Webcomic / Black Haze

A Magician Never Reveals His Secrets

Rood Chrishi has a secret –- he's actually the Black Magician Blow, one of the youngest but strongest magicians in the world. In spite of that, lately, his master only sends him out on trivial missions like running errands and orchestrating petty revenge schemes for clients. Naturally, Rood has come to feel quite dissatisfied with the direction his fledgling career has taken.

One day, while fleeing from a low-level magician whose cronies he beat up in defense, Rood encounters the powerful Duchess Dayner Artian, who, impressed with his abilities, requests his help. Her second son, Lidusis, hasn't been fitting in well at school, to put it mildly, and she'd like Rood to help him out. To do so, Rood must go undercover as a student at famed school of magic Helios Academy and find out just why everyone calls the son of an esteemed duke "the Monster." Of course, Rood soon comes to realize that there's a lot more going on at this exclusive school than meets the eye...

Black Haze (Korean: 블랙 헤이즈) is a fantasy-comedy webtoon by Dydyddl 7 (or Yong Yong) that blends humor with drama and action with school life in a surprisingly balanced equation. It takes itself seriously — but just barely. Formerly a Naver Best Challenge Comic, it was picked up by TTale, where it was serialized until chapter 102. It was hosted on FoxToon until January 27th, 2018, when it was taken down, and is presently on indefinite hiatus.

The series has a wiki here.

Black Haze contains examples of:

• Abusive Parents: Rood and Kiel's aunt and uncle, who took care of the former after their mother died, turn out to be this when it's revealed that they were responsible for the boys' mother's death and eventually sold Rood to slave merchants when he discovered that fact. They also beat, starved, and emotionally abused him while he was living under their roof.
• Academy of Adventure: Helios Academy
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Rood gives one to Dio in his baby dragon form, paralleling a similar gesture by the demon king.
• Almighty Janitor: Rood's status at Helios Academy is as a student and mage-in-training of the lowest class. He's really one of the world's most powerful magicians and better than the teachers.
• Amnesiac Hero: Rood, whose first memory is of being chained by the foot in a dark room full of skeletons before being discovered and rescued by Master.
• An Ice Person: Professor Rowell's Awakened form is an icy version of herself with corresponding magic.
• Art Evolution: The series undergoes quite a dynamic one, as can be seen when comparing earlier chapters with the more recent ones.
• Asshole Victim: Rood chucks his own shoe at Lidusis's Jerkass older brother while he's in the middle of verbally abusing Lidusis, striking him in the face (and subsequently knocking him unconscious with a concussion) in front of a whole auditorium full of people. Of course, Rood thought he was attacking the traitor Lispen, who is an immediate threat to Lidusis's safety, and he panicked when he saw Lis from across the room with someone who looked confrontational. Ironically, he has no idea of the abuse his friend has endured at the hands of his brother, and the latter certainly deserved getting hit.
• Ax-Crazy: Shicmuon seems (relatively) sane as long as Rood isn't present, but as soon as the chance to fight him comes up, all other considerations go out the window, including things like the lives of any bystanders.
• Bad Liar: Rood, incredibly so. It's no surprise people like Professor Rowell are so suspicious of him.
  • The Charmer: ...and in spite of that, he's also very persuasive when he needs to be and can get what he wants with ease, just as long as he isn't going in blind. Typically, it's Master who forces out his Bad Liar tendencies by throwing him into unfamiliar territory without his prior knowledge or consent.
• Battle Aura: A magician in their awakened mode has this.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Downplayed with Lidusis. Prior to meeting Rood, he was so unused to being treated kindly that he experiences genuine fear when Rood attempts to get close to him. Once he gets over his aversion and realizes Rood is here to stay, he becomes extremely attached to him and borderline codependent to the point that he goes out looking for him one night when Rood doesn't return to their room, fearing that he's left Helios. Rood himself acknowledges Lidusis's attachment and gently tries to wean him so that he can stand on his own once he's gone.
• Big Bad Friend: Played with in the case of Dio/Diorook in that he really is a demon in the employ of Rubymonter (who herself may or may not be evil, though she has antagonized Rood and Helios), yet he seems to care for his human friends, as demonstrated when he saved Lin in Ishuella and refrained from killing anyone at Helios even while under attack by the magicians from the Tower.
• Big Brother Instinct: Kiel has this for Rood, due in part to not wanting him to suffer the same abuse he himself endured.
