Ch. 325 - Inner Self (4)

It was the season when the maple trees shedded their scarlet leaves, leaving behind bare, desolate branches swaying coldly in the wind.  

When winter arrived, the exchange program between Astral Flower and Stella Academy concluded. The courses taken during the program were factored into the second-semester grades, so most Stella cadets left Astral Flower feeling satisfied and at ease.

"Stay in touch next time you visit!"

"Of course! I’ll come during the break!"

"Are you really leaving, darling?"

"I’m sorry, honey. I’ll come back when the first snow falls. Will you wait for me?"

"You promise? You have to!"

"Want to go skiing together during winter break? There’s a ski resort for elves—it’s supposed to be amazing!"

Of course, there were also cadets who couldn’t leave with peace of mind.

Perhaps it was due to the recent wraith incident where everyone worked together to overcome a shared crisis, but the bond between humans and elves had grown remarkably strong. Some even exchanged mailing addresses, and a few students became couples.  

"Flame... Those guys are looking at us…"

Eisel glanced nervously and pointed toward a group with a hesitant expression. Flame followed her gaze with a blank face.  

It was the ‘Blossom Trio’—the wealthiest and most handsome students at Astral Flower.  

The three boys were looking at Hong Bi-Yeon, Eisel, and Flame with lingering gazes but didn’t dare approach.  

They had a reason for keeping their distance.  

During the recent disaster, Flame had lashed out at Serang, the leader of the Blossom Trio, with biting words and firmly drew a line, telling him never to approach again.  

Since Serang was their leader, the other two boys couldn’t approach either.

"Well, that’s better for us. They were annoying anyway," Flame indifferently muttered.  

Eisel hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.  

"Baek Yu-Seol... He didn’t come back in the end, did he?"

"...No, he didn’t."

About a week ago.  

The news that Dusk Soil Moon had awakened and advanced toward the World Tree spread rapidly across the globe.  

It was an extremely rare occurrence in a thousand years of history for one of the Twelve Divine Moons to be directly observed in action. The world buzzed for a week, speculating why he moved and how he was stopped.  

There was even a widely circulated photo of Florin, the Elf King, spreading her vast wings and casting massive magic against Dusk Soil Moon. Many believed she was the one who stopped him.

But Flame had a vague idea of what might have happened.  

She had a hunch about what Baek Yu-Seol might have done to stop Dusk Soil Moon and suspected that something had gone terribly wrong, preventing him from returning.

‘What on earth happened to him?’

If he was injured, then he was injured. If he was dead, then he was dead. 

There should have been some news, yet the Astral Flower Magic Academy remained tight-lipped about Baek Yu-Seol, as though someone powerful had ordered them to stay silent.  

‘Power? Could it be...?’

As Florin’s face began to surface in her mind, a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Are you Miss Flame?”

"Huh?" 

As she was about to board the automatic carriage to return to Stella, three High Elf knights approached her.  

"Yes... That’s me. Why?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Ha Song-Yeon of the Blue Pine Knights. These two are Miss Eisel and Miss Hong Bi-Yeon, correct?"

"Y-yes, that's right.”

Eisel stammered a reply, while Hong Bi-Yeon barely glanced up from her notebook and gave a curt nod.

"We’ve heard that you were especially close to Cadet Baek Yu-Seol."

"... How do you know that?"

"Would you mind moving to a different location? It would be improper to continue this conversation while you’re standing."

After exchanging quick glances, Eisel, Flame, and Hong Bi-Yeon all nodded in agreement.  

***

Once the three girls boarded the Blue Pine Knights’ carriage, Ha Song-Yeon sat upright across from them.  

Despite the spaciousness of the carriage, her large frame made the interior feel uncomfortably cramped. Furrowing her thick eyebrows slightly, she began to speak.  

"You must be curious about the whereabouts of Cadet Baek Yu-Seol. I deeply apologize for not relaying this information sooner."

Ha Song-Yeon bowed her head, and it was Flame and Eisel who were caught off guard instead.  

"Oh, no! You don’t need to apologize!"

"It’s not necessary..."

"Enough of that. Just tell us what happened," Hong Bi-Yeon sharply interrupted, cutting off their clumsy protests.  

"Understood. Ten days ago, Cadet Baek Yu-Seol led twenty knights to the Land of the Dead Giant in an effort to stop the awakening of Dusk Soil Moon, one of the Twelve Divine Moons. Were you aware of this?"

All three shook their heads.  

"I see. Before he left, he made a request. He instructed us to deliver this message to the people he trusted and relied on the most if he went missing or lost his life."

"W-wait!"

Eisel’s voice trembled as she addressed Ha Song-Yeon.  

"What do you mean... Missing? Or lost his life?!"

