Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 28

The Returner (2)

After school, during free time.

Normally, Aiselle would study in the self-study room, but today, she simply couldn’t.

‘Baek Yu-seol…’

Her mind was in chaos.

It was true that thanks to his help, she was able to overcome Maizen’s trap. But what had she done then?

She barely managed to follow one of Baek Yu-seol’s instructions by sheer coincidence.

T h i s wa s c o p i ed fro m ki n g m t l . or g
‘He came up with…such a mixing method on the spot?’

She couldn’t believe it. With her own ideas, her own talent, her own knowledge, she could never have reached that level.

Even though alchemy was considered a minor field…

The issue was that his knowledge was not limited to alchemy.

Rumors had already spread widely within the department.

‘A genius who never prepares in advance.’

Baek Yu-seol submitted all the questions in the class placement test blank, questions that required memorizing formulas and principles. For an average student, that would have been obvious. The level of Stella’s class placement test was comparable to that of a university exam.

Any student who had studied normally to enter the high school division would not have been able to solve those questions.

But all Stella students were prodigies and had undergone early education, so it was considered normal for them to solve such problems.
T h is w a s c o p ie d f ro m k ing m t l. o r g

Baek Yu-seol did not. Without any preparation, he came in and solved the three questions that no one else could.
Th is w a s c o pi ed f r om ki ng m t l.o r g

Despite being behind others, he studied so intensely that he was already standing out significantly.

He faced no obstacles in any subject, and his ideas amazed and impressed all the professors.

“Ah…”

Aiselle covered her face with both hands.

‘My father…’

Suddenly, she remembered her father’s death.

‘My beloved daughter… you will learn the truth someday…’

Leaving behind those mysterious words, her father vanished, branded as a ‘traitor.’

She still couldn’t understand his last words. But the reason she was still alive was for revenge.

‘Adolevit.’

The dirty, despicable family that branded her father as a traitor and led him to his death.

She still couldn’t forget the face of the woman who killed her father.

She had to get revenge.

She had to thrust the sharp blade of vengeance into the hearts of those who dragged her father and herself into the abyss.

To do that, she had to become the best.

Because she was a genius. A mage hailed as the one and only genius sent from heaven.

Having lost everything, she had only one means left to exact her revenge.

To become a greater and more excellent mage than the two princesses of Adolevit and reach the ‘Heavenly Realm.’

If she became the greatest mage who controlled the entire magical world, she could return all the humiliation, pain, and hardship she had endured.

But.

T h i s wa s c o p ie d f rom k i ng m t l. o r g
‘What was I this time?’

She was nothing more than a burden, just a potion mixer who relied on another student’s quick thinking and knowledge.

She had done nothing. She had to become the best.

She had thought she could overcome any hardship and adversity.

‘I…need to change more.’

Aiselle gritted her teeth and stood up. There was no time to wallow in self-pity. Even at this moment, Baek Yu-seol was moving ahead, and Hong Bi-yeon, once her rival in ice and fire, was already receiving elite education from the royal family and looking at a much higher place than herself.

She couldn’t fall behind any further.

* * *

“Slurp!”

Since I came to Stella Academy, there was something I’ve always wanted to do. To ‘elegantly’ drink an Americano at the Stellaria Cafe on campus.

Sipping high-quality brewed coffee while looking at a night view from a spacious terrace was the kind of high-class leisure only nobles could indulge in.

“Hmm. I want another cup….”
Thi s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k in g m t l .or g

But without any elegance, I downed it all in one go. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell what flavor it was. The 300-won mixed coffee from the vending machine tasted better.

“Geez, it’s just expensive and tastes awful.”

Sprawling in the chair, I pretended to admire the night view while activating the Bulbul Glasses.

[Maizen Tiren]

*Dark Mage Corruption Progress: 37%

Despite humiliating him during the group project, his progress was still only 37%.

‘How do I increase this…’

Although the corruption would naturally progress over time, it would be too late then. If a certain event triggered a sudden, explosive rise in the professor’s corruption, things could escalate before I could react.

