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Chapter 63 - Dark Magic Research (2)

\'Finally, Aslan is showing his true colors!\'

Clench!

Julia steeled herself as she tightly clenched her fists.

Dark magic research.

It had finally come.

\'The reason Aslan is keeping me around is probably because of dark magic.\'

Necromancy? That must be a useful ability, no doubt.

It\'s unique and practical.

The Vermont family’s longstanding ambition has always been dark magic.

He must be trying to use my brilliant mind to complete that dark magic!

What would happen if dark magic is perfected?

According to the fairy tales I’ve read, the Evil God descends into the mortal world, throwing everything into chaos.

And then the world will be doomed.

So, it\'s my destiny to stop Aslan from completing dark magic!

\'The weight on my shoulders is heavy!\'

Filled with a sense of duty, Julia’s body trembled.

To successfully sabotage Aslan’s research was the only way to prevent the world’s destruction.

The fate of the world rested on her fingertips!

She needed to stay sharp!

"When I saw you before, you were really good at taking notes. Try summarising the key points from these books."

"Huh? Summarise? This is research...?"

"That\'s how the first steps always go."

Julia felt a little let down.

Wasn’t her brilliant mind supposed to be needed for something more important?

With her spirits slightly deflated, Julia sat down.

She opened the book Aslan had handed her with a rustle.

\'Hmm. Looks like a history book on dark magic research.\'

It was a compilation of who had conducted research on it, how their work was continued, and similar details.

Feeling a spark of interest, Julia began to focus.

Dark magic was believed to be an evil magic that existed in the past.

It had a completely different structure from regular magic.

It was known to produce a black light, but its system and mysteries had all been lost, leaving no one who could wield dark magic anymore.

"Isn\'t dark magic just a myth? There are only testimonies that claim it was seen, but no actual evidence. All attempts at re-creation have failed too... right?"

"No. It definitely exists."

"..."

Aslan answered firmly.

The possibility that dark magic was nothing more than a legend had been proposed by many scholars.

But Aslan knew for sure that dark magic was real.

And that was because of the existence of the Evil God, Kali.

[The Evil God, \'Kali,\' cheers enthusiastically, saying you\'re doing well.]

An actual Evil God was urging on the research into dark magic.

With Kali vouching for the existence of dark magic, how could it be a fabrication?

\'...Considering Kali\'s intelligence, maybe it could be.\'

Kali might give off an air of being a bit dimwitted.

But Kali was still an Evil God, after all.

Last time at the academy library, didn’t Kali guide him to the hidden section where dark magic books were stored?

Kali didn’t just push for research without any reasoning.

Based on how Kali was not only urging the research but also aiding in achieving progress, Aslan concluded that dark magic was no myth.

\'If he\'s that confident, it must really exist.\'

Tilting her head, Julia returned her gaze to the book.

It seemed Aslan wasn\'t the only one who had taken an interest in dark magic.

According to the book, countless people had tried to revive ancient dark magic.

\'So, they didn\'t all start their research with evil intentions, huh?\'

Contrary to Julia’s expectations, most of the motives behind dark magic research were scholarly.

The exploration began out of pure curiosity.

However, the outcomes were always horrific.

Some fell into depravity, conducting cruel experiments on humans, and were executed.

Others neglected their own well-being, focusing solely on research until they starved to death.

Yet others lost their minds and became deranged.

\'Ugh. With precedents like these, why do people keep trying to research it...\'

No wonder the empire banned and persecuted dark magic.

But why would anyone continue the research after seeing all the previous researchers meet such grim ends?

Julia couldn\'t understand these moth-like people.

Oh. Come to think of it, there\'s a moth-like person here too.

Julia glanced at Aslan, who was intently focused, and tilted her head in confusion.

She had always imagined dark magic researchers to be lunatics.

But Aslan, while he might look shady on the outside, turned out to have a lot of surprisingly normal traits.

Which made it even harder to understand why Aslan was so obsessed with dark magic.

"You."

"When you call me that, it makes it sound like I’ve acquired a demure wife."

"How vulgar...! Is that all you ever think about!?"

"...."

[TL/N: Similar to how some wives call their husbands “Anata”, the Japanese word for “You”.]

Aslan didn\'t bother to deny it.

"Why did you call me?"

