Ch. 309 - The Exchange Student (7)
I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic AcademyThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
A new dormitory, specifically for foreign students, was built at Astral Flower Magic Academy this year for the Stella exchange students, raising high expectations among the students.
And meeting those expectations, the new dormitory, constructed under the leadership of the Starcloud Trading Company, boasted an impressive level of quality.
The building not only prioritized human comfort but also featured decorations like tree roots along the hallways and a miniature World Tree model standing tall in the center of the dormitory, showcasing the architect's aesthetic efforts.
“Welcome, Stella cadets!”
At Stella, there were dorm supervisors and staff, but they didn’t treat the students with such politeness.
Many of the students were accustomed to wielding power as nobility, so at Stella, the staff operated almost like ‘ghosts,’ moving and acting without being visible.
These staff members were there, providing convenience to the students but without any direct interaction. However, elven society didn’t have a concept of nobility.
“Welcome to Astral Flower.”
This allowed the staff here to greet and treat the cadets with respect—a somewhat ironic situation that highlighted the different approaches and beliefs of each race.
“Oh, uh. Thank you…”
“Hello…”
The commoner students responded awkwardly to the staff's greetings, while the noble students wore satisfied expressions, as if enjoying a familiar feeling they hadn’t experienced in a while.
Among them, Baek Yu-Seol received the most attentive treatment, but that was simply because Jeliel was walking beside him.
With Jeliel—practically the ‘owner’ of this luxurious dormitory— confidently walking ahead, the dorm supervisor and ten staff members followed behind.
‘This is a bit uncomfortable…’
While other students dispersed to their dorms, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t. Jeliel insisted on personally showing him around the dormitory, so he had no choice but to go along.
Though a bit tiresome, it wasn’t a bad experience for Baek Yu-Seol. Being a ordinary student who enjoyed travel and games, he found it a fascinating experience to explore a dormitory built in elven style.
Eventually, Baek Yu-Seol ended up having a meal with Jeliel, just the two of them, in the outdoor terrace garden located on the upper floors of the dormitory.
Curious, he asked her a question.
“This dormitory wasn’t like this before. Why was it rebuilt?”
“I thought you might come as an exchange student.”
“… Excuse me?”
Her answer was a bit unexpected.
“What does me coming here have to do with it?”
“It matters. I wanted you to have a nice dormitory here.”
“Is… That so?”
She placed her wrists together, rested her chin on her hands, and leaned toward Baek Yu-Seol.
“Don’t you like it?”
Her question, which was uttered with a gentle smile, was filled with confidence. She appeared certain he would like it.
Baek Yu-Seol indeed loved the dormitory, but thinking it was built specifically for him gave him a strange feeling.
Maybe, in some way… He felt a bit burdened. As a result, he couldn’t bring himself to respond to Jeliel’s words. A simple response would have been enough.
‘Yes. I really like it.’
But, he hesitated, unable to say even that. He finally glanced at her awkwardly and opened his mouth to speak.
“Um…”
As he tried to say something, Jeliel interrupted him.
“Shall we get up if you’re finished with your meal? You must be busy.”
“Oh, yeah. Let’s do that.”
When Jeliel stood up, Baek Yu-Seol followed her like a guilty person, sighing quietly so she wouldn’t hear, regretting his hesitation.
‘I should’ve just responded clearly.’
He felt bad, as if he had disappointed her.
But would it really have been right to be openly happy about it? He didn’t know what to say.
Ignoring it seemed a bit strange, yet the silence was awkward.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Jeliel suddenly stopped and turned to him with a smile.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“What?”
“Whatever thoughts you have about me… I really don’t mind.” She took a step closer.
“Just, I want you to know.”
“... Know what?”
Jeliel smiled softly. Her face no longer resembled the villainess once called a psychopath.
“I’ve committed countless sins I can never atone for, even if I spent my whole life repenting. I’m still repenting now. So… I don’t expect much from you. Just knowing that you understand my thoughts and feelings is enough. Truly. I’d be content to live my life with only that.”
How much meaning was behind those words? Even without trying to understand, accepting them wasn’t difficult.
“So, please don’t feel burdened.”
In response, he nodded, and Jeliel smiled as if satisfied.
Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t quite grasp her emotions. In fact, he couldn’t bring himself to.
Leaving Baek Yu-Seol behind, Jeliel quickly exited the dormitory and walked briskly through Astral Flower’s campus, almost straining her leg muscles.
She could sense the servants and Starcloud bodyguards hurrying after her, but she didn’t slow her pace.
Cold sweat trickled down her cheek, her heart pounded strongly against her chest, and her breath was uneven, leaving her dizzy and barely able to stay focused.
The words she had spoken to Baek Yu-Seol were, without a doubt, the truth. That’s what she had always believed.
‘Atonement.’
As a sinner, she would use her power and influence to live in atonement. She had resolved that she would not be greedy in the process.
But she wondered, ‘Is that truly an easy thing to do?’
It felt as if another voice within her was whispering. Jeliel had never once been denied something she wanted.
And yet… Being unable to have the one thing she wanted most left a deep sense of loss, piercing her heart.
“Ugh…!”
She clutched her chest, feeling a dull, aching sensation, but it wasn’t physical pain. She’d awakened to emotions so late that she was interpreting her negative feelings as pain.
‘… No. I’m fine.’
‘Am I really okay? Truly?’
