I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 450

Recently, a peculiar rumor had been circulating around Stella Academy. In truth, calling it peculiar was unnecessary, as most of the students firmly believed it to be true.

"Did you hear? Scarlett from the first year disappeared a few months ago."

"Of course. She was the most popular student in the first year. Who wouldn’t know that?"

"And you know Baek Yoosul-sunbae disappeared around the same time, right?"

"Naturally."

"Apparently, he didn’t just disappear. The principal supposedly gave him direct orders to lead the Stella Knights to go find Scarlett."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine works part-time at the Student Management Department. They were shredding documents and came across some files stamped with the principal’s seal."

The rumors went something like that.

Since there were more than a handful of students who claimed to have seen actual evidence, the story wasn’t dismissed as mere baseless gossip but was instead treated as near certainty.

It was late autumn, the weather turning colder, almost like winter. Given Scarlett’s recent return to the academy, the attention focused on her was only natural.

While Baek Yoosul was accustomed to being the center of attention whenever a new incident arose and chose to blatantly ignore it, Scarlett wasn’t as experienced.

“Is it true? You were kidnapped by the Black Mage Clan?”

“...What?”

“And then Baek Yoosul-sunbae suddenly appeared out of the sky on a white horse, slashed all the Black Mages’ throats, and carried you off like a princess...!”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“Then the Stella Knights lined up in ranks of hundreds behind him! That’s what I heard!”

...In short.

Rumors were always 1% truth mixed with 99% exaggeration.

It was true that Baek Yoosul had received the principal’s permission and was given the authority to command the Stella Knights.

However, Baek Yoosul hadn’t actually mobilized the Stella Knights at all.

While he could have utilized them on paper, he preferred working alone, as it allowed him to gather information more efficiently.

Also, Baek Yoosul didn’t ride white horses. Frankly, he could blink across distances faster than any horse could run.

‘Ugh... these ridiculous humans.’

During lunch, as students swarmed around her, bombarding her with questions, Scarlett couldn’t even swallow her food.

Perhaps it was because she had maintained a facade of being quiet and demure, so no one was aware of her true, sharp-tempered nature.

“But can you really handle it?”

Amidst the flood of questions, a freckled girl smirked as she asked mockingly.

“Handle what?”

“Oh, playing dumb, are you? Or are you just pretending to be innocent?”

“...?”

“Baek Yoosul-sunbae. I heard he was originally dating Princess Hong Biyeon.”

It was only then that Scarlett understood the girl’s intention, and her face twisted into an odd expression. Unsure of how to respond, her reaction came out awkwardly distorted.

Taking this as a sign that Scarlett was flustered, the girl pressed on even harder.

“So, you knew? Do you think you’ll be able to deal with the consequences? After all, you practically stole Princess Hong Biyeon’s lover.”

The girl emphasized the word "princess" more than "sunbae," as if to hammer home how terrifying Hong Biyeon was and to imply that Scarlett would pay for crossing such a person.

“Well, I mean...”

To be honest, Scarlett didn’t care at all who Baek Yoosul had been dating.

The Princess of Adolevit? Sure, the Adolevit royal family was impressive, and it was true that Hong Biyeon was destined for an extraordinary future, one where she might even rival Scarlett’s power.

But so what?

In fact, it was more exciting to have a rival than to have none at all.

Her long, monotonous life had been unbearably dull. Competing with a woman of equal standing to win over a man was thrilling just by the thought of it.

If, in the end, Scarlett managed to win Baek Yoosul, the euphoria would surely be unimaginably sweet.

It would be an unforgettable, exhilarating experience.

The girl’s attempt to intimidate her with notions of seniority or social rank was meaningless to Scarlett.

So she smiled nonchalantly and said:

“It’s fine. He’s mine anyway.”

“...What?”

Silence fell.

Not only the freckled girl but also Scarlett’s classmates and even upperclassmen who had come to observe were stunned into quiet.

Scarlett’s confident declaration was nothing short of a direct challenge to Princess Hong Biyeon.

“You... can you really handle the consequences?”

“What’s the big deal? Besides, do you even know what kind of person Princess Hong Biyeon is? From what I’ve heard, she’s kindhearted and broad-minded. She wouldn’t let personal emotions get in the way of trivial matters like this.”

Scarlett looked at the girl with a subtle smirk.

“Are you saying you think so poorly of Princess Hong Biyeon?”

When the students’ gazes shifted to the freckled girl, she stammered in panic.

“N-no! I didn’t mean that! I was just worried about you...”

“Then why use words like ‘consequences’ and ‘preparation’ if you’re so concerned? Princess Hong Biyeon hasn’t said a word to me about it. Are you claiming to be her spokesperson?”

“That’s...! Of course not...”

The girl had nothing left to say.

After all, a mere seventeen-year-old girl challenging Scarlett in an argument was a mistake in itself. How could she win in a battle of words against someone who had lived centuries longer?

“A-anyway, just be careful!”

“What nonsense.”

The girl ended up babbling incoherently before running off, leaving Scarlett to sigh deeply, overcome with a sudden wave of self-reproach.

‘What’s the point of arguing with someone like that?’

To transcend humanity, she needed to overcome these petty emotions. And yet, her mental age didn’t seem any different from those kids.

