Ch. 82 - World Tree's Birth Festival (1)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Happy reading!
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Happy reading!
Chapter 82: World Tree's Birth Festival (1)
Stella Academy often had field trips.
The sight of a grand airship and dozens of large airships taking off simultaneously was quite magnificent. They had the Stella logo on them and could accommodate a few hundred people.
"I'm taking an airship’s warp hole for the first time."
"It's not much different from a regular warp hole, is it?"
"Well, that's true."
It was uncommon to use a warp hole gate while onboard an airship.
The airship-specific warp hole gate itself was of enormous scale and incredibly inefficient in terms of operation.
As a result, there were fewer than twenty locations on the continent equipped with airship-specific warp hole gates.
Notable examples included the kingdom of the high elves, the Cradle of the Heavenly Tree, the dwarves' Black Iron Empire, and Stella Academy in Arcanium. Thanks to this, Stella's students often experienced airship warp holes during large events.
'Refreshing...'
Eisel enjoyed the gentle breeze entering the airship. In truth, it was more like artificial wind, but it still gave her a sense of freedom.
A romantic airship journey through the clouds.
Although it was supposed to be an educational field trip, she thought it wouldn’t be bad to enjoy the experience.
"Nom."
Eisel was eating a giant black bean sauce tteokbokki with her friends. It wasn’t just black bean sauce tteokbokki; it was giant black bean sauce tteokbokki.
"You pig! Eat them one by one." A girl named Claire watched on in disgust as Hariren stuffed four giant black bean sauce tteokbokki into her mouth.
"Gis is ow wa wen chu gu it. Hehehe."
(Meaning: This is how you're meant to eat it.)
"Eww! Swallow it all before you speak!"
"Ugh, it's really gross."
"Muhu."
The grosser it was, the more she enjoyed it.
Eisel blankly observed the mischievous acts of those female students.
When you think of Stella Academy girls, you expect them to have noble and elegant dining habits, but the reality was completely different.
Of course, most of those girls were commoners, but still, it was quite a shocking sight.
"Eisel, why are you looking like that?"
"Oh no... It's just that, um... you eat so wild and rough..."
"Do you want some too? If you can't fit more than three in your mouth at once, you have to spit it out."
"Why are you teaching me such weird things again?"
"Hehe, hey, they say it's a trend nowadays? Eating a lot of extra-large jajang tteokbokki at once."
"Unlike you, Eisel is a fine lady, alright?"
"Nonsense. You can't judge people just by their appearance."
“Hey, do you see Flame over there? If she keeps her mouth shut, she looks like a proper lady, but as soon as she opens her mouth, she turns into a monster."
Eisel glanced at the adjacent table.
"Kwaaap."
Flame, who seemed like she couldn't even eat a single strawberry with her tiny pink lips, was swallowing five giant black bean sauce tteokbokki at once.
Such a cute face being distorted like that... The surrounding students sighed as if it were pitiful.
"I wish she could give me that face."
"Well, I could make better use of it."
"That's right. Your usual antics would work better with that face, wouldn't they?"
"What? You crazy bitch, are you asking to die?"
It was a conversation among ordinary female students. Eisel was gradually getting used to the pattern of these friends.
"Oh, right. Eisel, what do you think?"
The conversation shifted to Eisel, and she tilted her head.
"About what?"
"You know, Baek Yu-Seol."
After the incident, there wasn't a single person on campus who didn't know his name.
No, it wasn't just on campus.
Perhaps his name had spread throughout the entire Arcanium.
Aspiring mages from all over the world knew that he managed to snatch a coveted pass to the Aslan Seminar, a dream event, right out of Duke Atalek’s hands.
Moreover, it was revealed that he was a co-developer of alchemy magic engineering, which attracted journalists wanting to interview him, leading to restricted access for ordinary people for several days.
But at the moment, students' interests were focused elsewhere.
As students of Stella, while they were definitely envious of Aslan tickets or the fact that he was a co-developer of the formula, it felt distant and overwhelming due to his great achievements.
They were teenagers before being globally renowned talents, so they had a deeper interest in campus life.
"He was constantly being criticized before. But now, no one touches him."
