I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 51

Alterisha waited patiently.

She remained silent until every alchemist in the hall had absorbed and acknowledged her words.

Finally, the stillness was shattered by the sharp voice of a distinguished university professor.

"...Are you making light of this occasion? Yes, I apologize for my bluntness, but surely you only said that to stir attention. However, there are limits to such behavior!"

His harsh words might have seemed justified… if Alterisha had truly spoken merely for attention.

As murmurs of agreement spread through the room, Alterisha allowed a calm smile to surface.

"I’m well aware of the importance of this moment. It is an extraordinary honor for someone like me to stand here. That’s precisely why I have no intention of making a mockery of it. I don’t plan to waste this rare and precious opportunity."

"Then, how are we supposed to interpret your claim?"

"Please interpret it the way an alchemist would."

Alchemists, those who believed every phenomenon in this world could be unraveled through science. They analyzed, examined, and uncovered the laws governing existence, all in pursuit of truth.

"But the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique doesn’t make sense. Structurally, the disciplines of magic and alchemy are fundamentally incompatible!"

"Exactly. Brilliant alchemists from centuries past failed because of that very reason!"

"It’s been over a hundred years since it was mathematically proven impossible! Why this sudden uproar now?"

Despite the storm of skepticism, Alterisha remained unfazed. In fact, she felt a thrill coursing through her veins.

Even these renowned alchemists had declared it impossible. The thought of proving it herself in that very moment sent a thrilling shiver through her entire body.

Just then, she noticed a particular face in the crowd, brimming with excitement.

Halsecoden smirked and raised his voice.

"Everyone, silence!"

With his words, the entire room fell quiet in an instant.

"Do repeated failures grant you the right to label something impossible while still daring to call yourselves alchemists?"

His words struck at the pride of the alchemist community. For all their claims of seeking truth, most of them merely refined existing knowledge rather than daring to challenge the unknown.

"Progress has stagnated. At best, we only polish ideas we presented before."

Upon hearing his words, some alchemists blushed and lowered their heads.

"I, for one, am excited. A young alchemist bold enough to chase the truth hidden within what we’ve declared impossible."

"Go ahead and present the truth you have discovered."

In response to Halsecoden’s words, Alterisha nodded vigorously and opened her mouth to speak.

Bang!

Someone slammed the desk with their palm and stood up.

All the alchemists' gazes immediately focused on the person. It was none other than Professor Maizen Tyren from Stella Academy.

Halsecoden’s brows furrowed. "Professor Maizen, what is the meaning of this?"

"Before Alterisha presents, I’d like to clear my suspicions regarding her paper."

"Suspicions, you say?"

Halsecoden laughed dryly as if it was absurd, but Maizen bit her lip and did not back down.

"So what are these suspicions?" 

In response to Halsecoden's question, Maizen answered angrily as if chewing on her words. "Plagiarism... Suspicion of plagiarism."

"What? What did you say?"

"Plagiarism."

The accusation hung heavy in the air, drawing uneasy glances and awkward coughs from the gathered scholars.

In fact, besides Maizen, there had been quite a few cases of people using others' papers.

Alterisha, however, found the situation too absurd to take seriously. The darkening atmosphere was evident to everyone, yet she couldn’t suppress a smirk.

"Suspicion of plagiarism... Haha! How amusing. Yes, it's been a long time since we’ve had plagiarism accusations at a presentation."

The moderator, clearly taken aback by the situation, looked to Halsecoden for guidance.

"Professor Maizen, I assume you’re aware of the consequences should your accusations prove baseless?"

Halsecoden, who had been shouting vehemently previously, adopted a calm tone at that moment. His gaze, looking sharp enough to cut through anything, sank sharply.

Maizen, despite the tension, met his gaze without hesitation. Her stance radiated confidence, as if she already held the evidence in her grasp.

"I’ll call four witnesses who are conducting research on the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique together with me."

"Fine."

Maizen stood, and so did her team… alchemists handpicked by the vice-principal and affiliated with the Moon Shadow Church.

With their combined expertise and Maizen’s own reputation, the outcome seemed certain.

Stepping to the podium, Maizen gripped the microphone tightly.

"Let me reintroduce the alchemist who is currently presenting. Her name is Alterisha, and she works as my alchemy assistant and assistant instructor at Stella Academy."

