I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy - Chapter 82

Edmon apologized to Baek Yu-Seol.

That rumor spread throughout the academy like wildfire.

It was widely known that Edmon had been tormenting Baek Yu-Seol, his freshman junior, yet he suddenly apologized?

Now, the question ‘why’ lingered in all of the student’s minds.

The reason came to light through numerous students who had eavesdropped on their conversation at the café.

As it turned out, Baek Yu-seol was actually the co-developer of alchemy magic engineering.

The fact that Baek Yu-Seol was a co-author of the Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique was kept secret, and very few people knew the truth.

Up until then, it was merely a rumor that one of Stella's students might be a co-author.

Not only was the rumor true, but it turned out the co-author was a freshman.

Some students knew about Baek Yu-Seol and Alterisha’s connection and anticipated this outcome, but most students and faculty members couldn't help but be greatly shocked.

Stella Academy was thrown into chaos, and Baek Yu-Seol's name spread throughout Arcanium, creating a massive uproar.

In just a few days, Baek Yu-Seol’s name had stirred up a major controversy.

The news reached even the ears of Stella's vice-principal, Archie Hayden. While most of the other rumors didn’t concern him much, the fact that Baek Yu-Seol had taken Edmon's Aslan Seminar pass left him feeling rather uneasy.

"It's intriguing."

Several professors lowered their heads at Archie Hayden’s words.

They hadn't done anything wrong, but for some reason, it felt like they had.

"Why can't people just mind their own business? Can't they just stay quiet? I can't understand it at all."

It sounded like idle frustration, but there was a sharp edge of restrained anger beneath the words.

If only there were no disruptions, they could have slowly and steadily planted the seeds of dark magic within the magical society. Yet those fools kept interfering with their pointless antics, distorting the plans time and time again.

This was already the second time.

And those variables always involved Baek Yu-Seol.

In Maizen Tyren's case.

In Edmon Atalek's case.

"Shall we handle it quietly?" asked a man dressed as a janitor. 

Archie’s expression hardened. "Don’t be ridiculous. If even a single student goes missing without a valid reason, everything will be thrown into chaos."

"But he's a commoner, isn't he?"

"Yes, that’s true. But he’s one of the students the principal is keeping an eye on. On top of that, his name is already well-known, so dealing with him quietly is out of the question."

There was no other choice.

Baek Yu-Seol, an outsider, had obtained the Aslan Seminar pass.

However, in any case, that was only for one year. To participate in the Aslan Seminar consistently, no matter how prestigious a family was, they needed to present appropriate papers and knowledge every year.

The families that consistently attended had preserved their knowledge and records for decades, which is why they were regarded as prestigious.

The Atalek family had shown outstanding achievements to attend consistently until now. Unfortunately, their qualification was now Baek Yu-Seol’s.

However, was that a bad thing?

‘No. On second thought, this might actually work out.’

They don’t need to strip Baek Yu-Seol’s pass just to deal with him.

At the Aslan Seminar, all they had to do was prove Baek Yu-Seol’s ignorance in magic and inform the Mage Association that he was not qualified to attend, thus depriving him of a pass for the next year.

That was all.

"This year, the students attending Aslan will be Eisel and Selyen. So... make sure to have a good talk with that child."

Selyen was a genius girl whom Archie trusted. Despite her exceptional talent as a mage, her severely limited mana made her a pitiable child, unable to fully showcase her brilliance.

Baek Yu-Seol would likely be dealt with through her.

There was no student at Stella who could defeat Selyen in logic and theory.

"Understood."

As Archie Hayden finished speaking, the few shadows that were flickering in the vice-principal's office vanished into the ground.

After sending away the remaining people, Archie told Raiden to stay.

"Have you checked on Maizen’s progress?"

"Yes. So far, she’s controlling her dark magic with the cult leader's suppression spell, but we don't know when she will erupt..."

"Tsk."

Archie clicked his tongue.

Dark mages in the current era were different from before.

In the past, they indiscriminately tried to turn the world into the underworld through a war with mages. Until they realized that this wouldn’t work anymore.

So they took a detour.

If they couldn't dominate them through war, what if they gradually infiltrated from within?

Thus, the dark mages sealed or suppressed their dark magic and sneaked into human society, succeeding in taking key positions in the magical world one by one.

Archie Hayden, the vice-principal of Stella Academy, was no exception.

