Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 221

Chapter 221

End of Summer (1)

[Episode. 10]

[The Truth of Morf]

[Having completed a perfect story, additional rewards have been promised from the ‘Constellatio Project.’]

…A main episode, which had started without anyone noticing, was now completed. The system message from the Constellatio Project echoed faintly in his dazed consciousness.

The truth of Morf.

What was this episode about again?

He could barely remember.

“…Hoo…”

[The skill ‘Breath of the Spirit’ has been deactivated, significantly increasing Divine Beast Erosion.]

[The item ‘Wheel of Dawn’ has been excessively used, causing your body to overload.]

He had heard people say that their muscles screamed in pain. He didn’t understand it before, but now he did.

This wasn’t just screaming; it felt as if his body was pleading for help.

He hurriedly chugged down various types of potions, but the pain didn’t subside.

‘I really might die…’

Taking slow, deep breaths, he leaned against a tree. He had hidden himself among the dense branches of a tall tree far removed from the battleground, believing that no one would see him, so he even took off his mask.

Thud, thud, thud!!

The rumbling sound of galloping horses came from far away. The Magic Knight Squad was arriving in droves, unaware that the situation had already ended.

The sight of the Magic Warriors, who had already arrived and understood the situation, staring in shock at the fallen White Tiger Flame Spirit and Isaac Morf was noticeable.

How were they supposed to comprehend this situation?

They could barely believe that a 9-Risk Dark Mage had appeared, let alone the fact that Isaac Morf, the Grand Duke who had guarded the continent, had betrayed the magical world to become a Dark Mage.

However, soon enough…

The mages collectively raised their voices in unison.

“Grand Duke Isaac Morf has become a Dark Mage!”

“But, Princess Hong Si-hwa successfully defeated him!”

“Ohh! Look at his corpse! What a heroic achievement!”

T h i s w as c o pi ed f ro m k i n gm t l .o rg
“I can’t believe it. The Grand Duke Isaac Morf, betraying the magical world…”

The mages surrounding Hong Si-hwa praised her accomplishments.

In truth, they all knew.

Th i s w a s c opi e d f r o m k i n gm t l. o r g
Why Isaac Morf had turned into a Dark Mage. Just by observing the situation, they could easily understand.

The unsealing of the White Tiger Flame Spirit.

To defeat it… he chose a noble sacrifice.

But what does such ‘truth’ matter?

The living must continue to live.

T h i s w as c op i e d fr o m k i ng mtl . or g
So now that the head of the Morf family, one of the Twin Peaks, had died, it was wise to align themselves with Adolevit.

With that final scene in mind, I closed my eyes. Hong Si-hwa Adolevit would conceal the existence of the White Tiger Flame Spirit while accepting the praises of the mages.

She knew very well that if it were revealed, it would only increase the number of people speculating about the truth.

Even though defeating the White Tiger Flame Spirit was an impressive achievement, she gave it up to eliminate any potential rumors.

She is a wise and ruthless woman.

“Ouch…”

-Creak…

Like a machine forcibly operated with mismatched parts, his entire body creaked. It seemed he would need to rest here for a while…

But more pressing was the question.

‘…How do I return now?’

On the day he returned to the past, ten years ago…

Silver Age November had engraved the path to return to the original timeline into his mind. In truth, there wasn’t much he needed to do; he just had to wait.

‘When the time comes, I will open the way for you to return. Until then, do not interfere with the past’s timeline, and wait quietly!’

In the end, he had interfered massively with the past’s timeline… but as per his predictions, the future should not have changed at all.

…Probably, that’s the case.

‘Did something go wrong?’

By now, Silver Age November should be sending down a lifeline, but why was there no sign of it?

Enough time had passed that the growing anxiety began to creep up inside him.

What if something really did go wrong due to his actions, severing his connection with the Silver Age November of the present?

What if the Silver Age November of the future no longer remembered his existence?

“…How do I get back?”

Suddenly, the future seemed bleak.

* * *

Swoooosh—!!

The monsoon over the Southern Haoya Plains continued all summer. Though it was said that this year was particularly severe, the merchants were piling up worries as the trade routes were completely blocked.

The Starcloud Trading Company was no different; this summer had been particularly difficult. With Melian having been missing for an extended period, even Zeliel had put all her duties aside to search for him, so how could the Trading Company function properly?

In the first half of the year, the rapid pace of Stella students launching novel magical concepts had already caused enough turmoil in the economic market, and Starcloud was struggling to cope with the unexpected chaos.

Tap! Tap!

The sound of rain hitting the window echoed as Zeliel sat lost in thought.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i ng m tl . o r g

“You haven’t been able to focus lately.”

It had already been a week since Melian was rescued safely, and fortunately, his health was in good shape, allowing him to return to work immediately.

He was so busy catching up on the backlog that even his usually well-groomed appearance was marred by prominent dark circles under his eyes.

“…I’m sorry, Father.”
This wa s co p i ed fr o m ki n gmt l . o r g

“No need to apologize. It’s understandable.”

Drinking his cheap coffee, Melian looked at his daughter with concern.

Thi s wa s co pi e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g
Even after his return, she had shown little sign of joy. Though she wasn’t always the type to smile brightly, she had never shown such a gloomy expression before.

Come to think of it, Haeseong Wol had recently reached out to him.

