Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

Chapter 45

Gourmet Club (4)

The basic magic theory lecture in the advanced course is usually conducted as a group project for four people.

Flame had formed a group with friends she made at the beginning of the semester, including Jackie.

“…You want to do the presentation? But that’s Flame’s role.”

A girl raised her eyebrows and spoke, but Jackie remained firm.

“I want to do the presentation too. Why does Flame get to do the good part every time?”

“What? The good part? Do you know how much Flame prepares for each presentation?”

“I can do that much too! All I ever do is research and organize the portfolio.”

Presentations.

They are the role that every student dreads the most but also the one they yearn for the most.

Stella’s students boast knowledge that surpasses that of average high school students, often reaching the level of elite university or master’s programs. Their presentation papers are quite impressive, and sometimes they even engage in fierce debates with professors.

Flame was famous for these debates, perfectly catching and countering the professors’ sharp criticisms or nitpicking, earning admiration from students.

Jackie didn’t like that.

‘I can do just as well as she does.’

It’s just that Flame always took that role, but if she did it, it would be the same.

Jackie wanted to enjoy everything that Flame did.

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“Jackie, you really…”

“Do you have any conscience?”

Group members started to reproach her, but Flame stepped in to stop them.

“It’s fine. It’s okay.”

“Huh? Flame, but you stayed up all night for days to prepare this presentation…”

“It’s okay.”
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Flame was not a saint. On the contrary, she considered herself to be ordinarily selfish.

Of course, she didn’t want to give up this presentation. How hard had she worked, pouring her sweat and tears into it, just to hand it over for free? The best she could do was to offer the opportunity for the next group project…

‘Well, she’s already decided she’s going to do my presentation.’

Jackie had already set her mind on doing this presentation. If not, she might even flip the table.

‘I really want to smack her, but I’ll hold back this time.’

The reason she held back was because Baek Yu-seol’s words kept ringing in her ears.

There must be a reason why he advised her to pay special attention to Jackie.

Since the girl named ‘Jackie’ didn’t even appear in the original work, Flame didn’t know who she was or what her role was.

But even if it was the original, not all characters and stories were documented, so she had no choice but to trust Baek Yu-seol, who seemed to have returned from the future.

“Alright, you do it. I want to see you present too.”

“Flame… Why are you so kind…”

“Yeah… Flame is definitely an angel…”

Oh, please. Flame let out a hollow laugh.

If not for Baek Yu-seol’s advice, she would have already dragged that wretched girl by her hair out the back door of the classroom.

“Good.”

“You can do it, right?”

“Of course.”

“…Then, I’ll trust you.”

Though she hated to give it away, Flame handed the presentation paper to Jackie. Without a word of thanks, Jackie took it and quickly skimmed through it as if she had already read it several times in secret.

The other girls glared at Jackie, displeased, but she didn’t care.

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“Next, Group 7. Come up.”

Finally, Flame’s Group 7 was called, and Jackie stood up.

“Will it be okay?”

“That’s Professor Kazewein…”

Professor Kazewein of the magic theory class was already famous among the commoners. He was infamous for belittling commoners with poor grades and deliberately asking difficult questions to lower the grades of high-achieving commoners.

Flame was practically a hero to first-year commoner students for consistently defeating Kazewein in debates.

Jackie probably wanted to enjoy that popularity that Flame had.

“I’ll start the presentation.”

Thus began the presentation.

From Flame’s perspective, Jackie did quite well for herself, as if she had practiced.

Except for the awkward attempt to insert humor like Flame, which almost ruined the mood.

Kazewein threw some sharp questions, but Jackie handled them without getting flustered. She must have anticipated the questions, having read the presentation paper in advance.

‘Oh, she prepared well.’

Flame was genuinely impressed, but of course, Professor Kazewein had no intention of losing this battle.

“Strange. Your explanation of why magic exists for humans is lacking.”

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“Uh? It’s not that magic exists for humans, but that it fosters human prosperity…”

“Are you making excuses before answering properly? Magic existed before humans. Have you researched how magic was able to develop?”

