Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 213

Chapter 213

Old Story (9)

Chirp—chirp

I could hear the sound of mountain birds chirping.

Drip—!

There was the moist sensation of water droplets falling.

“〇_O_.”

And then, the throbbing headache hit me.

Feeling a dreadful nausea that made me want to flip my stomach inside out, I forced myself to sit up. My desire to lie down was strong, but I couldn’t stay idle because the memory of what had just happened kept flashing through my mind.

‘Remember this! The fate of the past must never be changed!’

Silver Age November’s voice still seemed to echo in my ears. How strong must the telepathic message have been for the aftereffect to linger until now?
Thi s wa s c opi e d fr om k in gm t l. o rg

My ears were ringing.

“Ugh…”

The headache was so intense that it made me groan, but before anything else, I hurried to assess my surroundings.

Trees, grass, trees, grass, rocks, and more trees.

And a squirrel.

“Oh, damn…”

I’m in a forest.

And not just any forest—I’m right in the middle of it.

No matter how versatile the Bulbul Glasses are, without a satellite, they can’t pinpoint my exact location like coordinates on a map. So, it’s pretty much like I’m lost.

[You have traveled to a timeline 3,649 days, 23 hours, 17 minutes, and 47 seconds earlier.]

[Some functions of the item ‘Bulbul Glasses’ are not operational.]

[Some system functions have ceased operation.]

[Loading Constellatio Project…]

As expected, it seems I’ve traveled to a time in the past.

Should I be grateful that I wasn’t sucked into the vortex of space-time?

‘Ten years ago…’

Was there anything like this in the original game? Well, if I recall correctly, there were a few instances of time travel content. It was very rare, but it did pop up occasionally…

Even so, that was really rare, and there wasn’t much in terms of strategy or narration. I have no idea how to navigate through this era from ten years ago.

Fortunately, I don’t need to worry about how to return, thanks to Silver Age November having imprinted the method into my mind. However, the problem is the time I have to wait until then.

I don’t think there’s much that could kill me outright in a timeline ten years ago, but there’s no harm in being cautious.

As I considered this and got up, I felt strangely light.

“Huh?”

[Silver Age November has bestowed a mystical blessing upon you, who drifts through the time of the past.]

[Strength increases by 4 stars.]

[Agility increases by 4 stars.]

[Senses increase by 4 stars.]

[Mental Power increases by 4 stars.]

[Durability increases by 1 star.]

[Skill ‘Mana Leakage Syndrome’ is enhanced by three stages.]

[Skill ‘Blink’ is enhanced by one stage.]

“Oh… whoa.”

An enormous boost in stats.

At this level, it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say I’ve become a completely different person.

[The above blessing only applies while drifting through the time of the past, and the effect dissipates when you return to the present.]

Of course, such an overpowered blessing wouldn’t last forever, but that’s fine.

With all my abilities increased by 4 stars, I’d be able to hold my own against a 7th-Class mage in a one-on-one duel, even if my skills were a little lacking.

Moreover, thanks to the temporary enhancement of Mana Leakage Syndrome and Blink, I wasn’t as lacking in substance as I thought.

“Oh…”

When I clenched and unclenched my fists, I could feel the overwhelming power that I had never felt before surging through my body.

My senses had also become extremely sensitive, allowing me to react to even the gentlest breeze. I felt like I could leap into the air and, well… maybe not reach the sky, but I could definitely become a long jump champion.

“But still, where am I?”

Even though being dropped in the middle of the forest wasn’t too worrying due to my enhanced stats, I still needed to find a safe place.

I’d need somewhere to stay until I returned to the present.

“Is it possible to use the shortest safe navigation feature to find an exit?”

[Impossible.]

“Can you trace Mana Alpha waves to identify danger zones?”

[Impossible.]

“How about situational analysis?”

T hi s w as c o p ie d f r om ki n g mt l . o r g
[Impossible.]

“Is there any registered information about this location?”

[Information access is not available.]

“Ah, geez.”
Th i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m kin g m t l. o r g

As expected, the Bulbul Glasses’ functions are mostly disabled. While I can still view recorded information, they can’t answer difficult questions like, ‘Where am I?’

The only saving grace is that I can still determine direction by following the constellations in the sky and the angle at which shadows are cast.

This level of skill is possible even without the help of the Bulbul Glasses.

To think I’ve equipped myself with survival skills like this. It’s kind of amazing and satisfying.

[※Information: The compass function of the Bulbul Glasses is fully operational.]

…Well, damn.

Anyway, before taking my next step, I made minimal preparations.

It wasn’t much.

I used the shape-shifting function of the Stella Coat to slightly alter my appearance.

