Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Shadow Cast by the Wind (4)

The inside of the gate, set against the backdrop of the Poong Empire, looked like a desolate city where all the people had disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

However, not every place was devoid of people.

Life certainly existed inside the Persona Gate.

They were merely unreal NPCs, moving according to a predetermined story and fate.

With the clamor, Hong Bi-yeon frowned deeply, clearly annoyed.

This was an expression she only showed when truly upset, and normally, Baek Yu-seol would have been quite cautious, but things were different now.

“Oh… it seems this is based on a scene from 150 years ago?”

“…How do you know that?”

As Baek Yu-seol, intrigued, mingled in the marketplace and observed his surroundings, Hong Bi-yeon also glanced around.

She hadn’t been to the Poong Empire often, but the clothing and the atmosphere of the buildings were definitely old-fashioned compared to the present.

“See that Nine-Wheel Mask over there? It was mainly used by a famous assassin two centuries ago, who killed the wicked rich and stole their money to give to the poor. He must have been like a hero to the people of that time.”

Strange masks with nine wheels drawn on them were scattered everywhere, and some people were even wearing them.

Baek Yu-seol couldn’t understand what was so cool about them, but he quickly realized that trying to understand the culture of a foreign country from 150 years ago was a mistake in the first place.

“So, is this place called the legend of the Nine-Wheel Mask?”

“Not really. This is just a novel, like Hong Gildong or Sherlock Holmes…”

“Sherlock?”

“No. Never mind that. Anyway, there’s no need to stay here, so let’s go.”

Baek Yu-seol once again took Hong Bi-yeon’s hand and led her.

The marketplace was so crowded that they could easily get separated if they weren’t careful.

Using his glasses, finding her wouldn’t be a problem, but he decided there was no need to waste any more time.

The fake noise of the fake crowd.

None of that reached Hong Bi-yeon’s ears anymore.

She didn’t want to be disturbed by fakes.

According to some mage’s logic, the NPCs in the Persona Gate might actually be real beings living and breathing in another world… but that was just a hypothesis.

She didn’t want to waste her time and energy on beings whose existence was uncertain.

Shortly after leaving the market, it suddenly became night, and a bright half-moon appeared in the sky.

Every time they moved from one story to another, the time and place changed.

For example, when entering the legend of a werewolf transforming under the full moon, the full moon would become the backdrop, and the story of the Nine-Wheel Mask, who was a vigilante hiding among people, used a crowded daytime market as its setting.

“Nighttime tales are dangerous, so be careful. Don’t be reckless.”

Even though Baek Yu-seol was receiving help from his glasses, which were more accurate than the [Guideline Message], he didn’t forget to caution Hong Bi-yeon.

She was the type of character who always raised death flags first in the original game.

Usually, when he teased her like this, Hong Bi-yeon would get angry and snap back, which visibly eased the tension.

So, Baek Yu-seol intentionally provoked her whenever this happened.

“…I’m not a child.”

“Huh? Oh, I know.”

However, Hong Bi-yeon merely grumbled without scolding Baek Yu-seol.

He had said those words expecting to be scolded, but when the other person just quietly grumbled, it was quite awkward.

Baek Yu-seol navigated this tale slowly and carefully.

Although it seemed like a typical children’s story about good triumphing over evil, upon closer inspection, there were often hidden dangers, such as tigers with intelligence walking on two legs, disguising themselves, and even mimicking human voices.

They had to move cautiously.

The thought of a powerful beast with intelligence comparable to humans was more terrifying than one could imagine.

‘…What are those guys doing?’

By the third day, Ryuh Deric was getting tired of chasing after Baek Yu-seol.

Perhaps ‘bored’ would be a more accurate term.

He never imagined that just following his junior around without doing anything would be so irritating.

‘Are they on a date or something, those damn kids…’

At this point, Ryuh Deric was almost certain.

Even if Baek Yu-seol was acting normally, Hong Bi-yeon’s reactions were unusual.

As a second-year A-class student, Ryuh Deric had been keeping a close eye on the first-year students, and he was well aware of Hong Bi-yeon’s personality due to her fame.

‘Was that princess always like this?’

A master of verbal attacks, piercing the opponent’s heart with words as sharp as blades.

A cruel woman who, with a face more beautiful than an angel and purer than a fairy, wore a cold smile while trampling on one’s pride and tearing apart their soul with her venomous tongue.

