Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 249

Chapter 249

The Noble Soul (2)

***

The city of Camelrn, the cradle of magic.

Even though it had now become nothing more than a mere shell of its former glory, there was still one special institution that remained.

The ‘Council of Elders.’

At the pinnacle of the magical world, the Council held transcendental authority, free from the interference of any laws or regulations.

All its members had reached at least Class 8 in magic, and unless the matter was of significant importance, it was rare for them to convene.

But today, seven out of the twelve elders had gathered, an event brought about for an unusual reason: the council’s elder and Class 9 mage, ‘Sael Lee,’ had summoned the assembly for the first time in three years.

Normally, attendance at these meetings was sparse, with gatherings happening only when members felt like it. Even when they did convene, the air was usually filled with idle chatter and noise, but today, the meeting was eerily silent.

“…Several members are absent,” came a deep, low voice from the elder.

The council members swallowed nervously.

As mages advance in their practice, they tend to grow younger in appearance.

A Class 6 mage ceases to age physically, a Class 7 mage regains some youth, and a Class 8 mage can maintain the appearance of someone in their twenties or thirties.

Ultimately, those who reach Class 9 experience a phenomenon called “eternal youth” or “body change,” where their bodies transform into the most efficient form available for magic, often resulting in a youthful appearance.

But Sael Lee was different.

While most Class 9 mages lose all concern for their physical appearance, he stubbornly clung to the visage of an old man.

With his long white beard that reached his chest and a pointed hat, he dressed like the stereotypical mage one might read about in a novel, a testament to his adherence to old traditions and a reluctance to abandon ancient customs.

“Yes, Hedaron had to return to his estate due to pressing matters, and Pallat has been in meditation for about half a year, claiming he seeks enlightenment,” one of the council members explained.

“If it’s personal reasons, there’s not much we can do. What about the others?” the elder asked.

“…They declined to attend without providing a reason,” came the hesitant reply.

“I see.”

Sael Lee nodded, and several council members began to sweat.

Failing to attend a council meeting without a valid reason, especially when Sael Lee had summoned it, could incur enormous penalties.

‘Those fools are in trouble now.’

There was no way to immediately bring the absent members here, so the meeting proceeded without them.

“The Tower of Green Crescent has begun to move.”

Sael Lee was the first to speak, and several council members reacted with sighs and shaking heads.

“Why now, after being quiet for over ten years…?”

The Tower of Green Crescent and the Council of Elders were similar in nature. Both were small groups consisting of Class 8 mages, with a Class 9 mage at the top.

However, while the Tower of Green Crescent leaned toward the ‘lawless’ side of the magical world, the Council of Elders represented its ‘rulers,’ making the two organizations natural enemies.

The Tower of Green Crescent was one of the few forces capable of threatening the Council, so the council members were understandably anxious.

“A witch has appeared and was killed by an ordinary mage. Given the sensitivity of the Tower of Green Crescent’s master toward witches, it’s no surprise they would react.”

“Indeed… that makes sense.”

“Foolish witches. If they wanted to remain hidden, they should have done it properly. Instead, they reveal themselves only to be killed.”

“By the way, what happened to that witch you were holding captive?”

“She’s dead. She couldn’t survive the experiments.”

“Tsk. That’s what happens when you treat valuable materials carelessly. If it were me, I would’ve made good use of her for at least ten years.”

“Enough. Let’s stop the idle chatter.”

Sael Lee struck his staff on the ground with a thud, silencing the room as if a spell of silence had been cast.

“This is not the first time the Tower of Green Crescent has acted alone. However, there’s one issue… the Tower of Fading Moon has also begun to move.”

“What? The Tower of Fading Moon?”

“Yes.”

In this world, there were only two so-called “Great Towers”: the Tower of the Full Moon, the most famous magical tower, and the Tower of Fading Moon, which operated in the shadows of the world.

The Tower of Fading Moon was another force that threatened the Council of Elders. For decades, they had been searching for its members but had found no trace, making their efforts frustrating.

While the Tower of Fading Moon was committed to killing dark mages, their methods often involved so many illegal acts that the magical community had labeled them as criminals and actively pursued them. However, this pursuit was mostly superficial, as tracking the Tower of Fading Moon was practically impossible.

