I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy

The sky was blood-red, as if stained by crimson hues.

Withered ancient trees stood on the ground, and crows, emitting an ominous aura, roamed the area.

This place, known as the “Devil’s Realm” and “Land of Death” across the world, was enveloped in foreboding throughout the year. A black sun rose over this region.

The black sun radiated an ominous light.

However, it was a symbol of life. All beings on Earth felt its foreboding nature, but for the Mines, it was an infinitely gentle sunlight.

At its center, where the light shone down, stood an ancient castle.

-Isn’t it a beautiful sight?

Adolf Hitler murmured, leaning against the window as he gazed at the sun.

Fools would call it the most ominous thing in the world.

In the central meeting hall, members of the Great Nazi Empire sat around a long table.

When he first arrived in this world, many Mines had been present even at the doors of the meeting room. Now, only a few remained seated at the table.

-The Empire of the Black Sun, our great Nazi Empire, is under threat.

Adolf lit a cigar and placed it in his mouth.

In life, he had avoided smoking, but now it didn’t matter.

The benevolent god, brimming with vitality, had granted him infinite life.

-They are called the United World Alliance. The Association, if you will. These ignorant fools call our Empire—and, moreover, our great god—a “Demon God” and label us as the world’s evil.

Hitler gazed at the black sun beyond the window.

Seeing its compassionate form erased all his worries.

‘Worries, huh.’

Hitler thought of certain men.

His rivals, including a masked man he had once considered a savior other than himself.

No, it wasn’t just the masked man. There was also an alchemist known as “Veritas.” And now—

‘The Savior.’

Even someone called that had appeared.

A ridiculous title. Only he himself was worthy of saving foolish humanity.

He had endeavored to enlighten the ignorant masses.

Other than serving as sacrifices for the Black Sun to make themselves useful, humanity held no purpose.

Even thinking about it made Hitler’s head feel like it would melt.

Since the onset of World War II, his mind had been consumed by a singular thought:

That only he could—and only he should—save the ignorant masses.

When this war ended, he believed he would be celebrated forever as the true savior of humanity.

-The time is near.

His body, a reward for abandoning his human form,

had no mouth but spoke with sheer will.

Hitler’s voice echoed throughout the castle.

-Soon, the Apostle will descend.

It wouldn’t be long now.

Since the masked man had invaded this place, their deal with France had been severed. The French, forced into a corner, opposed and fought the Nazis.

And so, they were all killed.

Men, women, children, the elderly—it didn’t matter.

The few survivors—politicians, military leaders, and those deemed “elites”—managed to cling to life.

But they weren’t turned into Mines.

A long and grand altar was built by forcibly injecting life into living humans.

The gods of America began to issue warnings.

The Norse gods were straining themselves to kill him. The Greek gods were preparing to descend.

Not that it mattered.

After dealing with several key issues, Hitler entered his chamber.

He needed to maintain the best condition for the Apostle’s descent.

Yet he didn’t forget his enemies.

Inside the chamber were enormous photographs.

A masked man creating golden flames.

A figure known as Veritas drawing magic circles.

And a man, called the Savior, wielding black flames—a peerless beauty.

Gazing at these, Hitler muttered in a voice full of madness:

-You are not humanity’s savior.

That position belonged to him.

Upon hearing about the Nazi Empire, a certainty arose that they were up to something.

‘The Black Sun is dangerous.’

Their Apostle was dangerous.

Apostles were difficult to kill as it was, but theirs was even trickier.

Moreover, the demonic energy they possessed was particularly lethal to living beings.

And just summoning it would already be a significant nuisance. The Apostle’s life force was akin to death for humans.

If they were truly summoning an Apostle…

“…What’s wrong?”

“It’s weighing on my mind.”

Merlin spoke.

“It’s a characteristic of Transcendents or those akin to them. When they hold certain knowledge, they sometimes get stuck on instincts.”

Merlin casually added with his hands clasped behind him:

“Relying too much on instincts isn’t good, but ignoring them at your level would be absurd.”

Then, he added,

“I know quite a lot about the Nazis, but it seems you know even more about them than I do.”

I knew.

How heinous the Nazi Empire was, and how abnormal its leader was.

No madman could compare to him.

While thinking of himself as humanity’s savior, he was working to turn all humans into Mines.

Knowing such a lunatic was summoning an Apostle, I could already see what lay ahead.