Wasn’t that Hong Bi-yeon Adolevit?

‘Is that really Hong Bi-yeon?’

The Hong Bi-yeon he knew seemed to have vanished, and the woman standing before Ryuh Deric was… just an ordinary, unremarkable girl.

“How does a duck tie its shoelaces?”

“I’m not curious.”

“Quack.”

“Puhahaha.”

Whoosh!!

However, seeing a fireball flying towards Baek Yu-seol a moment later, Ryuh Deric corrected his thoughts.

‘Hmm, I guess I was mistaken.’

Seeing that violent, burning figure, the Hong Bi-yeon he knew was still there, unchanged.

How long had they been following Baek Yu-seol?

Only after the moon had set and risen several times did they finally arrive at what seemed to be their destination.

‘…So, this is it.’

Ryuh Deric frowned as he looked at the guideline message.

He hadn’t expected to reach the final destination so quickly and smoothly.

It seemed like they were just having a date, but their progress was so thorough, calculated, and perfect that there was no room for criticism.

‘This is…’

Ryuh Deric sighed deeply and unfurled Baek Yu-seol and Hong Bi-yeon’s score sheets.

There was no point in trying to interfere anymore; it would only make him feel more self-deprecating.

***

It had already been three days since she was trapped in this village.

Anella was slowly realizing that she was trapped here for some reason and couldn’t escape.

‘It’s not a barrier, nor an illusion.’

Hiding in the bushes, her nerves on edge like a squirrel, she was a mess.

Her clothes were torn and tattered, and she had numerous small wounds, staining her clothes red with blood.

She had tried to stop the bleeding by tearing off remaining parts of her clothes, but this only exposed more of her body, making her vulnerable to even greater injuries if she encountered the villagers again.

‘How do I get out?’

Her hair was soaked with cold sweat, making her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t afford to care about that now.

“Where is she!”

“Look over there!”

“Damn it, where did that witch disappear to!”

“We have to find her before sunset! Hurry!”

The villagers were frantically searching for her in the forest, and their movements were far from ordinary.

Some were using mana to propel themselves forward in great leaps, while others were drawing magic circles on the ground to cast tracking spells.

However, Anella didn’t find this strange at all.

‘It’s normal for ordinary farmers to use magic.’

This odd assumption was ingrained in her mind.

‘…Haa…’

Why couldn’t she leave the village?

She still hadn’t figured it out.

It was clear that no magical force was involved.

If it were, Anella, a Dark Mage and master of psychological manipulation, would have noticed.

‘It’s like the space itself is twisted.’

Even when she ran straight out of the village, she would find herself back in the village when she regained her senses.

Running, being chased, running, being chased – a repeating cycle.

There were about ten farmers chasing her, taking turns in groups of five, so they showed no signs of fatigue.

However, Anella was starting to feel the limits of her stamina.

She hadn’t slept in three days, nor had she had a drop of water.

For a Dark Mage, human blood was more essential than food.

If she wanted, she could easily snap the neck of the lone, careless farmer in front of her.

It would be easy.

No matter how weak she was, Anella wouldn’t lose to such a farmer.

Her unique ability allowed her to destroy a human’s mind and obtain their pure blood.

If she replenished her stamina, she wouldn’t be chased by these humans.

‘…But I don’t want to.’

Her mouth was parched.

How long had it been since she last drank blood?

She had endured hunger and thirst until now.

She didn’t want to harm a human directly just for this reason.

‘Because I’m human.’

I will become human.

‘I can endure it…’

Dark Mages often said that a blood-starved Dark Mage would lose control due to energy depletion and turn into a mindless monster.

However, Anella was different.

Far from becoming a monster… she was able to think more rationally with a clearer mind.

‘This is proof that I’m becoming human.’

She was sure of it.

With trembling hands, she reached for her chest.

She wanted to grasp the amulet Baek Yu-seol had given her, which she always held tightly and prayed to when she felt anxious.

But it was empty.

‘Ah…’

The amulet Baek Yu-seol had given her, which the witch had taken and whose whereabouts were now unknown.

Why did its absence feel so significant?

-Oh my, why are you like this~? It’s no fun.

A sinister voice reached her ears.

It was undoubtedly the witch’s tone.

As Anella looked up in surprise, the tree she was hiding under broke and collapsed to the ground.

-If you’re going to do it, do it properly~!

