shadow Moon Temple's behavior, the more popular it became, which was already bizarre enough in my eyes. Now even an independent black mage from outside the establishment could attract the affection of so many young people. At this rate, the public's attitude toward magic would only get better.

I thought that no matter how much technology advanced in the future, the legacy of us mages would continue!

Even I had Moli now.

I had always thought that although being a black mage wasn't illegal, unless that mage was a dark priest from the Shadow Moon Temple (since the Shadow Moon Temple was the only religious organization legally allowed to worship the Dark God, their pitch-black ways were exactly what won them praise. If they ever appeared before the public as gentle, charitable people, everyone would suspect the end of the world was coming), they would still run into a lot of trouble. Too much black magic had especially terrifying visual effects, so ordinary people generally didn't much like independent black mages from outside the establishment. They worried that such a mage would be free of restraint, and that those evil arts with their terrifying visual effects would be used on them.

I could understand that. After all, history showed that black mages were far more likely to become demon lords than ordinary mages, and mages were far more likely to become demon lords than those of classes like warriors, knights, and archers. Sorcerers and witches, who were also spellcasters, were more likely to become comedic villains, the kind people often made fun of: they could clearly kill the protagonist outright, but insisted on running their mouths and willingly confessing all their crimes, only to be killed in a single counterattack after the protagonist finished charging up. So even in modern society, mainstream values still held that black mages were the most dangerous, and this sort of occupational discrimination could not be eliminated.

Oh, right, I knew of one exception. There was a strange studio called Black Light Magic Power, made up of a group of necromancers. Nothing the studio did was evil. They specialized in providing props and sets for horror movies, television shows, and video games, as well as creating realistic, terrifying practical effects. They were necromancers, after all, so the skeletons and bones they produced were always both suitably frightening and simple and convenient. There was no need for expensive production; they only had to summon a low-level skeleton soldier and take it apart. There were also horror music ensembles made up of various undead creatures. They had worked on several blockbusters and, for a time, attracted large numbers of movie-loving students to apply to study necromancy.

But necromancy was a restricted major. Across the entire continent, aside from the Shadow Moon Temple, which was permitted to use it, only the most prestigious Leinayaro Magic Academy was allowed to offer it within the education system. Its entrance exam was dozens of times harder than those for ordinary departments. If students couldn't get into the Shadow Moon Temple after graduating, they would probably end up making special effects for movies or working somewhere like a haunted house. Contrary to what everyone imagined, necromancers were strictly forbidden from entering funeral-related industries such as cemeteries and funeral homes. Supposedly, this was because people feared necromancers would abuse their positions and steal corpses... Ah, I was getting sidetracked.

I kept watching the screen. The commercial break was over, and the host announced that Archmage Mephistopheles's speech was next!

After meeting Mel himself, I felt that he could never have too many fans, because Mel truly was an outstanding mage worthy of such fame and status.

"Get your tissues ready in front of the screen and prepare to get your fill of my Mel!"

Honestly, young people these days had no restraint. The screen was full of people saying they wanted to marry him, make him their husband, or sleep with him. Looking at those irritating comments, I couldn't help holding my forehead. Did they give no thought at all to the feelings of the person involved when they posted things like that? I almost wanted to turn them all into slimes. That would teach them to post whatever they wanted just because they had hands!

"I watched the livestream this afternoon, and I'm here with a spoiler: brace yourselves!"

That comment floated past and drew a chorus of scorn.

"Haha, our Royal Magic Academy gave us the day off specially, and we all watched the livestream at the venue!"

Then a whole crowd of comments chased after the person who posted that, hurling abuse.

Soon, Mel's speech began, and the comments obediently drifted out of the way. Any that occasionally covered Mel's face got reported by everyone. He wore a close-fitting black mage robe, very much in keeping with a black mage's style. I thought Mel might be deliberately emphasizing his identity as a black mage in public, but even so, he still couldn't reduce his number of fans. To be honest, it made me feel that since even a black mage could win the public's affection, modern society's thinking had become more open and accepting.

Mel was dressed in a black robe, his hands hidden in its layered sleeves. Gold patterns were embroidered around the collar, possibly elven craftsmanship from the look of them. His long, light-colored hair stood out brilliantly against the black robe, like a glass of sweet wine mixed with honey. That color made me feel warm all over every time I saw it.