Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 217
Chapter 217
Old Story (13)
Aiselle would sometimes recall that memory.
The memory of a time when she was just a child, naive and reckless.
The day when she, in a fit of rebelliousness after being scolded by the head maid, decided to venture alone into Morf Forest, a place her father had strictly forbidden her from entering.
“…I remember. That day, I was being chased by a wolf monster. I was certain I was going to die.”
While following the young Aiselle and the boy she believed to be Baek Yu-seol, whom she now called ‘Baek Seolgi’, Aiselle shared her story with Flame.
Flame listened intently, as this was a story she had never heard before.
“And then, suddenly, he appeared. That man. Though I still don’t know his name or have seen his face, he was a hero in my memory. He saved me… Even if it was just a brief encounter, he was still the one who saved my life.”
As they watched the young Aiselle and Baek Seolgi wander through the forest, Aiselle continued to dig deep into her memories.
“And after that… The knights arrived…”
As soon as Aiselle finished speaking, knights dressed in the blue uniform of Morf appeared and surrounded Baek Seolgi.
He calmly handed the young Aiselle over to the knights, but they couldn’t completely erase their doubts.
Morf Forest was a place strictly off-limits to outsiders.
“Now that I think about it, it’s strange. How did he manage to enter here?”
“Well… It’s Baek Yu-seol. He must’ve found a way.”
“That’s true.”
He probably used some ingenious method that they couldn’t even imagine. Thinking about how he did it would be pointless since they would never figure it out.
“Reveal your identity.”
“Baek Seolgi.”
Th i s w as co p ie d f r om k in g m t l .o r g
“…That’s the name of a rice cake.”
“That’s why I dislike rice cakes.”
Seeing Baek Seolgi respond with such an absurd answer to the knights’ serious inquiry, Aiselle and Flame were certain.
“It’s Baek Yu-seol.”
“It’s definitely Baek Yu-seol.”
There’s no way anyone else could say something so ridiculous in this kind of situation.
“How dare you…!”
The knights, enraged, tried to threaten Baek Seolgi, but the young Aiselle tugged on their sleeves, nearly crying, and pleaded with them to stop. Could any knight of the Morf family be so heartless as to ignore the tearful face of a young lady?
However, one knight, who held a high position, seemed determined not to neglect his duty even in the face of her pleas.
He needed to find out how Baek Seolgi had entered Morf Forest to prevent such an event from happening again, and he was determined to uncover his true identity as well…
“I’m going to tell my dad!”
-Phoo.
-D-Don’t laugh.
-Hahaha. Oops, I’m not laughing. Haha.
-…I said don’t laugh!
The translucent Aiselle blushed furiously, her face turning as red as a beet, and she hung her head low. Flame turned her head away and struggled to suppress her laughter.
Honestly, Aiselle could deal with the embarrassment of showing this side of herself to Flame. But just imagining that Baek Yu-seol had also seen it made her want to die from shame.
“I took a wrong turn. If you could show me the way out, I’ll leave quickly.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m ki n g m t l .o rg
Even after seeing the young Aiselle’s tantrum, Baek Yu-seol calmly said that.
As if relieved.
“Wait a moment.”
-Ah…
For Aiselle, the voice that called out from across the forest was all too familiar, and oh so dearly missed.
Thud! Thud!
All the knights immediately turned around and knelt on one knee, while Flame watched the man with a strange expression.
‘Isaac Morf.’
The father of the original lead character in the novel.
-Ah, ahh…
Aiselle’s expression was already half-distorted, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. But she held back and bit her lip hard, refusing to cry.
-Hey, are you okay?
-…Yes. I’m fine.
Even though she had longed to see her father again, she couldn’t afford to waste her emotions here. She would hold it in until she learned the whole truth about what happened.
* * *
Baek Yu-seol… or rather, Baek Seolgi, was invited by Isaac Morf to join them at the dining table.
But for some reason, even with the luxurious food laid out in front of him, he didn’t eat any of it.
The reason, Aiselle guessed…
“It’s probably because of the mask.”
“He must have a reason he can’t take it off.”
They quietly observed the meal.
Throughout the meal, young Aiselle pouted and complained to her father, with food smeared all over her mouth. Aiselle’s expression twisted as the moments passed.
