Magic Academy's Genius Blinker Chapter 538: Green Core (3)

Hui-Ryeon’s scheme met with utter defeat.

Yet, the Dark Mage King lay severely wounded, making it improbable for him to exert his former dominance.

Hui-Ryeon was bound to seize this chance and bend the dark mage forces to his will.

The Dark Mage King refused to idly watch such a turn of events.

"My sons."

"Yes, Father!"

Upon his call, his seven sons swiftly gathered before the throne, dropping to their knees in reverence. Certain ones towered twice the Dark Mage King’s size, whereas others matched the stature of ordinary humans. Their shared trait, though, was their human-like appearance devoid of horns.

These offspring indeed sprang from unions between humans and dark mages, boasting a more potent dark mage heritage.

Such exceptional entities could harness abilities from both human and dark mage lineages.

"The moment you’ve all awaited has arrived."

The moment of their long anticipation.

Those words prompted all seven sons to lift their gazes eagerly. Although Ma Yu-Seong served as the practical heir apparent, should he decline the role, the legitimate successor would emerge via the Battle of Blood and Magic.

The Dark Mage King, ever indulgent toward Ma Yu-Seong, had never envisioned this day. Nevertheless, his imprudent youngest son had tenaciously spurned the throne until the last.

"At last, the time arrives..."

"We won’t let you down, Father!"

The youngest’s actions held no significance anymore.

Ascending as the sovereign of every dark mage allowed one to remake the dark mages’ laws freely, clash with myriad mighty foes worldwide, and amass greater power.

Dark Mages surpassed humans in might.

Reigning supreme among dark mages equated to ruling the world’s apex.

With their sire debilitated and Ma Yu-Seong rejecting the crown, this presented the ideal moment to seize the supreme authority.

"But..."

The Dark Mage King pressed on, speaking to his elated progeny.

"At present, all know of my diminished strength. Thus, should one of you claim the throne via the Battle of Blood and Magic, skepticism will linger over your legitimacy as heir."

The sons grasped this truth too. Overwhelmed by the prospect ahead, they hadn’t pondered it thoroughly.

"Therefore, you must demonstrate your worth. Venture forth and battle. Rip the throats from any dark mage doubting your bloodline and display them publicly. Persist until all accept you. Until they comprehend your kingship stems from raw power alone."

These commands saw the sons prostrate themselves together, inclining their heads profoundly to the Dark Mage King.

Though less cherished than Ma Yu-Seong, they bore the Dark Mage King’s lineage as well.

Unlike the still-maturing Ma Yu-Seong, most had fully developed or neared flawless completion.

Every one possessed might rivaling risk level 8 or 9 and led personal legions. Their emergence would ignite the dark mage realm into chaos.

With a mere nod dispatching his seven sons into the world, the Dark Mage King leaned his arm upon the throne.

His chest wound persisted unhealed. Since clashing with Elthman Elwin—his old master—fifty years prior, he couldn’t unleash his full prowess, prolonging even this gash unusually.

Deep inside, he realized... prior to recovery, fate would drag him into fresh combat, spelling his doom.

Aware of this inevitability, the Dark Mage King emitted a bitter chuckle.

He had unleashed his seven sons to subjugate the dark mages and their domain.

Yet, to what end?

Success or defeat for his sons proved irrelevant. World conquest itself would ring hollow in the end.

It amounted to mere control of dark mage society.

The Dark Mage King yearned for a singular, harmonious world.

A realm free from prejudice and torment... an ideal domain governed by one supreme entity.

Yet he could never embody that supreme entity.

Life’s innate bounds barred it. But Ma Yu-Seong...

His youngest alone might shatter those bounds to emerge as the supreme force melding the world as one.

Had Ma Yu-Seong only embraced the throne, the Dark Mage King’s visions would have materialized, granting him serene repose.

"What a pity. Such a profound pity."

...From the shadows, the Dark Knight, who had watched in silence, slipped away from the black fortress as the Dark Mage King succumbed to slumber.

Fist tightened, the Dark Knight mulled over Baek Yu-Seol’s name—the defiler of dark mages’ honor, the tempter who lured the Dark Mage King’s youngest son from the path.