This was what they called ‘nitpicking.’

For commoner students, once they fell into Kazewein’s trap, there was no way out, making him like a pit of quicksand that left students speechless.

“Can’t answer that confidently, huh? Pathetic. Next question. Humans handled elements before magic existed. But you claimed magic came first. Are elements part of magic or not…”

Kazewein’s criticisms grew harsher, and Jackie’s responses became fewer.

Flame clenched her fists tightly.

‘This isn’t good.’

She had given Jackie the opportunity to lift her spirits through the presentation, but if it ended like this, it would be meaningless.

Eventually, Flame couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped in.

“Professor. That question seems to deviate from the topic.”

“Deviate from the topic? What nonsense, Flame.”

Flame sighed deeply and spoke, knowing how this would end.

“The original topic for this presentation was to investigate the origins of magic. If you ask questions about the priority of magic and humans, we cannot answer.”

(Meaning: Professor, stop with the nonsense.)

“Huh, have you forgotten how to think for yourself? Or do you intend to ignore the professor’s teachings?”

(Meaning: Why are you butting in?)

“Since we haven’t studied that part yet, there hasn’t been any teaching on that from the professor. We organized our project based on what we learned from the professor.”

(Meaning: Professor, if you don’t know either, why are you nitpicking?)

“Isn’t it problematic that you don’t have the initiative to propose even the most basic hypothesis? If you have a stupid brain that can’t even conceptualize, that’s really sad.”

(Meaning: So what?)

“I’m sorry. It’s our fault for lacking in knowledge. Since the professor likely has a clear answer to this topic that no historian has uncovered since the Progenitor Mage, could you teach us?”

(Meaning: Why don’t you try it, professor? Bet you can’t.)

Though grand on the outside, it was a petty verbal fight that Flame ended skillfully. She requested proper teachings, but most of Kazewein’s questions were ones that no one had answered even in modern times.

In other words, any hypothesis Kazewein proposed would already be known to other scholars.

He asked students to propose their own hypotheses, but she attacked the fact that he had never proposed one himself.

Professor Kazewein gritted his teeth and glared at Flame but knew that pressing further would only make him look bad, so he quickly turned away.

“…Enough. Study that part on your own.”

“Yes.”

The professor tried to maintain his authority, but everyone in the room knew that Kazewein had been thoroughly defeated by Flame.

‘That wretched commoner girl…’

Kazewein’s eyebrows twitched as he glared at Flame but couldn’t do anything. She was not just any commoner he could easily bully.

Flame was a special mage who could handle attributes of non-human species and was a genius recognized worldwide even before enrolling. Even Stella’s headmaster, Eltemon Eltrine, personally requested her admission, so professors dared not treat her carelessly.

There were even rumors that the great mage Eltemon Eltrine, who never had a disciple, intended to take her as his first disciple.

The only way to torment such talented students with connections was to sharply criticize them during lectures, but even that didn’t work on Flame, adding to Kazewein’s frustration.

“Group 7, return to your seats.”

Jackie returned to her seat with a stiff expression, and Flame tried to comfort her.

“Jackie, you did well—”

“Enough.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t bother with the fake kindness. Just shut up.”

Flame was momentarily taken aback and seriously contemplated how to bury her nicely without anyone finding out.

“Group 8, come up.”

“Yes.”

Next was Baek Yu-seol’s turn.

As expected, he was very articulate, and the students in his group always had him do the presentation. Today, his presentation was also very impressive.

Kazewein didn’t leave him alone either. Baek Yu-seol was one of the students she particularly disliked. She began her relentless attack as if to vent her frustration.

“Baek Yu-seol, that was an excellent presentation. But I have a question about your opinion.”

“What is it?”

“The idea that one of the principles of a mage’s spellcasting is ‘faith’ was proposed by ancient philosophers. Why do you think that?”

(Meaning: I want to nitpick your statement.)

Baek Yu-seol answered with a smile.

“Professor, do you believe that mana exists?”

