Magic Academy's Genius Blinker-Chapter 435: Freshman (8)

While pretending to run away from Scarlet, Baek Yu-Seol arrived at another entrance to the dungeon he had discovered earlier.

Though he had no intention of venturing inside, he kept it in mind as a backup escape route should the conversation take an unfortunate turn.

After all, even though Scarlet had assisted him before, her status as the Witch Queen left her true intentions shrouded in ambiguity... whether she was an ally or a foe remained uncertain.

Having an escape plan was simply prudent.

"Haah, haah! Finally, you stopped!"

Scarlet arrived behind him, pretending to be out of breath despite clearly not being tired at all.

Baek Yu-Seol wasn't fooled.

If she had wanted to, Scarlet could have easily caught him without breaking a sweat.

It was clear she was holding back, perhaps as a show of respect for his boundaries.

Recognizing this, Baek Yu-Seol felt his guard lower slightly.

"So what exactly do you want? Why are you following me?"

"Can't I just want to see you?"

Baek Yu-Seol eyed her, perplexed by her response.

"Why would you want to see me?"

"Because you're special to me."

"I'm aware I'm special, but..."

"This brat! Don't you know how to be humble?!"

Scarlet reached out to flick his forehead, but Baek Yu-Seol effortlessly sidestepped her attempt with a fluid, ghost-like movement.

"Oh? Dodging now, are we?"

"Just get to the point already."

"Ugh. So boring."

Scarlet pouted, her exaggerated dramatics fading into an expression of genuine disappointment.

Yet Baek Yu-Seol remained unmoved.

Seeing that he wasn't going to budge, Scarlet let out a sigh and began fumbling through her dress.

Clad entirely in white, it wasn't clear where her pockets might be, but Baek Yu-Seol suspected spatial magic was involved.

"Here, take this."

She handed him what looked like a plain wooden talisman. A small carved object with no markings or visible magical energy.

Even Baek Yu-Seol's Sentient Spec failed to identify it.

"What is this?"

"Think of it as a protective charm. Just keep it with you—it'll be useful someday."

Given that Scarlet had helped him greatly before, Baek Yu-Seol hesitated briefly but ultimately accepted it, still eyeing it with suspicion.

"This will make a great coaster for ramen bowls."

"It's not for that! Do you even realize how hard it was to make?!"

"You made this yourself?"

"Huh? Oh—yeah, that's right! You should be more grateful!"

Baek Yu-Seol eyed the wooden talisman with newfound curiosity.

At a glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary piece of carved wood. But if it was something crafted by the Witch Queen herself, the implications were entirely different.

Items crafted by witches, especially those skilled in curses and spells, often carried unique powers, and something made by the Witch Queen was bound to be exceptional.

"Why are you giving me this? I don't have money, you know."

Scarlet shook her head with dramatic flair.

"I'm not asking for money! Do you have any idea how rich I am? If I wanted to, I could buy the Skalven Empire on a whim!"

"... That seems a bit much."

"It's true! Why don't you believe me? People usually believe everything I say!"

"I mean... It's called the Golden Empire for a reason. Buying it with money sounds like a stretch. You sure like to exaggerate."

"W-Well... Maybe not literally, but still! Anyway!"

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Scarlet jabbed a finger at the wooden talisman, her tone turning serious.

"That's really valuable, so take care of it properly. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure."

Since it was a gift from the Witch Queen, Baek Yu-Seol had no intention of handling it lightly.

"Oh, and one more thing. This is top-secret info. Want to hear it?"

"Not really interested."

"No, listen! You'll be curious once you hear it. Recently, Golden Solstice Moon - the one sealed deep inside the Black Iron Empire - woke up again! And get this, it's demanding treasures as offerings!"

"Is that so?"

Scarlet waited, expecting Baek Yu-Seol to react with shock or at least mild interest. When he remained unimpressed, she looked genuinely baffled.

