I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 442

It had been an eventful day, to say the least.

Though Baek Yuseol lacked the energy or will to involve himself in others’ affairs, he somehow found himself tangled with beastfolk, a witch hunter, and even the high-tier monster Kadzilisk.

Blue blood dripped from the blade of light extended from his Teriphone Sword. His Magpie Goggles warned him that the blood was highly toxic, but Baek Yuseol paid it little mind.

"Th-thank you... truly, thank you for saving us..."

He turned to see the beastfolk chieftain, who had been shouting at him earlier, now trembling as he expressed his gratitude.

Baek Yuseol hadn’t acted to receive thanks. When lives were at risk before his eyes, he didn’t need a particular goal or reason to act.

He simply had the ability to save them. That alone was reason enough.

Without responding, he quietly stared at the beastfolk.

Despite their rescue, the group was visibly shaken.

And why wouldn’t they be?

They had just learned that the so-called “witch” they’d been trying to kill had, in fact, sealed away the terrifying monster Kadzilisk for fifty years—an act that had protected them.

The woman they had hated and cursed for so long had driven them out of the forest not out of malice but to ensure their safety.

And now, after hurling insults at her, they had once again been saved by her.

How were they supposed to repay such a debt? How could they atone for the crimes they’d committed against her?

But Baek Yuseol didn’t care about their moral dilemma. He sheathed the mana blade back into his Teriphone and turned toward Cyclen.

As expected, the fire that had engulfed her mansion hadn’t harmed her in the slightest. She stood there, unscathed, watching everything with an amused glint in her eyes.

When Baek Yuseol approached, Cyclen spoke with intrigue.

"Interesting. You feel... quite different from other mages. Are you really a mage?"

"I’ve been pretending to be one."

"Pretending?"

Baek Yuseol nodded.

"I no longer consider myself a mage."

"Then what are you?"

Recalling a term coined by Hatae Ryeong, he replied, "A swordsman... I suppose that would be the more accurate label."

"A swordsman? That’s quite unusual in this era of grand magic."

"Was there ever a time when swordsmen weren’t considered unusual?"

"Hah, fair enough. The age of mages has never waned," Cyclen said with a faint laugh, her gaze shifting toward the beastfolk in the distance.

They seemed eager to say something to her, stealing glances in her direction, but she turned away without hesitation.

"What are you waiting for? My house has burned down anyway. Let’s move together for now. You said you were looking for a witch? As a witch hunter, I might be able to help."

"Thank you. But..."

Baek Yuseol glanced at the beastfolk, subtly raising the question.

"Are you sure you don’t want to talk to them first?"

"I’m fine. They’re the ones who won’t be fine," Cyclen said with a wry grin. "Disappearing without giving them a chance to apologize will be their greatest punishment."

"Punishment?"

"Apologizing eases the burden on the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ heart. Now, they’ll carry the weight of guilt for the rest of their lives, knowing they wronged someone who saved them. It’ll be a painful existence for them."

A punishment tailored for those with a conscience—guilt.

Even if time dulled its edge and obscured its weight, the knowledge of their sins against their benefactor would remain etched in their hearts and souls forever.

It was a uniquely un-witch-hunter-like form of retribution.

"Fair enough. Let’s leave immediately," Baek Yuseol said, gathering his belongings and preparing to depart.

Left behind, the beastfolk could only stare at the empty space where Cyclen had been, their expressions a mixture of pain and regret.

"Pfuh!"

Inside the carriage, Cyclen spat out her drink in shock. Finarette, sitting opposite her, ended up splashed by the spray but refrained from commenting due to the serious atmosphere.

"So... the witch you’re searching for... is none other than..."

"Yes. The Witch Queen, Scarlet."

"You lunatic. I’ve met someone even crazier than I thought," Cyclen muttered, scratching her disheveled hair with her nails.

"The Witch Queen? Of all people..."

"Is finding her difficult?"

"Difficult? That’s not the issue. For witches who’ve reached a certain level, the moment they’re being tracked, they’ll sense it. That’s why even witch hunters never dared to go after the Witch Queen—those who tried ended up dead."

"Interesting..."

Baek Yuseol’s eyes glinted with intrigue. For witch hunters, such risks were a deterrent, but for him, it was good news.

"So, the moment a witch hunter begins tracking her, she’ll notice?"

Cyclen nodded hesitantly, sensing his unusual excitement.

"Yes... why?"

"Do you recall the last time a witch hunter attempted to track the Witch Queen?"

"I don’t know all the witch hunters’ stories, but I think it was 500 years ago. The most powerful witch hunter of that era tried to track her and was killed. After that, no one dared to pursue her."

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"Then..."

Baek Yuseol swallowed hard.

"If a witch hunter suddenly started tracking her now..."

"Then?"

"It would be an extraordinary event for the Witch Queen."

"Well... yeah. She’d probably think the hunters had gone mad."

"Exactly."

"What?"

"Can you start tracking her right away?"

