Magic Academy's Genius Blinker-Chapter 436: Freshman (9)

Having resolved to enroll Scarlet, Baek Yu-Seol didn't hesitate. He marched straight to Elthman without a second thought.

"Baek Yu-Seol. I always knew you had a talent for unpredictable decisions, but this time... I must admit, even I'm taken aback."

For once, Elthman's usual faint smile had completely disappeared. It was the reaction Baek Yu-Seol had more or less expected.

After all, Elthman and Scarlet had been bitter enemies for a long time.

"Ugh. I knew this was a bad idea..."

Scarlet fidgeted nervously beside him, looking like she might teleport away at any moment. Sensing her unease, Baek Yu-Seol quickly spoke up.

"I understand that you're not particularly fond of Scarlet, Principal. That's exactly why I brought her here in person. Isn't it better to have her somewhere you can keep an eye on her?"

"... I'm not so sure. I'm worried this witch might end up damaging my precious academy."

"Ah! You don't have to worry about that."

Baek Yu-Seol flashed a grin and turned to Scarlet.

"Sister? Please make a vow."

"A vow? About what...?"

"First, you'll refrain from using magic without my permission."

"W-wait a second! I'm the Witch Queen, you know? You can't just expect me to make a vow like that!"

"Then I guess you'll have to give up on enrolling."

Scarlet hesitated. Her eyes darted nervously before she finally relented with a deep sigh.

"Fine. But if I feel threatened, I'll respond appropriately—as long as it's non-lethal. Is that fine?"

"Of course. I was going to allow that anyway. I wouldn't want you getting hurt because of my rules."

"... Hearing you say that is oddly touching..."

"Second, don't draw unnecessary attention."

Scarlet's golden eyes immediately darkened.

"When have I ever done that?"

"Just try to keep a low profile. You won't even be attending classes every day, so it'll be better if you act like a normal student. Oh, and let's create a persona for you. How about a quiet and frail girl?"

"Ugh... F-fine..."

Scarlet clenched her fists tightly, trembling as she reluctantly accepted Baek Yu-Seol's conditions.

When he even brought out a contract and demanded her signature, she agreed without hesitation, leaving Elthman staring at her with utter disbelief.

"What on earth is going on? Witch Queen, what reason could you possibly have to do this?"

He looked genuinely baffled.

Scarlet let out a small sigh and turned to Elthman.

"Listen carefully, kid. The world right now is more chaotic and changing faster than ever. For the first time in a thousand years, all of the Twelve Divine Moons are awakening and preparing to reveal themselves. And this boy here has begun to take on the role of controlling them."

Her voice was unexpectedly calm and serious, leaving Baek Yu-Seol momentarily stunned.

"Destruction is approaching. Soon, we'll be forced to make choices. And to make the right decisions - even slightly better ones - we need Baek Yu-Seol to head in the right direction. This is the best way to ensure that happens. Enrolling as a student is just one part of that plan."

"... I see."

With his face stiff, Elthman nodded as if he finally understood.

'So she didn't come here without a plan after all...' 

For Baek Yu-Seol, having Scarlet enroll at Stella wasn't a carefully calculated move. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to keep her in check.

But Scarlet had been thinking ahead even as she played along. She'd already started preparing for what lay ahead. Whether bringing her here was truly a wise choice remained to be seen though.

Well, a Witch Queen who had lived for a thousand years wouldn't be that foolish.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning to throw tantrums like a child at academy. I'll keep a low profile and stay out of sight as much as possible."

Scarlet exchanged a glance with Elthman.

After a long pause, Elthman finally gave a slight nod.

"... Alright. I'll trust you. Given the current situation, we might actually need your power."

"See? I've matured! I'll be in your care from now on~!"

Scarlet stood up, seemingly ready to leave after her cheerful declaration, but Elthman suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait."

"Huh? What now?"

"You need to take the entrance exam."

"... Are you serious?"

Scarlet's expression twisted in disbelief, but Elthman's face remained stern.

"You do realize I've lived three times longer than you, right? And now you want me to take the same exam as a bunch of teenagers?"

"It's not about testing your abilities. It's to see how well you can adapt to human magic."

In other words, while the other students were being tested to prove their qualifications, Scarlet's exam would determine whether she could safely restrain her overwhelming power.

"What an absolute waste of time... Ugh! Fine, fine. I'll jump through all your hoops. Just let me enroll already, okay?"

Unlike the softer tone she used with Baek Yu-Seol, Scarlet's words to Elthman came sharp and irritated. In response, Elthman smiled faintly.

"Of course. I look forward to seeing how you adapt."

***

Entrance Exam, D-Day

On the day of the entrance exam, Baek Yu-Seol accompanied Anella and Young Lady Mirinae to the exam hall to cheer them on. In reality, neither Anella nor Young Lady Mirinae needed much help from him academically. He was mostly there to offer moral support.

"The entrance exam... Do you think it'll be really difficult?"

Anella asked nervously, but Baek Yu-Seol couldn't give her a proper answer.

After all, he had never taken the entrance exam himself. When he first arrived in this world, his admission had already been confirmed, and he only had to take a placement test.

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"Probably? It's Stella, after all."

He gave a vague answer while casually scanning the crowd.

Just like the previous year, this year's entrance exam had drawn numerous talented and high-profile applicants. Most of the prominent freshmen looked oddly familiar to Baek Yu-Seol.

He had seen their faces plenty of times in Aether World Online.

'They said around five thousand people showed up this year, right?'

The entrance exam was held in the Stella Dome, as it was the only space large enough to accommodate such a massive crowd.

Even this group represented the final batch of elites who had survived the brutal preliminary written exams, which had already eliminated tens of thousands of applicants.

