My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 37

-What happened to the item?

Jealousy, who had been savoring the scent of the new perfume purchased yesterday, opened his mouth with a puzzled expression at the call from Oman.

"Delivery complete. Didn't I report it yesterday?"

-You didn't.

"Ah, sorry. I must have forgotten."

Jealousy offered an apology with complete indifference, showing no sign of genuine remorse.

Then, as if pleased with the perfume, he nodded with a smile.

"I was really busy yesterday."

-It certainly looked that way. Judging by the amount you spent at the department store.

Why report personal expenditures as mission expenses?

That card was clearly meant to cover costs incurred during missions.

Oman clicked his tongue subtly, thinking that Greed had taught him all the wrong things.

"Whatever. Don’t get too upset. It’s just pocket change anyway."

-.......

"By the way, that young lady? She seemed really happy. She even wore it to the Academy today, you know?"

Though it was covered by her pants, it couldn't escape Jealousy's sharp eyes.

Even while jingling around with handcuffs, her effort to familiarize herself with magic was evident.

-Enough. Submit a photo along with a report on that later.

Oman's doting behavior was worse than Jealousy's.

Oman outright ordered Jealousy to take a picture of the young lady enjoying herself and send it.

A child cherished by the Seven Deadly Sins.

Of course, all that attention and affection stemmed solely from her connection to Cain. It was love that would vanish the moment the relationship between Cain and Arina soured.

Jealousy chuckled, finding amusement in Oman's blatant favoritism, which disregarded others except Cain.

-In any case, there’s something new I want you to handle.

However, the moment Oman spoke his next words, Jealousy’s laughter ceased, replaced by a frown.

"Ah, come on. Can’t you cut me some slack? Between keeping an eye on the young lady and doing my professor duties, I’m busy, you know?"

-Didn’t you say last time that you were free? That your workload had significantly decreased since leaving the Dark District?

"......."

This bastard with unnecessarily good memory.

He remembered even offhand remarks in passing.

"I don’t know. Get someone else to do it. Like Wrath, for example. He enjoys rampaging."

-He has his own tasks.

Negotiations with the Elemental Kingdom.

He’s been sent to the kingdom’s border zone to carry them out.

-And this task is perfect for you. It’s an extension of what you’re already doing.

At those words, Jealousy momentarily stopped grumbling and fell into thought.

Then, as if realizing something, he muttered quietly in understanding.

"You mean that guy? It came up during this morning's meeting."

'Magic Boost,' was it?

Word had it that, after this morning’s meeting, numerous professors, including Professor Magnus, had already begun to act.

This, despite the fact that its very existence was still unconfirmed.

No matter how he looked at it, this was the only matter within the Academy that could pique Oman’s interest.

"But why this?"

Of course, Jealousy had also done his own investigation into the matter.

After all, it was an incident that occurred within the Academy. If left unchecked, it might even harm Arina.

His findings were precautionary, gathered just in case, but Jealousy was probably the closest in the Academy to uncovering the truth of the matter.

That’s why he knew.

Magic Boost—it was a real app.

-Catching the Twin Ghosts Guardians is the top priority, but we can’t neglect the others.

The Twin Ghosts Guardians were merely a step in the process.

Their true goal was to uncover the group of lions hidden behind them.

To achieve this, they needed to apprehend not just the Twin Ghosts Guardians but other lions as well.

-The crucial point of this negotiation with the Elemental Kingdom is that we’ve secured the justification to operate within the kingdom.

"So you want me to go and capture that guy?"

Is the one causing trouble here also someone who’s died and come back to life?

"Just a petty criminal we ignored because they weren’t targeting young students or harming the young lady."

Not threatening at all.

Arina's smartphone, safeguarded by Cain's intervention, was impervious to hacking.

Even if, by some miracle, the app were installed on her smartphone, she would never rely on such tricks.

As for the individual’s skill, they were roughly at a five-star level—at best a celebrity stalker or slightly better.

To others, they might seem like a highly skilled professional, but to Jealousy, they were nothing more than a trivial small fry.

"How did you even find out about something I didn’t know?"

-I investigated and found that there was a similar incident in the past.

Cybercrime.

