Magic Academy's Genius Blinker Chapter 540: Green Core (5)

Weekend Afternoon.

While most cadets at Stella Academy spent their weekends immersed in studies, Eisel had remained extremely occupied in recent times.

Her mission consisted of nothing else but revealing the truth via meetings with Adolevit nobles or their connections.

On this day, Eisel had made a deliberate journey to Karban, the satellite city of Arcanium, and now stood in a seldom-visited park with her face and hair hidden. A tense woman faced her.

"Are you Lady Hayril?"

"Yes, that’s right..."

Legs crossed, Eisel engaged her sharp intellect and rapidly evaluated the woman standing there.

Upon Hayril's removal, Kairent served as head of the Magic Development Department—a nobleman with a tight link to her father Isaac Morph's death.

"I learned from my daughter at Stella... that you’re exposing the truth and guaranteeing fitting punishment for everyone responsible..."

That much was accurate.

Eisel had first zeroed in on the Adolevit cadets studying at Stella Academy. She confronted them, blending coaxing with implicit warnings, successfully luring their parents into her scheme.

Only Eisel Morph possessed the capability to orchestrate this. She would discreetly summon them one day and declare.

"Your parents are entangled in grave offenses. Yet, I believe there’s additional context, and should you inform them of my words, they will comprehend."

What choice did they have except to obey? All ten relayed her message to their parents without fail. Among them, roughly three agreed to meet Eisel, exactly as this woman had today.

"Naturally, all will face punishment."

"But..."

"Concerned about secrecy? No need. I’ve already met numerous nobles and gathered proof under anonymity."

"Ah, evidence. I possess some too. Here, accept this."

From within her coat, Lady Hayril withdrew an object akin to worn fabric.

Eisel identified it without delay.

She had never encountered it personally, yet her research revealed it as a magical relic designed for covertly capturing historical events.

"Is this a Memory Shutter?"

"You’re familiar with it."

"It’s a tool reserved solely for select Adolevit nobles."

Astonished by Eisel’s vast expertise, Lady Hayril developed even greater faith in her.

"Let me see it."

Eisel grasped the Memory Shutter and creased her brow.

For an instant, she wavered, averse to exposing her unfamiliarity, but Hayril swiftly clarified without requiring pretense.

"Oh, yes. I neglected to share the password."

Hayril then recited a rune-scripted incantation, which Eisel echoed verbally.

Without pause, the recollections poured into Eisel’s consciousness.

The Memory Shutter’s enchantment enabled viewing bygone incidents from the recorder’s sight. Despite being her initial encounter with it, Eisel adeptly absorbed the arriving visions.

The captured recollection showed three middle-aged men gathered in a shadowy chamber, murmuring softly. It stemmed from Lady Hayril’s own viewpoint.

’Her Majesty has no plans to publicize the princess’s setback.’

The princess’s setback.

Dating back a decade, this couldn’t concern Hong Bi-Yeon; it pertained to Hong Si-Hwa Adolevit.

’...What course should we take? We might sway public sentiment without drastic steps, but eventually, the facts will surface.’

’A botched concealment would prove more damaging than inaction. Her Majesty wouldn’t command such folly.’

’So what’s our move?’

’Isaac Morph. Utilize him.’

Count Kairent’s suggestion within the vision startled the other men, their eyes bulging. Even Lady Hayril appeared profoundly shaken, the viewpoint quivering.

’Yet didn’t he forfeit his life shielding Princess Hong Si-Hwa and halting that abomination?’

’Is that the common perception?’

’Not quite. People think Princess Hong Si-Hwa vanquished it alone.’

’That’s the very angle to leverage. Isaac Morph is deceased. The dead tell no tales. Who would fault us for portraying him as the villain?’

The men bowed their heads in muted consent.

From Lady Hayril’s angle, the scene dropped to her lap as she fixed her gaze there. Her fingers gripped and shredded her dress’s material, overwhelmed by the exchange.

’The Morph lineage still holds an heir.’

’What threat from a mere seven-year-old? The child wouldn’t grasp his father’s demise or the traitor label.’

’That boy carries the Blessing of Ice. Is it truly safe to advance?’

’Ha. The Blessing of Ice? And? If it holds value, Adolevit boasts a princess bearing the Blessing of Fire.’

That remark was a clear taunt directed at the seven-year-old Hong Bi-Yeon. Back then, her standing in the kingdom hung by a thread.

’From now on, follow my instructions to the letter. Do you get it, Hayril? Disobey once more, and you’ll be forced to step down right away. Oh right, you said you have a daughter? She’s seven years old this year, correct? How will you support her without employment?’

The barely concealed menace prompted Hayril to nod, eyes quivering, as the flashback concluded.

Eisel opened her eyes steadily and turned to Lady Hayril.

"I... I didn’t do anything. Ultimately, I refused to obey their commands..."

"I know. That’s precisely why you sought me out. Sharing this truth with me is already plenty. Anything more you wish to reveal?"

Lady Hayril shook her head.

"There’s a restriction spell on me..."

"As expected."

Adolevit, terrified of any secrets spilling out, cast restrictions on everyone aware of even the tiniest piece of truth, even when Lady Hayril held so little knowledge herself.

"Regardless, thank you. Such proof will prove invaluable later on."

"Then... I’ll excuse myself now..."