"The mission was that dangerous. In fact, he succeeded in stopping Dusk Soil Moon. By giving his own life force, he ensured the World Tree would forever remain free from its awakening."

The mission had been a success. 

What about Baek Yu-Seol?

“... To be honest, we haven’t been able to locate him for the entire week following the conclusion of the incident. As a last resort, the Elf King devised an extreme plan to reawaken Dusk Soil Moon’s consciousness and establish communication."

"That… That can’t be true."

The earlier ‘Wraith of the Giant’ disaster had been a calamity caused by Dusk Soil Moon. They had barely managed to subdue it, and now they planned to awaken it again? It sounded utterly insane.  

"Naturally, the High Elf Elders were all vehemently opposed to the idea, but the Elf King overpowered them instantly and threw them all into the Root Prison. Eventually, she succeeded in reawakening Dusk Soil Moon’s consciousness."

"W-wow..."

Florin was known as a gentle and pure ruler. Imagining her taking down the notoriously stubborn and cantankerous High Elf Elders, then imprisoning them in the Root Prison, was almost beyond belief.

"So... What happened?"

At Eisel’s tense question, Ha Song-Yeon let out a faint sigh before answering.  

"We found him."

"Ah..."

"T-thank goodness..."

"But there’s a problem."

Ha Song-Yeon’s expression remained as stiff as stone, but her clenched fists betrayed the guilt she was feeling.

"A problem? What do you mean?"

"Cadet Baek Yu-Seol is currently in a comatose state. He shows no signs of waking up."

"...What?"

The three girls stared blankly, their faces reflecting disbelief and an inability to accept what they had just heard.  

As they spoke, they arrived at their destination—a fairy hospital within the Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree, renowned for housing the best healers.  

"Her Majesty wanted to transfer Cadet Baek Yu-Seol to the ‘Sari Flower Hospital,' but the place is so saturated with the energy of the World Tree that it was deemed too overwhelming for a human to endure."

"That makes sense..."

Following behind Ha Song-Yeon, they noticed how the crowd in the hospital instinctively parted to let them pass. The building was full of patients—many of them victims of the recent disaster.  

They boarded an elevator and ascended to the top floor, where the doors opened to reveal a spacious private room.  

At the center of the room lay a boy with black hair.  

He was sound asleep, as if completely unaware of the world around him. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.  

The girls instinctively turned their gaze toward the doctor standing beside the boy. The doctor, with sharp, pointed ears, wore a grim expression as he spoke. 

"He is suffering from 'Life Addiction.'"

"Life... addiction?"

"It’s an unfamiliar term, I know. I coined it myself, so that’s understandable."

"But life is a good thing, isn’t it? If someone’s addicted to life, shouldn’t they be more lively? Why call it an addiction? That doesn’t make sense..."

As Eisel muttered in confusion, the doctor responded with a grave expression.

"Did you know that when a baby is born, an immense surge of life energy is released? Afterward, that energy gradually diminishes and stabilizes. Humans can’t survive without enough life energy, but at the same time, they can’t endure having too much of it either."

The doctor glanced out the window as he continued.  

"Right now, Cadet Baek Yu-Seol is trapped in that moment… similar to when a baby is born, experiencing a constant, overwhelming explosion of life energy."

"Ah..."

Hong Bi-Yeon looked at Baek Yu-Seol, her heart sinking with despair.

Outwardly, he appeared perfectly fine. He looked as though he was simply sleeping peacefully, yet he was undergoing something so mysterious and dangerous.  

"What… What can be done to treat him?"

The doctor shook his head, his face clouded with uncertainty.

"I’ve lived for 200 years. I’ve treated elves, fairies, goblins, dwarves, humans, and even spirits. But… This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this. I have no idea how to treat it."

Thud!

Eisel collapsed to her knees, her hands covering her mouth. She was trying desperately to stifle the scream rising within her.

No one knew the cause. No one knew the cure.  

Life Addiction.

Why was Baek Yu-Seol, of all people, suddenly afflicted by such a bizarre phenomenon?  

"By tomorrow morning, Cadet Baek Yu-Seol will be transferred to Stella's hospital. Her Majesty has requested it, and Principal Elthman Elwin has promised to assign the best medical team to him. Please trust that he will recover soon."

But the doctor’s voice was devoid of confidence, making it difficult to take comfort in his words.

With that, the doctor left the room alongside Ha Song-Yeon, leaving the three girls behind.

They stood there in silence, staring blankly at the unconscious Baek Yu-Seol.  

And for a long time, they remained that way, unable to speak as the hours slipped by.

The rising sun had vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by the cold glow of the moon as a chilly wind swept through the room.  

"... Cold."

With a dazed expression, Eisel walked over to the window and forcefully shut it. She worried that the cold air might worsen the patient’s condition.

What were they supposed to do now?  

