I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 55

There were several disturbances on the day of the presentation, yet the classes at Stella Academy continued as usual.

"Professor Maizen is not feeling well, so I’m filling in for her."

Since Professor Maizen was absent, another alchemy professor stepped in to take her place.

‘I wonder how it’ll turn out. Maizen fully awakened in the eighth episode and caused a rampage in the academy, causing great damage.’

‘Did my influence cause that episode to be pushed forward? I hope at least it's manageable.’

Alterisha hadn’t come to the academy either. She was probably being happily tormented by the alchemists by now.

On the other hand, Baek Yu-Seol was at ease.

Despite being the co-author, Alterisha had publicly claimed the work as her own.

‘The general public wouldn't know, and only the people that should know would know.’

Not only because it becomes bothersome, but the main reason was that his attention couldn’t be diverted.

As an alchemist, he was utterly useless. All credit and recognition belonged to Alterisha alone.

Because of his deliberate efforts, hardly any rumors involving him circulated among the students.

This was all thanks to Alterisha’s name being plastered across the front page of every newspaper.

“Hey, have you heard? You know Assistant Alterisha, right? She's the author of the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique. I heard she solved that age-old problem.”

“Yeah, I also heard it. It was a 300-year-old unresolved mystery.”

“But I heard there's also a co-author?”

“They deliberately kept the identity undisclosed. I wonder why.”

“Well, it’s probably because they must be extremely ugly, right?”

“Ahaha, no way!”

Like that, he could quietly spend his days at the academy as usual.

"That's it for today's class."

After the substitute professor finished the lecture, Baek Yu-Seol stepped out of the classroom. Nearby, a few students spotted him and hesitantly approached.

"Um... You're Baek Yu-Seol, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Although he was usually treated as invisible, why were they pretending to know him?

"Well, if you're hungry, would you like to have lunch together?"

The rumor about his friendship with Assistant Alterisha had already spread throughout the department. Some even speculated that they were secretly dating.

That explained it.

They wanted to get closer to him because he was close to Assistant Alterisha.

Perhaps it was clever to think of this while Alterisha was away, but to him, it was nothing more than an annoyance.

"Sorry, I already have plans."

"Oh, really? Well, can't be helped then."

The nameless students left with disappointment written on their faces. They probably assumed he was lying. But he really did have other plans.

It was time for his club activity.

As he left the classroom, Eisel approached him hesitantly.

"Um... Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Th-That's great."

Eisel looked visibly nervous, as if the mere idea of going out to eat felt foreign to her. It was as though she had made a big decision, even though it was just a casual outing.

Eisel and Baek Yu-Seol headed to the shoe lockers for their outing. As they each opened their lockers to take out the shoes, he felt a sense of unease.

[Sixth Sense]

Without hesitation, he teleported towards Eisel and…

"Ah!"

He grabbed hold of her and pulled her back.

Then, Eisel’s locker burst open, and a flour bomb exploded!

Boom!

“W-What the—?!”

Eisel, who narrowly escaped the flour bomb's wrath, widened her eyes in surprise. But, Baek Yu-Seol didn't have the energy to pay attention to that.

Unfortunately, a passerby ended up getting hit by the flour bomb.

The victim turned to glare at Baek Yu-Seol. He was massive, with a build rivaling that of a professional wrestler and a cleanly shaved head.

His name was Pung Harang.

Baek Yu-Seol remembered that he was in the same class as him, a first-year Class S student.

"Um... Hey, I'm sorry."

But Pung Harang ignored his apology and instead fixed his gaze on a group of three girls gathered around another girl with her hair tied up in a bun.

They all looked startled upon catching Pung Harang’s gaze.

"Do you find this funny?"

"Huh? Wh-What are you suddenly talking about?"

It was such an unexpected and out-of-the-blue remark that both Baek Yu-Seol and they were taken aback.

Pung Harang’s sharp eyes bore into them.