“Uwaah?!”

Thump! Thud!

Anella fell to the ground, hitting the tree and rocks, and the villagers quickly surrounded her.

“Over here!!”

She tried to get up, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

However, she couldn’t stay there, so she grabbed onto a tree and struggled to stand, gathering all her strength to start running.

But it was impossible for her to escape far in her weakened state.

Boom!!

A blue magic circle appeared in the air, striking Anella with lightning, and rocks rose from the ground, binding her limbs.

A torrent of water, followed by a barrage of fire.

As Anella’s body slumped from the onslaught of magic, the villagers… no, the first-year students of Stella, stopped their attacks.

“We finally caught her…”

“Phew, that was really tough.”

“Is this the ‘forgotten tale’ the guideline message mentioned?”

“Yeah. The upperclassman confirmed it.”

The students cautiously approached Anella, who was bound by rocks and lying there limply.

Her appearance was far from human, with black, mottled patterns that seemed to be mimicking a person.

The students frowned at the instinctively repulsive sight.

“Do we have to kill her? She’s so disgusting.”

“What else can we do? Are we going to shake hands and make up now?”

“If you’re not going to do it, step aside. I’ll kill her and get the extra points.”

“N-no. I’ll do it with you.”

The students slowly approached Anella, who seemed to be unconscious.

But when her fingertips and head twitched, they all instinctively stepped back.

“Y-you’re scared!”

“I stepped back because of you!”

Embarrassed by their fear of a weakened monster, the students started arguing among themselves.

“Let’s just hurry up and go. I don’t want to do this either; it’s making me feel sick.”

“It’s a shame she was born as a monster… but it’s just a fake life anyway.”

“Yeah. No need to get upset over a fake.”

Despite saying this, no one stepped forward, so a male student from Class A finally rolled up his sleeves and approached Anella.

“Everyone move aside, I’ll do it myself.”

Just as he raised his wand over her head to cast a spell.

-Last chance~

A chilling wind blew from somewhere, and a small cut appeared on the male student’s arm, dripping blood onto the ground.

“Ugh!”

The male student quickly retreated from the sudden pain, but the small puddle of blood on the ground remained.

‘A sweet scent…’

Familiar, yet unpleasant, but also deeply craved.

Anella, drawn to the scent of blood, opened her eyes and looked down at the ground.

Just a little lower, and she could reach it.

‘A mage’s blood…’

It was only a small amount, barely enough to fill a palm, but it was enough for Anella.

Enough to destroy the minds of all the students here and to completely obliterate the village.

-There are no more chances~! If you’re human, act like a human! If you’re a Dark Mage, act like a Dark Mage! Everyone has a ‘predestined fate’ and role. You were overstepping your bounds, trying to defy it.

-Look at you, being trampled by a mere human who hasn’t even lived for 20 years! Do you understand the price of defying fate now?

The witch’s voice echoed in Anella’s mind, making her feel increasingly dazed.

-Accept your fate. Submit. What did Baek Yu-seol, who gave you the amulet, say? Did he tempt you with sweet words about changing your fate? It’s all obviously a lie, isn’t it? Because you’re a Dark Mage. A foolish Dark Mage, easy to exploit!

Drip!

A drop of sweat fell, mixing with the blood.

Anella’s gaze was fixed on the blood.

-Drink it. You have the potential to be a witch. If you drink it, I’ll share my blood with you. You won’t become human, but I’ll at least let you live a better life than a Dark Mage.

All sorts of temptations infiltrated Anella’s mind.

Human blood.

The life of a witch.

Consuming all that desire and pleasure, and annihilating all the humans who tormented her.

-Just imagining it is thrilling, isn’t it?

It was true.

Just thinking about it was exhilarating, thrilling, and a surge of pleasure erupted from deep within her heart.

And so, Anella…

“…Kill me.”

Closed her eyes.

-Huh?

“I… don’t even have a soul left to enjoy pleasure…”

-Wait, what are you saying, child?

She was too tired and exhausted to pursue pleasure any longer.

Her tattered mind and worn-out soul could no longer enjoy any kind of pleasure.

If there was one thing she desired, it was to close her eyes as a human, even if it was just for the last moment.

‘This is how I become human.’

Casting aside all the dark temptations and embracing death.

‘My dream will be fulfilled through death.’

Isn’t that a truly human death?

End of Chapter