Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 106

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 106

Temil Village (1)

“Teacher, which way should we go from here?”

Aisis, who had changed from her pure white mourning dress into a school uniform, asked.

She glanced once at the safety device formation engraved inside her uniform, then carefully folded her ‘Frost Witch’ mourning dress and left it at the mountain cabin.

“Northeast. I’m not sure if there’s a village there, but I sensed human presence.”

“I confirmed it. But what about the possibility of wild animals, magical beasts, or hunters who have come far for hunting?”

“None. It was the presence of a young child.”

“Understood.”

While mapping all the terrain with the mountain range in hand, I sensed the presence and traces of young children.

These might not be signs pointing to a village, but I was certain that there were people in the northeast direction.

The traces were not old.

There was a high probability of encountering residents of this world, NPCs [Non-Player Characters, a term from video games referring to characters controlled by the game rather than a player].

It was at that moment.

“Teacher.”

“I know.”

“Enemy detected. Immediately engaging in combat.”

Aisis spoke in a tone as hard and cold as ice.

She used the minimum number of words in her sentences and put on her gloves.

The gloves were the same color as mine, but unlike the simple design, they had frills dangling around the wrist, like a bride’s gloves.

She had obtained them as a reward at the auction house before.

Their ability was the embodiment of the proverb, “If a woman holds a grudge, frost will fall even in May” [Meaning a woman’s resentment is powerful and can manifest even in unexpected times].

Crack.

Aisis’s magic, filled with resentment, formed frost and ice in both hands.

“I’m fighting alone, right?”

“That’s right, I’m a supervisor here before I’m a teacher.”

“I have no choice. Then, let’s start right─.”

“─Before that, take this.”

Thump.

I took off my glove, took out a bracelet from the space within the ring, and gave it to her.

I took it off and took it out as quickly as possible, trying not to show the hideous burn on my hand.

Fortunately, her gaze was directed forward, not at me.

Aisis received the sky-blue bracelet and tilted her head.

She didn’t know what it was, but she judged that it wouldn’t be strange since it was given by the teacher, and put the bracelet on her right wrist.

Then, the magic in Aisis’s grasp began to change little by little.

Crackle.

The ice and frost were formed larger and harder.

The ice, which had quickly gained sharpness and strength comparable to a military greatsword, became a weapon with sufficient killing power just by swinging or throwing it.

Aisis muttered as she saw her magic gradually strengthening in an instant.

“This… is it already completed?”

Behind it was the sky-blue bracelet I had given her and the ability embedded within it.

「Snowflake Crystal」

Grade: S

Description: A weapon created by the artisan, Gu Yaja, based on the design drawn by the magician Aisis. The original draft was conceived as a staff, but considering the combat characteristics of the magician who would become the weapon’s owner, it seemed more suitable to be made into a bracelet rather than a staff.

*Frozen Life Spiral

A magician, inspired by Baek Seung-woo’s 「Double Helix」, transformed this principle into a geometric form to incorporate it into his magic and mana. Now, the helix’s genome has become a fractal crystal structure that will comprehensively assist the power and efficiency of ice magic.

A weapon completely different from the initial design.

The only thing that was the same as the original plan was the bracelet’s ability.

“She tried to incorporate what I taught her before into the weapon.”

I taught Leeji how to handle an axe and how to hold a shield to protect the team members.

Just as I taught Seo Yerin two types of spear techniques, I taught Aisis the 「Double Helix」 that I had inadvertently created.

Based on the teachings at the time, she had demonstrated detailed mana manipulation at the auction house.

However, from my point of view, I felt a little disappointed.

‘It felt a little inferior compared to mine.’

A skill that was accidentally born from the enlightenment gained purely through one’s own strength and the talent of a saint that cannot be explained by intuition, 「Double Helix」.

I thought that 「Double Helix」 would suit Aisis well, so I tried to match the environment in which I gained enlightenment as much as possible.

But it wasn’t easy to teach her because she didn’t have those two things.

She doesn’t have a sudden flash of enlightenment or talent comparable to a saint.

So, the bracelet is what I incorporated the technique into.

The students’ weapons were completed last night along with my equipment.

The weapons, which maximized the functions each other wanted, compensated for their weaknesses and enhanced their strengths, were truly close to divine weapons.

“Teacher, can I… use this in the exam?”

“It wouldn’t have been allowed in a B-grade or A-grade dungeon, but since you guys are entering the Reverse World, it’s okay to bring one more personal weapon like that.”

