Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 121

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 121

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius Episode 121

City and Tramp (1)

Killing one person makes you a murderer, but killing hundreds or thousands under the guise of a cause makes you a hero.

That’s one of the common, bullshit sayings.

Murderer (殺人者).

A person who commits an act that violates ethical and moral values by killing their own kind, resulting in fratricide.

Hero or not, killing someone makes you a murderer.

The karma of slaughter is eternally bound to that person’s soul.

This is a common claim among those who believe in magic and the mystical.

I also agree with that claim, having been born and lived in a world where monsters and supernatural powers exist.

I agree.

However, that doesn’t mean I hesitate to kill.

Forbidding fratricide is an extremely inefficient way of survival.

If killing someone means I live, and my family lives, is there any need to hesitate?

Of course, if the target of the killing is a completely useless criminal, I might be able to justify it to myself, but what if that person is a good person?

Could I kill that person?

Opinions on this are extremely diverse, but in the end, the conclusion boils down to a dichotomy of approval and disapproval.

And I.

The human being named Baek Seung-woo answers that question with—.

“—Gladly.”

Without hesitation.

If it means protecting my people, my world, what does it matter if my hands get dirtier?

After all, even if I dirty hands already full of the reek of iron from blood, all that changes is the amount of blood on them.

Even if it means killing myself.

If there is a worthy cause, I am willing to stain not only my hands but also my own neck.

* * *

‘My hands feel sticky today.’

It was so hot that sweat filled my gloves and coat.

Originally, my body was immune to most heat and cold due to the influence of the 「Solar Meridian」. You could say it’s a disease version of having a cold or hot constitution.

In any case, my body, which is insensitive to temperature changes, is sweating.

The fact that this signifies is obvious.

“It’s… hotter….”

“Cis, let’s bear with it a little longer. We’re almost there.”

“No, Sir Knight. Why is it so hot here? Is this really the same region as that village before?!”

“I also occasionally sweat due to the temperature difference, but you’ll be able to adapt soon enough.”

“Considering that, sweat is flowing through the gaps in your helmet, isn’t it?”

I said in a teasing tone, and she quickly turned her head.

An intense gaze could be felt beyond the helmet.

“……Damn fox beast. Just shut up. How can you be so disrespectful to women?”

“Really? If you really want that.”

I caressed Termia’s chin with my gloved hand.

It was merely touching a helmet made of iron, but the most important thing is that I touched it.

That alone exceeded the limit she could endure with her self-proclaimed maiden’s spirit.

“Should I treat you not as a knight, but as a woman?”

“D, d… don’t be ridiculous! I am Termia’s fortress and the lord’s sword. No one can touch me carelessly!!”

“Who said anything about touching you? I just politely asked, ‘Should I?’ Were you perhaps a little expectant?”

“You fox!!”

“Oh my, did you just realize I’m a fox?”

It was hot, but the march wasn’t boring thanks to the amusing toy.

The students laughed at her appearance, which was quite different from her first impression, while some, like Noh Yura, hardened their faces.

Still, everyone drew strength from that sight.

“She’s completely different from her first appearance, isn’t she?”

“I know, right? I thought she was just strict.”

“Still, whatever. It’s funny, so it doesn’t matter.”

Some purely enjoyed it and gained strength.

“……Envious.”

“I wish… I could be in that position.”

“……Yura and Cis…? What are you two doing there…?”

“Yerin, you don’t need to know.”

“Huh…?”

Others gained strength by using jealousy as fuel.

Anyway, we diligently arrived at the city.

Now, all that’s left is to get through the long checkpoint.

Or so I thought.

“Loyalty! I greet the Knight Commander!”

“Good, it’s good to see you. If I recall correctly, your name is….”

“It’s Leo! But who are these people behind you…?”

“They are my guests, so make the inspection light. Ah, and we need to have an audience with the Baron right away, so please finish it as quickly as possible.”

“Yes! I understand!”

After receiving a salute from the guard, we passed through the checkpoint with a free pass.

When the guards holding spears raised their hands in a disciplined manner, wishing us well, Termia opened her mouth in a boastful tone.

“How is it? This is who I am.”

“Yeah, impressive.”

“……I don’t particularly feel any emotion.”

“W. O. W. A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.”

“You damn fox!! I swear I will tear your filthy mouth apart someday!!!”

“Try it if you can. But your head will explode in flames first.”

Amidst the ridiculous war of nerves.

I, who didn’t care, felt the temperature of the air with my whole body and asked Termia.

“By the way, Sir Knight.”

“……What is it?”

“Why is the temperature like this here? Why is it so warm?”

“Because this is Frontier.”

The distinction of seasons is not originally easy.

Summer and winter appear differently depending on the location of the continent.

And that distinction is not something that can be easily discerned.

“But this is… too clear. The temperature difference is even more severe than before.”

“S, Teacher, what kind of phenomenon is this?”

“I’m not sure either, Jia. I have no idea what this is.”

Like the boundary line of clouds that separates areas where it rains and areas where it doesn’t, there was a tremendous temperature difference between the well-maintained road leading to the city and the forests and mountain ranges with obvious traces of wilderness.

Hoping for the best, I asked Termia.

“Is it summer now, by any chance?”

“No, it’s autumn. How is it, isn’t it amazing? This is the result of the magic tower, the knight order, and the Baron family working together, which Frontier is proud of.”

“This temperature is?”

“Of course! This barrier that repels the northern cold to the extreme became an opportunity for the Baron to be granted the location of the barony from the great sun [the Emperor].”

“Did you say this land is part of the Empire?”

“It’s a remote place even within the Empire’s vast territory, but it is part of the Empire. Why do you ask?”

“No… I was just asking.”

The owner of this land is the Empire.

