Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 286

Chapter 286

Shadow Cast by the Wind (7)

***

Taeyusan, the capital of the Poong Empire.

In a secluded alleyway, rarely frequented by people, the air shimmered in a spherical shape, and spat out more than ten boys and girls.

They were the first-year cadets of Stella, who had just returned from a Persona Gate.

“Phew, this practical training was quite a mess…”

Bandiyun, who released her tension as soon as she exited the gate, shook her hair loose and fanned herself with her hand. The sweat running down her neckline showed how tense she had been until now.

Then she turned around and checked the number of first-year cadets to make sure they had all come out safely.

Total of 12 people, all accounted for.

‘I thought something had happened…’

The mission itself was nothing special, a very ordinary Persona Gate with a risk level of 3.

There were no variables, and it was actually considered quite easy among 3-risk gates.

But the final outcome was the problem.

‘A human…?’

A girl, who appeared to be a middle school student, was asleep on Baek Yu-seol’s back. This cute child was a real person found in the Persona Gate, and surprisingly, she was said to be acquainted with Baek Yu-seol.

Not only was it surprising that an outsider was found inside the Persona Gate as a boss monster, but they actually knew each other.

“Um, excuse me… Senior.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“We… almost killed a real living person…”

One of the first-year cadets approached Bandiyun with a trembling voice, almost in tears.

Only then did she relax her expression and approach him.

“It’s okay, calm down and listen.”

“Yes?”

“You did nothing wrong. This isn’t just to comfort you.”

“That’s…”

“Honestly, I was a bit surprised too, but it’s not like this has never happened before.”

“Really?”

It wasn’t in the textbooks, so they wouldn’t know, but such cases weren’t unheard of.

She had never heard of a case where someone who had never entered was found, like Anella, but there were often stories of colleagues being completely eroded by a Persona and appearing as a boss monster.

Each time, mages had to kill their colleagues with their own hands, with tears in their eyes, and it left a deep scar on their hearts.

“Persona Gates are known for being very difficult to clear, but they offer great rewards. Moreover, the Mage Association considers them the most significant achievements. Do you know why?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“It’s because of the mental stress. Hunting monsters and Dark Mages is no easier than clearing Persona Gates, yet the association recognizes it. Why is that? Why do senior mages avoid them even though the rewards are so high? Have you ever thought about it?”

When the junior shook his head, Bandiyun tapped his shoulder and said.

“It’s because of this. It’s not because it’s physically hard, but because it’s mentally hard.”

“……Is it a frequent occurrence?”

Bandiyun shook her head.

“Not really. But in Persona Gates, there are many other things besides this that mentally torment us. That’s why it’s hard.”

In a Persona Gate, one must immerse oneself in an artificially created ‘story’ and act as a character within it.

In the process, countless mages were hurt, suffered from mental stress, and even quit their jobs. It was no wonder that there was a separate title for ‘Persona Hunter.’

“I’m going to the hospital first.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of the grading, so go ahead.”

Bandiyun watched Baek Yu-seol’s back as he hurried off somewhere with Anella on his back.

Although it was a pity that she didn’t see him in action during this mission, it might have been better that way.

Baek Yu-seol only moved seriously when something really big happened.

“Something’s off.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Ryuh Deric said with a grimace.

“That guy, he’s not ordinary. I followed him from a distance, and his progress was beyond that of a professional Persona Hunter. I still don’t know why he kept circling around without going to the final destination, but he’s a strange one.”

Bandiyun chuckled as Ryuh Deric spoke as if he had discovered something strange all by himself.

“I’m sure you do.”

“……Are you doubting my judgment? That guy is definitely not an ordinary first-year-”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Hey!”

She casually responded and led the first-year cadets out of the alley.

Unlike the expected week-long mission, it ended early in just three days, so it wouldn’t be bad to spend a day sightseeing.

The gentle breeze blowing over the hill, carrying the fragrant scent of flowers. As she held her swaying hair with one hand, she could see her mother in a white dress appearing in the distance, waving her hand.

，Anella, come and eat.，

In her childhood, her home was small and humble, but it was a happy family with everything they needed. Although her father was not present, her mother bravely faced the world alone, and the villagers loved her for it.

‘The Ruins of the Valkamic Kingdom’

A kingdom once established by one of the descendants of the Progenitor Mage’s twelve disciples, it was said to have prospered greatly in the distant past, but now it was a small country tucked away in a corner.

But what did it matter if the country was small or large? Yesterday she was happy, today she is happy, and tomorrow she will be happy.

Anella never doubted that she would live like this forever.

Holding her mother’s hand, living a beautiful life, not abundant but without any lack.

She would grow up like that.

She believed it without a doubt.