Aisis’s question about fairness.

There are usually limits and restrictions on the items and weapons that can be brought into ordinary exams, but in the case of our group, we chose such an extreme difficulty that we could easily bring in things like this.

“But Teacher.”

“Why, what is it?”

“Those magical beasts. What are their names?”

She calmly created a barrier of ice.

Then, she asked me to buy time to chant a powerful spell in conjunction.

I even let out a hollow laugh at her confident attitude of asking for the name.

“Are you asking that to me, the supervisor?”

“You’re a teacher before you’re a supervisor. You have to answer the student’s questions.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her too calm demand.

Well, maybe it’s because she lives in a cold region.

I guess she might be curious about the huge wolf with its body covered in shaggy gray fur.

I am a teacher before I am a supervisor, so I said with the feeling that this much is okay.

“7th Circle, Bang Wolf. A magical beast that jumps as fast as a gunshot.”

“It’s lower than I thought?”

“What are you talking about? Considering that it’s a magical beast that suddenly popped out of the mountain, it means that it might be more common than you think in this mountain. What if that’s the weakest one in this mountain?”

“Ah…….”

Even though she asked me calmly, she seemed somewhat naive.

Indeed, it was a figure befitting her age.

‘Truly like the Frost Witch.’

What did she say just now?

Was it ‘I can’t forgive you’ and ‘Freeze’?

Her naive appearance is cute and nice because she’s a teenager.

Kugugugung─!!

While I was grinning, Aisis froze the wolf-shaped magical beasts to death and stabbed them by pulling out long and sharp icicles.

Even if the Bang Wolves barely avoided the vital points with their unique gunshot-like speed, the grudge of the gloves became a curse that tightened their ankles and windpipes.

However, such cases were rare.

Most of the Bang Wolves froze to death like frozen meat with [Ice Magic] enhanced by the fractal structure arrangement of mana through 「Snowflake Crystal」.

“All opponents eliminated.”

“Neat.”

A clean combat sense that instantly killed 72 Bang Wolves in a group.

Of course, their corpses were frozen or stabbed, and they died in a state of being crushed by huge chunks of ice that fell from the sky like hail, so it’s hard to say it’s neat… but still, whatever.

‘This is neat in its own way.’

The carnage didn’t matter.

Rather, I couldn’t help but be shocked as the spectacle that was not inferior to the carnage continued even after leaving the mountain range.

Is this originally this kind of concept?

“…It’s terrible.”

“I, I can’t even… I don’t think I can survive there for more than a year….”

A village overlooking from the mountain range.

It didn’t take long to realize that it was Temil Village. Nevertheless, the reason why we were blankly looking down at the village was.

“It’s truly a ‘ruin’.”

“At that level… wouldn’t it be Cocytus (Κωκυτός) [The river of wailing in the deepest circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno]?”

“The ice lake in the Divine Comedy and the river symbolizing the lament of the underground? If the background of the Divine Comedy was reality, it might have been inspired by that sight.”

Resembling the hell of the Divine Comedy.

Perhaps because of the long blizzard and north wind, it was because of the rather desolate scenery of the village.

There was no vitality in the considerable size of the village, which was estimated to have at least thousands of people living there, and not even a rat was caught by 「Yoma’s Eye」.

Even now that the blizzard has passed, isn’t everything in the world where snow is falling lightly frozen?

It was a place where I felt such an shocking first impression was our destination, Temil Village.

* * *

We came down to the village and scanned the surroundings.

We entered the village without any identification.

There are no guards at the entrance to check our identity, and no people walking around the city.

The village was quiet and deserted.

The snowstorm creates a picturesque scene with snow piled up, but depending on the point of view, it also causes a sense of incongruity and fear.

Traces of people living there are evident everywhere.

However, not even a rat squeaks.

“Teacher, this is strange.”

“It is.”

“If it’s this cold, every house should be piling up firewood and lighting a fire, but there isn’t a single house with smoke rising from the chimney.”

Who uses chimneys these days?

The background of the Reverse World we arrived at seemed to have built a civilization similar to the Middle Ages on Earth.

You can get a rough idea by looking at the architectural style and facilities of the house.

However, there is no boiler in a civilization like the Middle Ages, and even though the blizzard was raging like crazy, there is not a single house that is burning a fire.

The blizzard has subsided a bit now, but the north wind and snow that raged just before would have caused frostbite to ordinary people even if they were inside the house.

