I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 45

In Stella Academy, the introductory lecture on basic magic was usually conducted as a group project with four members. 

Flame’s group was formed at the semester’s start with her new friends, and Jecky happened to be part of it.

"You want to do the presentation? But that's Flame’s role," One of the girls said, raising her eyebrows.

"I want to do the presentation too. Why does Flame always get to do the good stuff?"

“What? Good stuff? Do you know how much Flame prepares for each presentation?”

"I can do that much too! I'm always doing research and organizing portfolios."

Presentation.

It was both the most dreaded and revered role among students.

Every student at Stella surpassed average high school knowledge, their intellect rivaling that of elite university students or even those with master’s degrees. Their research was impressive, often leading to intense debates with professors.

Flame was renowned for her sharp debates, captivating audiences by confidently countering professors' harsh critiques or challenging questions. The sight of her unwavering stance was so enjoyable it often became an event among students, complete with soda in hand.

But Jecky wasn’t impressed.

‘If she can do it, I can do it just as well.’

Flame only dominated the role because she claimed it first. Jecky firmly believed she could perform just as well.

Jecky wanted to enjoy the same recognition and rewards that Flame did.

"Jecky, are you for real…?"

"Do you even have a conscience?"

As the other group members tried to dissuade her, Flame stepped forward and intervened. "No, it's okay."

"Huh? But you've been staying up all night for days preparing for the presentation—"

"It's okay."

Flame was not a saint. In fact, she considered herself plain selfish. 

Of course, she didn't want to give up her presentation. She had poured her sweat and effort into writing it… why should she hand it over for free? The best compromise would be offering Jecky the next group presentation instead...

'Ugh. She's practically drilling holes into my presentation with her eyes.'

Jecky was determined to do the presentation. She looked as if she'd flip the table if she couldn't.

'Ugh, I really want to slap her silly right now, but I'll let it slide this time.'

The reason she endured was due to Baek Yu-Seol’s words that kept echoing in her ears. He had shown particular concern for Jecky. 

‘There must be a reason behind his suggestion to pay special attention to Jecky.’

In the original work, there was no girl named ‘Jecky,’ so Flame didn't know who she was or what role she played. 

But not all characters and events were recorded even in the original novel, so for now, she had no choice but to trust Baek Yu-Seol, who was presumed to be a regressor.

"Yeah, go ahead. I really want to see you do the presentation."

"Flame... Why are you so kind?"

"Yeah... Flame is definitely an angel."

‘Oh, please.’

Flame let out a hollow laugh.

It was fortunate that the other girls didn't know about Flame’s usual personality, or else they would have grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out the back door of the classroom, cursing her all the while.

"Fine."

"You can do it, right?"

"Of course."

"Then, I'll trust you."

Reluctantly, Flame handed over the presentation. Jecky accepted without so much as a thank-you, diving straight into the materials as though she were merely skimming. It was obvious she’d already studied it thoroughly.

The other girls glared at Jecky because they didn't like the situation, but she didn't even pay attention to them.

"Next, group 7. Please come forward."

Finally, when Flame’s group was called, Jecky stood up.

"Will she be okay?"

"Yeah."

"That’s Professor Kazewin..."

Professor Kazewin from Introduction to Magic was infamous among the commoners. He would belittle commoners with poor grades and relentlessly question those with excellent grades to find ways to reduce their scores. 

Flame, who often sparred with and outwitted him, was practically revered by the first-year commoners.

Jecky wanted to enjoy the kind of popularity Flame had.

"I’ll begin the presentation."

And so the presentation began.

To Flame’s surprise, Jecky’s presentation wasn’t bad, especially for someone who had done minimal preparation.

Aside from her awkward attempts to mimic Flame’s humor, which nearly derailed the mood, she did fairly well.

Professor Kazewin lobbed a few difficult questions, but Jecky held her ground with prepared responses. It was evident she’d anticipated the Q&A.

'Oh, she prepared well after all.'

Flame admired sincerely, but Professor Kazewin remained unamused.

"It's strange. The explanation of why magic exists for the sake of humans wasn't properly supplemented."

