Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 84
Chapter 84
World Tree Birth Celebration (2)
In the middle of the Primordial Mountains stood the towering Heavenly Spirit Tree, the First World Tree.
The elves and fairies had firmly established their settlement there, naming it the ‘Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.’
Within the fanbase of the original fantasy romance novel ‘Princess Love,’ there was a running joke about this place.
‘If you plan to do business in the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, avoid construction and real estate. Then, you’re guaranteed to succeed.’
The reason was quite simple: the Heavenly Spirit Tree itself would nurture branches to build homes for the fairies who entered its embrace.
In other words, the elves didn’t have to worry about rent.
However, it would be a mistake to think they lived in makeshift tree nests.
“Wow…”
“Is this really a city built by the will of the World Tree…?”
Upon arriving in the capital of the Elven Kingdom, Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, the students of Stella Academy were given some free time. They planned to participate in the ‘World Tree Birth Celebration’ before conducting the Familiar Contracting Ceremony.
Of course, that was just an excuse.
Honestly, Flame thought of this schedule as somewhat similar to a university MT (membership training).
While they couldn’t drink and play, the academy’s intention was likely to relieve students’ stress by allowing them to freely tour the beautiful city of Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree with their friends.
Whoooosh!!
Waterfalls cascaded down from the branches of the World Tree hanging at the edge of the sky.
A large bridge was laid out at the fork where the waterfall split into two, and on either side, there were mansions that resembled apartments.
In the original novel, the capital of Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree was described as follows.
‘Hundreds of massive tree trunks filled the world. And every tree trunk bore houses like fruits.’
While human cities spread horizontally on flat ground, elven cities expanded vertically.
For this reason, although unnecessary for the elves, there were many stairs for the sake of visitors. It was said that those not in good physical condition found it tough to tour Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.
Peek
A window of a cabin located above opened, and a young elven child peeked out, looking down at them.
Just as the elven city was a fascinating sight for the students of Stella, the reverse was also true.
Considering that magic warriors were treated as ‘heroes’ among civilians and rarely encountered, it was a rare sight to see so many students from the world’s best magic warrior academy gathered together.
Flame waved brightly at the children. They blushed and quickly hid.
“They’re cute. Even the elven kids are good-looking.”
“Totally.”
The girls chattered noisily. How often would one visit the World Tree in their lifetime? Even for nobles, such opportunities were rare.
“It feels purifying…”
Everywhere was home, nature, and fortress.
It truly was a fantastical fairy city.
Modern elves pursued quite intellectual lives, so there was nothing lacking in this place.
The city had everything, from schools to weapon shops, bars, beauty salons, cosmetics shops, nail art, handicrafts, flower shops, and even human food trends like meat restaurants and soup.
The person who had significantly influenced the elves’ quick acceptance of foreign cultures was none other than the principal of Stella Academy, Eltemon Eltrine.
Eltemon Eltrine’s achievements were so great that he could be mistaken for the protagonist of a novel.
He traded with dwarves to spread material magic and alchemy & magical engineering technology in human society. He started the first civilized exchange with the elves in return for saving the Second World Tree. He also brought back holy magic from angels, laying the foundation for today’s ‘healing magic.’
T h i s was c o pi ed fr om k i n g m t l . o rg
Most of these events happened over a century ago, marking his prime.
It remained a mystery why he suddenly quit his work as a magic warrior and took the position of principal at Stella Academy to train future generations.
Nonetheless, it was concluded that modern elves were quite open-minded.
“Hey miss, why don’t you join us for some plum tea?”
An elf hitting on someone on the street.
“Cheap, cheap! A World Tree relic magic staff grown by an elf for only thirty-nine thousand eight hundred credits! Thirty-nine thousand eight hundred credits!”
An elf running a street stall.
“What, punk?! I said it first, didn’t I?”
“You really want to go, old man?!”
An elf fighting while drunk in broad daylight.
Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree was a city where many modern elves coexisted.
Moreover, with the ‘World Tree Birth Celebration’ overlapping, the city was almost in a festival mood. It was bustling with a considerable number of outsiders and different races, including Stella students.
“Flame, shall we try that? It looks like they’re selling skewers.”
“Oh, um…”
Flame knew what that was. In the original novel, Aiselle was attracted by its fragrant smell and spent her precious money to buy it, only to be disappointed by its bark-like texture…
“I’m not really…
“Okay, we’ll eat it ourselves!”
“Aiselle, do you want some too?”
“Hmm… sure, why not.”
Watching her friends swarm the skewer vendor elf, Flame pondered.
‘Should I just tell them?’
She decided against it. Whether it tasted bad or not, trying it out was an experience in itself. Only then would they have the right to say, ‘I tried it once, and it was really bad.’
As Flame wandered around Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree with her hands behind her back, she spotted a familiar back in the distance. Baek Yu-seol was squatting at a street stall, staring intently at what looked like cheap trinkets.
‘He’s alone?’
He was always alone. She knew why, but recently, she felt an increasing urge to intervene.
T h i s w as c o p ied fr om k i ng m t l . o rg
She tried to approach him to strike up a conversation, but someone brushed past her.
