Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Stella Magic Knights (2)

After failing his mission, Senior Knight Baydo became incredibly disciplined.

Since it was his own fault, he had no complaints. He was grateful enough that he wasn’t demoted, thanks to the General Commander.

Anyway, since that day, Baydo had taken on tasks that were really menial for a senior knight.

Fortunately, the tasks weren’t as degrading as cleaning or laundry, given the high status of a senior knight, but he took on all the jobs other knights avoided.

Managing the cadets at the Magic Knights Academy was one of those many menial tasks.

Usually, lower-ranked knights or, at most, rookie intermediate knights would handle the rigorous training of future junior knights.

But because Senior Knight Baydo ended up educating the cadets at the academy, both the cadets and the instructors felt uneasy.

However, contrary to their concerns, Baydo managed the cadets diligently and didn’t interfere much with the instructors, who were far below him in rank.

While Baydo was busy with the cadets for the past few days, he finally got some time to rest.

The cadets, who had just turned twenty and were full of energy, decided to hold a small sports event, as if they were competing among themselves.

Since it wasn’t during training and they were just playing around, Baydo saw no reason to interfere and readily agreed.

‘But, why on earth are they holding a sports event here?’

The place chosen by the cadets for their sports event was the first-year gymnasium at the academy.

Stella had more than one gymnasium, but whether it was right to take over a gymnasium used by the academy’s students was questionable.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

He didn’t want to nitpick at that point. He trusted the cadets to handle it properly.

…However, having been scolded for similar negligence before, Baydo, feeling uneasy, headed to the first-year gymnasium where the cadets were holding the sports event.

“But this is the first-year exclusive gymnasium.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’ve decided to use it.”

Something felt off.
T hi s wa s c op i e d f r o m k i ngm t l.or g

As Baydo expected, there was friction between the first-year students of Stella Academy and the cadets.

Unless they were from Class S or nobility, the academy cadets likely wouldn’t back down.

‘Well… nothing I can do.’

Interfering with the cadets on such matters wasn’t right. He was there to protect and manage the cadets, not to act as an instructor.

So, Baydo intended to stand back and watch from a distance.

“Is that kid your friend too?”

“Take him back. Just think of it as bad luck today.”
T hi s w as c o pi e d fr o m k i n g mtl . o r g

‘Huh?’

Until he noticed one particularly conspicuous boy.
T h i s w a s co p ied fro m k i ng m t l. o r g

How could he forget that face?

A youthful, innocent-looking boy who seemed calm but was actually a genius mage involved in various tumultuous incidents, Baek Yu-seol.

The very boy responsible for his current predicament was being bullied by the cadets he managed.

“W-wait…”

Baydo’s face turned pale.

He held no grudge against Baek Yu-seol. If anything, he felt gratitude. Thanks to Baek Yu-seol surviving, he faced fewer repercussions.

That alone was enough motivation to help him, but there was something even more crucial…

Recently, for some reason, General Commander Arain had taken a deep interest in Baek Yu-seol!

Though it wasn’t widely known yet, Baydo found out through frequent meetings with Arain after his mission failure.

In other words, Baek Yu-seol was a talent that had caught Arain’s personal attention…

T hi s w a s cop i e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
And cadets were bullying such a person?

That couldn’t happen.

Even if he disregarded his own situation, the cadets’ futures could be influenced by Baek Yu-seol’s words.

A scene from a novel unfolded in his mind.

A commoner boy being bullied by ruthless cadets, eventually catching the eye of the Commander and rising to become the next Commander!

‘What did you say to me back then?’

‘I’m sorry, Sir Knight!’

‘Do it just like you did then.’

T hi s wa s c o pi e d fro m k i n gm t l . org
Baydo imagined Baek Yu-seol reversing the power dynamic, making the cadets do push-ups as punishment.

“Stop.”

So, this is for your sake. Baydo thought to himself as he spoke sternly.

“Senior Knight Baydo, Sir!”

“Salute!”

The cadets instinctively stood at attention without their staves.

Baydo walked past the academy students with a heavy expression, surveying the scene. He didn’t need to, but he took his time to create an atmosphere of tension.

“…What’s going on here?”

“Well, as previously reported, this is a sports activity to foster a healthy mind and body and promote teamwork…”

The words sounded lofty.

Well, that’s the military for you.

Baydo raised his hand to stop the cadet from speaking further.

“Then why are you holding this healthy activity in the academy’s gymnasium?”
T h i s w as co pi ed f r o m k i n g m t l. or g

“That…”

“Is it because you’re afraid of the seniors in the academy’s gymnasium?”

The cadets flinched. That was the correct answer.

Just as the cadets bullied the academy students, they also faced bullying from their seniors.

An endless cycle of domination.

It was a ridiculous and absurd structure, but he had no intention of delving into that.

“Unbelievable. Do you think you deserve to be Stella’s knights with that mindset?”

“No, Sir!”

“Your voices are too soft. I’ve seen your resolve.”

“We’re sorry, Sir!”

The exclamation marks added. Their voices had gotten a bit louder.

But it wasn’t enough.

