Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 282

Chapter 282

53. Shadow Cast on the Wind (3)

***

Originally a 2-risk mission to hunt Monster Bears, Flame’s party’s task was unexpectedly complicated by the appearance of three 4-risk giant Monster Bears due to an ‘unforeseen incident’.

However, it concluded smoothly without any further complications.

“How was it? Assistant, this should be enough for extra points, right?”

“……Yes.”

The assistant, who had come along to monitor and assist Flame’s team, pushed up his glasses and shook his head.

He had anticipated this outcome, but he hadn’t expected them to actually lure the 4-risk Monster Bears out of their nest and hunt them down.

He knew they were exceptional students, but to see first-year students stand out this much was probably a first this year.

Boom! Crash! Rumble!!

As the assistant calculated the points, a loud noise echoed, causing him to shake his head again.

“Sigh…… They were complaining about being bored, and now they’re causing a ruckus over there too.”

It was Dokcheolgwang, a second-year S-Class student.

He had come along to supervise the first-years, but seeing them cooperate to hunt three 4-risk monsters had made him unable to contain his excitement.

He had dashed into the forest and seemed to have already started a hunt of his own.

Shortly after, Dokcheolgwang reappeared, covered in bright blue blood and dragging the corpse of a large beast.

It was the body of a ‘Monkey Ogre’, typically classified as a 4-risk monster but notoriously difficult to hunt due to its ability to move freely through trees.

“Crazy bastard…… Did he catch that by himself?”

“Haha! I caught three more, but I didn’t have enough hands to bring them back. This should be enough for dinner tonight, though!”

“……Why would you eat that? Student Dokcheolgwang, we have a normal and humane meal planned for dinner.”

“Hah, Assistant, you’re not being very manly. A true mage should tear into the flesh of the monsters they hunt, so that the experience and passion accumulate within their body!”

“……I’m sure you do.”

Giving up on conversing with Dokcheolgwang, the assistant turned to Flame.

“Anyway, you passed, and you’ll be receiving plenty of extra points. The professors will decide the final score, but I think you can expect an A+.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you!”

At the assistant’s words, Flame’s expression brightened, and she smiled widely.

Seeing her happy face, Feng Hwarang’s mood improved as well, and he spoke up.

“We finished earlier than expected. Before we return after completing the mission, would you like to visit the capital of the Poong Empire?”

“Oh, really? Are you going to give us a tour?”

“I’m not sure if we’ll have time for a full tour, but…… I can show you around the city.”

“Ah, then can we see your house?”

“……My house?”

Feng Hwarang was slightly taken aback by Flame’s innocent question.

His ‘house’ referred to the main residence of the current ruling ‘Feng family’, and it wasn’t easy to bring in outsiders.

Of course, he could bring them if he wanted, but his position within the family was quite precarious, making him cautious about even such minor matters.

‘That being said……’

“What do you think? It’s okay if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine. It’s not that difficult.”

It was her request, so what was a little bit of thick skin within the family?

“It might not be interesting for those two… Is that okay?”

When asked, Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang nodded.

“The Feng family…… That sounds quite interesting.”

“I’m looking forward to it too. I’ve never visited a friend’s house before.”

At the unexpected word, Feng Hwarang’s eyebrow twitched.

“……Are we friends?”

“Yes. We’ve carried out a mission together, so wouldn’t that make us friends?”

“That’s absurd. That makes us colleagues, not friends.”

“We’re not official magic warriors yet, are we? So I don’t think the term ‘colleague’ applies to us.”

As Ma Yuseong spoke with a grin, Feng Hwarang turned his head away.

“Think what you want.”

The assistant watched the first-year students acting on their own accord but didn’t intervene.

S-Class students breaking the rules was nothing new, and this was just harmless fun, like child’s play, so he let it slide.

“Just don’t take too long and make sure to return on time. Student Dokcheolgwang, stay with the first-years until the end and then return.”

“Hmm, that’s no fun.”

Dokcheolgwang grumbled but nodded.

He remembered Bandiyun’s warning to listen to the assistant.