The Dark Knight found the present circumstances intolerable.

The sight of the Dark Mage King—his sworn sovereign—fading in strength and power was unbearable to him.

He also couldn't abide the destruction of the lifelong scheme the Dark Mage King had meticulously crafted, all shattered by one mere human.

This fury had likely already eroded the Dark Knight's reason somewhat.

Though slaying Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't restore a thing, the Dark Knight's mind was overwhelmed by corrupting dark energy, clouding his judgment entirely.

A precarious brink, right before total loss of reason.

For any dark mage, this verge represented utmost peril.

Even the Dark Knight, a dark mage of iron discipline who had clung to sanity for ages, now failed to contain his boiling wrath.

***

One month slipped by.

The arrival of the season's inaugural snow.

Dressed in his winter coat, Baek Yu-Seol made his way to the training grounds for routine physical training.

Lately, his days had unfolded in relative tranquility.

Frequent sessions with Scarlet to steady her psyche and aid in recovering her powers had turned into a key duty for Baek Yu-Seol.

Consequently, his everyday schedule felt far more leisurely.

Curiously, he bumped into Flame far more than before. Oddly enough, the vacant spot was invariably beside hers, or he'd unwittingly enter the ladies' restroom to spot her alone at the sink.

And there was that one instance when he erred into the incorrect changing room, discovering her in the midst of changing...

He had no clue why these blunders kept occurring, yet they were all authentic slip-ups. Whenever he stumbled into the forbidden area by mishap, Flame was invariably present.

With these meetings piling up, a peculiar tension brewed between the two.

Without fully grasping why, their paths crossed repeatedly in vulnerable instants, such as during showers or wardrobe swaps. This resulted in an unusually vast array of personal secrets exchanged between them.

Among youths, such profound shared intimacies would typically ignite romantic sparks. Yet, Flame and Baek Yu-Seol possessed minds seasoned well beyond their age, preventing any deep bonds from forming so far.

Click!

Baek Yu-Seol swung open the training grounds' door without a second thought and stepped inside, coming upon Flame yet again. His eyes bulged in astonishment.

Yet this encounter carried a distinct twist.

Having come ahead, Flame knelt silently in the dim, deserted training area, her hands gripped firmly as she gazed through the window.

It appeared she was deep in prayer.

Trailing her, wings softly undulated, utterly unlike any Baek Yu-Seol had witnessed prior.

Before, they evoked pristine angelic plumage. This time, they resembled a shimmering aurora, brilliant light weaving into wing-like forms.

Baek Yu-Seol settled unobtrusively in a corner, patiently awaiting the close of her prayer.

Half an hour elapsed, followed by a full hour.

With sunset descending, Flame at last concluded her prayer, lifting her eyes straight into Baek Yu-Seol’s stare. Shock painted her face in alarm.

"I didn’t sense anything this time..."

"Sense what?"

"Oh, uh, nothing! Nothing at all."

Awkwardly clearing her throat, she unbound her hair. It had lengthened considerably, tumbling beyond her neck to brush her shoulder blades.

"What are you doing here? Spying on me or something?"

"What? I wasn’t spying. I even coughed and made noise so you’d notice."

"...You did?"

"I just came here to work out, but you seemed really focused, so I didn’t want to interrupt."

Embarrassment colored Flame's cheeks as she fidgeted with a lock of her hair.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For letting me think quietly by myself."

"Were you praying?"

"If you call it prayer, then I guess it could be, but... I’m not sure. It felt more like I was talking to my inner self. Maybe you’d understand?"

He didn’t.

Had the game's Flame ever displayed such powers?

"Not that I recall. This is the first time I’ve seen it."

Baek Yu-Seol's candid reply made Flame's eyes flare wide in astonishment. Her stunned visage even caught him off guard.

"What’s with that look?"

"Oh, uh... nothing. It’s just... you’ve met countless versions of me from other worlds, haven’t you? So I thought you knew everything about me."

Flame from another world?

Such encounters were virtually nonexistent for him. Truthfully, the Flame before him stood as the sole one he'd likely ever know, forever fresh and singular to his eyes.

Strangely, Flame appeared delighted, seemingly under some misconception.

