I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 406

Money. In this world, there is almost nothing that money cannot achieve.

Some say that money cannot buy happiness.

Nonsense. While money might not buy happiness directly, it can secure every condition necessary for happiness.

Jelliel firmly believed in this principle.

She was happy.

If asked whether she was happy because of money, her answer would be both yes and no.

Not entirely because of money, but because money allowed her to meet someone who made her happy.

That’s why she no longer loved money for its own sake. Instead, she generously donated her wealth to the world.

To prove to herself that her happiness wasn’t solely due to money—and also as a way to atone.

“Miss Jelliel, as per your request, we’ve hired one thousand magical warrior mercenaries.”

“It wasn’t an order, it was a request. I’m not a dictator, you know.”

Jelliel replied with a hint of dissatisfaction. The magical warrior smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Truthfully, there wasn’t anyone on her staff who found her as intimidating now as they might have last year.

Last year’s Jelliel was a thousand times more terrifying. With her cold, emotionless smile, she would dismiss people without ever expressing what displeased her, making her seem truly unhinged.

But the current Jelliel expressed her emotions more openly. She no longer lashed out impulsively or dismissed people arbitrarily.

If she had a complaint, she would start with a lecture, then negotiate.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Sometimes these negotiations turned into half-heated arguments, but no one could deny that the current Jelliel was far more likable and endearing than last year’s version.

She now looked every bit like the wealthy and noble young lady of her age.

“Miss Jelliel, we dispatched agents to the locations where Dark Mages were recently spotted, but there’s been no news yet.”

“That’s expected. If these Dark Mages were in such an obvious location, they wouldn’t be worth investigating.”

“My apologies for not having more urgent information.”

“It’s fine. I think I can handle this myself.”

Jelliel had plenty of money.

And an extensive network.

With those two combined, there was little she couldn’t accomplish.

She returned to her office and picked up the phone. After identifying herself to Stella Academy’s administration, they reacted in shock.

“What brings you to call so suddenly...?”

“It’s nothing major. Could you connect me to student Anella?”

Anella was a first-year student at Stella Academy, newly admitted to the prestigious S-Class.

She was one of the most renowned first-year mages and could almost be considered Jelliel’s protégé.

Jelliel had personally overseen her magical education and supported her behind the scenes.

Soon enough, a hurried and breathless Anella picked up the call.

“Miss Jelliel! Long time no see!”

“Yes, it’s been a while. I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you sooner.”

“Huh? Uh...?”

Anella was taken aback by Jelliel’s unusually kind tone.

She wasn’t used to her being this sweet.

“Ahem! So, what’s the matter? It sounds urgent.”

Jelliel gave a wry smile.

Since she rarely called for personal reasons, everyone immediately assumed her calls were for business.

Unfortunately, they weren’t wrong this time.

“Yes, it’s true. The fact is... some people dear to me have been kidnapped by Dark Mages. I need your help. Of course, I wouldn’t ask you to do this for free. I’ll provide—”

“Don’t even mention it.”

Before she could finish, Anella cut her off coldly, leaving Jelliel momentarily startled.

“What do you mean by that...?”

Was she refusing to help? The thought pricked at Jelliel’s heart, but before she could dwell on it, Anella continued.

“How much have you done for me? I’m not going to ask for payment for something like this. Just tell me where they are. I’ve encountered plenty of Dark Mages on my missions, so my skills should be useful.”

Jelliel felt a strange sensation at Anella’s words. Though she had given generously to many, this was the first time someone had offered to help her without expecting anything in return.

“The location is in the Hahwol Plains...”

After explaining the approximate kidnapping location and the sites of recent terrorist attacks, Anella quickly jotted down notes in her journal and responded within minutes.

“I’ve narrowed it down. There are only a few groups nearby capable of operating without exposing their dark mana... Most of them are backed by the Cult.”

“The Cult?”

“The Cult of the Dark God.”

Jelliel had heard of them before but hadn’t expected to cross paths with them, so she’d never paid much attention.

“There are three locations in total. As of last year, each was led by a 7-risk Dark Mage and supported by over a hundred followers. Be cautious.”

This unexpected information revealed even their troop strength. Though they might have reinforced their forces for this operation, it didn’t matter.

Jelliel was prepared to mobilize a force ten times larger.

“Thank you. As a token of appreciation, can I at least give you some pocket money?”

“I said it’s fine!”

“Then... are you doing okay these days? It’s summer now; don’t you need summer uniforms? You’re not using those school-issued supplies for training, are you?”

“The academy’s equipment is as good as some priests’ staffs...”

“Wait, are you seriously using school supplies?”

“Uh... well...”

“Understood. Goodbye.”

Click.

After hanging up, Jelliel scribbled a note on her memo pad and gave instructions to her assistant.

“Send these items to Stella Academy for student Anella. Ensure no returns are accepted.”

