I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 455

The Screaming Cliff and the Black Fortress of the Black Magic King stood at what could be considered the very edge of the world.

Even traveling from Stella by airship, one would have to contend with chaotic air currents and airborne monsters, taking at least one or two days of uninterrupted flight to reach it.

However, Mayuseong didn’t have to endure such hardships. All he needed to do was grasp the necklace hanging around his neck, close his eyes, and recite an incantation. In an instant, he would arrive at the fortress.

This was one of the effects of the mythical necklace [Longing for My Homeland], said to be the most mysterious and precious artifact in existence. The Black Magic King had handed it over to Mayuseong without the slightest hesitation.

And that wasn’t all.

The Black Magic King spared no effort in supporting Mayuseong. Thanks to his dual heritage as both a black magician and a human, Mayuseong was even admitted to Stella Academy, a privilege no other black magician had ever experienced.

Some of the Black Magic King’s children were originally human before becoming black magicians and being adopted into his lineage.

Black magicians—beings who sang songs of jealousy and rage, having forsaken their humanity.

Many of them, having lived under the shadow of geniuses, only recovered their pride after becoming black magicians. But even here, Mayuseong’s existence as a true genius overshadowed them.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how much the Black Magic King’s other children despised Mayuseong.

Woo-wooo-!

"Get lost, Mayuseong! This isn’t where you belong!"

As expected, when Mayuseong arrived at the dark fortress, jeering echoed like a chorus through the canyon.

Mayuseong wondered briefly if the hostility was harsher than usual today, but he felt no particular sting from it.

After all, no matter what they barked, Mayuseong didn’t care.

Creak—Boom!

As Mayuseong reached the fortress gate, a massive drawbridge lowered between the cliff and the gate. Unlike those of human fortresses, this one was old, rough, and treacherous, though black magicians never had any need to cross it.

The drawbridge was vast enough to resemble a small village. As Mayuseong walked slowly across, he encountered someone midway.

“...So, you’ve finally arrived.”

A figure clad in black armor, identical to the Black Magic King’s, stood before him.

Blackingdon.

Once a king himself, he had single-handedly destroyed an entire kingdom, slaughtering his royal family in the process, before becoming a black magician.

Even as a human, he had been powerful enough to collapse a nation. As a black magician, his strength was now immeasurable.

“It’s been a while.”

Mayuseong greeted him with human etiquette, but Blackingdon merely stared in silence.

To bow and act formally within the Black Magic King’s domain, the stronghold of black magicians? Blackingdon knew it wasn’t out of ignorance.

Mayuseong’s actions were deliberate—a statement: “I am not like you.”

“What brings you here?”

“...I’ve come to see my father.”

Mayuseong’s expression twitched slightly as he uttered the word father—surely not a coincidence.

Blackingdon observed him for a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ moment before stomping his foot.

Boom!

“Unbelievable. While your father was out there fighting and getting injured, what were you doing?”

“I was following his orders and attending Stella Academy.”

“You knew your father was under attack. Why didn’t you return immediately?”

“I assumed that the great and mighty Black Magic King would handle it alone. I didn’t expect him to get hurt.”

“Injuries aren’t the issue here. The issue is that you didn’t return. Do you truly intend to betray the black magicians, Mayuseong?”

Even Mayuseong, who had an answer for almost everything, couldn’t come up with a proper response to this.

“Mayuseong. Think carefully. Without your father, do you think you could pass as a human? Do you think you could attend Stella Academy? No, you couldn’t do anything. Your entire destiny was shaped by your father.”

Blackingdon took a step closer, pointing a finger at him.

“Without your father, you’re nothing. Just worthless trash. You would’ve lived and died as a nobody, never even touching the life of a human.”

Blackingdon’s voice grew louder, his emotions rising, but Mayuseong remained silent.

“Do you enjoy life as a human? Do you find it fun pretending to be one? If so, you should be all the more devoted to your father. Everything you have—the life you’re imitating—is thanks to him.”

“...You’re right.”

Mayuseong nodded. Nothing Blackingdon said was wrong.

However...

“My father is a cruel man. By his orders, I experienced human life. And in that life, I discovered a ray of light. Having witnessed such a brilliant world, why must I now return to the darkness? Why does he impose such torment on me?”

“Do not call the life of a black magician ‘darkness,’ Mayuseong.”

“No. It is darkness. You are selfish, driven by your base instincts to slaughter in pursuit of power. That is not a brilliant life. It is a hideous darkness, leading you to wander like ghosts. I want no part of it.”

“...I see.”

Blackingdon seemed to accept his words.

In his own way.

“Stella Academy. A place said to gather the youngest and brightest geniuses. You’ve seen the most radiant light among humans and have fallen for an illusion.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know your father also attended Stella Academy?”

“...”

Mayuseong’s expression froze, clearly unprepared for this revelation.

“Black magicians are darkness. But because they are pure darkness, their surface ugliness is all there is.”

“That’s what I said...”

“No, you were wrong. Humans are the opposite. Their brilliance as shining stars blinds you to the deep, wretched darkness beneath. You’ve never seen the true horrors lurking behind their light.”

Mayuseong shook his head. He had seen no such horrors among humans.

To him, humanity was always beautiful and pure.

That was his conclusion.

