Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 228

Chapter 228

Start of the Semester (2)

The exterior of the Alchemy Castle might evoke the grandeur of a medieval fortress, but its interior was designed with modern aesthetics, making it impossible to get lost even for first-time visitors. The whitewashed corridors were divided into a precise cross shape, and clear signposts were placed at every corridor and floor.

“Alright, everyone, let’s make the Alchemy Castle spotless today as well!”

“Yay…”

Rakan was a janitor at the Alchemy Castle. His department head, who took immense pride in their job, often infected him with overwhelming enthusiasm, but to Rakan, he was just an ordinary young man in his twenties working a temporary cleaning job.

“Rakan! We need to work hard today! You can’t afford to slack off!”

“Sure…”

Rakan became a janitor because he had no other job and no particular skills. His timid nature made it difficult for him to connect with others, and the department head was the only person who paid him any attention.
Thi s w a s co p i e d fro m k i ng m tl. o r g

“Alright then, let’s all head to our assigned areas!”

With a clap of the department head’s hands, the janitors dispersed, each pushing their cleaning carts. As Rakan cautiously looked around with his hunched back and unkempt hair, someone bumped into his shoulder, nearly causing him to fall.

“Whoa!”

“Heh, watch where you’re going.”

“Can he even see what’s in front of him walking like that?”

“Who knows. Just ignore the idiot.”

“Uh…”

Rakan, with his shy personality and subpar cleaning skills, was ostracized even among the janitors. The department head only clicked his tongue but did not intervene, as he couldn’t meddle in their interpersonal relationships. He could only feel regret, wishing that the janitors would work together harmoniously.

“Be careful not to upset the alchemists, and let’s meet back in time for our shift.”

The cleaning routine involved a thorough scrubbing before the alchemists arrived, followed by a break and then a shift change.

Rakan followed the other janitors while pushing the magic-operated vacuum mop across the floor. The old-fashioned method of dipping a rag into a bucket and wiping the floor was not used in this cutting-edge scientific facility.

The cleaning process had become significantly easier, but it was still tiring. As sweat poured down his face while he cleaned a section of the corridor, Rakan looked up, feeling a vague sense of unease, and saw the other janitors gathered, slacking off.

‘…Better avoid them.’

There was no benefit to drawing attention to himself. These were the same people who couldn’t even lift their heads in front of alchemists but acted like bullies towards their fellow janitors. They were strong against the weak and pathetically weak against the strong. Rakan found them utterly revolting, but since he had no power himself, he had to avoid them.

“Oh, isn’t that Rakan?”

“Hey, come over here for a second.”

Damn it, Rakan cursed inwardly as he cautiously turned toward them.

“I, uh… I’m busy cleaning here…”

“Yeah, that’s why we called you over. We need you to clean our area too.”

“But that’s your area… I need to finish my section…”

“Come on!” The janitors draped their arms over Rakan’s shoulders, smirking.

“Don’t be like that. Help us out this time, and we’ll help you next time. If you work hard now, you can rest plenty later, right?”

“But still…”

“Hmm? You’re going to help, aren’t you? Thanks a lot.”

“Rakan really is a good guy.”

The janitors dumped their cleaning tools on Rakan and disappeared somewhere. Left alone, Rakan let out a deep sigh and began pushing the mop wearily. The state-of-the-art cleaning machine, which was usually silent and effective, felt especially burdensome today.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

‘…Wouldn’t it be more efficient if Wind Secure Magic was applied here?’

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m tl . o r g
Why had the magical engineer who co-developed this machine opted for such an inefficient method?

Rakan didn’t know the answer, but he assumed there must be a reason since the person who developed this must be smarter than him.

However, this wasn’t the only thing that nagged at him.

In matters related to alchemy, everything was perfect thanks to the genius scholar Alterisha.

But Magical Engineering… that was a different story.

From Rakan’s perspective, the Magical Engineering in the Alchemy Castle was so poorly executed that he couldn’t understand why it was done this way.

T h i s w a s co p i ed f ro m k ingm tl .o rg
‘…Who am I to judge?’

Was he getting cocky just because he secretly read a few Magical Engineering books? They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Perhaps he only noticed what he did because he had so little understanding.

