Chapter 37: The Gothic Professor’s Recruitment Scheme

‘Do it properly? Yeah, no way.’

Sion hurriedly fled from the sparring ring.

Blending into the crowd, he glanced back at the Judo Club’s booth.

A moment later, a loud, angry voice rang out, “Where did he go?!”

—No, it wasn’t just his imagination.

‘S-She’s looking for me?!’

Misako, still wearing her judo gi, was scanning the crowd with the sharp gaze of a hawk.

Her head whipped left and right as she searched for him among the sea of students.

The crazed glint in her red eyes sent chills down his spine.

But despite that, Sion had no intention of agreeing to a rematch.

‘I got lucky. She let her guard down, and I took advantage of it.’

The only reason he won was because Misako had underestimated him.

She had gone straight for a technique, and Sion had countered immediately using the skill he had copied.

A perfectly timed counter had secured his victory.

But if they fought again?

If Misako didn’t let her guard down this time, could he win?

Of course not.

And he had no reason to fight her again anyway.

He had already gotten what he wanted.

‘That pile of silver coins… all mine now.’

His gaze flickered to the transparent container next to the sparring ring.

Inside was a generous pile of silver coins.

That was the promised reward for winning the event.

—”If you defeat me within two minutes… you’ll get all the silver coins collected from the entry fees.”

The silver coins, collected from countless challengers, now belonged to him.

So once the club fair wrapped up, he could just go back and claim his prize.

That was the plan.

Until—

“…!”

His eyes locked with Misako’s.

Like a predator spotting its prey, she fixated on him.

Her bright red eyes practically burned with intensity.

Sion immediately spun on his heel.

“Stop right there!!”

The sharp, spine-chilling shout echoed from behind.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Sion bolted, weaving through the dense crowd.

Escaping wasn’t going to be easy.

“Excuse me! Coming through!”

“Oh my!”

“Hey, don’t push—?”

“Argh! Who just ran into me?!”

The event was packed not just with new students but also with upperclassmen, visitors, and even outsiders who had come to check out the club fair.

The sheer number of people made escaping a nightmare.

Meanwhile, Misako was closing the distance at an alarming speed.

‘Magic…? No, I can’t. It’s too risky.’

With so many people around, using magic could be dangerous.

If someone got hurt, it would be on him.

Trapped in a dilemma, he considered ducking into a random booth.

And then—

—”Are you in trouble?”

“…!”

A seductive female voice echoed directly in his head.

Sion’s eyes darted around in shock.

But everyone around him was completely unaware.

‘Who… Who’s speaking?’

—”If you are troubled, I could offer assistance. Do you desire my help?”

The voice continued.

He had no idea who was speaking.

Or where they were.

But…

If this really was an offer of help—

“Y-Yes! Please help me!”

Sion nodded frantically.

Misako was so close now that he could see the look on her face.

A face that seemed ready to tear him apart.

—”Very well.”

Ssssshhk!

Before Sion could process what was happening, his shadow writhed.

Just as Misako’s hand reached out to grab him—

—”The deal is sealed.”

“Huh…?”

“Got you, boy! …Boy?”

Sion vanished into a swirl of darkness.

“…Where am I?”

When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by darkness.

Just moments ago, he had been in bright sunlight.

Now, the only light was a faint beam shining through a nearby wall.

‘…71?’

The light was filtering through a window.

Peering outside, he could see the club fair still in full swing.

Which meant…

This was still somewhere inside the academy.

Wanting to confirm where exactly he was, he reached for the curtain.

“Wait, stop!”

“…Huh?”

Just as he was about to pull the curtain aside, a sharp voice called out.

The voice was oddly familiar.

Of course, it was—

The same voice that had whispered in his ear earlier.

Fwoosh!

Ignoring the warning, Sion yanked the curtain open.

And at last, he could properly see where he was.

‘A clubroom? Or maybe a storage room…?’

The space was about the size of a small one-room apartment.

From what he remembered, the building near the club booths was the academy’s club facility.

Which meant this was most likely a clubroom.

The only problem—

It was far too small to be a proper clubroom.

“Did I not tell you not to open the curtain?!”

“…W-Who are you?”

“Hurry and close it!”

A woman’s voice.

She wasn’t wearing the academy uniform, so she wasn’t a student.

Though, there was a chance she was simply wearing casual clothes.

But what stood out the most—

‘…Gothic fashion?’

Silver hair, dark clothing, black ribbons tied everywhere.

Garter belt stockings, and massive platform boots that could almost be considered ugly shoes.

Her outfit looked straight out of a subculture trend from his previous life’s Japan.

‘Who is this? Have I ever seen someone like this in the academy?’

It was his first time seeing her in person.