“The Black Magic King made a mistake.”

Blackingdon sneered.

“Your father attended Stella Academy and witnessed the ugliest side of humanity. And in doing so, he realized there was nothing left to learn there. Nothing left to gain.”

“Are you saying my father... truly attended Stella Academy? I can’t... I can’t believe that.”

“Abelain Staverk.”

.....

A name so familiar, it often appeared in history books.

Fifty years ago.

Around the time Mayuseong's father became the Black Magic King, there was a legendary mage who vanished and fell into the depths of black magic.

The man who fled Stella Academy to establish his own dark kingdom.

Abelain Staverk.

“That is your father’s name.”

Mayuseong instinctively took a step back. The most famous mage of his time was his father?

If that was true, then why?

Why had his father, once human, chosen to forsake humanity?

Could it be true that his father had witnessed the ugliest aspects of humanity—things Mayuseong couldn’t even comprehend?

“Elteman Eltewin... indeed, a clever man,” Blackingdon said with a faint sneer. “The moment he realized you had enrolled at Stella, he deliberately set a trap, filling the academy with shadows.”

“...You mean black magicians.”

“Yes. Starting with Vice Principal Aki Hayden, countless black magicians infiltrated Stella Academy without resistance. I thought Elteman was careless, but he’s far more cunning than I anticipated.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Why, you ask? To hide humanity’s ugliness beneath the presence of black magicians. Elteman Eltewin... he wanted you, too.”

Mayuseong clenched his fists tightly.

Even after coming this far, he couldn’t understand.

“Why... why are you doing this to me? What am I? I’m nothing... I just want to live quietly...”

“You cannot live quietly, Mayuseong. Your father passed down to you the most dangerous and powerful talent in the world.”

For every step Mayuseong retreated, Blackingdon stepped closer. He reached out and poked Mayuseong’s chest with his finger.

“You were probably good at everything from the moment you were born. Whatever you wanted, you could achieve. The kind of talent that makes the efforts of so-called human geniuses pale in comparison.”

“You think that’s your talent? No, it’s not even close. That talent is a jewel your father spent decades refining. You’re simply living off what’s already been perfected, basking in its glow. If you didn’t have that talent, would life as a human still have been so enjoyable?”

A life where no matter how hard you try, you see no progress. A life where, despite studying tirelessly, you can’t even catch a glimpse of the shadow of a genius. A life where all your efforts are nullified by the casual gestures of someone more gifted.

“If you had ever felt a single limit while living as a human... would life have been so enjoyable?”

Mayuseong couldn’t answer.

How could he?

The happiness he had experienced at Stella Academy, the life he cherished, was all thanks to his father.

And yet, he had spent his entire life denying his father.

“I...”

“Go see your father, Mayuseong. Bow your head and apologize. Smash your forehead against the floor until it cracks open, and apologize!”

Blackingdon shouted harshly, but then, catching his breath, he placed a hand gently on Mayuseong’s shoulder.

“And after that... become our king—my king. That is the only way you can atone to your father.”

Mayuseong’s eyes widened.

To become the Black Magic King.

It was a choice that would deny every value Mayuseong had lived by, but those values had been shaped by his father from the beginning.

Thus, he had no choice but to follow his father’s will.

A truly ironic situation.

Unable to act, Mayuseong bit his lips and lowered his head. He couldn’t even meet Blackingdon’s gaze.

“I’ll give you some time to think it over. Once you’ve made your decision, go inside and see your father.”

As Mayuseong’s conflicted thoughts began to settle, Blackingdon vanished like smoke. Now, only Mayuseong remained.

Even the mocking echoes from the canyon had fallen silent.

Not even the crows dared to cry in the presence of the Black Magic King’s youngest son.

On the Screaming Cliff, alone, Mayuseong wrestled with his decision for a long time.

Buzz!

A faint vibration came from his pocket. A portable alarm clock had gone off right on schedule.

As he pulled the clock from his pocket, a small notebook slipped out and fell to the ground. Picking it up, Mayuseong glanced at the note scrawled inside.

[October 4th, 6:27:39 PM!]

[A day to find the best food in town!]

The handwriting belonged to Eisel.

Why had they decided to meet at exactly 6:27:39 PM?

The reason was absurd.

Originally, Baek Yuseol had suggested meeting at 6:00 PM, but Eisel had class and wanted to push it back by 30 minutes. That didn’t work either. After negotiating down to the exact second, they finally agreed on the time.

“Then let’s meet at 6:27:39. If you’re even a second late or early, you’ll regret it!”

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“Ha, you’d better be on time yourself. I’m always punctual. Mayuseong, don’t you dare be late either.”

Their voices echoed in his mind. The clock on his wrist now read 6:20 PM.

Mayuseong grasped the necklace.

The teleportation function of [Longing for My Homeland] could be used twice when fully charged. He had already used it once.

If he used it now, it would take at least a month to recharge.

Keep his promise to Baek Yuseol?

Or go meet his father?

Caught between two choices, Mayuseong found it impossible to decide.

This was the most difficult moment of his life, but in the end...

“...I’m sorry.”

Gritting his teeth, Mayuseong tightened his grip on the necklace.

Flash!

The boy’s small frame vanished in a burst of light, leaving nothing behind on the Screaming Cliff.