I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy

As expected, Professor Raiden was unable to keep his promise. Something had apparently gone wrong with the admission process. 

Baek Yu-Seol could vaguely guess what that ‘issue’ might be.

‘The principal must be ramping up his research on dark magic detection.’

After parting ways with Professor Raiden and leaving the 1st Main Tower, Baek Yu-Seol sorted through his thoughts carefully.

The dark mages were masters at hiding their true identities and secretly infiltrating various parts of the magical world. Since regular mages couldn’t expose them, these dark mages roamed freely, causing incidents and disturbances.

It was an essential plot device in the original story.

However, this setup didn’t last forever. At a certain point, Elthman Elwin developed a magic to detect dark magic.

‘I had a feeling he might develop it around this time, but it’s happening rather quickly.’

Eltman had developed this dark magic detection spell and would probably want to test it soon. He’d start by personally screening the most suspicious transfer students.

The dark magic detection did have limitations and couldn’t be used on just anyone, but its very existence became a crucial turning point, empowering the player faction to put pressure on dark mages.

Of course, given its game-breaking potential, this overpowered spell only appeared late in the episode. 

Depending on how fast the player advanced the story, the development speed of this spell could vary significantly.

Typically, players new to Aether World Online encountered this spell in the first semester of their third year, or sometimes right before graduation. By that time, the episode was nearing its end, so the spell didn’t have much impact.

However, some hardcore players advanced the storyline quickly, reducing it to the second semester of their second year. And there was only one player worldwide… Who managed to trigger the spell’s completion right after the spring break of their first year, second semester.

That player went by the nickname ‘Dalso’ and was actually the only player Baek Yu-Seol had been close to in the game. 

Remembering him, who had endless rare information and chatted constantly, made Baek Yu-Seol smile a little. It reminded him of the time when he thought of this world purely as a game.

‘Anyway… Looks like I'll need to check on Anella often.’

In reality, it wasn’t only Professor Raiden who had failed to keep his promise; he was in the same position. He had promised to arrange for Anella’s transfer to Stella, but now she’d have to enter as a freshman next year.

While Anella had successfully left the dark mage alliance, she still lacked much as a human and needed additional guidance. 

He couldn’t continue to rely on Jeliel to take care of everything for her.

"Baek Yu-Seol."

"... Huh?"

As he walked, listing the upcoming tasks in his journal, he heard Hong Bi-Yeon voice from behind.

‘What’s this?’

For some reason, her voice felt strangely unfamiliar.

Baek Yu-Seok hadn’t had any particular reason to meet with Hong Bi-Yeon separately since he’d been busy practicing for the LOS matches, but they’d still run into each other a few times during classes and exchanged a few words. 

However, this was the first time her voice sounded so unfamiliar.

"Uh… What’s up?"

When he turned my head, he saw Hong Bi-Yeon was wearing casual clothes instead of the Stella uniform. 

It wasn’t anything too flashy—a black pleated skirt that a teenage girl might wear, a tight white t-shirt, a black jacket over it, and a black beret that contrasted with her silver hair.

Technically, students could wear casual clothes after classes, but most of them took pride in being part of Stella and didn’t feel the need. 

Unless they were someone as confident as Hong Bi-Yeon, who didn’t need to rely on Stella’s name, hardly anyone would choose casual attire. 

Even Baek Yu-Seol felt a subtle sense of pride in being a Stella student and wore the uniform all the time.

"Why are you standing there, looking dumbfounded? You look like an idiot."

"Uh, no reason. The outfit looks nice."

"... Really?"

At the unexpected compliment, she briefly looked down, twirling a strand of her hair with her finger before looking up and saying abruptly, "Let’s go eat dinner."

"Now? It’s not even seven yet…"

"We’ll go out to eat. By the time we arrive, it’ll be dinnertime."

"Why? Are you busy? … You commoner."

"Not really."

In fact, he didn’t have anything specific to do, so he’d just been planning to head back and train. 

