WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
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◈ The Dark Fantasy Doctor Was Mistaken for a Saint ◈
Chapter 96: Mistaken for a Suspicious Professor (3)
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* * *
In my previous life, my dream had been to become a professor.
Not because I had any grand ambition to teach students.
Surgeons did not have much to do once they entered academia, so I had simply aimed for a professorship.
Then, as compensation for all the hardships I went through to become one, I developed a slight obsession with the title of professor.
‘To think I achieved it in my next life.’
Of course, the professorship I had wanted was not in forensic medicine or occupational and environmental medicine.
Still, a professor was a professor.
I'll drink to that.
Enough rambling.
“I am truly pleased that none of you chose to leave. In return, I will do my utmost to ensure that you do not feel your time was wasted.”
I looked over the students.
Aside from a few, they all seemed tense.
Only Charlotte, the other scholarship students, and several students from Magic Towers appeared untroubled.
It was probably because of the agreements they had signed earlier.
‘As expected.’
It was what I had anticipated.
After my master destroyed the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month, black magic had remained taboo.
As time passed, anyone without a proper understanding of history came to treat black magic like a narcotic that should never be studied or approached.
But.
‘That will not do for future heroes.’
Subjugating black mages would be added to the heroes’ duties.
Naturally, you could not fight an enemy you did not understand.
So I needed to correct their instinctive rejection of black magic first.
“Do you know why black magic is forbidden?”
No one answered.
Naturally, I expected as much.
I continued regardless.
Snap!
A drawing appeared on the blackboard.
They were basic spells used by spellcasters.
Transcription magic and projection magic.
The first recorded whatever you imagined as notes or drawings, while the second projected photographs you possessed somewhere else.
With only those spells, producing books or papers was not especially difficult.
Naturally, they also made teaching much smoother.
“Those of you here should know what led black magic to become forbidden. Still, I will give you a brief explanation before we proceed.”
It was impossible to speak about the birth of magic without mentioning my master.
Roughly a thousand years ago, the study of magic did not exist in this world.
Before then, unstructured sorceries had been scattered chaotically everywhere, in an era when no one knew what was what.
My master had brought that era to an end.
“One thousand years ago, Great Sage Louis Edelhardt classified the hundreds of sorceries mixed throughout the world into thirteen categories and organized the rules that applied to every type of magic.”
Symbols, catalysts, chants, spell formulas, magical power.
These concepts, which formed the foundation of magic, had remained unchanged for a thousand years.
“At the time, the thirteenth category, black magic, was called life magic.”
Life magic’s status had apparently not differed much from that of the other twelve schools of magic.
It had merely been one means of protecting people from magical beasts.
However, a problem emerged as magic advanced over the long years.
“Over time, countless symbols, catalysts, chants, and spell formulas were developed, along with methods of replacing or restoring magical power. But life magic crossed a line during that process.”
To light a fire, you needed symbols and catalysts that caught fire easily.
That was why related magic had focused on finding conditions that made fire easier to ignite.
The problem was that life magic crossed that line by an unimaginable distance.
“At the time, the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month developed its magic by using innocent people from countless territories as catalysts.”
The most efficient catalyst and symbol for casting magic on a living being was, naturally, another living being.
So the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month secretly abducted countless people to develop its magic.
They offered people as sacrifices to curse people.
They removed human brains to brainwash people.
They cut apart human bodies to turn people into chimeras.
Even these examples were relatively mild.
After hearing about their atrocities from my master, I could understand why he had decided to destroy the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month.
“In the end, they conceived the dangerous idea of implanting the power of magical beasts into humans. Demonkin were born as a result.”
How could anyone leave people like that alone?
Magical beasts were already enough of a problem, and they had even added demonkin content to keep things interesting.
My master was horrified enough to drop a meteor straight onto the Magic Tower. Afterward, life magic was renamed black magic.
“Several taboos regarding black magic were added afterward.”
I wrote the taboos on the blackboard.
1. In the course of researching black magic, offering humans as sacrifices is forbidden.
2. Harming humans through black magic is forbidden.
3. Violating the doctrines of the Church of the Sun through black magic is forbidden.
4. All black-magic research must be reported in advance, and all research results and contents must be shared with the Magic Administration.
5. Any act or gathering intended to revive the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month is forbidden.
Those were the main ones.
“One common misunderstanding concerns the research and use of black magic.”
Researching and using black magic was not forbidden in itself.
After all, my master, who had destroyed that Magic Tower, and I had conducted black-magic research as our first project together.
If it had been forbidden, my master would have dropped a Meteor on my head.
“Even if you study or use black magic, you will not violate a taboo as long as you do not harm people.”
In a way, that was obvious.
Making someone sick and killing them was forbidden, but burning someone to death for no reason was also forbidden.
It was not forbidden simply because it was black magic.
