Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Lovesickness (3)
Eltemon Eltrine was systematically erasing the presence of the Dark Mages in Stella, one by one, based on the information extracted from Kavaren.
Quietly and discreetly.
This way, the Dark Mages wouldn’t realize their comrades were being wiped out and flee.
However, as their comrades continued to disappear, the Dark Mages who had infiltrated Stella became alarmed. Not knowing whose identity had been compromised, some hid in fear while others fled.
T h i s w a s co pi e d f r om k i n gmt l. o r g
“Did you hear? The janitor in the east garden suddenly quit.”
“What? Really? He had a good personality.”
“The supply manager of the 9th Tower also disappeared.”
“Everyone’s quitting suddenly…”
“Isn’t it because of the Dark Mages?”
The revelation that Dark Mages had infiltrated Stella caused quite a stir.
Parents had sent their precious children to the school, only to find it couldn’t even fend off Dark Mage intrusions, resulting in damage and casualties.
Various news outlets ran headlines like [Is Stella’s Security Crumbling?], and many parents lodged complaints.
Most of these parents were either nobles or people with significant social influence, which caused Stella to waver slightly.
However, about a week later, Eltemon Eltrine announced that he had personally dealt with the Dark Mages.
“I have purged the filth that infiltrated the school.”
While it was unlikely that all the Dark Mages were eradicated, the fact that a former top Dark Mage hunter like Eltemon was taking action began to quell the parents’ dissatisfaction.
And, one of the people who had contributed to this situation, Anella, was also in a state of emergency.
-Anella, how are things on your end? Eltemon Eltrine is identifying and purging our comrades through an unknown method.
“Hmm, I’m fine.”
Sitting crouched in the furthest stall of the first-floor women’s restroom in the dormitory, Anella spoke to the shadow wavering before her.
-If things get dangerous, return. Eltemon… that ruthless guy won’t just kill you. He’ll torture you to the point where you’ll beg for death.
“No, it’s fine! Do you think I’d get scared of something like this?”
-I like your confidence. So, how is the mission progress?
“Uh…”
What was the mission again?
Having not thought about it since infiltrating, her mind went blank for a moment.
-Well, if it was going well, Baek Yu-seol wouldn’t have appeared in the news unscathed. Did you make any plans to deal with him?
“Uh, well…”
She remembered.
The original mission was to monitor Ma Yuseong and assassinate Baek Yu-seol.
However, when Ma Yuseong returned to his family, her only remaining task was to assassinate Baek Yu-seol…
Embarrassingly, she had failed to defeat even a first-year student at the academy.
T h i s w a s c op ie d f r o m k i n g mtl . o rg
She was not only defeated, but her identity was also exposed, and her abilities were sealed, making the mission a failure from the start.
Under normal circumstances, she should have returned by now, but Anella didn’t want to.
She wanted to stay a little longer and find a way to return to being human.
Although she had already decided to stay close to Baek Yu-seol, she couldn’t recklessly betray her organization.
They would send another skilled assassin, and if someone stronger targeted Baek Yu-seol, she wouldn’t be able to stop them.
“Yes, trust my abilities. I can completely break his spirit.”
-Okay. I trust you. If you successfully complete the mission and return, we’ll consider a promotion for you. You’ve been a Dark Mage for over 20 years now. It’s time you had a proper life.
“…Yes.”
T h is w as c o p i e d f r o m k i ng mtl .o rg
-Disconnecting now.
Sssshh!
As the shadow seeped into the floor, Anella leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
“Haaa…”
In her 40 years of life, had she ever borne such a heavy burden on her mind?
She had lived her life without any real thought, so probably not.
Anyway, the time she could stay at Stella was limited to the summer vacation.
Before returning, she had to gather as much information from Baek Yu-seol as possible and act with utmost caution.
Squeak
Resolving herself, she opened the restroom stall and stepped out to find a girl washing her hands at the sink.
“Humming~”
Humming a tune, the girl had shoulder-length hair and a petite figure. Recognizing her face, Anella’s expression stiffened slightly.
‘F-Flame…?’
T h i s wa s copi e d f r om k i n g m t l . o rg
This was truly peculiar.
Despite being 40 years old, whenever she stood before this much younger girl, she felt intimidated and couldn’t speak properly, like a mouse before a cat.
Anella tried to walk past Flame as nonchalantly as possible, but Flame spoke to her first.
“Not washing your hands after using the toilet?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… right, I should…”
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l .org
Though she hadn’t actually used the toilet, she had no choice but to approach the sink.
