Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Somehow More Difficult than Usual (1)

After Hong Bi-yeon’s Magic Analyze and presentation concluded, Hong Si-hwa left the venue and found an isolated women’s restroom.

She turned on the faucet, roughly but meticulously washed her face, and looked into the mirror.

She was smiling.

The face in the mirror was wearing a grin that seemed to never tire, even as her facial muscles twitched.

Hong Si-hwa deliberately tried to make a grimace. Despite her efforts, the corners of her mouth remained upturned, giving her a playful appearance.

In this Aslan Seminar, Hong Si-hwa had thoroughly lost to Hong Bi-yeon.

It was truly remarkable.

That little brat had finally managed to outdo her sister.

Considering the years of planning she had put in for today, she had to admit it was impressive.

‘Mage Hong Si-hwa. For the next year, you are banned from participating in any academic conferences or seminars, and for three years, you cannot request Magic Analyze. Additionally, from now on…’

Magic Analyze was considered a defamation of a mage’s honor. If the accused successfully proved their magic, the requester would face penalties, including temporary expulsion from the magical community.

But that wasn’t all.

Hong Si-hwa was not just a mage; she was royalty, a princess vying for the throne against Hong Bi-yeon.

Today’s seminar would soon be plastered all over the news.

[Hong Si-hwa! Defeated by her sister!]

[Requested Magic Analyze from Hong Bi-yeon, but turns out it was original magic…]

[Unjust Magic Analyze? Was it sheer nitpicking?]

[First Princess engages in political strife even at Aslan Seminar. Is this acceptable…?]

And so on.

It was already vividly playing out in her mind. The media had always been her forte. Articles were probably being churned out even now.

She lost a fight she couldn’t afford to lose.

She was perfectly countered.

She had no idea her sister had grown so much.

Yet, strangely, she didn’t feel particularly bad about it.

The face in the mirror continued to smile.

‘Hong Si-hwa. You’d look prettier if you smiled more. Why do you always walk around with a frown?’

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Why did the memory of her late older sister, Hong Erin, suddenly come to mind?

Her sister had always said,

‘I’m glad I died first. I don’t have to fight to the death with my beloved siblings.’

‘I feel sorry for all of you… If only we were commoners instead of royalty, wouldn’t we have been happier? I often think so.’

At the time, Hong Si-hwa wasn’t yet wearing the mask of a smile. When did she start wearing it?

…Probably from the day Hong Erin’s entire body burned and she died.

Hong Si-hwa wasn’t there when her eldest sister was dying. It wasn’t a scene she particularly wanted to witness.

Every time they met, she would throw out advice and counsel as if she was something special, so Hong Si-hwa ignored her.

‘Treasure and take care of your siblings, Hong Si-hwa.’

‘There must be a way. A way for all of you to survive.’

‘Break free from Adolevit’s cursed fate… in your generation.’

‘You can do it… you all can.’

What a joke.

There was no such way.

The Adolevit family was born with the ‘Curse of Extinguishing Flames,’ causing their entire bodies to turn into flames and die before reaching thirty.

No one knew when they would die.

The more talent one had for fire magic, the sooner death would come.

Her eldest sister, Hong Erin, had been a prodigy in fire magic… and died at a very young age.

Hong Si-hwa, lacking much talent, had managed to survive close to thirty, but Hong Bi-yeon, who had become deeply connected with flames, would probably barely make it past twenty.

Hong Si-hwa realized all of this at seventeen.

Both she and her sister were destined to die like Hong Erin.

The only way to escape the Curse of Extinguishing Flames was to inherit the throne and receive the ‘Crown of Flames.’

One of the Twelve Disciples of the Progenitor Mage, our ancestor Adolevit, had crafted that very crown to prolong our lives.

But there was only one crown.

One of them was bound to die.

‘Hong Bi-yeon… you still don’t know this, do you?’

What would Hong Bi-yon’s reaction be when she learned that an uncontrollable flame within her was slowly consuming her heart?

Would she despair?

No, now she was certain.

Her sister was no longer the child she used to know. That girl would surely fight to overcome her fate.

‘Yes. Struggle a bit more, little sister.’

‘Only then can we all survive.’

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* * *

Clap, clap, clap, clap!!

Baek Yu-seol, who had been dozing off, opened his eyes groggily at the sound of enthusiastic applause and cheers.

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“Ugh…

His eyes were bloodshot.

It was hard just to stay awake.
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A 100-minute debate would be more entertaining.

Wait. Was that ever interesting?
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“I’m so sleepy I could die…”

Despite drinking three strong cups of caffeine-loaded coffee during the break, he was still drowsy. The sleep-inducing magic theory was truly spellbinding.

The Aslan Seminar required intense concentration. Although Baek Yu-seol had exceptional mental strength, he couldn’t understand magic, so he couldn’t focus on anything.

While everyone was communicating in a tedious foreign language, he took pride in not completely falling asleep with his face on the desk.

“Amazing. As expected of the rumors.”

“Wow… that’s already the third one.”

“What’s going to happen this year?”

“Damn it, why did I have to participate this year? Damn it. Why are these young kids presenting better theses than me…?”

“Calm down. Just think of it as bad luck this year.”

As the mages made a fuss, Baek Yu-seol naturally looked towards the podium.