‘Mo, ther……?’

The whole world was painted red.

On that night when even the sky seemed to scream.

The small house that protected her and her mother’s happiness was engulfed in flames and completely collapsed.

It was no longer a place of happiness.

Instead, it became a shackle, wishing for her mother’s misfortune.

‘Anella……’

Was it an old pillar that had broken and fallen? Her mother, half-crushed under the debris of the house, groaned in pain and reached out to Anella.

‘Anella, remember. Run without looking back.’

‘Mom. What about you…!’

‘I’ll follow you soon, so hurry!’

‘Ugh, okay…!’

It was the first time Anella had seen her mother shout like that, so she stood up with tears in her eyes.

‘Hurry, hurry and run…’

Stupidly, Anella must have had tears in her eyes at that time.

She doesn’t remember her mother’s last desperate plea at all.

Her vision was blurred by tears, so she couldn’t tell if her mother was smiling or crying at that moment.

Anella turned and ran.

The invasion of the Dark Mages, Blackkingdon.

The collapsing Valkamic royal family.

She ran and ran.

To be a good child who listened to her mother until the end.

……To survive.

When she opened her eyes again.

Tears welled up in Anella’s eyes. Why did the memory of that day suddenly come to mind? She thought she had completely forgotten it after becoming a Dark Mage, buried it in her memory. She had sealed it with her ability, intending never to remember it again.

“Ah……”

A white ceiling.

The light that gently swayed without being too bright, and the softly swaying sunlight.

She closed and opened her eyes a few times, then carefully pushed herself up.

She couldn’t get up because her back was severely strained. It was as uncomfortable as if she hadn’t used her muscles in a long time.

“Ugh…”

Feeling drained of all strength, Anella collapsed back onto the bed, lying flat on her back. Then, she suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

‘Huh? A bed?’

When was the last time she slept in a bed? Wasn’t it when she infiltrated Stella as an exchange student in the summer? That was the first and last time.

Although it wasn’t as soft as the bed in the Stella exchange student dormitory, it was still comfortable enough. In fact, it felt even more calming than before.

“Ugh…”

Wondering what was going on, Anella quickly tried to sit up. She strained her whole body in the process, but she managed to sit up and even stand up with great effort.

Clatter!

Just then, the door opened, and a nurse came in.

“Oh, patient! You shouldn’t be moving around yet when you’re experiencing mana exhaustion! Please lie down.”

“Huh? Mana exhaustion is wha…… Ah!”

She had barely managed to get up.

The nurse trampled on Anella’s efforts and made her lie back down on the bed. Having used up all her strength to get up earlier, Anella felt like she would never be able to get up again.

Suddenly feeling depressed, Anella buried her face in the bed. The nurse approached her, took her arm to check her temperature, attached some kind of device to her forehead to monitor her vitals, and kept bothering her, so she finally lifted her head.

“What are you doing…”

At first, she was going to shout, but she met the nurse’s stern gaze and her heart shrank.

“What do you mean? Don’t you remember what happened before you fainted? Your friends said you used your mana forcefully and went into mana exhaustion. You shouldn’t do that. What if you can never use magic again?”

“……What is mana exhaustion?”

“You’re a Magic Warrior, and you don’t know that? It’s a phenomenon that occurs when you use up all your mana, leaving not even the minimum amount needed to move your body. It’s very dangerous, so be careful.”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

That was strange.

Anella wasn’t a mage in the first place.

As a Dark Mage, she shouldn’t experience mana exhaustion.

No matter how much she used Dark Mana Control, she couldn’t artificially manipulate the subtle phenomena that only appeared in mages, like mana exhaustion.

But…

The nurse was talking as if she assumed Anella was a human mage.

“Mana exhaustion, in my body?”

“Yes.”

“No, that’s a lie.”

The nurse frowned and shook her head.

“The Director examined you himself, so it’s no use saying it’s a lie. Are you saying the doctor at Poongryeong University Hospital made a mistake?”

“Huh? Po, Poongryeong University? Could this place be…”

“That’s right. Poongryeong University Hospital.”

“Oh my god…”

Poongryeong University was one of the most prestigious medical schools in the world.

Not only could Anella not afford to come near it, but Poongryeong University Hospital was the best hospital in the Poong Empire, so the chances of the Director’s words being wrong were extremely low.

“If another patient had said that, the Director wouldn’t have let it slide. But since you’re a special guest of the Starcloud Trading Company, well, I guess it’s possible.”

Now she didn’t understand anything. Why was the name of the Starcloud Trading Company coming up again?

“Now, please stay still.”

After connecting various bands and electrodes to Anella’s body and conducting several tests, the nurse finally left the room.

Left alone, Anella stared blankly at the door, then suddenly placed her hand on her chest.

