Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Old Story (2)

Woo woo! Woo woo!

The sirens blared loudly, mingling with the incessant rain pouring down.

Boom…!

As the thunder roared, striking the world, Zeliel’s pale cheeks were painted blue. She stared blankly into the empty space with vacant eyes.

That place was, perhaps.

The seat where her father would have been sitting.

World Summit of Corporations.

This gathering included the crème de la crème of politicians and business magnates from around the globe, including the chairman of Starcloud Trading Company, to discuss the economic development of the world.

With over 100 participants, this meeting was undeniably a congregation of the world’s elite, among whom Zeliel’s father, Melian, held the highest seat.

However, he was no longer there.

All 99 participants testified with ashen faces.

‘Chairman Melian disappeared.’

Without any warning, he turned to dust before their eyes.

Swoosh—!

Boom!

The downpour was particularly fierce.

The World Summit of Corporations, held atop a tall tower, had ended its discussions, leaving the ceiling open, forcing Zeliel to be drenched by the rain closest to the clouds.

Three days had passed since her father’s disappearance.

Many things had occurred.

Mages from the renowned great towers across the world, potential candidates for the ‘great tower,’ had come to assist in the search. Just outside, there were hundreds of police search units, and the Steel Pine Adventurers’ Guild had arrived to help with security.

So many reporters had arrived and set up camp that the 7th-class mages had to set up a police line barrier, a laughable situation. Even now, alchemist satellites floated beneath the clouds, casting light in all directions, in hopes of detecting any sign of Melian.

All this effort, to find just one person, bringing resources from around the world, pouring everything into the search.

It signified how significant her father was, but such things provided no comfort to Zeliel.

Like typography drenched by rain, the entire landscape around her melted away. Nothing caught her eye.

In the end, no one could even find a trace of her father.

…Including herself.

‘It’s my fault.’

If there had been some other cause, some other reason for her father’s disappearance.

At least there would have been someone to blame.

But this situation was solely her fault, and she couldn’t blame anyone, gradually eroding her own emotions.

‘What have I done…’

It was an evening when rain poured relentlessly.

When she closed her eyes and opened them, the sun was up.

When she blinked her blurry eyes, it was evening again.

How many days had passed?

The medical team of Starcloud, worried about her motionless state, came to see her, but Zeliel did not even spare them a glance.

“Foolish one.”

He arrived about a week later, one afternoon.

Though the sun was still high, the sky was dark, obscured by clouds.

“You’ve finally brought this upon yourself.”

One of the nine most powerful mages in the world, known as the pillar of the Western Desert.

Tower Master of the Full Moon, Haeseong Wol.

He came to see Zeliel.

With vacant eyes, she mechanically bowed her head when she met Haeseong Wol’s gaze. He didn’t seem pleased with her appearance, and as he approached, he slapped her hard on the cheek.

Smack—!

Her cheek stung.

She regained a little bit of her senses.

“When you sought out Ancient Carmenset, didn’t anyone warn you?”

They did.

The greatest mage in the world, standing right in front of her, had personally warned her.

‘Carmenset will lead everything to ruin.’

Haeseong Wol, who had an acquaintance with Melian, had always advised Zeliel since her childhood.

However, she hadn’t listened.

Because she believed she was right.

“So what’s become of you now?”

She didn’t answer.

No, she couldn’t answer.

Even with ten mouths, she had nothing to say.

Zeliel slowly raised her head, opening her rain-soaked pink lips to ask him.

“What should I do now…”

He clicked his tongue and looked up at the sky. Beyond the business relationship, Melian had a pleasing personality, so they often met as drinking buddies.

Th i s w a s co p ie d f r om k i n g m t l . or g
But to think it would end like this.

Haeseong Wol had also done his utmost to find him, but no method could be found.

“What wish did you make to Carmenset?”

“…I asked for eternal life for my father.”
T his w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m tl. o r g

“Foolish, ignorant, and stupid. Your ignorance harmed your father.”

He met Zeliel’s eyes directly. The gaze of an Archmage, capable of piercing and killing with just a look, made her body freeze like a stone, but she didn’t avert her gaze.

“Your wish must have been granted.”