After the assistant left, Flame’s party boarded an auto-carriage that Feng Hwarang had prepared in advance and entered Taeyusan, the capital of the Poong Empire.

“Wow……”

Flame’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly took in the city.

‘This feels familiar……!’

The Poong Empire, with its Eastern-inspired atmosphere, was a country she had been quite fond of since reading the original romance novel long ago.

Although most of its characters were not very popular, making it less discussed among avid readers, and even the wiki site lacked detailed information, Flame had meticulously memorized the Poong Empire’s setting.

‘Progressive in the guise of conservatism, was it?’

There was a member in the fan cafe of the original romance novel, [Don’t Love the Unfortunate Princess], who enjoyed political satire.

The phrase he coined, which became famous even among those who disliked political discussions, became the sole sentence that defined the Poong Empire.

On the surface, it appeared open and welcoming to outsiders, but internally, there existed a kind of ethnocentrism that believed the Poong Empire’s traditions were superior to all others in the world.

However, regardless of such underlying sentiments, the Poong Empire’s culture was undeniably beautiful, making it worthy of praise, and Flame was thoroughly enjoying this sightseeing trip.

“We have arrived.”

As the driver spoke, Flame instinctively reached for the door, but Feng Hwarang stopped her.

“Huh?”

She noticed that Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang were also sitting still, waiting for something.

Suddenly, the door on the right side where Flame was sitting opened.

It wasn’t an automatic door.

The driver, who had announced their arrival, had quickly jumped out and opened the door for her.

“Oh, come on. Did you guys wait for this?”

When she asked with a bewildered expression, Hae Wonryang and Ma Yuseong nodded.

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing the two male students genuinely confused made her feel like the foolish one.

“The life of rich kids……”

Shaking her head, Flame stepped out and was immediately awestruck by the sight before her.

A traditional Korean village, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun, and more.

It was as if all the Eastern-style palaces she knew had been combined into one magnificent estate.

‘This is the Feng family’s, Seoldogung……’

With a wave of Feng Hwarang’s hand, mages dressed in Eastern-style robes put away their staffs, parted to the sides, and a massive red gate creaked open.

“Let’s go in.”

Following Feng Hwarang, Flame excitedly looked around, but Hae Wonryang playfully pushed her head down, preventing her from turning.

“You’ll hurt your neck if you keep doing that.”

“Oh? Yeah. You’re right.”

Realizing how childish and unsophisticated her behavior was, Flame straightened her neck.

She had assumed that since they had gotten off the auto-carriage, they wouldn’t be using any other mode of transportation, but that wasn’t the case.

A private carriage for traveling within Seoldogung was waiting for them.

As they walked towards it, Feng Hwarang suddenly stopped, his hand trembling slightly.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

When Feng Hwarang stopped, Flame also stopped and peeked from behind him to see what was ahead.

“You’re here, Hwarang.”

“……Yes. Mother.”

Standing there was a woman in a silver silk dress, her eyes identical to Feng Hwarang’s.

She looked past Feng Hwarang and smiled.

“You brought friends.”

“You don’t have to be so self-conscious. I’m just glad you came during this time.”

“……What do you mean?”

Flame then recalled the relationship between Feng Hwarang and his mother.

‘Didn’t this woman not like Feng Hwarang very much?’

Feng Hwarang had two ‘older brothers’ and one ‘older sister’.

Among them, the eldest brother was the closest to the line of succession but had recently lost in a political struggle and was currently under house arrest.

In other words…… this woman, having lost her only trusted and supported eldest son, was now in a situation where she had no one to rely on.

The mother approached Feng Hwarang and gently took his hands in hers.

“I heard that the daughter of the Starcloud Trading Company’s chairman is visiting Cheolhugung.”

“……What does that have to do with me?”

“All the other ‘brothers’ have been dispatched to the outskirts, so there’s no one to welcome her. You should go and greet her. It’s not a difficult task, and it won’t take long.”

“You want me to be a figurehead?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Will that change your position? Is it really right for one of the Seven Wind Families to wag their tail at a mere merchant?”

Feng Hwarang raised his voice, forgetting that Flame was behind him, but his mother replied without a change in expression.