"I just... Ah, no. I... ugh. It sounds weird. You... You... You there?"

"Call me whatever you want, just get to the point."

"Agh. So, why is Aslan so obsessed with dark magic? That\'s what I wanted to ask..."

"...."

Aslan fell silent.

Why am I so obsessed with dark magic?

I don\'t want to be either.

...That wasn\'t something he could say.

But as for why the original Aslan Vermont dabbled in dark magic before I possessed him...

Based on what he could infer about Aslan’s feelings, he could answer that.

"Not everyone is born with exceptional talent. Or maybe they lose it. Most people choose to be content with their current state, but for some, that\'s impossible. In my case, I can no longer pursue the path of magic. But what if it’s dark magic, which is said to have a completely different system? That’s where the research started."

"Hmm..."

It was a less sinister reason than she expected.

Julia hummed softly, surprised by the unexpected answer.

\'Now there’s one less reason to dislike Aslan...\'

There were no cruel human experiments being conducted in the Vermont mansion.

And the purpose of dark magic research wasn’t to fulfil some evil greed or bring about the end of the world.

Of course, researching dark magic, which the empire had banned, was wrong in itself.

But for now, it seemed to be research driven by academic curiosity...

He hasn\'t hurt anyone...

So, does that mean Aslan isn’t really a bad person?

Julia suddenly found herself feeling confused.

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Oh, it\'s nothing... really."

As Julia flipped through the pages, she suddenly gasped in surprise.

But she tried to suppress her agitation.

What Julia had discovered in the book was a crucial piece of evidence regarding dark magic.

- There has never been any definitive physical evidence of dark magic.

- The so-called "evidence" for dark magic today consists only of substances that cause something to turn black. Some so-called scholars even claim that tools producing black smoke are instruments of dark magic, which is frankly embarrassing.

- However, the neomium mineral I discovered is different. This material emits a large amount of energy along with black light under certain conditions. The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown, but one thing is clear: it cannot be explained by any existing laws of physics or magic.

- Despite ten years of various experiments since its initial observation, no progress has been made in replicating the phenomenon.

- The imperial court has ordered the cessation of experiments. Therefore, all neomium is to be disposed of...

This was it. This was the answer.

A phenomenon that couldn’t be explained by science or magic.

The author of this book may have been forced to stop the experiments due to higher orders, but...

It was clear that neomium had some connection to dark magic.

\'Should I tell him? Or not?\'

Julia hesitated.

If she told him, it would significantly advance Aslan’s research on dark magic.

Her rational mind was screaming that she shouldn\'t tell him.

\'Not everyone is born with exceptional talent.\'

Ever since she had heard Aslan’s story, her heart had been aching slightly.

‘What I thought was a curse, the insomnia that tormented me, was actually a talent for necromancy.’

But Aslan doesn\'t have a talent like that.

Yet, he was still searching for a way.

To reach greater heights.

To shine brilliantly.

He was struggling in a body devoid of talent.

Even if it’s a power considered evil.

To Julia, Aslan didn’t seem that evil.

She wanted to help Aslan.

But at the same time, she started to worry.

\'But what if Aslan ends up falling like the other scholars in this book?\'

What if Aslan, like the researchers mentioned in this book, meets a terrible end?

What if my telling him about this... about neomium and advancing his research into dark magic causes Aslan to be ruined...?

\'That would be too painful...\'

It would hurt a lot if that happened.

Tightly gripping the book, Julia sniffled as she swallowed her fear.

The mere thought of such a future terrified her.

\'Yes. I’ll hide it.\'

I can\'t tell him.

Julia decided to keep the information about neomium a secret.

Just as she was about to turn the page...

"Neomium!? This is it! Is this the material? The fuel? Whatever it is, doesn’t it seem connected to dark magic?"

"...!"

Jolt!

Startled by the voice from over her shoulder, Julia quickly snapped the book shut.

When she turned around, Charlotte was smiling brightly while holding Julia’s shoulders.

Why does the usually dumb girl have to be so sharp at the worst times...?

Julia glared at her with eyes full of resentment.

Charlotte, clueless about what was going on, looked puzzled.

"Neomium? Let me see that."

"Ah..."

This was bad.

As Aslan showed interest and approached, Julia’s face quickly fell.