I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 329

A month had passed since Baek Yuseol fell into his deep sleep. Though many still worried for him, life continued, and those left behind had to return to their routines.

It was winter break—a time marking the end of the school year and the beginning of the new year.

Third-year seniors graduated and left, while the new second-year students prepared to move forward with fresh aspirations.

As teenagers on break, students took this opportunity to relax, some returning home, while others embarked on vacations or found their own ways to unwind.

Among them was Mayuseong, who also returned to his "home." However, whether this was truly a "rest" was up for debate.

"Screaming Cliff, Black Castle."

A strange fortress surrounded by sharp, thorn-covered cliffs, battered by howling, dark winds, almost like a prison.

The swirling darkness around the fortress was so thick and cursed that an ordinary human would be corrupted or cursed to death upon approaching, and even low-level dark mages or monsters couldn’t survive here.

Yet Mayuseong walked through this cursed place as if it were a casual stroll.

As he reached the Black Castle, a misty figure resembling a ghost emerged, floating toward him.

"Prince Mayuseong..."

"Yes."

"The Dark Lord awaits you..."

"Lead the way."

Following the ghostly figure, Mayuseong climbed through the halls of the castle until he reached the throne room. The throne itself was old and rusted, yet the Dark Lord’s seat remained immaculate and pitch-black.

A man clad in dark armor sat upon it.

Paradoxically, his form was so deep in blackness that he seemed cleaner and purer than any white object in the world.

"You’re here."

"What did you call me for?"

Mayuseong’s dry tone drew the attention of shadowy figures watching from the corners. His half-siblings, likely irritated by his impudent tone, seemed to be observing.

Not that their feelings mattered to Mayuseong in the slightest.

"I called you because I wanted to see my son’s face during the break. Is that too much to ask as a father?"

"The fact that I have to look at your face during my holiday is enough to drive me mad."

"...I see."

Knowing his son despised him cut the Dark Lord deeply, yet he bore this burden, aware that Mayuseong’s resentment stemmed from the suffering he himself had caused.

"Still yearning for your mother, aren’t you?"

Dark mages do not have mothers.

They might have a biological mother who helped bring them into existence, but upon turning into dark mages, they forget all gratitude toward her.

But not Mayuseong.

He remembered and loved his mother, held her memory in his heart... and resented his father for her death.

An emotion that should not exist within a corrupted dark mage.

"Now that I’ve seen you, let’s get to the point. You said you were curious why I summoned you."

"Yes, please be quick."

"Your friend... Baek Yuseol, was it?"

At the mention of Baek Yuseol, Mayuseong’s eyes narrowed.

"Yes."

"I looked into his situation. Recently, due to an incident, he’s been lying unconscious for over a month."

"That’s none of your concern."

"Did you know they plan to transfer him to a hospital run by alchemists who specialize in life studies for better treatment?"

"...Yes, I know."

The transfer was meant to be a secret to outsiders, but Mayuseong had his sources and knew all about what was happening at Stella Academy.

"Smart kid."

Before he could question why his father was mentioning this, the Dark Lord continued.

"Baek Yuseol has been a persistent thorn in the side of dark mages, constantly interfering with our operations. Stella may have been protecting him until now, but he’ll be exposed to the outside during the transfer... Do you think he’ll be safe? Especially in his unconscious and defenseless state."

*Crack!*

At his father’s words, the ground cracked around them as Mayuseong’s red eyes flared. His eyes, red like rubies, resembled the Dark Lord’s so closely that the many dark mages observing lowered their heads instinctively.

A rare trait, "Presence of the Monarch."

It was a trait so rare that only one in a few centuries was born with it, and in the Scalbane Empire, it was said to belong solely to Prince Jaime Scalbane. But Mayuseong possessed it as well.

A presence that could force those around him to their knees in submission... a characteristic of a natural-born ruler.

Seeing this, the Dark Lord smiled quietly. He himself had not been born with the qualities of a monarch, forcing him to subjugate all dark mages by power alone. But if Mayuseong desired, one day...

"Maybe then, dark mages won’t need to live in hiding."

The Dark Lord shook his head slowly.

"My son, do you really believe I would do such a thing?"

This brought Mayuseong’s reason back somewhat.

True, the Dark Lord would not handle things in such a low manner.

It would wound his pride.

If he wanted to defeat an enemy, he would do so in the fairest of fights.

If his opponent were injured, he would wait for them to recover or inflict a similar injury upon himself.

If his opponent were unarmed, he would fight bare-handed. If they had someone to protect, he would ensure that person’s safety before beginning the duel.

If his opponent were outnumbered, he would remove his own subordinates, foregoing any advantage in numbers.

Despite this, he had never lost a battle.

The myth of his invincibility.

