I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 499

After crossing the Raigadorn Bridge and bidding farewell to Team Leader Tydehl, who had escorted him to the end, Baek Yu-Seol continued on his journey.

His destination was the edge of the Raigadorn Cliff, a place where a single, small flower bloomed.

This mysterious white flower, which blossomed only once a year, was known as the Nine Circle Flower, named for the nine petals that formed a perfect circle every year when it bloomed.

As Baek Yu-Seol carefully harvested the flower, Twilightis’s anxious voice broke the silence.

—“Is this the end?”

“No, not yet. I still need the scales of a 99-year-old serpent, the gallbladder of an angelic rhinoceros, and a double-yolked egg laid by a kitten born just a day ago, and...”

—“Enough! Stop! I don’t even understand half of what you’re saying...”

Seeing Twilightis’s apologetic expression, Baek Yu-Seol chuckled softly.

To others, these might seem like rare and challenging materials to obtain, but for Baek Yu-Seol, it was nothing particularly difficult.

After all, he already knew where to find everything.

The only issue was that it was tedious and time-consuming.

The journey didn’t take long.

Each day, he gathered one material after another. Within a week, he had everything he needed.

The final step involved burning the collected materials, a process that would eliminate the curse embedded in Kaya’s body. However, since Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t a shaman, he had to enlist the help of an expert.

‘When it comes to experts, witches are the best option.’

Witches were recorded as using mystical arts distinct from traditional magic, making them adept in dealing with curses.

Coincidentally, the term break at Stella Academy had ended, and it was the day before the new semester began. Scarlett was returning to the academy.

On the day before the opening ceremony, Baek Yu-Seol returned to Stella Academy and went straight to the first-year girls’ dormitory.

Ordinarily, it was strictly forbidden for male students to visit the girls’ dormitory, especially seniors visiting their juniors. However, due to his many unexpected antics, no dormitory warden bothered to question Baek Yu-Seol’s actions anymore.

“Scarlett. You’re back already?”

As expected, Scarlett had returned to Stella Academy just in time. The aura emanating from her was already unusual, suggesting that she had undergone intense training during the break and regained a portion of her strength.

Scarlett pressed her lips tightly together and gazed at Baek Yu-Seol with a calm expression.

Sensing something amiss, Baek Yu-Seol wiped the smile from his face and asked, “Something... happened, didn’t it?”

“...Yes.”

Scarlett nodded, exhaling softly and lowering her head.

“I met the Returner of the Void. He made a request.”

“A request? What kind of request?”

Scarlett parted her lips to speak but then stopped and looked into Baek Yu-Seol’s eyes.

“Before I tell you...”

“Hmm?”

“Answer me one thing.”

Scarlett rose from her seat and took a step closer to Baek Yu-Seol. So close that he could feel her breath, she asked in a voice as gentle as ripples on water:

“Was I originally fated to die?”

It was a question that couldn’t be answered easily.

The word “originally” was the biggest obstacle.

‘Originally. What does that even mean...?’

In Aether World, a strange rule existed that wasn’t present on Earth.

Originally, Hong Bi-Yeon of Adolevit had died.

Originally, Mayuseong had fallen into corruption.

Originally, Althericia hadn’t become the world’s greatest alchemist; she had been captured by a Black Mage professor and perished without ever blossoming her talent.

Originally, Flower Serene had withered away, cursing her own fate, without ever showcasing her beauty.

Originally, Jelliel had succumbed to her greed for money, endlessly harming others and tarnishing her soul, only to meet her end because of money.

Baek Yu-Seol remembered all those “originals” and had worked tirelessly to change them.

This was the current Aether World—a world where countless unhappy “originals” had been erased.

And yet.

How could Scarlett, who had always belonged to this world, know about it?

Baek Yu-Seol’s “originals” were knowledge he possessed only through Aether World Online.

‘Should I tell her?’

His greatest concern wasn’t about Scarlett herself but rather the Narrative Force.

Whenever he spoke about the truths of this world, the Narrative Force would inevitably constrain him.

Sometimes, the Constellatio Project would respond, guiding him on how much he could reveal...

‘...It doesn’t matter right now.’

Even if the Constellatio Project warned him that he lacked sufficient Narrative Force, he wouldn’t care.

Scarlett twirled her snowy white hair, waiting for his answer.

Her hairstyle was different from usual—neatly braided like a twisted cord, as if she had prepared herself with care for an important meeting.

It wasn’t difficult for Baek Yu-Seol to realize that the person she had been waiting for was him.

That’s why he understood how difficult it must have been for Scarlett to ask this question.

She must have agonized over it countless times before finally making this decision.

Not wanting to give her a disappointing answer, Baek Yu-Seol slowly opened his mouth.

“The original you... faced a fate worse than death.”

“A fate worse than death...?”

“Yes. You were trapped in that world forever, unable to escape, yearning for freedom, unable to die, and slowly devouring your own soul. After that... I don’t know what became of you.”

“I see...”

Scarlett stopped twirling her hair and let it fall to her side.

A brief silence followed.