"If humiliating a confident girl by dousing her in flour was your idea of fun, then I feel sorry for you. Is this the only way you can feel better about yourselves?"

"W-What's that supposed to mean...?!"

He checked the name tag of the girl with the bun and realized she was in Class B.

‘Ah, come to think of it, such a thing did happen.’

Eisel’s episodes of being bullied had been repeatedly mentioned early in the story. Though he hadn’t witnessed them firsthand, they were part of the narrative.

He never expected to indirectly experience it like this.

The girls, met with Pung Harang’s fierce gaze, seemed frozen in place and trembled as if they were having seizures.

“I-I didn’t do it! She made me do it!”

One of them quickly betrayed the others and bolted. The rest soon followed suit, leaving the girl with the bun to face him alone.

‘Is she about to cry?’

Pung Harang didn't seem to have any intention of threatening her anymore and turned his attention back to the flour, flicking it away.

Then he glanced at Baek Yu-Seol and spoke. “You."

"Huh?"

"You have sharp reflexes."

With that, Pung Harang walked off, his flour-covered clothes trailing behind him.

Baek Yu-Seol hadn’t interacted much with him in the original story, but he seemed even more imposing than Ma Yu-Seong.

Eisel and Baek Yu-Seol stood there for a while.

"... Sh-Should we go?"

"Yeah. Ma Yu-Seong is waiting."

And so, after a chaotic sequence of events, they finally set out for their first club activity.

When they arrived, Ma Yu-Seong was leaning against a lamppost, engrossed in either memorizing runic letters or reading a notebook. Even his appearance seemed like something straight out of a masterpiece, causing passing female students to linger around and steal glances at him.

He noticed them, closed his notebook, and approached with a smile.

"You're here. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Since lunchtime isn't that long, I don't plan on going far."

Arcanium was incredibly vast, and there were a considerable number of restaurants, so one could find a good place to eat no matter what.

"So what's on the menu?"

"Pizza. Do you guys like it?"

"Yeah, I like it."

"Uh, I... Well, I'll eat it."

He didn’t know much, but he knew that Eisel liked pizza.

In fact, if one chose the option to become close to Eisel as a player, they could raise affinity by getting her favorite food as a gift, and pizza was at the top of that list.

"Alright, then, shall we go to a pizza place?"

***

As they strolled down the busy street with Ma Yu-Seong, an all-too-familiar scene played out.

"Hey, isn't that person Ma Yu-Seong?"

"Wow, look at that height."

"I thought he was a model."

Before enrolling in Stella as the prodigious mage of the century, Ma Yu-Seong had already gained prominence in the middle school academy.

Thanks to numerous media appearances, he was quite famous.

With his towering frame - unbelievable for a high schooler - kind demeanor, and striking features, Ma Yu-Seong drew attention wherever he went.

Since most of the students in Arcanium were prodigies, it was impossible not to know about the famous Ma Yu-Seong in the magical world.

Eisel, too, was quite famous, although in a not-so-positive way.

"And next to him is the daughter of the traitor Morph."

"She may be pretty, but she's still the child of trash."

Fortunately, the good thing was that Eisel herself didn't pay much attention to those glances.

‘Idiots. It’s almost tragic how easily they’re swayed by baseless rumors.’

He couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when the truth finally came out.

"It's this way."

Still, Baek Yu-Seol didn't want to see Eisel being insulted, so he guided her properly to the pizza place.

"What would you like to eat?"

"I'm fine with whatever you're having."

"I'll have what you're having then."

“Alright.”

Baek Yu-Seol scanned the menu and quickly placed their order. It was a mixed pizza loaded with cheese and a side of pizza rolls. Eisel, however, looked slightly anxious.

'Pizza...'

She had heard a lot about it. It was a food she really wanted to try.

But she never had the opportunity.

Pizza was an expensive dish that cost more than 15,000 credits, which was almost a week's worth of food for Eisel.

Once, she’d wanted it so badly that she tried making it herself, gathering cheese, bell peppers, and dough.

