Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 255
Chapter 255
The Noble Soul (8)
***
“I’m sorry. The registration has already closed. If you give up your player status here, you will face a significant penalty… Will that be alright?”
Flame was devastated by these words. She couldn’t give up her player status in the League of Spirit.
Not only had she been forced to participate because of Jeremie’s scheming, but she couldn’t even choose her own team.
“What? I can’t even change my team? Why not?”
“Well… When you register, your team is pre-assigned. Miss Flame, you’ve already been confirmed as part of the ‘Scalven Team.'”
“I don’t want that.”
“Pardon?”
It might’ve been childish to insist, but Flame didn’t care about appearances right now.
“Please. Sister, could you just change my team somehow? Think of it as saving someone’s life.”
“The thing is… all the other teams already have their five players confirmed.”
“There still might be a way, right? Please. I’m begging you.”
Flame clasped her hands together tightly, sending a desperate plea with her eyes. The League of Spirit’s player manager felt her heart skip a beat.
‘S-so cute…’
Normally, Flame’s fiery personality made her a handful, but when she behaved quietly like this, she was unbearably adorable.
“Ahem, well, how about we do this?”
The manager composed herself and cleared her throat. It wasn’t right to be swayed by a single student, but how could she refuse when Flame was so earnest?
“We’re holding an additional selection tournament soon. If you can recruit four more players from there and form a team, you might be able to transfer teams.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Honestly, I’d love to help you make a team myself, but it’s beyond my authority. Can you find four people?”
Flame nodded vigorously in response.
She had no idea how she was going to gather four players right away, but it was still a million times better than being stuck on Jeremie’s Scalven Team.
Flame grabbed both of the manager’s hands and sent her a sparkling gaze.
“Thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!”
“…I don’t think I’ll ever forget this moment either.”
If it had been any other student, the manager might have felt extremely annoyed at the extra work, but Flame’s earnest gratitude had somehow soothed her heart.
In fact, the exhaustion she’d been feeling seemed to wash away completely, so perhaps it wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
“Make sure you find those four players.”
“I will!”
The manager sighed deeply as she watched Flame dash off like an excited child.
“But… most of the additional applicants already belong to other groups. Can she really find four players…?”
The manager couldn’t help but worry, but there was nothing more she could do. All she could do now was wait and see.
After all, with Flame’s popularity, recruiting four people should be a piece of cake.
“…Right?”
***
It was evening, after the classes had ended.
Whenever the students who didn’t reside in the dormitories left for the day, Ma Yuseong would sometimes join them for a walk through Arcaneum.
It wasn’t just to strengthen his friendships, although that was part of it. More importantly, he needed to communicate with external contacts in secret.
Meeting his informants inside Stella was too risky. No matter how perfectly he disguised himself as a mage, as long as Aki Haydn, Stella’s vice principal, was watching, he had to remain cautious.
Although Aki Haydn was a servant of the Dark Mage King, he wasn’t exactly loyal.
That man was too scheming and cunning for anyone to predict what treachery he might be plotting at any given time. It was always best to avoid his gaze and move as quietly as possible.
“Raven. Are you there?”
Ma Yuseong arrived at a deserted alley and spoke into the air. A shadow split open, revealing a figure in a black robe.
“You called for me, Your Highness?”
“I have something I need you to deliver to my father. Can you do it?”
“Of course, Your Highness. Your command is my will.”
Raven took the letter from Ma Yuseong, feeling a bit perplexed.
Was the mature prince really the type to write letters to his father?
If anything, the prince seemed like someone who avoided communication with his father. This was truly strange.
But Raven knew better than to question things. He was merely a loyal servant. His role was to obey orders without doubt.
“Oh, and did you find out what I asked about last time?”
As Ma Yuseong brought up the question, Raven swallowed nervously.
There was only one piece of information the young prince desired—locating the ‘Earth’s Contractor, Chelriven.’
According to rumors, Chelriven had made a contract with one of the Twelve Divine Moons, the Tan Earth February, and had gained an invincible body, but no one knew if that was true. He had completely disappeared after the rumor spread.
“For now… I’ve found him.”
“And?”
“Yes. He was recently spotted near the Frostveil Outpost, but… by the time our agent arrived, everyone at the scene had been killed.”
“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.”
Ma Yuseong frowned slightly.
Chelriven had probably sensed that someone was tracking him but couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the agent. He wasn’t that sensitive, after all.
So, Chelriven made a choice.
He killed everyone at the scene to erase all leads and ensure there were no loose ends.
“Still the same cold-hearted man.”
“He erased all traces so thoroughly that further pursuit became impossible.”
“For now, let’s take a break. It’ll just tire both of us out if we keep chasing after him.”
Though he said this, Ma Yuseong couldn’t entirely hide his regret.
Chelriven.
If he could enlist that man’s help, Ma Yuseong believed he could achieve what he wanted.
Why had Chelriven gone into hiding without even trying to challenge his fate?
With the power he possessed, was there really any need for him to remain in the shadows?
Ma Yuseong couldn’t understand it at all.
“Oh, and recently, there have been suspicious movements within the Dark Tower. It seems they’re preparing for the ‘Dark Night Succession Ceremony.'”
“Hmm…”
The world of dark mages was one where the strong ruled.
In such a society, it was only natural for the strong to trample the weak to rise to the top.
The Dark Mage King had ascended to the throne by possessing the greatest power, and for decades, he had held that position without ever once considering stepping down.
How many dark mages had challenged the Dark Mage King, only to shed tears of blood?
By now, everyone knew.
The Dark Mage King was undoubtedly the strongest, and his rule had to be acknowledged.
But… there was one issue. A rumor had spread that the Dark Mage King was once a member of the ‘Order of Light Mages.’
