My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 21

She had a memory that was nothing short of a nightmare.

It was roughly ten years ago from now.

During the time when her debut song had fortuitously become a hit, propelling her to stardom.

"Welcome, Laila. You're a bit late, aren't you?"

As usual, after finishing her schedule and returning home, she shuddered unexpectedly.

She had lived separately from her parents since becoming independent at a young age.

Therefore, when she entered her home, the only thing that should have greeted her was the bleak interior of an empty room.

Turning her head at the sound of someone's voice in a room where no sound should have been heard, she saw a middle-aged man she had never seen before.

"......."

It is a characteristic of humans to freeze immediately when confronted with a terror they’ve never experienced before.

However, fortunately, Laila was different from ordinary people.

In this incomprehensible situation, her body moved before she could think.

She dashed straight out the door she had just entered, urgently calling her manager, whom she had parted with moments ago.

"Please......!"

But he didn’t answer the call.

Was he driving?

From behind her, the man's voice echoed as she anxiously bit her lip.

"It’s useless. My men already have this area completely under control."

"That manager who left earlier? He’s probably passed out somewhere by now."

With a sinister chuckle, her body, which had just stepped outside, was suddenly pulled forward.

The man grabbed her neck and pressed her down forcefully.

"Running away from a fan? Is that how a star should behave? Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day to meet you?"

Turning her fallen body by force, he made her face him directly.

Under the streetlight, the man's pupils came into view.

His half-crazed gaze filled her with even more intense fear as she twisted her body, trying to escape his grasp.

Slap!

And with the sharp sting, her face was whipped to the side.

"I told you, this is a fan meeting! Look at me!"

Why are you trying to run away?

You should be happy to meet a fan.

Do you know how much I’ve longed to see you?

Why don’t you understand my feelings?

With a furious glare, the man growled lowly as he stared at her.

"I told you I like you. Didn’t you say you love your fans? Was that a lie? Was everything you said about liking me a lie?"

Madman.

Who in their right mind would be happy to meet a fan in a situation like this?

At the man's outburst, her struggles grew even more frantic.

But she couldn’t break free.

Overpowering a well-trained man’s strength was nearly impossible for a woman.

Moreover, the man was using a magic power that ordinary people couldn’t wield to keep her restrained.

"It’s okay. There’s no need to be afraid. I could never hurt someone I love."

The man brought his face closer to hers.

His grotesque face, as if attempting to force a kiss, grew larger and larger in her field of vision.

'No. Please, someone!'

Bang!

At that moment, as she tightly shut her eyes with that thought, it happened.

Suddenly, her body tumbled to the ground.

She had been freed from the man’s restraints.

And when she opened her eyes, she saw the shattered streetlight and the shadow of the man slammed against its pole.

"Ah, my mistake."

And standing before her, with their back turned toward her, was the shadow of another figure confronting the man.

"I was jumping across rooftops and accidentally fell."

"......."

"Damn it. These are brand-new shoes, and now they’re smeared with some ugly bastard’s blood."

Without a shred of concern for the other party.

The man seemed annoyed solely because his shoes had gotten dirty.

And as he walked leisurely toward the man, he spoke.

"How are you going to take responsibility for this, you bastard?"

"......."

Was it because of the sudden situation that the man had momentarily lost consciousness?

Or was he too dumbfounded to respond?

Because of the broken streetlight, it was hard to gauge the man’s expression.

"How dare you......!"

Coming back to his senses, the man stood up in anger.

But before that anger could be fully unleashed, the stranger silenced him with a kick to the mouth, slamming him back into the wall.

"Shut up, you piece of trash."

"Mmph!?"

And with his hands still in his pockets, the stranger continued stomping on the man’s face.

"Do you know how much these cost?"

"Mmph!?"

"Why did you suddenly release magic power and startle me? That’s why I fell. I thought the police had tracked me down and freaked out."

"Ack!?"

"Seriously, does a magician have nothing better to do than control an area at night just to assault a woman?"

"Mmph!?"

"If you’re ugly, spend this time fixing your appearance. Then girls would line up for you like they do for me. You toad-faced bastard."

"......."

"I was in a good mood today, but you ruined it!"

"......."

There was no movement.

Is he dead?

Even without seeing, it was clear.

The man’s face, struck repeatedly, must have been covered in blood.

And the stranger’s leg, having delivered blow after blow, was surely soaked in the man’s blood.

"Ha. Seriously."

Letting out a deep sigh, the stranger simply took off his shoes.

Then, tossing them carelessly on top of the man’s corpse.

"They’re too filthy to wear now. Just keep them."

Saying so, he leapt onto the wall.

And under the moonlight, he swiftly disappeared.

Like the wind itself.

A mysterious man who appeared out of nowhere, saved her from danger, and vanished just as quickly.

Though his behavior and personality seemed extremely peculiar.

Still, she could never forget what happened that day.

"Laila! The broadcast is about to start!"

At the sound of a staff member knocking on the dressing room door, her eyes slowly opened.