“So both the Tower of Green Crescent *and* the Tower of Fading Moon… Is this situation really that serious?”

After all, it was just a single witch who had appeared and been killed. While witches might seem special to ordinary people, they weren’t particularly rare or unfamiliar to the two towers.

“She wasn’t just any witch. That witch… was a disciple of the ‘Last Witch.'”

“W-What…!”

“Could it really be true… that the successor of the Last Witch still exists?!”

“Yes.”

The council members swallowed hard.

The magic of the Last Witch was legendary, said to be the ultimate magic that could turn fantasy into reality.

It was the most coveted magic in the world, desired by all mages, alchemists, and magical engineers alike—the ‘perfect magic.’

“What… what became of that magic?” one of the council members asked urgently.

“It has vanished,” Sael Lee replied, shaking his head. “She was killed in another dimension by a cadet of Stella Academy. Not even a body was left behind.”

“Ah… How could this happen…?”

“We couldn’t even retrieve that precious magic…”

However, at that moment, a thought crossed all the council members’ minds simultaneously.

The Last Witch’s magic was so grand, so powerful, that it was considered one of the most beautiful legacies left by the Progenitor Mage.

So how…?

‘How could a being with such magic be killed by a mere cadet from Stella?’

It was an unsettling question they couldn’t shake.

“Baek Yu-seol.”

Sael Lee calmly spoke the name.

“Both the Tower of Green Crescent and the Tower of Fading Moon have their eyes on that child.”

The fact that Sael Lee mentioned that name here meant that he, too, had a deep interest in the boy named Baek Yu-seol.

“We have heard of Baek Yu-seol as well,” a council member added.

“Shall we bring him to the council?”

“No. There’s no need for that. If he wishes to come, he will. If not, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to bring him.”

“Excuse me? It shouldn’t be that hard to get an ordinary cadet to move.”

“You don’t understand.”

Sael Lee clicked his tongue.

“That boy… is special. He has broken free from fate. It would be best for you to avoid interfering as much as possible. Why can’t you understand that?”

The council members fell silent.

Sael Lee occasionally made such cryptic remarks, and though they often didn’t fully grasp his words, they knew they had to accept them.

“However, the fact that the Tower of Green Crescent is interested in him… is a bit concerning.”

“…What should we do?”

“Convene the magical council and make sure the Tower of Green Crescent is restrained. Prevent them from moving recklessly and suppress their activities.”

The order was simple, but it was by no means an easy task. While the mages of the Tower of Green Crescent were generally mild in nature, both the tower’s master and their mentor were Class 9 mages, making the situation very delicate.

“Don’t feel too burdened. That brat at Stella is also thinking of keeping the Tower of Green Crescent in check.”

“…Is that so?”

Eltemon Eltrine, the headmaster of Stella Academy, was the youngest of the Class 9 mages, yet he was also one of the most powerful.

Now that he had offered to help, the council members could breathe a small sigh of relief.

With that, the meeting concluded.

As Sael Lee prepared to leave, one of the council members quickly asked, “Elder, what about the Tower of Fading Moon…?”

“…The Tower of Fading Moon.”

Sael Lee lifted his head and gazed up at the night sky. All three of the moons were hidden behind the clouds, making the sky unusually dark.

“The moon is full.”

“Excuse me?”

The council member was puzzled by his cryptic remark, but Sael Lee gave no further explanation and simply turned to leave.

‘Is the Twelve Divine Moons starting to move?’

The involvement of the Tower of Green Crescent and the Tower of Fading Moon was understandable, but the sudden movement of the Twelve Divine Moons was far more perplexing.

‘Grey Sky October. I must meet him.’

Was the world truly flowing according to fate? To find out, Sael Lee needed to meet with Silver Age November and Grey Sky October directly.

With that thought, Sael Lee disappeared as though he were a mirage, leaving the council member who had been waiting for an answer standing there with a confused expression, finally letting out a hollow laugh.

“Something’s happening again… without us knowing.”

A Class 8 mage?

The Council of Elders?

What does any of it matter?

This world is driven by a select few, a handful of truly extraordinary individuals.

They are the ones who can read fate, who have learned to walk outside of it.

But what about us?

We live bound by fate, convinced we stand at the pinnacle, intoxicated by power and living in ignorance. Yet even those higher than us are still chasing some grand purpose.