Fortunately, Baek Seolgi didn’t show any reaction, but who knew what expression he might be making behind that mask.
“Seeing my own dark past… it’s unbearable.”
“Is that so?”
Flame quietly watched the young Aiselle and Isaac. Isaac carefully cut the food with a fork and knife and fed it to young Aiselle, but whenever bell peppers or vegetables came up, she would throw a fit.
“But aren’t you glad you get to see this now?”
A thousand thoughts whirled around in Aiselle’s mind. Why hadn’t she been kinder back then? Why hadn’t she shown more love to her father? Why had she been such a foolish child, always throwing tantrums at her father?
In that moment, she wished…
She could have treated her father better.
Why didn’t she?
T h i s w a s c op i ed f r o m k i n g mt l . o r g
“No, it’s just painful. So painful…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Flame looked at her with a bitter expression.
She couldn’t fully understand the feelings of Aiselle, who had lost her father, because Flame had never had parents.
She regretted speaking and wished she had just kept her mouth shut, feeling that she might have inadvertently touched Aiselle’s wounds.
“I can’t help but be curious about you. But could you tell me what you can?”
While young Aiselle quietly picked at her food, Isaac and Baek Seolgi continued their conversation.
“I’m just… a wandering adventurer.”
“An adventurer, huh. Sounds like a romantic job.”
T h i s w as c op ie d f r o m ki ng m t l . o r g
“Thank you.”
“I heard from my daughter that you cut down a Sharp Wolf with a single strike.”
This question piqued both Flame and Aiselle’s curiosity.
The Sharp Wolf was a 5-Risk monster, powerful enough to wipe out a small village on its own, yet Baek Yu-seol had subdued it by grabbing it by the scruff with his bare hands.
Naturally, Baek Yu-seol didn’t provide a proper answer. They hadn’t really expected him to, but it was still disappointing.
“Well, I guess it would be strange if a guy who beats up 6 to 7-Risk Dark Mages would lose to a 5-Risk beast.”
“True. Although I’ve never actually seen him fight, I always suspected that he was hiding something based on his usual behavior.”
The conversation grew more complex and lengthy, and young Aiselle, having finished her meal, let out a yawn, indicating that she was getting sleepy. They wanted to tell her to stay and not leave yet, but young Aiselle wouldn’t have understood that.
“Princess, have you finished your meal?”
“Mm… I want to go to my room.”
“Call Pesila, the maid.”
With that, young Aiselle left, and Aiselle’s ‘memory’ ended there as well.
It was such a distant memory that she couldn’t recall it properly.
“Well then, now that my daughter has left, I’ll get straight to the point.”
Isaac Morf lowered the mood and looked at Baek Seolgi with a serious expression. Baek Seolgi, too, sat up straight and listened to him.
“First, there’s something I need to tell you.”
After a brief pause.
“I don’t have long to live.”
-…Huh?
Thi s wa s c o p ie d fr o m ki n gmt l . o rg
Thud. It felt as if her heart had dropped.
-W-What…?
Of course, it was true that her father passed away not long after, but… she had never imagined that he knew his time was short, even from this long before.
-W-What are you saying, Father…?
Aiselle asked him with a desperate expression, but sadly, Isaac couldn’t see her.
“I hope you understand that I can’t explain why. But I’m serious about this request. I won’t be able to protect my daughter for long. Rather, keeping her by my side might put her in danger. When that time comes…”
Isaac looked directly into Baek Seolgi’s eyes through the mask and said:
“Could you protect my daughter, even if only for a little while?”
-N-No, Father, please…
“Until she can stand on her own… No, even if she just remains alive…”
In this moment, Isaac seemed more desperate than anyone else in the world.
“Please, protect my daughter.”
Her father’s last request.
To Aiselle, it felt like a curse.
The night air in the forest was cold.
While Isaac, Hong Si-hwa, and the mages were holding their tactical meeting, I secretly slipped out of the tent and made my way toward the place where I could feel the presence of Dark Mages.
I adjusted my mask, as I couldn’t afford to have my identity exposed. It would be troublesome if I encountered a Dark Mage I had met in the future.
“This place is…”
Dark Mages usually infiltrate human society by disguising themselves and blending in perfectly.