• Black Eyes of Crazy: Rubymonter's eyes get like this when she gets sufficiently agitated.
• Blood from the Mouth: A non-fatal example happens with Dio after he's stabbed by Lispen. He coughs up a good deal of blood in a short time, another indicator that he's not human.
• Bound and Gagged: Frequently, though not always, done using magic.
  • Lidusis gets his hands tied behind his back with rope when he's briefly kidnapped by a group of klads who want to use him for target practice in order to get under Rood's skin. After Rood helps free him from the target board, Lin later unties his hands, to the shock of her classmates.
  • Blow uses magic to do this to Elzeble when he's trying to keep him out of his way during the attack on Helios.
  • Rood ties up an unconscious Dio with what appears to be a bed sheet (though it holds surprisingly well) after the latter suddenly attacks him (and is thoroughly thrashed instead). Rood unties him shortly thereafter when he determines he's not a threat.
  • Done to Dio for a second time by the hereis when Lispen attacks him, revealing him as a demon.
  • Some Tower magicians use magic to bind first Kielnode after his arrest, then the hereis when they interfere to try to buy time for the Black Magician to escape.
• Break the Cutie:
  • Both Lidusis and Chevel have had this done to them, the former by his constant bullying, general neglect as a child, and through witnessing the brutal demise of his friend Ibriel and believing himself responsible. The latter was broken by Ibriel's death as well, she being his younger sister.
  • Done to Kielnode in his youth by his spiteful and violent half-siblings and their mother.
• Break Them by Talking: Lidusis's older brother has continuously tried to ingrain into Lis's head that he's a monster and that bad things happen to and around him because of it, therefore, he should just keep to himself so nobody gets hurt because of him. For the most part, it's worked, though Rood has gradually been pulling him out of it.
• Bully Brutality:
  • The bullying of Lidusis surpasses Stock Shoujo Bullying Tactics when Manon and some of the other klads bind him to a target board and instruct his classmates to hurl heavy mana stones at him, with extra points being given to those who manage to hit "the decoration" (i.e. him). Thankfully, he only gets hit once (though in the head, when one of the klads demonstrates how it should be done) before Rood shows up and rescues him (and then proceeds to destroy the klads at their own sick game). However, had Rood not shown up (or had he been unable to do anything, which was what Manon was counting on), Lidusis could have very easily been stoned to death by his classmates.
  • Kielnode was also subjected to severe bullying in his youth due to the fact that his mother was The Mistress to a married nobleman who already had two legitimate children of his own. Because of his status as an unwanted bastard son, Kiel was beaten, called names, forced to eat trash, and otherwise dehumanized and humiliated. He's nearly killed when his half-siblings drop a flowerpot on his head and likely would have bled out if not for a magician from the Tower finding and saving him. His father's wife later plots to have him killed because he exhibits far more magic potential than both of her children, forcing him to leave his pregnant mother behind and run away. As an adult, he appropriately describes the place he was raised as a hell.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • Elzeble tends to play this role both within and without Rubymonter's group — the poor man rarely gets any respect from his comrades or otherwise.
  • Especially earlier on in the series, Dio also got this treatment, being dead last in his class and at the mercy of Rood's devious whims and plots. He still gets this on occasion, though not nearly as much since he revealed himself to be Obfuscating Stupidity.
  • After his stint as The Bully and a healthy dose of Character Development, Chevel has been relegated to this post, especially amongst Rood and the other hereis.
• By The Power Of Grey Skull: The mages activate their awakened mode by saying "My Name is ___ Awaken". They cancel their awakened mode in very much the same way.
• Cast Full of Pretty Boys: Most every male character, be they young or older, qualifies.
• Cheshire Cat Grin: Rood smiles like this a lot, usually as a preface to getting his way.
• Child Mage: Rood, and all the other students at the Helios Academy.
• Combat Tentacles: Certain low-level demons use these as their main mode of attack.
  • Tentacle Rope: They also use them to bind their prey. During the attack on Helios, Rood fakes out Shic to get him tied up by one such demon's tentacles in order to keep him from following him. Shic doesn't take this well, and the two end up fighting some more, inevitably ending in them both getting tied up, multiple times.
• Cut Himself Shaving: After confronting Rood about his true nature as the demon king and getting hit by him as a result, Lispen casually rejoins the other members of the Helios investigation committee with a scuffed face and a bloody nose. When they awkwardly ask what happened to his face, he replies that he "tripped a bit" and that they don't need to worry, though all three unanimously agree that it's obvious he was beaten up.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Rood is the Black Magician Blow, and his power manifests in black swaths of energy.