Whoosh-
“…Huh?”
By the time her line of sight cleared, Baek Yu-seol had already disappeared.
As always, like a ghost.
And among the crowd, another boy was looking her way.
Jeremie Scalven, shining with a brilliant golden aura, smiled.
“Hey, Flame.”
Flame’s expression immediately soured. Jeremie leisurely approached her, looking her in the eye.
“What do you want?”
“You don’t show me that face from earlier?”
“What face.”
She was very uncomfortable with this situation. She wanted to avoid getting involved with Jeremie, but somehow, it always ended up this way.
Blankly.
Jeremie stood five steps away from her, smiling brightly as he simply looked at her. It was as if just meeting her gaze made him happy.
“What do you want. Just get to the point.”
“Ah.”
Then, as if he had suddenly remembered, he pondered briefly before speaking hurriedly.
“The weather is nice today, isn’t it?”
“No. It’s horribly gloomy.”
The sky was clear without a single cloud.
“Do you want to have a meal together? I found a place with a great view.”
“I’m full, eat alone.”
“How about a simple walk?”
“No.”
T h i s w a s cop i e d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g
“There’s a pet café over there.”
“I don’t like cute things.”
A strong defense.
“Then…
As Jeremie tried to say something else, someone stepped in between them.
A sharp yet intelligent-looking boy with dark hair tinged with red and purple eyes.
“…Hae Wonryang?”
“Crown Prince. That’s enough. Do you realize your actions are quite rude and forceful?”
“Haha, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Can you just disappear quietly and not interfere?”
When Jeremie smiled and said that, most people would lower their gaze and walk away.
But that only worked on certain people. Such actions had no meaning to the heir of the Tower of the Full Moon, who stood at the pinnacle of the magical world.
Snap!
As the two boys started a staring contest, Flame fidgeted nervously between them.
‘Geez, what’s wrong with these crazy kids?’
It was like a scene from a childish romance novel she had read in elementary school.
Before thinking it was childish, it was just absurd.
‘Did I ever seduce them? I don’t think so, no matter how much I think about it.’
Hae Wonryang and she had just been regular friends.
T hi s w as c o pi e d fr o m k i n g m t l. o r g
Jeremie was someone she had always told to get lost whenever he approached.
She didn’t know. When it came to relationships, Flame was completely clueless.
She had learned about romance from fantasy novels; what was she supposed to do?
T h i s w as c opi e d f rom k in g mtl .o r g
‘Ugh, this is driving me crazy!’
While Flame was tearing her hair out, Jeremie moved first.
“Yeah. I was planning to leave anyway… I tried following what I learned, but it didn’t work.”
Jeremie said with a smile, then walked away into the crowd.
“Phew…”
She sighed in relief, thinking she was finally free from one problem. Then, she smacked Hae Wonryang’s back.
“Hey! What were you thinking, picking a fight with him? Even if you’re from the Tower of the Full Moon, it’s not good to make an enemy of Scalven!”
“…Flame.”
Hae Wonryang looked at her with a sunken expression. She blinked her large eyes.
“Uh, uh, why are you looking at me like that?”
“The Crown Prince is dangerous. If he wants something, he’ll do whatever it takes to get it. And you’ve become the Crown Prince’s ‘most wanted object.’”
“Well, um…
She knew he was dangerous. But she also had the assurance of being backed by the highest of high angels, so it wasn’t a problem.
However, that fact was a secret and couldn’t be shared with anyone. She pressed her lips together as Hae Wonryang asked nonchalantly.
“…Do you trust that guy?”
T h i s w a s c o pie d f r om k i ngm t l . o r g
“What? Which guy?”
“Never mind, sorry for my slip of the tongue.”
Hae Wonryang frowned and grabbed his head.
“What’s wrong, do you have a headache?”
“…I’ve had a few lately, but it doesn’t affect my daily life.”
“Come here. You know I’m good at treating that stuff.”
He wanted to ask Flame for treatment. However, he knew this wasn’t a physical problem but a mental one, so he couldn’t.
“…Maybe next time.”
Although he was certainly sweating and breathing heavily, he brushed Flame’s arm aside and hurried away.
“Hey! Wait up!”
He felt Flame chasing him hurriedly from behind, but he couldn’t stop.
‘Damn it…’
His symptoms were getting worse. He thought it would get better soon. There was no way he could live in a hospital. If he started going to a mental clinic, the time he could invest in his studies would decrease, and if the symptoms got serious, he might be forced to take a break from school.
‘Just hold on until the vacation…’
He could get treatment then. He knew an exceptionally skilled doctor in this field.
Hae Wonryang stumbled into an alleyway where he wouldn’t catch people’s eyes and leaned against the wall, clutching his sweat-soaked shirt.
His condition was gradually improving.
Even though he was occasionally engulfed in terrible pain, like a giant worm wriggling in his head, enduring it somehow calmed him down.
‘If it’s like this, I can still proceed with the Familiar Contracting Ceremony…
“Oh my, look who it is.”
A voice from behind.
It wasn’t a familiar voice. He had heard it a few times before.