Even as she closed the window, countless thoughts swirled through her mind. Yet, at the same time, it felt as though she couldn’t think at all.

It was as if nothing held meaning anymore.  

Gripping the window frame, she stood there blankly, lost in thought, until—  

Ding!

The elevator doors slid open, and someone walked in.  

"How pathetic."

The three girls turned their heads in unison. Entering the room with a fruit basket in hand was Jeliel, accompanied by a nurse.

"I figured you’d be here waiting when I arrived, but really, is that all human resilience amounts to?"

Jeliel placed the basket beside Baek Yu-Seol’s bedside.  

"Resilience? Stop picking unnecessary fights, Jeliel.”.  

"Am I wrong? Look at yourselves. Anyone would think you’re grieving over a corpse."

"...What?"  

"Baek Yu-Seol isn’t dead. He’s right there, breathing as always. And just like before, he’ll probably open his eyes all of a sudden one day. That’s what I believe. Don’t you have even that much faith in him?" 

"You little—!"

Flame started to snap back at her but bit her tongue instead. Sensing her hesitation, Jeliel pressed on.

"I’m pulling every string I have to summon the best alchemists and mana scholars from across the world."

"Even in a situation like this, if you pour enough money and effort into it, there’s at least a sliver of hope. Isn’t that right, Nurse Kim?"

"Um. I’m Nurse Han."

"Ah, my mistake. Anyway, I’d like you to take care of him with all your heart and report back to me regularly. Can you do that?"

While speaking, Jeliel had somehow roped the nurse into her plans. Nurse Han nodded at first but suddenly froze. Her eyes widened, and she stumbled backward, landing on the floor with a thud!

"W-What...!"

"What’s going on?" 

Jeliel frowned and turned toward the window, following Nurse Han’s shocked gaze.  

There stood a muscular man with his arms crossed. His entire body shimmered in shades of blue.  

"Ah..."

The four girls quickly raised their staffs, aiming them at the figure.

But the blue figure didn’t even glance their way. Instead, it spoke to the empty air, as if addressing someone unseen.

— What do you think?

Who was he speaking to?  

Just as the question crossed their minds, an elderly man clad entirely in silver appeared and responded.  

— Tsk, I wouldn’t know either. Blue Winter Moon, why have you come here?

— Haha, Silver Autumn Moon, winter is the perfect season for me to act.

Hearing these familiar names exchanged in the void, the faces of the five women present paled.  

‘S-Silver?’

‘Could it be... the Twelve Divine Moons...?’

The sharp clatter of a staff dropping to the floor rang out. As if on cue, a pink glow shimmered before solidifying into the form of a woman.

— ... This is highly improper.

— Oh, Pink Spring Moon! It’s been a long time. What has it been—one thousand years?

— Silver Autumn Moon... We are not fated to meet face-to-face.   

— Hmm, you’re right.

— Haha. But wasn’t that fate overturned because of this boy? Since he bears all of our blessings, there’s no harm in us gathering here!

Despite Blue Winter Moon’s lighthearted remark, Pink Spring Moon’s worried expression remained unchanged.

— By the way, where’s the one responsible for turning this brave and noble boy into such a sorry state?

— Over there.

Silver Autumn Moon pointed, and in a corner of the room sat a middle-aged man with a body entirely tinged in brown.  

Though he looked gentlemanly in a sharp suit, a sleek monocle, and a well-groomed beard, his demeanor was utterly foolish. He was crouched down in a pathetic pose that clashed with his refined appearance.  

— ... It’s my fault. All my fault.

— Come on, Dusk Soil Moon! Why are you sulking like that? Do you think this boy won’t wake up?

— I don’t know...

— Tsk. You haven’t changed a bit, have you? Just as hopeless as ever.

— It’s worrying. Lately, his mutterings in his sleep have been so bad I thought something was wrong, and now look at him.

The scene was dizzying. It was impossible to fathom.  

Eisel, Jeliel, Hong Bi-Yeon, and Flame exchanged glances, their expressions mirroring their shared disbelief.  

Though no words were spoken, their silent exchange made everything clear.

‘... Is this real?’

‘It seems so, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes, it’s real.’

‘It’s really happening…’

The figures surrounding Baek Yu-Seol—the old man, the woman, and the man—were none other than the Twelve Divine Moons.  

The most powerful, mysterious, and extraordinary beings in existence. And now, four of them had descended into this very room. 

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Goal: 20 Bonus Chapters to Celebrate 300 Chapters of Flashing Genius!

I’m beyond excited to share that we’ve reached an incredible milestone: 300 chapters of Flashing Genius! When I first started translating this novel, it was just me, my laptop, and a passion for this story. Back then, I never imagined that this book would receive so much attention.

KO-FI:- https://ko-fi.com/zenith677/goal?g=0

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