• Dark and Troubled Past:
  • Rood is an amnesiac whose first memory is of Master finding him chained in a room with a bunch of skeletons. As a child, he was picked on, much like his older brother, for his social status. After his mother died, he went to live with his aunt and uncle, who starved and abused him before selling him to a slave merchant when he overheard them revealing that they killed his mother in order to take the money Kiel was sending for Rood's care. Rood was later used as a sacrifice in the Tower's ceremony, dying in the demon world. What he recalls as his first memory is waking up after being resurrected, with no memories of his past remaining.
  • Lidusis and Chevel share one to an extent, where the latter's younger sister was killed by a demon and the former took the blame for it due to being the sole witness and surviving the attack. Lis is haunted by flashbacks of the incident, convinced he's a monster because of it, and Chevel is persistent in making sure he doesn't forget.
  • Opion's master, Kielnode Chrishi, had one as well: He was born the son of a nobleman's mistress and was basically tortured and nearly murdered by his half-siblings and his father's wife because of it. He later became a powerful magician for the Tower, though he ended up throwing away everything after losing his brother to the ceremony, then killing five of his colleagues to conceal Rood's subsequent resurrection.
• Destination Defenestration: At his father's funeral, Kiel angrily reminds his father's sycophant widow that she threw him out the window on his fifth birthday, reacting in disgust when she attempts to suck up to him due to his newfound position of power.
• Dissonant Serenity: At the end of Kiel's Whole Episode Flashback, Kiel tenderly holds Rood as he walks away from the scene of five gruesome murders that he committed.
  Kiel: ...It's alright. It'll be all right... now.
• Distressed Dude: Lidusis needs to be rescued and protected by Rood on multiple occasions. It doesn't help that he's targeted by everyone from the school bullies to his own elder brother and servant, or that he's an idun who knows next to no magic. This gets to the point where Rood seriously considers kidnapping him himself just to keep him safe from everyone who's out to get him.
• Does Not Like Men: Gender inverted with Shic. While not outright misogynistic, he does appear to be more disdainful toward women than toward men, as evidenced by his attitude toward both Tessiana and Rubymonter.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You: Blow seriously threatens to kill Shic for the first time when Shic continues to hinder his endeavors to close the Door that opened over Helios.
  Blow: If you start bothering me from now on, I'll kill you.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: Chevel and Anna
• Embarrassing Nickname:
  • Princess Yutiarien, not knowing who he really is, names Dio in his baby dragon form "Ming Ming," which causes him to get laughed at by one of his allies.
  • Being called Lanoste's Dog is sure to trigger Van's Berserk Button.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": For over 100 chapters, Opion's Master was known simply as... Master. It's eventually revealed to be Kielnode Chrishi.
• Evil Teacher: Professor Heil, who became part demon and attempted to sadistically murder his entire class.
• Fiery Redhead: Shic. When he Awakens, his hair gets even redder, and his temper gets hotter.
• Flower-Pot Drop: A non-comedic example when Kiel is almost murdered by his half-siblings this way.
• Force Feeding: Kiel was forced to eat a rank mixture of trash by his half-siblings, who threatened to give it to his mother if he didn't comply.
  "Hey, maggot! Be sure to eat the whole thing! My mom told me that dog food fits dirty bastards like you the best."
• Functional Magic: The magicians study magic in a school.
• Gender-Blender Name: Both Anna and Cynthia are male.
• Geometric Magic: A magic circle can be used to teleport between places.
• Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Blow while his body is on autopilot from Rubymonter's magic gets this treatment courtesy of Shic, of all people, who punches him twice (one of which lands, the other of which is dodged) and demands that he pull himself together.
  Shic: Hey, Blackie. Didn't you have a reason for being here? If so, snap out of it!
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: Inverted; Diorook, the detainee, attempts this method to try to get Rood to untie him, first employing Crocodile Tears and the old "weren't we friends?" line, then, when that doesn't work, reverting back to his Hellish Pupils and threatening to destroy the school and everyone in it if Rood doesn't release him. Neither works, but Rood does let him go soon after because he doesn't think Dio will kill anyone, recalling the incident where, in his dragon form, he saved Lin in Ishuella.
• Guile Hero: Despite being a bona fide Action Hero, Rood (and to a lesser extent, Blow) definitely qualifies, preferring to settle conflicts as quietly as possible and without the flashiness of combat.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Shic, especially in regards to anything to do with Blow.