"That’s a relief. I thought you knew everything about me, but I’m glad I could show you a new side of me that you didn’t know."

"How is that a relief?"

"Well, now even if you travel to another world, you can remember this version of me, the one with these unique traits."

"...I’m never going to another world. Ever."

"Hmm~ And you think that’s entirely up to you?"

Flame was aware that Baek Yu-Seol kept looping back to the past each time he died. Nothing else could explain enduring thousands of regressions.

A regular person would've surrendered midway.

At least, that's what she figured.

"Of course it’s up to me."

"...What?"

A tangled look crossed Baek Yu-Seol's face as he replied.

"It’s up to me. If this world is destroyed, I’ll die here too. There’s no ’other world’ for me. I’m putting everything I have into this one."

His shocking declaration left Flame gazing at him, her face stuck in stunned bewilderment for ages.

"How many times... have you said something like that before?"

"Never. This is the first time."

"I-I see..."

Flame shifted her eyes from his stare, casting them downward a touch. Then, in a whisper tinier than an ant's crawl, she murmured:

"...Sorry."

"There’s no need to apologize. If you really feel bad about it, just buy some bread on your way out."

"Bread..."

Bread, of all things he could've mentioned? Flame stood there briefly baffled, but it soon washed her with relief.

A faint giggle slipped out unwittingly. She saw right through it as Baek Yu-Seol's attempt to calm her down.

No deception laced his words.

Baek Yu-Seol could've spun countless comforting lines if he aimed to ease someone's heart. Skipping any fibs showed his true feelings plainly.

Baek Yu-Seol's ultimate odyssey.

Crossing endless timelines, this one stood as his finale.

Just being in the same world as him already overflowed her with bliss.

But...

Flame lifted her chin once more. Her signature vibrant grin lit up as she chirped brightly.

"Alright, fine. I’ll buy the entire bakery for you. But you have to eat it all right where you’re sitting."

"No, that’s a bit—"

"Let’s go!"

Bursting with vigor, she yelled and yanked his wrist to haul him off.

Right then, all of a sudden—

Whoosh!

Dazzling golden wings erupted behind Flame.

Not the typical one pair, but two full sets.

"Wh-what?!"

The wings yanked her skyward before she could even grasp the chaos. Flame thrashed her limbs in frenzy, desperate for balance.

"What’s going on?!"

Her commands fell on deaf wings. No matter her struggles to command them, they shoved her higher and higher, denying her any footing on solid earth.

Nothing like this had ever occurred.

It was like... the wings plotted to snatch her away.

That dire notion drained all color from Flame's face. In that instant, Baek Yu-Seol softly seized her wrist.

"Ah..."

His touch froze her body in place.

With Baek Yu-Seol's might anchoring her, the wings lost their pull.

"Take it slow."

"S-Slow? What do you mean?"

"You’ve always had wings, haven’t you?"

"That was... just thanks to the angels’ help. They weren’t my wings."

"Well, now pretend they are. Try moving them like you would your arms and legs."

"That’s easier said than—Ahhh?!"

Baek Yu-Seol released her wrist out of nowhere before her sentence ended.

Shockingly, the wings quit their reckless climb. She floated calm and steady, like his hold lingered.

"Huh? What? It’s... actually working?"

"Wow... this feels like teaching someone how to ride a bike."

Baek Yu-Seol chuckled as Flame gingerly tested her wing control, then stretched out to clasp her hand anew.

"Alright, that’s enough. Come down now. Those filthy beings can’t take you away."

"Those filthy beings...?"

"The angels."

"Ah..."

Her feet met the ground gently, though Baek Yu-Seol held fast to her hand.

"This is more trouble than I thought."

"What is?"

"The wings won’t disappear. Even after all this resistance."

"Y-Yeah, you’re right..."

"They must really want to take you. Can you handle this on your own?"

Flame shook her head hard at his words, fully aware she couldn't tackle it solo.

"Well, I guess there’s no choice. I’ll hold onto you for the time being. You’re not against that, are you?"

"You can’t just keep holding on forever, though..."

"Yeah, true. There’s... uh... privacy and all that to think about..."

"So, for now."

For now. Just for now.

Yet that sufficed to thrill Flame completely.