I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 425

After Baek Yuseol and Hong Siwha left the ballroom, Princess Hong Biyeon stopped dancing.

It wasn’t because she disliked dancing.

Previously, she had danced with partners as part of her strategy to form alliances, even if it was just one person at a time. But now, there was no need. A considerable number of nobles were flocking to her on their own.

While many of them approached merely to establish a connection, Hong Biyeon had no intention of letting even those individuals slip away.

“Oh my, isn’t the princess only eighteen?”

“To have already reached the 6th class! Incredible.”

“I can hardly believe it.”

“Princess, what is your relationship with Baek Yuseol? Are you two perhaps...”

“Hey, you can’t ask that kind of question here! You’re just trying to invite Baek Yuseol to your event, aren’t you? It’s obvious!”

“Ahem, that’s not it!”

“Princess, if you have some time, may I revisit the matter we previously discussed...”

The nobles wagged their metaphorical tails around her, offering plenty of opportunities.

Some wanted to establish a magical shipyard at the newly booming Lisbond Port, where trade had just begun. Others, merchants-turned-nobles, suggested expanding her ventures through Althericia. There were even mages eager to meet Baek Yuseol through her.

At this moment, the question of Princess Hong Biyeon’s succession to the throne wasn’t as important as her personal power, influence, and connections.

She knew this well.

Relationships based solely on business wouldn’t help in a struggle for the throne. True power came from allies willing to risk their lives in her defense.

“This is the foundation being built now.”

Muscle and flesh would eventually form, but only if the bones were strong enough to support them.

Hong Biyeon lacked the resources to attract the high-ranking nobles who could truly solidify her position.

But if her power grew stronger? If her enterprises expanded globally, filled the kingdom’s coffers, and her network became as vast as a dragon’s hoard? Even the neutral nobles and those aligned with Hong Siwha’s faction would begin to waver.

It was the scenario she had always dreamed of.

Nobles rallying around her instead of Hong Siwha.

Those who had once turned their backs recognizing her true worth and returning.

Hong Biyeon tirelessly engaged with the crowd, responding to every word without missing a beat.

This was the moment she had longed for, and she refused to rest for even a second.

But even in the midst of it all, she couldn’t stop glancing at the exit.

“Baek Yuseol...”

Her childhood had been lonely.

Even now, with so many people surrounding her, she felt the same loneliness as in those days.

Was it possible for the absence of just one person to leave such a void?

While his absence had ultimately created this situation, if she could turn back time...

She would have chosen Baek Yuseol over the support of all the nobles.

The others weren’t around.

Flame was nowhere to be seen. She had been dancing with Eisel earlier, but it seemed she had gone after Baek Yuseol.

Eisel...

Surprisingly, Eisel had blended seamlessly into the conversations among the nobles.

The nobles undoubtedly despised Eisel as a person, yet here she was, approaching them, breaking down their prejudices, and even sharing laughter with them.

It was a remarkable display of skill.

While her talent played a significant role, it was likely thanks to Baek Yuseol planting doubts about the Isaac Morph incident that Eisel could integrate so naturally.

In the end, Baek Yuseol had set the stage for both himself and Eisel, driven away a potential obstacle in Hong Siwha, and then left the scene.

Should she feel grateful?

“Hah...”

After an intense session of socializing, Hong Biyeon took advantage of a brief pause in the music to sit at a nearby table and rest.

Standing in heels for so long was more exhausting than she had anticipated.

Feeling the ache in her legs and feet, she eyed the wine on the table.

While alcohol might be restricted for minors in other countries, Adolevit allowed drinking from the age of fifteen.

Even if there had been a prohibition law, Hong Biyeon wouldn’t have cared.

Unlike before, when she couldn’t even taste it, she now enjoyed the aroma of wine, making it a worthwhile indulgence.

As she held a glass of wine to cool her forehead, someone approached.

Interrupting a moment of rest during the pause in music might have been rude, but considering the individual’s status, it was arguably the correct move.

“Princess, it has been a while.”

“Lord Drac?”

It was the Margrave Drac.

Adolevit, surrounded entirely by foreign borders, relied heavily on its four powerful Margraves to defend its territory. Among them, the “Iron-Blooded Count,” responsible for the eastern border, was Lord Drac.

“My apologies for disturbing your rest.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t very tired anyway.”

Her fatigue was evident on her face, making the lie obvious. The Margrave chuckled knowingly.

“Truthfully, I came because I have something urgent to discuss. Even at the risk of being impolite, I felt I had to approach you now. It’s a matter I cannot share with others.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s regarding the recent convening of the Council of Flames and the discussions held therein.”

Hong Biyeon’s eyes widened.

The Council of Flames.

A gathering of retired monarchs and royal mages who had served the kingdom and then stepped down.

Not even the current king could easily interfere with their deliberations, and occasionally, the council influenced the selection of the next ruler.

Their discussions were shrouded in secrecy, known only to a select few.

For Margrave Drac to disclose such information to her...

“This is significant.”

Even if he claimed the council wanted strawberry ice cream, it wouldn’t matter.