A type of crime prevalent in the Elemental Kingdom, the only continent where magic tools had become integrated into daily life to create an advanced society.

Most of the revived criminals had been individuals who had died within the Elemental Kingdom.

Since villains didn’t discriminate, it was natural to assume that cybercriminals among them had also been revived—and the results confirmed it.

There were traces of hacking, and even rituals from someone active in the past Dark District were intact.

Even the method of luring people in was similar.

Of course, compared to the large-scale multi-level fraud carried out via apps in the past, this was on a much smaller scale.

"Did dying and coming back scare them or something?"

Jealousy sneered at Oman’s words, mocking the petty criminal as insignificant.

Anyway, he understood what he was being tasked with.

The reason the Dark District had negotiated with the Elemental Kingdom.

To locate the entrance to the Underworld connected to the Mortal World, they intended to capture all the revived villains.

One of them was at the Academy, so Jealousy, who was already undercover there, had been assigned the task.

Conveniently, the professors had also been instructed to find the culprit, making the timing perfect.

"Vanquishing revived villains on behalf of the nation. What a splendid Dark Hero you’ve become."

Since when did the Dark District start doing charity work like this?

They might as well rename themselves the Bright District—it wouldn’t be out of place.

-It’s the Master’s command.

At that, Oman's voice over the smartphone brimmed with displeasure.

A chilling anger, as if to say, “How dare you think of defying the Master’s order?”

"What did I say?"

In response, Jealousy simply shrugged and twirled his long hair around his fingers.

He didn’t seem to care at all about Oman’s anger.

"Anyway, fine. I’ll contact you if I capture him alive."

-Sure, as if I’d believe that.

Perhaps because of past incidents, Oman scoffed and hung up the phone.

"Ha, if it weren’t for the Master, I’d just—"

Such arrogance.

Acting all high and mighty because he was favored by the Master.

Clicking his tongue, Jealousy slumped over his desk.

Then, with a look of exasperation, he let out a deep sigh.

"Honestly, capturing and beating him up wouldn’t be hard."

From the brief investigation he’d done before, this guy had been hiding so thoroughly that not even a hair was visible.

All Jealousy had uncovered was that the app existed and the opponent was a Black Mage.

As the whole world knew, finding a professional-grade Black Mage intent on hiding was no easy feat.

Unless, of course, they blatantly revealed themselves, like that fool who had terrorized the Grant Department Store.

"They're only giving me annoying tasks."

Just wait and see, you arrogant bastard.

I'll teach you a lesson later.

'Now then, how should I catch him and beat him up?'

Well, that's enough complaining.

Since I've decided to do it, I might as well do it properly.

Jealousy's mind began working busily.

A self-proclaimed specialist in infiltration and investigation.

Plans for the future started quickly lining up in his head.

'I’ll need bait.'

His target was a student.

In that case, the method was simple.

All he had to do was use the student to lure him out.

"......."

Thinking as such, Jealousy brushed his face with one hand, a chilling smile forming on his lips.

He sensed a presence from afar.

Two individuals were approaching.

Judging by their stride and footsteps, they were male students.

Their purpose was likely to meet him.

Realizing this, a false expression and demeanor quickly overtook Jealousy's face.

He began acting out the persona he had created.

Knock, knock.

As the sound of knocking echoed, Jealousy turned his gaze to the entering students, his face now adorned with a kind, fabricated smile befitting a professor, entirely different from his earlier chilling grin.

* * *

"Hmm."

At Professor Magnus's words, Professor Carlson nodded.

"You're absolutely right. If 'Magic Boost' truly exists, the culprit could only be a Black Mage."

It forces an increase in the user's magic power.

That was something entirely impossible under the laws of this world.

Therefore, for it to even be conceivable, one prerequisite had to be met.

Someone must have infused their artificially created laws into the world.

And only a Black Mage could achieve that.

More precisely, only a high-ranking Black Mage capable of manifesting the Reverse World could do so.

"After all, no one understands Black Mages better than another Black Mage. If it's alright with you, I’d like to ask for your assistance."

Professor Carlson.

The newly appointed professor of Black Magic this year.