Cyclen blinked, surprised by Baek Yuseol’s serious and expectant tone.

"I could, but... why?"

"The reasons are complicated. Can you do it?"

"Not immediately. I’ll need to prepare a ritual once we reach the next village."

"Perfect."

Baek Yuseol clenched his fist, a resolute determination in his eyes.

His excitement stemmed from a simple, straightforward reason.

For the past 500 years, no witch hunter had pursued Scarlet. Yet now, with Scarlet having lost her avatar and being sealed, a witch hunter suddenly tracking her?

Scarlet would undoubtedly realize that someone was searching for her.

It would act as a kind of signal flare to a being whose existence and location were otherwise entirely unknown.

Even if this message reached her, there was no guarantee Scarlet could respond. It might be a meaningless gesture.

But for Baek Yuseol, simply sending a signal was enough to bring him immense joy.

This uncharacteristic happiness was striking to both Cyclen and Finarette, even though they hadn’t known him long.

Accustomed to his perfect poker face and lack of visible emotions, seeing him so genuinely pleased was an unusual sight.

"So the Witch Queen really was someone special to you, huh?" Cyclen remarked.

"Why would I lie in front of a witch and a witch hunter?" Baek Yuseol replied with ease.

Finarette, however, seemed uneasy.

"By the way... how did you know I was a witch? Regular mages can’t tell us apart from anyone else."

Her question was tinged with worry. If her identity as a witch could be discerned so easily by a kid, who was to say another mage wouldn’t uncover it next?

"I think it’s something I picked up naturally after spending so much time with a witch. Plus, I’m a bit... unusual for a mage myself."

"Unusual, huh? Maybe..." Finarette muttered, exhaling deeply.

As the three of them chatted, the carriage arrived at a small rural village.

Their plain and unassuming clothes drew little attention from the villagers, who continued about their business, indifferent to the newcomers.

Cyclen wandered through the village until she found an abandoned house. After entering, she set about tidying up the interior. She even installed a clean fluorescent light on the ceiling, prompting Baek Yuseol to comment.

"I thought rituals were performed in dark, dirty places."

"Ridiculous. Even witches need flames for their rituals. Some extinguish other lights to focus on the ritual fire, but that’s just what weak, low-level witches do. Rituals should always be performed in clean, pure environments. Impurities in the surroundings interfere with the clarity of intent."

"True... even a speck of impurity in a magic circle can cause it to malfunction," Baek Yuseol agreed.

Cyclen began drawing the witch hunter’s tracking magic circle on the floor with chalk.

Baek Yuseol had expected blood or red magic ink, so he was slightly disappointed. Still, he didn’t voice his thoughts.

Cyclen was clearly a high-level witch hunter, and it wasn’t surprising for her methods to differ from others.

But...

Baek Yuseol squinted at the intricate magic circle.

It was an entirely different structure from typical magic circles, something he shouldn’t have been able to recognize. Even with his Magpie Goggles, it was beyond comprehension.

Yet now, even without the goggles, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the circle, as if he could understand it.

Before he realized it, he voiced an observation.

"Isn’t there an extra dot on the rune at one o’clock?"

"Oh, you’re right. I must’ve spilled some chalk dust..." Cyclen replied nonchalantly.

The room fell silent.

Baek Yuseol, Cyclen, and Finarette all froze in place.

Cyclen was the first to break the silence, lifting her head slowly.

"You... know witch hunters’ magic too?"

Baek Yuseol didn’t respond immediately.

Witch hunter magic?

There was no way he could know such a thing.

He barely understood regular magic as it was. Without his Magpie Goggles, Baek Yuseol was practically an ordinary person.

He looked at his hands and shook his head.

"No... I don’t. It’s just... I felt like I’d learned it before, somehow."

"Ah... I see. You said you were close to the Witch Queen from a young age, didn’t you? Maybe she taught you some basics to counter witch hunters."

That wasn’t the case.

Baek Yuseol had spent less than a year with Scarlet. He had no opportunity to learn witch hunter magic from her.

So why do I know this?

Such phenomena had been happening more frequently lately.

He had started using functions from his Magpie Goggles even without wearing them.

And now, knowledge seemed to be gradually integrating into his mind.

"Let’s begin," Cyclen announced, breaking his train of thought.

Changing into a pristine white ritual robe, she prepared to start the ceremony. Baek Yuseol focused intently.

This moment was crucial.

Baek Yuseol had been eagerly anticipating it.

Before her disappearance, Scarlet had left him a final message.

"Find me."

Even at that moment, Scarlet might not have truly expected anything.

For a thousand years, no one had searched for her.

She may have feared that once she vanished, Baek Yuseol would simply forget her and move on.

Isolated, unable to hear any news from the outside world, she must have felt an unbearable loneliness.

And now, after all this time, Baek Yuseol was finally able to respond to her message.

"I’m searching for you."

To reassure Scarlet.

To let her know she wasn’t alone.

Even a single message was enough.