If so, the great sun she mentioned must be referring to the Emperor, and the fact that a Baron governs such a large land is also a reward for this unusual climate.

This is getting complicated.

I definitely crossed a snow-covered mountain range the day before.

Beyond that, there is a city that retains a temperature like early spring, where the cold of winter and the warmth of spring coexist.

This might be more troublesome than I thought.

‘At least to conquer the corresponding otherworld and destroy the egg, I need to exceed a scenario progress rate of 50%.’

[Progress Rate: 19.9%]

Almost 20%.

It had some meaning since I was more than 1/4 of the way there, but I had spent four days in this world so far.

The midterm exam period is a week.

I need to aim for more than 30% within three days, but how easy would that be?

“Teacher, it’s hotter than I thought.”

“I know, even though it’s not that high of a temperature, it feels a bit hot because of the temperature difference, Cis.”

“Huh? When did you two start talking informally?”

“E, uh, it’s nothing?”

The story of that dawn when I decided to call her Cis like the other students was a secret, so Isis stammered.

It wasn’t that there was anything particularly to hide, it was because of my scars.

It seems she feels guilty for accidentally seeing my naked body yesterday. Still, I’m glad she didn’t feel disgusted.

These scars are like medals and proof to me, but they won’t just look like that to other people.

“Let’s… forget about that and look around the city…!”

“Are you changing the subject? I didn’t raise our Cis like this.”

“Hey, did you raise her? I raised her.”

“Let’s agree on co-parenting.”

“But honestly, the city is pretty. But I can’t stand changing the subject.”

The students laughed and chatted.

Listening to them, they generally seemed to have a good impression of the city’s atmosphere.

A distinctly different atmosphere from the bleak Temil Village.

If I had been born and raised in this land, I could see why Termia gave up the path where she could fully demonstrate her talents and entered knighthood.

But still.

‘It looks the same to me here and there.’

Whether it’s a frozen and starving village, or a city that maintains a relatively mild climate.

There was little difference in the fact that the adults’ desolate footsteps were full instead of the children’s laughter.

I don’t know if this is a problem that occurred in the process of regenerating a world that has already been destroyed, or if the land of the north was such a desolate place not only in terms of food but also in terms of affection until just before this world was destroyed.

In the end, it was all the same that this world was dead.

* * *

“Yes……. I heard the words of Knight Commander Termia. You said you are strangers?”

“That’s right, Baron.”

“Hmm…… I see.”

Before we knew it, we were in the very center of the city.

We reached a city with an outline like a huge castle and had an audience with the owner of this land.

“If you are strangers, you may not know me or my family. First, let me introduce myself. I am Epots Ben Frontier, the lord of the Frontier barony.”

Epots Ben Frontier.

In order, it was the name, middle name, and family name.

It was a truly typical medieval name.

Baron Epots introduced his wife and children standing next to him in turn.

“The lady next to me is my wife, Anna.”

“Oh my, dear. Calling me a lady in front of guests who are visiting after so many years, really…….”

“Oh……. My wife is so charming that I accidentally called her a lady. Would you be so kind as to overlook it?”

“Of course. You seem to have a good marital relationship.”

I roughly praised the Baron and his wife.

I didn’t know why I suddenly had an audience with the Baron, so my gaze and mind were directed everywhere.

I was just following Termia when suddenly a butler approached and said that the Baron had called all of us.

We, who were trying to find the friends that Isabel and the children of Temil Village had mentioned, ended up coming here without realizing it.

“Thank you for the compliment. But the movements and etiquette are proper…… Have you ever learned noble etiquette by any chance?”

“Yes, I am also a noble.”

It was the moment to deal with a Baron in a medieval setting.

I complied with the etiquette engraved in my body.

As I entrusted my body to etiquette and movements, the Baron, who had been carefully watching the scene, asked me a question and soon showed a bright expression.

A sense of kinship between those with noble blue blood.

I don’t know, but the other person seems to feel it.

“Haha, to think I would welcome a noble other than myself in this land. It’s something to see even after living a long life. Moreover, it’s a noble of the beastmen, a noble of the south.”

“Have you not seen other nobles in the northern continent?”

It can’t be that Frontier is the only city in this vast land.

Is it even possible that he has never met another noble until he reached that age?

Ah, maybe he’s being ostracized.

While I was harboring such irreverent thoughts, the Baron laughed heartily and stroked his beard.

It was a gesture that felt like sorrow.

“I don’t know if the nobles of the Great Forest follow the same laws as our Empire, but in our Empire, at least the title of Count or higher is required to govern a territory. That’s the minimum requirement.”

“Does that mean…….”

“Yes, there are no nobles in this land except for me. Neither above nor even below.”

So the Baron, who cannot freely govern the territory, was running the city by asserting his status.

I could understand to some extent because it was such a harsh land.

But considering that, isn’t the title too low?

The land of the north looked quite large at first glance.

Even if it is a dead land that is difficult to cultivate, it was too wide for one Baron to possess.

“I see.”

“It’s truly unfortunate. The duty of a noble is to protect the people, but it is physically impossible for me alone to govern this vast territory alone. Ah, this small talk has been excessively long. I apologize.”

He was a very gentle man.

Considering that the era of this world is similar to our Middle Ages, his thoughts and worldview were different from others.

I could feel that he had a fairly open mind.

Termia, who gave up her innate talent and became his subordinate, must have also been fascinated by such aspects of the Baron and became a knight.

I continued the conversation with him, and each time I did, I was convinced.

‘I don’t like this guy.’

Baron Epots, he is not a person I like.

He’s not good as a person or as a noble.

‘The mask is thicker than I thought. The inside…… doesn’t seem very good.’

I can tell because we’re similar.

He was acting like a good person.

Quite skillfully too.