Black magic could kill someone in an instant when used without medical knowledge.
The only minor problem was that, until now, no one had used harmless catalysts and applied it in a beneficial direction as I had.
For that reason, cases of using black magic without violating the first, second, or third taboo were rare.
Still, casting it was not forbidden in itself.
“The fourth taboo is the one many spellcasters make mistakes with, and one that those of you taking this class are also likely to violate.”
The fourth taboo.
A great many spellcasters made mistakes here.
Spellcasters tended not to reveal their research to others, and they concealed their achievements as well.
The more widely known a spell became, the more its countermeasures spread. Why would anyone reveal it?
The problem was that, because of this habit, they often violated the fourth taboo without realizing it.
Spellcasters taken away for conducting research without filing a report first.
Spellcasters taken away for failing to report their research progress.
Spellcasters taken away for failing to share their results.
After hearing such news several times, people who did not know better came to believe that anyone who researched black magic would be taken away.
Then there was the fifth taboo.
“You may think of the fifth taboo as being about the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month rather than black magic itself.”
It was basically this world’s anti-Nazi law.
Do not get tattoos of the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month’s symbols.
Do not miss the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month.
Do not justify the Magic Tower of the Thirteenth Month.
Something like that.
“However, everything carried out during this class has already been approved by the Imperial Family, so there is no need to worry about violating any taboos.”
I had already filed the reports before starting the course.
A few lessons had been rejected immediately.
Most had received approval.
“That concludes this brief history of black magic. Now, please concentrate on the lesson without worry.”
* * *
The brief orientation was over.
It was time for the actual lesson to begin.
“You must learn to read the subtle traces left by black mages, pursue them, and go further still to become the first people capable of cutting them off. With that in mind, we will begin by testing your powers of observation.”
I signaled Perisia with a nod.
She took out a bowl heaped with medicine and set it in front of me.
“Dip your finger into this medicine, taste it, and try to guess what it is.”
Tap.
I dipped my finger into the medicine and brought it to my tongue.
I frowned slightly, suggesting to the students that it did not taste particularly good.
“Now, have a look for yourselves.”
The bowl passed before countless eager students.
Like me, they dipped their fingers into the powder, tasted it, and offered their answers.
Flour, mugwort powder, green tea powder, quinine.
Someone even suggested it might be Viagra.
But none gave the answer I wanted.
Charlotte was last.
Tap.
“Hmm. I am not sure, Professor.”
“Very well.”
After the bowl returned to me, I pretended to dip my finger into the powder again.
Then I spoke to the students.
“The observant among you have already understood why I gave you this question. Is that not right, Student Charlotte?”
Murmur, murmur.
“Those who watched me closely may have noticed that the finger I dipped into the powder was my middle finger, while the finger I brought to my tongue was my index finger.”
I had deliberately adjusted the angle of my hand to make it hard to see.
“I did not do this to insult you. Nor was it a prank. This is simply the nature of black magic.”
At its core, black magic was deception.
This magic, which had developed to deceive others as thoroughly as possible, specialized in inflicting fatal damage through even the smallest lapse in caution.
“If they are black mages, they may also use this method to claim that they are victims and remove themselves from the list of suspects.”
Suppose countless people ate poison at a festival and died or nearly died.
A black mage would claim to have eaten the food too, just as I had done moments ago.
Then they would calmly leave the scene.
Just like my finger-switching trick.
“Of course, we cannot suspect every victim. So I will teach you how to identify people who switch fingers to deceive others.”
A title appeared on the blackboard.
<The History of Dyes and Poisons>
“Many medicines and poisons are mixed into dyes currently circulating on the market. Humanity has not yet recognized their dangers.”
One of the things I spent the most time doing lately was examining dyes sold on the market.
Perhaps because this world’s history had diverged from my previous one, each dye had a different name.
There were still many whose identities I could not properly determine, whether they had been poisons or medicines in my previous life.
Tch.
The world’s first antibiotic was even one of those dyes.
I only knew that it had been a red dye. I had yet to determine whether it had even been created in this world.
“The first poison we will cover today is the one black mages favor most.”
A poison without a smell, sometimes confused with mercury depending on the era.
The poison most commonly used throughout history.
It had gained the name inheritance powder as a result.
In this world, people still underestimated it, thinking they only needed to avoid eating it.
“It is the same color as the powder you just tasted. On the market, it is known as Rompelt green dye.”
Several noble students went pale at those words.
It was famous.
It was one of the poisons most commonly used in power struggles between nobles.
“Black mages favor this poison above all others as a catalyst. It makes an excellent subject for our first lesson.”
I wrote the name of the substance on the blackboard.
Arsenic.
“Today, we will discuss arsenic and the poisons in market dyes that black mages favor.”
The moment I finished speaking, several students stuck their fingers down their throats.
...No, I did not say the green powder was arsenic.
