I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes

< Chapter 94 – The Establishment of the True Harashin >

“Greetings, O Great Being…!”

Daltasian said, repeatedly bowing his head.

‘Why are you acting like this.’

Was this character always like this?

I don’t think so?

-I’d love to see the face of that goddamn God. I wish I could smack him with the handle of a sword. Now that we’re on the subject, why not offer a prayer? Show off that proud display in front of these dead people.

The Daltasian I knew was a character who spoke like a blunt, rough wandering mercenary.

But what?

O deity?

Greetings, O Great Being?

What, did you change jobs to a paladin?

‘And you’re calling me what, a God?’

I guess I am a God.

An idiot, a fool, a moron, a fake, a real Harashin.

None of them were the kind of Gods to be praised.

Moreover, what I just used was black magic.

With my current state of the right arm, I had the look of someone who could be believed to be a grandfather of black magic.

In other words.

Our current dungeon guide is bowing to a black mage, seeing him as a great person.

It was concerning, the mental state of our dungeon guide after experiencing such an extreme situation.

‘Well, anyway.’

It was not a bad situation for me.

It was more comfortable to have a conversation in this state than if he were afraid or hostile towards me for being a black mage.

A bolt from the blue.

The series of events that Daltasian experienced could aptly be described that way.

Suddenly being attacked by a direct master of Harashin, having his face stolen, and nearly meeting his death.

It wouldn’t be strange if he became a wreck due to trauma.

But I can’t allow that.

The idea that a hero with a commendable spirit like Daltasian could be broken.

In a world filled with all sorts of dangers and villains, seeing a happy ending is a global loss for me.

I opened my mouth to restore our Daltasian’s frayed mental state back to a strong one.

“Do not bow your head to the shadows, for your right foot walks the path of righteousness.”

In other words, speaking in an unnecessarily verbose and obscure chuunibyou manner.

* * *

After finishing his tale, the mysterious figure took a step back and threw himself into the darkness of the room, curtained off from any light.

The formidable presence of the strange being seemed to melt into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.

And so, Daltasian was left alone in the place.

“What in the world…”

It still felt like he was dreaming.

He thought he was about to die, helplessly attacked by a direct master of Harashin, when suddenly a transcendent being appeared and saved him.

And this being was none other than an assassin. At the same time, a black mage.

He was the true leader of Harashin.

‘The assassins we knew – Harashin, they were the fake Harashin?’

Daltasian still couldn’t fully grasp the story told by the true leader of Harashin, the right arm.

Yet, there was one thing he could be sure of.

“Lagadiereas…Egonoeireas…”

Daltasian repeated the words that the right arm had chanted like a spell.

From a place unseen.

From a place untouchable.

* * *

After informing Daltasian of the history of the true and false Harashin, Ceylon said:

The Harashin known to the public, who reveal themselves and commit wrongdoings, are the corrupted Harashin.

Those, the corrupted Harashin who committed these wrongdoings, will be corrected by us, the true Harashin.

So, fear nothing.

If you, as a hero, walk the righteous path, we, the true Harashin, will protect you.

According to Ceylon’s expression, it was in a manner unnecessarily verbose and grandiose, like that of a chuunibyou, in the words of the right arm.

Perhaps because of that.

Ceylon’s words were misunderstood.

They were conveyed to Daltasian in a form different from the intention.

Daltasian interpreted the right arm’s words as follows:

[Darkness has now covered this world]

[Our true Harashin will rightfully dispel that darkness]

[Thus, hero, do not fear the darkness]

[Those who walk the path of dispelling darkness]

[You, too, are a true Harashin walking the same path as us]

Clutching.

Daltasian clenched his fist.

The transcendent being who saved him had acknowledged him.

As a hero.

As one of their kind.

With a face soaked in exhilaration, Daltasian repeated the words once more.

“Lagadiereas, Egonoeireas.”

At this moment.

A shadow that dispels darkness, a member of the true Harashin, was born.

Furthermore.

The purpose of the true Harashin became clearer and expanded at the same time.

They were no longer just the enemies of the corrupted Harashin.

They were the enemies of all darkness and evil.

The leader of the true Harashin was unaware of this development.

* * *

When I started the story, Daltasian had seemed infinitely diminished, but by the time the story ended, he had returned to his original state.

No, he had become even larger than before.