At the same time, he was also a high-ranking Black Mage capable of opening his own Reverse World.

If the perpetrator was indeed a Black Mage, his help would undoubtedly be invaluable.

"Well, if someone like me could be of any help, I'd be grateful."

Even among the esteemed ranks of the Academy, Professor Magnus was highly respected, so for him to personally seek assistance first was unexpected.

If Professor Vivaldi were to find out, she might die of envy—or rather, it was the perfect opportunity to elevate his reputation within the Academy.

"But I can't guarantee that I'll be of much help."

However, whether his involvement would lead to capturing the culprit was a separate matter.

"Of course, you’re aware that using the Reverse World implies expertise as a Black Mage. If an expert-level mage is determined to hide, even a superhuman would struggle to find them easily."

"I understand. Even so, I’m asking for your help. While I’m confident in my understanding of magical theory, I’m a novice when it comes to Black Magic."

He didn’t even fully grasp the foundational principles of the Reverse World's ability to forcibly distort the basic concepts of the world.

"Well, if that’s the case, then I’m happy to help."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. It’s only natural."

Professor Carlson waved his hand dismissively at Professor Magnus, who bowed his head in gratitude.

"As I mentioned earlier, I doubt I’ll be much help. Even with my knowledge, contacting the opponent's Reverse World is necessary."

"So, the first step is to confirm whether 'Magic Boost' exists and secure it."

That prerequisite needed to be met before they could start tracking or doing anything else.

At Professor Carlson's words, Professor Magnus fell into a brief moment of thought.

Seeing this, Professor Carlson cautiously opened his mouth.

"Professor Magnus, why do you think 'Magic Boost' has only remained a rumor within the campus?"

"Because there aren’t many users."

If there had been many users, it wouldn’t have remained confined to just rumors.

"Then how do you think those users were selected?"

"......Probably students who were desperate enough to use the app."

An unexpected perspective.

After a moment of thought, Professor Magnus came to a conclusion in response to Professor Carlson's words.

"Yes, likely students who feel a lack of magic power. That way, they’d be tempted to use the app, just as the culprit intended."

But they couldn’t just search through all the students’ smartphones to find the app.

That would be a clear violation of privacy.

Furthermore, they couldn’t simply suspect someone because their magic power had suddenly surged.

After all, there might be students who had improved purely through their own efforts.

"As far as I know, there’s a first-year student in your class who seems most likely to feel the need for magic power."

"......Are you referring to Student Tokun?"

"Why not ask that student for help?"

Asking for help from the student.

In other words, using the student most likely to encounter the app as bait to lure out the culprit.

At those words, Professor Magnus’s face hardened gravely.

"Professor Carlson, are you out of your mind?"

His tone became harsh in tandem.

How dare he suggest using a student as bait.

For Spencer Magnus, such a notion was absolutely unacceptable as a professor.

"This is something the professors must resolve. Students must never be involved."

"I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. I, too, have no intention of putting students in danger."

If this truly involved a Black Mage, students must absolutely not be allowed to use the app.

However, given their impulsive age, some students would undoubtedly use it behind the professors’ backs, no matter how much they were warned against it.

It was no different from cigarettes or alcohol in that regard.

In fact, this mysterious app, whose true nature remained unknown, might prove even more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol.

"Sooner or later, word about the app is bound to reach the first-year students. Among them, it might appear in the hands of someone."

"......."

"My suggestion is to ask the student most likely to encounter it to inform us immediately if they do. Solving this case as quickly as possible is in everyone’s best interest."

Professor Carlson's explanation calmed Professor Magnus.

Observing him, Professor Carlson hastily added.

"Besides, I’ve observed Student Tokun carefully. If it’s that student, I’m confident they wouldn’t be swayed by such an app. If they were, they wouldn’t have enrolled here to study magic in the first place."

"......I’ll ask them once."

If the student refused, he wouldn’t force them.

Hearing this, Professor Carlson smiled brightly and nodded.

"That’s more than enough."

They only needed to confirm the app's existence.

After that, they could surely track down the culprit.

Unlike Professor Carlson’s confident demeanor, Professor Magnus hesitated slightly, sighing as he lifted his smartphone.