“When will we leave?”

“Have you decided? Honestly, I’d like to go immediately, but I have an engagement. Maybe this evening.”

“That’s fine.”

The Knight King interjected.

“He’s an important figure, but not more important than you. And it bothers me, knowing what he’s been doing.”

I turned to Kim Ara and Hong Yu-hwa.

“Sorry, let’s play together another time.”

“…Alright.”

Hong Yu-hwa’s approval prompted me to take out my phone. I informed the Electronic Witch that I might need to go on a business trip and asked her to cancel all of Seo Ga-yeon’s scheduled appointments. 𝖗άΝồ𐌱ËŜ

‘The team members…’

In the worst-case scenario, I’d have to fight an Apostle.

No, the worst outcome was inevitable. The Nazis were in their death throes, after all.

I needed to craft the best strategy. For that, Seo Ga-yeon was essential.

Her starlight magic was effective even against Apostles.

The next member would be Cheonma. With power equivalent to, or even surpassing, a Transcendent, Cheonma was indispensable.

I’d leave the Witch Maiden, the Elder, and Ha Seong-hwi to guard the guild. They could always be summoned if needed.

I also needed to add two more to the team.

Kim Seo-hyun, who had fully blossomed her talents after absorbing the Priestess’s power, and Seolhwa Ryeon.

‘With her ice talent….’

It was the perfect counter to the Black Sun.

Her ability to freeze anything mixed with shadows made her a natural adversary to the entity known as the Black Sun.

“What about us?”

Hong Yu-hwa’s question made me pause.

Her power wasn’t compatible with the Black Sun.

The Black Sun controlled life and flames.

If Seolhwa Ryeon was the opposite of the Black Sun, Hong Yu-hwa’s power was ineffective against it.

Kim Ara, on the other hand, wasn’t a bad option. Her fundamental force, which interfered with even the smallest unit of power, made her a natural enemy to Apostles.

However, Hitler in the Nazi Empire was essentially Kim Ara’s natural predator.

“Should I stay behind?”

Hong Yu-hwa asked in a trembling voice.

I hesitated.

If I nodded, she’d step back willingly.

But what about her pride?

‘This is a matter of life and death.’

I had to refuse.

“It’s fine.”

Before I could decide, Hong Yu-hwa spoke.

“I just have to become strong enough that one day, you’ll be begging me to come along, crying and pleading.”

A faint sense of darkness emanated from her.

“What about me?”

“It’s probably hard for you too, Ara.”

After saying that, I started making calls with my phone.

To Seo Ga-yeon, Kim Seo-hyun, and Seolhwa Ryeon.

[I’ll be there soon.]

Seo Ga-yeon was the first to respond.

[Elder. It’s a moderately nice winter day. The temperature difference between day and night is worrisome for your health. While you’ve been missing for three months, I’ve been honing my skills, though I fear they may not meet your expectations. Still….]

This was from Seolhwa Ryeon.

[I’ll come.]

Kim Seo-hyun responded simply.

After telling them where to gather, I briefly hugged Hong Yu-hwa.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.”

Hugging her, I suddenly felt Kim Ara embrace me from behind. A soft sensation wrapped around my back.

“Come back quickly.”

“…Okay.”

As we finished talking, Merlin approached me with a grin.

“Well, aren’t you living the dream?”

“…Something like that.”

“Still, this is nothing. Our Fairy Dragon King had over 20 women fawning over him at your age.”

Fairy Dragon King?

Was there such a person?

“Let’s get moving.”

The Knight King spoke as he began walking outside.

“Understand this: it’s just because I’m shy.”

“Shy?”

“Perhaps ‘awkward’ would be more accurate. He’s not as bad as the Sword Empress , but he’s close. He’s never even held hands with the opposite sex. Still, it’s that purity that allowed him to become Excalibur’s owner.”

“…”

I remained silent at Merlin’s words.

I glanced at the Knight King. Covered entirely in full plate armor, he walked confidently forward.

…But wasn’t that the wrong direction for the warp gate?

“Your Highness. It’s the other way.”@@novelbin@@

“…”

The Knight King stopped and began walking in another direction. Still wrong.

“…Geniuses usually have a few screws loose, don’t they?”

Merlin murmured to himself.

“At least he fights we—”

Merlin glanced at me and corrected himself.

“He’s decent enough.”