If I happened to run into a Stella student from this era, it would be troublesome, and there was no benefit in standing out unnecessarily. After all, Stella students were always highly conspicuous wherever they went.

I then took out a mask and covered my face for further disguise.

[First rule of time travel!]

[Do not encounter your current connections in the past!]

I saw it in the movie *Back to the Future.* Even if it is fiction, it showed how chaotic things could get if you encounter people you know from the present in the past.

But that’s just a movie, and the reason is slightly different in reality.

For example…

Rustle!

“Kyahhh!”

“Huh?”

As I put on the mask to cover my face and rummaged through my dimensional expansion bag, a girl with sky-blue hair suddenly jumped out from the bushes.

I could tell without even thinking.

‘E, Aiselle?’

That’s… Aiselle from ten years ago.

She was much younger, but still as cute as a cousin’s little sister—an adorable version of Aiselle.

She screamed and dashed towards me, not because she noticed me, but because something was chasing her.

And then.

-Grrrr…
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f rom k in gmtl . o rg

A massive wolf, nearly the size of a small cabin, appeared behind her.

“What the hell?”

Is that even allowed?

The Bulbul Glasses quickly displayed the wolf’s rank, information, and weaknesses, but the situation was so urgent that I didn’t have time to read it.

So.

Thwack! Thud!

…I grabbed the wolf by the scruff and slammed it into the ground.

-Whimper! Whimper!

“Huh?”

The wolf, despite its massive size, couldn’t break free from my small hand and whimpered pitifully.

Behind me, Aiselle blinked her big eyes in astonishment. Honestly, I was just as surprised, so it must have been even more shocking from her perspective.

‘Wow, is this what 7 stars feels like?’

In the game, even when my stats went up, it only translated to an increase in attack power and damage, so I didn’t really feel much of a difference.

But in reality, it seems you can pull off stunts like this.

The urge to boost my stats even more was growing stronger.

While holding the wolf pinned to the ground, I turned to look at Aiselle.

She flinched and covered her front with both hands, clearly showing her cautiousness.

“W-Who are you?”
Th i s wa s c op i e d f r o m k ing mt l. org

“You? This little brat, talking so rudely.”

At that, her eyes widened and she quickly corrected herself.

“W-Who are you!”

“What the heck is that…”

It feels like she’s never spoken politely before. Well, wasn’t Aiselle known to be a bit spoiled during her childhood?

She probably even spoke informally to her father. She was the precious eldest daughter of the Morf Duchy, after all. It’s not like she had many occasions to use polite language.

T h i s wa s co p i e d f ro m k i n gm t l .or g
“Fine, whatever. You’re Aiselle Morf, right? I’m Baek… Seol-gi.”

“Baek Seol-gi? Isn’t that the name of a rice cake…”

“People can have names that sound like rice cakes. Want to keep arguing?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Polite language…”

“S-Sorry… I mean, I apologize…”

Th i s wa s c op i e d f ro m k i n gm t l . o r g
Considering she’s still not very good with polite speech, I decided to let it slide.

“So, what were you doing here? Is that wolf your pet?”

“N-No way!”

“Really?”

I mean, if a pet was that fierce, I wouldn’t want to keep it either. Now that I knew she wasn’t keeping it as a pet, there was no hesitation in pulling out my Terivon and summoning a blade of light to strike down the wolf.

Thwack!

Instant death.

In the past, it would’ve taken a tremendous amount of focus to pierce such tough and thick skin, but now, a simple downward slash sufficed.

Aiselle’s eyes widened in shock, but I nonchalantly stood up. I really wanted to scavenge the wolf’s body for a mana core, but I restrained myself to maintain my ‘cool guy’ image.

“By the way, do you know the way back home?”

“Y-Yes… I do…”

“Really? Do you have a map?”

“No, but…”

She pointed her finger in a certain direction.

“This is… our front yard…”

What? The front yard is this huge? And why is there a monster like that living in the front yard? Questions swirled in my mind, but I convinced myself that this was a romance fantasy world, so anything could happen.

Yeah, right. What the heck is her dad doing, leaving his daughter alone in a place like this?

“Well, alright then. Let’s go.”

“W-We’re going to my house?”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, so hurry up. I’m hungry.”

I had intended to avoid encountering any current connections as much as possible, but I ended up meeting Aiselle right from the start.

Is this fate as well?

For some reason, this beginning didn’t feel very promising.

* * *

Rumble!! Swoosh…

Listening to the sound of the pouring rain, Haeseong Wol quietly gazed out the window of the carriage.

A mage of his level rarely remained idle, lost in thought.

Even now, countless problems swirled in Haeseong Wol’s mind—problems that would require dozens of ordinary mages to gather and barely manage to contemplate.

