I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 457

Heiran's plan ended in failure.

However, with such a severe injury, the Black Magic King would no longer be able to wield the same level of influence as before.

It was likely that Heiran, using this as an opportunity, would attempt to manipulate the Black Mage Corps to his liking.

The Black Magic King could not simply stand by and let that happen.

"My sons."

"Yes, Father!" they responded in unison.

At his call, seven sons immediately appeared before the throne, kneeling. Some were twice as large as the Black Magic King himself, while others were as small as ordinary humans. Despite their varied sizes, they all shared a common trait: they resembled humans and bore no horns.

Indeed.

They were all born from the union of Black Mages and humans, their lineage deeply rooted in Black Mage blood.

These were exceptional beings who could wield the powers of both humans and Black Mages.

"The time you have been waiting for has arrived."

The time they had awaited.

At those words, all seven sons raised their heads sharply. Although Mayuseong had been the de facto heir to the Black Magic King's throne, in the unlikely event that he refused to inherit it, the true successor would be decided through the "Battle of the Black Mage Blood."

The Black Magic King, who had cherished Mayuseong deeply, had believed this day would never come. Yet, his foolish youngest son had stubbornly refused the throne to the very end.

"At last, such a day has come...!"

"I will exceed your expectations!"

Now, it no longer mattered what the youngest did.

To be the king of all Black Mages.

To sit on that throne meant having the authority to rewrite the rules of the Black Mages and freely challenge the strongest beings in the world to grow in power.

Black Mages were stronger than humans.

To stand at the pinnacle of the Black Mages was to stand at the pinnacle of the world.

With the Black Magic King injured and Mayuseong rejecting the throne, now was the perfect opportunity to claim the summit.

"But..."

The Black Magic King spoke as he looked upon his jubilant sons.

"Right now, everyone knows that I have weakened. Even if you inherit the throne through the Battle of the Black Mage Blood, questions will arise as to whether you are the rightful successor."

The sons were well aware of this.

They were merely caught up in the excitement of the opportunity before them.

"Thus, you must prove yourselves. Go out and fight. Tear out the throats of all Black Mages who doubt your lineage and hang them high for all to see. Until everyone is convinced. Until they realize that you claimed the throne through strength."

At this, the sons knelt again and bowed their heads to the Black Magic King.

Though they had not received the same affection as Mayuseong, they were still his bloodline.

Moreover, unlike Mayuseong, who was still maturing, these sons had nearly completed their growth, with some already reaching their full potential.

Each of them possessed power equivalent to the 8th or 9th risk level and commanded their own armies. The moment they stepped into the world, the Black Mage society would be engulfed in flames.

'Heiran, whatever your intentions were... the moment you failed to kill me, your defeat was sealed.'

After sending the seven sons out into the world with a mere nod, the Black Magic King leaned on his armrest.

The wound in his chest still refused to heal. Ever since his fateful duel with Elthman Elthwin, a master who had once been his mentor, 50 years ago, his powers had waned, leaving him unable to recover even from such injuries.

Perhaps... before this wound could fully heal, he would be drawn into another battle and die.

Sensing this, the Black Magic King let out a hollow laugh.

'I suppose I will never see the world I dreamed of.'

He had commanded his seven sons to conquer the Black Mage society.

But what good was it?

Whether his sons won or lost, it didn’t matter. Their victory would not lead to the conquest of the world, but only to dominance over the Black Mage society.

What the Black Magic King truly desired was a unified world.

A perfect world without discrimination or suffering... a society ruled by a single transcendent being.

But he could not be that transcendent being.

It was a fundamental limitation of life itself. However, if it were Mayuseong...

If it were his youngest son, there was no doubt he could transcend those limits and unify the world as a transcendent.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

If only Mayuseong had accepted the throne, all of his dreams could have been realized, and he could have closed his eyes in peace...

"What a pity. Truly a pity."

The Black Magic King whispered this lament as he closed his eyes.

...Watching him quietly from the shadows, Blackingdon observed as the Black Magic King drifted into sleep and silently left the dark castle.

'This is all because of Baek Yuseol.'

