Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 212

Chapter 212

Old Story (8)

Rumble—!

The ground continued to shake endlessly.

However, the chess pieces on the board remained steadfast in their positions, never moving unless commanded by their controller.

Playing chess in the midst of a dungeon collapse.

It might seem difficult, but for mages who are always casting spells in the heat of battle, this was a familiar and natural thing.

Of course, not for me.

‘Ahhhh!’

After planting my sword into the ground, I froze the ground and my feet with the blessing of Blue Winter December, anchoring myself in place.

Then, I used the blessing of Red Spring March to calm my racing heart and took in the entire chess situation.

It wasn’t difficult.

The calculations were being handled by Bulbul Glasses anyway. All I had to do was withstand the collapsing dungeon without getting swept away.

‘Faster, hurry!’

My mental strength was rapidly draining in real-time.

To utilize the AI function of the Bulbul Glasses, I had to expend a significant amount of mental energy. Considering that I barely managed to handle facing a single high school student the other day, the pain was almost unbearable… How much more painful would it be to defeat Carmenset?

Fortunately, unlike before, I had the blessing of Red Spring March, but the situation was so extreme that my mental energy was leaking out in various ways, causing a splitting headache that made it feel like my head would explode.

[Calculating the optimal move.]

Regardless, the Bulbul Glasses projected a hologram beam that only I could see, pointing out the next move. I made my move without any mistakes, as instructed by the glasses.

‘Ugh, what’s happening now? Am I really winning? Carmenset can’t be smarter than AI, right? Even Lee Sedol 9-dan defeated AlphaGo, so it’s not impossible!’

As I found myself in this extreme situation, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

But, my worries were unfounded.

-Amazing.

“…What?”

T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k ing m t l . o r g
-Even in a situation like this, you haven’t lost your composure and have come up with the best moves. Although I, lacking a physical body, am unaffected by the chaos, if I were in the same situation as you, I would never have been able to make these moves.

Startled by Carmenset’s sudden words, I hurriedly surveyed the board.

Having played quite a bit of Soul Chess in the past, it wasn’t difficult to grasp the situation even without the help of the Bulbul Glasses.

“This is…”

-Checkmate. I’ve lost.

I won.

And it was a perfect victory.

Without allowing a single attack, I had completely overwhelmed Carmenset with sheer skill.

Rumble!

“Ugh!”

As Carmenset’s King fell, the vibrations intensified, as if the very roots of the dungeon were being uprooted.

Yet, amidst the chaos, Carmenset continued speaking without the slightest tremor in his voice.
T his wa s c o pi e d f ro m k i n gmtl . o r g

-Make your wish.

Finally, the moment had come.

I carefully considered my words and then spoke.

“I wish for Melian’s body, which has been cursed with immortality due to your wish, to be restored to its original state, and I wish for the malignant tumor ‘Azkan Claw’ that is consuming his heart to be permanently halted.”

-…Your wish is quite lengthy.

“You can do that much, right? After all, I’m better at chess than you.”

Rumble… Rumble…!

Not only was the dungeon collapsing, but small holes were starting to appear in the space around us. Watching the horrifying sight of what looked like small black holes forming and swallowing up parts of the environment into another dimension, I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

-Hahaha, you’re right.

For some reason, he burst into hearty laughter.

-Cursed by Silver Age November, I’ve been trapped in this dungeon, playing Soul Chess alone for hundreds of years. I’ve never refused a challenger nor have I ever pursued one trying to escape.

I didn’t understand why Carmenset was suddenly speaking at length, but I got the feeling that his words were somehow sincere.

-And today, this was the most enjoyable game of chess I’ve ever had. If there’s another opportunity… I’d like to play with you again!

After shouting that, Carmenset’s red glowing eyes flickered… and then he disappeared somewhere.

He must have moved to ‘another timeline.’ This dungeon would likely follow Carmenset due to the collapse of space-time, and getting caught in that would almost certainly lead to a doomed fate.