However, she failed miserably and ended up making a mess, which made her nearly tear up.

Unable to throw away the ingredients, she forced herself to eat it anyway. That moment of helplessness had stuck with her.

Now, as she sat eagerly waiting for her first real pizza, Baek Yu-Seol smirked and handed her a plate of pickles.

In his memo about her, he had written down a note that said, ‘When eating pizza, she should drink the pickle juice first.’

"Here, you can have this."

‘What’s this?’

She had never seen this food before.

Although she didn't ask, she ventured a guess by herself.

‘Is this a palate cleanser? When you order steak, they first bring out bread and soup…’

She hesitated as she touched the pickle plate.

‘How do you eat this...?’

She discreetly glanced at Ma Yu-Seong and Baek Yu-Seol. She didn't want to be treated like a fool who didn't know how to eat something as simple as this.

Observing her, Baek Yu-Seol suddenly had a realization.

‘No way, is this her first time at a pizza place?’

Since Baek Yu-Seol didn't know much about Eisel, he didn’t know if she had been to a pizza place before or not.

So, he quickly handed her a fork and was about to subtly show her how to eat it when Eisel took action.

She brought the pickle plate to her lips and drank the pickle juice directly.

Her sky-blue eyes widened.

‘I-It's delicious!’

She had never tasted such a stimulating broth before.

Baek Yu-Seol wanted to tell her the truth, but Eisel kept drinking the pickle juice with delight, so he gave up.

Ma Yu-Seong, who was staring at her, also toyed with the pickle plate. Like Eisel, brought it to his lips and slowly savored the taste.

"Hmm... It's not bad."

With the way he nodded in approval, anyone would think he was sampling an aged red wine.

"Oh... right. That's the charm of pickles."

A moment later, when two pizzas were brought out, Eisel’s mouth dropped open.

"Wow...!"

The tantalizing aroma of cheese stimulated her appetite, and she almost began drooling.

"Let's eat. I checked beforehand, and this place is really popular."

Baek Yu-Seol sliced the pizza and served it. Eisel, however, hesitated and picked up her knife.

Baek Yu-Seol immediately intervened.

"Oh no. Why would you ruin the pizza by putting a knife in it? It doesn't taste good when you eat it like that."

"What?"

"You have to eat it like this to truly enjoy it."

Baek Yu-Seol demonstrated first.

Lifting a slice of pizza, he took a big bite and pulled it away from his mouth.

Streeeetch!!

The cheese stretched like a string, clinging to the slice as he chewed.

"Well, that's even more outrageous..."

"Oh, it seems fun, doesn't it?"

Ma Yu-Seong followed suit and picked a slice as his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

Eisel hesitated. Her eyes darted between the knife and the pizza before finally setting the knife down and picking up the slice with her bare hands.

She took a cautious bite.

"Ah...!"

A surprised exclamation escaped her lips.

This was her first time.

She couldn’t think clearly as the chewy cheese and spicy sauce filled her mouth, overwhelming her senses.

‘The bell peppers are dancing atop the cheese! The paprika and olives are waltzing, while the bacon and onions are performing a fiery salsa!’

Then suddenly, her emotions surged. She remembered the days when she couldn't properly enjoy a meal like everyone else.

But now, the taste was so delicious that all those thoughts vanished.

She felt happy.

Her eyes glistened with tears she refused to shed as she spoke in a choked voice.

"... It's delicious. Truly."

Baek Yu-Seol smiled, feeling like he made the right decision after all.

"Let's come here often from now on."

He felt a sense of satisfaction as if offering a delicacy to a cute little bird.

‘Eat well.’

That way, it would give her some strength for the challenges ahead.

***

"Flame! Did you hear?"

Flame, who was walking down the hallway, slightly stiffened at the girl's voice.

"Yeah..."

"Really? Then I’ll see you later!"

As she watched her friend run off in another direction, she sighed.

