Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 219
Chapter 219
Old Story (15)
Aiselle and Flame continued to follow Baek Yu-seol’s movements.
Before they knew it, a day had passed, and the time for the expedition ceremony had arrived.
In no time, Baek Yu-seol, wearing the uniform of Morf, joined the gathering.
There, Isaac met with mages from other factions.
Adolevit.
Mage Association.
Tower Union.
World Mage Organization.
And countless other powerful magical factions were also present.
-What is this…?
Aiselle recalled that during her childhood, the power of the Morf Grand Duchy had been quite formidable.
It was on par with the Adolevit royal family, if not stronger.
T h is w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n g mt l . org
But seeing those gathered before her eyes now, it seemed like they were trying to keep the Morf Grand Duchy in check.
-So, that’s how it was…
Her father had been under pressure from external forces.
Hong Si-hwa had somehow managed to lure them all into joining this expedition.
-I need to find out more.
The mages gathered in the command tent were so formidable that even Aiselle and Flame found it difficult to meet their gaze.
Baek Yu-seol confidently took his place in the command tent, where the meeting, led by Isaac Morf and Hong Si-hwa Adolevit, began.
However…
It wasn’t a proper meeting.
In reality, it was just a one-sided verbal sparring match, with the others trying to find fault with Isaac Morf.
-How could they behave this way?
Aiselle glared at Hong Si-hwa with a look of anger.
The excuse given was that the barrier of the Morf family had weakened, leading them to barge into Morf Forest with this large army. But is this really a reasonable or diplomatic course of action?
-This doesn’t even feel real.
-Reality is often stranger than fiction.
Of course, Isaac wasn’t just going to take this lying down.
“We will have to seriously consider the Adolevit royal family’s discourtesy. After this is over, we shall meet again in an official capacity.”
His words carried significant weight, and the other mages, realizing the gravity of their rudeness and the danger they had enacted, cleared their throats and looked away.
No matter how much they used Hong Si-hwa as a shield, if something went wrong, they wouldn’t be able to escape Morf’s wrath.
…But Hong Si-hwa showed no signs of being concerned about Isaac’s anger.
The conversation grew increasingly intense.
Hong Si-hwa infuriated Isaac by referring to the White Tiger Flame Spirit as a ‘weapon of war.’
Isaac made a valid counterargument, but no one paid him any heed.
They seemed to have already made up their minds, as if they had their own definition of justice.
Perhaps sensing that the time was right, Hong Si-hwa subtly began steering the topic in a direction favorable to her.
“We have a slightly different perspective on this beast.”
“A different perspective?”
“Yes. We have discovered that the legendary beast, the White Tiger Flame Spirit, contains something that is absolutely forbidden in the world of magic.”
As the conversation continued, Aiselle realized that Baek Yu-seol had already disappeared.
-Oh?
-What? When did he leave?
As they looked around in confusion, the conversation took an even stranger turn.
“A forbidden value… Are you perhaps referring to the ‘Mana Crystal’?”
“…I didn’t say that.”
“Just because you didn’t say it, doesn’t mean I can’t understand the implication, Princess Hong Si-hwa.”
Mana Crystal.
This rare substance only appeared in the highest-grade beasts at a very low probability, and its energy efficiency and power were several hundred times greater than that of an ordinary mana stone, making its value unimaginable.
In the underworld, it had another use.
‘Mana Capacity Expansion.’
A desperate act performed by mages who had reached their limits, absorbing the mana crystal from a beast to increase their maximum mana.
It was dangerous, of course.
A very few mages had shown improvement, from 1-Class mages to as high as 3-Class, but most couldn’t withstand the beast’s mana and ended up transforming into Dark Mages.
Despite knowing this, mages still reached for the mana crystals.
Because they knew better than anyone that they had reached their limit.
“…They say that the purer, higher-grade Mana Crystals from stronger beasts can amplify mana even more. Is that why you’ve come here?”
The mages averted their gazes, and Hong Si-hwa remained silent, staring at Isaac before she finally spoke.
“It’s the opposite.”
“The opposite?”
“That’s right. We recently discovered that there is a way to produce Mana Crystals from beasts.”
T h i s w as c o p ied f ro m k i n g m tl . o rg
“Hah. So, you’re saying that after sealing the White Tiger Flame Spirit, you plan to mass-produce Mana Crystals?”
He said it as a joke, but no one in the room took it as such.
So that’s how it was.
Isaac grew increasingly certain of why they had joined forces.
High-purity Mana Crystals.
They were as addictive, illegal, and dangerous as drugs, yet they were also highly coveted by those in power.
-…There’s no need to listen any further. I need to follow that guy.
Having grasped the reality of their filthy intentions, it was time to find Baek Yu-seol.
Fortunately, since Flame and Aiselle had imbued their souls into him, they could quickly pinpoint his location.
-I’ll come with you.
-Okay. This way.
They passed through the walls, flying in their ethereal forms, crossing the forest.
Crack! Crunch!
-Ugh?!
Suddenly, a living branch brushed past them, startling them so much that they nearly fell to the ground.