But, I had one last card to play.

“Silver Age November!”

I called out his name toward the void.

“I know you’re watching this moment!”

Previously, I had played poker with him and had promised to meet him again.

For ordinary humans, a ‘reunion’ isn’t that difficult. You just set a time and place and meet again.

But for a time traveler like him, time is a fluid and irregular existence.

Since Silver Age November equates reunion with a miracle, he must be watching me closely in a special way.

“Just once is enough!”

Whooooom—!!

I could no longer even hear the sound of the dungeon collapsing.

Only an unpleasant white noise, like a phone vibrating harshly under the covers, filled my ears.

My body, too, was slowly being sucked into the gaps of space-time.

Even as I felt myself disappearing, I shouted out to Silver Age November.

“So, turn back the ‘Clockwork of Time’…”

And then.

My consciousness faded.

**…Hmm!”

Silver Age November, who had been playing Go alone, suddenly felt every nerve in his body stand on end as he lifted his head.

In his silver eyes, he captured the image of Baek Yu-seol.

A horrific catastrophe was unfolding in real-time.

‘Damn it…’

He wasn’t always watching him, so it was impossible to immediately figure out how that brilliant boy got caught up in the chaos of space-time. But one thing entered his mind.

‘He got tangled up in some bizarre incident the moment I took my eyes off him, huh…!’

What kind of life was this boy living that he would face a situation that even Silver Age November would struggle with, and at the young age of seventeen, no less?

But that wasn’t important.

What mattered was the word Baek Yu-seol had shouted at the end, ‘Clockwork of Time.’

The word was etched deeply into his mind.

He had asked Silver Age November for a ‘time travel.’

Without Silver Age November’s blessing, the side effects would be severe, but perhaps Baek Yu-seol, who had lived through countless timelines… might survive.

However, there was a problem.

T h is w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n gmt l. or g
‘…With my current strength, it’s impossible to fully pull Baek Yu-seol out of that vortex.’

If he had absorbed a relic of the past, it might have been possible, but for now, his power to control time was incredibly weak.

Then, a sudden thought occurred to him.

‘Wait a minute…’

Silver Age November sensed it.

At this very moment, somewhere, a ‘relic of the past’ was in operation.

Since it was another version of himself, and its power was originally his own…

‘…Borrowing that power might just be possible.’

Using a power that was originally his own to forcibly wedge it into that gap in time. It was a pitiful situation, but one he had brought upon himself, so there was no other choice.

Silver Age November crossed his legs and focused his mind.

‘The time period the relic of the past is observing is ten years ago in Aether World.’

Although he couldn’t bring Baek Yu-seol back to the present, he could temporarily anchor him in that time period, and then, once he had gathered enough power, he could bring him back.

Wouldn’t it be better to stay in the past for a while rather than get swept up in the vortex of time?

“Hoo…”

It had been a long time since he had turned back the Clockwork of Time, so he felt a bit nervous, but he calmly activated his power and opened his mouth.

“Baek Yu-seol, can you hear me?”

He wasn’t sure if his voice would reach someone who had already been swept into the vortex of space-time, but he had to deliver the message.

“I’m going to send you to the past, ten years ago. However, there’s something you must remember.”

The most important advice he could give to a time traveler.

“Never try to change an event that occurred in the past. Otherwise, the future will be completely erased…”

For example, in the modern Aether World, society was built upon the ‘Third Magical War’ that occurred a hundred years ago.

But what if a time traveler suddenly went back a hundred years and prevented the Third Magical War?

So, what would happen to the present?

Would history suddenly be rewritten and another world emerge where the war never occurred?

No.

This world… would disappear.

Everyone’s memories, wills, history, civilization, family, friends, and fate.

Everything would be completely erased as if it never existed.

“You were able to defy the destiny of time. That was something even I couldn’t do. But you must never alter the fate of the past! Absolutely, absolutely! You must remember this!”