“You were in there for a long time. Do you have constipation?”
“No! I don’t have constipation!”
T h i s wa s c o p i ed f rom k i n gm t l .or g
“Why so sensitive? If it’s not, then it’s not.”
“…Whatever.”
“Then what were you doing in there for so long?”
T h i s w a s co p i ed f ro m ki n g mt l . o r g
She had set up a ‘Shadow Barrier’ in the stall, so no conversation could be overheard. Unless someone was a high-level mage, it was impossible to eavesdrop, and Flame was only 4th class, so there was no need to worry.
Yet, for some reason, even lying felt terrifying.
“…Actually, it was constipation…”
“Take some probiotics.”
“…I already do.”
Anella cried inwardly. Having to dress and act like a high school girl was mortifying enough, but now she had to lie to a high school student because she was scared.
Should I just die…?
As she seriously contemplated that, Flame suddenly spoke.
“Why are you so scared?”
“…Huh?”
“Who’s threatening to eat you?”
“N-no! I’m not scared at all!”
Thinking about it, she had no reason to be scared. Despite Stella’s notorious reputation, it was still just a school with ordinary seventeen-year-old students.
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l .or g
“Don’t worry. I was going to eat you, but I’ll let it slide this time.”
“…Eh.”
Suddenly, chills ran down her spine.
When Anella turned her head jerkily to look at Flame, Flame was looking at herself in the mirror as she spoke.
“Maybe because I’m tired, my skin looks bad. It’s not acne, is it?”
“Uh, um…”
“Oh, right. That guy is away now.”
“Yes…”
After the school competition, Baek Yu-seol had accompanied Flowerseorin to the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.
The Elf King had personally invited him into his carriage, which had become quite the topic of conversation, so everyone at Stella knew about it.
“So, I was asked for a favor.”
“A favor?”
Drip!
As Flame turned off the faucet, she finally met Anella’s gaze directly.
This matter was related to the incident [Dark Mana Erosion] from the original romance-fantasy novel, making it quite significant.
In the original, Professor Maizen Tiren became corrupted by dark mana, causing great harm.
But in reality, because Baek Yu-seol dealt with Maizen Tiren, it was now unclear who would cause the dark mana erosion.
Initially, Baek Yu-seol intended to investigate it himself, but due to the situation with Flowerseorin, he couldn’t, so he asked Flame to investigate.
And… since this was the first time Baek Yu-seol had ever asked her to do something, Flame intended to take it very seriously.
“While he’s away, be my errand girl.”
“…What?”
The words were so shocking that Anella couldn’t even respond properly.
* * *
Most students returned to their hometowns during the vacation, but Aiselle Morf did not. To be precise, she couldn’t.
She had no hometown to return to.
So, Aiselle took full-time seasonal classes.
Of course, she was an unusual case. Many students didn’t return home, but with enough credits, why bother stressing over more classes?
But Aiselle took them anyway.
The reason was simple.
Because she could study more.
Precisely…
Because she could study for free.
Stella’s seasonal classes didn’t charge tuition fees, so it was a great opportunity for Aiselle, who was short on money.
Who would refuse free education?
‘Everyone else is foolish.’
But luck wasn’t on her side.
“The professor for the Hyperlinked Education class is unexpectedly unavailable, so the class is canceled.”
“…What?”
The professor for the subject she was taking had disappeared.
The Hyperlinked Education class was notoriously unpopular with less than twenty students enrolled, so they didn’t even attempt to find a substitute and simply canceled the class.
“My class…”
But it’s okay!
She had filled her schedule with classes to burn through the entire summer vacation, so there were still plenty of lectures to attend.
“The professor for the Theory of Hazron Logic is unavailable, so the class is canceled.”
“The Advanced Mathematics Level 3 class is canceled due to the professor’s personal circumstances.”
“The Introduction to Design Theory class is…”
However.
T h is wa s c o pi e d f r o m k in g m t l. or g
All the classes Aiselle was taking began to get canceled one after another.
Most of the reasons were the same.
‘The professor has disappeared.’
Trying to prepare a horror special for summer or something? Why were all the professors disappearing?
Of course, not all classes were completely canceled. Classes with many students had substitute instructors, so she could attend them.
Aiselle chose such lectures and continued her studies as best as she could.
But she wasn’t pleased that she couldn’t take the classes she wanted with the professors she wanted, and sometimes the subjects themselves changed, which she didn’t like at all.