“With that mindset, how can you expect to become knights who protect Stella? Today’s holiday is canceled. Gather at the drill yard immediately. Today is hell training.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Don’t drag your voices.”

“Yes!”

As the cadets hurriedly left, the academy students left behind looked bewildered, watching them.

Baydo, ignoring them, strode over to Baek Yu-seol and patted his shoulder.

“I’ll sternly educate those morons, so enjoy your time with your friends.”

After all, wasn’t he potentially the next General Commander? Baydo said the nicest thing he could before hastily leaving the scene.

“What was that?”

Baek Yu-seol, seeing Baydo for the first time, looked bewildered.

The other students also silently wondered what connection Baek Yu-seol had with that senior knight.

“Anyway, we can play basketball now, right?”
Th i s wa s c opie d f r om k in g m t l. o rg

Flame smiled widely, bouncing the basketball on the floor to lighten the tense atmosphere.

“You guys are all dead.”

The bet basketball game started immediately.

‘Damn it…’

For Baek Yu-seol, who just wanted a nap, it was a bolt from the blue.

* * *

“Whew.”

It was Monday, and Aiselle, who barely managed to submit her thesis on time, left the office with slumped shoulders.

‘I did it! This is seriously amazing!’

The professor’s shouts of joy… no, exclamations of admiration still echoed in her ears. Even though she felt dead tired, the praise made her feel good.

‘I was the last one…’

As expected of the prestigious Stella Academy, many students were attending the Aslan Seminar. They had all submitted their theses long ago, and Aiselle was the last.

Even then, if not for Baek Yu-seol’s help, she might not have finished it on time.

‘…I wouldn’t have.’

She would have barely managed to present a half-finished thesis, cobbling it together at the last minute.

If that had happened… she would have been severely criticized by other students.

The Aslan Seminar.

On the surface, it looked like a gathering of geniuses presenting their theses and discussing a topic, but it was essentially a verbal battleground.

At least, that’s how Aiselle saw it.

A place where they tear each other down and fight to secure their spot for next year and the year after that.

The regular attendees fought to keep their spots, and the rising stars fought to take those spots and become regulars themselves.

With a weak mindset, you’d become nothing more than a tasty prey.

She was truly grateful to Baek Yu-seol. He had helped her before, and once again, she was indebted to him.

Now, she no longer questioned why he helped her.

He genuinely wanted to help her, and it was a tremendous help, so she genuinely appreciated it.

…Besides, now that he had ended his relationship with Flame, she felt oddly at ease.

‘Not that it matters!’

Suddenly, an unnecessary thought popped into her head, and Aiselle quickly shook it off.

Maybe because she had more time to herself, random thoughts kept crossing her mind.

From some point on, she genuinely wanted to help Baek Yu-seol.

But she had never had the opportunity. Even when he had asked her to join him in a dungeon, she had declined due to her busy schedule.

No, even if she had helped him in the dungeon, it wouldn’t have been the kind of help he truly needed.

She wanted to offer help that he couldn’t manage by himself, something only she could do.

‘Is there really such a thing?’

What could she, someone like her, do that Baek Yu-seol, who could do everything, couldn’t?

Such negative thoughts made her sigh deeply.

“…Are you Aiselle Morf?”

“Eeek!”

She nearly fell backward when someone spoke to her as she turned a corner. She stepped back, startled, and confirmed who had spoken.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a dangerous enemy. Nonetheless, Aiselle’s face grew even paler.
T h i s w as c op i e d fr om k i n g m t l. or g

One of the most representative figures of Stella, one of the strongest magic knights alive.

‘Arain, the General Commander…?’

Why had he come to the academy building? Before she could even wonder, Arain, who had been hiding in the shadows, took a step closer to her.

“I know your worries.”

“What, what…?”

“You’ve left many traces. If you’ve read such a book in the library, shouldn’t you have tidied up a bit?”

Arain waved the book Aiselle had been reading. The book’s title was [Cursed Bodies: The Fate of Mana Leakage Syndrome].
Th is w a s c op i e d f r om kin gm t l .o rg

“That, that’s…”

Among other things, Aiselle had searched for numerous documents on Mana Leakage Syndrome, both inside and outside Stella.

But she found no solution.

It was such a rare curse, occurring at a rate of one in billions, so research on it was virtually nonexistent.

But then…

‘Why does he…?’

Not only had the General Commander of Stella personally come to speak to her, but he also took an interest in Mana Leakage Syndrome, which she hadn’t expected.

“Do you want to save your friend?”

She wasn’t sure.

But he was Arain, the General Commander.

Surely, he had far more knowledge and information than she did.

Aiselle silently nodded, and Arain, seemingly satisfied, spoke.

“There is a way.”
Th i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k ing m t l. o r g

“Is that really…?”

“But, I need your name. Not ‘Aiselle,’ but the name ‘Morf.’”

Aiselle’s expression stiffened momentarily. Since entering society, she had never officially used the name Morf.

“Is that alright with you?”

To her, ‘Morf’ was a shackle. A name that should have been a source of pride but had become a cursed name she couldn’t speak of freely.

But if it could save Baek Yu-seol…

“Of course.”

She was willing to give not only her name but everything she had.

End of Chapter