Though the Order of Light no longer existed, it had once been a special institution established by Stella Academy to exterminate dark mages. For a brief period of one year, it had terrorized dark mages, driving them into hiding.
And now, this former member of the Order of Light was reigning as the Dark Mage King?
Though he was undeniably the strongest, some people refused to accept him as their king.
Taking advantage of this public sentiment, some factions within the Dark Mage Alliance were now plotting to overthrow the Dark Mage King.
“What a useless endeavor.”
Ma Yuseong smirked coldly.
Though he hated his father, he knew one thing for certain.
His father’s power… was beyond the reach of petty schemes.
That was why Ma Yuseong was so desperate to find Chelriven.
Chelriven was the only dark mage who had ever stood against his father and survived.
A dark mage… who had also received the blessing of the Twelve Divine Moons.
Surely, such a unique case didn’t exist anywhere else in the world.
“Have you confirmed his last known location?”
Raven nodded reluctantly at Ma Yuseong’s question, feeling uneasy.
“Yes. While the tracking spell was broken, it wasn’t difficult to predict his path. He’s a simple man…”
“Really?”
“He’s likely heading to the Orchard of Flower Radiance, near the Third World Tree. There are no other major cities nearby.”
“It’d be best if he didn’t provoke the elves. He won’t cause any trouble, will he?”
“Most likely not. If he were to provoke the World Tree or the Elf King… not even Chelriven would be able to avoid a difficult battle.”
“Then I’m relieved. He’s not foolish enough to cause a scene there.”
Ma Yuseong smiled and nodded.
“You’ve done well. You can leave now. It’s not good to stay exposed for too long.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.”
With a brief bow, Raven melted back into the shadows, and Ma Yuseong turned his gaze to the sky, which was gradually growing darker.
“The sky seems unusually dark today…”
It was a day with an unusually heavy amount of cloud cover.
***
Bang!
“What do you mean, you’re telling me this just now?!”
At the Central Skytower of the Mage Association.
The Star of Vallieri.
In the conference room where archmages who had each published at least 100 spells of 7th-class or higher gathered, Vice Chairman Kalladen shouted in fury.
“The entire Frostveil Outpost was wiped out?!”
The Frostveil Outpost, established to hunt down the magical beasts of the Frostveil Plateau, was manned by veteran magic warriors and boasted formidable defenses.
For ten long years, they had deemed it impossible to eradicate all the magical beasts. Instead, they had focused on ensuring that the beasts would never invade further, fortifying the outpost to the highest degree.
But now, wiped out?
“…Calm down, Kalladen.”
Kalladen was about to shout again when a relaxed voice interrupted him from behind, causing him to clamp his mouth shut and turn around.
The one responsible for overseeing the Skytower and concurrently the head of the Mage Union was a young man in his twenties, Mage Arumun.
Though he appeared youthful, he was over 150 years old, and Kalladen’s excitement over this situation only annoyed him further.
“Explain everything slowly. Did some sort of unexpected magical beast appear?”
“No… That’s not the case. After dispatching a search party to investigate, we found no signs of a battle with magical beasts.”
“Then… dark mages?”
“Yes… It seems to be a dark mage who can use magic.”
“Hmm.”
A dark mage who could still use magic was a rare breed. Most dark mages either lost their intelligence or, even if they retained it, lost all their mana, rendering them incapable of casting spells.
However, some dark mages, through their unique traits or inherited abilities, retained the ability to perform magic. These were the most dangerous and troublesome types.
“The individual in question appears to use earth-element magic. He doesn’t seem particularly cautious, yet all traces of him vanished completely from the ground.”
“Really?”
A dark mage capable of single-handedly destroying the Frostveil Outpost using earth magic.
There was only one person that came to mind.
“After almost ten years in hiding, Chelriven has reappeared.”
But why now?
He had lived quietly for so long. What could have prompted him to act now?
Had someone provoked him?
Was there a reason for it?
Many questions swirled in his mind, but the most immediate thought was…
“…It seems the Dark Night Succession Ceremony is about to begin. They probably intend to place him on the throne as the new king. After all, he’s a pure-blooded dark mage.”
“A pure-blooded dark mage…?”
That term seemed unfamiliar to the other mages.
To them, a dark mage was simply a dark mage. They hadn’t realized there were distinctions within the bloodlines of dark mages.
“Yes. They’re peculiar… They divide themselves based on lineage, like humans do. Strange, isn’t it?”
Arumun’s soft-spoken joke left the mages unsure how to react, and they hesitated awkwardly.
Finding their reaction amusing, Arumun chuckled softly and shook his head.
“Have you confirmed his location?”
“The pursuit was lost, but there’s only one place he could have gone after crossing the Frostveil Plateau.”
“And that is…?”
“The Orchard of Flower Radiance, near the Third World Tree.”
“Sigh…”
Of all places, why was that rampaging locomotive of a man heading toward the peaceful city of elves?
“I hope he stays quiet there… For now, discreetly send the Dark Mage Extermination Squad.”
“Understood.”
The elite unit specializing in handling dark mages, the Dark Mage Extermination Squad, would likely be able to minimize the damage… but the best outcome would still be for Chelriven to leave the area without causing any trouble.
‘Another headache to deal with.’
Arumun sighed deeply. It felt like there were far too many troubles cropping up in his later years.
“Inform them that I will go in person.”
“Y-You, Chairman? Personally…?”
“Yes. No need for long explanations.”
With that, Arumun rose from his seat.
He was old now, and sickly, and perhaps wouldn’t be of much help…
But there were still things he had to do.
End of Chapter
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Molart_Note
Oq será que aconteceu com aquela maga negra que só ia ficar lá na escola nas férias?
Ela desapareceu depois daquilo
Autor esqueceu da coitada