Chapter 12: Shadows in the Spotlight

Chapter 12: Shadows in the Spotlight

The academy buzzed with quiet anticipation as students gathered for their combat class. Aetrial, who had barely slept the previous night due to the lingering tension of his unintentional demonstration, found himself stuck in an awkward middle ground. On one hand, his performance in theoretical magic had been laughable; on the other, his unexpected control over dark magic was making people talk.

But Aetrial didn’t care much about what they thought. All he wanted was to get through the day without drawing too much attention—or so he thought.

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The Combat Class Announcement

Sir Edric, the stern combat instructor, called for sparring matches as usual. When Aetrial's name was called alongside Tyler Knightneurs, the room subtly shifted. Conversations halted as a mix of curiosity and expectation filled the air.

Tyler, grinning confidently, stood before Aetrial. “Finally, a chance to see what the infamous Ranolf can do.”

Aetrial sighed internally. “You’re going to be disappointed,” he muttered.

The onlookers laughed softly, already assuming how this match would play out. After all, everyone knew that while the Ranolf family was renowned for their mastery of dark magic, Aetrial had never lived up to the name.

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The Sparring Begins

Tyler lunged the moment Sir Edric gave the signal. Aetrial clumsily raised his wooden sword, narrowly avoiding Tyler’s strike. The onlookers snickered, and even Sir Edric looked unimpressed.

“Come on, Ranolf,” Tyler taunted. “Is that all you’ve got?”

Aetrial tightened his grip on the sword, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. He recalled the dark mana he had channeled the previous day—something that should have been beyond his grasp before.

In the original story, I was supposed to have potential, wasn’t I? he thought. But it took the heroine’s influence for me to unlock it. Does that mean I can access it now?

Determined to turn things around, Aetrial focused. Drawing on the dark mana that naturally flowed within him, he attempted to reinforce his movements. At first, it felt unstable, like holding water in cupped hands, but soon it began to settle.

Tyler charged again, but this time, Aetrial sidestepped smoothly, his body moving with a fluidity that surprised even himself. He parried Tyler’s next attack, their swords clashing loudly.

The snickering stopped.

“Not bad,” Tyler said, though his grin faltered slightly.

---

Attempting a Barrier

Aetrial decided to take it a step further. “Let’s try something simple,” he muttered under his breath, channeling mana into his hands. He aimed to create a basic barrier spell from the standard magic system.

The result was a flickering, unstable shield that shattered almost instantly. The laughter returned.

“Ranolf’s as hopeless as ever!” someone jeered.

Aetrial flushed with embarrassment but refused to give up. If the standard magic system wasn’t going to work, why not try the Ranolf family’s specialty? Dark magic was what he knew best—or rather, what his new body seemed to know best.

Focusing once more, Aetrial channeled dark mana into a barrier spell. The energy coalesced into a shimmering black dome around him. The barrier was elegant, sturdy, and undeniably powerful.

The room fell silent.

“Wait… is that high-level dark magic?” someone whispered.

“Since when could Ranolf do that?”

Even Sir Edric paused, studying the barrier with a mixture of curiosity and approval.

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After the Match

When the barrier dissipated, Tyler lowered his sword. “Not bad, Ranolf. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Neither did I,” Aetrial muttered under his breath.

As the match ended and the class resumed, Aetrial found himself deep in thought.

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Reflecting on His Abilities

In the original novel, Aetrial had always possessed this potential, but his arrogance and lack of discipline prevented him from ever truly honing it. Only after meeting the heroine did he begin to work on his skills—but by then, it was too late. His obsession with the heroine and his subsequent actions led to his downfall.

Now, however, Yamauca could feel that this talent wasn’t just Aetrial’s. The ease with which he accessed the dark mana and the instinctive way he used it felt… different.

Could this be the result of my own talents combining with Aetrial’s? he wondered. Or is this something else entirely?

Aetrial sighed as he packed up for his next class. Whatever the reason, he knew one thing for certain: this newfound ability was both a blessing and a curse.

If only I could just live quietly…

But he wasn’t naive. With his current abilities—and the growing rumors about him—“quiet” was no longer an option.

End of Chapter 12