Thump, thump!

‘……Huh?’

She couldn’t feel it.

The dark mana of Blackkingdon that used to constrict her heart.

The seed of the Dark Mage that could have been activated at any time if Blackkingdon desired, and burst Anella’s heart… it had completely disappeared.

‘Wh, what’s going on!’

She couldn’t feel any dark mana anywhere in her body. Even her unique ability to delve into people’s inner thoughts and stimulate their trauma wasn’t activating.

She clenched and unclenched her fists and swung them in the air, but instead of the terrifying destructive power she used to have, only the feeble flailing of a weak teenage girl came out.

Her ability…

Her power…

It was completely gone.

Instead…

All the black mana that had suppressed her freedom was gone, and pure blue mana flowed through her heart.

“I, I really…”

Clatter!

As she stared blankly into space with trembling eyes, the door to the hospital room opened again, and someone came in.

This time, it wasn’t the nurse, but Baek Yu-seol.

He was holding something like a chart in one hand and was smiling as if he was in a good mood.

“You’re awake.”

“Ba, Baek Yu-seol…”

“I read through it roughly, and you’re completely human now. All the complex suppression and control techniques engraved in your heart have been released. And the seed is, of course, gone.”

“Gone…?”

“Your physical age is about sixteen or seventeen. I don’t know your original age, but it’s good. You’ve become younger, right?”

“Si, sixteen? I’m not that young…”

“That’s just your physical age, and you need to exercise. Your muscle condition is terrible. Your mana is also almost at the level of an ordinary person. You won’t have to start from scratch. If you train your white mana based on your experience of freely using dark mana, you’ll quickly awaken it. Consider yourself lucky. Because you became a Dark Mage and returned to being human, your body has been engraved with ［the blessing of mana］. And, also…”

Baek Yu-seol started to explain various things while flipping through the chart, but Anella couldn’t hear him properly.

‘Human, I’m human…?’

Could it be true?

Was it a dream?

Was it such a happy dream that Blackkingdon would soon tighten his grip on her heart, wake her up, and threaten to kill her? Suddenly feeling scared, she slapped her cheek hard.

Smack-!

“Ow!”

It hurt. Enough to make tears well up.

But this wasn’t enough.

She raised her other hand to slap herself again, but her hand trembled because she was afraid it would hurt.

“……What are you doing? Do you want me to hit you instead?”

Baek Yu-seol said, looking at her like she was an idiot. Anella nodded vigorously.

Then, seeing him approach with a smirk, Anella closed her eyes tightly.

She braced herself for the impact on her cheek, but instead of swinging his hand, he placed his palm on top of her head.

Not in a gentle pat, but as if placing an object.

“Huh..?”

“It’s not a dream.”

Baek Yu-seol grabbed Anella’s head like a basketball and shook it gently from side to side.

“Congratulations. You’re really human now.”

“Tha, thank you. Thanks to you…”

“No. I didn’t do anything. I just talked a lot, but in the end, it’s because you strengthened your own heart that this happened.”

“Still…”

“You’re completely free from Blackkingdon now. You’re free. How do you feel?”

At Baek Yu-seol’s question, Anella turned her head blankly and looked out the window.

“Ah…”

It was the same scenery as yesterday, but why did the sky look particularly clear and clean today?

More beautiful scenes caught her eye, and every little detail seemed pretty.

This was the perspective of looking at the world as a human. A warm feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I’m… happy…”

Baek Yu-seol smiled along with Anella’s unknowingly spoken words.

“I’m glad. That you’re happy.”

And then.

Before Anella could fully enjoy her happiness, he took out a document envelope from his bag.

“If you’re happy, now you have to work hard, right?”

“Uh, huh?”

“It’s a special admission application for Stella. It’s not something they give to just anyone at any time. This time, there’s only one such opportunity… You must now become a cadet of Stella. No, you must have the ability to match that.”

“Wh, why?”

“Then are you going to stay like this? You’ve become human, you can’t live the same way as before. And your boss won’t leave you alone. It’s best to live under the protection of Stella. Well, there are holes here and there, but still.”

Anella took the documents and stared at them blankly.

“Can I… really do this?”

“Why not? You’re human like me, an ordinary person. Stella is equal. Anyone with ability can enter.”

The same human.

The resonance of that word was so touching that Anella almost burst into tears.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

“Don’t just do your best, do well.”

“Okay!”

Anella hugged the document envelope that Baek Yu-seol had given her tightly.

Becoming human and living as a human was what she thought was her destination. But the destination was not the end, but a new beginning.

‘Transferring to Stella.’

A new direction in life was set.

It was her first goal in life as a human, not as a Dark Mage.

End of Chapter