“…What?”

“What is ‘life’ to you?”

It was a profoundly philosophical question.

For Zeliel, who had lived mechanically, analytically, and rationally, it was a frustratingly difficult question.
Th i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m k ing m t l .or g

“The meaning of ‘life’ is different for everyone. To some, it might mean uncovering the truth of magic, while to others, it could mean fulfilling material desires.”

Haeseong Wol spoke.

“But you asked for eternal life without any conditions, rules, or limitations. Every being in the world is born with their own different meaning of life, so how could you do such a thing?”

Finally understanding his words, Zeliel’s eyes widened, and her lips trembled.

“No, it can’t be…!”

“Yes. Your father has aligned with the values of ‘Carmenset’s life. To him, eternal life might mean becoming a spirit, wandering the skies without a body, just as he did.”

“Ah…”

Thud.

Zeliel’s body collapsed, falling to her knees on the ground.
T h is w a s c o pi ed fr o m k in g m t l .o r g

T h i s w a s co p i ed from k i ngm t l. o r g
The complete destruction of the physical body.

Isn’t that… no different from death?

“Even now, your father, having lost his sense of self, is a spirit wandering somewhere in Aether World. Unfortunately, there is no technology to detect ghosts, and even if we find his soul, it’s impossible to restore the destroyed body.”

Turning around, Haeseong Wol coldly made his judgment.

“…Give up on finding your father.”

The Tower Master of the Full Moon disappeared into the mist, and Zeliel stared vacantly at the spot where he had stood.

“Ha… Hehe…”

Her chest felt like it was about to explode with frustration. Something seemed to be welling up from her throat, and her head felt like it was about to split from the pain.

What is this?

It was a sensation she had never felt in her life.

No, it wasn’t a sensation…

It was an emotion.

* * *

Although he told her to give up, Haeseong Wol reportedly mobilized all the resources of the Full Moon Tower to develop a new technology for searching spirits.

Moreover, considering the possibility that Melian might have survived in another form, an elite magical search team was deployed, but there was still no result.

About two weeks later, as her body and mind were growing weary.

“Student. Want a fortune reading?”

…A passing fortune teller spoke to Zeliel. She was in the midst of coordinating the on-site search, so she didn’t have time for trivial banter, but the timing of the fortune teller’s arrival was impeccable, causing Zeliel to pause.

“What, old lady? How did you get in here! Get out immediately!”

“Tsk tsk. Young people these days.”

The search team tried to chase the fortune teller away, but Zeliel raised her hand to stop them.

“Wait.”

“What? Y-Yes!”

“We will retreat!”

This place was a zone protected by a 7th-stage police line barrier. It meant that ordinary people couldn’t easily enter. Saying that she ‘accidentally’ got in wasn’t a plausible explanation. Zeliel hadn’t slacked on security.

“Hoho, want to see your fortune?”
T h i s w as c o pi e d fr om kin gm tl . or g

Moreover, there was something strange about this fortune teller.

Even though she was facing a living being, there was something… like looking up at a giant mountain.

Even when facing Haeseong Wol, she hadn’t felt this way. She suppressed the eerie feeling and spoke.

“Yes. I want to see my fortune.”

“What fortune do you want to see?”

Zeliel pondered for a moment.

“…Reunion fortune. Show me my reunion fortune.”

“Hohoho. Longing is beautiful, but it’s also a poignant emotion.”

After saying that, the fortune teller looked into the distance. Somewhere unimaginably far away, beyond Zeliel’s ability to even perceive…

“There must be a place filled with memories with the one you long for.”

“Go to that place. If your reunion fortune is good, you may have a fortunate meeting. Hoho.”

After saying that, the fortune teller turned her hunched back and walked away, disappearing somewhere. Zeliel mulled over her words for a long time.

‘Place of memories…’

Zeliel and her father had lived such busy lives that they didn’t have many shared memories.

However, there was one place.

There was definitely a place where they had built memories.

* * *

At that time, Zeliel seemed to have held her father’s hand and boarded a train.

‘Heading to Happyland!’

The worn sign rattled as it was hit by the rain.

