I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 107

The next day, Flame strode toward the academy, her steps carrying a trace of irritation. Yet, she dutifully attended her classes as always.

She knew that every passing moment had the power to shape her future, and she refused to squander even a single one.

But today felt... different.

The atmosphere felt strange, almost chaotic, with many eyes strangely focused on her.

Were her pants torn?

Had something smudged her face?

After class, Flame slipped into the restroom to check herself, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Clusters of female students whispered behind cupped hands, stealing glances in her direction, leaving her no clear path to ask them what was going on.

Still, Flame wasn’t the kind of person to fret over trivial gossip.

When her next lecture ended, she found herself walking down the hallway, only to be intercepted by a group of girls heading in the opposite direction.

One of them deliberately rammed her shoulder against Flame’s.

Without hesitation, Flame smacked the girl’s forehead with the flat of her palm.

Thwack!

It was a surprisingly satisfying sound.

"Are you crazy?"

"Wh-What... What are you doing?"

"Why? Do you want another hit?"

"Eek!"

As Flame raised her hand again, the girl flinched and ducked her head.

Flame’s extra ten centimeters of height suddenly felt like an advantage she hadn’t appreciated before.

"Alright, enough messing around. What’s this all about?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Ugh, you’re seriously pushing my patience. Fine, let’s go to the rooftop. You can explain yourself while I knock some sense into you."

"Are you insane? How can such a shallow girl be Jeremy's lover... Ugh!" The girl clamped her hands over her mouth, but the damage was already done. Flame had heard everything.

"What? Who said I'm someone's lover?"

The female students exchanged glances before one of them spoke up. "Oh, don’t play innocent now! You sly fox! Everyone knows you tried to seduce Jeremy. It’s all over the academy!"

"Wait, what kind of nonsense is this?"

Flame scratched her temple with her pen in genuine confusion. "You’re accusing me of seduction? Are you even hearing yourself? I’ve never done anything like that!"

"Ha! Don’t even try to deny it. We’ve got proof!"

One of the girls yanked a folded photograph out of her pocket and thrust it toward Flame. The image showed Flame standing in the dormitory, dressed in pajamas, and speaking to someone.

Though the other figure in the photo wasn’t clear, the vivid colors of the hallway and the distinctive dormitory doors left no room for doubt… it was the Class S boys’ dormitory.

‘This was taken yesterday, wasn’t it?’

Even Flame had to admit, it was a photo that could stir scandal. A girl visiting the boys’ dormitory in her pajamas in the dead of night? The implication was clear… either they were lovers or something just as scandalous was going on.

So why did the rumor specifically spread about her being Jeremy's lover?

The photo didn’t even show the man. It spread rapidly as if intentionally shared overnight.

When she’d gone to his dormitory the previous night, there hadn’t been anyone nearby. It was obvious the picture had been taken in secret.

‘Wow, unbelievable.’

Flame let out a dry, disbelieving chuckle.

'Jeremy, you scheming bastard. So this is your game...'

Even though the whole thing felt childish, the sheer scale of it sent chills down her spine.

Using other students as his pawns to run errands and spread rumors so quickly...

Well, in the novel, he did even more exaggerated things.

Feeling a dull ache forming in her head, Flame pressed the end of her pen against her temple.

"Enough. I’m confiscating this photo."

"What?!"

"And by the way, it’s nothing but a baseless rumor. Don’t waste your time believing it."

"Baseless rumor?"

"That’s right. We’re not involved in any way, you idiot."

"I-Idiot? How dare you use such crude language!"

It wasn’t hard to figure out why these girls were acting out.

Thanks to Jeremy’s boyish charm and modern idol-like looks, he had managed to gather quite a large fan base. Naturally, rumors of him being linked to some unknown girl were enough to rattle his devoted admirers.

On Earth, when male idols were rumored to be in a relationship with ordinary women, there were cases where overly passionate fans would threaten her through social media or even go as far as visiting the woman's house to terrorize her.

‘Ugh, this is the worst. Seriously.’

No matter how strongly she denied it, Flame knew it was almost impossible to snuff out a rumor that had already taken flight.

So, what now?

But she couldn’t skip class, so Flame quietly attended the remaining lecture.

There were fewer students bothering Flame with unnecessary disputes. Instead, most of them were excited about the new gossip, ‘The Prince and the Commoner Girl's Romance.’

By the time the afternoon lectures rolled around, she regretted her decision to endure the day at all.

The rumor had spiraled out of control, evolving from idle talk into something that felt dangerously close to fact.

And then came the final lecture.

Flame was about to return to the dormitory after finishing class when Jeremy walked in through the classroom door.

"Oh?"

"The Young Master came in person."

With a warm glint in his eyes, he approached Flame, who stood firmly, and said, "Flame, would you like to have dinner together tonight?"