Perhaps it was the light in his eyes that had become clearer.

It seemed to be evidence that his broken spirit had been mended, returning him to his heroic self.

‘Incredible.’

Not only had his dying body been revived, but his spirit had been restored as well.

Honestly, even if Hua Tuo and the Pope joined hands, they couldn’t have done this.

Is it really correct to call me a black mage who achieved this?

‘I’m not asking to be called a white mage, but at least call me a grey mage.’

From Daltasian’s body, very faintly.

Very, very faintly, the aura of black magic was concerning.

But this faintness was something only I could sense, so it must surely be alright.

“Huh?”

As if to agree with my thoughts.

[Achievement cleared!]

Just then, a window popped up.

* * *

[Hey, to progress the quest, you need to clear the ‘Dawn Witnessed’ achievement.]

[How do you clear this?]

[Search for dawn on the internet lol]

[Ffs]

[I’m trying to help, but is the “witnessed” BORN or BONE?]

[SEE, dammit, SEE]

[So, is it the dawn that’s seen?]

[Sorry, but “witnessed” in English is “copy,” I just looked it up]

[Wouldn’t SAW be more appropriate?]

[Oh, you know Chainsaw Man, huh?]

[Just screw off, assholes]

[Why should we? Lol, why should we follow your orders?]

[Don’t wanna screw off? Lol, I won’t leave and will tell you lol]

[You gotta create a guild and recruit at least one NPC with ‘Level 40 or above’ and ‘Alignment: Good or higher’]

[When the number of NPCs recruited in there exceeds a certain number, it leads to the ‘Dawning’ achievement]

[It’s an essential achievement to enter the happy ending route]

[Oh, and when creating the guild, you have to set the guild’s purpose to ‘Great Achievement’]

[Now that I say don’t tell me, you guys are all eager to spill the beans]

[But in the guild’s purpose settings, there are only three options: Power, Wealth, and Honor, how do you set it to Great Achievement?]

[How do you set it?]

[Ah, that lol]

[Well, the thing is]

[Am I losing my mind, really?]

* * *

[Achievement cleared!]

[Achievement: Witnessed the Dawn]

“Hmm?”

A window popped up in front of my eyes.

‘What’s this? Did it appear because I helped Daltasian?’

Just like when I dealt with that Ledar guy, this achievement-

I really don’t understand what it’s for.

It doesn’t tell me the conditions for clearing it or the reason.

Nor does it give any rewards.

‘Could it be?’

Something occurred to me.

Just before this achievement window appeared.

I had helped Daltasian.

And Daltasian was a hero who had a positive impact on the world.

From what I could infer through him.

Perhaps this achievement clearing is a mechanism that indirectly informs me that my actions have had a positive impact on the world.

Or so I thought, since I couldn’t think of anything else at the moment.

Isn’t that good enough?

-Creak

With that thought, I returned to the place where I had tied up ‘Tangled Hair Munye’, imitating Daltasian.

A deserted basement in a back alley I had checked out in advance for such situations.

There, Munye was waiting for me, kneeling down.

He was bound by the darkness that filled the place.

Black magic. Shadow binding.

“You… what kind of person are you…”

Munye, with a very small stature that wouldn’t be noticeable even if he wore any mask or clothes inside out, scowled and glared at me.

Munye’s appearance seemed like a boy, yet also like a girl.

At the same time, like a child and also like an adult.

The voice was the same.

I crossed my legs and sat down opposite him.

There was no chair, but the darkness materialized and supported my body.

“How about we play a game? A question and answer game. I ask questions, and you answer without a single lie.”

“…”

Munye pondered my words before saying.

“If you promise to spare my life, I’ll answer all your questions.”

“Ha ha, releasing someone like you back into the world- wouldn’t that be reason enough to be incarcerated in the deepest pits of hell?”

“You’re not the type to care about that, are you?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Why would I think? Come on, black mage. I know how your kind gains power. The attention you receive from the demons you worship, the size of that attention, becomes the size of the power you hold. And I know the ways to gain that attention from those demons.”

Munye looked at me with a mischievous sneer, as if he knew it all.

“To receive as much affection from a demon as you do, what kind of deeds must one do? Can’t even imagine, right? So, let’s stop playing coy.”

“All I did was clickety-clack and wow, amazing traits- that’s all.”

