I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 384
Magic School Front Teleportation Genius 386
65. Bing Baek Mountain (10)
The birthplace of magic, City Camelorn.
This place had laid down its role as the center of magic centuries ago, yet its grandeur and power remain.
Because there was a very special gathering.
‘Magic Elders Council.’
This gathering of the elderly, who had become so deeply immersed in magic that they could no longer escape from it, rarely met, perhaps once every few years, but in recent months, such occurrences had become frequent.
Though they had already withdrawn from worldly affairs, the activities of the Black Mages were unsettling, and “we couldn’t remain inactive until the Twelve Moons.”
Among them, especially notable was the council president, a 9th-class wizard, Sael Lee, who was famous for rarely showing himself to the outside world. Recently, he had been sitting in the council chamber without leaving.
“Perhaps it would be good to take a little break.”
“Haha, I’ve already rested enough. Are the juniors uncomfortable?”
Still, you have some sense about you.”
“Of course.”
Unlike other 9th-class wizards who maintained youthful appearances, the elderly wizard Sael Lee had grown hair down to his chest.
He slightly lifted his pointed hat and shone his gaze toward the person sitting across from him.
“Right. It’s been a long time since we met, Al Yu-mun Blushun.”
“Has it been about 12 years? It hasn’t been that long.”
“You have a unique sense of time.”
“Because I have lived longer than you.”
It wasn’t a conversation between a young man in his 20s and an elderly man in his 90s, but in reality, Al Yu-mun Blushun had lived longer than Sael Lee.
Exactly one day earlier.
“……Forget about age. So, have you looked into it?”
As Sael Lee lowered his gaze, Al Yu-mun sighed.
“Haah… These days, the Black Mages are in quite the uproar. Without laws or morals, how can they be so sincere about this ‘throne dispute’?”
“In their realm, the king is the law. They must be striving to be the law.”
“Well, if they are fighting among themselves, then I would let them be… but the problem is that it affects us too.”
“Has the Black Mage Tower made a move?”
“Well, let’s take a look.”
As Al Yu-mun snapped his fingers, a holographic image appeared in the air.
In the image, there was a village being drenched in a sudden downpour, when suddenly, the air twisted, the space was seized, and unexpectedly, the rain stopped and heavy snow began to fall.
“That’s… the Uren area.”
“Yes. That’s the area where it rains over half the year. However, since that day, the seasons in that village have completely changed.”
“……Has it been consumed by the Persona Gate?”
“That’s right. Now that place has become an abnormal village where heavy snow falls all year round, despite it not being winter.”
“Reality being contaminated… What has the association been doing all this time?”
When a Persona Gate is detected, the Central Magic Association immediately dispatches wizards to eliminate it.
In that process, the tasks are divided among several agencies, with the Magic Tower taking on most of the responsibilities.
“It’s unfortunate, but I didn’t know at all. Even the fact that this happened just before the Persona Gate contaminated reality… was undetectable.”
“……You didn’t detect the distortion of space at all?”
Only then did Sael Lee’s expression harden.
Persona Gates are extremely dangerous. If not removed, reality becomes completely tainted by the environment of the Otherworld.
If it were simply a case like the Uren village changing seasons, it might not matter, but if it results in a lethal environment for living beings and affects the surrounding terrain… it could lead to a horrific situation.
“I don’t want to perform another continental incision. Can’t we pay more careful attention?”
The mention of a continental incision brought back painful memories to Al Yu-mun, and he rubbed his forehead with discomfort.
After all, he was already suffering from an illness and was barely managing to function while forcing himself to take medication.
“Neither do I want to perform a continental incision. Who would like to forcibly cut away our territory and discard it?”
Previously, a part of the Central Continent had been completely contaminated due to a Persona Gate.
The foul energy from that place carried a toxic mana that halted all life around it, and at the time, there was simply no technology available to purify it, which left the wizards with no choice but to make an extreme decision.
To outright sever and obliterate that continent.
In the long run, that was not a good choice. Every time a land was slowly obliterated due to contamination by the Persona, the sea would eventually be all that remained of this continent in the distant future.
Fortunately, afterward, technology capable of detecting Persona Gates with a 99% accuracy rate was developed, but…
“The technology of the Black Mages has also advanced significantly.”
“Yes. Ever since that Black Mage Church Leader appeared, their technology has developed at an alarming pace.”
The Black Mage Church Leader. His influence on the magical realm is immense.
He has allowed Black Mages to hide among wizards by completely concealing their black magic, and even developed technology to open Persona Gates to any desired location to any desired size.
Moreover, now, they open gates while deceiving the eyes and ears of wizards.
“The more I learn about him, the more terrifying he becomes.”
“What’s even scarier is the fact that we know nothing about him.”
No one knows the identity of the Black Mage Church Leader. They don’t know his name, nor his face. They don’t even know what kind of magic he wields or where he studies magic…
They know nothing.
While they were having this somber conversation, they heard a sound from outside the elders’ chamber. As Al Yu-mun snapped his fingers, the hologram of the village that was in front of them changed to show the face of a wizard.
“What’s going on?”
-Oh? Ah, Council President!
Caught off guard by the sudden connection of the hologram, the wizard quickly regained composure and delivered the message.
Then, a little while later.
The expressions of Sael Lee and Al Yu-mun hardened abruptly upon hearing troubling news.
“A super-large Persona has started its descent into reality?”
-Yes…
“d*mn it! What’s the location?”
-At the northernmost point… Bing Baek Mountain.