“But… there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Reaching Class 9 was not something one could achieve through effort or talent alone.

It was, quite literally, a revelation from the heavens.

Some reached Class 9 because the night sky was full and beautiful.

Some reached it after finding enlightenment in a dream.

Others reached it after hearing the voice of a god during meditation.

A once-in-a-millennium genius?

Meaningless.

How many geniuses had despaired after hitting the wall of Class 9? The realm of Class 9 was… truly the domain of gods.

They live in a world completely different from ours.

Understanding this, the council members left the hall, their footsteps heavy with resignation.

They had spent decades forming the Council of Elders in hopes of seeing even the edge of the Class 9 realm.

Yet, none of them had understood even a sliver of the gods’ domain.

* * *

Whoosh…!

Standing at the edge of a cliff, if you close your eyes, sometimes you can feel as though your body is swaying in the wind.

Even though you’re not actually moving.

‘The world revolves around the sun.’

That was what a certain mage and philosopher muttered a long time ago.

With that one statement, which shook the very foundations of the world, all magic had to be reconfigured. Centuries had passed since then.

“Can you feel it? The flow of the world.”

Rudelik Hallow, the master of the Tower of Fading Moon and a mighty Class 9 archmage, often stood at the edge of cliffs, enjoying the sensation of the world spinning around the sun—an experience impossible for ordinary people to perceive.

“I’m not interested in such things.”

“How boring.”

The one who responded to Rudelik was a man with gray hair and eyes, dressed in unusual attire.

His presence itself was extraordinary.

He was Grey Sky October, one of the Twelve Divine Moons.

“So, what brings you here?” Rudelik asked.

“I came to speak with the old man napping over there.”

Grey Sky October gestured with his chin, and Rudelik smiled.

Indeed, suspended in midair off the cliff, lying on a cot and passed out drunk, was none other than Silver Age November, another member of the Twelve Divine Moons.

“It’s rare for two of the Twelve to meet… Are you sure this is okay?”

The Twelve Divine Moons were ‘destined’ never to meet each other.

Rudelik knew this.

The legend said that should all the Twelve Divine Moons gather, something terrifying would happen, as foretold by the Progenitor Mage’s final words.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, it doesn’t. After all, everyone except you is bound by their own shackles, unable to act freely.”

“Enough with the small talk. Wake him up.”

At Grey Sky October’s command, Rudelik grinned.

“That’s a bit problematic. Poor old man’s had a lot on his mind, a lot of stress. He barely gets to sleep these days. Shouldn’t we let him rest?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

As Grey Sky October stepped forward, Rudelik blocked his path.

“You can’t go any further, Grey Sky October.”

“…Are you going to stop me?”

“Yes.”

Rudelik glanced at Silver Age November with complicated feelings.

It had been months since his precognitive abilities had stopped working. In search of answers, he had come to Silver Age November himself.

But it turned out, even Silver Age November couldn’t foresee the future properly anymore.

Grey Sky October showing up now was not a good sign.

Grey Sky October was extremely sensitive to fate, and he loathed anything that deviated from the predetermined sequence of events.

Even if it meant the world would be destroyed, he would not change his course.

‘Fate flows according to the will of the stars.’

Grey Sky October was firm in his belief of those words.

“Let’s not do this at a time like this.”

Rudelik held a different belief.

At long last, a being like a supernova had appeared, capable of changing fate. How could Grey Sky October want to interfere with that?

‘I can’t allow this.’

Having once received the blessing of Silver Age November, Rudelik felt it was his duty to carry out his will.

With that in mind, Rudelik conjured ‘Void’ at the tips of his fingers.

It was the same type of dimensional power as Grey Sky October’s.

Seeing this, Grey Sky October frowned.

“Do you intend to fight me… using Void?”

“Just because you’re made of void doesn’t mean you’re the best at handling it, right?”

“An amusing theory. I’ve never liked the arrogance of mages.”

With that, Grey Sky October took a step forward.

The shortest possible step, but potentially the longest.

Boom!!

Dimensions collided, and space crumbled as gravity reversed. Everything began to float toward the gap between dimensions.

“Cough…”

Silver Age November, sleeping soundly, dreamt a rare dream. A dream where he played poker with a certain boy—and won overwhelmingly.

A happy dream.

End of Chapter