Magic Academy's Genius Blinker - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

World Tree Birth Celebration (3)

The market in the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree wasn’t much different from a market in a human city. There were some differences in the items sold, but for the most part, it was similar.

However, unlike ordinary markets, where alleys spread out like a spider web, the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree had thin branches extending vertically.

Upon entering the market, there were rows of clothing stores selling blankets and clothes woven by elves on one side, while the opposite alley had a food section selling snacks like rice cakes and fish cakes.

Hyeijin Macaron, the vice-captain of the 13th Extermination Squad, didn’t particularly like such market streets.

“It’s hot and humid. Captain~ Can we just go now~?”

“What’s so interesting about a fish shop that you’ve been looking at it for so long?”

Her complaints soared sky-high, but Kaen, the captain, quietly watched the swimming fish.

“Sigh~”

Hyeijin looked around with her hands on her hips, knowing it took a while to snap the captain out of it once he got engrossed.

‘This place is so annoying, seriously.’
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She hated elves. More accurately, she disliked all fairy species with pointy ears. So, just breathing in this place was painful and disgusting, but she had no choice due to the mission.

‘We’re not even sure if Professor Maizen is here. Why did the Tower Lord send us here?’

The mission was to infiltrate the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, where first-year students were conducting a field trip, to monitor Maizen Tiren, who showed signs of Dark Mage transformation.
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However, Professor Maizen had stopped all activities and was under house arrest at Stella.

Maizen Tiren’s external activities should have been completely prohibited, so how could he have come here?

‘I don’t get it at all.’

Leaving Kaen mesmerized by the fish behind, Hyeijin walked alone through the market street. There was nothing to see or buy, but she was bored.

‘Huh? That kid…’

While slowly browsing the street, she spotted a familiar face. It was a Stella student who was a co-author of the Random Aeration Cross Formula, which was presented some time ago.

‘Oh, his name was Baek Yu-seol, right?’

She didn’t remember him because of the Random Aeration Cross Formula; she just remembered him because he looked cute.

Most Stella students would be touring tourist spots or high-end souvenir corners, but Baek Yu-seol was peculiarly wandering around the market.

“Hey, student. Have a look at this.”

An old woman in shabby clothes grabbed Baek Yu-seol’s coat hem. She was selling vegetables and other greens on a mat on the ground, without even a proper stall.

A small girl, who looked like she hadn’t eaten well for a long time, was beside the old woman.

“Sure, why not.”

He squatted down and slowly looked over the mat.

Hyeijin, who thought Baek Yu-seol would ignore the old woman and walk past, widened her eyes.

Whether commoners or nobles, Stella students’ arrogance soared to the sky the moment they entered the academy.

Teenagers who bore the name of ‘Stella,’ known for gathering the world’s most noble talents in magic, were no different.

‘Not all students are jerks, though~’

Hyeijin had a bad impression of academy graduates because she couldn’t get into the academy, and academy graduates often flaunted their superiority.

“Hmmm…”

She subtly approached Baek Yu-seol and looked at the vegetables. Despite being elven vegetables, they were ultimately just common greens.

In human society, it was like selling spinach on the sidewalk.

The quantity left suggested that they hadn’t sold much today.

Then she noticed something.

‘Huh, what’s that…?’

Among the nearly useless greens, she spotted ‘Fairy Spinach.’

‘Why is that here…?’

Despite its simple name, it was an incredibly rare herb. Comparable to a century-old wild ginseng… no, it was akin to at least a five-hundred-year-old wild ginseng.

‘I have to buy it.’

Hyeijin swallowed her spit and waited. She had no choice because Baek Yu-seol was holding the Fairy Spinach and examining it.

But it was okay.

Even advanced scholars couldn’t easily identify Fairy Spinach. It required special sensitivity to mana, excellent observational skills, and thorough knowledge of plants.

There was no way a mere seventeen-year-old student could know that. No one here would know. That’s why it was left in such a shabby place.

‘If I buy it cheap and sell it for a high price…!’

Just as Hyeijin was imagining piles of money falling into her hands.

“Grandma. Where did you dig this up?”

“Hoho, from our yard. It looked unique, so I brought it.”