"Huh? You're not interested?"

"Not really. Honestly, I figured this would happen sooner or later."

From the very beginning, Golden Solstice Moon was the first member of the Twelve Divine Moons that players encountered in the original game.

Unlike the other Twelve Divine Moons, who would only appear if players strayed from the main storyline, Golden Solstice Moon naturally emerged during the second year, offering players an opportunity for interaction.

Of course, whether to actually meet Golden Solstice Moon or not was entirely up to the player. As a result, most players skipped the encounter, dismissing it as a side quest unworthy of their time.

"Oh? Then this might interest you."

This time, she spoke confidently with her chest puffed out.

"Apparently, he wants the Elf King Florin as a sacrifice. But you know what's even funnier? That elf must have completely lost it because she's volunteering to go herself. What do you think? Isn't this the kind of story you wanted to hear?"

"... Hmm."

This revelation finally broke Baek Yu-Seol's composure. His eyes widened slightly, betraying his surprise.

'Florin herself? Personally volunteering?'

It was an unexpected and baffling turn of events.

'Should I check it out?'

Then he shook his head.

'There's no real need.'

If it was truly a dangerous situation, that might be another matter, but for Florin to volunteer meant she must have a plan.

Trusting in the Elf King's wisdom, Baek Yu-Seol decided not to take immediate action. Besides, there were already far too many pressing matters demanding his attention.

"Thanks for the useful information. I'll keep it in mind. Hmm, it feels wrong to accept it for free, so how about this as a token of appreciation?"

Baek Yu-Seol pulled out a small box of cookies from his pocket, but Scarlet waved it away.

"No need. Did you think I told you this expecting a reward?"

"Is that so? Do you have anything else to say?"

"Uh...? Well... Hmm..."

"In that case, I'll get going."

"Uh... uh..."

Caught off guard by his abrupt farewell, Scarlet's eyes widened as if scrambling for an excuse to keep him there. Watching her struggle for words, Baek Yu-Seol felt a twinge of guilt and added one last comment.

"Why do you always show up in places like this? It's dangerous here with all these monsters around."

"It's fine because I'm here! Besides, you're always stuck at school. I can't go there anymore."

"Is that so?"

Baek Yu-Seol gave Scarlet a once-over and suddenly had an idea.

'... Is there no way to keep the Witch Queen by my side?'

She was undeniably useful. Even now, she had come all the way here just to help him. And what about the last time she showed up at Stella Academy?

Not only had she provided a crucial artifact that saved countless elves, but she had also laid the groundwork for Baek Yu-Seol's growth.

Of course, she had caused plenty of trouble and committed her fair share of misdeeds as the Witch Queen. But precisely for that reason, it might be better to have her under his watchful eye.

For reasons he couldn't yet understand, Scarlet seemed to have taken a liking to him.

If he could take advantage of that and completely bring her over to his side, it might even be possible to shift her alignment from neutral to good.

"Scarlet."

"Call me 'Sister'."

"Scarlet."

"You little—!"

"You look younger than me. Why don't you enroll as a freshman?"

It made sense.

Scarlet's appearance was that of a girl who had just entered high school. With her looks, she could easily blend in at Stella Academy.

However, Scarlet appeared deeply offended by the idea and immediately erupted in protest.

"Are you crazy?! You want me to be taught by some human mage who hasn't even lived 100 years?!"

"I was just suggesting a way for us to see each other more often, but you're reacting pretty strongly. I guess it can't be helped..."

"Ugh, it's not that... But do you think Elthman will just let me do that?!"

"That's something you'll have to figure out yourself."

"And my face is already too well-known. There's no way I could re-enter Stella Academy this generation."

Scarlet referred to 'this generation' rather than just 'this school year,' which reminded Baek Yu-Seol once again how old she really was.

"Isn't there a transformation spell for that?"

Something like a magical version of plastic surgery.