“It’s also geographically strange that there’s a village near a rugged mountain range. Anyway, there’s a lot to investigate.”

“Before that, we have to find them first.”

“Yes, it’s the midterm exam now.”

It is impossible to fly a drone in this weather.

Unless the snow falls less.

Then, the only way I can film them is to hold the camera myself.

And in order to take pictures with the camera, everyone has to be near me.

My role was to gather the students in one place rather than searching for information right away.

“By the way, Teacher.”

“Why?”

“When I think about the role we received, we’re a funny combination.”

“Haha, I guess so.”

The captain of the mercenary group who survived alone after receiving a request from the village.

The Frost Witch of the mountain cabin in the mountain range, called the culprit of the north wind and blizzard.

If the villagers saw it, they might suspect that a mercenary betrayed his colleagues and switched to the witch’s side.

It might be better to go separately than to go together.

“I think it would be better to look for them separately.”

“Why, why am I… am I a little uncomfortable for you too, Teacher?”

“Hmm?”

What is she talking about all of a sudden?

I looked down at her face because she was saying something out of the blue.

“…….”

I could see that she was more nervous than usual.

Aisis’s facial expressions don’t change that much, so it’s not easy to notice, but I somehow realized it.

She is quite nervous right now.

“My dad and mom said that and then they all… disappeared.”

“…….”

“I didn’t ask with any strange intentions… I was just wondering if that was the case… ?”

Silence and stillness followed.

She is trying to hide her anxiety and acting like usual by fiddling with her fingers, but it is clear that it is not working.

Cute.

At the same time, it’s funny.

Really, why do all our kids have a story?

It’s like pets resemble their owners, maybe the kids resemble me, the teacher.

“That’s not true. I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

“Really……?”

“Yes, wouldn’t I be more uncomfortable?”

I grabbed my own sleeve.

I never showed anyone the hand under the glove, but it was scarred with flames and poison.

Moreover, the body inside the suit is not exactly intact either.

That’s why I prefer clothes that don’t reveal any possibility of exposure, like suits.

Soon, my hands went to my head and butt, respectively.

The fox ears and fox tail, which are far from the appearance of a normal person.

The body hair that doesn’t move according to my will was reminding me every moment that I was far from a normal person.

There is no normal place anywhere.

Every part of my body is sick or different from others.

In fact, this was the case even before possession.

When I was young, I considered myself special because I was different from the ‘normal’ of others.

But when I became an adult, my thoughts changed 180 degrees.

No, I realized it even before I became an adult.

Being different from ‘normal’ is unhappiness.

In addition, my personality and rumors are not good either.

Baek Seung-woo is a person with nothing good about him.

So, there’s no way I’d be uncomfortable with Aisis, who is better than me.

Whether my heart was conveyed without having to express it in words, she blushed and shook her head.

“No. Teacher is… rather pretty.”

I scratched my head, saying that she was praising me too much.

But Aisis was sincere.

In her eyes, Baek Seung-woo was more beautiful than anyone else in the world.

Red eyes like jewels that seemed to burn with crimson light.

A tail and hair that were so black that they resembled the night sky.

Tall height and perfect proportions.

A face like a sculpture.

Even the knowledge that teaches herself and her friends.

He had no shortcomings, and that seemingly perfect appearance looked more brilliant and beautiful than anything else in the world in Aisis’s eyes.

Therefore, she admires and respects Baek Seung-woo as a magician and as a human being.

She didn’t pay much attention to the rumors.

Thanks to her experience that most of the rumors are unreliable, so the truth must be confirmed with her own eyes.

But Aisis didn’t know because she had only seen Baek Seung-woo so far.

That he is actually far from such beautiful things.

She didn’t know yet.

So it didn’t matter right now.

What’s important now is.

“Oh, I found her.”

“Where? Who?”

“Leeji is over there at the end.”

Leeji with a calm expression came into view even in the faint vision.

The girl was having fun running around with two or three children who appeared to be local children.

It’s a relief that I found one person…….

“…That girl, she hasn’t forgotten that it’s the midterm exam, has she?”

I looked at her with pitiful eyes.

Aisis, who looked in the direction of my finger-pointing, also glared at Leeji with pitiful eyes.

We came across the mountain range and the blizzard, but we were dumbfounded by the sight of her playing with the children so calmly that we couldn’t say anything.

……Should I make her work?