So, he decided to stay in his lane.

[Today’s Experiment Schedule]

But, this… This he couldn’t ignore.

Rakan stared intently at the experiment results posted in the corridor. Previously, he had been so dissatisfied with the results of an alchemy experiment that he had secretly altered them and fled, fearing he might have ruined it. But this time, it was even worse.

Why… why on earth…?

The experiment results were filled with awkward numbers and poorly constructed magic circles. How could the alchemists not have noticed?

Had they simply overlooked it?

Whoosh-!

After quickly surveying his surroundings, Rakan took out a cheap pen from his pocket and began to make changes to the experiment results.

He smoothly adjusted the magic circle and some of the enchantment formulas, then swiftly put the pen back and fled the scene.

‘Ugh… I messed up again…’

Surely, even the seemingly ridiculous magic circle he had altered must have had some significance. Who was he to change it on a whim?

If he got caught, he would be in deep trouble.

Even as he thought this, Rakan couldn’t suppress his overwhelming desire to apply his knowledge wherever he saw fit.

And so, Rakan had done it again.

‘But, I ran away quickly… No one will know!’

That’s what he thought, but he didn’t know.

He didn’t know that there was a CCTV camera installed specifically to monitor the exact spot where the experiment results were posted.

* * *

That evening.

Rakan ended up cleaning the areas assigned to his colleagues and didn’t have time to clean his own section.

“Rakan, I’ve always thought of you as diligent despite your shyness… but if this keeps happening, I’ll be in a tough spot.”

Even the department head, who usually thought well of Rakan, seemed a bit upset.

Th i s wa s co p ied f r om k i ngm tl . o r g
The truth was, Rakan had been so busy cleaning an area meant for three people that he hadn’t been able to clean his own section. But the department head didn’t know that.

“The same goes for you three. We’re responsible for keeping the Alchemy Castle spotless. Where do you think the technological advances of the Aether World come from? Right here, in this place!”

The three janitors who had dumped their work on Rakan were also scolded by the department head. After all, there was no way Rakan could have cleaned all three sections by himself.

Moreover, he had spent a significant amount of time fixing the problem in the middle, so how could the cleaning have been thorough?

The three janitors flushed with embarrassment and lowered their heads.

“Yes…”

“We’re sorry.”

There wasn’t a shred of sincerity in their apology, but the department head, knowing what kind of people they were, could only sigh. After pretending to be angry, the department head patted Rakan on the shoulder in a consoling gesture.

“I know you’re not the type to shirk your duties. I’m sure you had your reasons. If you ever have any worries, feel free to come to me.”

Then, he glanced at the three janitors. He had already figured out what had happened, but there wasn’t much he could do, so he decided to let it go.

“See you in the evening.”

As the department head left the janitors’ waiting room, the three janitors shot icy glares at Rakan.
T hi s w a s c o pie d fr o m k i n gm t l .o r g

“Hey, can’t you do anything right?”

“Because of this idiot, we had to take the blame!”

“That old geezer doesn’t even like us, and now we’ve wasted our break time.”

Though the three janitors began threatening Rakan by tapping his shoulder, the other janitors only exchanged glances, snickered, or quietly slipped away. No one stepped in to help. Not that Rakan expected any help, but he began to feel disillusioned with his life as a janitor.
T h i s w a s c o p ied f r o m k i n g m tl. o rg

He had chosen this job because he liked cleanliness and organization, thinking it would suit him… but his relationships with people were falling apart.

“Say something, will you?”

“Ugh, this mute idiot.”

“Maybe we should just…”

As the three janitors continued their threats, Rakan’s shoulders hunched lower and lower. He felt ashamed under the gaze of others. If only he could hide somewhere, anywhere.

“That’s it. You’re coming with us, idiot.”

T h is wa s c o p i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g
When Rakan remained silent with his head hanging low, the three janitors finally lost their patience and started dragging him toward a corner of the storage room.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Clunk!

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the department head, who had left earlier, returned, preventing them from proceeding.

“Oh, haha. Department Head. What brings you here…?”

