I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 383
Originally, Baek Yuseol’s plan was to intimidate Chunhwangjeong Palwol into revealing the secrets of the Persona Gate.
There was no way she had appeared here without a reason, and he was convinced that she was somehow responsible for what had happened to the Baekryeong Plateau Fortress.
However, his plan derailed from the start.
“Huuuwaaaah... And that bastard Marankalts made this mess and just ran off...”
“I... see.”
Without any threats or coercion, Chunhwangjeong Palwol spilled everything on her own, sobbing uncontrollably and sniffling as she spoke.
“So even a member of the Twelve Moons can cry this pathetically...”
Having only interacted with the dignified and commanding members of the Twelve Moons, Baek Yuseol found her foolishness strangely novel.
Since she wasn’t a character he had ever encountered in the original game, she felt even more unfamiliar.
“Anyway, so what you’re saying is, you can’t do anything about this?”
“That’s right... What am I supposed to do...”
As it turned out, Chunhwangjeong Palwol hadn’t created the Persona Gate. It was the work of Marankalts, a 9th-class dark magician she had hired, who had acted entirely on his own whims.
To make matters worse, Marankalts had abruptly disappeared, leaving Chunhwangjeong Palwol unable to influence the Persona Gate at all. It was a disaster upon disaster.
“Marankalts...”
In the original game, he was only briefly mentioned and never actually appeared.
He was one of the most anticlimactic figures, hyped as a major antagonist only for players who reached the final stages of the story to be met with this description upon finding him:
[Marankalts’s Corpse]
[He appears to have died of old age.]
Despite being touted as the left hand of the Dark God’s Cult, he simply died of natural causes, leaving players baffled. Some even filed complaints with the developers, but, predictably, no response came.
“And now this Marankalts suddenly causes this chaos and vanishes into thin air?”
In the game, at least his corpse remained. But now, not even that was left. His complete disappearance was a mystery.
“Well... that aside.”
Even though Chunhwangjeong Palwol’s disheveled state had drained some of his frustration, Baek Yuseol hadn’t completely let go of his anger.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Huh?”
“I heard that you manipulated two trolls to attack Hong Bi-yeon. Why did you do that?”
Baek Yuseol’s sharp glare made Chunhwangjeong Palwol flinch and curl up defensively.
“It—it wasn’t me!”
“I already know everything.”
“Well, um... it was me, but...”
His fierce expression caused her to stammer incoherently before finally confessing.
“It’s because Hae Gong Siwol threatened to kill me if I didn’t...”
“So, in the end, you orchestrated the attack?”
“But! I wasn’t going to kill her! You know that girl’s a rare talent! My plan was to take her away from you and... and... preserve her... no, I mean, protect her! I swear!”
Baek Yuseol glared at her. Unfortunately, his ability to read emotions granted by Yeonhongchun Samwol didn’t activate. Not that it mattered; her feelings were blatantly obvious.
“Sigh... Fine.”
He had no intention of forgiving her, but since Hong Bi-yeon was safe, and he still needed Chunhwangjeong Palwol’s help, he decided to let it slide for now.
“And the woman with you...?”
“Hello, I’m Flower Serin, the Elf Queen.”
From a safe distance behind Baek Yuseol, Flower Serin smiled warmly and extended her hand. Chunhwangjeong Palwol, still sniffling, reached out with the same tear-and-snot-covered hand.
Quickly, Baek Yuseol intervened, grabbing Flower Serin’s hand before she could shake it.
“Don’t.”
“Huh?”
“That’s too much...”
“Anyway, Jeongpal-nim.”
“Jeongpal?! My name is Chunhwangjeong Palwol!”
“Yes, Hwang Jeongpal-nim. You seem keen on dismantling the Persona Gate. Do you have a specific reason? From the looks of it, you’ve enthralled Grand Duke Seolparam. Why not just leave and let him be?”
“Gasp! How did you know I enthralled Seolparam?!”
“You’re seriously too dumb to believe...”
“What?! How dare you call a member of the Twelve Moons dumb?!”
“All right, then. If you don’t need our help, we’ll just leave.”
“W-wait!”
As Baek Yuseol turned to leave, Chunhwangjeong Palwol grabbed his sleeve, hesitating.
“Well... um...”
“Yes?”
“It’s true that I’ve been controlling Seolparam and using him, but...”
“Go on.”
“Well, you see... I raised him since he was young, and, uh, he feels like... like a son to me, I guess? So I can’t just abandon him...”
It would’ve been easier to believe that a rock had laid an egg.
And yet, to his surprise, Baek Yuseol found her story oddly convincing.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no real reason for her to cling to Grand Duke Seolparam. Even if she let him go, she could always find another candidate in a few hundred years once her power recovered.
Besides, the world was already on the brink of collapse thanks to Hae Gong Siwol, so what significance could one enthralled duke possibly have?
“Honestly, that’s the most...”
“I-I’m sorry! I know I’m pathetic and unworthy of being a member of the Twelve Moons! But still, I—”
“No. That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Huh?”
Grabbing Flower Serin, Baek Yuseol leapt off the tower, calling back as they fell.
“I was going to say that’s the most reasonable thing I’ve heard all day.”
Stunned, Chunhwangjeong Palwol stood frozen.
“R-reasonable...?”
For someone who had lived her life under constant scorn and ridicule, only able to earn respect through her status and power as one of the Twelve Moons, this was the first time she had received genuine praise.
“Reasonable...”
Muttering the word over and over, she sat there in a daze until Baek Yuseol shouted from below.