This was the train station where the ‘Happy Line,’ which operated solely for amusement parks, ran. Now that Happyland was closed, no one visited it anymore.

With no maintenance, green weeds grew abundantly on the tracks, posters from years ago fluttered, the cracked and demolished walls, and the stopped escalators created a somewhat desolate atmosphere.

Place of memories.

That day, Zeliel had taken her father’s hand and embarked on a journey for the first time in her life.

The Happy Line train had moved solely for her, and the lights in Happyland, which had stopped operating, were turned on just for her.

Plop!

T hi s wa s c op i ed f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
Splash!

Each step Zeliel took caused water droplets to splash on the floor. The simple black dress was soaked since she wasn’t using an umbrella, but she didn’t mind at all.

With each step she took in the deserted train station, memories of the day she had walked hand in hand with her father kept resurfacing.

It had been almost ten years, but her perfect memory hadn’t let a single moment slip away.

The place she had walked with her father, she now walked alone.

Swoosh—!

As she walked up to the train platform, rain poured through holes in the unmaintained ceiling.

Avoiding the occasional leaks, Zeliel suddenly sensed a presence and looked up.

There.

A boy stood.

T h is wa s c op ied f r o m k in g m t l . or g
With messy black hair, wearing the Stella uniform.

Holding an umbrella, scratching his head while looking at a poster next to him was unmistakably Baek Yu-seol.

‘…Why?’

Why on earth was that boy here? Intellectually, she couldn’t understand, but unconsciously, she found herself moving toward him.

Splash! Splash!

Her steps quickened. Her high-heeled shoes, which hindered her gait, had been discarded long ago. She was getting closer to him faster and faster.

T h i s w a s c opie d fro m k i n g m tl. o r g
No, that wasn’t right.

She was moving toward him faster, faster, and even faster…

“…Huh?”

Baek Yu-seol hastily hid the poster with a poorly drawn face behind his back, but Zeliel hadn’t glanced at it even once.

“Huff, huff…”

“What, what’s wrong? Why all of a sudden?”

Baek Yu-seol, clueless about the situation, looked bewildered, but as soon as Zeliel reached him, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

Swoosh—!

In the spot where the rain poured, she couldn’t even stand up, and she slowly reached out her hand. The place she barely managed to touch was… just Baek Yu-seol’s pant leg.

Slowly raising her head, she met the boy’s eyes.

It wasn’t an illusion.

The thing that welled up in Zeliel’s eyes wasn’t rainwater; it was unmistakably tears.

The tragedy that resulted from her own mistakes.

Even the great Archmage of the 9th class declared it was over. Even the best search team, who could find a grain of salt in the sand, shook their heads.

Everyone said there was no possibility.

They thought there was no hope.

Yet, the reason hope tingled in her heart the moment she saw him was beyond comprehension.

“You, could it be…”

Before Baek Yu-seol, who seemed to realize something, could say anything, she finally burst into tears and spoke.

“…Help me.”

What she said wasn’t something she should ask, having tormented, harmed, and attempted to ruin his life.

Now that she had emotions, she knew.

How vile and despicable her actions toward him had been.

The needle of guilt kept piercing her heart, tormenting her.

Rationally, she knew Baek Yu-seol had no reason to grant her request.

Even putting oneself in someone else’s shoes, who would grant a request from trash like her?

She was alone, realizing she couldn’t do anything by herself.

Even so.

“Please, please… I can’t do anything anymore…”

Zeliel bowed her head to him.

“…Hey.”

T h i s was c opi e d f r o m k i n g m t l .or g
When Baek Yu-seol spoke, the rain suddenly stopped.

Swoosh—!

Though the sound of rain still permeated the world, strangely, the downpour no longer fell on her head.

‘Ah…’

Raising her head again to meet his eyes, Baek Yu-seol was covering her with an umbrella.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

As he said that and reached out his hand, Zeliel grasped it with trembling hands.

“Ah, ah…”

Knowing well what his actions meant, countless emotions surged within her heart.

On the day of the torrential downpour.

Even though she was holding an umbrella, a particularly warm raindrop rolled down Zeliel’s cheek.

It was a raindrop filled with emotion.

End of Chapter