"Up until now, I thought I was the ugliest person in the world, but looking at you now, Master, I see that isn't the case. That's truly a relief."
At Damon's completely unexpected joke, the black-robed man restrained a chuckle. Perhaps having relaxed, he formally introduced himself.
"My name is Doil."
"Doil?"
"To be precise, I suppose I should say Doil Brokenheart?"
Damon was startled.
"Pardon? Did you say Brokenheart?"
"Indeed. I imagine it is a family name shared by only two people on the entire continent of Truevenia."
"Ah! Pardon?"
It seemed there was some complicated history behind it, but Damon asked no further questions and simply nodded. Everyone had secrets they did not wish to reveal to others. There was no need to pry in this situation. The black-robed man, having revealed his name as Doil, continued his explanation.
"First, I believe there is one thing you must know. To be exact, I am not an ordinary mage. People call us Dark Mages. Have you perhaps heard of us?"
"Yes. I have heard of them."
Having already heard of them from Macmillan, Damon nodded without hesitation. His attitude showed that Doil being a Dark Mage made no difference to him. It was Doil who was surprised by that demeanor.
"Why are you not surprised that I am a Dark Mage?"
"It does not matter. You are already the person I have accepted as my master. Even if you were not a Dark Mage but something far worse, you are my master, and I cannot deny that."
"Of course, the magic you will learn is dark magic. I assume you know what kind of treatment Dark Mages receive in Truevenia?"
"It does not matter. Even if my body is seized by the Demon King, I shall accept it."
"......."
For a moment, Doil fell silent and gazed at Damon with deep eyes. Truly, it was a hideous face, but those eyes alone were incredibly profound and serene.
"It seems you have your own complications as well. I am quite curious why you wish to learn dark magic so desperately, but I shall not ask. Those who seek to learn dark magic all have their circumstances. Very well. Since you have accepted, I shall teach you magic from now on."
Watching Doil nod, Damon's heart swelled with exhilaration. He had finally seized the opportunity to grow stronger.
"First, there is nothing particularly special about the reason I have decided to teach you magic. If I had to say, it would be because your face is as ugly as mine, and if I were to add one more thing, perhaps because you are of advanced age......"
"Pardon?"
It was an unimaginable, no, an utterly absurd reason, so Damon's eyes went wide. But Doil's explanation continued immediately.
"I fully understand the suffering you have endured due to your grotesque appearance. It is an experience I have gone through countless times myself. Though there is the difference that yours is congenital while mine is acquired, we must have constantly received gazes filled with the same emotion from people. Namely, the gaze of contempt and scorn."
There was something convincing in his words, so Damon nodded.
"I, too, resolved to learn magic for the first time at an age close to forty, just like you. After going through all manner of twists and turns, I barely managed to learn magic, but as a result, I ended up with this hideous visage."
Deep regret filled Doil's eyes as he explained. Perhaps he was reminded of himself decades ago, wandering the continent to learn magic, upon seeing Damon's figure.
Of course, Doil was a Dark Mage. In other words, he had entered the tutelage of another Dark Mage to learn dark magic. Naturally, that process could not have been easy.
Generally speaking, Dark Mages tended to have evil natures. The majority of those who stepped into dark magic harbored deep resentment toward someone or society as a whole. Those who did not have no reason to make contracts with the Demon King and obtain power.
When twisted natures caused by resentment combined with the powerful strength of dark magic, the personalities of Dark Mages inevitably changed drastically. Of course, there was also the fact that they were subtly influenced by the Demon King they had contracted with.
Because of this, most Dark Mages became so steeped in blood and slaughter due to the nature of their magic, and their hearts grew so cruel that they did not hesitate to carry out heinous human experiments. Due to such general tendencies, a law may have arisen in Truevenia stating that killing a Dark Mage was not a crime.
Unfortunately, the master Doil had served also could not escape the bounds of such typical Dark Mages. Recalling him, Doil shuddered. He could not help the terror that surged forth at the mere thought.
That master had tormented Doil and the other disciples constantly. Even that was not enough; sometimes he would use the disciples as tools for human experiments. Without the slightest hesitation. It would not be wrong to say that he treated the lives of his disciples as cheaply as flies.
Of course, Doil could not escape his master's clutches either. Doil's current hideous appearance was precisely a byproduct of his master's human experiments. The master had unhesitatingly used Doil in human experiments, and though he had barely survived, the price was this ugly appearance.
Memories of how people had treated him after his appearance changed rose vividly one after another in Doil's mind. He truly did not even want to think of them, and by now they had become chronic memories as well.