Right as Lady Hayril prepared to slip away silently, Eisel detected a subtle rustle from the bushes nearby. She sprang up instantly and brandished her staff.

Crack! Crash!

Suddenly, ice erupted from under Eisel’s feet, creating five or six jagged icicles that pierced toward the source of the noise.

"Ugh!"

A man in a suit topped with a bowler hat leaped from the bushes, scrambling back swiftly. A shimmering magic circle enveloped him—he’d triggered a shield at the last second to deflect the icicles.

"You’re quite perceptive, young lady."

The man straightened his bowler hat and dabbed the sweat off his forehead.

She unleashed a Class 4 spell in the blink of an eye. Far surpassing expectations for an eighteen-year-old.

But beyond that—

What if what she detected was merely a bystander or some creature?

Her daring, pinpoint decision paired with her astonishing spellcasting prowess made the man grow uneasy.

"Who are you?"

Eisel pointed her staff at him, demanding coolly yet resolutely. The man drew a staff from inside his coat.

"See me as an agent from a secrecy organization. Isn’t my purpose here plain?"

With a smirk, the man replied, and Eisel nodded as though anticipating exactly that.

"Your reply doesn’t matter. You’ll perish right here."

"How ruthless."

"Did the Queen dispatch you? Speak truthfully, and I’ll ensure your end hurts less."

"And if I don’t?"

Then, Eisel gradually lifted her hand to remove the mask hiding her face. She drew back her hood, letting her hair cascade free.

Amid the chilly autumn wind, her blue locks danced, radiating a frosty, threatening vibe.

The sun had dipped completely below the horizon by now, bathing the pair in the dim streetlamp glow—the sole light piercing the dusk.

Bathed in that weak streetlight, Eisel flashed a bone-chilling grin.

"If your words ring false... you’ll taste real cold. Curious just how much chill a body can withstand?"

"...That sounds unpleasant."

The man grumbled while quietly starting his incantation.

A clash here offered zero benefits.

Within Adolevit, the man occupied a notable role, and getting snapped by reporters in this mess could sway public favor against him.

Without her slip-up, he might have lawfully detained Hayril and Eisel on-site for divulging national secrets.

"Ha, this isn’t under the Queen’s directive. Evidently, she’s done concealing the events of that day."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. She appears prepared for deposition. I’d rather she fought to keep her throne longer, but she must be weary of queenship."

Eisel cocked her head faintly, scrutinizing the man’s face intently.

From tales shared by others like him, Eisel surmised it rang true enough.

Naturally, even if the Queen chose no longer to bury the past, absolution wouldn’t follow.

Her failure to confess voluntarily already condemned her; merely opting to unveil it wouldn’t erase accountability.

"I see. That suffices as a response. Now, perish."

"That won’t happen!"

The man slammed his foot down hard.

Earth-element magic, Sandstorm.

A twisting brown magic circle burst forth, hurling sand and rubble skyward to blanket the surroundings.

Yet as he tried to escape, the terrain underfoot turned slick abruptly, throwing off his footing.

"W-what is this?!"

Whoosh...!!!

In that instant, a chilling gale swept across, hurling dust and sand high into the air before shattering it into pieces.

"What...?"

A Class 5 spell designed to block vision was dispelled with such ease.

And then—

"What is this...?"

The whole area transformed into a frozen wasteland. A deadly snare of slippery ice, where even a single slip could mean getting pierced by the jagged icicles thrusting up from the ground.

Had the man slipped and fallen moments ago when he lost balance, he would have been instantly skewered to death.

Standing there drenched in cold sweat, staring dazed at the ice, he felt Eisel drawing near from behind.

"It would have been easier for you if you’d just left. What a shame."

"...Ugh!"

Eisel’s face had turned utterly frigid. Knowing his ties to that fateful day’s events, she felt no urge to spare him.

"You rotten little brat!"

Seeing he couldn’t be brushed off anymore, the man lashed out with his staff. But every spell he unleashed got blocked or smashed apart by Eisel’s icicles.

Even more bruising to his ego, Eisel hadn’t shifted a single foot.

Her ice magic, invoked silently and without effort, utterly crushed every desperate spell he hurled with full power.

It was total domination.

Flight was impossible.

Once this sank in, resignation—not despair or terror—greeted the man.

"In your next life, try living a little more honestly."

With that, Eisel flicked her staff with casual grace.

Crack!

Dozens of icicles shot upward, erupting into crimson blooms soaked in blood.

She lowered her staff, then rummaged through the man’s possessions, snatching his identification card and any evidence in sight.

Then, something strange caught her notice.

A faint black tinge colored the blood spilling from the man’s body.

Not fully black yet, but undeniable. It was dark mage blood.

Eisel gave a wry, bitter laugh.

She’d long known dark mages had infiltrated Stella, burrowing into all corners of society.

But Adolevit nobles falling to corruption as well?

Hong Bi-Yeon’s path to the throne would bring a flood of crises to handle.

With such thoughts, Eisel snapped her fingers.

Shockingly, the man’s corpse and every blood trace vaporized entirely, vanishing without a hint.

Nothing remained of the clash but the upended flowerbed and ruined bench. The site gleamed spotlessly clean.

Revenge alone had fueled her existence.

Yet dark mages entangled in it now? Unease gripped her, thoughts coiling into a messy web.

Eisel gazed blankly at where the body had lain, then turned slowly and departed.

Today had drained her completely.