Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Persona Gate Practice (1)

Despite numerous events occurring on the day of the presentation, Stella Academy’s classes proceeded as usual.

“Professor Maizen Tiren is unwell, so I will be replacing her for today’s class.”

Alchemy professor Maizen Tiren didn’t appear, necessitating another alchemy professor to step in as a substitute.

‘What will happen now?’

In the original eighth episode, Maizen fully awakens, causing havoc in the school and inflicting significant damage. Has my influence accelerated that episode? I hope it’s not at an uncontrollable level.

Alterisha also did not come to school. At this moment, she was likely happily dealing with the Dwarf Alchemists at Alchemy Castle.

In contrast, I had some free time.

Although I was listed as a co-author, society understood that Alterisha had primarily conducted the research alone. I wanted to avoid unnecessary attention.

‘Those who need to know, already know. But the general public doesn’t.’

I disliked being bothered, and the focus shouldn’t be on me. As an alchemist, I was incompetent. All attention and interest should be solely on Alterisha.

Perhaps due to my efforts, there were hardly any rumors about me.

All the headlines in the newspapers were filled with the name ‘Alterisha.’

‘Hey, did you hear? That Alterisha assistant, he’s the one who solved the Random Aeration Cross Formula!’

‘Yeah, I heard. It’s a 300-year-old unsolved problem.’

‘But they say there’s another co-author?’

‘Apparently, he wants to remain anonymous. I wonder why?’

‘Maybe he’s really ugly?’

‘Haha, no way!’

Thanks to that, I could go about my school life as usual.

“That concludes today’s class.”

As the unnamed professor’s alchemy class ended, a few students hesitantly approached me as I left the lecture hall.

“Um… you’re Baek Yu-seol, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

They usually treated me like I was invisible. Why the sudden familiarity?

“Well, if you’re hungry, do you want to have lunch with us?”

Rumors of my close relationship with Alterisha had spread throughout the department. There were even absurd rumors that we were secretly dating, aimed at slandering us.

T h i s w as c op i ed fr om k i n g mt l . or g
In other words, they wanted to get close to me to connect with Alterisha through me.

It was somewhat clever since Alterisha wasn’t attending school, but to me, it was just bothersome.

“Sorry, I have other plans.”

“Oh, well, that can’t be helped.”

The nameless students left with disappointed expressions. They probably thought I was lying, but I genuinely had plans.

It was time for club activities.

As I exited the lecture hall, Aiselle hesitated before approaching me.

“Um… are we going?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“G-great.”

Aiselle seemed uncomfortable with the concept of the ‘Gourmet Club.’ She looked like she was making a significant decision. It wasn’t a big deal, really.

Aiselle and I headed to the shoe locker for our outing. As we moved to our respective lockers and opened them to get our shoes, something felt off.

[Intuition]

Without hesitation, I Blinked towards Aiselle.

Th i s w as c o p i e d fr o m k in gm t l . o r g
“Kyaa?!”

I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her back.

At that moment, a flour bomb exploded from her locker!

Boom-!!

“Ah…!”

Aiselle barely escaped the flour bomb’s clutches, her eyes wide open. But I had no time to worry about that.

Unfortunately, someone else passing by got hit by the flour bomb.

He turned his gaze towards me. With a body as bulky as a wrestler’s and a short, roughly cut hair, he had a menacing appearance.

His name was Feng Hwarang.

As I recall, he was in the first-year S class, same as me.

“Uh… sorry about that.”

However, he didn’t accept my apology and turned his head the other way. There, a girl with a roll-bun hairstyle and two other girls were standing, looking startled by Feng Hwarang’s gaze.

“…Did you enjoy doing this?”

“Huh? Wh-what do you mean?”

The girls, including me, were bewildered by the unexpected comment. Feng Hwarang’s cold gaze pierced them.

“If you thought that covering a girl more talented and better than you in flour would make you happy… then the process must have been enjoyable. Otherwise, you’d feel too pathetic and miserable.”

“W-what are you talking about…”

The girl with the roll-bun hairstyle had a B class name tag.

Oh, I remember this.

Aiselle’s bullying episodes are mentioned repeatedly throughout the early parts of the story. I never saw it directly in the narrative, as the protagonist was Flame.

Who would’ve thought I’d experience it indirectly like this?

Under Feng Hwarang’s fierce gaze, the girls stood frozen, trembling.

“I-I don’t know! She made me do it!”

One girl finally betrayed the others and ran, causing the rest to flee as well, except for the roll-bun girl who couldn’t move under Feng Hwarang’s gaze.

Is she going to wet herself?

Feng Hwarang, seemingly uninterested in further threats, turned his gaze and brushed off the flour. He glanced at me briefly before speaking.

“…You.”

T h i s w a s c o pi ed fro m k in g m t l . org
“Your reflexes are sharp.”

With that, Feng Hwarang coolly headed outside, still covered in flour.

I don’t recall seeing much of him in the original game, but his presence was impressive, possibly surpassing even Ma Yuseong.

Aiselle and I stood there for a long while.

“…Shall we go?”