"It seems like Senior Edmon spreading false rumors was true, so some seniors came to apologize."
"Oh, yeah. I saw it too."
The reason why seniors were apologizing to him wasn't because he had become an untouchable figure.
Even if he was a co-developer of the formula, his power was nothing compared to real nobility.
However, Baek Yu-Seol’s usual behavior had shed light on him. He treated seniors respectfully and was polite as if trying to improve his image.
Moreover, the majority of the seniors who had been harassing Baek Yu-Seol were forced to do so under Edmon's orders.
Of course, there were still seniors who were jealous of him and didn't like him, but they couldn't easily harass him because of the impact he showed in the previous duel.
"By the way, Eisel, can you introduce us to him later?"
"What?"
"You're really close to him."
"Oh, no, not really."
‘Close? It’s not nearly like that.’
"What? Really? I thought you two were dating."
"Wha-What?!" Surprised, Eisel yelled, spewing the juice in her mouth.
"W-Well, what I mean is, why would you think that all of a sudden?"
"Why? It's just that whenever something happens, Baek Yu-Seol always looks after you, right?"
"Right. Yeah, do you remember? During the mock battle with the monster, you probably didn't see it, but Baek Yu-Seol was so cool flying around with a sword, saying he would protect only you."
"Honestly, he looks a bit young and innocent, but I think he'll be quite handsome when he grows up. Don't you?"
"Yeah, he's cute."
As the stories about Baek Yu-Seol poured out like a tide, Eisel’s mind began to spin.
"What’s with that reaction? Baek Yu-Seol makes it so obvious that he likes you."
‘Is that so? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't mind if it’s true…’
'What am I thinking?'
But the more she thought about it, the more she saw the truth in it. He was always there wherever she went, always taking care of her.
“I've been watching you all this time.”
‘The meaning of those words…’
The fiery heat showed no sign of subsiding.
Romance was a confusing topic for Eisel.
It was strange.
She had received quite a few confessions from guys but never thought much of them.
But for some reason, it was difficult to brush it off so easily now.
‘Why’s that?’
It had been like that from the beginning.
During the necromancer attack at Marthevis Cemetery, why did he appear there alone?
During the mock battle with the monster, did he really need her to defeat the monsters?
Even if he teamed up with someone else, his strategy would have been enough to hunt them down.
The club activities, the persona gate, and every little detail in between.
"Maybe because Eisel keeps putting up walls, it feels like he’s stopped trying lately?"
"Yeah, that's right. Hasn't he been getting closer to Princess Hong Bi-Yeon?"
"Oh my, what a player. I wonder if even the princess would be tempted by an ordinary person?"
"Hey, stop it. It's been a complete mess lately, you know? I heard that the princess's gaze toward Baek Yu-Seol is not normal."
"No way."
"It's like a romance novel, you know? Love that transcends social status! That's what going to the academy is all about!"
Love stories were the main topic of conversation among girls.
Just like typical teenagers who were sensitive to rumors, they quickly shifted the focus of the discussion toward Hong Bi-Yeon, and every time Eisel heard those stories, her heart felt heavy.
‘Could it be true...?’
‘You’ve been expressing your feelings so diligently. Did you stop because I didn’t notice?’
‘Why does it matter?’
‘After all, romance is a distant concept for me. I wouldn’t have enough time even if I worked without resting, so how can I make time for dating?’
Besides, she had no interest in him.
That was what it should have been.
‘Why is there a growing sense of unease and loss in a corner of my heart?’
After finishing the meal, Flame went out to the balcony of the spacecraft alone, partly to aid digestion.
"Phew, this feels good."
After releasing a hefty burp, her stomach felt refreshed.
While patting her slightly protruding belly, she let out a yawn when someone suddenly approached from the side.
"Hey, I have a favor to ask."
It was Baek Yu-Seol. He casually sat on the floor and started rummaging through his expanding backpack.
Flame frowned as if annoyed. "What's up, old man?"
"Can you pull out a flower for me?"
"Do I look like a flower vending machine?"
He took out a small potted plant from his backpack.
Flame looked at it with a puzzled expression. "Here?"