"How could something like that exist? I mean, you can alter your face with illusions, but... maintaining my physical form is already exhausting. How am I supposed to handle school on top of that?"

"Well, then there's no helping it. I don't plan on leaving school anytime soon, so I guess this is where our connection ends."

"W-what?! Wait a second! Now that I think about it, there might be a way!"

"What is it?"

"Well, remember when I visited as a professor? I may have... just slightly - really just slightly - used a charm spell."

"Slightly?"

"... Okay. Maybe more than slightly."

Baek Yu-Seol still remembered it vividly. The massive-scale charm spell that practically mesmerized the entire student body.

"If I lift that spell... My appearance will probably change completely. The only one who might still recognize me would be Elthman."

"Oh, that's perfect! Then you can enroll as a freshman. Should I talk to the principal about it?"

"Yeah, that'd be... Wait, what?"

Scarlet's golden eyes widened as she caught on to the direction the conversation was heading.

"W-wait a second. I never said I was enrolling...!"

"Didn't you just say you'd come as a freshman?"

"Huh? Did I?"

Had she really said that? No, she hadn't!

While Scarlet floundered, trying to gather her thoughts, Baek Yu-Seol smirked and pressed on.

"Are you backing out of something you already said? That's disappointing."

"N-no! Fine, I'll go! I said I'll go!"

"Great. Then we'll be seeing each other often."

"... Right?"

"Of course. Since we'll be in the same school, we'll probably meet every day."

That was a lie.

In truth, first-year and second-year students barely shared any classes, and their lecture halls were completely separate.

"Ugh... But even if I enroll, I can't attend every day. You know, because of my trouble maintaining my physical form..."

"That's fine. You're the Witch Queen, after all. I'm sure you can handle something as simple as faking attendance with magic."

"Ugh... Manipulating perceptual and episodic memories is a bit difficult for me..."

"Sorry, what?"

"No... It's nothing..."

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. I'm really excited to see Sister Scarlet as a new freshman."

"Ugh..."

Seeing Scarlet's dazed and defeated expression was oddly satisfying for Baek Yu-Seol. But beyond his amusement, there was one point he needed to make absolutely clear.

"Sister Scarlet."

"Huh? Yeah?"

Baek Yu-Seol placed both hands firmly on her shoulders, his expression turning completely serious.

"If you come to Stella, it will definitely be a good thing for me. But there's one thing you absolutely must remember."

"W-what is it...?"

"I'm not attending Stella as a joke."

The warning carried weight, and it wasn't for show.

If Scarlet suddenly lost her temper and caused chaos at Stella - or worse, challenged Elthman Elwin to a one-on-one duel - it could lead to serious consequences.

This wasn't just about disrupting the main storyline; it could completely shatter it.

"Do you understand? Stella is extremely important to me. I've already lost my hometown, my parents, and all my friends. To me, Stella is like a second home."

"... Alright. I'll be careful."

"Good."

Hearing her agreement, Baek Yu-Seol broke into a bright smile.

"Then, shall we head back together?"

"... Huh? Go where?"

"To Stella, of course. We're going straight to see the principal."

"Wait! I'm not ready yet...!"

"I'm completely ready."

Baek Yu-Seol knew that convincing Elthman wouldn't be a problem. All he had to say was, 'I've subdued Scarlet, and I'll keep her under control.' That would be enough to justify her presence.

There was no need to delay any further.

'This is perfect timing. I can bring her along and also have her figure out what Young Lady Mirinae is planning.'

While Baek Yu-Seol grinned excitedly, Scarlet stared blankly into space with a dumbfounded expression.

'I'm... Enrolling...?'

Someone who had lived for nearly a thousand years—going to a school filled with students barely ten years old to be taught by them?

The sheer absurdity of the situation struck her so suddenly that Scarlet couldn't even resist. She was completely swept along by Baek Yu-Seol's pace.

'This... This must be a nightmare...'

But reality doesn't bend to one's wishes.