Magic Academy's Genius Blinker Chapter 523: The Story of the Blood Witch (7)

The day had been nothing short of total mayhem.

Baek Yu-Seol felt utterly depleted in both stamina and mental sharpness. Somehow, he'd become deeply involved with beastmen, a witch hunter, and the Kajilisk... that fearsome high-ranking monster.

Blue blood trickled from the light sword protruding from his Teripon Sword. His Sentient Spec alerted him that the fluid carried a lethal poison, yet Baek Yu-Seol barely gave it a thought.

"Um... excuse me..."

A voice sounded from close by. He turned to see the beastman chief—who'd been arrogantly yelling at him earlier—now shaking visibly, eyes filled with terror.

"Thank you... truly, thank you for saving us..."

He hadn't been after their thanks. Right from the start, Baek Yu-Seol's actions lacked any particular motive.

He simply possessed the power to rescue them.

That fact alone made hesitation unthinkable.

Saying nothing, he silently watched the beastmen.

Even after their salvation, unease rippled through their ranks.

And rightfully so... for the witch they'd attempted to murder was actually the one who'd sealed the Kajilisk—their nightmarish foe—for almost 50 years.

Swallowing the reality that they'd hated and cursed their protector for half a century, all while she banished them from the forest to shield them, proved overwhelmingly hard.

Worse still, they'd just showered their benefactor with vile words and mistreatment. And now, they'd been saved yet again by someone linked to that same witch.

How could they ever repay such mercy? How might they make amends for the wrongs inflicted on the witch?

Baek Yu-Seol remained indifferent to all that. He retracted the magic swords of his Teripon and turned toward Syclen.

True to form, despite the mansion engulfed in blazing inferno, the witch emerged unscathed, not a mark marring her skin.

As he drew near, Syclen eyed him with intrigued curiosity.

"Interesting. You feel quite different from other mages. Are you really a mage?"

"I just pretend to be one."

"Pretend?"

Baek Yu-Seol nodded.

"I don’t really consider myself a mage anymore."

"Then what are you?"

Drawing on the title Ha Taeryeong had once given him, he replied.

"A swordsman. I think that’s a more fitting title for me now."

"A swordsman, huh... Definitely unusual in this age of grand magic."

"Was there ever a time when swordsmen weren’t unusual?"

"Haha, fair point. There’s never been a time when the era of mages wasn’t dominant."

Syclen let out a light chuckle, then cast a look at the distant beastmen, who fidgeted nervously while stealing uneasy peeks in her direction. They clearly yearned to speak with her, but she averted her gaze without pause.

"What are you waiting for? My house is burned down anyway. For now, I’ll stick with you. You said you’re looking for a witch, right? As a witch hunter, I’ve still got some skills that might be useful."

"Thank you. But..."

Baek Yu-Seol paused, evidently still troubled by the beastmen's situation.

"Are you sure you don’t want to talk to them?"

"I’m fine. The problem is they’re not fine with it. Disappearing without giving them the chance to apologize is the greatest punishment I can impose on them."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Apologizing lightens the burden on one’s heart. Now they’ll have to carry the guilt of what they did to me for the rest of their lives. It’ll be an excruciating weight."

For emotional beings, guilt served as the most severe penalty imaginable. In time, it could dull and slip away, lessening its load. Yet the awareness of their profound betrayal against their savior would forever scar their hearts and souls.

In a sense, it felt like an oddly merciful judgment from a witch hunter.

"...Fair enough. Let’s leave right away."

Baek Yu-Seol was pressed for time too, so he swiftly packed up, and they set off.

Behind them, the beastmen gazed longingly after the departed Syclen, faces twisted in agony.

***

Inside the carriage, Syclen absorbed Baek Yu-Seol’s tale. Abruptly, she spewed out her drink in stunned disbelief.

Panallet, seated opposite, got splashed but stayed silent amid the grave tension.

"So, the witch you’re looking for is none other than..."

"Yes. The Witch Queen, Scarlet."

"What a lunatic. I’ve met someone even crazier than I expected," Syclen grumbled, raking her fingers through her messy hair.

"Of all people, you’re searching for the Witch Queen...?"

"Is the Witch Queen particularly hard to find?"

"Sigh. It’s not even about her being hard to find. Witches who’ve climbed to a high level of power can instantly detect when they’re being tracked. That’s why witch hunters can’t get close to a heavyweight like the Witch Queen. The second they try tracking her, they wind up dead."

"Oh... I get it now."

Though it spelled danger for any witch hunter, Baek Yu-Seol viewed the revelation as welcome news.

"So, you mean a witch senses it the instant a witch hunter starts tracking them?"

Baek Yu-Seol inquired, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, and Syclen nodded with a hesitant, troubled look.

"Yes, exactly. Why do you ask?"

"Do you recall when the most recent witch hunter tried tracking the Witch Queen?"

"I don’t know all the details on witch hunters, but I believe it was 500 years ago. The top witch hunter back then attempted to track the Witch Queen and got slain. Since then, nobody has dared to pursue her."

"In that case..." Baek Yu-Seol swallowed hard.

"If a witch hunter abruptly began tracking the Witch Queen right now, out of the blue..."

"If that occurred?"

"It’d be a shocking surprise for the Witch Queen, right?"

"Well, sure... She’d probably wonder, ’What’s wrong with these fools?’"

"Precisely!"

"What?"

