Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 103

Chapter 103

27. Taeryeong Divine Art (5)

The award ceremony related to the defeat of Maizen Tiren was held on a small scale. The reason for describing it as small was because it didn’t involve gathering all the students like the previous ceremony.

Prominent figures from the Stella Magic Knights, the Stella Board of Directors, the Stella Magic Tower shareholders, and the Stella Magic Research Society attended the award ceremony. Additionally, representatives from various Magic Towers, including the Magic Daily Newspaper, were present, making this event quite an honor for a first-year cadet.

The students receiving awards included Ma Yuseong, Baek Yu-seol, Flame, Aiselle, and Hong Bi-yeon, as well as members of Hong Bi-yeon’s faction.

While Ma Yuseong and Baek Yu-seol dealt with the Dark Mages, the others were recognized for their contributions in holding back the enemies until the battle began, earning them prestigious medals.

“Now, we will begin the awarding of medals.”

About two hundred famous mages gathered in the unnecessarily large auditorium. Oranha looked at the Stella cadets with bored eyes.

He had to attend this bothersome event just because Stella’s students had prevented an incident at the World Tree.

While Oranha was adept in diplomacy and politics, his rational mind couldn’t comprehend the necessity of this approach. He was attending solely out of obligation.

Click! Click!

Camera flashes went off everywhere.

Yes, the cameras were the important part.

By directly awarding the medals to the students as the Elf King’s proxy and capturing it in photographs, it was meant to convey, ‘No matter what the Dark Mages do, Stella and the World Tree are still fine!’ to the public.
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Politics, conducted by the most intelligent people, often appeared so childish. But then again, if the Dark Mages, who threatened the world’s safety, behaved childishly, why wouldn’t the world’s top magic institution follow suit?

What a funny world.

“First-year S-Class, Ma Yuseong. For setting an example to other students…”

Handsome and beautiful young boys and girls received commendations from the elderly members of the board. It was formal, boring, and tedious, but to those students, it must have been a great honor.

Oranha stood beside them, ready to award the second medal bearing the ‘Heavenly Spirit Tree’s Insignia.’

The students’ faces lit up with joy as they received two medals at once.

“Congratulations.”

Oranha said dryly as he pinned the medal on Ma Yuseong, who gave a cold smile and nodded.

“Thank you.”

For a moment, Oranha felt something eerie from him… but upon closer inspection, he was just an ordinary student. He possessed stronger power than his peers, but that was all.

‘…Unsettling.’

Oranha didn’t like how his senses had reacted sharply to just a student, but he managed to keep his expression in check.

If his discontent expression were caught on camera and scrutinized by the World Tree Elder Council, Flowerseorin might resent him.

“First-year S-Class, Baek Yu-seol. The same as above.”

Next was a boy who hadn’t even shed his youthful look yet. It was hard to believe this tiny student was among those who had defeated the Dark Mage with a presumed risk level of 6.

But that was all. Oranha’s curiosity wasn’t piqued.

However.
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“Congratulations…”
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The moment Oranha reached out to pin the medal on Baek Yu-seol, a certain ‘aura’ emanating from him gave Oranha goosebumps.

‘This…!’

He couldn’t mistake it.

It was undoubtedly the aura of Spirit Leafanel, Flowerseorin’s old friend.

He quickly glanced around but seemed to be the only one who noticed it. Well… humans lacked the ability to distinguish the aura of Divine Beasts.

“Is there a problem?”

“Nothing at all.”

Though a mage from the board inquired, Oranha quickly regained his composure and pinned the medal on Baek Yu-seol.

Then, he rapidly calculated in his mind.

‘Why does he have Leafanel’s aura?’
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No matter how he thought about it, there was only one answer.

‘He killed Leafanel.’

Of course, it was just a suspicion for now. A Spirit Slayer would typically possess a corrupted soul, which would trigger a sharp reaction from a High Elf’s senses.

Since he couldn’t sense any corrupted aura from Baek Yu-seol, he couldn’t be entirely sure.

…However, he soon reconsidered. With Dark Mages infiltrating the World Tree’s barrier, who was to say there wasn’t a technique to conceal a corrupted soul?

Despite being a Stella cadet, it was nearly impossible for two third-class level mages to defeat a Dark Mage with a risk level of 6.

Baek Yu-seol had claimed it was luck, but what if he possessed some ability difficult to reveal in public?