True to its prestigious name, Stella attracted a staggering number of applicants every year.

'Where's Scarlet?' 

Expanding his senses, Baek Yu-Seol scanned the area. The place was packed with guardians accompanying students, many of whom possessed strong mana, likely having made names for themselves somewhere. Their presence interfered with his detection ability.

Scarlet, on the other hand, had tightly concealed her mana, making her difficult to locate. After searching for a while, he finally spotted her.

"... I told her to stay quiet."

Contrary to his expectation that she'd be hiding in some corner, Scarlet was already surrounded by a crowd of people. Most of them were male students or male mages, and it wasn't hard to guess why.

'So it's her looks again.'

With her snow-white skin, silvery hair, and golden eyes that looked as if honey had been poured into them, Scarlet's doll-like beauty was eye-catching. If angels existed, they might look like her.

To her credit, Scarlet seemed to be honoring her promise. She stood stiffly with her lips pressed together, exuding an air of silence and frailty.

Considering her naturally talkative personality, staying quiet must have been a real challenge for her. To make things worse, she was surrounded by much younger humans openly flirting with her. The situation must have been incredibly stressful.

While Baek Yu-Seol kept his focus on Scarlet, a disturbance caught his attention.

The air split open, and a man stepped out. He descended as if he was walking through the sky.

— Welcome to Stella.

His voice rang out, clear and dignified, instantly silencing the crowd. The man raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across the hall. It was Lee Han-Wol, the instructor in charge of Class S for first-years.

Given the grandeur of the occasion, his demeanor carried the weight and authority expected of Stella's prestigious faculty.

— For the next week, you will undergo the entrance practical exam. You are not allowed to receive any outside help, nor can you bring in any external items...

It was then that Baek Yu-Seol finally remembered how the entrance exam was conducted.

'So that's why we've all gathered in the Stella Dome.' 

Although the format of the test changed every year, the practical exam was typically structured like a survival challenge.

The primary objective was to survive until the end, and the secondary objective was to complete various missions along the way.

"Everyone, gather around."

Baek Yu-Seol called over Anella, Young Lady Mirinae, and their friends. Speaking in a low voice, he began to explain.

"Instructor Lee Han-Wol is going to say that getting eliminated from the survival test means you fail automatically. But that's a lie. If you complete enough missions and score high points, you can still pass even if you're eliminated."

"Really?"

"Was it like that last year too?"

"No. Last year was a bit different."

This rule applied only to this year.

From Baek Yu-Seol's memories of Aether World Online, he recalled that this year's number of successful applicants had been unusually low. The reason? Too many talented candidates had gathered, so the difficulty level was drastically increased.

The previous year's students had performed exceptionally well, resulting in a high number of successful applicants. To avoid repeating that outcome, the difficulty had been pushed to the extreme this time... leading to a near disaster, as recorded in the game's story.

"The missions are the key. I don't know exactly what tasks will come up, but make sure you focus on them."

The girls nodded firmly.

In truth, Baek Yu-Seol already knew what the missions were.

While players couldn't directly participate in this event in the game, the storyline had been revealed.

'The Attack of the Monster Summoner.' 

Once the survival challenge began, the Stella Dome would transform into a massive island, and the 5,000 students would be scattered across it.

The main mission involved hunting monsters.

However, the true mission was to eliminate the monster summoner.

Since there were very few monster summoners, only a handful of students would be able to complete this task. Baek Yu-Seol hoped that Anella could lead her group of girls and succeed.

'As for Sister Scarlet...' 

His gaze shifted toward Scarlet, who stood quietly, staring into space while ignoring the male students buzzing around her.

Her primary purpose in this exam wasn't to compete or prove herself but to test whether she could control her immense power.

Before they came here, Baek Yu-Seol had repeatedly warned her not to draw attention to herself and not to perform so well that she'd end up in Class S. But... There was no telling how things would actually turn out.

Leaving the Witch Queen alone in the exam did feel a bit unsettling, but since she had promised, Baek Yu-Seol decided to trust her.

— Guardians, please exit through the portal installed behind you.

Ordinary Stella students would've been teleported out immediately, but the academy treated their guests with more courtesy.

"I guess it's time for me to go."

After offering one last word of encouragement, Baek Yu-Seol turned to look at Young Lady Mirinae.

"And Young Lady Mirinae."

"Yes? What is it?"

"You've been worrying too much about unnecessary things lately. You should let those go. You're already an excellent student just the way you are. Trust me... if you keep doing what you're doing now, you're guaranteed to make it into Class A. Do you realize how impressive that is?"

"... So you're saying I can't make it into Class S. It's not like you."

"Well... That's not something I can confidently promise. No one really knows the rules for getting into Class S."

"I don't know either, but I think I might have a faint idea."

Young Lady Mirinae gave a faint smile and glanced at Anella.

"Getting into Class A is something that can be achieved through hard work. But Class S... That's a realm reserved for those with extraordinary talent... for geniuses."

Her tone sounded unsettling, but Baek Yu-Seol couldn't stay to reassure her further. Instructor Lee Han-Wol was already glaring at him with piercing eyes, leaving Baek Yu-Seol no choice but to retreat.

Baek Yu-Seol knew better than to provoke the man's temper any further... especially when the punishment might involve running 500 laps around the drill yard at the start of his second-year semester.

"Young Lady Mirinae, in my eyes, you're already a genius. So don't lose sight of your determination and stay true to yourself."

With those parting words, Baek Yu-Seol quickly stepped through the portal and exited the scene.

***

— Now then, the distractions are gone.

As soon as the guardians left, Lee Han-Wol's tone completely shifted.

— Let's begin the entrance exam.