My goal was to get him to 50% in one go so that the Dark Mage Extermination Squad would notice Maizen’s presence, but things weren’t going as planned.

‘Is it going according to fate? An incident will occur within the next three months.’

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n g mt l . o r g
Professor Maizen Tiren’s ‘dark mage transformation’ would randomly affect another student.

I don’t know exactly who it will be.

It’s not because I can’t remember the story, but because, like a simulation game, even a single episode has many branches, making it impossible to determine this world’s future definitively.

Still, there are likely candidates.

Flame’s friend, Jackie.

A girl from Hong Bi-yeon’s faction, Arshuane.

And… Hae Wonryang.

‘If Hae Wonryang gets involved, that would be the worst case.’

It’s so rare that very few players among hundreds of thousands have seen Hae Wonryang’s dark mage transformation. But his transformation is particularly critical. His dark mage transformation would immediately result in a [Bad Ending].

‘But I do have a rough guess.’
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ngmtl .o r g

Jackie. She seems the most suspicious. There’s no specific reason, but she has over a 90% chance of turning into a dark mage. While it’s not certain yet, there’s no way to prove it either.

‘Sigh. Since I have time to worry, I should work on my shoulder muscles.’

With that thought, I got up from the cafe.

As I walked slowly toward the training ground, someone was sitting quietly in the garden, looking in my direction.

‘…Flame?’

She stared at me intently, then stood up and strode over. She came so close that it was uncomfortable, her short black hair swaying as she bluntly asked.

“Who are you?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t give me a proper answer last time. What’s your identity?”

This question again.

Honestly, after the ‘group project’ incident, I’ve been having such thoughts.

The future information I know and the future information Flame knows are different. She remembers even minor stories while I hardly know any of them.

But if I could gain her trust and combine our information?

The process of reaching the ‘true ending’ would undoubtedly become easier.

‘Should I just tell her?’

Gulp. My throat moved. I hadn’t figured out her true intentions yet, but the desire for an ‘easier path’ kept tempting me.

But what stopped that temptation was not my own ability.

[Warning! Insufficient narrative power!]

[Warning! Do not reveal to the character that you are a ‘possessor.’]

[Warning! Do not share the detailed knowledge and information you possess with the character.]

‘…This is driving me crazy.’

There are all sorts of restrictions. I don’t know what would happen if I ignored the warnings, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea to break them.

With no other choice, I had to give Flame another excuse.

“The Progenitor Mage once said a famous phrase when teaching magic. Do you know it?”

“…I do.”

It was a very simple but most famous line.

‘Mages, show only half of your true self to the world.’

Back then, mages fought against otherworldly beings to protect the world, but there were very few of them.

So, mages were almost worshiped as gods, but what would happen if people knew that their gods were enduring excruciating pain to train their magic in secret?

Mages always had to show a perfect appearance to the public. They had to always dress stylishly, not show any fatigue after using powerful magic, never get sick, and always carry unyielding courage.

That’s why the Progenitor Mage said those words.

Show only half of your true self.

“Let’s reveal only half of our true selves to each other. Both of us must have secrets we don’t want to disclose.”

“…Alright. Fine.”

Flame quickly agreed and immediately asked.

“You know the future, don’t you?”

That was a very direct hit. She was trying to reveal everything, even when I said to show only half.

But no matter how she deduced, she would never know that I was a ‘possessor of a romance fantasy game.’ As long as I didn’t reveal that, it would be fine. She probably already suspected that I had some future knowledge.

She might even think I’m a ‘possessor’ like her.

Though I didn’t want to reveal even this, I had no choice now.

But I didn’t reveal it plainly. Answering her also allowed me to infer her information.
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k ingm t l. o r g

“By asking that question, you mean you’re the same as well?”

By answering with ‘the same,’ I acknowledged it, and Flame affirmed it by not responding.

Although I knew she was a possessor, I had to pretend I didn’t. By hiding what I knew, I had to maintain an informational advantage.