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l . o r g
He desperately shouted towards Baek Yu-seol one last time, and then.

Flash!

The silver gears filled the night sky, rotating precisely 3,650 times in reverse before vanishing.

“Hoo…”

Confirming that Baek Yu-seol’s presence had completely disappeared, Silver Age November wiped the sweat from his brow and stood up.

“Please, let nothing go wrong…”

* * *

Aiselle and Flame searched the ruined city of Karacornia in a different direction from the other expedition members.

In truth, their search wasn’t even much of a search, as they were quite clumsy at it.

Experts could easily deduce the level of technology, eating habits, and culture of ancient people just from small pieces of stone or marks on buildings.

Using that information, they quickly figured out where the ‘important things’ were hidden and began their investigation…

But compared to that, Aiselle and Flame had no knowledge of ruin exploration at all.

After all, they were magic warrior cadets trained to fight Dark Mages, not archaeologists.

Even though they had some experience with camping, ruins were a completely different story. Here, they were no more than ordinary people with some magic skills.

‘But it’s not like only experts can do exploration.’

Flame recalled a scene from a movie she had watched when she was younger… No, to be precise, a scene from her ‘previous life.’

A legendary treasure that countless experts and brave men failed to find was accidentally discovered by an ordinary heroine, leading to the start of her journey for supernatural powers.

Just because they were ordinary didn’t mean they couldn’t accomplish anything. Although it was just a movie and a work of fiction, wasn’t Aiselle someone who, in and of herself, was as special as fiction?
Thi s w as c o pi ed fr o m k i n g m t l.o r g

It wasn’t that Aiselle’s existence was fictional. Rather, she was just that special.

‘Aiselle, you’re the protagonist.’

Flame slowly followed behind her. Unfortunately, she didn’t possess the special power of destiny, but Aiselle did.

And as expected, Aiselle was gradually heading toward the right answer.

Even though she didn’t know anything and was just wandering around Karacornia aimlessly…

The unidentified sense of discomfort wasn’t fading away; it was getting closer.

And finally, they arrived at a place.

“…It’s a tower.”

“Yeah. It was hard to find with all the twists and turns, but we finally made it.”

It was a place they had read about in the underground library of Stella. Although it looked slightly different from the records, the overall features were very similar.

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r om ki n gmt l.or g
Aiselle and Flame stood in front of a tall, towering structure and looked at each other.

“…Shall we go in?”

“I-I’m ready.”

Saying they weren’t nervous would be a lie.

Aiselle took a deep breath and reached out her hand toward the main entrance of the tower. All she needed to do now was push and…

“Hello?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

…Before they even realized it, they were already inside the tower.

“W-What is this?”

Flame hurriedly looked around.

Three warm cups of coffee.

A red carpet and red curtains.

The warmth of a crackling fireplace filled the room, and a cool breeze gently blew in through the wide-open glass windows.

“What’s the big surprise?”

And in that room, there was Kaila.

She had shed her adventurer’s outfit and was now dressed in an elegant gown, like a princess, as she approached the girls.

“My darlings, aren’t you tired from your adventure? I’m actually quite exhausted. How about we enjoy some tea?”

Aiselle and Flame looked at her warily, taking a step back and drawing their staffs.

“Oh my, weren’t we friends? Have you started hating me already?”

“…Who are you, really?”

In response to Aiselle’s question, Kaila smiled sweetly.

“Well, I wonder about that too. I don’t have any memories of my childhood.”

“You have no memories?”

“Yes. At some point… I just realized I had this ability.”

She pulled out a withered apple from her bosom and gently stroked it with her palm. The apple instantly turned into a fresh, vibrant red fruit.

Crunch!

Taking a bite of the apple, Kaila closed her eyes and shivered in delight.

“Mmm~! Delicious~!”

“…What kind of magic is that?”

“Magic? No, this isn’t magic.”

Kaila gazed at the apple she had just restored. Her vacant eyes were impossible to read, heightening the tension in the room.