“Don’t ever sell this.”

“W-what…?”

“This is an incredibly valuable herb. To be sure, you’d need an appraiser…”

Baek Yu-seol took out a paper from his pocket, signed it, and wrapped it around the Fairy Spinach. Seeing that, Hyeijin couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

‘What, no way. That’s…?’

As if confirming her suspicion, Baek Yu-seol took out a magic seal from his pocket and stamped it.

“This is a quality assurance certificate from the Alchemy Castle. If you go upstairs, there’s an Alchemy Castle branch in the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree. Get it appraised there. You probably won’t have to worry about food for a while.”

“Oh my goodness… really?”

“Yes.”

Then, he pulled out a candy from his pocket and handed it along with the Fairy Spinach to the little girl.

“Kiddo. No matter who asks, don’t give this away, okay? Alchemists will come soon. Sell it to them, and you can buy as many toys as you want.”

“…Really? Can we eat white rice too?”

“Huh? Oh… yes, you can eat white rice too.”
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“Wow…”

“Enjoy the candy.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll buy some other vegetables too.”

Baek Yu-seol picked up a few vegetables he wouldn’t even use, put them in a bag, paid some coins, and left.

From behind, Hyeijin watched him with a bewildered look.

‘What’s with this kid…?’

A quality assurance certificate. He wouldn’t attach that to ordinary spinach, so Baek Yu-seol must have recognized the Fairy Spinach.

‘How did he…’

Of course, a student interested in herbal studies might have heard of Fairy Spinach. But even skilled magic herb appraisers couldn’t identify it without special tools.

Why else would the mysterious space known as the Magic Appraisal Center exist?

Unless someone had special abilities and thorough knowledge like Hyeijin, it was impossible to identify it with the naked eye alone.

‘That kid… is more unusual than I thought.’

She knew he was smart from being a co-author of the Random Aeration Cross Formula, but she thought that was it. But now she felt there was something more hidden about him.

…But still.

Wasn’t he too foolish?

‘He just gave it away?’

The old woman knew nothing, so just buying the Fairy Spinach cheaply could have earned a fortune.

‘Well, I just need to buy it before she goes to the Alchemy Castle branch.’
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As Baek Yu-seol disappeared into the distance, Hyeijin squatted in front of the old woman with a bright smile.

Intending to buy the Fairy Spinach cheaply.

But as she overheard their conversation, her hand stopped.

“Grandma. Can we eat white rice today?”

“Hoho, yes. Grandma will buy it for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She couldn’t ignore the conversation between the child and the old woman.

Had she not heard it, she wouldn’t have known, but the child’s pure joy at the thought of eating white rice made her hesitate to take it away…

‘Ugh, damn it!’

Why did that meddling Stella kid have to say that? If Baek Yu-seol had tricked the old woman and bought it, she could have taken it by force on the way.

‘Ah, geez…’

“Is there a problem…?”

“Huh? No! Nothing like that, your cabbage leaves look so beautiful! You must have used good fertilizer!”

“Hoho.”

In the end, Hyeijin walked away, having bought nothing but a bunch of cabbages.

“Sigh… such bad luck!”

Clutching the black bag to her chest, Hyeijin was walking miserably when Kaen approached her.

“Hyeijin. …What’s that?”

“Uh, a souvenir~”

“Souvenir? Your tastes have become peculiar. We’re moving out. I sensed a disturbance nearby.”

“Huh? Disturbance?”

Kaen’s expression hardened as he pulled out his wand.

“It’s the mission.”

Hyeijin’s expression also stiffened as she pulled out her staff. She had been wandering around with half a mind to play, but now that a mission had arisen, she had to take it seriously.

She carefully placed the cabbage bag in a corner, then raised her staff.

A rainbow-colored staircase formed in midair, lifting Kaen and Hyeijin high into the sky.

* * *

People called the elven king’s palace the ‘White Castle.’

It was built with ‘White Wheel Tree,’ a rare wood with a white bark and a hardness and strength that surpassed most stones.

Building a palace with White Wheel Tree, whose branches alone had astronomical value.

The world’s magic scholars clicked their tongues, saying it was a typical elven idea.

