Surviving as an Academy Black Magician

It felt like death was approaching. The cold body gradually hardened.

I, we, couldn’t catch the doppelganger in the end.

It was a complete defeat.

It was completely played as the doppelganger intended.

‘Is the test over here… . It’s close enough, but this should be the passing line.’

It was a completely unexpected result, but it was impossible to undo what had already happened.

Thinking that way, I was able to calmly accept this shocking situation that had just happened to me.

At this point, I thought it was rather fortunate that I forbade touch.

Imagining how vividly he felt the pain of being pierced in the nape of the neck by a dagger made his hamstrings tingle.

‘In the end, is it impossible to know who the real doppelganger is? I don’t think I’ll really die like this.’

Suddenly, this thought passed by.

What if everything that is happening here right now is not fantasy, but reality?

So, am I going to die in vain?

Come to think of it, there were a lot of unanswered questions.

A fantasy species classified as a top-notch monster, Dyurahan.

Even though this is an academy that nurtures the best talent in the empire, it was an obvious balance error to send out freshmen who are just taking the entrance exam.

Also, there is a sense of incongruity that I feel because I am the age I have dealt with her in person.

It is currently unknown whether it is because of the characteristics of simple fantasy species or if there is really a different reason… .

But why is consciousness still not broken? The test must have been over, but the body could not move at all, but only the consciousness was becoming more and more clear.

Perhaps thanks to that, the voices of the party, which had been faintly audible, could now be heard clearly.

“Either. Geil is not a doppelganger! No matter how urgent the time is, what is this without consultation!”

“Frey. If so, did you have any other options? don’t you know The fact that the most suspicious of the people present here was the leader.”

“that… .”

“Of course I understand. From Frey’s point of view, my behavior must have been very embarrassing. However, I did it because I had some certainty. Take a look over there.”

Frey’s voice trembled as if he had seen a ghost.

“Me, that! What the hell is going on with Lord Seil’s body?”

“Frey. I was right.”

“Eden! Now is not the time to talk like that! Isn’t Gail’s body disappearing! I have to stop somehow… .”

“Calm down, Frey. That commoner is right.”

“… yes?”

“Seil Sieghart. The author was your doppelganger.”

At that moment, a mechanical voice was heard. A thin, ambiguous voice to be called a man’s, but thick to be called a woman’s.

That’s why it was more heterogeneous.

“Congratulations. Candidates found the hidden ‘doppelganger’ within the time limit.”

‘… … what? You found your doppelganger… ?’

“The identity of the ‘doppelganger’ is exam number 444, ‘Seil Sieghart’.”

‘I… . A doppelganger… ? No way… . No way… . does not exist. I am… .’

Fragments of sealed memories floating on the surface.

‘I am… .’

The existence looking at the man outside the mirror.

‘The doppelganger… .’

that was me

* * *

A space surrounded by endless darkness on all sides.

“crazy. Are you going to find that one? What the hell are you doing?”

After looking in the mirror, I, who had lost consciousness, came to my senses and found myself here.

At first, I was helpless at the thought of being left alone in the endless darkness, but soon I was relieved when I saw a mirror the size of a small window placed in front of me.

“Are you feeling good? Charlotte is such an idiot. Even so… . No matter how you look at it, it seems like he was suspicious of me from the beginning.”

This mirror is kind of like a surveillance camera. The only thing in this f*cking space that can see the outside situation. It seemed to be the least consideration given to those chosen as doppelgangers.

Thanks to it, I was able to see everything that had happened so far from the point of view of the observer.

Also, for some reason, in addition to the conversation outside, I could hear the heart of the ‘doppelganger’ disguised as me.

Did you say that it replicates experiences and memories perfectly?

He really thought he was ‘me’ and not his doppelganger.

I was really using the way I thought, acted, and talked, so to be honest, I predicted that it would be almost impossible for the group to find their doppelganger.

As if we had deliberately staged this situation, the restraints we put on came in the worst form in this test.

Because he forbade his sense of smell, he couldn’t smell his doppelganger, the most important hint, and the sun was in the middle of the sky, but he couldn’t see his shadow because of the dense trees.

The rule of not telling lies was also too ambiguous for the standards applied to the doppelganger who had memories and experiences of ‘me’.

To be honest, I could feel the ‘malice’ of the presenter, who made me decide to fail this exam.

The information you have is too limited. How the hell am I supposed to make an inference with just this kind of information!

“But you did it. Ethan, dig that narrow eye.”

Frey hesitated until the end, and Charlotte only drove me through ignorance.

Eden.

He was suspicious of me from beginning to end.

Along with that, he stabbed my neck without a moment’s hesitation.

Unshakable composure, insight into situations, determination to turn thoughts into action, and even hidden powerlessness.

He is a person who does not miss anything.

Perhaps he was the one most suited to the position of leader among them.

For what reason did such a person deliberately worship me while hiding his abilities?

“… You will find out soon.”

The mirror in front of me no longer reflected anything until the doppelganger’s corpse disappeared.

After a while.

The mirror was transformed into a door barely large enough for an adult to enter. Without hesitation, I opened the door and proceeded.

“captain!”

Eden was the first to greet me. With a very happy face, he held my hands and shook them all over the place.