Among the whirlpool of thoughts, the one occupying the largest space was, undoubtedly, Baek Yu-seol.

“…They say the persistent showers on the Haoya Plains during the rainy season are a hassle, but this year is particularly bad. Don’t you think?”

Haeseong Wol spoke without even turning his head to look at Zeliel, who sat beside him, but no response came.

It was clear why—she was simply ignoring him.

If you’re thinking, “How dare she ignore a 9th-Class mage?”, then you’re not a 9th-Class mage.

They had already shed all lingering doubts and emotions, reaching a state similar to that of an immortal or a sage.

“Zeliel. Do you resent me?”

Only then did she turn her head to look at Haeseong Wol. Yet, she still didn’t answer.

Zeliel’s mind was still vividly recalling the recent event.

Baek Yu-seol, standing on the chessboard of Carmenset, gradually vanishing along with the collapsing space-time.

He kept appearing in her dreams. Why did he make such a choice?

They could have simply visited the Ruins of Ancient Carmenset again.

But… he had only one life.

“My Lady, Tower Master. We have arrived.”

Thi s w a s co p i e d f r om k i n g m t l . o r g
The knight muttered in a quiet voice.

The place they had arrived at was the ‘Starcloud Trading Company.’

The city was once a collection of numerous trading companies, including the Starcloud Trading Company, but now, the Starcloud Trading Company had completely devoured it all.

At the heart of this city was a large mansion, which was the headquarters and the very core of the Starcloud Trading Company.

It was also the hometown where Zeliel had spent her childhood.

Waaaah!!

Come on, let’s go quickly!

As they arrived in the city, numerous different races were quickly running through the streets. Something must have happened, but it wasn’t anything serious or dangerous.

Because everyone in the street had bright smiles on their faces.

Zeliel no longer looked out the window.

‘No way.’

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded violently.

‘Not yet, not yet. I mustn’t let my guard down…’

She had no idea what was causing them to cheer so joyously.

If she got her hopes up, the disappointment would only be greater.

‘Stay calm.’

However, as they approached the mansion, the cheers grew louder and louder, to the point where it seemed as though the entire city had come out, making it almost impossible for the carriage to move forward.
T hi s w a s c o p i e d fr om k ing mtl .or g

Waaaaah!!!

“…They must be people who have been blessed by your father.”

Chairman Melian was famous for being a benefactor to countless people on his journey to becoming the richest man in the world.

While Zeliel carried out dirty and despicable tasks without hesitation in the shadows, Melian performed shining acts of kindness where no one could see.

Most of the people in this city owed their lives to Melian, who had granted them the means to survive.

What could possibly have happened to make all these people so happy?

What else could it be?

It was obvious.

‘It’s the Lady’s carriage!!’

Someone recognized Zeliel’s carriage and shouted, and like the miracle of the Red Sea, people parted to create a path.

It was truly.

A scene straight out of a movie.

Click!

As the carriage door opened, Zeliel elegantly extended a slender leg and gracefully stepped down.

However, it was all a facade to mask the fact that she couldn’t control her wildly beating heart.

All the noise around her faded away.

Zeliel raised her head and looked directly at the person standing in front of her.

It was, without a doubt, her father.

Chairman Melian, who was smiling at her.

But why did her father’s figure keep growing fainter?

“My Lady. A handkerchief.”

“Oh…”

It was only then that she realized the unsightly mess she had become.

“Go on.”

At Haeseong Wol’s words, it was only then that Zeliel could take a step toward him.

And then, suddenly.

‘Wait… what?’

Even as she faced her father, she realized that the mana within her heart had not evaporated.

‘No, wait, hold on…’

She had made a ‘Mana Oath’ with Baek Yu-seol a while back.
T h i s wa s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g mt l . o r g

[First, do not meet your father within the next three years.]

If she violated that taboo, all the mana within her heart would evaporate and scatter into the air.

However, despite her father being right in front of her, her mana was intact.

“My dear, I’m sorry for making you worry.”

The warmth of Melian’s embrace confirmed that he was indeed real.

“A-ahh…”

But because of this.

She became even more aware of the reality.

Mana Oaths, which were believed to be flawless, had another rule.

‘If the person you made the contract with vanishes, the oath is nullified.’

Not death, but vanishment.

The oath was nullified only when the person’s existence itself disappeared, making it practically a non-existent rule…

So why had it been triggered?

Thud!

Unable to even maintain the strength to hold onto her father’s embrace, Zeliel collapsed to the ground. Hot tears streamed down her face, and she could no longer hide her emotions.

“A-Ahh… ahhh…”

The emotion she felt at that moment was not happiness or anything else…

It was despair.

End of Chapter