Baek Yu-Seol waited.

Her question meant she had already heard the truth from somewhere. There must have been intent and thought behind her inquiry, and he wanted to give her time to process it.

“In that case...”

Scarlett spoke without meeting his gaze.

“When you saved me, or anyone else... was there a price to pay?”

A price.

Physically, socially, and even in terms of his connections, Baek Yu-Seol had always believed he had saved this world’s key figures without any significant cost.

Until now, he thought...

‘I realize now... every time I act, the world’s destruction accelerates.’

For the first time, he was certain.

Baek Yu-Seol understood the impact his actions were having on the world.

"I have made sacrifices."

"You knew... Even though saving those precious people is causing the world to collapse, you don’t feel anything?"

Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t tell what answer Scarlett wanted. This wasn’t a choice he’d encountered in the game, so there was no clear answer. And understanding a woman’s heart—especially that of a thousand-year-old Witch Queen—was far beyond him.

So, he chose not to overthink and spoke honestly from his heart.

“Not at all. Even if the world were to end, as long as I can save the people I love—my precious ones—I’d make the same choice over and over again.”

Hearing that, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Scarlett’s darkened expression softened into a moment of blank astonishment.

Then, with a hollow laugh, she spoke.

“...Of course. That’s just like you. Why was I even worrying about it?”

This wasn’t who she used to be.

Before, she wouldn’t have cared about what happened to others as long as she could survive or benefit from the situation.

But after spending time with Baek Yu-Seol, she found herself caring about such trivial matters.

She couldn’t bear the fact that her survival had accelerated the world's destruction.

“You’re misunderstanding something,” Baek Yu-Seol said.

“...What?”

“The sacrifice I’ve made isn’t the world’s destruction. I’ll stop that from happening, so in the end, it can’t be considered a sacrifice.”

“Then...”

Baek Yu-Seol smiled.

“The guilt you’re feeling right now, the way you’re blaming yourself—this moment is the price I have to pay.”

Even without hearing the rest, he could guess what she would say.

She was busy trying to live freely and happily, so why had she learned such unfortunate truths that now ate away at her soul?

Baek Yu-Seol didn’t want her to bear any of it.

“It would’ve been better if you hadn’t known,” he said quietly.

“I...”

Scarlett fumbled for words, trying to offer some kind of excuse, but Baek Yu-Seol didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he placed a hand on her head.

It wasn’t something one should casually do to a thousand-year-old Witch Queen, yet Scarlett felt a strange sense of reassurance from his touch.

This boy, who hadn’t even lived a hundredth of her life, seemed so dependable that no matter what he did, she found herself trusting and leaning on him.

“Alright. I’ll try to forget,” Scarlett said with a nod.

Baek Yu-Seol hurriedly pulled his hand back, realizing belatedly what he had done. She didn’t seem to mind, though.

“I understand now that many fates have been twisted because of me,” she continued. “But you’re saying everything can still be set right. That’s the path you’ve chosen, isn’t it? If that’s the case... then I just have to help. To ensure that destruction doesn’t steal our fate away.”

Her words made Baek Yu-Seol smile brightly.

She was truly admirable and endearing.

Before he had gotten to know her, Scarlett had been nothing but a chaotic variable.

An unpredictable element that could ruin plans at any moment, driven by selfish whims. She had carelessly disrupted the flow of events and wavered between siding with good and evil.

But now, she was pledging to stand fully on the side of good and fight alongside him. This moment brought Baek Yu-Seol immeasurable joy.

“You’ve made a good decision,” he said. “Speaking of which, there’s actually something I need your help with. One of the Twelve Moons has an elf suffering from a curse. To treat it, I need someone skilled in curses. Can you help?”

“Curses...?”

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Scarlett nodded.

For a witch, dealing with curses was as natural as breathing.

“What kind of curse is it?”

“Oh, it’s called the ‘Sleeping Forest Elf.’ You’ve probably heard of it.”

Scarlett’s face froze in confusion.

“The Sleeping Forest Elf...?”

“Huh? You’ve never heard of it?”

“I’m proficient in most curses, but this... this is the first time I’ve ever encountered something like that.”

“...What?”

That couldn’t be right.

It was undoubtedly a curse.

“Well, it doesn’t matter even if it’s something new. My insight can figure it out quickly. Lead me to the elf.”

“They’re at Stella’s infirmary. You can head there directly.”

There was no doubt about Scarlett’s abilities. No curse in the world could escape her analysis and exorcism.

But even so, Baek Yu-Seol felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

In the game, this curse had been so well-known that he hadn’t thought much of it.

Could it really be such a rare curse that even Scarlett didn’t know about it?

And yet, he remembered the exorcism process being relatively simple.

It wasn’t supposed to be such a formidable curse.

‘Could it be...?’

The growing disparity between his in-game knowledge and the reality he faced began to take shape as a phenomenon.

Baek Yu-Seol considered a hypothesis for a moment but dismissed it just as quickly.

‘No, it can’t be.’

Even so, the unsettling feeling refused to leave him.