“Bing Baek Mountain?”
If that’s the case, then Duke Seolparam, one of the strongest knights, is guarding it.
Since he became the lord of the fortress several decades ago, not once had an alarm reached the Central Association, and they had been completely at ease, only for such a massive incident to suddenly occur.
Al Yu-mun raked his hair in frustration.
“What are those Black Mages trying to do?”
What could be the meaning behind consistently creating Persona Gates?
“Hey, Sael…”
He was about to urgently give instructions to Sael Lee, but he was already soaring high into the sky with his robe fluttering.
Wheeing……!!
The roof that had been firmly closed had disappeared at some point. The mysterious magic activated without incantations or signs.
“That old man… is very active, claiming to be healthy. We will move by airship. Prepare the warp gate.”
Understood!
Al Yu-mun hurriedly put on his outer garments and got up from his seat.
The indeterminate danger of the super-large Persona Gate’s reality descent.
‘It absolutely must be stopped.’
He quickly exited the elders’ chamber and headed towards the airship when the wizards who had followed him began reporting.
“Council President. This might not be very relevant news, but…”
“No irrelevant news exists. Speak everything.”
“Though it is kept confidential, it seems that currently, Elf King Flower Lin and Stella’s student Baek Yu-seol headed to the north, to Bing Baek Mountain. This news is confirmed from Stella’s principal, Eldman Elthwin.”
“The two of them? What’s the reason?”
“It seems they needed to meet secretly with Duke Seolparam without letting society know.”
“……But why are they telling us that? It’s supposed to be a secret.”
“We do not know either.”
“Hmm…”
While Al Yu-mun’s legs hurriedly walked, his mind raced at high speed.
‘Black Mage throne war, Persona Gate, north, Duke Seolparam, Flower Lin, Twelve Moons, Eldman, Baek Yu-seol.’
Numerous keywords surfaced chaotically, piecing together, presenting him with countless possibilities. From improbable fictional scenarios to quite plausible ones.
Sorting through several possibilities, Al Yu-mun was able to find some degree of an answer.
“The reality synchronization of the suddenly erupted super-large Persona happening where Baek Yu-seol is…”
“Why do you say that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
He smiled slightly.
“I just thought that the situation might be resolved easily.”
Northwest of the continent, Baranka Cliff.
At an elevation of several tens of kilometers above the infinitely sprawling Baranka coastline.
Three girls were flying, each with wings of red, blue, and white spread out.
Unlike simple flying magic, they peculiarly remained unaffected by the wind and gravity, allowing them to converse comfortably.
“…Do we really have to go all the way up there?”
Hong Bi-yeon asked, and Fulheim nodded.
“Probably.”
A gigantic golden pillar extending high enough to pierce through the clouds.
Why has this golden pillar, which stood in the middle of the ocean, gone unnoticed until now?
Did they cast a cognition-diminishing spell?
No, there are clear limits to cognition-diminishing magic. It cannot hide such a large object.
It’s likely… that space and time itself has been isolated, making it impossible for people to find it.
“By the way, we have to fly upright even above the clouds…”
Any ordinary wizard would not dare to attempt it. With regular flying magic, one could not withstand the wind speed as they rise to a certain altitude, and they would get swept away or fall.
“Yep. And it’s not just flying that’s required. There’s a subtle barrier set up.”
“Ah… that’s really the case.”
Finally, upon piercing through the clouds and entering the high sky, the girls could sense a subtle trace of a barrier that was trying to repel them.
If unqualified individuals had come, they would be rejected and bounced back.
“Why were we allowed to enter?”
“……Well, maybe it’s because of you.”
“Me?”
Fulheim smiled faintly at the bewildered Aizel.
“Because you are the protagonist.”
……Though that might not be the case anymore.
“The view is simply breathtaking.”
Despite the significant words exchanged between them, Hong Bi-yeon seemed uninterested, giving a dry remark.
“Right, indeed.”
True to her words, it was certainly a beautiful place.
At the top of the golden pillar stood a gigantic golden palace. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a golden palace but a palace made of pure white mirrors reflecting sunlight, giving it a golden appearance.
“That place is…”
“The temple once serving the Twelve Moons of Time. Gathered by the Silver Eleven Moon Church, it was built with the power of time… the most mysterious temple in the world, ‘The Seat of Time.’”
“Built with the power of time?”
Aizel gazed at the castle with bewildered eyes at the statement that seemed incredible.
“Well, to be honest, it sounds grand, but they were unable to properly handle the power of time. Although they received some of the abilities of the Silver Eleven Moon, very few managed to wield it properly.”
“Yet, they could still cast such magnificent magic…?”
“That would be the mystery of time.”
“Enough of this useless talk.”
Hong Bi-yeon frowned as if suffering from a headache again, spreading her wings to fly toward the Seat of Time.
“W-Wait for me!”
Aizel too spread her blue wings to chase after Hong Bi-yeon, but Fulheim remained behind, unable to move for a while.
‘Is this the right choice?’
In fact, in the original novel ‘Princess Love 1-1’, Aizel makes a painfully critical mistake due to this time travel. Though she won’t repeat the same error because she is with them, the concern didn’t lie with her.
Rather… it was the problem of her heading there as another variable.
‘Is it really okay for me to time travel?’
She clenched her eyes tight and pondered, but having come this far, she couldn’t stop now.
‘Yes, I’ve made up my mind.’
To see with her own eyes, to discover her fate herself.
‘……So, I’m going.’
Toward the past.