Since his days as a human, and even now as a dark mage, he had never known defeat, earning him the title of the world’s strongest.

Why?

Because he only fought "when the situation favored his opponent."

"What exactly are you suggesting?"

"That’s for you to figure out. It was nice to see your face. Take care of yourself."

The Dark Lord closed his eyes, ending the conversation. Rising from his seat, Mayuseong pondered his words as he exited the throne room.

"It must be the work of the Shadow Sect..."

The Shadow Sect was likely the only group capable of targeting Baek Yuseol.

Not only did they have a grudge against him for past grievances, but Stella’s knights would be escorting him during the transfer.

There were very few dark mage forces powerful and bold enough to attack Stella’s elite knights in an attempt to kill Baek Yuseol.

"I can’t reveal this to anyone."

Even if he wanted to warn Stella’s knights, any questioning about his information source would bring complications. An anonymous tip would likely be dismissed outright.

Telling Stella would do no good.

Someone else—someone who wouldn’t question the source but would be determined to protect Baek Yuseol.

There were people like that... quite a few.

Three people instantly came to mind, and widening his scope brought even more potential allies to mind.

"...This should work."

Raising his right hand, Mayuseong watched as dark mana swirled in his palm before dispersing into dust.

Though he never intentionally used it, the dark mana within him had only grown as he aged. To prevent it from consuming him, he had trained his white mana, reaching a level of mastery over 5th-class magic by age 18.

If he were to fully unleash his dark mana... even a 6th-class mage with decades of experience would be hard-pressed to challenge him.

An unbelievable feat.

A teenager on the verge of surpassing 6th-class power—something unheard of in a thousand years.

Some would call it madness, others scoff in disbelief, and still, others dismiss it as mere fantasy.

But...

"I won’t use dark mana."

The white mana came from his mother; the dark mana, from his father. He would rather die than use the hateful and repulsive dark mana.

"With white mana alone, I can protect the people I care about."

He was resolute in his decision.

If Baek Yuseol had protected everyone with no mana, then surely he could do the same.

"...Time to go back."

---

Jellyel rarely went to school, even under normal circumstances, instead spending her days working for the guild in the Plains of Hawal.

Winter break didn’t change much for her.

Unlike other teenagers who eagerly took the chance to relax and have fun, her days started as usual.

Drawing back the curtains, she greeted the morning sun and brewed herself a cup of coffee.

She placed her work documents on the table, savoring her coffee as she looked out at the beautiful landscape of Hawal’s plains.

The view was as breathtaking as ever.

She finally understood why the legend of the "Cliffs of the Immortals" told of people spending their entire lives entranced by this view until their last breath.

It was hard to imagine what life had been like before she learned to appreciate beauty.

Though she wanted to revel in the positive emotions that fueled her life, Jellyel’s expression turned somber as she glanced at her desk.

There stood a small framed photo—one taken with Baek Yuseol at the Starflower Tree Academy, where he had visited as an exchange student.

She carefully picked up the frame and gazed at it.

In the picture, Baek Yuseol had a somewhat surprised expression, likely because she had taken the photo so suddenly.

"...When will you wake up?"

She had hoped for a miracle, that he might wake with the arrival of the new year, but Baek Yuseol remained unresponsive.

Now... it would be the day after tomorrow.

Countless mages, scholars, doctors, and experts had been gathered at Stella to study Baek Y

useol’s condition. Since no answers emerged, he was set to be transferred to a special facility for further research.

Though it felt wrong to see him treated like an experiment, they had no other way to address his unique condition.

Jellyel poured her own resources into sponsoring numerous mages, instructing them to conduct research without limits.

She couldn’t help him with her own knowledge, but she could use her influence and wealth to give him every chance.

"I hope they find a way..."

*Clink!*

"Hmm?"

As she gently stroked the frame, deep in thought, her coffee cup trembled slightly. Looking up, she saw the Silver Eleventh Moon standing there, looking awkward as he coughed and looked away.

*Ahem* "It seems I’ve come at a bad time. Please, continue with what you were doing."

"Huh?"

Unsure of his meaning, Jellyel looked back down, only to realize what he meant. Flustered, her face went pale.

If anyone else had seen her tenderly caressing Baek Yuseol’s photo, they might get the wrong idea entirely.

"I-It's a misunderstanding!"

Hurriedly setting down the frame, she stood up abruptly, tossing her documents in embarrassment, though they went straight through the translucent Silver Eleventh Moon.

"Oh? Flustered, are we? That’s not the image I had of you."

"I told you, it’s nothing like that!"

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The Silver Eleventh Moon chuckled, while Jellyel clenched her fists, trembling in frustration.

She had gone through so much to find this old man.

Finally, now that they were meeting face-to-face, he couldn’t have seemed more infuriating.