Assistant.

As soon as those words were uttered, everyone let out a sigh.

‘It's game over.’

'That’s the end.'

Fighting over plagiarism involving unpublished papers was already an extremely complex process.

But if it was a plagiarism battle between a professor and their assistant, the current alchemy academia would unquestionably side with the professor.

Why?

Because it was an obvious fact that the professor was superior to the assistant. The very idea that an assistant could steal their mentor’s work was an unspoken truth that no one dared to question.

Excuses offered by assistants were easily dismissed as desperate defenses.

Maizen cast a chilling smile toward the sweating Alterisha and spoke. "As everyone knows, bridging alchemy and magical engineering requires solving five enigmatic challenges. Only by resolving all five can the fields truly merge."

Until now, scholars had barely solved two of these challenges… and even those solutions remained incomplete.

That was why Maizen could confidently make such a statement.

"I have solved four of those challenges. The research that was being conducted secretly has reached its final stages."

"Huh."

"If what you're saying is true, then indeed this paper...!"

"Of course, it’s my paper. Alterisha, my assistant, is undoubtedly exceptional, but isn't it unbelievable for someone who entered the field of alchemy less than five years ago to have solved the enigmatic challenges of this cross technique? It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"That's right."

"You're absolutely right."

Professor Maizen was cunning. She had prepared for this scenario just in case.

She had spent sleepless nights tormented by jealousy at the thought that Alterisha might actually be a superior alchemist. Today, she decided to confront and eliminate that fear.

"Indeed! I couldn’t solve the fifth challenge. But she claims to have finished the paper… meaning she supposedly solved all five. Does solving one missing piece make the paper entirely hers? Or is it merely a stolen work wrapped in her signature?"

Everyone shook their heads.Solving the final puzzle might be commendable, but claiming authorship of the entire work? That was theft.

It was like a thief adding their own brushstrokes to a stolen painting that was just about to be completed. It could never truly become the thief's painting.

Maizen had prepared for all possibilities.

Assuming that Alterisha had truly solved the final problem, Maizen had made sure she couldn't escape.

And she was confident in her conviction.

‘How dare she steal my paper?’

In Maizen’s eyes, there was no other explanation.

Otherwise, how could someone as young as twenty-seven possibly solve all five of the questions that are yet to be solved?

‘It wasn't part of the plan, but at the very least, I cannot lose my paper!’

Maizen chuckled.

Yes, it wasn't part of the plan, but this wasn’t bad either.

That girl had always looked beyond Maizen’s limits, into a world she could never hope to reach. Her overwhelming talent defied explanation, except by calling her a genius.

And today, Maizen intended to snatch that brilliance for herself.

"So? What do you have to say, Assistant Alterisha?"

Maizen casually tossed out her question, and the senior alchemists in the room turned their sharp glares toward Alterisha.

They had already reached a unanimous verdict, she had stolen the paper.

‘Ah…’

Alterisha bit her lip tightly.

She had anticipated that Maizen might stoop this low.

But now that it was happening, she found herself paralyzed. Her thoughts scattered, and her trembling hands and feet betrayed her fear.

Meeting Maizen’s gaze felt impossible. The endless torment and belittlement she had endured left scars that clung to her like a lingering scent.

‘Wh-What should I do…?’

In desperation, her gaze instinctively sought out Baek Yu-Seol, like a lost child searching for its parent.

‘When you feel overwhelmed and can't handle it alone, call out to me,’ he said, convincing her to believe in him. But even with Baek Yu-Seol, could there really be a way to salvage this situation?

She didn't know.

She didn't know, but right now, she wanted to rely on someone. Anyone.

So she squeezed her eyes shut and raised her trembling hand.

Sensing the tension, the moderator exchanged a quick glance with Halsecoden before nodding.

"Yes, please go ahead."

"I also... I want to call upon someone to assist me."

"Assist? May I ask who it is?"

"He is... the 'co-author' of this paper."

"Huh."

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

A suspected plagiarist claiming to have a co-author? The room erupted in derisive laughter.

Even Baek Yu-Seol was momentarily stunned.

‘Wait, I'm a co-author...?’

They had never agreed on this.

Yet Halsecoden coolly allowed it.