Hae Wonryang turned his head slightly to confirm the person.
T h i s wa s cop i e d f r om ki n gmt l .o rg
“…Professor Maizen Tiren?”
She was half-hidden in darkness, her face partially obscured by a black robe, but he could clearly recognize her.
“Wondered where my ‘seedlings’ went… Here’s one, huh? Hehe, lucky me.”
T h is w a s co p ie d f ro m k i n g mt l . o rg
T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m ki n gmt l . o r g
“What… are you talking about?”
“It’s fine if you don’t understand.”
Ah.
Hae Wonryang finally realized.
This was the source of his constant, gnawing headache.
‘Danger.’
But by the time he realized it, it was too late.
Step by step.
As she approached, his legs felt like they were rooted to the ground.
“Perfect timing. I didn’t expect the ‘erosion degree’ to be this advanced…”
Maizen raised the corners of her mouth as she looked at the completely immobilized Hae Wonryang.
Lucky. Exceptionally lucky. It felt as though a stage was being set just for her.
Experiencing a chillingly ecstatic happiness, she reached out to the dazed Hae Wonryang.
“Now, don’t resist.”
And so.
With the scene of Maizen reaching for his head as the last thing he saw.
‘You’ve already become a slave to your emotions.’
Hae Wonryang’s consciousness faded to black.
* * *
The Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree was indeed a nation but differed from human or dwarf countries.
Those among the elves who had the highest affinity with the World Tree were called ‘High Elves,’ and they were treated similarly to nobles in elven society.
Among these High Elves, the one closest to the World Tree was given the title ‘King.’
The king of the elves did not rule over the people or engage in politics.
They merely reigned from the highest place.
The king’s existence alone brought vitality to all elves, connected the World Tree with the fairies, and was the source of life in this land.
However, as it was an era where they couldn’t entirely abstain from politics and diplomacy, the ‘Elder Council’ largely handled those matters…
-Sire. If you don’t make an appearance at this Birth Celebration, the Elder Council might take severe action.
-Haa…
Th i s wa s co p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l .or g
Flowerseorin, the elven king and the pillar of the World Tree, sighed deeply.
The king had no real power. All practical authority and power belonged to the Elder Council.
The elders, who were unbelievably greedy and sinister for elves, were difficult for Flowerseorin to deal with.
-They’re probably planning to use this as an excuse to seize control of the ‘Spirit Beast’s Garden.’ It’s a place only you, who sustain the World Tree, can access. How dare they…
“It’s fine. Just fulfill your duties as a knight. There’s no need to get involved in politics.”
-…I apologize for my presumptuous words.
“No, your concern itself is a great help. I’m just… sorry for dragging you into this dirty, petty internal strife.”
-I understand.
After the knight’s voice disappeared, Flowerseorin rose.
The dark room, which could barely let in a handful of sunlight, was strangely bright.
As if the person named Flowerseorin herself was emitting light.
“I suppose… I should get dressed.”
She couldn’t skip this Birth Celebration. It wouldn’t be right as the elven king.
Besides, she had other tasks to handle while she was out this time.
She intended to stay in the White Palace until the Stella students finished the Familiar Contracting Ceremony and then visit the garden where her old friend, Spirit Leafanel, slept.
“Haa.”
With a sigh laden with concerns, Flowerseorin slowly undressed.
Sexless.
Elves who hadn’t felt the emotion of love had no gender. Although she had a female body, she hadn’t experienced secondary sexual characteristics, so she had hardly any physical traits of a woman.
She gazed blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
A divine beauty bestowed by the gods.
She was outstandingly beautiful and elegant, noble and refined. Some called her enchanting, some praised her as serene, and others admired her radiance.
To her, such an appearance was merely a shackle.
When was the last time she dined face-to-face with someone?
When was the last time she had a conversation while making eye contact?
The days when she freely roamed the streets.
In those days, not everyone liked her, but she could like anyone.
Back when she could fully enjoy freedom.
When was that?
Now, the faint memories, slowly dissolving into oblivion, were all she could cling to.
Dark emotions were like paint, instantly coloring the entire canvas the moment they dropped into clear water. Flowerseorin sensed a drop of paint stirring in her heart.
Was it depression or loneliness?
‘Get a grip… I can’t be like this on the Birth Celebration.’
Flowerseorin pulled herself together. As someone who communicated with the World Tree, if she succumbed to her gloomy feelings, the entire elven forest would follow suit.
She had to maintain a bright demeanor for the sake of the forest swayed by her emotions.
‘Outfit…’
Since the curse, she always wore the same attire.
A pure white dress, covering her completely with not an inch of skin exposed.
It was labeled a dress, but it was more like a giant sack.
On top of that, she wore a mask and veil. Even then, she felt uneasy.
During her last outing, despite covering herself entirely, numerous victims had fallen ill with lovesickness.
No matter how much she covered and wrapped herself, she couldn’t expose herself to the world for even an hour.
Keeping that in mind, she closed her eyes and prayed.
‘Please, let this event pass safely without any incidents.’
End of Chapter
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Keremhasid
Never understood how flowerseroin didn’t fall in love with mc