“Aren’t you coming?!”
“I’m coming!”
As she scrambled to leap down from the tower, her expression was still teary, but something about her had changed. The slight upward curve of her lips gave it away.
***
Baek Yuseol led Chunhwangjeong Palwol and Flower Serin out of the Baekryeong Plateau Fortress. When Chunhwangjeong Palwol asked why he wasn’t meeting with Grand Duke Seolparam, Baek Yuseol answered that he already had.
“He wasn’t in his right mind.”
“W-what was he like?”
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“Do you really want me to tell you?”
Seeing the conflicted look on Baek Yuseol’s face, Chunhwangjeong Palwol hesitated and shook her head.
“N-no, it’s fine... Everything will return to normal eventually, right...?”
She tried to steady herself with those words, but Baek Yuseol immediately crushed her hope.
“When did I say I’d restore things to normal?”
“W-what?!”
“If I just reset everything, all the cities near the Baekcheong Mountain Range will be utterly destroyed. You’re aware of that, right?”
“Y-yes, I know. But... isn’t there a way?”
“There is. The way is to not dismantle the Persona Gate. That’s where I’ll need your help.”
“M-my name is Chunhwangjeong Palwol, not... whatever you’re calling me.”
“It’s too long. It’s exhausting to say.”
Watching their exchange, Flower Serin leaned closer to Baek Yuseol and whispered with concern.
“She’s one of the Twelve Moons... Are you sure you should be treating her like this?”
“She deserves it.”
Despite traveling together, Baek Yuseol hadn’t forgiven Chunhwangjeong Palwol for her actions against Hong Bi-yeon. He was not one to easily let go of grudges.
“So, what do we do next?”
“See that over there?”
“...Ah.”
She followed Baek Yuseol’s gaze to a shimmering violet barrier in the distance. While it was impossible to see beyond it, it was likely the other side was a frozen wasteland, unlike the vibrant life here.
“This Persona Gate is different from most. Instead of creating a new space, it overlays an alternate reality onto an existing location.”
“Ah, I see... That makes sense!”
“...Do you actually understand?”
“Of course! I already knew that!”
“In any case, unlike typical Persona Gates, breaking that barrier could be another solution.”
“Great! Let’s break it then!”
“...And how exactly do you plan to destroy a dimensional barrier created by a 9th-class dark magician?”
“Uh...”
Her large eyes blinked in confusion before she chuckled awkwardly.
“Right... That’s a problem, isn’t it?”
Baek Yuseol sighed, momentarily doubting whether he could trust someone this clueless.
“So, what’s the plan?”
He had spent a long time contemplating this problem. What would happen if they broke the barrier separating the Persona Gate from reality?
Most likely...
“People and the environment altered by the Gate wouldn’t revert to their original state.”
That couldn’t be allowed to happen. If Grand Duke Seolparam remained in his current state, it would only be a matter of time before monsters from the north found another way to invade the central continent.
They needed a solution that would restore Grand Duke Seolparam while keeping the white haze creatures trapped.
“We’re going to... expand the boundary of the Persona Gate, like inflating a balloon.”
“What?!”
“E-excuse me?”
Both Chunhwangjeong Palwol and Flower Serin widened their eyes in shock.
“We’ll integrate the Persona Gate into reality.”
“Is that even possible...?”
“The dimensional barrier, once stretched to its limit, won’t burst. The 9th-class magician who created it made sure of that.”
“R-right... Marankalts created this using ancient runes.”
“Unless another 9th-class magician intervenes, the barrier will expand but won’t break.”
By blurring the line between the cold, harsh reality and the dreamlike world of the Persona Gate, they could create an ambiguous middle ground.
“What happens if we do that?”
“...Honestly, I don’t know.”
“What?!”
Baek Yuseol scratched his head, frowning.
“It’s not like I’ve ever tried this before. My guess is that intelligent beings will regain their senses. As the barrier weakens, the Gate’s control over them should falter. The human mind isn’t easy to suppress.”
“And the white haze creatures?”
“Creatures with low intelligence, like the haze, won’t revert. They’ll stay trapped.”
“...‘Should’ and ‘won’t’? You’re not certain?”
“Well... there’s a 71% chance.”
“That’s high.”
“Wait, no. Maybe it’s 17%.”
“That’s too low!”
“Regardless, this is our only option. Do we have a better alternative?”
“...No.”
As Chunhwangjeong Palwol’s expression darkened, Baek Yuseol grabbed her shoulders firmly.
Then, leaning so close their breaths nearly touched, he smiled slyly.
“It’s your turn now, Chunhwangjeong Palwol.”
“You... you called me by my full name...”
“You still have your powers as a member of the Twelve Moons, right? Pour all of them into expanding the barrier.”
“A-all of them? But I barely have any power left...”
When she moved to clutch her waist, Baek Yuseol clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“What, turning gray will kill you?”
“We will die!”
“I’ll paint you yellow again. Problem solved, right?”
“Stop joking! This is serious—”
She tried to protest, thinking he was teasing her, but his expression was unexpectedly heavy.
It wasn’t fear that stopped her. His demeanor was still playful, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t joking at all.
There was a weight to his words, something intangible yet undeniable.
Gripping her trembling fists, Chunhwangjeong Palwol nodded resolutely.
“...All right. I’ll do it.”
It was a decision akin to defying another member of the Twelve Moons—specifically, the most powerful, Hae Gong Siwol.
Her sudden seriousness was, perhaps, only natural.