"Yes! I’ll be out soon!"

Responding hastily to the staff member, Laila got up from her seat.

And pulling something out of her bag, she held it tightly in both hands, closing her eyes as if in prayer.

What happened afterward was nothing special.

Whether he had known somehow or had stumbled upon her by chance while wandering the area for another reason.

With the help of the police who arrived at her location with the manager lying on the street, the incident was resolved.

Tormented by the trauma of being stalked, she couldn't return home for a long time, living temporarily at the company, and eventually moving out.

Since then, she has been able to continue her career in the entertainment industry safely, without any incidents or accidents.

What would have happened if she had been harmed at that time?

One thing is certain: Laila Ruby, the singer, could never have achieved the success she has now.

'Thank you very much.'

Therefore, she always expressed her gratitude to the person who saved her before starting work.

At that time, the shoes he discarded, saying they were dirty.

White color with black patterns.

Shoes stained with light red bloodstains that wouldn't wash out, which she held onto for a long time.

*

"So, I've decided to go to Laila Ruby's concert this weekend with my uncle."

Arina's good mood continued into the next day.

Arina, who usually just listened quietly to Maril's stories, took the lead in the conversation for the first time and continued the story.

Her smile, which wouldn't leave her face, showed how happy she was.

"That's great."

Maril was also happy to see a side of Arina she had never seen before and congratulated her on her happiness.

"Laila Ruby, huh. She's a good singer."

"Do you know her?"

It made Arina happy to know that her friend liked the singer she admired.

Maril nodded as if it were obvious, acknowledging Arina's joy.

"I met her at a royal celebration concert before. I remember getting her autograph and taking a photo with her."

"......."

It was a different scale altogether.

While one person was thrilled just to go to a concert, another had invited the singer to their home to get an autograph and a photo.

Was this truly a princess?

It felt like she had been hit with an unexpected counterpunch while trying to brag.

"Oh, if you need an autograph, just let me know. I'll ask the butler to see if we can meet her after the concert, though I can't guarantee it."

Did she quickly sense the mood?

Maril swiftly steered the conversation in a direction that would please Arina.

"Really?"

And as Maril had planned, Arina's bright smile returned.

"Of course. But I can't promise it will work out. Even I can't force it if she refuses."

"Thanks."

"It's not a big deal."

Maril scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed, as Arina already held her hand, even though the meeting wasn't confirmed yet.

"Laila Ruby... She's a good singer. I'm a fan too."

At that moment, someone's voice from behind them joined their conversation.

"Especially her debut song, which is refreshing and lively, I still listen to it sometimes when I study black magic."

When both turned their heads, they saw Professor Carlson, with his gloomy face close to them.

"But I'm about to start the class. Could you both pay some attention to me instead of Laila the singer?"

"S-sorry!"

When did he come in?

Were they too focused on their conversation?

They hadn't noticed the professor entering at all.

If it had been Professor Magnus, he would have just pointed out for them to be quiet and continued the class.

Thanks to Professor Carlson's playful nature, everyone's eyes in the classroom were focused on them.

Feeling the prickling stares from behind, Arina blushed and lowered her head.

"Alright, let's begin the class."

With a smirk at her reaction, Professor Carlson walked to the front of the class and opened the textbook.

"So, today's class is..."

And so the class began, and Arina quickly focused on the lesson as if she had never been embarrassed.

*

"Well, that's what happened."

After class, as soon as the break started, Professor Carlson visited the infirmary as usual, sipping a beverage from Professor Clara and explaining what had happened that day.

"Is that so~"

Perhaps because Professor Clara was the only professor he got along with at school?

Despite Professor Carlson's frequent visits at all hours, Professor Clara always welcomed him with her usual languid smile.

"Arina is this year's top freshman, right~? I'm not teaching any first-year classes this year, so I'm not sure~"

Professor Clara did have some assigned classes, but she was primarily the infirmary's dedicated professor.

Therefore, compared to Professor Carlson or other professors, she had significantly fewer classes.

"She's a good student. Like the other first-years, but especially passionate about her studies."

No professor dislikes a student who participates actively in class.

In that sense, Arina was the type of student professors loved the most.

Especially since she had the talent and skill to enter as the top student.

"Still, you might want to be careful~ There's been a lot of talk about Arina among the students lately~"

Like seeing her often at the library.

Or incidents like today's.

Professor Carlson mentioned her more frequently than other students.

"I know you well, but you might be misunderstood~"

"Even I wouldn't have feelings for a 12-year-old student."

But as Professor Clara suggested, he should be careful.

Especially since his gloomy appearance was easily misunderstood.

Professor Carlson was surprisingly objective about his own appearance.

"More importantly, my affection is solely for the Death King. I haven't thought about romance at all yet."

"That could be problematic too~"

As far as she knew, the Death King was a man.

So, even if he showered him with affection, it would only cause trouble.

Thinking this, Professor Clara silently braided her pink hair.