“What? That’s… Magic exists not just for humans but for the advancement of—”

"Are you trying to make excuses before answering properly? Magic existed before humans. Have you examined how magic was able to develop?"

This was the ill-famed ‘picking a fight for no reason.’ Once you fell into Professor Kazewin's trap as a commoner student, there was no way to escape. His words sounded plausible and trapped the students like dumbfounded ants.

"How could you be so confident without answering that? Pathetic. Next question. Before magic existed, humans handled elements. But you said magic came first. Does the element belong to magic or not?”

The barrage of questions became sharper, and Jecky’s responses faltered.

Flame clenched her fist in frustration.

'This isn’t good.'

They had given Jecky this chance to boost her confidence. But if it ended like this, it would only harm her.

In the end, Flame couldn’t take it anymore and stepped forward.

"Professor, that question deviates slightly from the topic."

"My question deviates from the topic? What strange nonsense are you spouting today, Flame?"

With a sigh, Flame opened her mouth, thinking, ‘I knew it would end up like this.’

"The topic of this presentation was to research the origins of magic. If you start questioning the precedence between magic and humanity, we can’t provide an answer."

(Meaning: Professor, stop talking nonsense.)

"Huh, have you forgotten how to think for yourself? Or are you planning to completely disregard the teachings of your professor?"

(Meaning: Why are you speaking out again?)

"Since we haven't even covered that material yet, you haven't actually taught us anything. We have organized our assignments based on what we have learned from the professor." 

(Meaning: Why are you trying to trap us when you don't even know?)

"So the issue is your inability to hypothesize minimally? It’s painful to witness such a feeble mind incapable of forming basic ideas."

(Meaning: What’s your point)

"We sincerely apologize for our lack of knowledge. As our esteemed professor, you must surely have an answer to this question… one that even historians have failed to resolve. Would you care to enlighten us?"

(Meaning: Why don't you give it a try, Professor? Can't do it, can you?)

With those parting words, Flame ended the professor’s pretentious yet childish verbal assault. For all his boasting as a great teacher, even the sharpest scholars of modern times had failed to answer the questions Professor Kazewin demanded of his students.

While he constantly instructed them to formulate their own hypotheses, Flame had deftly turned the tables, pointing out that Kazewin himself had never presented a single theory.

The professor pursed his lips, staring daggers at her, but realizing the scales were tipped against him, he quickly diverted his gaze and raised his chin.

"That's enough. Study that aspect on your own!" 

"Yes."

The professor tried to assert his dominance with forced authority, but everyone present knew the truth. Professor Kazewin had been utterly torn apart by Flame.

'That damn commoner girl...'

Kazewin’s body trembled in rage as he glared at Flame, but he couldn't do anything. After all, she wasn't just an ordinary commoner who he could easily pick on. 

Flame was a special mage who could handle attributes of non-human species and had been recognized as a genius even before enrolling, attracting global attention. 

In fact, Principal Elthman Elwin of Stella Academy personally sought her out and requested her enrollment. The professors couldn't take her lightly because of that fact.

There were even rumors circulating that the renowned Grand Mage Elthman Elwin, who had never taken on a disciple before, was considering taking Flame as his first apprentice.

The professors’ only recourse was to nitpick and criticize geniuses like her during lectures, but even that approach had failed spectacularly against Flame.

"Group 7, return to your seat."

Jecky returned to her seat with a stiff expression, but before Flame could offer words of comfort, Jecky cut her off.

"Jecky, you did really well—"

"It's fine."

"Huh?"

"Spare me your fake sympathy. Just shut up."

Flame blinked in disbelief and briefly entertained the idea of wiping this incident from existence altogether.

Before she could decide, Kazewin called the next group.

"Group 8, step forward."

"Yes, sir."

It was Baek Yu-Seol’s turn. 

Known for his silver tongue, Baek Yu-Seol was often entrusted with presentations by his group. As expected, his delivery today was flawless.

However, Kazewin didn't let him off either. Baek Yu-Seol was one of the students whom Professor Kazewin particularly disliked, so he threw relentless attacks as if trying to release the accumulated stress from before.

"Student Baek Yu-Seol, that was an excellent presentation indeed. However, I have some doubts about your opinion."

“What are they?”