“Well, no. I don’t think this is magic. Actually, I’m not entirely sure myself.”

“…I see…”

How much of this should they believe?

How much of this should they accept?

“But anyway, why don’t you take a seat? I don’t have any ill feelings towards you. Really.”

Aiselle and Flame exchanged looks.

At this point, they had no choice but to follow along. There was no way to escape anyway.

As soon as the girls nodded in reluctant agreement…

Whoom!

“Ah…!”

“Ugh…!”

Before they knew it, they were already seated in chairs.

“Now, shall we chat? Honestly, the phrase ‘shall we chat’ feels strange to me. What are we supposed to talk about? Is there even a point to such a conversation?”

“Hm, from the look on your face, I can tell you’re not interested in this kind of talk. Let’s switch topics then. Let’s talk about why you came to find me.”

Aiselle’s eyes widened at her words.

“You’ve probably guessed by now, but I’m most likely a ‘Relic of Silver Age November.’ After living for so long, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to after pondering about myself. What do you think?”

She didn’t even know her own identity. No, more importantly…

A relic… was a person.

And not just any person, but one who lived among people, like an ordinary person.

Aiselle wanted to deny the existence of the being in front of her. She felt like her common sense was being completely overturned.

But, in the end.

“I think… you’re telling the truth.”

When common sense was shattered by reality, the only thing left was to accept it.

Having her common sense rejected was terrifying and painful. Perhaps it was even more so for Aiselle, who had always prided herself on her own wisdom.

“What could have driven you to seek me out? The truth is, I don’t know much about you. However… I could sense a very familiar and comforting aura from you, so I decided to approach you personally.”

“Huh? Wait…”

“W-What did you say?”

It wasn’t just Aiselle who was shocked.
T h i s w a s co p ie d f r o m k in g m t l . o r g

“Sister, did you just say ‘you guys’?”

“Did you misspeak?”

“No. I also felt a similar aura from you. With my limited knowledge, I can’t quite figure out what this feeling is… but I approached you because it felt like a good scent. Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just… just that…

Just that.

T h i s w a s cop i ed fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g
That aura should only be felt from ‘Protagonist Aiselle.’

‘What’s going on…?’

Th is w a s co p ied f r o m k i ng m t l .o rg
Why would she sense the same aura from me as she does from Aiselle? Flame couldn’t make sense of her words.

**…Let’s skip this cryptic talk. I’ll get straight to the point.”

Aiselle fixed her gaze on Kaila. Her eyes were like clear silver orbs, beautiful and striking.

“Show me the past from ten years ago.”

Those resolute words were filled with a certain power and determination. She was resolute in her intention to uncover the truth about her father, no matter the means or methods.

Kaila stared straight back at Aiselle. Though it was only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity passed.

“Yes. Fine.”

She answered with a bright smile.

“I can do that much. But… you can’t interfere with anything in that time.”

Kaila stretched and spoke as she stood up.

“Keep this in mind. It’s like watching a ‘recorded video tape.’ Grand acts like time travel are even impossible for me.”

“I see…”

So even a relic of Silver Age November can’t perform time travel.

T his w as c op i e d f ro m k i n g m t l .o r g
“Well, sometimes the power of time travel activates on its own, but I don’t know how it works, and I don’t want to use such an incomplete ability on you.”

“I understand…”

“Anyway, you can’t interact with the people of that era, nor can you meddle in history. All you can do is watch. That’s it.”

Kaila repeatedly emphasized that statement.

‘You can observe the past, but you cannot change anything.’

It was as if… she already knew what kind of past Aiselle was seeking.

“Even so, you still want to go?”

It didn’t matter.

No matter what truth awaited her there, she had already decided to see it.

Aiselle nodded with a determined expression, and Kaila responded with a bitter smile.

“Alright. I’ll send you, to the world from ten years ago. Go and see for yourself, all the truths you’ve believed in.”

At that moment.

The world blinked out of existence.

End of Chapter