Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 233

Chapter 233

Start of the Semester (7)

***

No matter how much Stella is constantly attacked during practical sessions, it’s not like every episode revolves around that.

This session, too, wasn’t particularly significant, even in the original story. It was something the game glossed over rather quickly.

However, this episode served as a turning point in the original game, where traces of the villains that would appear primarily in the second semester could be found.

T his w a s co p i e d f r om k i n gm t l . or g
Dark Mages, necromancers, witches, and so on.

These Dark Mages, with their distinct magic traits, each had hideouts with unique characteristics.

For Dark Mages, it was the ‘Black Tower.’

For necromancers, it was either a ‘cemetery’ or a ‘dungeon.’

For witches, it was a ‘cottage.’

Of course, these weren’t absolute patterns. There have been cases where witches gathered and built magic towers, and Dark Mages often created dungeons as well.

But in the end, there was always some evidence at their hideouts that could distinguish their identity.

‘Near a Dark Mage’s dungeon, you will often find decaying plants or animal corpses, or creatures driven mad by their influence…’

Thi s w a s c o pi ed f ro m k i n g mt l . o r g
Baek Yu-seol glanced around his surroundings with sleepy eyes, then turned his head to look at Flame, who was squatting in a corner, rummaging through something.

“What are you doing?”

“Found it. The dungeon entrance.”

“Congratulations.”

“Why’s your reaction so lukewarm?”

Swoosh—!

A breeze rustled the leaves.

It was unusually quiet.

There were no birdsong, no rustling of small animals in the bushes, and even the insects had hidden away, making the atmosphere feel suspicious.

“This is too easy.”

“Hmm, well, you have a point.”

There’s no way a real Dark Mage would be this obvious. Clearly, the environment had been adjusted to suit the students’ level.

But could all the hideouts be this easy? Of course not.

T his was c o p ie d f r o m ki n g m t l . o rg
Surely, the hideout aimed at S-Class students would be hidden as thoroughly as possible, to the point where it would be nearly impossible to find.

Naturally, Baek Yu-seol had no intention of searching for such a thing. Hae Wonryang would probably go all out to get the highest score, Ma Yuseong would follow him around looking for something fun, and Aiselle and Hong Bi-yeon would each go their own ways.

Wait.

In a specific episode, didn’t Aiselle find something interesting in this practical session?

But even that doesn’t lead to anything major for now.

‘…This is boring.’

Nothing was happening.

It was just an ordinary training session.

With that thought, the tension drained from him. He hadn’t planned on taking school seriously anyway, but he did need to earn his points.

It wasn’t about whether he could avoid getting expelled from Stella.

What if he managed to prevent the end of the world?

And then everything became peaceful, and Baek Yu-seol could live an ordinary life?

‘When that time comes, what do you want to do, and who do you want to be with?’

Last night.

Flame had nonchalantly asked him that question.

T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l.org
It was something Baek Yu-seol had often thought about, but hearing it spoken aloud by someone else made his mind feel more complicated.

“Come on, follow me. I’ll help you get your points this time.”

“…Okay.”

That was why Flame was currently following Baek Yu-seol around.

Normally, he carried everything on his own and suffered in silence, so at least during school, she wanted to help him suffer less.

“Come this way. The forest with the red maple trees is invisible to the professors. I’ll find the target for you, so just follow.”

It was a kind of ‘system glitch.’

In the original romance fantasy, there had been a setting where Aiselle and one of the male sub-characters went on a cute date during this practical session, and this ‘system glitch’ was the reason they weren’t caught by the professors.

“…Is that so?”

The swaying maple leaves, blown by the light breeze, had a strangely emotional appeal. But to Baek Yu-seol, whose emotions were already dried up, they were just annoying leaves.

Yawning loudly, Baek Yu-seol looked at Flame, who was walking ahead. She was beaming, clearly delighted by the red leaves, skipping around as she walked.

‘So young and full of energy.’

‘Hmm?’

As he absentmindedly observed Flame’s back, Baek Yu-seol sensed a presence behind him and subtly turned his head.

The presence quickly disappeared, but it hadn’t escaped Baek Yu-seol’s intuition.

‘What now?’

Whoever it was, they weren’t a professional, since they had momentarily exposed themselves. Nevertheless, being tailed was enough to irritate him.

‘There shouldn’t be any incidents in this episode…’

He glanced at Flame.

T his w as c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m tl .o r g
That’s right. There were supposed to be no incidents this time. That was normal.

But when had an ‘episode’ ever progressed normally?

They always twisted, turned, and accelerated in ways that left him bewildered.

This time might be the same.

‘I’ve been too complacent.’

Baek Yu-seol sped up slightly to catch up with Flame and spoke in a low voice.

“Someone’s following us.”

“…Really?”

She closed her mouth for a moment.

“For a second there, I felt like a bodyguard in a spy movie.”

“Stop the nonsense.”

He wasn’t sure what kind of trouble was brewing, but now that he had detected their pursuer, he had no intention of letting them be.

“You go on ahead. I’ll go check.”

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o rg
“No. This time I’ll help. Besides, we’re still in the Stella Dome.”

“What if it’s a Dark Mage? They can attack even inside the Dome, you know.”

“Then I’ll just shoot light beams from the back!”

“…Do whatever you want.”

Since he didn’t think the opponent was too dangerous, Baek Yu-seol nodded half-heartedly and pulled out his Terivon.

The Terivon that had been damaged earlier had been repaired by Alterisha, made sturdier than before, so there were no issues using it.