The vice-principal of Stella Academy, an institution for training magical warriors to hunt dark mages, was a dark mage.

If people in the world were to hear that, they would probably laugh.

Maizen Tyren had become useless to them. She was on the brink of losing control, completely consumed by the emotions of a dark mage… to the point where even the suppression spell no longer had any effect.

‘Even so, it might be possible to use her as a pawn.’

The principal, Elthman Elwin, undoubtedly suspected that there were dark mages hiding within Stella.

Maizen could still be of use if she went out of control and caused a distraction.

"Now is not the time. The Familiar Contract Ceremony starts tomorrow.”

It was a customary event where numerous faculty members of Stella and the entire student body of a grade participated in external classes.

That day was a special day for interacting with the kingdom of the elves, the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, so it would be better not to cause any trouble.

Elf King Florin was a calamitous existence for dark mages.

She had secluded herself deep within the World Tree Mountain Range for decades, avoiding unnecessary appearances, so this is not the time to change that.

It was frustrating to still have to account for the watchful eyes of various powerful factions, but Archie endured it, convinced that it was all for the sake of the future.

"Raiden, check Maizen’s condition one last time. Be extremely vigilant to ensure she doesn't go out of control."

"Understood."

With that final instruction, Raiden left the vice principal's office and headed toward the faculty building.

While the staff members usually lived in their private mansions in Arcanium, Maizen was currently confined in a secretive and quiet space within Stella due to her need for isolation.

She is currently located in a sparsely populated building.

Inside the laboratory, the lights were turned off, creating an eerie vibe.

Once a place where various scientific equipment was operated for the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of truth, it no longer held any trace of intellect.

Broken beakers and shattered vials were scattered around, and experiment tools, including microscopes, lay dismantled.

Even the wallpaper had been ripped from the walls as if by a wild beast.

In the midst of it all, there was a torn piece of newspaper. Pieced together, it would have the prominent headline, [Alterisha’s New Technology Reaches Explosive Levels of Success Worldwide].

"Maizen."

Raiden called out to Professor Maizen, who was crouched in a corner of the laboratory.

Several shadows flickered around him.

"Wait and see… Wait and see," they said. "Prove your worth! Oh, already failed? Hehehe!"

Various voices echoed in Raiden's ears.

They were true embodiments of dark mages… beings who had completed the process of corruption and could no longer operate in the outside world using their original appearances.

"Oh~ Who do we have here? Isn't it Raiden the beast? Hey, you’re quite handsome now that you’re a Stella professor!"

"Oh my, where did you get that suit? You look absolutely sexy. Want to date me?"

"Hmm, I liked you more when you were more like a beast. How about barking like before, Raiden? Do you know how your howl excites me?"

Raiden ignored all those voices and raised his hand.

"Oh my, how fierce..."

In an instant, all the shadows disappeared, vanishing somewhere.

In an instant, the laboratory went dead silent.

Raiden slowly approached Maizen, and gently touched her shoulder.

"Grrr...!"

But as soon as he touched her, Maizen recoiled like a beast, retreating backward.

Her condition had already reached a critical point. If she crossed the line any further, she would soon become a full dark mage.

However, Raiden had the ability to control it, which was why Archie had sent him here.

But was it really necessary?

"Did you come here to tell me to endure and wait too?"

Maizen, with her bloodshot eyes, asked in a hoarse voice.

She had lived her entire life tormented by inferiority. She did anything to make up for her lack of ability. She stole papers, framed other alchemists, and brought down those more successful than her.

She clawed her way up to her current position.

But then, she had a problem.

Her achievements were not a carefully constructed tower but a precariously wobbling one that could collapse with just a nudge.

And because of one mistake, she lost everything, and she plummeted all the way down.

"If I endure and wait... will I be able to return to my rightful position?" Maizen gritted her teeth as she asked.

What an absurd question.

Raiden didn't even snort in response.

It was almost funny for her to say ‘rightful position.’

She had spent her life taking from others, yet she was whining about losing something once.

Nevertheless, Raiden decided to show her mercy.

“That’s never gonna happen now. They don’t find you useful anymore. Once the plagiarism investigation begins, you’ll be stripped of all your positions and expelled from the academy. Then, it will end."

"Wh-What?! No, that can't be. Then why did Archie leave me here?"

"You’ve already undergone complete corruption. There’s a different role you can perform. That's why he left you behind."

