I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

“You know, you have to go straight down to the basement.”  

At Alberto’s words, Yohan sighed deeply and waved his hand dismissively.  

“I know, I know. I’m going directly to the room where the magic pens are stored without stopping anywhere else.”  

For some reason, Alberto kept repeating that Yohan shouldn’t bring anything else along, even on the way to the entrance of the family treasury.  

Since Yohan wasn’t interested in anything else at the moment, it was just a nuisance to him. Though he could understand Alberto’s concern.

‘Must have been rough dealing with Yohan so much that it stressed him out…’

Yohan glanced at Alberto’s slightly thinning crown and spoke up.  

“Butler.”  

“Yes, Young Master?”  

“I’ve heard that eating salmon and walnuts helps with that.”  

Yohan subtly pointed at his own crown with his hand.  

A stiff smile appeared on Alberto’s face as he looked back at Yohan, puzzled.  

“Thank you for your concern. However, I think my hair will recover once you enter Arcana Academy.”

“Oh. Don’t worry about that. I’ll definitely be enrolling this time.”  

“I look forward to it.”  

With that, Alberto turned and resumed walking.  

It was easy for Yohan to sense that Alberto didn’t really believe he would pass the entrance exam for Arcana Academy.  

Given how Yohan Hart had acted up until now, it wasn’t surprising.  

‘Well, I’ll just show him the results.’

Finally, they arrived in front of the treasury.  

“I’ll open it now.”  

Alberto carefully placed his hand on the door of the treasury and infused it with mana.  

A complex magic circle activated. It hovered in the air like a hologram, and gently passed through both Alberto and Yohan.  

Before long—  

Clunk.

With a heavy sound, the door to the treasury slowly began to open.  

Even if someone managed to activate the magic circle, only registered individuals could enter, ensuring perfect security.  

Yohan stepped inside without slowing his pace, heading straight down the stairs toward his goal.  

“There it is.”  

“Yes. That’s correct.”  

At the bottom of the stairs was a stone door. It was etched with an intricate magic circle.  

Only someone with the blood of the Hart family could open this door.  

Swish.

Yohan carefully cut his fingertip with the dagger he had brought with him.  

As soon as a few drops of his blood fell onto the small altar in front of the stone door—  

Clunk.

The door opened with an even louder sound than before and slid to the sides.  

Seeing the dozens of magic pens displayed inside, Yohan’s eyes lit up.  

‘So I can get a magic pen here.’

In the original story, Yohan Hart only used a mid-tier magic pen until the later stages.  

Since he wasn’t able to gain the approval of a high-tier magic pen, he was always compared to the protagonist’s group, who obtained a high-tier pen through a special opportunity early on.  

‘In order not to fall behind, I need to at least get the approval of a high-tier magic pen and sync with it.’

He needed to synchronize with the magic pen as soon as possible and complete the bonding process before the entrance exam.  

“Starting from the right, that was the pen used by Oliver Hart, the former head of the family, and next is the pen used by Magnus Hart, the head before him…”  

Alberto calmly explained the owners and features of each magic pen.  

But Yohan wasn’t really interested in these details.  

‘My goal is clear.’

While most mages used several magic pens throughout their lives, there was one person from the Hart family who used only one pen.  

That person was Bryan Hart, the founder of the Hart family and a founding figure of the Noxister Empire.  

Yohan’s goal was none other than Bryan Hart’s magic pen.  

“… Lastly, in the center is the magic pen of the first head of the family, Bryan Hart. It’s made from mahogany wood, with a core of unicorn horn, and the nib is…”  

“Made of dragon scales.”  

“Yes. That’s correct.”  

Alberto responded as he looked at Bryan Hart’s magic pen displayed on its pedestal.  

The magic pen, which looked like a fountain pen in structure, had a design similar to one, but…  

‘The function is entirely different.’ 

It made sense when you thought about it.  

You couldn’t draw various illustrations with just one fountain pen, could you?  

Even for actual drawing, there are a dozen different types of pencils used just for sketching.  

Brushes vary from thick to thin, flat to fan-shaped.  

But a mage couldn’t carry all kinds of art supplies with them.  

That’s why the magic pen was created. It incorporated all those functions into one.  

‘Top-tier magic pens can even handle custom brushes and gradients.’

It was essentially the mage’s version of Photoshop.  

The value of a magic pen was determined by how versatile and useful its functions were.  

‘And, naturally, the Hart family’s magic pens are top-tier.’

They say a master doesn’t blame their tools, but…

What a joke.  

A true master is more particular about their tools than anyone else.  

The only reason a master doesn’t blame their tools is because they already have the best.  

Yohan gazed at the magic pen of Bryan Hart, the first head of the Hart family.  

The grip was made of mahogany wood, the feed from a unicorn’s horn, and the nib from dragon scales. Even at a glance, it appeared incredibly refined.  

“Young Master.”  

“Hmm?”  

“Surely, you’re not thinking of using the first head’s magic pen…”  

“No one else has used it since the first head. Seems like it’s time someone did.”  