Baek Yu-seol leaned in close to Flame, close enough that his breath brushed her ear, and whispered.

“For now, act like you haven’t noticed someone following us.”

“Uh, okay. But, um, wait…”

“What? Is there a problem?”

“No, not really, but…”

“Shh. They’re getting closer.”

The wind died down.

The presence became more distinct, and Baek Yu-seol took that as the signal to strike. He activated his Terivon and turned around.

“What are you two doing?”

“…Huh?”

“…Huh?”

It wasn’t an enemy.

It was Feng Hwarang, standing there with a stiff expression.

“Wh-what the…”

Startled, Baek Yu-seol hastily put away his Terivon and asked, bewildered. Feng Hwarang’s expression grew even more rigid.

“Why are you so flustered?”

“Huh? No, I just thought… an enemy might have appeared.”

“The Stella Dome is safe. Didn’t the professors say they had thoroughly reinforced the system this time?”

“Well… I suppose so.”

Still, the glitch that prevented scenes under the red maple trees from being transmitted to the professors seemed to persist.

“Answer the question. S-Class students are supposed to operate individually. But you two… appear to be working as a team.”

Flame and Baek Yu-seol exchanged glances. They couldn’t deny the claim, so both of them just shrugged.

If they let this slide, Feng Hwarang might report them to the professors, and they would receive heavy deductions.

“Sigh…”

Baek Yu-seol let out a deep sigh, already resigned to losing points, but Flame stepped up to explain.

“Hey, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. It’s not like that.”

“…Not like that?”

“Yeah. Be honest, who am I?”

“…Flame.”

“Exactly. I’m Flame, ranked second in our year. Do you really think I’d be cheating?”

“It’s not you, but…”

“Then, who’s this guy?”

She pointed her thumb at Baek Yu-seol.

Feng Hwarang closed his mouth, since the answer was obvious.

Even though Baek Yu-seol’s grades were only average, his achievements spoke for themselves.

How many times had his name appeared in news articles, even as a first-year at Stella? How many Dark Mages had he hunted? His accomplishments surpassed even those of most experienced magic warriors.

Would Baek Yu-seol… really cheat?

“That doesn’t make sense, does it? You think so too, right?”

Reluctantly, but undeniably convinced, Feng Hwarang slowly nodded.

He had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.

But there was still one question. One he really didn’t want to ask in this situation, but couldn’t ignore.

“Then… why were you two together?”

At that, Flame glanced at Baek Yu-seol, then, realizing she had no other option, decided to toss out an excuse.

“Isn’t it obvious? We were on a secret date under the maple trees, you idiot.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yeah. So just go on your way. Do we look like the kind of people who need to cheat for points?”

Baek Yu-seol felt a twinge of guilt, but Flame’s brazen confidence made him maintain his nonchalant attitude as well.

“You’re right. My mistake.”

Realizing his judgment had been off, Feng Hwarang gave a slight nod of apology and turned to walk away, disappearing into the red maple forest.

Why did his retreating figure seem so heavy and bitter?

***

The practical session concluded.

Hae Wonryang took first place with an overwhelming score. He discovered an ‘ancient Dark Mage dungeon’ that the professors had painstakingly hidden, hoping nobody would find it.

Aiselle came in second, having found a ‘witch’s cottage’ that was equally hard to locate. Though she had reported something strange to the professor, it was brushed off as nothing serious.

And in third place… was Feng Hwarang.

After desperately searching for a Dark Mage hideout, he finally discovered a necromancer’s hidden cemetery. He detected the presence of black mana and even purified the graves, earning a high score.

Yet, why did he still feel so unsatisfied?

‘…A date, huh.’

If Flame had seriously said it was a date, then it must have been true. Baek Yu-seol hadn’t denied it either.

Besides, as Flame had pointed out, neither of them needed to cheat to score well.

T h is wa s c o pi ed f r o m kin g m tl. o rg
Despite likely having superior search abilities than himself, the two had only scored within the top ten.

Why?

It was obvious. They hadn’t taken the session seriously.

He could understand why they acted that way.

There had been rumors about Flame and Baek Yu-seol dating during the first semester, after all.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gmt l . or g

But while he hadn’t cared much about those rumors before, why were his emotions so turbulent now?

‘Let it go.’

He admitted his feelings clearly.

The day he saw Flame soaring through the sky with her angelic wings, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.

He had stubbornly refused to acknowledge his feelings, out of pride, but that had been foolish.

It was the truth.

He had a crush on her.

But his father had always said…

Coveting a woman who belongs to another is the act of a scoundrel.
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r om k in g m t l . or g

Though his father had never achieved greatness, Feng Hwarang had always respected him deeply, never defying his teachings.

Baek Yu-seol and Flame had already rekindled their relationship, and they were keeping it a secret, not wanting it to spread.

If that was what they wanted, Feng Hwarang would respect it.

From a distance, he watched Flame and Baek Yu-seol. While everyone else had gathered in front of the scoreboards to check their rankings, the two of them were leisurely chatting as if they couldn’t care less about their scores.

“Hey, want to grab a meal after this?”

“You’re paying.”

“You’re the one with lots of money. You should pay.”

“Cheapskate.”

“Sigh, fine. This big sis will treat you.”

For now, he would give up because the overwhelming and intimidating rival Baek Yu-seol was by her side.

But if Baek Yu-seol ever showed a weakness in the future, giving him a chance…

T h is w as c o p ie d fr o m k i n g mt l . o r g
He wouldn’t hesitate to seize it.

End of Chapter.