So I assumed that this Dark Mage had disguised themselves as a soldier or knight, but I was wrong.
The place where I felt the presence of dark mana was somewhere deep in the forest, far away.
As I pushed through the forest, which was hostile to humans, I suddenly heard a cracking sound from something breaking.
Crunch!
‘Urk!’
A massive tree branch formed into a fist and struck down on the spot where I had been standing.
Boom!!
I quickly leaped back, but then dozens of tree branches came at me from behind.
‘Is that a Living Tree?’
A tree that moves as though it were alive.
It grows by absorbing the blood of animals, and when cut, it bleeds red like a human. That’s why it’s also known as the ‘Blood Tree.’
Living Trees usually live in groups, and finding just one often means certain death, but that’s not the case for me right now.
[Blink]
Thanks to the Blessing of Silver Age November, I had gained an additional Blink, allowing me to perform four consecutive teleports. I soared high into the sky and landed on the highest branch of the Living Tree.
What’s the next move?
Nothing is needed.
Simply sitting quietly and waiting will ensure that these creatures can’t catch me. The strength of Living Trees comes from their overwhelming numbers that can ensnare even powerful beings, but their weakness is… they can’t extend their branches higher than their own height.
Taking advantage of that, I secured a safe spot without even having to fight.
As I sat on top of the Living Tree, still wriggling and moving, catching my breath, I suddenly heard a voice beside me.
“Impressive.”
It was a deep, low voice.
When I turned my head to check, I was surprised to see a rather unexpected figure.
‘What the…?’
It was so unexpected that my mind momentarily froze.
A familiar face.
Professor Laydin from Stella Academy, a Dark Mage in disguise, and a close aide of Aki Haydn, the 8th-Class Mage.
He was a man who served the Dark Mage King with absolute loyalty and acted solely for him… In a way, he had the strongest beliefs of anyone in this world.
‘Professor Laydin…’
He was sitting on the Living Tree, dressed in a neat uniform, calmly looking out into the distance. There, the humans’ command tent was located.
T h is w as c o pi ed f ro m k in g m t l . o r g
“Did you come here to find me?”
I nodded without answering.
Even just a single word from me could make him remember my voice, and that could cause a serious temporal distortion, potentially twisting the future entirely.
“I have no intention of harming you.”
T hi s w a s c o pi e d fr om kin g mt l .o r g
I started to draw my Terivon but then realized it would be problematic if I was discovered, so I instead drew my backup staff and pointed it at him.
Fighting him would not only make it difficult to win, but it could also create issues with the causality of time. However, I made a gesture to show that I was ready to defend myself.
“You’re rather quick-tempered. Are all human mages like you?”
“I don’t intend to fight you. On the contrary, I’ve come to save you.”
The atmosphere was slightly different from the Laydin who was a professor at Stella. I wasn’t sure what it was.
I shook my staff up and down, as if asking, ‘What do you mean?’ Laydin then parted his lips. It seemed he didn’t want to fight me either.
“The mages are once again about to bring calamity upon this world. You call us Dark Mages and label us as evil, but it’s the opposite. You have always threatened the world, and we have always saved it from behind the scenes.”
T his w a s co p i e d f ro m k i n g m tl .o r g
Th i s wa s c o p i e d fr om ki n gmt l . or g
After saying that, he stood up from his seat. I quickly turned my head towards the command tent and saw that the people had started to disperse, indicating that the meeting was over.
When I used the Bulbul Glasses to zoom in… for some reason, Isaac Morf and Princess Hong Si-hwa were the only ones who hadn’t left the tent.
The two of them were staying behind to have a conversation. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, thinking it wouldn’t be a pleasant one.
“I do not hate mages.”
“All of you still have the possibility of being saved.”
After saying that, Laydin turned into mist and disappeared on the spot.
“…Sounds like a cult. Do they expect me to make a confession or something?”
Thi s w a s co p ie d f r o m k i ngm t l .o r g
Even just hearing the word ‘salvation’ at the end of every sentence was enough to tell that he wasn’t in his right mind.
“Whew…”
After putting away my staff, I looked up at the night sky. It was especially dark tonight, making it impossible to foresee what would happen tomorrow.
End of Chapter
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Molart_Note
É realmente satisfatório rever os acontecimentos na perspectiva de outra pessoa