After concluding the contract, I dropped by Amy's place to see her face. She seemed busy, as if she was trying to do something with the money I've been sending her lately.

'It's a good thing to have passion for something.'

If Amy has something she wants to do, I'll support her no matter what it is.

Today is Monday, the day when the academy finally returns to normal operation.

The incident involving the dark magic potion seems to have been resolved on the surface, and thankfully, it was overlooked that I was the one who killed Kyle.

'That said, all the potion-making classes are canceled now.'

It's a natural consequence since all the potion-related classes taught by Kyle have turned into empty slots. The academy announced that they would hire a new professor soon, but I doubted they would just bring in any low-level magician into the Rodren Academy. It might take some time.

Thanks to that, I had the whole Monday off, so I decided to spend my morning in the personal research lab.

I was currently working on Lucia's remedy research.

'I can't create a perfect cure, but I can create medicine that can delay the progression of her condition.'

Though Lucia doesn't show it, her pain is likely quite severe.

The disease she's suffering from is similar to modern cancer, but the difference is that it's a congenital disease related to mana. Thanks to this, we can consider her as having a talent for magic.

'She gained a talent but had to be fated to have a terminal illness.'

But there's nothing to worry about.

With my countless experiences playing as Lucia, I've tried to cure her many times.

Thanks to these experiences, I've created not only a perfect cure but also medicines that can delay the progression of her condition. I thought it would be a good opportunity to increase my potion-making skill experience, so I decided to make one.

'My head hurts.'

The evolution of the dark magic talent is still ongoing, giving me a severe headache.

As the day went by, I felt my fever rising and the pain in my head getting worse. But I didn't have the luxury to rest; I had to go to the research lab.

The evolution is still a few days away from completion, but I looked at it positively. A long evolution time usually means that the evolution is more likely to be of high quality.

Staying in the research lab all day, I realized that evening was approaching. Even so, I needed to eat something, so I wrapped up my research and came out of the lab. But when I opened the door, I saw someone standing in front of it.

"Surprise."

I was slightly taken aback as I recognized the person standing there. It was someone unexpected.

'Berial Castelló?'

What is the head of the School of Magic doing here?

"I've been waiting for you. I didn't expect it to take this long."

The mysterious character, Berial Castelló.

I could confidently say that he is one of the most bizarre characters I've encountered among the magicians.

'One of the characters I dislike getting involved with the most at the academy.'

Among the Overlords and Warlocks I've encountered, there were very few who could be considered normal individuals. Most of them had eccentric personalities, and Berial was no exception. Being around him made me uneasy.

'A monster who can kill someone without any reason, without even blinking an eye.'

This is not a metaphor; it's the truth. Even during my game play, I've been killed by Berial out of the blue several times. I never knew what the other person was thinking, so I had no idea why I died.

After a few times, I simply concluded that he was just a lunatic.

'But it's amazing how he never caused any incidents inside the academy.'

Whenever my character died, it was always outside the academy.

It usually happened when I had to go outdoors for evaluations and such.

So, I guess it's safe as long as we're inside the academy.

"Headmaster Berial, what brings you here?"

"Are we getting straight to the point? Seems like you're quite busy."

No. I just don't want to talk to you for too long. But I forced a smile and spoke politely.

"No, not at all. I'm just surprised that the Headmaster himself came to visit, so I couldn't help asking a question first."

"I see. Let's get straight to the point then. I'm here to make a proposal to Student Adrian."

"A proposal... you mean?"

I tried to recall if I had any connection with Berial in the past, but no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't remember any direct involvement or events between us.

"I understand that you're nervous, but you don't need to be. As you know, unlike other professors, I'm responsible for private tutoring. Do you know that?"

"Yes."

"I want to offer private tutoring to Adrian Student. What do you think?"

Berial's private tutoring?

But the way he phrased it sounded strange. It didn't feel like he wanted to offer tutoring; it felt more like he wanted something.

Though I was trying to avoid getting involved with him as much as possible, I pretended to contemplate the offer for a moment before shaking my head.

"I'm deeply grateful for your generous offer, Headmaster, but..."

Berial's words were overwhelming, leaving me dumbfounded.

What? Is that lunatic crazy?

"Please accept it with gratitude beyond measure, my tutoring. Well, that's how I understand it."

"Yes?"

'Ughh, this crazy guy'

With those words, Berial disappeared like an arrow shot.

His attitude, as if there was no room for rebuttal, left me stunned.

"Fuck?"

.

.

.

.

But he followed through with his offer.

The next day, at the end of my class, I saw Berial waiting for me at the entrance of the lecture hall. His stoic presence made him look more like an inanimate object than a person.