But one thing was certain—

The woman standing before him was dressed in a style often associated with the “gothic” aesthetic in fictional works.

“Hurry and close the curtain!”

“Uh… Okay.”

Swoosh.

He only pulled the curtain halfway closed.

If he shut it entirely, he wouldn’t be able to see anything.

Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Ahem! Now then… let us begin.”

She cleared her throat.

“…Begin what?”

“Three… Two… One… Now!”

Fwoosh!

Right after an unexpected countdown, a navy-blue ghostly flame flickered to life in the air.

It was a variation of the First-Circle spell, Fire.

In front of the eerie light, a woman sat with her legs elegantly crossed.

With a seductive smile, she gazed at Sion.

Her lips moved slowly.

“Fufufu, welcome. My name is Grandcharr von de Herzorune III….”

“…”

“A professor of Byzantium Academy’s Magic Department, and the advisor of this place—the Dark Magic Club!”

Fwoosh!

The ghostly blue flame flared up, illuminating the surroundings.

A dreamy atmosphere, perfectly complemented by her bold gothic fashion.

If Sion were just another clueless freshman, he might have thought, Wow! A dark magic professor! So cool!

“…I see.”

“W-What is with that dull reaction?!”

Shouldn’t he be saying something like—

‘Wow, dark magic?! That’s amazing!’

Or maybe—

‘Professor…! You’re so young and beautiful, yet you’re already a professor?! That’s incredible!’

“Why… Why are you reacting like this?!”

“…??”

She pointed at him dramatically, delivering her speech with no shame whatsoever.

That, in itself, was impressive.

‘She’s really a professor at this academy…?’

Sion had encountered many types of professors in his past life.

But this was the first time he had ever seen one like this.

In all of his accumulated knowledge—

There wasn’t a single case of a professor wearing gothic fashion, spouting chuuni lines, and demanding admiration.

“Is this even an actual clubroom?”

“Of course! This is the proud headquarters of the Dark Magic Club—”

“Then where are the members?”

“…We are currently recruiting.”

Ah. Currently recruiting. What a nice way to put it.

In other words—there weren’t any members yet.

Grandcharr’s confident expression gradually stiffened.

“So… Is this an officially recognized club?”

“…Once I gather enough members, I was going to apply…”

“So this is either not an actual clubroom, an empty clubroom you borrowed… or just some storage space. Am I right?”

“U-Ugh….”

Grandcharr shrank back.

Sion pressed further.

“And if you’re a professor in the Magic Department, shouldn’t you be teaching dark magic in a lecture hall? Why are you running a club instead?”

“…!!!”

That was the most logical question.

If she were truly a professor, she could simply hold official lectures on dark magic.

There was no need for a club.

Grandcharr’s lips quivered.

She seemed to be struggling to form a response.

And then—

“Uwaaaahhh!!”

“…Huh?”

“That’s too mean… Hic… You’re too meeeeean!!!”

She burst into tears.

Like a child throwing a tantrum, she wailed.

The supposed professor of Byzantium Academy’s Magic Department, Grandcharr von de Herzorune III—

Was crying.

Even Sion was caught off guard.

‘Uh… What am I supposed to do here?’

No matter how long he had been a graduate student in his past life—

This was his first time seeing a professor cry in front of him.

As Sion stood there, frozen, Grandcharr sniffled and spoke between sobs.

“You think I want to do this? Hic… Do you think I chose this?”

“Then why—”

“Because the Dark Magic Department was shut down!!! Waaaaahhh!!”

“Oh…”

A department being shut down.

That was something that happened often in universities in his past life.

Declining birth rates reducing student enrollment.

Unpopular majors getting cut.

Departments that weren’t profitable being axed.

The Dark Magic Department was likely the second case.

After all, just from the name alone—

No one would want to enroll.

‘…What should I do?’

A full-grown adult was sobbing in front of him.

Ignoring her completely felt wrong.

But joining a club with a suspicious name like Dark Magic Club?

That didn’t seem like a good idea either.

As Sion hesitated—

Suddenly.

A hand grabbed his wrist.

Grandcharr looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with tears.

Her index finger trembled as she spoke.

“H-How about… just one lesson?”

“……”

“Just one time…? Please? Hic… Dark magic is fun! It’s not even dangerous—well, okay, it is dangerous, but I’ll only teach you the safe ones! So… Please?”

Just one lesson.

She clung to his wrist, pleading with desperate eyes.

Seeing her like that, Sion sighed and covered his face with his hand.

“…Fine.”

“…Huh?”

“Alright, I’ll at least listen to what dark magic is about.”

“…D-Did I hear that correctly?!”

“Just listening.”

“Yes, of course! Heheheh! Hehehehehe!”

Tears still glistened in her eyes.

But now, she was smiling brightly.