And what if that ability was the power of a Spirit, which he concealed and used to gain admission to Stella by hiding his identity?

Circumstantially, everything fit perfectly.

‘Baek Yu-seol.’

He was the culprit.

The one who killed Leafanel, the very person Flowerseorin was desperately seeking out of vengeance!

If he could capture Baek Yu-seol and present him to Flowerseorin… surely, he would win her favor.

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‘Not yet.’
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There was no concrete evidence yet.

Moreover, it would be more effective to build up the situation gradually and then reveal it at the most dramatic moment, rather than presenting him to Flowerseorin immediately.
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When Flowerseorin’s grudge had intensified and her distress had deepened to the point she couldn’t suppress her emotions—that would be the perfect moment.

Anyway, she would retreat to the ancient castle deep in the Primordial Mountains and have limited knowledge of external events, and with his complete control over the White Castle…

He could restrict the flow of information to her.

Oranha held his trembling lips with superhuman restraint.

‘Yes, I’ll wait until then!’

He could endure a brief wait if it meant creating the most dramatic situation.

* * *

Though the shocking incident of the Dark Mages attacking during the Familiar Contract Ceremony had occurred, the first-year students of Stella continued with their classes as usual.

There were no parents visiting to express concern saying, ‘Isn’t this dangerous?’

Stella was an institution dedicated to training magical warriors to specialize in dealing with Dark Mages.

Of course, many parents who sent their children to Stella hoped their children wouldn’t become magical warriors.

Most of these parents were nobles.

Having the title of magical warrior was a significant merit in the current magical society, so even if they didn’t want their children to risk their lives fighting Dark Mages, they still sent them to the academy.

In other words, to avoid giving the impression that their child would ‘retire after earning the magical warrior qualification,’ they couldn’t complain about such incidents.

Summer had arrived.

Around this time, a new subject was introduced.

[Let’s Become Friends with Our Familiar]

Each year, 50 to 100 cadets successfully contracted with Divine Beasts, so a separate class was provided to help them bond with their Divine Beasts.

The professor in charge was Professor Fedelote of the ‘Let’s Raise Our Divine Beasts Together’ class.

Fedelote, who had a rather large build, might have looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman from a neighborhood, but her unique, warm smile left a good impression on the students.

“How much do you know about Divine Beasts? Divine Beasts are mystical spirits that have evolved into animal forms. They are mostly beautiful or splendid, and young Divine Beasts are particularly cute.”

Though this class wasn’t compulsory, it was very popular among female students. They could earn credits just by watching the cute, pure, and playful creatures during the class.

“Getting close to Divine Beasts isn’t difficult. You just need to open your heart and understand them.”

It’s a lie.

Aiselle thought so and sighed deeply.

She had contracted a Divine Beast named ‘Thunder Glacier Bird,’ which wasn’t the one she originally wanted.

Its name was impressive, but in reality, it was just a small, cute sparrow.

However, it had a nasty personality.

It was like combining the sensitive nature of a cat and the temperament of a kindergartner.

How could anyone get close to such a mean-spirited creature full of pure malice?

It seemed other cadets felt the same, judging by their weary expressions and dark circles.

Only Professor Fedelote seemed to be enjoying herself, laughing heartily.

“To get close, you need to know what the Divine Beast likes. Occasionally giving them gifts will make them happy. Playing with them is also a great idea, but there’s a method to that too.”

So on and so forth.

The students barely paid attention, but when Fedelote summoned a giant tiger, everyone focused.

“If you build a bond, one day you might summon your Familiar directly and stand with them on the battlefield!”

Summoning a Familiar.

It was something only those with the highest affinity with their contracted Divine Beast could do. They had occasionally seen magical warriors riding dragon-shaped Divine Beasts and fighting, so their enthusiasm reignited.

…Though it soon faded as they faced reality.

“Why! What do you want from me!”

“Argh! It’s annoying! You wanted to play like this but why be mean to me!”

“One moment it’s this, the next it’s that! What do you want me to do!”

Shouts of frustration echoed everywhere. Each cadet’s Divine Beast was visible only to them, resulting in the ridiculous sight of them yelling at empty air.

Aiselle was no different.

“Chirp?”

A blue sparrow pecked at her head curiously.

After teasing and annoying her all this time, it acted cute now that she was sulking.

