Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Old Story (3)

Who would have thought things would turn out this way?

The fact that Zeliel showed tears made it very easy to grasp what was happening now.

The [Redemption of the Villainess Zeliel] route, which only a handful of players could witness while playing Aether World Online.

There was a reason why only a very small number of players could access it. It required meeting quite challenging conditions.

T h i s w as cop ie d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
The first condition was to increase favorability to the extent that you could interact with Zeliel.

The second condition was to help Zeliel find the Ruins of Ancient Carmenset.

The third condition was for Zeliel to win against Carmenset in Soul Chess.

At a glance, the conditions seemed easy, but the average player would be blocked by the first condition.

Approaching Zeliel, who was not easy to talk to, and raising favorability to the point of having an exchange relationship was daunting. Players who achieved this were treated as veterans in the community.

The second condition was relatively easy. It was simply a matter of following the strategies posted by veteran players to obtain the keywords leading to the Ruins of Ancient Carmenset.

But the third condition… should be considered virtually impossible.

The NPCs in the game, surprisingly, each had artificial intelligence with learning capabilities, and they could be taught Soul Chess. However, how often does one get to play chess with Zeliel?
T h i s w as c op i ed fro m k i n g mt l. o r g

Even if you could play, you would have to be better at chess than Zeliel to teach her, and reaching that level was a significantly strenuous journey.

I, too, ultimately failed.

“…Your father disappeared?”

In the abandoned platform where rain fell.

As we sat side by side on a half-broken chair, I listened to Zeliel’s story.

“It’s my fault…”

She blamed herself, but if you really think about it, the fault lay more with me.

I was the one who taught Zeliel Soul Chess, hoping she would defeat Carmenset.

I never truly expected her to win…

By now, they must be in an uproar at the great towers trying to find Melian. Because who knows what benefits might fall if they could personally save the chairman of Starcloud Trading Company.

But unfortunately, I can confidently say it’s all in vain.
Th is w a s c o pie d f rom k in g m tl. o rg

Would I irresponsibly lead them into such a situation knowing well what would happen if Zeliel beat Carmenset?

Fortunately, Melian will be able to return to his original form. Probably, with a 100% certainty.

Even now, I could do it if I wanted, but here, I must act like a person without mercy or pity.

To rehabilitate Zeliel.

I cannot save her father without any price. I plan to impose restrictions on Zeliel again this time.

There are many villains in the world of Aether World Online, but there are two main villainesses who are closest to the protagonist, antagonizing them.

Hong Bi-yeon, who holds supreme power, and Zeliel, who controls the world’s finances.

They were formidable adversaries for the common girl protagonist, but the benefits of redeeming them were equally significant.

The reason needs no explanation.
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ngm t l. or g

Especially when Zeliel is redeemed, a tremendous change comes to the world

For the sake of atoning for the heinous wrongs she committed living solely for her own benefit, Zeliel donates her enormous finances for the development of the world.

Of course, just because she atones through finances doesn’t erase the countless annoying episodes she caused for the protagonist, and thus, she was one of the unfortunate villainesses who, despite her beautiful appearance, also had many anti-fans.

…To be honest, I was not particularly fond of Zeliel either.

“I’ll take responsibility and find your father.”

“…Really? Can you really find him?”

T h i s w a s cop ied f r o m ki ngm t l . o r g
She asked with a voice full of disbelief, even though she had already requested it first, leaving me wondering what kind of situation this was.

“Yes. It’s possible. By the way, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

Zeliel looked at me with vacant eyes. She still seemed as if she hadn’t fully regained her senses.

“How did you find me, and why?”

I was curious why she clung to me in the first place. By now, even the 9th-class Archmage Haeseong Wol would be helping her, so wouldn’t he be more reliable than me?

She hesitated a little, then slowly moved her lips.

“A fortune teller… came to me and told me. That if I came here, there would be someone who could help me.”

“…Wait, a fortune teller? A fortune teller?”

Could that fortune teller be the one I know?

Silver Age November once said.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ngm t l.o r g
Someone who recently met me and took a liking to me was a Divine Relic.

Many candidates came to mind, but the most suspicious person I had recently encountered was that unidentified fortune teller I met on the train.
Thi s w as cop i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . o rg

I quickly pulled out the poster I had hidden in my pocket and showed it to her.

“Does it look like this?”

[Looking for a fortune teller with this appearance]

*Characteristics: Charlatan

When Zeliel saw my drawing, she scrunched up her face with an expression of disbelief.

“Terrible drawing…”

“No? I’m good at drawing.”

“…No.”

“I’m good at drawing.”

This friend doesn’t know art.

Well, expecting modern people to understand my drawing might be a bit much.

My drawing is about a thousand years ahead of its time. No wonder there’s no one yet who can recognize it. It’s quite a heartbreaking thing, really.

Zeliel furrowed her brows and stared at my drawing for a long time before nodding her head.

“This person… seems right.”

“Really?”

“Wh-where is this person now?”

When I asked urgently, Zeliel widened her eyes as if surprised.

“I don’t know…”

She said she just met by chance, but frankly, I can’t believe it.

“By chance.”

According to my guess, the fortune teller is undoubtedly the Divine Relic of Silver Age November. Such a being would never make such a meeting by chance.

Especially since it’s said to have the ability to govern ‘future.’

Purely in terms of the ability to glimpse the future, it’s said to be superior to Silver Age November himself.

‘How many abilities has this old man split up…?’

Well, it makes sense.

In the original game, if you grew closer to Silver Age November, he’d openly share his bottled-up thoughts, revealing his grievances.