The White Wheel Tree had immense magical value, so from a mage’s perspective, it was a waste.

However, if those mages saw the White Castle even once, they would be silenced.

The white castle that rose sharply, reminiscent of crystals, was the highest point in the World Tree.

At night, it gave the illusion of a giant star in the sky, leading to the joke that it should be called the White Star instead of the White Castle.

When the World Tree Birth Celebration began, the elven king would exit the White Castle, descend the spiral of the World Tree’s trunk, reach the Eternal Waterfall, and return to the White Castle, thus touring the entire Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

People, including elves, could easily watch the elven king’s tour.
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Since the tour involved merely climbing up and down the World Tree’s trunk located at the center of the city, one could watch from anywhere in the three-dimensional layout of the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

‘…It’s been a while.’

Flowerseorin, who emerged from the White Castle, raised her head, taking care not to let her mask slip.

“The king has appeared!”

At someone’s shout, she felt countless gazes piercing through her dress.

Numerous fairies, humans, dwarves, elves, spirits, and other races had gathered in the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree to witness the World Tree Birth Celebration, far more than usual.

She nearly gasped but endured it.

Because she was the king.

This was what the king had to do.

Sarak-!

Setting a bare foot on the trunk, flowers bloomed where she stepped. They were forsythias, heralding spring.

One flower, then two.

Different flowers bloomed with each step, watching over Flowerseorin’s path without wilting.

Today was the day the king conveyed the fairies’ will to the World Tree.

人人人人…

The wind blew.
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People looked up, realizing a shadow had fallen over the entire area.

“What… what is this…!”

“Oh my…”

A golden branch spread, covering the sky. Reacting to the elven king’s voice, the World Tree moved.

Flowerseorin did nothing.

She simply walked down the spiral of the World Tree’s trunk.

That was enough.

Just the king walking on the World Tree allowed the will of all elves, fairies, spirits, and druids to be conveyed to the World Tree through the elven king.

As Flowerseorin slowly walked as if dancing, brilliant multicolored lights, like stars falling from the sky or the sun crumbling in hand, fell upon the world.

The elves knelt and prayed, hoping their wishes would reach the World Tree.

Other races, apart from fairies, could do nothing but watch.

They were mesmerized by Flowerseorin’s ethereal movements, as if walking on clouds, even controlling their breathing.

Sometimes, intelligent beings with language become arrogant.

They believe they can describe and express anything with their words.

However, their arrogance shatters when they encounter overwhelming awe and beauty beyond their comprehension.

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They realize painfully that their language is woefully inadequate.

Probably, everyone here felt the same.

Crack, crackle!!

As the multicolored lights spread across the World Tree, changes began throughout the entire Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

Buildings sprouted from branches like fruits, flowers bloomed everywhere, gardens and amusement parks emerged, towers rose, bridges were laid, and roofs were built.
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As the elves wished, the World Tree nurtured their home.

Flowerseorin walked for a long time and finally reached the Eternal Waterfall at the bottom.

Having come this far, she had completed half of her task. The rest was just retracing her steps back to where she started.

Thinking so, she crossed the bridge connecting the Eternal Waterfall and gently stepped on the trunk to ascend.

…Gasp!

She sensed a foreboding presence from somewhere.

‘This is…’

There was no doubt it was Dark Mana. She glanced at the elite elven warriors accompanying her for protection.
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They were highly skilled in magic, but unfortunately, it seemed they hadn’t noticed the Dark Mana.

Perhaps… she was the only one here who sensed it.

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The elven king had to remain silent during the World Tree Birth Celebration.

At this moment, the elven king served solely as a bridge linking the World Tree and the people.

If she spoke, everything would be ruined.

However…

She couldn’t ignore the fact that a dark mage had infiltrated the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree.

If it were a powerful and domineering dark mage, other elven warriors would have detected it. But this Dark Mana was so subtly concealed that no one noticed it.

‘…An extraordinary dark mage has infiltrated.’

She had to inform someone about this. But how?

…At least, it was impossible until the World Tree Birth Celebration ended.

The only option left was to finish the celebration and head there herself.

End of Chapter