• Headbutt of Love: To show he's not angry, Blow affectionately bonks baby dragon Dio with his forehead while telling him that he doesn't need to apologize just so long as he doesn't do anything he should have to be sorry for.
• Hellish Pupils:
  • Dio Varus has them in his demon form and accidentally in his human form. Unusually for this trope, the sudden change to this is exactly what alerts Rood to the fact that Dio isn't human.
  • Lispen gets them as well, revealing himself as a demon.
  • Rood has slitted pupils as he is first awakening from his resurrection.
• Hot Teacher:
  • Professor Rowell of Helios.
  • For the ladies, there's Orphell, a magician from the Tower acting as a teacher at Helios.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Both Rubymonter and Lispen seem to think this way, though neither of them sees any harm in killing off random innocent humans, the latter even doing so casually and with no justification. Furthermore, he murdered 212 humans in his various attempts at hiding the demon king's power within them, with Lidusis being his 213th attempt and his only success.
• Human Sacrifice: In the search for a new demon king to power the humans' mana usage, the Tower sent allegedly condemned criminals into the demon world. The ones who actually came back were skeletonized by several decades. Then a child was "accidentally" sent as well and was the only human to return alive, though he was psychologically destroyed as a result. Regardless, the Tower continued to willfully send more children into the demon world, to similar effect.
• I'll Kill You!: Pretty much Shic's Catchphrase in regards to Blow. He has yet to carry it out, though not for lack of trying.
  • Reversed when Blow says it to Shic to show that he's completely serious.
• In the Back: Lispen stabs Diorook in the back without giving him a chance to explain himself, despite Orphell having just ordered that they talk it out before doing anything rash.
• Implied Death Threat: Played for laughs when Rood gives one to Chevel to keep him from talking in after the latter witnesses him change back from Blow to Rood.
  Rood: I... got scared since I was left all alone, and I was just wandering around — and I just happened to find you and Lidusis here. You... understand, don't you?
• Important Haircut:
  • Lidusis gets one when his friends think he needs an image change. The result exceeds expectations◊.
  • Kielnode gives himself one to signify his return to the Tower in exchange for his life and forgiveness for his past crime.
• Improbable Age: Rood is 15 and one of the most powerful magicians in the world.
• Jerkass: Chevel Phon Hadelio. He not only harasses and bullies Lidusis, he also mind raped him with illusion magic. Also doubles as a Jerk Jock. He gets a better after a school field trip that goes disastrously wrong.
• Kid Hero: Rood looks rather young for his age.
• Kissed Keepsake: The ring Blow poured his magic into in order to help Linus fend off demons in Ishuella. He still wears it, sealed up, on his finger.
• Knight Templar Big Brother: While he usually falls more on the Big Brother Instinct side, Kielnode has crossed the line into this trope at least once when he murdered five of his peers in cold blood in order to keep them from revealing Rood's resurrection during the ceremony.
• Laughing Mad: To nobody's surprise, Shicmuon starts laughing hysterically during the attack on Helios when Rood Awakens in front of him, confirming his Secret Identity as Blow.
• Little Bit Beastly:
  • The demons in their human forms are this: Rubymonter has horns, Elzeble has a fox or wolf tail, and Gamode has fish fins.
  • Notably averted by Dio, who takes the form of an ordinary human, likely to blend in and avoid raising suspicions.
  • Van, in his Awakened form, gets dog ears and a tail, earning him the Embarrassing Nickname of "Lanoste's Dog."
• Living Battery: The Tower uses demon kings to power the empire's mana supply. When they run dry, a ritual known as "the ceremony" is conducted to search for a new demon king to serve as the power source.
• Living Legend: The Black Magician Blow.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Lidusis, who's bullied at school and all but ignored at home. His mother even mentions how he gets lonely easily and that she regrets not paying enough attention to him.
• Loony Fan: Linus for Blow, to the point where he refuses to use the magic Blow gives him even when the alternative is dying.
• Loves Me Not: Shic does a variation of this in his debut appearance when he plucks the leaves from a branch and oscillates between "he'll come" and "he won't come," referring to Blow appearing at the auction house for a mission.
  • Shic does this again later on while thinking back to the first time he saw the Black Magician.
• Make an Example of Them: Professor Heil throws Dio off a cliff to show the rest of the students what happens to people he sees as useless. Too bad he was Mugging the Monster, and then The Dog Bit Back.