‘Seeing the past, present, and future simultaneously is not a happy thing. Imagine knowing precisely when the beautiful relationship you have now will end.’

Imagine falling in love with someone and constantly seeing that woman’s death lingering before your eyes for the rest of your life.

That… would be no blessing but a curse.

“Well, then.”

I stood up and tilted the umbrella toward Zeliel. According to the forecast from the great towers, the monsoon front was approaching, so this rain wouldn’t stop for a while.

By now, they said Haeseong Wol was helping Zeliel.

It’s a perfect opportunity.

In usual circumstances, it’s impossible even to speak to such a great Archmage, but I plan to make the most of it.

* * *

Lotus Inn.

…About a thousand li away, on a watchtower built atop the clouds.

This place, which served as the model for the famous painting where immortals gathered to play Go, “Immortal Painting,” was once earmarked for development as a tourist destination in modern times but was canceled, leaving it untouched by human feet.

All the immortals have left, and ordinary humans cannot visit this place.

Thud!

There.

Silver Age November was playing Go alone. Though it was an open place where anyone could come, no one ever did, so it became entirely his sanctuary.

“…What brings you here?”

As he fixed his gaze on the Go board, when New Moon said that, an old lady emerged as the clouds parted behind.

Holding a worn-out bag in one hand, with a bunch of cards hanging from her waist and adorned with what seemed like cheap accessories all over her body, her name… didn’t exist.

Because Silver Age November hadn’t given her a name. If there was a word commonly used in modern society, it would be ‘fortune teller.’

She gingerly lowered her cheap-looking dark sunglasses to reveal her crooked teeth as she smiled.

“Old man, so this is where you’ve been wasting your time?”

“Time is precious, but one cannot live every moment busily.”

“Have you ever lived busily? I don’t recall any.”

“Why have you come?”

Thud!

The old man placed the last Go stone. The white stones and black stones on the board were perfectly symmetrical, yet curiously, the white stones were one move ahead.

“I came because I was bored. Hoho, does an old lady’s travels need a reason?”

The fortune teller sat across from New Moon, swept the stones aside, and picked up a black stone.

“So, lend me some leniency.”

Thud!

The fortune teller placed her stone, and with a rattle, Silver Age November picked up a white stone. However, he didn’t place his stone and instead spoke.

“You still seem to be wasting your time with useless efforts.”

The fortune teller, who had been talking nonstop, fell silent at this question.

“Stop it.”

“Well~ that’s difficult! From the moment you gave me this power, it became my destiny.”

Silver Age November had eyes to see the future. The fortune teller inherited that ability even more intensely, being able to see the future more clearly.

Naturally, she also knows well that the world will end in ten years.

Therefore… the fortune teller was currently struggling to change the future.

She was tirelessly striving from behind the scenes, finding countless variables and leading them in the right direction to make the world a better place.

However.
T h i s w a s c o pie d f r o m k ing mt l . or g

“So, have you changed anything?”

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng m tl . o r g
The fortune teller still didn’t know.

That Silver Age November had also made countless efforts.

In the days when he held the full power of time without dividing it among the Divine Relics.

He had tried to rewind and repeat the world hundreds of times to lead it in a different direction and failed.

What remained for him was only the despair of being unable to save the world.

‘As the price of ruling the power of time, I cannot interfere in the events of the world.’

Because of this curse bestowed alongside the blessing, he could do nothing.

“Well… I’m changing little things.”

For example, she orchestrated the meeting between Zeliel and Baek Yu-seol.

Those two were destined to meet and help each other somehow.

However, if that meeting was too late, bad things could happen, so she accelerated the meeting to prevent such ‘probabilities.’

Since they were destined to meet anyway, making them meet a bit earlier… can’t be said to change the future.

“Baek Yu-seol. You also seem to have an interest in that child.”

“Hoho, that’s right. That child’s figure kept appearing in the future I see.”

“…I see.”

Silver Age November hadn’t seen it himself. His current ability was too weakened, only allowing him to probabilistically calculate the events immediately before him.

“That child is special.”

He had attempted such experiments.

If the power to turn back time were given to someone other than himself… what would happen then?

He could rewind time, but he couldn’t interfere with it.

So he tried to let others revert time to change the future.

The result?

It failed miserably.

Some lost their purpose and wandered all their lives, knowing only that they had returned to a past time, silently passing away. Others lost all memories and lived like shells, while still others didn’t even realize they had gone back in time.

The toll for an ordinary being to turn back in time was…’memories.’ Time took away only their happiest memories as a price.

For humans who rely solely on memory to live, it was an unbearably cruel price.

Since that day, Silver Age November gave up the plan to let someone else return and the thought of preventing future destruction.

Days passed by idly, waiting for the end to come.

Then one day, Baek Yu-seol came looking.

“That child changed the future.”

Silver Age November said this as he placed a white stone. It was in a completely unexpected location.

“It was a really trivial future… but because of that, the child showed me possibilities.”

Raising his head to meet the fortune teller’s eyes directly, Silver Age November spoke in a solemn voice.

“I now intend to retrieve your powers.”
T h is wa s c o p i ed f r o m ki n gm tl . o r g

The self of the Divine Relic was created by Silver Age November’s power. Taking back that ability essentially meant he was ready to die.

But… even in the face of those deathly words, the fortune teller smiled, revealing her crooked teeth.

As if she had let go of all regrets.

She smiled that way.

“Old man, your tongue is long for the last game of Go. Are you trembling because you think you’ll lose?”

“…You rotten girl?”

Thud!

The fortune teller placed a black stone on the Go board.

Her movement seemed carefree, as if it held no regrets.

Thus.

The final game of Go between two people who could see the future began.

End of Chapter