“Yeah. Ma Yuseong is waiting.”

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And so, after some twists and turns, we started our first club activity.

Outside, Ma Yuseong was leaning against a lamppost, reading a notebook as if he were studying runes. His pose was so picturesque that passing female students couldn’t help but linger nearby, stealing glances at him.

Seeing us, he closed his notebook and approached with a smile.

“You’re here. Shall we go?”

“Yeah. Lunchtime isn’t long, so let’s not go too far.”

Even within the vast Arcaneum, there were plenty of restaurants to find delicious food.

“So… what’s on the menu?”

“Pizza. Do you like it?”

“Yes. I can eat it.”

“I’m… um, I can eat it too.”

There’s one thing I know for sure. Aiselle loves pizza. A lot.

T h i s w a s co pi ed f r o m k in g m tl .or g
When players chose to befriend Aiselle, giving her favorite foods to raise her affection was an option, and pizza was always at the top of the list.

“Then, let’s go to a pizza place.”

* * *

Walking through the streets with Ma Yuseong leads to some interesting phenomena.

“Hey, isn’t that Ma Yuseong?”

“Wow… look at his proportions.”

“I thought he was a model.”

As a genius mage who gained prominence even before entering Stella, Ma Yuseong had already made frequent appearances in the media, making him very famous.

With his tall, slender frame, gentle and warm demeanor, and handsome face, it was hard to believe he was just a high school student.

Most students at Arcaneum were prodigies, so they couldn’t help but recognize the famous Ma Yuseong.

Aiselle was also quite well-known, albeit for negative reasons.

“That’s the daughter of the Morf traitor.”

“She’s pretty, but still trash.”

Fortunately, Aiselle didn’t seem too bothered by such gazes.

‘Fools. Pitiable, getting swayed by baseless rumors.’

I wondered what expressions they would have when they finally learned the truth.

“This way.”

Still, Baek Yu-seol, disliking seeing Aiselle getting scorned, quickly led her to the pizza place.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“I-I’ll have the same as you.”

“Alright.”

Upon arriving at the pizza place, Baek Yu-seol quickly scanned the menu and ordered. He picked a cheese-loaded combination pizza and a rolling something pizza, but Aiselle couldn’t comprehend any of it.

She wore a slightly nervous expression.

‘Pizza….’

She had heard of it many times and wanted to try it desperately.

But she never had the chance.

Pizza, costing at least 15,000 credits, was an expensive dish for Aiselle, equivalent to nearly ten meals.

She wanted to try it so much that she once prepared cheese and bell peppers, even attempting to make dough, but ended up with a disastrous mix and cried bitterly.

She had to eat the mess she made because wasting the ingredients felt too painful, and she wanted to cry.

As Aiselle waited anxiously with eager anticipation, Baek Yu-seol handed her a plate of pickles with a smirk.

The note about Aiselle written in his memo included, ‘drinks pickle juice first when ordering pizza.’

“Here, eat this.”
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“What is…?”

She had never seen this food before. Not wanting to ask, she guessed on her own.

‘Is it a palate cleanser? Just like bread and soup are served first when ordering steak…’

She fondly touched the pickle plate, then froze.

‘How do I eat this…?’

Stealing glances at Ma Yuseong and Baek Yu-seol, she didn’t want to look like a fool who didn’t know how to eat such a simple thing.

Watching her, Baek Yu-seol suddenly had a thought.

‘Could this be her first time at a pizza place?’

Not knowing much about Aiselle, he wasn’t sure if she had ever been to a pizza place before.

So, he quickly handed her a fork, planning to subtly show her how to eat it, but she moved first.

She suddenly brought the pickle plate to her lips! Then she drank the pickle juice straight from the plate.

Her sky-blue eyes widened.

‘This is delicious!’

She had never tasted such a stimulating broth. Baek Yu-seol wondered if he should tell her the truth, but Aiselle was enjoying the pickle juice so much that he gave up.

Watching her, Ma Yuseong also picked up a pickle plate, bringing it to his lips to savor the taste slowly.

“Hmm… it’s nice.”

Seeing him smile brightly, it looked like he was savoring an expensive red wine.

“Oh… right. That’s the charm of pickles.”

Soon, two pizzas arrived, and Aiselle’s mouth dropped open.

“Wow, wow…”

The fragrant smell of cheese was mouthwatering. Her drool was almost dripping.

“Eat up. I heard this place is really popular.”

She nodded eagerly. When Baek Yu-seol cut the pizza and handed her a piece, she cautiously picked up a knife.

However, as much as he tolerated the pickle mistake, Baek Yu-seol couldn’t let this slide.

“Oh no. Don’t disrespect pizza with a knife. It tastes awful that way.”

“…What?”

“This is how you eat it.”

Baek Yu-seol demonstrated.

He grabbed a slice of pizza and took a big bite, pulling back.

Streeetch!! The cheese stretched out long.

“That’s… disrespectful…”

“Oh, that looks fun!”

Ma Yuseong also eagerly stretched the cheese. Aiselle, looking nervously between the knife and the pizza, finally put down the knife and picked up the pizza slice with her hands.