"Hey, look over there. Isn't that the Headmaster?"

"Yeah, he hasn't been seen around lately. I wonder where he's been. But why is he just standing there like that?"

Trying to avoid him quietly while attracting as little attention as possible, I thought I could escape him. However, my attempt failed quickly.

"Student Adrias?"

Using his unique magic, Berial walked near me in an instant.

Despite moving lightly with mana, his speed was enough not to kneel before a knight.

'Berial's magic is a highly original technique that is hard to be classified as magic. It's easier to see it as a mana-based skill.'

What made this possible was the magic circle engraved on his body.

As far as I know the setup, he was one crazy lunatic who had engraved the magic circle directly on his heart.

'Well, like master, like disciple.'

Knowing who Berial's master was, I could understand his ignorant ways.

But to think such a lunatic would give me personal tutoring?

I would politely decline.

"Student Adrias. Can't you hear me?" "Ah, Headmaster. You were calling for me?"

I finally managed to respond, and Berial smiled.

"Now, shall we begin our tutoring now that your class is over?"

Berial's mention of tutoring caused a stir among the people around us.

The Headmaster's private tutoring was originally reserved for senior students about to graduate. So it was natural that there would be a fuss when he offered it to someone like me.

"Woah. He's been acting a bit strange lately. Hasn't he been using his private research room lately?"

"Did he bribe someone? He's been successful with the Everlast Potion lately, and I heard he patented some other potions too."

"Who does he think he is? Going to the academy like a regular student. Disgusting!"

As my reputation grew, more people looked up to me, but at the same time, jealousy and resentment increased among others, especially among my peers and older students.

Especially among my peers and the graduating class students who have been watching me from close quarters, the pressure and jealousy have been increasing day by day.

'Sure, not like I care about this tense atmosphere anyway.'

Regardless, I decided to follow Berial's lead. Since the topic had come this far, I couldn't just refuse, and I didn't know what sudden actions Berial might take if I declined. So, for now, I had no choice but to comply.

"Yes, let's go."

Still, the question remained, why would Berial want to give me private tutoring? We had absolutely no connection or relationship, so I couldn't understand why he would offer such a thing to me.

'Is it because I have a unique constitution that he wants to research?'

As I followed Berial, countless eyes around us were fixed on us, and if I took out my tablet and doodled, it seemed like rumors would spread quickly.

Although I expressed my discontent, to others, it was undoubtedly a golden opportunity. After all, getting private tutoring from Berial Castero, the genius known as the youngest Warlock in centuries, was an extraordinary event. Not even students in the graduating class were granted this privilege unless they were exceptionally talented.

Eventually, we arrived at the "Whirlpool Forest," one of the forests within the academy grounds. It was quite vast, comparable in size to the estate of a Baron.

'Is he not trying to kill me here?'

He seemed completely unaware, while I was alone, trembling with anxiety. However, I couldn't help but react this way after encountering him a few times.

"Adrias."

"Yes?"

"The origin of magic involves purity, understanding, and contradiction."

I nodded in response to Berial's words.

"But did you know? In fact, the origins of magic are much more numerous and diverse."

Was he talking about the myths and ancient magic?

Of course, I knew about it.

Having already played the game and gained some knowledge of the hidden history of this world, I decided not to pretend to know and tilted my head.

"Is that so?"

"Although the exact number of origins is yet to be confirmed, there were over ten different origins discovered. The three existing origins, derived from the first origin, 'Purity,' have been identified. However, the other origins have not even shown a hint of being discovered."

I was already familiar with the fact that Contradiction and Understanding were derived from Purity.

But I had no idea that there were over ten different origins.

And the reason why the other ten or so origins hadn't surfaced seemed somewhat apparent to me. It was because the connections between them were non-existent.

This relationship was like rock-paper-scissors.

You discovered a rock one day and researched it, leading you to find scissors and paper. But from there, finding a butterfly or an apple had nothing to do with it.

"Purity overcomes Understanding, Understanding overcomes Contradiction, and Contradiction overcomes Purity."

Of course, it wasn't absolute and could vary depending on the Warlock's abilities, but it was the basic concept in the magical world.

"Student Adrias, the reason I wanted to give you private tutoring is because I saw the magic circle you created. Your understanding of Contradiction is remarkable."

So, he decided to teach me.

I thought it was just a minor incident, but I didn't expect it to lead to this.

"Usually, magic based on Contradiction is often related to dark magic. Just in case, I want to ask..."

As Berial was speaking, he looked at me with a significant glint in his eyes.

"Adrian Student, have you mastered dark magic?"