Maizen was relatively quick-witted, so interpreting the meaning of those words was not difficult.

‘They expect me to go on a rampage.’

It coincided with a certain plan that was being discussed within the walls of the Moon Shadow Church. They likely planned to exploit her, someone they had already deemed disposable, and then dispose of her cleanly… preferring not to waste another undercover dark mage in the process.

"Damn it. Those bastards... After everything I’ve given them?!"

As Maizen bared her fangs and prepared to lash out, Raiden interrupted her once again.

"So get out of here."

"What?"

"I don’t want to see my kin sacrificed in such a way."

He took out a small crystal from his pocket.

"Go to the western end, to 'paradise.' Your fellow compatriots are hiding there. If you manage to survive until you find them, shatter this crystal. It will release the spell that suppresses your corruption."

After saying that, Raiden turned around without hesitation and left the laboratory.

Holding the crystal, Maizen stared blankly at the door through which Raiden had left.

‘Why?’

‘Why would he suddenly try to save me? Is he planning on using me for his own agenda too?’

‘But... this isn’t bad.’

She would do anything as long as she could survive and lift the loathsome curse that suppressed her dark magic.

She slowly stood up and staggered out of the laboratory. Then, her eyes suddenly fell on the yearly plan written on the board… a relic from her days as a human.

Familiar Contract Ceremony.

A large-scale event with hundreds of faculty members and first-year students.

After seeing that, the corners of Maizen’s mouth trembled.

It seemed like a smile, but she had reached a point where she couldn’t properly express human emotions anymore.

"How dare they plan to use me?"

She could quietly leave and live in the paradise of dark mages. But that didn’t suit her temperament.

She wanted revenge.

She wanted to tear apart the boy and girl who made her this way.

They had fully utilized her when she was useful, but now that she had served her purpose, they tried to discard her.

She wanted to grant them a slow, agonizing death. And as luck would have it, hadn’t a rather useful item fallen into her hands?

Maizen chuckled softly as she caressed the gleaming black crystal in her palm.

"Did you think I’d just sit here and take this?" Maizen said, concealing herself quietly in the laboratory.

***

New Moon Tower.

13th Extermination Squad Leader, Kaen.

"I’ve received the message."

The New Moon Tower could stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's greatest magic tower, the Full Moon Tower, but they always operated in the shadows, their name hidden from the world.

Kaen, who had killed hundreds of dark mages, would be treated as a great hero if his name were revealed, but he too remained hidden.

As Kaen looked up, a white light seeped out from the pitch-black space and spoke. "The whereabouts of Maizen Tyren, who vanished within Stella, remain a mystery."

"Is that so?"

Deputy Leader Hyejin Macaron was puzzled at the name.

She couldn't imagine a professor at Stella being infected by dark magic, no matter how much she thought about it. However, she couldn't openly express it, so she kept her mouth shut.

“First-year magic combat students at Stella are scheduled for an external mission in a few days. Dark magic activities are expected to begin. There’s a possibility of Maizen getting involved, so infiltrate and observe the situation."

"Understood."

Click!

As the communication was cut off, the pitch-black space instantly dissipated, revealing a field.

Spatial teleportation.

It was a unique technique of the New Moon Tower that allowed instant travel over great distances, a magic that only the tower's master could use.

Even with that astonishing magic, they showed no reaction and started walking.

Hyejin pouted and complained. "Why are we so obsessed with Stella?"

"The tower master possesses the power of prophecy. Instead of talking back, just follow."

"Yeah, sure! But more than half of those prophecies are always wrong, which is a problem!"

"In most cases, we solve the disasters before they occur."

"Sometimes nothing happens even when we don’t do anything."

At that moment, Kaen stopped walking and stared at Hyejin intently.

"Those are cases where the events are prevented or resolved by other variables before our intervention."

"Hmph, what's with the sudden serious face? Ah, I don't know. I was planning to take a vacation after this mission."

While grumbling, Hyejin swiftly scratched her staff on the ground. It might have looked rough and hasty, but she was actually drawing a Class 6 magic circle.

This kind of skill would probably amaze mages.

Since at least ten ordinary Class 5 mages would be needed to draw the circle that she could easily create with such simplicity.

"There, it's done. Let's go quickly, have a quick look, and come back."

Kaen nodded heavily and stood on Hyejin’s magical circle.

Immediately, a rainbow bridge stretched up to the sky, and the two of them disappeared.