Clenching his fist, Blackingdon recalled Baek Yuseol’s name. The one who tarnished the name of the Black Mages and corrupted the youngest prince, leading him astray.

'The Emperor’s plan must proceed as originally intended. Defying the will of the great one is unacceptable.'

Blackingdon.

The current situation, in which the Black Magic King grew weaker and his plans unraveled, was intolerable to him.

Moreover, he could not accept that all the painstaking plans built by the Black Magic King over a lifetime had been destroyed by a single human.

Perhaps he had already lost half his reason.

'I must eliminate the source and restore everything to its rightful state.'

Even if killing Baek Yuseol changed nothing, Blackingdon could no longer think rationally. His mind was clouded with dark magic.

He was on the brink of losing all reason.

For a Black Mage, this was the most dangerous moment.

Though Blackingdon had long maintained his reason, his fury was now uncontrollable.

'I will kill Baek Yuseol.'

***

A month had passed.

The season when the first snow began to fall.

Baek Yuseol, wearing his winter coat, headed to the training ground as usual for his physical training.

During this time, he had lived a surprisingly peaceful life.

Meeting frequently with Scarlett, he had taken on the responsibility of helping her regain her abilities while also providing support for her mental recovery. It had become one of Baek Yuseol's most important duties.

This also meant that his life had gained a certain level of stability.

Oddly enough, he had been running into Full Frame much more often lately. For instance, the only vacant seat would just so happen to be next to her, or he’d accidentally walk into the women’s restroom where, by chance, Full Frame would be washing her face alone. And then there was the time he mistakenly entered a dressing room, only to find her changing clothes...

'Why do I keep ending up in the wrong places?'

He didn’t know how he managed to make such mistakes, but they were, indeed, genuine mistakes. Each time he nodded off and accidentally entered the wrong place, Full Frame was always there, and these repeated encounters had created an awkward atmosphere between them.

For some reason, they kept running into each other in situations like showering or changing clothes, and it had led to an oddly large number of shared secrets.

For two teenagers of opposite genders to share such secrets was enough for a special bond to start forming. However, both Full Frame and Baek Yuseol were mentally quite mature, so nothing significant had progressed yet.

Click.

Without much thought, Baek Yuseol pushed open the door to the training ground. When he saw Full Frame again, his eyes widened.

This time, however, it was a little different.

Full Frame, who had arrived earlier, was kneeling silently in the quiet training ground with the lights turned off. She clasped her hands tightly, gazing out the window.

She looked as though she was praying.

Behind her, her wings fluttered, but they were completely different from what he had seen before.

Previously, they had resembled the pure white feathers of angels. Now, they looked like an aurora—a collection of shimmering lights forming the shape of wings.

Baek Yuseol quietly sat in a corner and waited for her prayer to end.

Thirty minutes passed, then an hour.

By the time the sun was setting, Full Frame finally opened her eyes. When her gaze met Baek Yuseol’s, who had been watching her in secret, her face twisted in surprise.

“I didn’t sense anything this time...?”

“Sensed what?”

“Ah, no? Nothing.”

She cleared her throat awkwardly, ruffling her long hair. It had grown quite long, now reaching past her neck and down to her shoulder blades.

“What are you doing? Spying on me?”

“Spying? Come on. I even cleared my throat and made my presence known.”

“...Did you?”

“I just came to work out, but since you seemed focused, I didn’t interrupt.”

Full Frame twisted her hair with an embarrassed expression.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For letting me think quietly on my own.”

“Weren’t you praying?”

“If you call it that, I suppose it could be. But... it felt more like I was having a conversation with my inner self. Maybe you’d understand?”

He didn’t.

Did the original game’s version of Full Frame have this kind of ability?

“Not sure. This is the first time I’ve seen it.”

When Baek Yuseol spoke honestly, Full Frame’s eyes widened. Seeing her so shocked was a rare sight, and even Baek Yuseol found himself startled.

“Why are you making that face?”

“Oh, um... I thought you knew everything about me. After all, you’ve encountered countless versions of me across other worlds.”

Other versions of Full Frame?