Suddenly, I remembered his face as he pierced the nape of my neck with the doppelganger holding my face with the dagger in his hand.

If this is acting, he is the Academy Award for Best Actor.

“Are you the real leader this time? Where the hell have you been!”

I also smiled lightly and pretended to be happy.

“Yes, I am. I was watching everything from another space. Even when you stick a dagger into the nape of my skin-clad doppelganger’s neck. Fortunately, it seems that you passed the test safely. Everyone has worked hard.”

I deliberately threw a thorny horse, but Eden didn’t even move.

He just scratches his head with an embarrassed expression.

“hahahaha… . You say you’ve been watching everything that’s happened so far, so you’re kind of embarrassing! Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, I’m just saying this just in case, but don’t misunderstand, Captain. I did that because I was convinced that he was my doppelganger. Everything here is an illusion anyway, and wouldn’t it be better to do something than to fail without trying anything? I never had any ill feelings toward the leader, so you should never misunderstand!”

“of course. I don’t think so, so don’t worry.”

“As expected, you are the leader!”

Frey looked at me with a concerned expression.

“Zile… .”

“Why is that, Frey?”

“It’s okay… Are you? Is there any pain anywhere… ?”

I was even more taken aback by the unexpected response. It may be my misunderstanding, but her moist eyes and blushing face as she looked at me made me look like a worried girl, not a future sword master.

As I stared at her without saying anything, Charlotte spoke in an overbearing voice.

“What are you doing? Are you going to just stare at me like a mute who ate honey? Won’t you answer me?”

The sh*tty tone was quite annoying, but thanks to that, I came to my senses and, with a firm determination to fix Charlotte’s mind soon, carefully handed over a strand of hair that was covering Frey’s eyes.

“it’s okay. Thank you for your concern. Frey.”

I clearly remembered the look on her face when the doppelganger that looked like me from earlier disappeared into ashes.

That’s why her heart is very grateful now.

I thought that maybe she was the first in the world to acknowledge me as a colleague.

“… Fortunately, the. Gail ball.”

“You worked really hard, Frey.”

At that time, Eden, who had intervened without notice, spoke kindly.

“Mr Frey. Your face turned red. It’s like looking at a teenage girl. ha ha ha! Have you ever had a crush on the manager? Of course, we all know that Captain Zeil is attractive to everyone, regardless of gender, but man-to-man love is going to be tough! However, I will support both of you. After all, they are colleagues.”

Frey, blushing like a ripe apple, slapped his hand.

“What, what! I, I, I am not like that! I was just worried about the safety of a colleague. How could I harbor such feelings for Confucius? never! never! No, don’t say that!”

Charlotte, sure enough, was feverish and said with her eyes widened.

“Hey, commoner! Do you just spit out a pierced mouth? I’m guessing it’s the asshole, not the mouth? Because it’s not words, it’s just spitting sh*t out! say that again I’m going to change my real mouth and asshole. okay?”

“ah… . Looks like I made a mistake. Sorry, I’ll be more careful with what I say in the future. sorry. Leader, Mr. Frey.”

Frey said with a laugh.

“it’s okay. It could be.”

It was hard to believe that such a good-natured person would later destroy the world along with Socheonma and Cheonakcheon.

“It may have to be a joke. it’s okay.”

Eden bowed 90 degrees with a thrilled face.

“As expected, you two have a broad heart! thank you!”

“Thank you for putting it off until later… . Can you see everyone over there?”

The place where I pointed my hand was where it was blocked by trees. However, now the road has been made.

Because he found his doppelganger, the blocked road was opened. Perhaps, that place will be the final destination of this test.

‘Finally the end is in sight. To be honest, I was dubious about whether I would be able to reach this point, but in the end I succeeded. With three of the five senses banned, this should be enough to aim for passing the top ranks. Whatever it is, you only need to be assigned to Class A.’

I continued.

“Maybe there’s the mandrake we’ve been looking for so long.”

“Is that true, Captain?”

“Yes, probably.”

Charlotte asked.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I got the information.”

“To whom?”

“Did I have any obligation to tell you that?”

Charlotte bit her lip and glared. Eden, who had been watching, quickly changed the subject.

“Come on, don’t do this here, let’s go quickly! Don’t you want to get out of this damn place as soon as possible?”

“… wait and see.”

Instead of answering, I smiled. We walked towards the inside of the road.

‘I’d rather be able to receive a mandrake as a reward.’

Mandrake is a kind of elixir.

It has various uses and is used as a magical material, but originally it has the effect of permanently increasing the magical power of the person who takes it.

The effect varies greatly depending on the age of the mandrake.

The efficacy of 10-year-old mandrake is only minimal, but mandrake that has been bought for more than 100 years boasts an enormous efficacy that is worth calling.

‘For me, who lacks magic power, there’s no other item that suits me as well as this. Magi gnaws at the body just by using it… .’

“captain!”

Eden, who was walking in the lead, shouted urgently. Apparently, he found a mandrake. However, mandrakes should never be removed carelessly.

“Eden! stop! The mandrake is carelessly pulled… .”

“Not that.”

I moved my gaze toward the place Eden pointed to.

“Is it empty?”

The mandrake was nowhere to be found, leaving only a large pit.