"Alright! Call them."

Eventually, Baek Yu-Seol stood up from his seat and stepped onto the platform, causing the alchemists to frown.

"A student?"

"No matter how talented he is..."

"We didn't come here to witness a child's play. What is this about?"

The complaints and jeers stung, but Baek Yu-Seol didn’t seem the least bit perturbed.

Meanwhile, Alterisha trembled under the scrutiny, her frailty painfully apparent.

Yet Baek Yu-Seol didn’t rush to her side.

Deliberately taking a roundabout path, he subtly retrieved something hidden inside his sleeve and casually brushed it against Maizen’s forearm as he passed by.

"... Impudent."

Maizen grunted in displeasure, and a message simultaneously appeared in his mind.

[The artifact ‘Vengeance Branch’ has activated its special ability: Resentment.]

[Target of Resentment: Maizen Tyren]

"Good. Very good."

He had eagerly sought opportunities to inflict resentment, and finally he achieved his goal.

Then Baek Yu-Seol approached Alterisha.

"Are you alright?"

The harsh stares still bore down on her, but the warmth in his voice helped steady her frayed nerves.

Slowly lifting her head, she looked at his face. Baek Yu-Seol stood tall and composed as though he had foreseen this very moment.

Grabbing the microphone, he addressed Maizen directly.

"Professor Maizen, long time no see."

Maizen’s face twisted with anger, but soon a sneer spread across her lips. She realized that she could bring down the two people she despised the most in one fell swoop.

"First, Professor, your arguments seem quite convincing."

"... Convincing?"

"Yes. But you don’t actually have any proof, do you?"

"Proof? Once I present my paper, that question will be settled. I always keep my research with me."

"Is that so? Well, that works out nicely then,” Baek Yu-Seol said with a smirk, revealing his white teeth.

Maizen unintentionally took a step back.

‘What's going on…?’

It was a look she had seen before… the same smile that always preceded her humiliating defeats.

‘No, no. Not this time!’

After glancing briefly at Halsecoden, Baek Yu-Seol turned to Maizen and spoke, "Alright. How about we solve it right here, each on our own?"

He’s challenging her to solve the five challenges that had remained unsolved for 300 years, in front of everyone.

"It’s simple, isn’t it? We can compare our answers and see who’s right."

To solve the problem was the easiest, most straightforward, and most clear-cut method.

Maizen tightly bit her lips, slightly startled by Baek Yu-Seol’s self-assured attitude.

‘What is this? Does he have some kind of plan...?’

Panic flared in her mind.

She opened her mouth to stall for time.

"Wasting time with unnecessary tricks—"

"Wait a moment."

However, before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Halsecoden.

“A showdown between a professor and her assistant over their papers, huh…?”

He pretended to contemplate for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh, typical of a dwarf.

“This sounds absolutely entertaining!”

It was settled.

Baek Yu-Seol, who had orchestrated this situation, turned to Alterisha.

"I-I..."

"Assistant Alterisha. You can do it. I trust you more than anyone else."

‘The boy... He’s still smiling.’

‘Why’s that?’

With such a trivial act, confidence sprouted in Alterisha’s heart.

Baek Yu-Seol.

Among the students, he was jokingly referred to as the archenemy of Professor Maizen. 

It was because of his outstanding talent that he was always persecuted, yet he always came out on top and embarrassed Maizen.

It was satisfying.

It felt refreshing.

She envied how someone ten years younger than her could stand tall and face Maizen, whom even she dared not oppose.

‘Can I do it too?’

Drawing in a deep breath, she forced her lungs to steady her thundering heart.

‘The professor and I have undoubtedly conducted different research.’

Alchemy, after all, often allowed multiple solutions to the same problem.

‘In that case, the professor's solution and my solution must be completely different.’

She held her head high, unwilling to show the slightest weakness in front of Maizen. Then, she took off her glasses and untied the messy hair band she had always kept.

"Oh..."

Just by removing two accessories, her aura changed in an instant, and Halsecoden couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Ha!"

Exhaling deeply, Alterisha revealed a pristine smile, displaying her pearly white teeth.

That was the smile of a true genius, full of confidence. A smile Professor Maizen had never seen even though she was her assistant.

"Professor Maizen, shall we begin?"