* * *
Afterward, Julian’s classes became one shock after another.
The students had only known arsenic was fatal when eaten. They had not known it could spread through the air.
“Using arsenic to dye curtains or furniture is even more dangerous.”
The spaces where they lived would gain symbolic resonance suited for casting black magic.
Ironically, the homes they considered safest would become the places most vulnerable to black magic.
“The deadliest aspect of arsenic is that it can cause diseases that divine magic cannot treat after long-term exposure, even when someone is not exposed to a fatal dose all at once.”
Arsenic was a representative carcinogen.
And cancer was classified as demon disease in this world.
That was why its chronic effects remained unknown.
Since cancer had been lumped together as demon disease, no one had discovered that arsenic could cause cancer.
Of course, Julian did not explain that part in detail.
His work of organizing demon diseases was not yet complete, and there was no need to cause further confusion.
“Black mages do not carry arsenic themselves. They visit your estates, identify the dyes used there, and simply use them as catalysts to cast curses.”
The targets prepared the stage themselves.
The black mage only needed to prepare the spell formula.
Julian began by dismantling that structure.
“Now, I will explain the symptoms victims show when such dyes are used as catalysts, as well as how to track black mages through the distribution networks of those dyes.”
Mees’ lines.
They were a common sign of chronic arsenic poisoning.
A white band appeared across the growing part of the nail, making it possible to suspect arsenic poisoning.
Many other dyes were introduced throughout the class.
Lead mixed into cosmetics.
Mercury used in lipstick and seal stamps.
Chromium used in candles and textiles.
Antimony, often used in black dye.
The students’ faces grew paler each time he introduced another dye.
Some even wiped off their makeup at their desks.
By the time the eventful class was ending, Julian suddenly called on a student.
“Young Lord Russell.”
Ignoring the other students’ stares, Julian addressed the young lord.
“You seem quite interested in my class.”
“Ah... yes... As I listened, I began wondering whether my father may also have recently fallen victim to a black mage...”
“I believe I may be able to help you. Would it be possible for us to meet privately after today’s class?”
The third son of House Russell looked uncomfortable, but soon nodded.
Jenny, who had watched from the front row, whispered to Charlotte.
“Do you think he wants to apologize because you were rude to him last week?”
“...Who knows.”
Charlotte rose from her seat as though she had no interest in the matter.
Then she muttered.
“I have a feeling a new case will begin soon.”
“What?”
Regardless, Charlotte left the classroom with Jenny.
A few days later, news shook the Academy.
[Breaking News! House Russell’s Eldest and Second Sons Urgently Arrested! Revealed to have colluded with a black mage in an attempt to poison the head of their house.]
People wondered what had happened within the count’s house.
But House Russell’s doors remained firmly shut, and it offered no answers.
The students were equally curious.
A few days later, Young Lord Russell briefly left the Academy to visit his house.
When he returned, the students heard the details directly from House Russell’s final heir.
“What happened, Young Lord Russell?”
“W-Well, the professor...”
According to the third son, the full story was as follows.
During the Black Magic Defense class, Julian had noticed an unusually large number of Mees’ lines on the third son’s fingers.
He had seen them while the young lord sampled the powder.
Julian also recalled that the young lord had once been humiliated by his betrothed.
So he invited Young Lord Russell to dinner.
“Your family may be in danger, Student. I will write you a letter, so please send it to your family.”
After dinner, the third son followed his professor’s advice and merely sent his family a letter about the dangers of arsenic.
A few days later, the eldest and second sons poisoned each other.
There was only one reason.
“Unless I kill him first, he will kill me.”
The two brothers had already been using arsenic as a catalyst to curse their father. The moment they received the letters, each began to suspect that the other might poison him.
As a result, they cast upon each other the curse they had used against their father and perished together.
Meanwhile, the head of the house survived because Julian had sent a separate letter explaining how to neutralize the curse.
“T-The professor said... it would be solved if the three of them each received different letters...”
Just two letters.
Those two letters planted the poison of suspicion in the brothers’ minds. They killed the two brothers and saved the head of the house.
As a result, the third son, who had never been expected to inherit, became the final heir of House Russell by sheer luck.
“I... I did not realize that was what the professor meant when he said my family was in danger...”
Young Lord Russell did not resent Julian.
Those men had been blinded by the title and sought to poison their father, their family, and even him.
Their deaths at each other’s hands were retribution.
It was only frightening that, while sitting at his desk, Julian had changed the succession of a count’s house with two letters.
“Surely... those letters were not black magic?”
“...”
Young Lord Russell and his friends knew rationally that could not be true.
If it had been, the authorities would have arrested Julian.
But perhaps Julian could have done it.
Perhaps a professor who had taught them such things from the very first day could have done it without being caught.
A few days later, sinister rumors about Professor Julian began spreading throughout the Academy.
Footnotes:
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