Even with LOS match practice, he hadn’t skipped more than three hours of training each day, but with his mediocre talent, it wasn’t nearly enough. 

He needed double, even triple, the practice to keep up with the rapidly progressing storyline.

Baek Yu-Seol knew it too well. 

Now that the story was accelerating at a breakneck pace, the ‘main episode’ could start at any moment. 

That thought scared him. 

Would he be ready when the time came? 

Could he survive if he stayed this weak?

Ten years from now? 

That wasn’t as distant as it sounded. 

It wouldn’t be strange if something monumental happened before Stella Academy’s graduation.

Everything had changed ever since he started intervening in the story of this world.

But...

“... Aren't you coming?”

Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression darkened as she asked again, and for some reason, he just couldn’t refuse her.

"Oh, no? I’ll go. I thought I had something planned, but now that I think about it, I don’t really need to go."

At his answer, Hong Bi-Yeon gave a faint smile and turned around to lead the way. 

Normally, you’d expect her to adjust her pace, but expecting something ordinary from her at this point seemed too much.

"So, what are we going to eat?"

"I’ll tell you when we get there."

Baek Yu-Seol was sure he wouldn’t regret his choice at that moment. 

Just watching Hong Bi-Yeon walking ahead with her shadow cast by the sunset made him feel truly alive.

———

… Following along eagerly behind Hong Bi-Yeon, Baek Yu-Seol felt a slight pang of regret. 

He hadn’t expected the menu to be like this.

"What… exactly is this?"

Hong Bi-Yeon’s image was the epitome of a ‘princess.’ Someone who’d have caviar for breakfast, gourmet truffle dishes for lunch, and enjoy an elegant steak dinner with a glass of wine. 

So naturally, he thought they’d be going to some fancy restaurant.

"Coconut sand."

"Yeah. I can see that on the menu, but… Where is this even from?"

“It doesn’t belong to any particular place. It’s just the type of dish you'd find in any place with coconut trees.”

In the Aether World, coconut trees were a bit different from those on Earth. 

The coconuts looked similar, but occasionally contained a rare creature called a ‘coconut nibbler.’

This tiny animal was rare enough to make it a delicacy, so expensive that only the wealthy could afford it as Hong Bi-Yeon explained.

"This is supposed to be an expensive food...?"

It was hard to believe. 

It just looked like a coconut with a sandwich on top.

Wearing  sunglasses she’d somehow acquired, Hong Bi-Yeon took a coconut sand in one hand and ate it. 

Next to her was a non-alcoholic coconut wine; although alcohol might be permitted in the royal palace, no one sold alcohol to students outside.

Sip~

Hesitant, Baek Yu-Seol took a bite, not quite sure about this unfamiliar dish. But since it was her treat, he couldn’t refuse.

And then he was surprised.

It tasted incredible. Not just good, but so wonderful it felt almost divine—like the tuna crackers he tasted after basic training in the army.

As he devoured the coconut sand, a question suddenly crossed his mind, and he glanced up. 

Next to him, Hong Bi-Yeon was sipping her coconut wine, enjoying the cool outdoor breeze.

"Can you even taste it?"

That’s right. 

Hong Bi-Yeon had a known issue with her sense of taste, so there was no real reason for her to seek out expensive food from such a faraway place.

Instead of replying, Hong Bi-Yeon smiled faintly, took a small bite of the coconut sand, and swallowed before answering.

"I can taste it."

“… Really?”

“Did your sense of taste come back?”

"No."

"Then how can you taste it?"

"Who knows…"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Hong Bi-Yeon casually said with no particular emotion.

“When I eat with you, I can taste it.”

Huh?

Baek Yu-Seol, who had been busily eating his coconut sand, paused. His hands stopped mid-motion. 

Slowly, he looked up at Hong Bi-Yeon’s face.

Only then did Hong Bi-Yeon realize the oddity in what she had said, and her face showed visible embarrassment—an expression completely different from her usual stoic demeanor.

"It doesn't mean anything, so don’t worry about it."