"A hanbaram flower, please."
"Huh?" Flame’s expression became noticeably more perplexed. "That's a bit difficult for my level..."
No matter how talented she was with the plant magic of the elves, it was difficult to summon high-grade flowers.
The hanbaram flower was a famous flower that only looked in one direction wherever it was located, thanks to its trait [Absolute Sense of Direction].
It was handy for finding directions in dungeons or ruins, but because of this characteristic, the rating of the plant was strangely high.
"I'll buy you a meal later."
"Yeah, I got it. For now..."
Baek Yu-Seol placed the flowerpot on the floor, and Flame squatted down, holding out her hands.
She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.
"Hup!"
After a while, the magic should have been activated, but nothing happened.
Baek Yu-Seol waited.
"Hup! Hrrr!"
Her face turned bright red as she grunted, but the flower did not grow.
"Are you taking a dump?"
"Ugh, damn it. Just shut up, will you?"
"What are you doing?"
"I have to give it some force, but I don't know where to channel the force..."
It was a disadvantage for humans to possess foreign magic.
Compared to elves, angels, or dwarves who could naturally manipulate that magic, Flame had to learn that sense later in life.
It was like trying to move wings or a tail.
Moving non-existent organs was undoubtedly a laborious task.
However, the hardship was only temporary.
“Oh, it sprouted."
"Hoo, huh... Damn it, it's so exhausting."
Flame, who finally managed to make the flower bloom, wiped the sweat off her forehead. She thought it would be difficult, but the results were quite satisfying.
"But what’s this for?"
She threw the question as she thought the place where the next episode would take place.
“Old man, you’re not thinking of going down to the fourth layer, are you?"
"Of course." Baek Yu-Seol chuckled.
"Let's go. Otherwise, why did I bother giving you this?"
He had a lot of things to handle during this episode.
First, he intended to obtain the heart of the sacred tree for the Leafanel. Second, he planned to meet one of the twelve divine moons.
Deep within the roots of the heavenly tree lay the Pink Spring Moon.
Of course, it was impossible to make a contract with the divine moon right away. He didn't expect to achieve everything in one go.
However, there was hope.
It was the ordinary flower necklace he received as proof of friendship from Leafanel.
The Pink Spring Moon was known for being very close to the divine spirits, so Baek Yu-Seol thought that they might show some favor to someone who was friends with a divine spirit. Even if it didn’t show any favor, he planned to slowly build rapport through conversation.
"Hm, the fourth layer, huh? What are you going to do down there... Ugh!"
Suddenly, Flame grabbed her stomach. Baek Yu-Seol, who had been smiling satisfactorily while looking at the flowerpot, was taken aback.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Did forcibly casting a high-level magic give her side effects?
Flame turned pale and said, "No... I ate too much earlier... I grunted too much… My stomach…"
"Oh, is that so?"
"I'll go... to the restroom."
"Enjoy yourself."
Leaving behind Baek Yu-Seol, who looked dumbfounded, Flame hurriedly left.
'Restroom, restroom!'
The signal had reached its limit. Any unfortunate person blocking her way was doomed to be shoved aside.
However, just as she turned the corner, she unfortunately encountered Hae Won-Ryang. He was standing against the wall as if waiting for someone, but when he saw Flame, he relaxed his stern expression and spoke to her.
"Flame, I have something to discuss briefly."
"Sorry! I'm in a damn hurry right now!"
"Wait..."
"Hey, I’m about to lose it!"
Unfortunately, Flame had already reached her limit and suppressed her anxiety with a scowl.
Hae Won-Ryang lowered the hand he had reached out to Flame and slowly turned around.
He had just seen Baek Yu-Seol and Flame sitting together, playfully teasing each other in that cozy spot.
What were they whispering to each other in that secluded place, to the point of their faces being so close?
What kind of conversation could have made Flame wear such a bright expression?
He was curious, but he forced himself to suppress his naughty curiosity.
The pain that pierced his heart kept trying to devour his thoughts, but he held on to the beliefs that he had always upheld and resisted the erosion while repeating them in his mind.
‘This... isn't my emotion.’
However, his beliefs gradually began to waver.