There, a petite girl with a bob haircut was floating a sphere of light in the air with a smile.

She had an aura of an absolute protagonist.

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Flame was showcasing her splendid light magic.

‘Ah, it’s Flame’s turn already.’

As the protagonist of this world, she presented the most beautiful theory at the Aslan Seminar, without any interference from anyone.

Aiselle and Hong Bi-yeon’s theories had been upgraded due to Baek Yu-seol’s influence, showcasing brilliant performances, but that didn’t diminish Flame’s thesis.

‘Organizing Light Magic Systems.’

She was fundamentally in a position to attract attention. She had perfectly organized the light magic of angels, an area still mysterious and unknown to human mages.

The fact that members of the Holy Order had secretly infiltrated the Seminar to see her presentation showed just how outstanding Flame was.

“Amazing. Truly splendid.”

General Chairman Arumun nodded with a beaming smile. Flame’s thesis was so perfect that even he, who rarely praised, was satisfied.

“Thank you.”

Even after Flame descended from the podium, the commotion didn’t die down.

While Aiselle and Hong Bi-yeon’s presentations were extraordinary, Flame had thoroughly prepared a show, integrating the atmosphere and knowledge of 21st-century Earth, making it even more spectacular and memorable.

‘Should I say it’s typical of Flame…’

It was indeed impressive…

But the problem was that Baek Yu-seol was next.

‘Sigh.’

He hadn’t prepared much. He had just brought a thesis he had written during the exam period.

The protagonists of the Aslan Seminar were always the protagonist trio, so he had no intention of standing out.

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When Flame had reviewed his thesis, she said, ‘This seems average,’ giving him a preview.

A presentation that was sufficient for a genius attending the Aslan Seminar. It was outstanding enough not to be ignored anywhere, but compared to the protagonist trio, it was lacking…

‘Well, that’s how it was supposed to be.’

Baek Yu-seol left his seat.

After a short break, he had to go straight to the podium.

While walking down the corridor, he encountered Flame.

“Oh, is it your turn next? Good luck.”

“There’s no need for luck. I’ll just do it casually.”

“The Aslan Seminar is something people are eager to participate in. Doing it casually is a bit too much, don’t you think?”

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“I don’t know. I’m tired…”

“Anyway, do your best!”

Flame, having successfully completed her presentation, walked down the corridor with a spring in her step. Watching her, Baek Yu-seol thought she looked like a child but brushed off the thought.

As he approached the main entrance of the podium, an official was waiting.

Seeing Baek Yu-seol’s unenthusiastic face, the official tilted his head slightly.

“Please wait a moment.”

“Okay.”

Inside, the moderator was giving a lengthy introduction about the next presenter.

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‘Now we have the rising star of Stella Academy! The first to successfully control Blink magic, Baek Yu-seol’s presentation is next.’

“Please enter now.”

Baek Yu-seol passed through the automatically opening main door and headed to the podium. Everyone was looking down at him from above, giving him the feeling of being a gladiator in the Colosseum.

The mages’ sparkling eyes focused on him. Despite several excellent presentations so far, the presentation of ‘Student Baek Yu-seol’ was also highly anticipated.

‘The first mage to successfully control Blink magic.’

For centuries, countless mages had attempted and failed to master that magic. But now, a student who had achieved it was attending the Aslan Seminar.

Naturally, they expected Baek Yu-seol to present a thesis related to Blink magic.
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However…

Unfortunately, he had no idea how Blink magic worked. He just used it because it worked for him.

For that reason, his presentation today might be quite disappointing.

“The topic for today’s presentation is… ‘Designing Overlapping Circuits in Prokitex.'”

When Baek Yu-seol began, the mages’ expressions turned puzzled. Some even rubbed their ears, thinking they had misheard.

‘What about Blink magic?’ their faces seemed to say, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘I don’t know it either…’

Though he knew they would be disappointed, he continued his presentation steadily since he had come this far.

Indeed.

His magic was extraordinary.

It wasn’t easy for a seventeen-year-old mage to write such a thesis.

However, the geniuses here were all at that level on average, making his presentation quite ordinary.

Or perhaps due to the high expectations.

It felt even more disappointing than other presentations.

‘Hmm, this is an opportunity.’

Selien’s eyes sparkled. To think Baek Yu-seol would bring such a flimsy thesis.

There were indeed several points worth criticizing.

His magic ignored principles that were previously deemed ‘impossible.’

She wasn’t the only one thinking this, as a few mages watching the presentation had baffled expressions.

Presenting an impossible premise and explaining it as if it were obvious was absurd.

But he was presenting it as if it were natural, making them momentarily doubt, ‘Wait, is that actually possible?’

‘I have completely grasped Baek Yu-seol’s magic.’

From bringing impossible premises as examples, she had prepared a trove of difficult questions.

If his preparation ended with that…

Baek Yu-seol’s self-esteem as a mage might completely crumble.

Though Aiselle brought an exceptional magic that couldn’t be criticized, Baek Yu-seol was different.

His magic was like a flimsy sandcastle.

As Baek Yu-seol’s presentation neared its end, dissatisfied mages reached for their buttons. They were preparing to attack him.

But they wouldn’t get the chance.

‘I’ll use the remaining four critique opportunities all at once.’

Before anyone else could intervene… she planned to completely tear Baek Yu-seol apart.

End of Chapter