Not really.

The Full Frame in front of him was the first and last he had ever met. To him, she was always new.

But for some reason, her misunderstanding seemed to please her, as she smiled brightly.

“I’m relieved. I thought you knew everything about me, but now I get to show you something new.”

“How is that a relief?”

“Because now, even if you travel to another world, you can remember me in this form.”

“...I’m not going to another world. Ever.”

“Hmm~ Do you think that’s up to you?”

As far as Full Frame knew, Baek Yuseol would automatically regress to the past whenever he died.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to go through thousands of regressions without giving up.

She thought so, but...

“Of course, it’s up to me.”

“...Huh?”

Baek Yuseol spoke with a complex expression.

“It’s my choice. If this world is destroyed, I’ll die here too. There’s no ‘other world’ for me. I’m putting everything into living here.”

Perhaps it was because his words were unexpected, but Full Frame stared at him with a dazed expression.

“How many times... have you said something like that?”

“Not once. This is the first time.”

“I... see...”

Avoiding his gaze, she lowered her eyes slightly and mumbled in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

“...I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. If you feel bad, you can buy me some bread on your way out.”

“Bread...?”

Of all the things he could say, it was bread? For a moment, she felt dumbfounded. But then she realized she felt oddly reassured.

Unknowingly, Full Frame laughed. She knew well that these were the kinds of words Baek Yuseol used to put her at ease.

His words weren’t lies.

If Baek Yuseol had wanted to, he could have said anything to comfort her. But instead, he spoke without pretense.

‘So, he’s not lying...’

Baek Yuseol’s final journey.

After countless regressions, this was his last.

Just the fact that she existed in this world was enough to make her happy.

But...

‘That’s not enough for me.’

Full Frame lifted her head again.

With a bright smile, as usual, she spoke.

“Alright, fine. I’ll buy all the bread from the store and bring it here. But you have to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) eat it all where you’re sitting.”

“No, that’s a bit much.”

“Let’s go!”

She shouted, grabbing Baek Yuseol’s wrist. At that moment, suddenly—

Whoosh!

Brilliant golden wings unfurled from Full Frame’s back.

Not one pair, but two pairs.

“W-what?”

As the wings’ power lifted her into the air, Full Frame flailed her arms in panic.

“What’s happening?!”

The wings wouldn’t obey her. No matter how she tried to control them, they kept pulling her upward, preventing her feet from touching the ground.

This had never happened before.

It felt as though the wings were trying to kidnap her.

That unsettling thought made Full Frame’s face turn pale. Just then, Baek Yuseol gently grabbed her wrist.

“Ah...”

At his touch, Full Frame’s body stilled.

Thanks to Baek Yuseol’s strength, the wings could no longer pull her away.

“Take it slow.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“You’ve always had wings, haven’t you?”

“Well... those were just granted by the angels. They weren’t really mine.”

“Then let’s assume they’re yours now. Move them like you’d move your arms and legs.”

“That’s easier said than—ah?!”

Before she could finish, Baek Yuseol let go of her wrist. To her surprise, she wasn’t pulled away anymore.

It was as though he was still holding her.

“Huh? Oh? It’s really working?”

“Wow... this feels like teaching someone to ride a bike.”

As Full Frame hesitantly controlled her wings, Baek Yuseol laughed and held her hand again.

“Alright, that’s enough. Come down. Those dirty ones won’t take you away.”

“Dirty ones...?”

“The angels.”

“Oh...”

Even as her feet touched the ground, Baek Yuseol didn’t let go of her hand.

“This is more troublesome than I thought.”

“What is...?”

“The wings won’t disappear. Even after all this resistance.”

“Oh... yeah, you’re right.”

“It seems they really want to take you away... Can you handle this alone?”

At his question, Full Frame shook her head firmly. She couldn’t handle it alone.

“Then there’s no choice. I’ll hold onto you for the time being. No complaints, right?”

“But you can’t just keep holding on forever, can you?”

“Well... yeah, probably not. There’s, uh, personal space and all that...”

“Then for now.”

For now. Just for now.

But that was more than enough for Full Frame.