The department head was usually hands-off when it came to the janitors’ break room. The three janitors forced awkward smiles as they asked, but for some reason, the department head remained silent, his face pale.

“Ah…!”

Then, as if coming to his senses, he quickly stepped aside.

Click!

And with that, a woman in a pristine white coat appeared from behind the department head.

Gasps of shock erupted from the janitors.

The woman who stepped in was none other than Alterisha, the head of the Alterisha School and the first Alchemy Engineer, a rare sight in these dreary alchemical laboratories.

‘Wh-What…?’

She glanced at Rakan before tilting her head in curiosity and turned around. Behind her stood a young man in a Stella cadet uniform.

“Is this the right person?”

“Yes. This is him.”

The young man approached Rakan, scrutinizing him from head to toe, and then nodded.

“He has just the right look for a researcher.”

“…Excuse me?”

Was that a compliment or an insult?

Rakan sneakily peeked at the name tag on the young man’s uniform. And then, his jaw dropped.

‘Ba-Baek Yu-seol!’

The teenager who rarely showed himself but wielded absolute power within the Alchemy Castle.

‘Why… Why is he here…?’

Baek Yu-seol stared at Rakan before pulling out a piece of paper and showing it to him.

It was… the experiment report that Rakan had secretly altered while cleaning earlier.

“Wh-Wh-What?”

Rakan was so flustered that all he could do was stammer in confusion, which made Baek Yu-seol smile as if finding the situation amusing.

“You did this, didn’t you?”

“I-I-I… I wasn’t trying to mess it up… I-I just…”

The janitors, who had been shaking their heads since Rakan was caught secretly reading Magical Engineering books, now shook their heads even more. How could he have dared to tamper with the alchemists’ experiment results?

It seemed as though mocking laughter was echoing all around him. Rakan’s mind went blank. He needed to come up with an excuse, but nothing came to mind.

“I-I, um…”

As Rakan stammered, unable to give a coherent answer, Baek Yu-seol tilted his head slightly and said.

“It seems like there’s a misunderstanding here. I didn’t come to reprimand you. I came to offer praise.”

“…What?”

What was he talking about?

Not only Rakan, but even the three janitors and the other cleaning staff were utterly dumbfounded, but Baek Yu-seol continued without pause.

“If you can come up with such ideas despite lacking basic knowledge, then you certainly have potential. Rakan.”
T h is w as c o pi e d f r om k in g m t l . o r g

“Y-Yes…”

“Would you be interested in working as an official Alchemy Engineer at the Alchemy Castle?”

“…Huh?”

What…?
T h i s wa s c op ie d f r o m kin gm tl . o rg

Did he hear that right?

His mind went numb, and he couldn’t form a proper response. Then, the sound of the other janitors sharply inhaling brought him back to reality.

‘Me… an Alchemy Engineer?’

An Alchemy Engineer is the title given to those who have mastered both alchemy and Magical Engineering, making them the greatest technicians of this era.

For a mere janitor to become an Alchemy Engineer… It would be the highest possible rise in status for a resident of the Alchemy Castle.

In other words, it was akin to a commoner becoming a noble.

Rakan glanced around.

The three janitors, drenched in cold sweat, avoided his gaze. The other janitors, who had looked down on him until now, were no different.

He hadn’t been seeking revenge, but the thought of all those who had belittled him now fearing him gave him an unexpected surge of confidence.

“I-I… I would do anything if you’d give me the chance.”

“It’s not about ‘anything’.”

The person who spoke this time wasn’t Baek Yu-seol but Alterisha. With a smile as gentle as an angel’s, she took Rakan’s hand, and then… placed a stack of textbooks—each thicker than the physique of a grown man—on top of it.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

The weight made him feel like his arms would pop out of their sockets.

How had she managed to carry this with such a delicate body?

Before he could even resolve this mystery, Alterisha beamed brightly as she spoke.

“From today on, study hard!”

“…Huh?”

All of this?

T h i s w as c op ie d f r o m k ingm t l . o r g
He wanted to ask, but an inexplicable pressure made him keep his mouth shut.

“Good luck!”

That beautiful smile of Alterisha’s—why did it feel so terrifying? He couldn’t figure it out.

End of Chapter