And that experience transformed into sympathy for Damon, who possessed a similar visage.
"I suppose you could say you and I have lived rather similar lives."
Having finished speaking, Doil looked directly at Damon's face.
"By chance, I heard a rumor that a foreigner with an extremely grotesque appearance was wandering taverns to learn magic. At the time, I was terribly curious. How ugly could he be? Could he possibly have a face more hideous than mine? I sought you out for precisely that reason. Or rather, shall I say it was due to a slight sense of kinship born of sharing the same appearance?"
Damon listened to Doil's words in silence.
"Though I cannot be confident that you will be able to learn magic. I do not know how much mana aptitude you possess, and your advanced age is also a great obstacle to learning magic. But since we have formed a master-disciple relationship, I shall devote all my strength to teaching you magic from now on."
"I shall never forget your grace, Master."
"Well. I wouldn't call it grace......."
Of course, Damon was a person from the Central Plains. Therefore, he was following the Central Plains custom of treating one's master with the utmost respect, as one would treat a parent. While Damon's extreme attitude was somewhat awkward, it did not seem to be an act, so Doil decided to take it easy.
"First, I shall tell you my position. I am a War Mage belonging to the detached unit of the 8th Legion of Ikarot. I earned a week's leave thanks to some achievements in the last battle, and in two days I must return to the battlefield."
"T-two days......."
Damon's eyes showed a somewhat nervous expression. Of course, since they had formally formed a master-disciple relationship, Doil would not simply abandon him, but worry still welled up uncontrollably.
At Damon's appearance, Doil smiled faintly. From another person's perspective, that smile might be seen as a grotesque contortion of facial muscles.
"Do not worry. I intend to take you to the battlefield with me."
But Damon's worries were not easily dispelled. First, he doubted whether Sergei would let him go willingly. In the end, he decided to reveal his circumstances to Doil.
"Actually, I am currently a deserter. After being dismissed from the Royal Guard, I was originally supposed to return to the wall defenders, but I have not yet reported back. Under normal circumstances, I don't think I will be able to follow you, Master. So......."
Damon's thoughts were roughly as follows: he would slip out of Feldrian under cover of night, then meet Doil, who would pass through the city gate openly, at a predetermined location before heading to the battlefield. But upon hearing the explanation, Doil shook his head.
"There is no need for that. For one, the chances of you escaping Feldrian are slim, but you don't need to go to such lengths anyway."
"B-but......."
Doil smiled as if to reassure Damon.
"Listening to your story, it seems Count Sergei is not particularly interested in you either. If it is merely an old grudge, it will not be much of a problem. I am more than capable of extracting you."
"B-but how......."
"Believe me. I have at least enough ability to extract someone like you. Though I may not look it, I am quite a skilled Dark Mage. Count Sergei will not be able to ignore my request."
In the end, Damon had no choice but to follow Doil's words.
"Understood, Master."
As if to dispel Damon's worries, Doil continued his explanation.
"First, since you have outstanding martial arts skills, this will not be too difficult. I intend to make you my guard initially."
"M-my guard?"
"Indeed. The guards I had with me all perished in the last battle, so there are no obstacles. Therefore, I shall go to the palace along this road and request that Count Sergei appoint you as my guard. They will not dare refuse my request."
Doil's tone was filled with confidence. And for good reason—Doil was a mage possessing power that ranked among the highest of currently existing Dark Mages.
Doil's current magical level was approximately that of a 6th-Circle Master. It was established as common knowledge that Dark Mages' offensive magic was overwhelmingly powerful, and taking that into account, Doil could be said to possess strength equivalent to at least a 7th-Circle Expert or Master class. Of course, with such a request from Doil, Sergei could not easily refuse either. Having finished speaking, Doil rose from his seat.
"Then we shall discuss the details later; I shall go to the palace immediately."
"W-will you be alright?"
"Don't worry at all. I believe someone of your skill has sufficient qualifications to serve as my guard. Ah, and one more thing! The fact that I have taken you as my disciple is strictly a secret, so please keep it that way."
Of course, as a Dark Mage, Doil could not publicly declare that he had taken someone as a disciple. But that problem was simply resolved by Damon's outstanding martial arts skills. If he took him along as a guard and taught him magic in the process, it was entirely feasible....... Relieved of some worry, Damon bowed his head respectfully.
"Understood, Master."
"I shall return shortly."
Doil headed out of the lodgings without delay. Damon watched his retreating figure with eyes full of anticipation.