I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 487

After everything had settled, Hong Biyeon boarded Adolevit's airship and departed. Meanwhile, Baek Yuseol, Ruudrik, and Scarlett finally utilized spatial teleportation to return near Stella Academy.

Now, it was time for Ruudrik to leave. Although their time together had been brief, Baek Yuseol had learned much from him and received considerable help. Extending his hand for a handshake, Baek Yuseol said, “Please take care of us again in the future. I hope you’ll always remain an ally.”

Ruudrik grasped his hand with a grin. “I feel the same. Someone like you isn’t an enemy I’d want to face.”

After Ruudrik departed, Scarlett, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, tapped Baek Yuseol on the shoulder just as he was about to step through Stella Academy’s gates.

“Baek Yuseol.”

“Hmm?”

“This... the fragment of the otherworld left behind by my disciple, you should hold onto it for now.”

“What? But it was left to you by Toa Legrohn. Are you sure about this?”

“I can’t use it right now anyway. My strength hasn’t returned yet. Rather than holding onto something I can’t use, it’s better if you make use of it.”

“I...”

Baek Yuseol hesitated, unsure how to even begin using the fragment. Just as he was about to refuse, a voice echoed in his mind.

— Take it, Baek Yuseol.

— It will come in handy.

The voices of Bronze Twelfth Moon and Spring March of the Crimson Blush.

— It’s a dangerous artifact, but if handled well... it could be put to excellent use.

And then, the voice of Silver Eleventh Moon followed.

“...Alright. I’ll take it.”

Scarlett smirked as she handed over the fragment of the otherworld to Baek Yuseol.

“Go on ahead. As for me... I’ll be traveling for a while during the remainder of the winter break.”

Hearing that Scarlett was leaving, Baek Yuseol widened his eyes. She could barely take care of herself—what could she possibly plan to do?

“Where are you going?”

“To the Green Tower.”

“The Green Tower? Isn’t that destroyed?”

“That’s Toa Legrohn’s Green Tower. There’s another small one built for me on the continent.”

“Oh...”

He hadn’t expected such a thing to exist.

“I plan to recover some of my strength there over the winter break. I’ve come to realize just how pathetic and revolting my current state is.”

Scarlett chuckled, seemingly amused by her own words.

“Hah, imagine this: the Witch Queen, Scarlett, going into training. Back in my prime, I grew stronger just by breathing. Life truly is unpredictable, isn’t it?”

“...I hope you can overcome your sorrow and return to us in good health.”

“Sorrow? Of course it’s there. But don’t worry. No matter what, I’m still the Witch Queen. I’m not someone who crumbles over things like this.”

Instead of shaking hands, Scarlett suddenly embraced Baek Yuseol. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered softly.

“If I were taller... I might have tried for even closer skinship. Such a shame.”

“W-what?”

Startled, Baek Yuseol gently pushed Scarlett away, flustered. She smiled mischievously, twirling a strand of her hair as she floated into the air.

“Well then, see you healthy at the start of the semester!”

With those words, Scarlett flew off into the distance, disappearing in an instant.

Baek Yuseol stood there blankly, staring at the spot where she vanished, before running a hand over his face.

Everything had happened so quickly, like a storm, leaving him little time to process it all.

— You seem quite exhausted.

The concerned voice of Bronze Twelfth Moon echoed, and Baek Yuseol nodded.

“Yes... a little.”

— Haha! As you should be. Receiving so much affection from the Witch Queen is no small privilege.

“Privilege... is it?”

— Of course it is. When the Witch Queen regains her full power, there’s so much she could do for you. Remember how her sealed avatar significantly boosted your abilities over the summer?

— That’s true. Thanks to her, you became a swordsman capable of cutting through space itself.

— And as a result, you managed to seize an opportunity against the Returner of the Void.

Indeed.

The deal with the Returner of the Void was an opportunity—a massive one.

— Moreover, the item you obtained... the essence of another world... is something we find highly intriguing.

— Quite fascinating, indeed.

Baek Yuseol stroked the transparent crystal orb containing the sealed otherworld and nodded.

“Well then, I’ll spend the rest of the winter break researching this.”

— A splendid idea.

***

“Truly remarkable.”

As the Adolevit expedition team returned from their mission, they were greeted with these words from none other than the entire Elder Council, assembled at the station to welcome Hong Biyeon.

Frankly, she was startled.

Though taken aback, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of joy.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that those stubborn, immovable elders would come all the way to the station to greet her.

“We heard that Princess Hong Biyeon resolved the mana disaster,” one elder began.

“Frankly, we didn’t expect such an outcome at all,” another admitted.

“And that makes it all the more astonishing. How... how did you manage it? Even we couldn’t see how such a disaster could possibly be controlled by human hands.”