Though Melian thought he was inquiring about his own well-being, Haeseong Wol seemed unusually concerned about Zeliel’s condition.

“Zeliel.”

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k ingm tl . o rg
“…Yes, Father?”

He took a deep breath.

He had never been nervous dealing with the world’s top figures, but as a father speaking to his daughter, every word came with caution.
This w a s c o p i e d f ro m k in gm t l . o r g

“Is it because of that boy?”

He had heard the details from Haeseong Wol. Zeliel’s mistake had led to his disappearance, and she had desperately tried to rectify it but failed.

Then, miraculously, the boy who had restored him was none other than Baek Yu-seol.

But… regrettably, the boy had vanished into the rift of space-time as a price for saving him, and even Haeseong Wol had admitted he could never be found again.

“No, Father. It’s not like that, so don’t worry.”

Though he had gathered the courage to ask, Zeliel simply forced a smile and shook her head, making it obvious she was lying.

“…I see.”

Melian struggled to hide his bitter expression as he walked out of the office. While he was worried about his daughter, he was too swamped with work to focus on anything else.

Click!

Swoooosh! Tap, tap!

In the now silent office, where only Zeliel remained, the sound of rain hitting the window grew louder.

Scritch, scratch—

As she idly scribbled on a document with a quill pen made from alchemy that naturally leaked ink, Zeliel finally let out a sigh.

Nothing seemed to be working out.

It felt as though a hole had been punched through her chest, leaving her heart empty.

Drip

“…Ah…”

As the ink smeared the words she had been writing, Zeliel hurriedly replaced the paper.

“…Haa…”

She no longer understood why she was feeling this way. Had there ever been a time when she had felt so unmotivated in life? Why do people live? As a High Elf, she would live for hundreds more years, but what meaning could there be in such a meaningless life?

Thinking that she couldn’t go on like this, she stood up and walked out onto the balcony.

Though the ceiling shielded her from the downpour, the cold raindrops carried by the wind still splashed against her face.

Perhaps she should be grateful that it helped her clear her mind, even if just a little.

She leaned blankly against the balcony railing, staring off into the green horizon of the Southern Haoya Plains.

It was truly a beautiful place.

…She hadn’t realized it before.

The ‘beautiful scenery’ that others always spoke of with such admiration.

But for some reason, now she could appreciate the ‘beautiful scenery’ just like everyone else.

Things she hadn’t noticed before began to come into focus.
T h i s was c o pi ed f r o m k ing m t l . o r g

Beautiful, ugly, joyful, sad, delightful, boring things.

These were the emotions that ordinary people felt in their lives.

Now that she could finally experience all those emotions… why was it that all she felt was helplessness and despair?

‘…Nothing will change.’

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Zeliel turned around to head back into the office. But something… something felt off.

‘What?’

The gust of wind that had been blowing her hair around had suddenly stopped.

‘What is this…’

It was strange how the feeling of curiosity was quickly overtaken by fear, but Zeliel forced herself to turn her head back toward the balcony.

“…What is this?”

There, suspended in mid-air, were countless raindrops.

…Millions of them.

The downpour that had been drenching the Southern Haoya Plains had halted. The lightning that had been striking down now served as a backdrop, like a painting.

As if time itself had stopped…

Unable to believe her eyes, Zeliel shut them tightly and then reopened them, only to find…

An old man hanging in the distance at the edge of the horizon.

He was quietly staring at Zeliel, with the white lightning that split the world in half serving as his backdrop.

Splash!

The old man, standing atop the suspended raindrops, began to approach Zeliel.

Step by step.

The closer he got… ironically, instead of fear, Zeliel felt a growing sense of something welling up within her chest.

She knew.

This was hope.

Finally, the old man reached the balcony and looked down at Zeliel. The mysterious old man’s beard fluttered as if blown by the wind, even though there was none, and he stared deep into her eyes before speaking.

“In this vicinity… the one most closely bound to Baek Yu-seol by fate is you.”

“…Is that so?”
T h i s w as c o p i ed fr o m k in g m t l .o r g

At the mention of that name, Zeliel’s heart pounded even more violently.

“Do you wish to bring him back?”

“Yes.”

“If you fail, you may have to offer your heart as the price. Are you still willing?”

It didn’t even take a second.

It was the time it took for Zeliel to nod her head.

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“…What?”

“There’s no need to risk your life. I just wanted to know how desperate you were.”

He turned to gaze out at the distant horizon. Thinking once again how beautiful the scenery was, he parted his lips and spoke to Zeliel.

“What you need to do is simple. Just desperately… wish for him to return. I am not bound to that boy by fate, so it’s impossible for me. I have no choice but to ask you. Can you do it?”

If that’s all it takes, there’s no problem at all.

After all…

She had been doing that all along.

“…I can do it.”

Zeliel, determined, nodded firmly, and the old man smiled in satisfaction.

…Swoooosh!!

Soon…

As if the old man’s existence had been nothing more than a dream, he dispersed into the air, and the rain began to pour down once more.

Staring blankly at the spot where the old man had disappeared, Zeliel, as if possessed, gathered her things and dashed out of the office.

Flutter…

In the now empty and silent office, only a few sheets of paper fluttered in the wind, dancing with the raindrops.

End of Chapter