“Isn’t that an obvious fact? Is that even a question?”

“Then do you believe that mana moves according to our will?”

“Yes. Why ask such pointless questions? Just answer.”

“Then, have you ever seen the particles of mana with your own eyes?”

At that moment, Kazewein was speechless. Just as humans cannot observe atoms, no one had observed mana particles.

“…That’s impossible.”

“Then why do you know that mana and magic exist? Even without observing it with your own eyes.”

“Because magic… exists.”

“Exactly. That’s because you believe in magic. Magic is not a phenomenon but faith.”

“Magic is mathematics and science! You’re being unreasonable, Baek Yu-seol!”

Kazewein shouted, but Baek Yu-seol shrugged with a relaxed smile.

“Why do you think it’s unreasonable? As a student, if my knowledge is incorrect, I want to learn.”

Kazewein, grinding her teeth, carefully chose her words.

“…Magic is a phenomenon, science, calculation, and the will of nature. It is not born of faith. It comes from countless efforts, calculations, and research.”

(Meaning: Anyway, I’m right.)

“Yes. While it’s true that magic’s efficiency has improved since humans began moving it calculatively, in the time of the ‘Twelve Mages’ who first received magic from the Progenitor Mage, there were no calculations or magic circles. It was only through faith that they used magic. Even now, the believers of New Moon use magic through faith, don’t they?”

(Meaning: Anyway, you’re wrong.)

Baek Yu-seol’s argument was flawless. He accurately refuted the professor’s statements and presented his own opinions. Even when the professor forcibly countered, he responded with more facts.

In the end, it was Professor Kazewein who was speechless.

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“You…!”

The students quietly cheered, feeling relieved, as Professor Kazewein could no longer argue. Flame shook her head quietly.

‘Sigh.’

This school was strange in that professors openly envied students. If a commoner without backing stood out, professors would blatantly ignore and discriminate against them.

Such blatant bullying might be the hallmark of ‘academy romance fantasy,’ but it was puzzling why they continued to do it despite always being countered.
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Well, it was satisfying to watch.

“…Enough. Return to your seat!”

Professor Kazewein, her face flushed red, shouted, and Baek Yu-seol nodded nonchalantly and sat down.

Ding-dong-dang!

The bell signaling the end of the class rang, and the students quickly left the classroom.

“Hey, did you see that?”

“Wow, that felt so good.”

“Thinking about how that professor harassed me before, it feels like a ten-year-old grudge is finally resolved.”

Flame also packed her textbook and was about to leave with her friends when Jackie hurriedly left.

“Huh? Hmm…”

While Flame was contemplating what to do, Baek Yu-seol approached.

“Hey, Flame.”

“Yeah, why. I enjoyed your presentation. It was refreshing.”

“…Was it? Anyway, there’s something I need to ask because of that.”

“What?”

He cleared his throat and asked cautiously.

“As you know, professors don’t like me.”
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“Given your usual behavior, it’s no wonder. Why?”

“But you’re friendly with the professors. So, I was wondering… Could you recommend a professor to advise a club I’m creating?”

“Hah.”

Flame let out a hollow laugh, feeling dumbfounded.

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“Why don’t you behave better in the first place?”

“How can I stay quiet when they pick on me for no reason?”

“Geez…”

Flame thought for a moment but couldn’t easily find a professor to recommend, as being an advising professor was quite a hassle. Then, someone came to mind.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you close with Assistant Professor Alterisha? You visit her lab often.”

“Oh… That’s true.”

“Then why not ask her?”

“Huh? Can an assistant professor be an advisor?”

“…Are you stupid? That’s obvious at Stella.”

Baek Yu-seol’s mouth dropped open as if he didn’t know. He had been struggling without knowing this easy solution. Flame looked at him with genuine pity.

“Geez. Anyway, thanks. I’ll be off.”

“Yeah…”

He quickly walked away as if worried someone might take Alterisha away.

‘He’s smart sometimes, but other times, he’s just clueless…’

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End of Chapter
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