“Yes, ma’am! Right away!”

Jelliel then turned to her operatives.

“Are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We’ve identified three suspected Dark Mage groups.”

“I see... three groups...”

“Let’s hit them all at once.”

“W-what?!”

The staff looked shocked, but Jelliel was completely serious. If they attacked one group, the others might get wind of it and escape—it was better to strike all at once.

“But... what if all three locations turn out to be dead ends?”

“That’s fine. Dark Mages communicate with each other, so as long as we capture one or two, extracting information won’t be too hard.”

With that, she smiled.

It was a bright, almost cheerful smile—but there was an unsettling edge to it.

“Now, you understand, don’t you? Not a single one of them can escape. Every last one must kneel before me.”

The sheer intensity of her presence left the agents frozen in awe, snapping to attention as if hypnotized.

“Yes, ma’am! Understood!”

How someone barely in her teens could exude such commanding energy was beyond comprehension.

Meanwhile, as Jelliel tore through the southern Hahwol Plains like a storm, hunting down Dark Mages with relentless determination, Prillane and the girls were wrapping up their final mission and boarding the train back to Stella Academy.

Hong Biyeon was passed out, her cheeks flushed crimson, letting out faint, labored breaths. Angel, though exhausted, forced herself to focus on her books with dark circles under her eyes, muttering about needing to catch up on supplementary studies.

Prillane wasn’t doing anything in particular but couldn’t sit still. Every time she took her eyes off Hong Biyeon for even a second, she felt an overwhelming dread that something terrible might happen.

Even in this state, Hong Biyeon waved dismissively, insisting she wouldn’t die. It was frustrating, to say the least.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Hong Biyeon barely nodded, her movements weak and unconvincing. She claimed to be fine, but she clearly wasn’t.

“Is she really okay... or not?”

Dragging herself through the summer break in such a state and still completing the final mission was impressive, if not reckless. Despite her condition, she hadn’t once used it as an excuse to shirk her responsibilities.

Of course, her output was significantly weaker than usual, which meant Angel and Prillane had to work harder...

“Haa...”

“Eep!”

As Prillane was lost in thought, a searing breath escaped from Hong Biyeon’s lips.

It wasn’t a normal breath—it was so intensely hot that Prillane jumped in shock.

“W-what is this?!”

She had never seen anything like it.

Was this what happened when someone was cursed by flames? Could a breath that hot mean her insides were melting?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Prillane’s mind, sending a chill down her spine.

“C-could she really be dying? This can’t be happening!”

She cursed Hong Biyeon’s stubbornness. How could someone be so unaware of their own condition and push themselves this far?

Yet, there was one thing Prillane didn’t know.

The fiery breath escaping from Hong Biyeon was actually a sign that the heat within her body was stabilizing.

A spell cast by the Bronze Twelve Moons, forcibly obtained by Baek Yuseol, was now activating to cool her down slightly whenever her internal temperature reached a critical level.

Thanks to this, Baek Yuseol himself often felt as though his limbs were freezing, but since it was summer, it wasn’t much of an issue.

“Haa... I feel alive again.”

With the spell easing her discomfort, Hong Biyeon finally lost consciousness and slumped over. Prillane, unaware of the spell’s effects, panicked.

She hurriedly carried Hong Biyeon off the train and stormed into the nearest magic tower.

From revealing her Stella credentials in 10 seconds to informing them that the princess of the Adolevit Kingdom was gravely ill in 29 seconds, and receiving a communicator to contact Stella Academy in 2 minutes and 18 seconds—everything moved quickly.

Within 3 minutes of entering the magic tower, Prillane had contacted Baek Yuseol in a frenzy.

“This is bad! Hong Biyeon is dying! She’s breathing fire—literal fire!”

“Exactly! Her breath was so hot we could fry an egg with it!”

“Eggs? Seriously?!”

“...Pork belly?”

As the two girls bickered over nonsense, Baek Yuseol listened in utter disbelief.

“So that’s why you’re late.”

His voice, though calm, carried a hint of exasperation.

“Hong Biyeon breathing heat and collapsing is because of a measure I took. Stop panicking and stay put. I’ll come to you.”

“R-really?”

“Do you think I’d lie about someone being sick? Honestly, Prillane, you know holy magic and still don’t recognize what’s happening?”

“Ah, uh...”

“Hahwol Plains, right? Wait there. I’m coming.”

Click.

Baek Yuseol hung up abruptly.

Angel, now somewhat reassured, leaned back in her chair and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“This has been the most exhausting summer break ever... I can’t even remember half of what happened.”

Prillane, just as drained, slumped down next to her and muttered:

“Well, at least it was a worthwhile month.”

They had grown significantly through countless battles and missions. Satisfied with their progress, Prillane closed her eyes for a brief moment.

Summer break was nearly over, but even a fleeting moment of rest was welcome.