She had planned to burn through the entire summer vacation with classes, but now her schedule had gaping holes.
“Haaa…”
“You’re really stubborn. Good students are always so stingy.”
During lunch.
Aiselle’s friend, Marillen, didn’t return home and stayed in the dorm.
She didn’t need to take classes, so she spent her time in the dorm and occasionally came out for lunch, where she would find the exhausted Aiselle and click her tongue.
“Studying is about accumulating knowledge. It becomes part of your flesh and bones, so you shouldn’t neglect it.”
“You sound just like my mom… Are all top students like you?”
“…Hmm. Not sure?”
Aiselle was both a genius and a hard worker.
Everyone recognized that.
But what about other top students?
Hong Bi-yeon rarely studied in places with a lot of people, so it was hard to tell. Hae Wonryang and Flame were often seen in the library but weren’t as diligent as Aiselle.
Ma Yuseong and Baek Yu-seol… always seemed to be out having fun. Yet their grades were always top-notch, causing envy among many students.
“You’re the most diligent by far.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not even first.”
“…Aren’t you third this year?”
“Yes?”
“You’re so annoying… If you ever get stabbed, know that I’m the culprit.”
Exchanging jokes, Aiselle thought about the other students in Class S.
It seemed none of them were studying properly during the summer vacation.
Even Baek Yu-seol, invited by the Elf King, went to the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree for the summer vacation. He must be enjoying a banquet at the White Castle by now.
‘How peculiar…’
Baek Yu-seol didn’t need to study to be smart. He was a regressor.
Normally, one could dismiss it as ‘Well, he’s a regressor, so naturally,’ but this incident was quite peculiar.
‘The Orb of Souls shone pure white…’
The thousands of spectators didn’t seem to understand what that meant, but Aiselle, with her considerable knowledge about the Orb of Souls, was covered in goosebumps.
For the Orb of Souls to shine pure white meant that Baek Yu-seol had a ‘noble soul,’ akin to celestial beings or spirits.
‘A noble soul…’
T h is w as co p i e d f ro m k in g m t l .or g
It might sound like a simple term, but having a noble soul required incredibly stringent conditions.
However, sentient beings, including humans and non-humans, violated most of these conditions the moment they were born.
They must not sin, harm any living being, be tainted by anything dirty, or even entertain impure thoughts.
To put it extremely, ignoring litter on the street or having erotic fantasies about someone are all actions that can corrupt the soul.
No, it sounds unreasonable.
How could a thinking being not violate any of these conditions?
So, sentient beings couldn’t be noble.
That was the norm.
…Until Baek Yu-seol shattered common sense once again.
‘What’s the cause?’
Baek Yu-seol had not lived an ordinary life. He must have turned back time hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of times, committing countless sins and taking numerous lives.
Yet, if his soul was still noble… there must be a reason.
‘Hmm…’
Aiselle liked exploring and had a personality that kept digging until she satisfied her curiosity.
After lunch.
“I’m going back to be a lazy worm!”
“Yes… work hard at wriggling.”
“Yeah! You too, good luck!”
Sending the excited Marillen, who was eager for her nap, back to the dorm, Aiselle headed to the library again.
Originally, it was time for the Hyperlinked Education class, but since it was canceled, she decided to browse through the books instead.
“Let’s see… Noble souls, noble souls…”
She remembered that there were papers or research materials on the purest and most beautiful souls in the library.
‘Ah, found it.’
She discovered a thick book titled [The Most Noble Souls in History] and reached out her hand.
At the same time, a pale wrist reached out from the opposite side, grabbing the same book.
Aiselle checked the other person.
A girl with long silver hair tinged with a hint of red, eyes sparkling like rubies, Hong Bi-yeon.
Of all people, she had grabbed the same book.
“What? You’re reading this too?”
“…Forget it. You take it.”
Like someone caught doing something they shouldn’t, Hong Bi-yeon quickly withdrew her hand and tried to leave, but Aiselle stopped her.
“No, why don’t we read it together.”
“…What?”
“If I borrow this, I won’t return it for a week… Are you sure you won’t regret it? You’ll be dying of curiosity.”
What could be so interesting for the princess to search for this book? It was obvious. She was probably curious for the same reason as Aiselle.
Moreover, Hong Bi-yeon was quite smart. If they put their heads together to figure out their questions, they might come up with a plausible answer.
End of Chapter
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Zitialien
Lazy worm… wriggling… she just like me fr fr