At Yohan’s calm response, Alberto let out a slight, disbelieving chuckle.  

“No one has used it since the first head because no one has been accepted by it.”  

Of course, Yohan knew that.  

Every descendant of the Hart family had tried to claim Bryan Hart’s magic pen.  

All of them had failed, which was why no one had used it.  

“Then I’ll just be the first.”  

To Yohan, it was nothing to worry about.  

“Young Master, this is a matter of life and death. Please consider it carefully.”  

To obtain an extraordinary pen comes with equally great risks.  

The trials of a high-tier magic pen were not easy.  

One could end up crippled or, in the worst case, dead if the pen rejected them.  

Naturally, the trial given by Bryan Hart’s magic pen would be exceptionally difficult.  

That was why Alberto was trying to dissuade him.  

“Do you think the other magic pens will be any different?”  

“That’s true, but…”  

Yohan shook his head.  

The Hart family had consistently produced powerful mages.  

The treasury was filled with the pens used by former heads of the family.  

But that didn’t mean the other magic pens weren’t dangerous.  

‘I’m going to die anyway at this rate.’

The only pen capable of confronting the ‘Lord’ was Bryan Hart’s, the one that had faced him directly.  

Without hesitation, Yohan grabbed the first head’s magic pen.  

Flash!

A burst of light erupted.  

———

Meanwhile, in Yohan Hart’s room.  

Ariel moved swiftly, tidying up the bedding.  

Another maid, who was helping from the other side, glanced around nervously before speaking.  

“Did you hear the news?”  

“What news?”  

“They say the butler and Young Master Yohan went into the family treasury.”  

“The treasury?”  

Ariel tilted her head in confusion.  

The last time Yohan had gone into the treasury was three years ago.  

Back then, he had taken a sword from the treasury, sold it on the black market, and gambled with the money, which had led to him being banned from entering. 

What had changed?  

“Yeah. Apparently, the lord gave permission, and the butler personally accompanied him.”  

“What kind of lie did he tell this time?”  

“Supposedly, he said he’ll pass the academy entrance exam no matter what and asked to take a magic pen from the treasury.”  

“……”  

Ariel remained silent.  

Normally, she would have dismissed this as another of Yohan’s outrageous claims.  

But the scene she had witnessed earlier in the day still lingered in her mind.  

The sight of Yohan standing confidently in the middle of the garden with flames swirling around him—flames strong enough to sear the skin.  

While Ariel was lost in thought, recalling the moment, the other maid let out a small laugh.  

“Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?”  

“… Yeah.”  

Yes. It was impossible.  

Even though Yohan had used magic, according to Austin, it was only a basic 2-star spell called Ignite.

While it was impressive that Yohan had pulled it off, how many incoming students could already cast 2-star spells?  

It was just surprising because Yohan had lived as a complete troublemaker and had never shown any sign of using magic before.  

‘But that’s not enough to pass the entrance exam.’

Just managing to cast that spell wouldn’t be enough for Yohan to pass the academy’s entrance exam.  

And gaining the approval of a magic pen?  

Every magic pen in the family treasury was of the highest tier.  

With just the ability to cast a basic 2-star spell, there was no way Yohan could earn the approval of one of the treasury’s magic pens.

Of course, the magic pen’s approval didn’t strictly rely on a mage’s rank, but…  

‘There are still minimum requirements.’

Even the most powerful mages struggled to be accepted by high-tier magic pens, so how could Yohan possibly receive such recognition?  

Ariel kept these thoughts to herself as she continued cleaning Yohan’s room.  

She dusted the nightstand by his bed and carefully wiped the picture frame placed on it.  

“……”  

Ariel pursed her lips as she stared at the photograph.  

In the photo were two children, about five or six years old. They stood beside a young woman.  

It was an image from a time gone past.  

The young woman in the picture, the Duchess of Hart, had passed away at a young age.  

“Young Master has changed.”  

The young boy in the photo, who used to smile so innocently, could no longer be seen.  

There was a time when Yohan used to play with her, and his signature mischievous grin accompanied his face.  

But now, those memories seemed so distant.  

Yohan Hart had changed so much that it was hard to believe that smiling boy ever existed.  

Then, a thought struck her.  

‘Has he really changed?’

Yohan had gone into the treasury with Alberto, the butler and her father.  

He had claimed he would earn the magic pen’s approval and pass the entrance exam.  

The troublemaker Yohan Hart.  

‘He went into the treasury with Father.’

Was he just trying to deceive the family again, sneaking in to take more wealth for his own indulgences?  

Or had he truly entered to obtain a magic pen?  

The Yohan Hart she knew would undoubtedly be doing the former.  

But still…  

‘Is he really still the same Yohan I know?’

The once carefree and innocent Yohan Hart.  

The Yohan Hart who lived like a scoundrel.  

And the Yohan Hart she saw today, who seemed different somehow.  

She wasn’t sure which version was the real one anymore.  

“……”  

Ariel silently gazed in the direction of the family treasury.  

She thought she had long since given up on expecting anything from Yohan Hart.  

But for some reason…  

She found herself waiting for the result.

———

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