“It is the right thing to do. And it will change our position. She needs the help of the Wind Families, and if you can help her when no one else can…… wouldn’t that be a great service to our ‘Feng family’?”

He had almost forgotten.

This was a person who had long since abandoned her pride.

Probably since the moment her eldest son was placed under house arrest.

“……I understand. I will go.”

After answering, Feng Hwarang belatedly realized that Flame, Ma Yuseong, and Hae Wonryang were watching.

He turned around and bowed his head in apology.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to introduce you to the traditions of the Feng family, but an urgent matter has come up.”

“Oh? Oh, no, no. It’s okay. We can have fun here without you……”

“Wait, can we perhaps join you?”

“Huh?”

As Flame tried to console the apologetic Feng Hwarang, Hae Wonryang interjected.

“Join me……?”

“Yes. I may not be much on my own, but I’m publicly known as the successor to the Tower of the Full Moon. If I accompany you, it will help solidify your position. ……We are ‘friends’, after all.”

It was true.

Feng Hwarang had nothing to offer, but if he could leverage his friendship with Hae Wonryang, he could surely gain some favor with Zeliel.

Zeliel had received help from the Tower Master before, and her father was very close to the Tower Master.

At Hae Wonryang’s words, Ma Yuseong nodded three times, his eyes sparkling.

“Zeliel of the Starcloud Trading Company…… I want to meet her too.”

“Oh? Then me too!”

“Yawn…… Huh? Do I have to answer too?”

“Say you’ll go quickly, Senior Dokcheolgwang.”

“Ugh, this is no fun. Fine, whatever.”

Hae Wonryang, Flame, and even Ma Yuseong.

He couldn’t take them to an official meeting, but since Zeliel had personally requested this favor, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“It’s fine. Take them with you, your friends.”

Hearing Hae Wonryang’s status, even his mother was swayed and gave her approval, leaving no reason to refuse.

“……Alright. Let’s go together.”

***

Meanwhile, at Cheolhugung.

Zeliel stared blankly out the window, basking in the sunlight.

As a High Elf, she could get enough nutrients to last several days just by being exposed to sunlight.

However, that wasn’t why she, who was already nourished by a daily diet of high-quality meals, was engaging in such a pointless activity.

‘This is a headache.’

She frowned as she surveyed the displeasing state of Cheolhugung.

‘This wasn’t my intention.’

Originally, her goal was simple.

She had heard that Baek Yu-seol had briefly stopped by Taeyusan in the Poong Empire for a mission, so she had planned to quietly visit him and see his face for a moment.

However, due to a driver’s mistake, they failed to remove one Starcloud mark from the auto-carriage, which led to the Seven Wind Families rushing to welcome her, even going so far as to take off their shoes in their haste.

She didn’t enjoy being treated like royalty.

She might have a desire for money, but she had no interest in honor.

In fact, she felt quite displeased.

The sight of royalty bowing their heads to her because of money was quite distasteful.

‘I need to get out of here……’

She didn’t know when Baek Yu-seol would finish his mission and exit the Persona Gate.

However, the royalty believed that Zeliel had ‘some grand reason’ for visiting, so they were not only giving her excessive treatment but also planning to gather all Seven Wind Families for a grand meeting.

Zeliel had hastily refused, preventing such an incident from occurring.

Did they even know?

Did they know that Zeliel’s ‘some grand reason’ for visiting was merely to see the face of a first-year student from Stella?

For now, she had used the excuse of needing a small favor to send people away, but she hadn’t even decided what to ask for, which was causing her a headache.

Could the Seven Wind Families even help her with anything?

There were only two people she was looking for in this world.

Silver Age November and Baek Yu-seol.

She doubted that any of the Seven Wind Families would know their whereabouts.

‘……I’ll just kill some time.’

Even if she made a random request, they wouldn’t be able to fulfill it.

Then she would express her হালকা regret and leave.

‘Time is money.’

The thought that Baek Yu-seol might have already left while she was wasting time here made Zeliel tap her foot impatiently, but that didn’t make time go any faster.

As if oblivious to her feelings, the clouds of the Poong Empire drifted by slowly.

End of Chapter