To put it kindly, she was youthful. To put it bluntly, she was immature.

‘And to think I even promised to lay low...’

Scarlett clenched and unclenched her fist as she picked up her spoon.

Her trembling hand struggled to even hold the weight of the utensil.

This body wasn’t a mere avatar. It was her true form.

When the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Witch Queen’s true body emerged into the world, many believed her power would now know no bounds. However, that was far from the truth.

In fact, controlling her magic was even harder than when she used her avatars.

Baek Yoosul had summarized the phenomenon simply, saying, “Looks like your mana’s gone numb.”

According to his theory, it was similar to how legs fall asleep after kneeling for too long, as blood circulation gets cut off.

Scarlett had lived for hundreds of years with her mana sealed. Now that the seal had suddenly been lifted, the overwhelming backlash had hit her like a storm.

While her strength would gradually recover, it would take considerable time before she could wield her former invincible power. In the meantime, if enemies found her and attacked, the situation could be catastrophic. That was why Baek Yoosul had strictly advised her to stay low.

After barely finishing her meal amid the endless questions and attention from students, Scarlett practically fled the dining hall.

Her next destination: the campus store.

During her time trapped, she had craved Stella’s famous cream bread, a specialty she hadn’t been able to enjoy for far too long.

The Stella Academy store had its own hierarchy, divided into two categories: one for commoners with affordable prices and another for nobles and wealthy students. Scarlett usually opted for the commoner store since the cream bread in the noble store wasn’t as tasty.

As Scarlett dodged the curious students trying to approach her and made her way to the store, she instinctively hid at the sight of something.

“Is that all you have to say after being gone for so long?”

“I mean, they told me off for neglecting club activities... I got an earful the moment I came back yesterday.”

It was Baek Yoosul, along with another girl.

"Eisel Morpheus..."

Another girl destined for greatness, much like Hong Biyeon.

For some reason, this generation had seen the birth of several young women with extraordinary fates, each capable of shaking the world to its core. Scarlett herself was one, and now all of them conveniently attended Stella Academy.

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“And?”

“Well, I thought we could grab dinner together after today.”

“Will Mayuseong be joining us? He’s got an eye for good restaurants.”

“Nope. Just the two of us.”

“...Why?”

Scarlett’s hearing, which used to be exceptionally sharp, was no longer as reliable. Since escaping her seal, her abilities had yet to fully recover, making it difficult even to use basic first-class magic.

Unable to catch the rest of their conversation, Scarlett frowned in frustration before startling herself.

‘Why am I acting like this?’

Why was she hiding just because the two of them were together? In the past, she would have simply walked by confidently or inserted herself into the conversation.

‘...I’m overthinking this.’

Scarlett tried to pull herself together but found her legs refusing to move.

That’s right.

Even after living for a thousand years, Scarlett was experiencing this peculiar emotion for the first time.

Unable to control her feelings, Scarlett became something lesser than a young girl—she became a fool, even more ordinary than the average human.

Only after Eisel and Baek Yoosul finished their conversation and walked off did Scarlett finally step out of hiding.

“Ugh... Life isn’t easy, is it? What a mystery,” she muttered.

“A kid talking about life? That’s rich,” a voice came from behind her.

Startled, Scarlett spun around. Even in her weakened state, this was unacceptable—someone had approached her from behind without her noticing.

It made sense now why Baek Yoosul had piled her with those astronomically expensive protective items the moment she returned to Stella. It wasn’t paranoia after all.

“You’re... Flame?”

“Call me Flame-sunbae, brat.”

“W-what brings you here?”

“Oh? I was spying on you.”

“...Do people consider openly staring to be spying these days?”

Following Baek Yoosul’s strict advice to always use formal speech with her seniors, Scarlett replied politely.

“What does it matter? You didn’t notice, so that’s a success, isn’t it?”

She had no counterargument. The Witch Queen, with her thousand years of experience, found herself at a loss for words.

Scarlett couldn’t help but feel a begrudging admiration for Flame.

“So, what exactly were you spying on Baek Yoosul for?” Flame teased, glancing back briefly.

Baek Yoosul and Eisel were already gone.

“There’s a reason for everything.”

“Hmm, seems like it. Recently, there’ve been tons of rumors about you and Baek Yoosul, so I was curious what’s going on.”

Flame shrugged, exhaling a sigh.

“But now that I see you, I’m kind of worried.”

“...Worried?”

“Yeah, you seem like you’re in a situation similar to ours. Oh, look at the time. Gotta run. Take care, old junior!”

“W-wait, what?”

Flame finished speaking and darted off before Scarlett could get another word in, leaving her wide-eyed in surprise.

“Similar situation? Wait... does she know I’m a witch?”

The only people at Stella who knew Scarlett’s true identity were Baek Yoosul and Professor Altman. And both of them weren’t the type to gossip.

That could only mean Flame had figured it out on her own.

‘Even in my weakened state, how is that possible...?’

Scarlett, unaware of the original work or any "romance fantasy" tropes, felt deeply unsettled.

Realizing belatedly that Flame was also one of those born with extraordinary destinies, Scarlett groaned and pressed her hand to her forehead.

She had known it wouldn’t be easy to win Baek Yoosul.

But now, with even more obstacles appearing, Scarlett couldn’t help but worry about what the future held.