“Clickety-clack…? Traits…? What’s that?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

“Is that so? Then try to explain it to me in a way I can understand.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you’ll enjoy what comes next. Especially since you’ve been quite cruel to my friend.”

“Is that so? Then there’s no helping it.”

Grinning.

Munye flashed a mischievous smile.

Was he hiding a trump card?

“Go to the underworld first and wait there. You’ll be joining your mother and father you lost in childhood, and while you’re at it, the skin of a half-brother born secretly by your mother, who was a prostitute. Farewell, black mage.”

In an instant, as Munye finished speaking, blood poured from every orifice on his face.

He died instantly.

Munye’s hidden trump card.

It was nothing other than a curse and a forced shutdown.

“What in the world…!”

I was shivering with the overwhelming ability to exchange blows when it happened.

‘This is…!’

The aura of black magic.

I hastily put on my mask.

I surrounded myself with darkness.

And the moment I became the right arm mode-

-Crack

The body of Munye, whose thread had been cut, started to move unnaturally.

His eyes flashed open and he stared at me.

His pupils turned into windows.

Beyond them, someone was watching me.

That someone spoke through Munye’s mouth.

-It was you. The thief who stole from the one we revere.

The owner of that voice.

I instinctively realized.

The entity Munye served.

One of the eight arms of Harashin-

Specifically, the Harvesting Arm.

An enemy that must be defeated to see the happy ending.

For someone like me, who wasn’t very knowledgeable about the game, following the storyline was the only way to track down such an enemy.

And now, that enemy.

Had revealed itself in front of me.

Somehow, using the power of black magic, even though he’s the leader of an assassin group.

That gave me a moment of confusion.

And then, a great deal of satisfaction.

I opened my eyes as wide as I could within my mask.

<Ceylon (Black Mage)>

Level: 100

“…!”

In the dark basement, where only a faint light leaked in from outside.

The previous darkness in the place felt bright compared to the pitch black that now descended.

Within that pitch black, the Harvesting Arm and I faced each other.

He looked exactly like the one I had seen in a photo on a community site.

An old man resembling an aged spider with only two legs left.

Originally, he must have planned to show off his power through the toy named Munye and assert his superiority.

But now, he found himself in the opposite situation.

I grabbed the hair of the one hiding beyond the window, forcefully pulling him out, while marking him as a target.

“You corrupted soul. Now I see you. Now I feel you.”

It wasn’t just talk; it was real.

If he wasn’t so damn far away, I would have mounted a horse and rushed there right away if it was a distance of a day or two.

“How did this happen…!”

The flustered Harvesting Arm.

I spoke to him.

“You who have forsaken your duty and become depraved spirits. Our true Harashin has returned. To correct the mistake that is you.”

I thanked him for appearing before me.

And said I would visit him soon with a gift.

* * *

Two days after the tumultuous incident involving Daltasian’s nudity.

Phibian and I met at a different cafe than before.

“Are those the people?”

Phibian pointed to ‘those’ standing behind me.

“Hehehe…”

A bald man smiling sycophantically in the presence of the nobility’s grandeur.

“…”

An elf woman trying to act fine despite feeling intimidated.

“…”

And Daltasian, whose eyes were excessively sparkling.

It was Daltasian’s party.

“Yes. As far as I know, they are the most suitable people within Arienne to take on this task.”

Phibian nodded.

“I’ve looked into it, and indeed, they are people you can confidently recommend.”

“Haha, that’s a relief.”

…

…

…

“So-”

After waiting a while and Phibian not starting the conversation, I finally brought it up.

“Who are those people…?”

I pointed to the people standing behind Phibian.

In truth, I didn’t need to ask to guess their identities.

Their aura was too similar to Daltasian’s party.

Yes.

Like Daltasian’s party, they were adventurers.

Adventurers like Daltasian’s party, but at the same time different, they were wearing something on their forearms.

It was an armband.

An armband embroidered with the emblem of the Leolalian family, a green horse.

“Ha…”

Phibian sighed and rubbed her forehead with her palm.

“I’m sorry. My mother noticed and sent support.”

The top-tier adventurer party sponsored by the Leolalian family.

They looked at the Daltasian party I had brought with a haughty gaze.

Hey guys, I’m Lazybones! I’m looking for someone who can help me edit this novel. It’s purely volunteer work. Contact me on Discord at lazybones28.