In response, a subdued yet intense reaction erupted from those around.

"The rumors were true!"

"What should we do? The Crown Prince and Flame were really... Crazy, it's really crazy!"

Only then did she fully grasp Jeremy's intention. The whispers that had been swirling through the academy had evidence and witnesses, but without explicit confirmation, the rumors had remained frustratingly ambiguous.

Jeremy asking Flame to dinner? He neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

However, the simple action was tantamount to confirming the rumors.

‘This is insane.’ Denying vehemently and escaping at this point would be futile.

With evidence piling up and Jeremy’s actions subtly reinforcing the rumors, it was obvious how the situation would be interpreted. Overwhelmed, Flame felt the urge to run.

Jeremy's plan slowly tightened around her, making it nearly impossible to escape his grip, just like an acute myocardial infarction.

This rumor incident could be seen as the seed of his plan. Even if she somehow managed to escape for now, that seed would continue to grow, creeping and twisting until it trapped her completely.

Flame clenched her cold, sweaty hands. Knowing well how Jeremy had cornered Eisel in the novel, she couldn't help but be nervous.

‘Just running away won't solve anything.’

The seed had to be completely eradicated, not given any chance to sprout.

"Flame, let's go."

Jeremy’s voice broke through her thoughts as he stepped closer.

What should she do?

How could she crush this baseless rumor in one swift blow?

Desperate, Flame scrambled for a solution and suddenly remembered a scene from a romance webtoon she’d once read.

"Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Why would I have dinner with you?"

Jeremy smiled knowingly. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't considerate enough. It might be overwhelming with so many people. I should leave." Saying that, Jeremy turned to leave.

But Flame didn't stop there. "No, why do you keep acting like we're something?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I already have a boyfriend, you know?"

He froze.

The ever-present smile that graced his face faltered, turning awkward, as though he’d just swallowed something bitter.

The crowd’s reaction mirrored his.

Some gasped in shock. Others cheered. A few wore faces of envy, while the more passionate onlookers who had burned with fury just moments ago seemed to simmer down almost instantly.

Flame pulled out a photo she had taken from the girls earlier and waved it around.

"This photo. Is there a rumor going around that I visited your room?"

Jeremy remained calm, smiling. "Yeah. Who else could it be if not me?"

"I told you already."

Boyfriend, lover, significant other.

Flame scrambled to find a way out of this tangled situation.

She had joked and lied about Eisel being her lover to Jeremy before, but that was a lie that no one would believe.

Besides, Eisel was delicate, like a fragile glass fish. Dragging her into such an enormous scandal would be cruel and unfair.

Besides, the background in the photo was clearly the boys' dormitory, so it was impossible for it to be believable.

‘A male student in the first-year S-Class…’

One name suddenly popped into her mind.

A first-year Class S male student who could fit the excuse she needed.

Flame felt guilty, but survival demanded sacrifices. She had no choice but to borrow his name.

"Baek Yu-Seol."

“What?"

"My boyfriend's name is Baek Yu-Seol."

"Haha... Flame, why are you suddenly saying that?" Jeremy was visibly surprised.

It had an effect.

Flame continued, fluttering the photo in front of him. "This photo is from yesterday, taken secretly when I went to Baek Yu-Seol's dormitory. But for some reason, a rumor spread that I went to your room."

Jeremy’s gaze darkened, his easy smile flickering into something colder.

"I'm sorry, Crown Prince Jeremy, for involving you with a commoner like me. Well then, I'll be going. I have a dinner appointment with my boyfriend."

Without giving him a chance to respond, Flame spun around and strode out of the classroom. She didn’t dare look back.

The classroom was instantly filled with silence.

No one dared to move easily under Jeremy's gaze.

In the midst of that, there was someone who rose like a savior.

"What are you all doing? Don't you want to eat?"

It was Princess Hong Bi-Yeon.

With an irritated scowl, she marched down the hallway. Her presence alone seemed to break the spell, and the students began to shuffle out awkwardly.

"Right. Dinner. We should eat."

"Haha... Yeah, dinner sounds great."

"Ah. My stomach. I'm starving."

One by one, the students left, and Jeremy stood there frozen for a long time before wiping his face with his palm.

Then he smiled faintly. "Haha... It's not easy indeed."

A lesser opponent would have been caught in his web without even realizing it.

But Flame had slipped through his grasp yet again.

And that only made him more intrigued.

The thrill of chasing something so elusive - so untamed - set his blood on fire.

It was exhilarating.

But then, a strange thought crept into his mind.

‘Tear her limb from limb! Rip her flesh! Gouge out all her eyes! I want to kill!’

'Huh? Kill her?'

‘Why… do I want to kill her?’

The feeling lingered for only a moment, before dissolving into the shadows of his mind.

Jeremy brushed it aside without much thought.