“Ugh, so annoying…”

Thus, Aiselle couldn’t bond with the cute yet vexing Divine Beast she named ‘Bluie’ until the end of the class.

“Students, don’t be discouraged. You have plenty of time!”

“Yeah…”

“Sure…”

Leaving the excited Professor Fedelote behind, Aiselle and the students trudged out of the classroom.

“The next class is in 30 minutes…”

There was a little free time, so it seemed like a good idea to return to the S-Class classroom and rest.

“Hoo…”

Lately, she felt drained. Maybe she should start taking supplements.

The incident during the Familiar Contract Ceremony was shocking, but running into her much-hated enemy by chance and learning about Baek Yu-seol’s ‘incurable disease’ also took a toll.

It wasn’t her body that was tired.

Her heart… was weary.

Could she do anything to help?

Such thoughts constantly plagued her mind.

“Hey, Aiselle!”

“Huh, yeah?”

As she walked absentmindedly down the hallway, she heard Harillen’s voice from afar. Harillen ran up to her with an excited expression and rattled off words quickly.

“Hey, you’re amazing! Did you see the notice?”

“…No?”

“Quickly!”

Harillen dragged Aiselle to the class notice board. Even for the fit Aiselle, the pace was so urgent that she struggled to keep up.

Buzzing.

The notice board was crowded with students from different grades and classes, chatting excitedly.

“Oh, right.”

Various events were held during the summer season.

‘Aslan Seminar’

‘School Tournament (Duel & Battle Royale)’

‘Arcaneum Grand Festival’

Among the many events, the most noteworthy were the ‘Aslan Seminar’ and the ‘School Tournament.’

The Aslan Seminar, in particular, was a discussion forum where the most promising geniuses among aspiring mages from around the world gathered.

Many elites worldwide aimed to participate in the Aslan Seminar, and earning the qualification to participate meant getting featured in ‘Magician Column,’ the most prominent magazine in the magical world.
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And there,

[This Year’s Rising Stars]

[Aiselle Morf]

[Selien]

Aiselle’s name was prominently listed.

“W-What…”

Seeing her name in a place she hadn’t expected at all, she was so astonished that she couldn’t even speak.

“Hey, you’re incredible!”

Harillen shook her shoulder vigorously, snapping her back to reality.

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“Oh my god…”

She hadn’t expected it at all, especially after being criticized for being the child of a traitor.

Maybe the ‘thesis’ she submitted on ice magic during the entrance ceremony had shone through.

“I… I…”

Suppressing the overwhelming emotions, she covered her mouth with both hands.

“…Hello? Are you Aiselle?”

Someone approached and spoke to her.

The name tag on the person’s chest read [2-S Selien].

Another participant from Stella in this year’s Aslan Seminar.

Selien, with long, black hair and wearing glasses, smirked and extended a hand for a handshake.

“We’ll be attending the seminar together… let’s get along, alright?”

“Oh, yes… senior.”

Aiselle replied in a daze, shaking Selien’s hand.

For some reason… although she was smiling, it didn’t feel good at all. It felt as if she was looking down on her.

“Oh, by the way. I read your thesis from the entrance ceremony. It was quite an interesting discovery.”

“Oh… thank you…

“But it was quite subpar.”

“…”

Selien chuckled and continued.

“It was an interesting discovery. I’ve never seen ice manipulated in that way before. But that’s all there was to it, wasn’t it?”

“Is that what you think?”

“To be honest, you didn’t come up with any groundbreaking formulas or great equations… you just ‘happened’ to discover a new magic, right? In terms of level, it was just a high school student’s work, which was a bit disappointing~ Even if you’re a Morf, I thought you were just at that level.”

Aiselle quickly understood why this woman had approached her.

She was just here to pick a fight.
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She was so used to it by now that she simply turned her head and shook it.

“Yeah~ You’re right. You’re so great, senior. I’m sure my magic isn’t impressive at all to someone with your high standards. I look forward to seeing your magic at the seminar.”

With that, she grabbed the anxious Harillen’s arm and led her to the classroom.

Selien glared at her with a stiff expression, but Aiselle didn’t care.

She had plenty of people who disliked her for no reason, so there was no need to get upset over just one senior.

‘The sky is still clear~ and the clouds keep drifting by~’

Lately, Aiselle had faced so many stressful events that this felt like a mere trifle.

End of Chapter