Unable to control her ragged breaths, Jeliel covered her mouth with her hand.
Tap!
Footsteps echoed from behind. It was the bodyguard who had caught up already. She turned to send them away, but standing there wasn’t a servant or bodyguard.
It was Baek Yu-Seol.
“… What’s this? Are you hurt or something?”
Jeliel’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected sight of him following her.
“No… It’s just that I’m a bit tired.”
She quickly lowered the hand that had been covering her mouth, but not knowing what to do with it, she wrapped her arms around her own forearm and lowered her head.
It was embarrassing.
Showing her emotions, whether joy or sadness, was always humiliating for her.
Now that Baek Yu-Seol had caught her in this state, she felt more ashamed than ever.
“Why do you always say what you want and then leave?”
He looked at her with a troubled expression.
“Because I already know the answer.”
In terms of building relationships, Jeliel probably held the upper hand over Baek Yu-Seol by a few measures. She had lived her life engaging in countless conversations strategically and could predict the other person’s response through their expressions and personality. She had already run simulations in her head of what he might say in return.
“No. There’s one thing you don’t know.”
“… What’s that?”
“Do you know why I feel burdened by others’ emotions?”
She shook her head.
“Because I never know… When I’ll disappear.”
“What… Do you mean?”
The words struck fear into her heart.
Come to think of it, she recalled hearing that Baek Yu-Seol’s life was marked by something called ‘Mana Leakage Disorder,’ making him a person with a limited lifespan.
She had looked into it thoroughly, and after hearing him say “I’m fine” directly, she had assumed there was no need to worry anymore…
“Disappear? What are you talking about?!”
“Don’t… Shout…”
“… Sorry.”
After biting her lip for a moment, she cautiously continued. “Is it because of your condition?”
“No, that’s not it. Mana Leakage Disorder can’t kill me.”
Hearing him refer to the condition that no one had ever overcome in over a thousand years as ‘just that’ was oddly comforting, even amusing.
“So then, why do you say you’ll disappear?”
“That’s…”
Baek Yu-Seol hesitated but ultimately decided not to say more. Even mentioning the part he had already let slip, in an attempt to ease her feelings, was a mistake.
‘… It’s uncertain.’
From the first day he’d arrived in Aether World, he had wondered.
‘If the main episode ends, what happens to me?’
Whether it succeeded or failed.
Baek Yu-Seol was, after all, an outsider here.
And would he even be able to remain in this world after the episode concluded? If he could stay, was it possible for him to survive a final battle with the Black Dragon, Onyx Thirteenth Moon, and emerge unscathed?
These worries and fears constantly ate away at his heart, preventing him from forming any direct emotional bonds with anyone.
"I'm sorry. I can't say."
After a long hesitation, Baek Yu-Seol finally shook his head, and Jeliel seemed to understand and decided not to press further.
"It's okay. That's enough."
"Huh? Really? I…"
"It's enough."
He had come to apologize, but he hadn't managed to explain himself fully. Yet, Jeliel seemed satisfied with his answer and turned to hurry on her way again.
"Wait…"
He tried to reach out to her, but just then, a group of people rushed up from behind.
"Miss!"
"How many times have we told you it's dangerous to wander around alone!"
"The weather is cold! Please wear this coat!"
The attendants of the Starcloud Trading Company hurried toward Jeliel and worriedly followed her.
While Baek Yu-Seol had quickly caught up with her using his teleportation ability, these humans had sprinted the whole distance without a hint of exhaustion. They had impressive endurance.
"Miss, at this rate, you'll catch a cold…"
The elderly attendant draped a coat over Jeliel’s shoulders with a concerned expression.
Watching this, Baek Yu-Seol became aware of how her change had affected those around her.
As Jeliel moved from darkness to light, those near her began to genuinely care for and rely on her.
‘… That's enough.’
He liked every part of her transformation. Atonement. Jeliel still appeared to carry a heavy burden in her heart, but he firmly believed that the future she would build would easily overshadow the sins of her past, bringing more light to the world.
After seeing her off, Baek Yu-Seol walked alone through the streets of Astral Flower, feeling the chilly autumn breeze.
‘Winter is coming soon.’
It was a season that often brought on introspection, but he wasn’t the type to feel melancholic in autumn, so it didn’t really affect him. He walked, lost in thought, watching the falling leaves.
“Baek Yu-Seol…”
The voice was so beautiful it felt as if it could melt his heart instantly. It lingered in his ears.
“Yes, Lady Florin.”
Turning around with a smile, he used his usual, familiar tone instead of addressing her formally as ‘Your Majesty’. He found her gazing at him with a somber look with her veil removed.
Baek Yu-Seol’s smile quickly faded as he approached her.
“Is something wrong? Ah! Is it…?”
He was about to ask if it was because of Dusk Soil Moon’s awakening, ready to reassure her that there was no need to worry. But Florin spoke first.
“When you said you’d disappear… What did you mean?”
“… What?”
The shock hit him hard; he hadn’t realized she’d overheard.
“Please explain. I’m asking you, please.”
He tried to refuse just as he had with Jeliel. In Jeliel’s case, it was simply enough for her to know that Baek Yu-Seol had ‘some reason’; she didn’t push him to hear the exact reason.
But Florin was different.
As someone who desperately wished for Baek Yu-Seol not to disappear, she yearned to know the reason more than anything else in the world.
And that put him in a difficult position.
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