“… Okay.”

Hong Bi-Yeon quickly brushed it off, but Baek Yu-Seol’s mind was still unsettled.

Because he knew… The conditions under which Hong Bi-Yeon’s sense of taste could return.

After that, an awkward silence settled between them, and neither spoke first.

‘… What should I do?’

What if Baek Yu-Seol misunderstood what she said earlier? 

No… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he did?

‘What am I even thinking?’

Unable to stand the awkward silence, Hong Bi-Yeon finally broke it.

“… Baek Yu-Seol.”

“Yeah?”

He replied casually, sipping his drink, but unlike before, he avoided making eye contact.

Although she’d called out to break the silence, nothing to say came to mind. She wanted to speak, but it felt as if her brain had stopped working.

“Why… Is there something you want to say?”

When Baek Yu-Seol finally asked, tired of waiting, Hong Bi-Yeon hesitated for a long time before blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“It’s about Lady Eisel.”

As soon as she said it, her mind went blank again. After all that hesitation, all she could bring up was a story about Eisel. 

But it wasn’t entirely untrue as she had planned to discuss Eisel with Baek Yu-Seol at some point.

“Eisel…”

This wasn’t really what she wanted to say. 

Hong Bi-Yeon let out a deep sigh, took a gulp of her drink, and set the cup down with a sharp clink. Then, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers, she spoke.

“It’s about… Her father.”

———

At Stella Academy, each subject was taught by at least three professors, with around ten assistant professors beneath them. 

Considering that each class had over a thousand students, even this was a very limited number, but there was no helping it.

Popular courses often had over ten professors, but less popular ones naturally had fewer. 

However, even though ‘Dark Magic Countermeasures’ was an important subject, there were only four professors for it. 

Earning a doctorate in Dark Magic Countermeasures was extremely challenging, and there were few who had the skill level to teach at Stella.

Compared to other academies, which might have no professors or just one, Stella’s four professors seemed impressive—until now. 

After the competition during summer break, two professors were discreetly dismissed by Elthman Elwin, and another left due to personal reasons, leaving only one.

Thud!

“Oh my, it seems there’s none left now.”

With a mischievous laugh, the Witch Queen, Scarlet Maiden, shook her white hair.

She looked down at the man pinned beneath a rock—Professor Hayten, Stella’s last remaining Dark Magic Countermeasures professor. 

Although his life was not at risk, his injuries were severe enough that returning to teaching might take several months.

“Well then…” 

She looked up at Stella Academy’s main gate. 

Originally, she’d planned to sneak in under the guise of a transfer student, but Elthman Elwin’s security was too tight, forcing her to use a more drastic approach.

“I didn’t want to come in so forcefully…” 

She cast a spell on the fallen Professor Hayten as a special reward, feeling somewhat apologetic for injuring him.

When he wakes, he may experience a new insight, a chance to advance as a mage—if he grasps it.

"If he misses it, well~ too bad for him!"

She confidently walked through the academy’s gate, admiring the brightly decorated pathways and the gardens illuminated by starlight on either side. 

Smiling, she looked ahead to the towering main building of Stella which resembled a grand castle.

It had been a long time since she’d come here. It felt as exciting as if she were entering for the first time, like a new student with a fluttering heart.

“So, Baek Yu-Seol goes to this school~” 

She hummed a tune and snapped her fingers, making the unconscious Professor Hayten disappear.

In exactly six hours, the news of his injury would surface, leaving the Dark Magic Countermeasures course entirely vacant. 

Urgently needing a replacement, the principal would have to approve a new professor. 

However, Elthman Elwin was currently away investigating a strange phenomenon near the World Tree with the Dwarf King, leaving the authority temporarily with Vice-Principal Archie Hayden.

Although he couldn’t make major decisions for the academy, he had enough authority to fill a vacant professorship.

“The academy’s even prettier than before…” 

Scarlet walked in with a playful, almost dance-like gait, with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Shall I go see the cute faces of the students?”

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