"I have no idea how or why it functions that way, but could you begin tracking her right away?"

Syclen appeared mildly stunned by Baek Yu-Seol’s sudden intense and enthusiastic demeanor.

"It’s possible... but what’s the reason?"

"It’s complicated. Just say if it can be done."

"Not at this moment. I need to conduct a ritual once we get to the closest village."

"Outstanding!" Baek Yu-Seol pumped his fist with resolve.

Baek Yu-Seol’s thrill stemmed from a straightforward motive.

Over the last 500 years, no witch hunter had tried pursuing Scarlet. Yet now, with Scarlet stripped of her avatar and sealed away, one suddenly chose to track her?

Scarlet would almost certainly detect right away that Baek Yu-Seol was searching for her.

Essentially, it served as a beacon signaling to Scarlet, whose whereabouts and very being remained a mystery.

No assurance existed that Scarlet would reply to such a signal. It could prove utterly futile.

Yet for Baek Yu-Seol, merely dispatching that message to her filled him with profound delight.

Syclen and Panallet found this conduct odd, despite their brief acquaintance with Baek Yu-Seol.

He typically wore an impassive mask, seldom showing feelings. Witnessing such genuine elation from him felt fresh and unusual.

"So the Witch Queen truly meant something special to you, didn’t she?"

"Why would I fabricate that in front of witches and witch hunters?"

Panallet, with a faintly worried expression, chimed in.

"...By the way, you. How did you figure out I’m a witch? Regular mages can’t tell us apart."

It seemed like a small worry for her. If her witch identity could be spotted so readily by someone like him, who knew when another mage might uncover it.

"I guess I picked up that skill naturally from years around witches. Also, my unique physique sets me apart from typical mages."

"I understand... That explains it. Sigh."

As their casual talk continued, the carriage bearing the trio pulled into a nearby countryside village.

The locals barely glanced at Baek Yu-Seol and his group. Their outfits weren’t flashy or attention-grabbing, resembling ordinary travelers just passing by. Nobody bothered with their presence.

Syclen roamed the village until she located a deserted, vacant house. Inside, she swiftly cleaned it up. To Baek Yu-Seol’s astonishment, she even fitted a fluorescent lamp on the ceiling.

"I figured rituals happen in dim, filthy spots."

"What rubbish. Even witch rituals require flames. Occasionally, to concentrate on that flame, other lights get turned off, but that’s for feeble, low-rank witches. Proper rituals demand spotless, orderly areas. Filth hinders the transmission of pure intentions."

"Makes sense... A single flaw in a magic circle can make it fail."

With chalk, Syclen sketched a specialized witch hunter magic circle on the floor. Baek Yu-Seol anticipated something theatrical like blood or crimson mana potions, so plain chalk left him a bit let down.

He kept his disappointment to himself, though.

As an elite witch hunter, Syclen naturally employed techniques unlike those of others.

Baek Yu-Seol squinted his eyes, intently watching the tracking magic circle as it formed.

This magic circle was an entirely unfamiliar kind, different from any magic he'd seen up to now.

Under normal circumstances, it should baffle him completely... even utilizing his Sentient Spec.

Nevertheless, peculiarly, without equipping the spec, an insistent intuition told him he could decipher the magic circle.

Overcome by his unease, he suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, isn’t there an extra dot in the rune at the one o’clock position?"

"Oh, you’re right. I must’ve spilled some chalk dust there by mistake."

Thud.

Baek Yu-Seol stiffened.

Syclen stiffened.

Panallet, who had been silently observing nearby, also stiffened.

Sudden heavy silence wrapped around the three of them.

Syclen lifted her head gradually, piercing the quiet.

"You... Do you know witch hunter magic?"

Baek Yu-Seol remained unable to reply.

Witch hunter magic?

No chance he knew about that.

In truth, standard magic eluded his full grasp. Devoid of his Sentient Spec, Baek Yu-Seol was nothing more than a plain individual.

Gazing vacantly at his hand, he denied with a head shake.

"No... I’ve never learned anything like that. It just feels like... somehow, I’ve learned it before."

"I see... You did say you were with the Witch Queen as a child. Maybe she taught you some basic knowledge to counter witch hunters."

Yet that explanation fell short.

Baek Yu-Seol's time with Witch Queen Scarlet hadn't spanned a complete year.

No moment had ever presented itself for her to instruct him on witch hunter magic.

Events of this nature had arisen before. Steadily, Baek Yu-Seol encountered these eerie occurrences, gaining access to Sentient Spec features without needing to wear it.

More disturbingly, bits of knowledge were embedding into his thoughts, as though they'd resided there eternally.

"Alright, let’s begin."

Ere deeper reflection, Syclen donned a spotless white ritual gown, announcing the ceremony's launch. Baek Yu-Seol hastily sharpened his focus.

This juncture proved pivotal.

Baek Yu-Seol had ardently awaited this occasion.

Prior to her vanishing, Scarlet imparted a parting message to him:

Likely, while delivering it, Scarlet held scant hope of anyone heeding her summons.

Across a millennium, zero souls had pursued her.

Scarlet may have dreaded that post-departure, Baek Yu-Seol would one day erase her from memory and forge ahead.

From her secluded spot, outside world updates would evade her ears.

Therefore, after interminable wait... Baek Yu-Seol could at last answer Scarlet’s message.

To alleviate her dread.

To banish her isolation's loneliness.

Should a lone message reach her...

That would amply satisfy.