• Manchild: Downplayed with Master, who acts cheerful and careless when he's messing around with Rood but becomes completely serious when the situation calls for it. Jarringly averted when he was younger; he was almost always serious and mature, especially after joining the Tower. This is justified given his abusive childhood and the urgent need to grow up fast in order to be able to protect and take care of himself.
• Mind Rape: Chevel uses illusion magic to attack Lidusis's mental state.
• Mistaken for Gay: Lidusis gets the wrong idea about his roommate after he wakes up to Rood stripping him. Eventually, Rood has to explain to him that he was merely checking for a magician's mark that he sensed on his body.
• Mordor: Ishuella apparently used to be habitable, but after a certain incident, the only thing that lives and grows there now is a kind of creepy tree. Furthermore, the sky is perpetually red, and the Tower has forbidden entrance to it.
• Mugging the Monster:
  • Cheval, a mere mage-in-training, attacks Rood after the latter insults him. Or rather, he tries to attack Rood and predictably doesn't succeed in harming one of the world's most powerful magicians.
  • Professor Heil drops Dio off a cliff, ironically to show what happens to the stupid and weak. Turns out Dio's Obfuscating Stupidity as well as a powerful dragon demon, and he's not too pleased at the attempt on his life.
• Mum Looks Like a Sister: Marquis Hadelio looks only slightly older than his son Chevel. The odd thing is, he looked almost exactly the same in flashbacks to when Chevel was very clearly still a child (as opposed to a teenager).
• My Greatest Second Chance: Kielnode gets one to protect his younger brother Rood when it turns out the latter is Not Quite Dead.
• Not Now, Kiddo: Played for drama when Kiel ignores and eventually forgets about the note slipped to him by Rood, in which the latter indicates he's in danger of being murdered by his aunt and uncle. Justified in that, at this point in his life, Kiel is Married to the Job.
• Our Demons Are Different: Most appear to be unintelligent, while others can take human form.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Because Dio, the dragon in question, is actually a demon.
• Papa Wolf:
  • Marquis Hadelio is one for Chevel, joining both rescue operations in which his son is in danger. His over-protectiveness makes sense considering he's already lost his daughter.
  • Master toward Rood, who tries his very best to pull Rood out of Helios when it becomes clear that the school is dangerous for him.
    • Big Brother Instinct: Turns out Rood's "master" is actually his older brother, and he's been protective of him for a lot longer than Rood remembers.
• Parental Neglect: Lidusis was commonly looked over as a child in favor of his much more extroverted and accomplished older brother. Duchess Artian admits that she regrets her lack of involvement in her second son's development.
• Parental Substitute: Master for Rood, having raised him as a son since he was young.However, it's actually a case of promoted to parent, since they're half-brothers.
• Power Nullifier: While he's being held at the Tower, Kielnode is forced to wear a bracelet on his right wrist that restricts mana usage.
  • When Rood is captured by the Tower, he wears no less than 5 mana restrictors, with one on both wrists, both ankles, and a collar around his neck.
• Promoted to Parent: Kiel is actually Rood's older brother (unbeknownst to Rood), and raised the boy as a son.
• Quiet Cry for Help: Young Rood does this in the form of slipping a message into his big brother Kiel's hand. Unfortunately, the latter is so busy with work that he doesn't have the time to read it until much later, and to his horror, the note, stained with tears, reveals that Rood's aunt and uncle were responsible for his mother's death and are planning to kill him as well.
• Rage Against the Mentor: Rood calls out Master during the attack on Helios when the latter attempts to sneak both of them out unnoticed during the chaos, claiming he still has people he needs to protect at school. Rood doesn't understand the urgency, and Master won't elaborate, having deliberately concealed Rood's past and their relationship as brothers from him for his safety. It takes both of them being targeted by the Tower for Master to finally reveal that the Tower is after Rood himself, and though he doesn't say the reason why, Rood trusts him enough to take his advice and hide amongst the students.
• Retcon: A possible example can be found in the prologue, of all places, as when the author moved from Naver to TTale, they redrew and rereleased it, improving the art but also removing the ghostly woman and her dialogue implying that it was the demon king rather than God that gave the magicians their powers. While the skeleton of said woman can still be seen in the background of the new prologue, she does not speak, nor is there any mention of the demon king.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Dio in his "baby dragon" form, as seen here.
• Rich Bitch: Chevel Phon Hadelio
• Rich Kids: Most of the Helios Academy students. Rood is sent to Helios to protect a particular Lonely Rich Kid when he accepts a mission from Lidusis's mother.