At their words, Hong Biyeon’s lips curled into a faint smirk. She could see it now—their intentions, though perhaps genuine in their way, were hardly pure.

‘To think these bitter, cunning old men could still show a side like this.’

The primary reason they expressed gratitude to her was simple: their own power had been preserved.

As soon as the mana disaster began to spread, the Elder Council was reportedly the first to evacuate.

Did they really want to flee?

Hong Biyeon didn’t think so.

Tehallan, the capital of Adolevit, was their cherished home, built and nurtured over nearly a hundred years.

The council had plotted world-shaking maneuvers from Tehallan’s underground chambers, manipulated global financial crises from their gatherings atop the royal palace, and even orchestrated or halted wars in other nations.

But their power was rooted in Tehallan’s survival.

If Tehallan fell, Adolevit would falter, and though the council’s authority might endure, their ability to wield power as before would vanish.

Their strength was only as strong as Adolevit’s vitality.

And their second reason for gratitude?

“Would it be possible, Princess, for you to share the story of how you resolved the disaster?”

It was pure curiosity.

So genuinely inquisitive, so quintessentially wizard-like, that Hong Biyeon couldn’t help but chuckle.

They truly wanted to know.

How had she erased the thundercloud phenomenon, filled with crimson lightning?

Their calculations had likely yielded the same answer over and over: it was impossible.

Naturally so.

Even Queen Hong Seryu, one of the ten most powerful mages in the country, hadn’t been able to analyze the thunderclouds without approaching them directly.

So, their itch to uncover the secrets behind Hong Biyeon’s success was understandable.

But Hong Biyeon had no intention of revealing everything.

To be honest, she didn’t fully understand it herself. It was only thanks to Baek Yuseol’s help and the Green Core that she had been able to dispel the thunderclouds.

Until the Green Core was thoroughly analyzed, there was little she could explain. Yet, simply letting this golden opportunity—where the council expressed goodwill toward her—slip away would be wasteful.

The council’s support would be crucial for her reign as the future queen.

‘If I could make them withdraw without outright rejection...’

“Enough, enough!”

As if sensing her inner thoughts, Queen Hong Seryu interjected /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ sharply, causing the council members to step back instantly.

“Ahem, we seem to have made a blunder.”

“Good that you realize it,” Hong Seryu replied icily. “Princess Hong Biyeon resolved the disaster on her own and is utterly exhausted. Instead of insisting on unnecessary chatter, the council should be recommending rest. How disgraceful of you!”

“Disgraceful? That’s a bit—”

Grumbling, the council reluctantly retreated under Hong Seryu’s glare.

Despite their elderly and dignified appearances, their behavior resembled that of children sulking over not getting a toy. Hong Biyeon had to stifle her laughter.

“...What’s so amusing?”

Hong Seryu muttered, catching sight of her smile, before clamping a hand over her mouth.

She had inadvertently let slip a casual tone, a mistake she had never made as queen.

It was a slip of speech she hadn’t used since her days as a princess, and it left her deeply flustered.

“Um...”

“Never mind. I can guess why you’re smiling like that,” Hong Seryu said, waving her hand dismissively.

Hong Biyeon lowered her head slightly in response.

“And,” Hong Seryu added.

“Yes?”

“...You’ve earned the right to smile.”

Those words set Hong Biyeon’s chest alight. For anyone else, such a phrase might be spoken out of frustration or at the height of failure. But not for Hong Biyeon.

Her heart burned because her emotions were soaring to their peak.

‘Ah...’

Her pulse raced, uncontrollably.

Hong Seryu surely knew, too.

Hong Biyeon wasn’t smiling just because the council’s antics amused her.

The world’s newspapers would soon proclaim how Princess Hong Biyeon had played a decisive role in saving Tehallan. Public opinion would shift overwhelmingly in her favor.

This incident had elevated the name “Hong Biyeon” beyond a point of return.

And she knew it.

If this were the old Hong Seryu, she would have reprimanded Hong Biyeon.

In fact, she had done so before, vividly recalling the words:

‘A princess unable to control her emotions? How pitiful.’

‘Unbelievable. You claim to be of Adolevit’s royal blood?’

But not anymore.

Even as Hong Biyeon smiled in front of countless people, even in the presence of the Elder Council, Hong Seryu let it slide.

The significance of that was clear.

‘...She’s acknowledging me.’

As the next queen.

Hong Biyeon turned her head on impulse.

Despite the crowd, she easily found a particular gaze fixed on her from afar.

Princess Hong Sihwa.

Her face was frozen in a rigid expression.

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Upon seeing it, Hong Biyeon felt assured of her victory and spun on her heel.

Tomorrow night, a small banquet would be held at the palace to celebrate the successful defense of Tehallan.

‘I can deal with Hong Sihwa then.’

With that thought, she returned home with a light step.