She succeeded in biting the pizza and stretching the cheese.

“Amazing…”

Her first time experiencing such a stimulating food almost made her lose her mind. The chewy cheese and spicy hot sauce filled her mouth, and she couldn’t think straight.

‘Oh, the bell peppers are dancing on the cheese. The paprika and olives are watching with delight! Bacon and onions are holding hands, doing an intense salsa dance!’

Then, suddenly, emotions welled up. She remembered the days when she couldn’t properly eat something as simple as this.

And the taste was so good, so delicious, so unbelievably delicious.

She was happy.

Tears welled up, but she held them back and spoke with a choked voice.

“It’s… delicious. Really.”

Thinking it was a good decision to come, Baek Yu-seol smiled.

“Let’s come often from now on.”

It felt like feeding a cute little sparrow.

‘Eat a lot.’

So that it could give some strength to endure the hardships ahead.

* * *

“Flame! Did you hear?”

Walking down the hallway, Flame’s expression slightly hardened as a female student shouted and ran towards her.

“Alright? See you later!”

Watching her friend dash away noisily, she sighed.

She had heard it. Dozens of times already. Girls her age couldn’t wait to share interesting news with their friends.

It was probably about Alterisha solving the Random Aeration Cross Formula.

But Flame knew. It was all Baek Yu-seol’s doing.

His name wasn’t revealed to the public, listed as ‘anonymous,’ but… Flame somehow understood his deep intention to hide himself and let Alterisha shine.

‘But how did they solve the formula? Did he retain some future knowledge?’

In exchange for returning, he would have forgotten most future knowledge except for critical events and narratives.

Even she had no way to help Alterisha as there was nothing about the Random Aeration Cross Formula in the ‘original romance fantasy.’

Yet things were going well.

‘…Or maybe he’s just really smart?’

Anyway, knowing that ‘the Random Aeration Cross Formula would be solved in the future,’ he might’ve solved it with Alterisha.

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She didn’t intend to delve deeply into that. Baek Yu-seol and she had agreed to reveal exactly 50% of their true feelings.

More importantly, she had to prepare for the next event.

‘Persona Gate Practice.’

There are countless ‘Persona Gates’ in this world. In the original romance fantasy, their true nature was never fully revealed, causing much dissatisfaction among readers. They are another dimension created by the Dark Mages.

If not quickly dealt with, the area where the Persona Gate appeared would be completely overtaken, becoming uninhabitable.

To prevent this, young magic warriors studied Persona Gates from an early age, and finally, in high school, they practiced dealing with them.
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This time, there would likely be a ‘real’ one mixed in. It was the work of Dark Mages infiltrating the school.

‘Knowing the gist of the incident, I must prevent major damage.’

As she pondered this, she walked slowly, noticing students gathering in front of the class bulletin board.

“Hmm?”

Curious, she approached to find an official notice about the ‘Persona Gate’ practice.

As she read it, someone approached her from the side.

“Hello, Flame.”

“..?”

A gentle and warm voice. She turned her head without thinking.

There stood Jeremie Scalven, with a dazzlingly beautiful smile. Flame responded with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, hey.”

T h i s w as c opi e d f r om ki n g m t l . o r g
“Do you want to be in the same group for the Persona Gate practice?”

Watching Jeremie speak, Flame let out a small laugh.

‘What’s he doing here?’

In the ‘original romance fantasy,’ Jeremie Scalven was depicted as someone who fell head over heels for Aiselle, striving to win her heart.

However, when Aiselle eventually ended up with Ma Yuseong, a furious Jeremie used his power to torment her.

Not merely through force, Jeremie’s psycho tendencies drove Aiselle mentally and emotionally to the brink, slowly breaking her down, which was infuriating to read in the original.

Many readers saw him as the epitome of a yandere character, but Flame hated such personalities.

“Ha, if you ask, do I have to go with you? Why would I? You have some nerve.”

She grabbed Jeremie’s chin and shook it side to side. Jeremie’s eyes widened in shock.

“Find another girl. Don’t bother me.”

Turning coolly, Flame walked away, while Jeremie rubbed his chin.

‘…She’s really unique.’
T h i s w as c o p ie d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g

However, Flame hadn’t considered an important fact. This was a ‘romance fantasy’ world, and the cliché of ‘you’re the first to slap me’ was common.

‘She’s unique, refreshing, …and charming.’

No girl had ever treated him this way. The novelty stirred Jeremie’s heart, a sensation never felt before. It even felt thrilling.

Jeremie watched Flame’s short legs as she walked away. He wanted to capture her image in his mind.

But then.

“Hey, dude. Where you headed? Class?”

“Don’t hit me on the back while I’m eating bread.”

“Pfft, why do you look so funny?”

A particularly annoying person, who often drew attention and irked him, appeared.

Jeremie unconsciously clenched his fist slightly, glaring at the boy’s back.

‘Stay away from her, Baek Yu-seol.’

He had never lost something he wanted in his life.

This time would be no different.

End of Chapter