"Among the principles of magic, there is a concept called 'belief,' which was advocated by philosophers in ancient times. Why do you think so?"

(Meaning: I want to challenge your statement.)

Baek Yu-Seol simply smiled and replied, "Professor, do you believe in the existence of mana?"

"Isn't that an obvious fact? Are you questioning that?"

"Then, do you believe that mana moves according to our will?"

"Of course. That’s common knowledge. Stop wasting time and answer my question."

"In that case, Professor, have you ever seen the particles of 'mana' with your own eyes?"

Kazewin faltered. Just as no one had ever observed atoms directly, no one had witnessed mana particles.

"... That's impossible."

"Then how do you know mana and magic exist, even though you’ve never seen them?"

"Because magic… exists."

"Yes, that's your belief in magic, Professor. Magic is not a phenomenon; it’s a belief."

"Magic is mathematics and science! You're forcing your argument, Baek Yu-Seol!"

Kazewin tried to shout loudly, but Baek Yu-Seol shrugged his shoulders with a relaxed smile.

"Why do you think it is forced? I don't know because I'm still learning. As a student, I want to be corrected if I have incorrect information."

Kazewin pondered over it, carefully ruminating on the words before speaking. 

"... Magic is a phenomenon which involves science, calculation, and the will of nature. It is not derived solely from belief but from numerous efforts, calculations, and research."

(Meaning: I’m right, and that’s final.)

"Yes. It's true that the efficiency of magic has increased since humans started calculating it, but during the time of the '12 Mages' who first received magic from the Progenitor Mage, there were no calculations or magic circles. It’s mentioned that they used magic solely based on belief. Even now, don't the followers of the Divine Moon use magic through belief?"

(Meaning: Your words are all wrong.)

Baek Yu-Seol’s flawless rebuttal left Kazewin with no room to counter. Whenever Kazewin tried to push back, Baek Yu-Seol calmly parried with facts.

In the end, it was Kazewin who was left speechless.

"This...!"

As everyone quietly exhaled with satisfaction while observing Kazewin, Flame quietly nodded her head.

‘This academy is insane.’

The professors openly resented the students. Whenever commoners without connections tried to excel, they were met with scorn and discrimination.

Such blatant harassment might be a trademark of an academy romance fantasy, but it was baffling why they kept doing it despite always being defeated in the end. 

‘Well, it’s satisfying to watch, though.’

"... That's enough. Return to your seat!"

Kazewin’s face burned red as he barked the order, but Baek Yu-Seol only bowed politely before sitting down.

Ding! Dong!

As the bell signaling the end of the class rang, students quickly left the classroom.

"Hey, did you see them just now?"

"Oh, my heart feels so refreshed."

"Thinking about how the professor gave me a hard time last time, it feels like a decade-old grudge has been resolved."

As Flame gathered her things, she noticed Jecky slipping out of the room without a word.

"Hey? Um..."

While she was contemplating her next move, Baek Yu-Seol approached.

"Hey, Flame."

“Hey. I saw your presentation. It was satisfying to watch."

"Is that so? But I have something to say about that."

"What?"

He cleared his throat and said gently, "As you know, the professors seem to dislike me."

"Judging by how you usually act, it’s no surprise. So what?"

“But you’re close to the professors. So I was wondering… I’m trying to start a club. Could you help me find a professor to supervise it?”

"Hah."

Flame was momentarily taken aback and let out a dry laugh.

“You should’ve been better behaved all along.”

"What? They pick fights with me for no reason!"

"Ugh..."

Flame thought about it for a moment, but finding a supervising professor was quite a hassle and there weren’t many she could easily recommend. Then, one person came to mind.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you close to Assistant Alterisha? I see you visiting her lab often.”

"Uh… yeah, I guess."

"Then, why don't you ask her for a favor?"

“Huh? Can an assistant supervise a club?”

“... Are you an idiot? It's Stella."

Baek Yu-Seol was shocked. He had been wandering around, unaware of this easy path. 

Flame looked at him with genuine pity on her face.

"Well, whatever. Thanks. I'm going to go."

"Fine..."

He quickly walked away as if worried someone would snatch away Alterisha.

‘Smart one moment, completely clueless the next.’