If the information truly came from the council, it was classified.

Sharing it with Hong Biyeon signaled one thing:

“He intends to side with me.”

She looked at Margrave Drac again. He smiled faintly, as if confirming her realization.

“Yes... I’m very curious to hear more.”

“I’ll arrange a date soon to discuss this further. If your schedule doesn’t permit, please let me know. I am available at any time.”

With those words, Margrave Drac left. Hong Biyeon steadied her racing heart.

“So the rumors were true—Margrave Drac attended the ball.”

“He rarely leaves his post at the border, let alone for events like this.”

“Even though I heard he was here, I wasn’t sure since he hadn’t shown his face...”

“He met with Princess Hong Biyeon and left immediately.”

“Which means...”

The nobles, too, noticed Margrave Drac’s movements and began murmuring among themselves.

Indeed, his presence was no small matter.

Keep talking.

And exaggerate the story further.

Hong Biyeon wanted people to spread her name and deeds even more.

She hoped that by the time the story reached the last person, it would have grown significantly in scale.

Only then could her name resonate louder among the nobles.

Only then could her image be firmly imprinted in their minds.

“One step, finally one step forward.”

Her goal for attending the ball had been achieved.

For the first time, Hong Biyeon, who had once had nothing, now had a solid foundation of support.

However, Hong Siwha was already tens, even hundreds of steps ahead.

That gap needed to be closed.

“There’s no time to rest here.”

Hong Biyeon glanced longingly at the ballroom’s exit but stood as the music began to play again.

“The night is just beginning.”

***

...Although Hong Biyeon and Eisel believed that everything that had transpired at the ball had been meticulously planned by Baek Yuseol from the start, the truth was far less calculated.

He had genuinely come to the ball simply to enjoy the experience.

Why else would he have gone to the trouble of donning an expensive suit?

Not only had he dressed up to make a good impression on them, but he had even practiced dancing beforehand, just in case.

Yet, he hadn’t even gotten a proper dance in. Barely moments after arriving, he’d ended up arguing with Princess Hong Siwha and then being thrown out.

“Ah, my luck,” he muttered, looking up at the sky.

The crimson-tinged moon hung brightly overhead, nearing fullness and poised to light up the night.

The ballroom had been so lively, yet the world outside was silent and deserted, an almost eerie contrast.

Declining offers of a carriage ride from the knights, Baek Yuseol decided to walk.

There wasn’t any particular reason.

He simply wanted to take a leisurely stroll through Adolevit’s palace grounds.

“This feels familiar...”

It reminded him of last summer vacation, sneaking into the palace to fetch Hong Biyeon.

It hadn’t been a long time, but it had left a lasting impression.

He wasn’t particularly feeling lonely, but as he walked the quiet, empty paths, memories of his time in Aither World kept resurfacing.

Flame, Blossoming Snow, Eisel, Iphanell, Jelier, Hong Biyeon, Althericia...

He had formed connections with so many people, relationships far more precious and intense than anything he had experienced on Earth.

“Hey, mister.”

“...?”

Lost in thought, he turned at the sound of a familiar voice.

Though Baek Yuseol’s face was obscured by the moonlight, the girl behind him was fully illuminated, her features clear and vivid.

“Flame... Why did you follow me out here?”

“There’s nothing for me to do in there.”

She crossed her arms, her usual demeanor replaced by an entirely different air. Her short hair was elegantly braided, giving her a mature and refined appearance that starkly contrasted with her youthful face.

If someone had styled her, Baek Yuseol thought, he’d love to ask for their secret.

“Eisel’s busy probing the nobles, Hong Biyeon is obviously occupied, and that alchemy enthusiast is rambling on endlessly. I never realized they were such a chatterbox.”

“Haha... Sounds about right.”

Unlike them, Flame had nothing to contribute in the ballroom.

Her very presence there was an anomaly.

This was something that didn’t fit the story.

Flame was meant to be a protagonist, always at the center of attention, bathed in the spotlight.

She didn’t belong in spaces where she wasn’t the main focus.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

That was the rule for protagonists.

But Flame was no longer the protagonist. Just as her arrival had pushed Eisel from the center stage, Flame too had stepped aside...

Around this time, Baek Yuseol had begun to realize the truth.

He was the one who had changed them.

Baek Yuseol never considered himself a “protagonist.” That title felt far too grand.

But he did see himself as unique, exceptional in a way.

After all, wasn’t it extraordinary to enter a world from a game, to know the future, and to act accordingly?

How he used that uniqueness, however, was entirely up to him. And because of that, he refused to think of himself as the protagonist.

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“So, I have no plans to go back to the ballroom.”

“And?”

“Let’s head back together.”

Flame grinned brightly and playfully tapped his shoulder.

She didn’t bring up what had happened at the ball. She knew there was no need to mention it.

“...Alright.”

Flame stepped closer, walking side by side with him.

They didn’t exchange many words.

Under the moonlight, on the silent streets where it felt like the world had vanished, they simply walked.

And they kept walking for a long while.