Even though it wasn’t aimed at them, the sudden fright caught them off guard.
-This is… a Living Tree.
Aiselle felt a cold sweat trickling down her non-existent skin as she looked around at the creepy, writhing Living Trees.
-He’s up there.
Raising her head, she saw Baek Yu-seol sitting at the top of the tallest Living Tree, gazing into the distance.
They swiftly flew to him…
“I have no intention of fighting you. In fact, I’ve come to save you.”
There stood a person they hadn’t expected to see at all.
-Professor Laydin…? Why is he here…?
Flame, familiar with Laydin’s true identity, frowned, but Aiselle, who knew nothing, was utterly bewildered.
-He’s a Dark Mage.
-What?
-That person is a Dark Mage. Do you see the mark on his chest?
Laydin was wearing the emblem of the ‘Dark Mage Church’ openly, as if he wanted to make it clear that he was a Dark Mage.
“The mages, once again blinded by greed, are about to bring disaster upon this world. Such things do not exist among us. You call us Dark Mages and brand us as evil, but it’s the opposite. You have always threatened the world, and we have always saved it from the shadows.”
-Disgusting Dark Mage…
Aiselle felt an overwhelming urge to smack that obnoxious face. The sight of a loathsome creature like a Dark Mage prattling about saving the world was utterly revolting.
-Why isn’t he saying anything…?
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But even in the face of Laydin’s self-righteousness, Baek Yu-seol remained silent. He only pointed his staff at Laydin, keeping him in check.
Oddly enough, Laydin didn’t seem intent on fighting Baek Yu-seol either. Perhaps he knew that if they clashed seriously, it would be difficult for either of them to walk away unscathed.
Laydin seemed to have another objective.
After a brief moment, Laydin turned into mist and vanished, while Baek Yu-seol lowered his staff and gazed at the sky.
The stars shone exceptionally bright that night.
* * *
That night.
Aiselle drifted into the tent where her father was sleeping.
Knowing that she didn’t have much time left to see him, she wanted to take in as much of him as she could.
Did he know?
That it wasn’t his little girl Aiselle, but a grown Aiselle who missed her father dearly, standing before him now?
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“What brings you here?”
-Wha…?
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Suddenly, at her father’s unexpected words, Aiselle’s heart sank.
-Dad! Can you see me? Dad!
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Isaac slowly sat up, pulled out his staff, and aimed it at Aiselle.
-Wha…?
Why?
But Isaac’s focus wasn’t on her.
It was on someone behind her.
She quickly turned around to find… Professor Laydin, whom she had just seen earlier, standing there.
“I came to see if you’ve changed your mind.”
“I already told you, as long as I draw breath, I will hunt you all down and eradicate you to the last one. How long do you plan to pretend to be noble, you filthy Dark Mage?”
Laydin met Isaac’s eyes without any emotion, despite the harsh words.
“You’ll come looking for me.”
Thi s w a s c op ied f ro m ki n gmt l. o r g
“That will never happen.”
“If that time comes…”
Laydin tossed a black crystal at Isaac. Catching it with magic, Isaac’s expression turned grim as he recognized what it was.
“Swallow it.”
Laydin turned into mist once again and disappeared, leaving Isaac alone, staring at the black crystal.
-That’s…
-The Essence of Dark Mana.
Flame, who had been silently watching from behind, explained.
-It’s not something just anyone can obtain. Only the strongest mages form contracts with an even more powerful world. That black crystal holds immense potential within it. If an Archmage possesses it, even greater calamities might occur.
-This can’t be…
For some reason, everything was starting to fall into place.
The history she knew was beginning to unfold.
The Dark Mage transformation of Isaac Morf.
And his betrayal.
-No, that’s impossible. Father will get rid of it.
But as if to shatter her hopes, Isaac Morf carefully tucked the crystal into his robes.
A deep shadow fell over his face, as if he were shouldering a heavy burden… but it was impossible to understand what was going on inside him, which made it all the more frustrating.
-This… this can’t be happening…
Unable to accept reality, Aiselle ran out of the tent.
Flame watched Isaac Morf with a bitter expression.
He had been a great mage with a stronger resolve than anyone, and the father of the protagonist.
Yet, at the end of it all, something twisted, leading him to a tragic fate.
-Haa…
Is it finally time for Aiselle to learn the ‘truth’?
Flame sighed as she exited Isaac’s tent.
Under the moonlight, Aiselle’s blue hair sparkled unusually brightly as she gazed up at the sky.
-…I don’t know anymore.
-Yeah…
-I want to go back. If I keep seeing this, I don’t think I can handle it.
It was a reasonable thought.
That was what Flame wanted to say, but Aiselle’s resolve was already firm.
-At this point, I need to know everything.
With a determined expression, she set off to find another tent. This one belonged to Princess Hong Si-hwa.
She ignored the guards and magical barriers, passing through them effortlessly and entering the tent.
There, they found Hong Si-hwa lying on her bed, groaning in pain.
“Ugh…”
“Just a little more, Princess.”
Hong Si-hwa was half-dressed, receiving an injection from a doctor.
The red liquid being injected looked very ominous.