• Sadistic Choice: Professor Heil proposes one to Lidusis in Ishuella, giving him the option of saving either Chevel, his tormentor, or the rest of his classmates. Despite everything Chevel put him through, Lidusis can't bring himself to let him go, even as Chevel commendably tries to get him to do so in order to make the choice easier on him. Thankfully, Blow shows up just in time, sparing Lis from having to make a choice, though, as Iel points out, Professor Heil was going to kill them all anyway, regardless of what he chose.
• Self-Sacrifice Scheme: Kiel constructs a plan for the Tower's ritual that involves using himself as the final sacrifice. Though it doesn't count for anything in the end, he acknowledges he "couldn't care less anymore," having become so overwhelmed with guilt at letting Rood die. Both of them are eventually expelled alive from the demon world, subverting Kiel's sacrifice.
• Sexier Alter Ego: Blow to Rood. It's mentioned a few times, and it helps that Blow appears several years older than Rood, who still looks like a willowy teenager. Master even exploits this by distributing flyers with a dashing picture of Blow encouraging clients to come forward and enlist his help, much to Rood's humiliation.
• Shrinking Violet: Lidusis is a classic example, only male.
• Sleep Cute: Chapter 72 ends with an absolutely adorable shot of Rood and baby dragon Dio sleeping together.
• Stalker without a Crush:
  • Shic toward Blow. It's played for drama slightly less than it's played for comedy.
  • Professor Rowell seems intent on following Rood around in order to learn his secret. Her obsession with him goes far beyond harassment, and this is coming from a teacher, no less!
• Summon Magic: Used to summon demons in one chapter.
• Stock Shoujo Bullying Tactics: A variety are used to bully Lidusis. His classmates refer to him (both to his face and behind his back) as "the Monster" and collectively ignore him otherwise while spreading rumors behind his back. He's also had water thrown at him by the klads and was pretty severely harassed by Chevel.
• Take My Hand!: Lidusis saves Chevel this way after Professor Heil drops him off a cliff. Chevel eventually forces Lidusis to let go for the sake of their classmates, though he's caught in midair by Blow before he hits the ground.
• Teens Are Monsters: Chevel's harassment and bullying of Lidusis, while the other students do nothing and distance themselves from him instead.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Blow and Shic during the attack on Helios when the former finally manages to cow the latter.
• The Bad Guys Are Cops: Played with. Lispen seems to think so in regards to the magicians of the Tower, citing this as a reason for Rood not to report him and his true nature to them because doing so would also reveal that Lidusis is the vessel containing the demon king's true power. Lispen informs Rood that if he wants to continue to protect Lidusis, then he can't turn him in due to, in his own words, the ugliness of human nature.
• The Ditz: Dio Varus, who's dead last in his class and usually sleeping during lessons. He's considered so stupid that he's "killed" by Professor Heil and used as an example to the other students as to why they shouldn't become useless human beings.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Dio isn't quite as ditzy as he pretends.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Shicmuon will try to murder people who get in the way of his attempts to kill Rood, so it's no surprise that he'll save Rood's life if it looks like he might get killed by someone else, too.
• The Quiet One: Lidusis doesn't speak very often, though thanks to Rood's friendship, he's gradually coming out of his shell.
• Took a Level in Badass: Lidusis finally decides he can't stand around and do nothing anymore and takes up a sword against his own servant Lispen in order to protect his friend Dio.
  Lidusis: Lispen, get away from Dio. This... is an Artian's command.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Chevel does after the incident in Ishuella. Not only does he stop bullying Lidusis, he even begins to help him out in small ways.
• Trading Bars for Stripes: Kielnode is given the option of either rejoining the Tower as one of its magicians or facing execution for his crime. He chooses the former without hesitation, though it's very clear he's picking the lesser of two evils.
• Unhand Them, Villain!: When Professor Heil is dangling Dio Varus by the neck over the edge of a cliff, Chevel demands that he "let him go." He does. Thankfully, Dio turns out to be a dragon demon, so he's able to quite literally "fly it off."
• Unknown Rival: Shicmuon for Rood. Technically Rood knows who he is, but considers him just an annoying pest, while Shicmuon seems to live for no reason other than to fight Rood.
• Wizarding School: Helios Academy is a school for magicians-in-training.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Most of the comedy surrounding Shic's character stems from his perception of himself as Blow's one true rival in a typical Shōnen action manga. He's not.

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