“My question now. What’s your purpose in attending this school?”

Honestly, I didn’t need to ask anything else. I already knew most of Flame’s external story. But what she thought internally, that was what I was most curious about.

She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“…To move in the direction where the world doesn’t end. This world is too precarious.”

Whether it was the truth or not, it was still a positive answer. At least she didn’t say she wanted to bring about the world’s end.

In the original romance fantasy, there was a ‘Dark Mages’ group, and I had heard it ended in tragedy. She also seemed to dislike that ending.

“My turn to ask. Why do you act like that?”

I pretended to ponder. She waited for me.

But.

There was a problem with the question.

What kind of behavior…?

I didn’t understand what she meant by ‘that behavior.’ But could I say I didn’t know here? If she found out I didn’t know the ‘original romance fantasy,’ that would be problematic. I had to avoid becoming disadvantaged information-wise.

“…I just think this way is the best.”

I thought it was a satisfactory answer, but.

Suddenly, Flame’s pupils shook greatly.

“What… How…”

What was this? This wasn’t the reaction I expected.

She hung her head and seemed to think deeply, then slowly lifted her head to look me straight in the eyes.

“I can’t believe it. How can a person be so foolish? Don’t lie. Surely, there’s…a purpose, something you want.”

“I don’t have such a thing.”

“Tell me now!!”

Whoa, now. Isn’t it my turn to ask? I was slightly upset, but I thought I could ask two questions next time and answered.

“Things I want…um, to be honest, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah. There must be something, but I’m not sure.”

Whether finding the Twelve Divine Moons was the right path to the true ending or not. Honestly, I’m still confused.

“So, the only goal left now is… just to survive. That’s all.”

Isn’t everyone just trying to survive through this tough life?

“To survive…”

At my answer, Flame widened her eyes, then smiled bitterly. Her gaze made me momentarily panic.

Why was it?

Why did her eyes contain sadness and compassion?

‘What’s this? Is she misunderstanding something big?’

She muttered self-deprecatingly.

“…I see.”

Then, she stood there for a long time, hanging her head.

Then she suddenly lifted her head, her eyes slightly teary, and met my gaze. It was a fleeting but thrilling look that made my heart skip a beat.

“Sorry. That was rude of me.”

With that, she turned and ran off.

“Uh…?”

It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t stop her.

‘It was my turn to ask…’

I stood there, dumbfounded, when another voice came from behind.

“Baek Yu-seol.”
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k in g m t l . o rg

A familiar but strange voice. When I turned, Hae Wonryang was glaring at me with a terrifying expression.

“What were you talking about just now?”

“Uh… nothing much. Why?”

The icy stare from Hae Wonryang, the rival of the world’s strongest Ma Yuseong, made me a bit nervous.

I hope he doesn’t drag me to an underground parking lot and beat me up…

T h i s w a s co p ie d fr o m k in g m t l .o r g
“Answer me properly. Why did Flame leave crying?”

With that, I realized that the boy was misunderstanding something.

Come to think of it, in the game, Hae Wonryang was supposed to have a crush on Flame. I still remember many players wanted to continue along Hae Wonryang’s route.

“Nothing happened. Especially not what you’re thinking.”

Personally, I wished Flame would get closer to Ma Yuseong, but I had no intention of interfering with Hae Wonryang’s love life, so I cleared up the misunderstanding.

Though Hae Wonryang didn’t seem fully convinced, he eventually nodded and said.

“…I don’t know why I’m doing this. I apologize for prying into your conversation. It was not smart of me to intrude on your privacy.”

“Uh, right…”

Then Hae Wonryang walked away. His drooping shoulders looked pitiful.

No, rather than pitiful…

I felt uneasy.

‘He’s not usually like that, is he?’

The Hae Wonryang I knew was cold, rational, stoic, and indifferent. He was the true cold-hearted man of this era, who never revealed his true feelings even to his beloved.

For the icy Hae Wonryang, his current appearance was too awkward and unstable.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

I tried to shake off the uneasy feeling.

End of Chapter