“It’s done.”
“…Alright.”
Sweating profusely, Hong Si-hwa pulled her clothes back on and bit her lip as she swung her legs over the side of the camp bed.
“The pain won’t subside just yet.”
“…I don’t care about the pain. As long as I don’t die.”
She muttered such words quietly.
“I don’t want to end up like my sister.”
-Sister…?
-Yeah, her name was probably Hong Erin.
-I’ve never heard of her.
-…She passed away when we were very young.
The exact time was unclear, but it was probably around this time.
-Why…?
“Princess Hong Si-hwa. Do you really believe you’ll find a way to lift the ‘Adolevit Curse’ from the White Tiger Flame Spirit?”
The doctor asked quietly, and Hong Si-hwa frowned as she replied.
“I don’t know. The chances are about 0.01%.”
“…Did you go through all this for such a slim possibility?”
“Of course. Up until now, it was zero. If there’s even a 0.01% chance, it’s worth trying.”
This was her true motive, something none of the other mages knew.
Even if it meant severing ties with the Morf Grand Duchy, Hong Si-hwa desperately yearned for something.
“The White Tiger Flame Spirit commands the ‘Living Flame,’ the fire that gives life. If I can just obtain that, I might be able to escape this wretched pain.”
“…Do you believe you can defeat the beast?”
“Absolutely.”
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Hong Si-hwa closed her eyes tightly.
The pain had become unbearable, making it difficult to even speak, but she didn’t want to show any weakness and managed to finish her sentence.
“With the Adolevit family’s ultimate magic, the Nocturnal Flame Curse, any flame can be extinguished.”
She had already won this battle from the start, due to the elemental advantage.
The first Adolevit had said, “I can extinguish any flame in existence with my own flame.”
This legendary magic, the ‘Flame Curse,’ was passed down only to the Adolevit bloodline.
To prepare for this magic, they had assembled 30 mages of 8-Class, 500 mages of 6-Class or higher, and a massive magical formation.
No matter how powerful the White Tiger Flame Spirit was, it wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
-That princess seems to have her own reasons too, huh?
Flame, watching Hong Si-hwa silently, spoke with a sense of complexity.
But Aiselle’s furious expression remained unchanged.
-Even so, I can’t forgive her…
Even if she had her reasons for breaking the seal on the White Tiger Flame Spirit, what reason did she have to kill my father?
-…Everything will be revealed in time.
And so, the next day came.
Fwoosh!
As they watched the white flames devour the red flames set by the most elite mages, Aiselle and Flame lost all hope.
-So arrogant, descendant of Adolevit…
It was taller than a mountain, steeper than a cliff, bluer than the sky, and lighter than a cloud.
It was a mysterious being.
One might have mistaken it for a divine beast.
The gigantic fox, entirely white, spoke to the kneeling Hong Si-hwa Adolevit.
-Did you really think you could burn me with your flames?
-You were wrong. Even that flame was created by me. The descendants of Adolevit are nothing but arrogant fools.
Hong Si-hwa hadn’t known that at all.
Her ancestor had said that his magic could extinguish any flame in the world.
But that was all a lie?
T h is w a s c o p i e d f r om k in g m t l . o r g
“A…”
All the 8-Class Archmages had collapsed or died from mana backlash, and the knights were completely wiped out by the flames.
Less than 10% of the forces remained.
Meanwhile, the White Tiger Flame Spirit hadn’t even suffered a scratch.
A complete defeat by elemental disadvantage.
-Now that I have awakened once more, I will cover the world with my flames as per our ‘promise.’ Sit there and realize, Adolevit.
Realize what?
The White Tiger Flame Spirit didn’t finish its sentence, and with a grace that belied its massive size, it began to walk away.
The mages had lost all will and motivation to fight, and none of them could stand.
…Except for one.
“You will not… pass through here.”
Isaac Morf was the only exception.
Fwoosh!
His entire body was enveloped in white flames, with half of his limbs already burned away, yet his gaze remained unyielding.
In fact, something within him seemed to have ignited, burning even brighter than the flames of Adolevit.
-Dad…
Aiselle gritted her teeth and reached out towards her father, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t touch him.
-You… must be a descendant of Morf.
The White Tiger Flame Spirit seemed to smile.
[That time… I remember…]
“No, you’re wrong. I am no longer a descendant of Morf.”
He struggled to lift his only remaining arm, reaching into his robes and pulling out something.
The black crystal Laydin had given him the night before.
Isaac closed his eyes tightly, his face flushing red as he bit down hard in resolve.
He was crying.
“Aiselle…”
-Dad…
As they whispered each other’s names, names that would never touch, Isaac reached out into the void, and Aiselle tried to place her hand over his, but they could not grasp each other.
-Please, don’t do this. Dad, please.
“I…
Aiselle’s voice scattered into the empty space, unheard, as Isaac opened his bloodshot eyes and spoke to the White Tiger Flame Spirit.
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“Today, I will become a Dark Mage.”
This was the truth that the seventeen-year-old girl, Aiselle Morf, had desperately wanted to know about her father.
End of Chapter
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