She had come to share the rumor that Alterisha had solved a complex Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique.

It was something she had heard dozens of times already.

Young girls were a vibrant species who brimmed with infectious excitement whenever they stumbled upon intriguing news to share with their friends.

However, Flame knew.

She knew that all of this was Baek Yu-Seol’s doing.

Despite his name being not revealed and not known to the public, somehow, Flame felt like she could understand his deeper intentions as he hid himself and made Alterisha stand out.

Still... how had he solved the formula?

She was certain that any future knowledge he had would’ve faded after his regression, leaving only fragments of critical events intact.

She herself had no way to help Alterisha because there was no explanation of the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique in the original novel she was familiar with.

But the situation was unfolding quite favorably.

‘Or maybe, he's just really smart? Is that why?’

Either way, since he knew the fact that Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique would be solved in the future, he might have solved it with Alterisha directly.

In truth, she didn't plan to get deeply involved. She and Baek Yu-Seol had agreed to only reveal 50% of their true feelings.

Instead, she needed to prepare for the next event.

‘Persona gate training.’

In this world, there were countless persona gates. Even in the original novel, their true nature was never properly revealed, causing a lot of resentment from the fans.

It was another dimension born from the power of the dark mages.

If they didn't quickly conquer the persona gates and deal with them, the places where they appeared would become completely tainted, rendering them uninhabitable.

To prevent that, the magic warriors, including Flame, had been studying persona gates since their childhood, and now as high school students, they were conducting practical training.

Perhaps this time, the real would be mixed in the persona gate training. It was the infiltration of the evil dark mages within the academy.

‘I know the overall story. I just need to keep the damage to a minimum.’

Lost in thought, Flame wandered until she noticed students crowding around the classroom bulletin board.

"Hmm?"

Curious, she went over to see a notice regarding the persona gate. As she silently read it, someone approached her.

"Flame, hey."

"...?"

A gentle and warm voice.

She instinctively turned her head.

Crown Prince Jeremy had unknowingly made his way beside her, and he stood there with a dazzlingly beautiful smile.

Flame had a puzzled expression as she responded. "Oh, hey."

"How about joining the same group for the persona gate training this time?"

Looking at Jeremy, Flame let out a dry laugh.

‘Why is he acting like this now?’

In the original novel, Jeremy was depicted as a character who fell head over heels for Eisel and fought hard to win her heart.

But when Eisel eventually got involved with Ma Yu-Seong, Jeremy turned cruel, using his power to torment her.

If he had simply tormented her physically, it might have been understandable, but Jeremy displayed a psychotic nature and destroyed her mentally.

Honestly, while reading the original novel, Flame became extremely annoyed.

Although many readers idolized him as an embodiment of twisted obsession, Flame detested such a personality.

"Hah. If you’re going, why do I have to tag along? What gives you that idea? That arrogant look of yours?"

She grabbed his chin and tilted it playfully, as if inspecting him.

Jeremy was taken aback, and his eyes widened.

"Go find another girl to bother. Stop messing around with me."

After that, Flame coolly turned around and walked away while Jeremy caressed his chin.

'...Interesting.'

However, there was one aspect that Flame had overlooked. This was a romantic fantasy, and clichés were bound to happen.

'Unique, refreshing, and... attractive.'

No other woman had ever acted so boldly towards him.

The freshness resonated deeply in Jeremy's heart. He felt sensations he had never experienced before and even a sense of excitement.

Jeremy watched Flame’s figure as she walked away with her short legs, wanting to capture every bit of her appearance.

But then...

“Oh, hey! Where are you going? Class?”

“Don’t hit my back, I just finished eating.”

"Hahaha, why do you look so funny?"

A particularly annoying person appeared; someone who always got on his nerves.

Jeremy subconsciously clenched his fist and glared at the boy's back.

‘Don't you dare touch her, Baek Yu-Seol.’

He had never had something he wanted to possess taken away from him in his entire life.

And this time would be no different.