Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 117

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 117

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius Episode 117

Toward the City (2)

“The day has dawned. Let’s depart now.”

“……Why do you act as if you’re the leader of our group?”

“Is it wrong for me to take initiative, Sir Knight? Very well, then I shall observe how well you fare as the leader.”

“……My apologies. That was a slip of the tongue.”

The knight, Termia, has joined our company.

The city we are heading to is Frontier.

There was no one better suited to guide us there.

As it happened, he had completed all his tasks in the village, so I asked if he would like to return with us.

And he readily agreed.

Good, good.

─Readily agreed? Hmph… Anyone could see how reluctant he was yesterday.

Tamamo remembers.

She remembers Seung-woo barging into Termia’s room, grabbing his shoulder as he frantically put on his helmet and armor, and speaking in a threatening tone.

Perhaps her contractor did not witness that scene.

Nor the various cloths and restraints that were correcting his physique.

In any case, her contractor is blessed with an abundance of female attention.

No… perhaps he is aware but pretends not to be.

He is a man of many secrets, more than she realizes.

‘That’s as good as readily agreeing. You know how he was utterly repulsed by the village chief last time.’

─Well, I suppose that’s true?

‘Yes, so let’s drop this subject. We’ll be leaving soon.’

There were no carriages.

Our destination, Frontier, could only be reached by traversing rugged mountain ranges and forests, so there was no way to travel by anything with wheels.

Fortunately, it was only a two-day march if we didn’t rest.

“Alright, let’s be on our way.”

“Um… Could I say goodbye to the children just once before we go?”

“Come to think of it, Leeji, you played well with the children, didn’t you?”

His hesitant demeanor, looking down at the ground and fidgeting with his fingers, betrayed his lingering attachment. After all, he would never see them again after today.

Even knowing that they are NPCs [Non-Player Characters, characters controlled by the game] from a world already destroyed, his nature wouldn’t allow him to leave without saying goodbye.

What a hardship.

“It’s 5 AM right now anyway, the children won’t be awake.”

“I… suppose so?”

“Besides, do you think the parents of this village would allow us to meet with their children? You’ve felt it enough these past two days. This village is extremely harsh and closed off to outsiders.”

Originally, such closed-off villages tend to be strict about contact with outsiders.

I had experienced it myself many times, but for Leeji, who was visiting such a place for the first time, the impression seemed quite different.

I stroked Leeji’s head and said,

“Don’t get too attached. This land is already a destroyed world anyway. Their deaths are certain.”

“B, but… isn’t there something we can do…!”

“No.”

I understand his feelings.

The feeling of having to move on, even knowing that innocent people will die. I know it better than anyone else in the world.

But if you are truly a swordsman, you must see not only the heart but also reality.

“The Reverse Side is just another branch of the Final Dungeon. You heard it from the guide, didn’t you? A dungeon is…”

“…a fragment of a destroyed world. The starlight beyond the universe seems to be shining right now, but in reality, it has long since died and turned to dust, and what we see is like the light of the distant past… I know.”

He looked aggrieved.

Even though he grew up in such a closed-off village, he seemed so upset about the certain future of the children who smiled brightly at the strangers they met for the first time.

Well, the children’s smiles came with the price of chocolate.

This world can’t be helped.

‘It’s already destroyed, so I can’t do anything about it like I could in your world.’

─Oh, ‘your world’…?

‘You’ve already guessed, haven’t you? Don’t act like you’ve caught a new lead.’

I answered nonchalantly.

After all, I have to answer everything Tamamo asks according to our contract. She put a leash on both her neck and mine.

It was no longer wise to keep hiding information, so I spoke confidently, but she refrained from asking, saying she prefers to savor delicious things slowly.

Instead, she changed the subject.

But there’s no way I’d fall for such an obvious ploy…

─Oh my, isn’t that Amy over there?

“Where?”

I looked in the direction she was pointing.

There was no need to use a skill or the power of [ability to see the future or things beyond normal perception].

The child was running towards us.

“O, Oppa [Korean term for older brother or male friend]! Please stop for a moment before you leave!”

“Teacher.”

“Let’s wait a bit before we leave. Sir Knight, is that alright with you?”

“…If it’s for a child, I don’t mind. But weren’t you planning to leave a little later anyway, no matter what I said?”

“Of course.”

“…You annoying fox.”

I exchanged a few words with Termia and walked in the direction the girl was running from behind Leeji.

Soon, the moment Leeji and the girl met.

“Amy, you came to see me! Did you want some snacks…”

“Oppa!”

Whoosh—!

The girl ran past Leeji and threw herself into my arms.

I lifted her up, worried that she might be hurt, but she seemed fine.

The girl smiled brightly and handed me a crumpled letter.

It was quite thick.

“What’s this?”

“A letter. My friends and I wrote it together.”

So that’s why it’s so thick.

“But why?”

“Oppa, you’re going up to the city, right? Then please deliver this letter to our friends.”

“…….”

The girl folded her fingers and listed the names of several children, such as ‘Charles, Mary, Ailia…’ However, having obtained various information through the sealed demon in this village and the tomb underground, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

All I could do was.

“Okay, I’ll be sure to deliver it.”

I stroked her head.

The girl blushed at that gesture.

Noh Yoo-ra looked at her enviously, and Leeji’s eyes were filled with murderous intent as he looked up at me.

Afterward, she was handed over to her parents, who had rushed out.

Even at that moment, the girl’s parents’ eyes showed distrust, fear, and disgust towards me. I keep telling you, I didn’t create those bandits.

They keep doing this.

Feeling displeased, I remained silent, and that atmosphere persisted throughout the march.

The silence was broken by Termia.

“Are you not going to stand guard yourself?”

“No, I’m here as an instructor and educator, to teach. Not to do it for them.”

“Tch…! All talk and no action. You clearly don’t want to do it…”

I don’t stand guard.

I had no intention of helping the students with that.

Even in these extreme situations, the experience of being overworked without getting enough sleep was worth experiencing for the students.

The desire for sleep is a hard desire to control.

It takes a lot of effort to overcome it.

But Termia, who didn’t know that, was badmouthing me behind my back.

It’s very obvious, you know.

“Are you trying to pick a fight? You’ll have to accept the injuries, but I’m confident I can win. How about it? I’ll give you a head start if you want to attack.”

“…I didn’t say anything.”

“I heard you, though.”

“Why are you insulting our teacher, mister?”

If it were someone else, everyone would have let it slide, but since it was Termia, who had tried to arrest me, the students’ reactions were harsh.

They all had the mindset of ‘I can insult the teacher, but you can’t.’

These guys, I almost felt touched for a moment.

In any case, the issue grew bigger and bigger.

And soon, it turned into a matter of trust towards him.

“I heard you’re from… Frontier? Is that right? Anyway, I heard you’re the commander of a large city’s knight order. Can a knight commander be so timid?”

“…That part is true, as the young lady says. I have nothing to say.”

“Honestly, I don’t trust you. We only heard about your knight commander status from the villagers. We haven’t seen it with our own eyes. You might not even be a knight, let alone a knight commander.”

“The crest engraved on this armor and sword symbolizes the Frontier baronet family.”

“Exactly. How can we, as outsiders, distinguish that and believe it?”

Noh Yoo-ra spoke softly.

There was some truth in her words.

More than anything.

“Can a relationship of trust be formed with someone who hides their face?”

“…No, it cannot.”

“Then take it off quickly. We have to act together for two whole days, how can we trust someone who can’t even reveal their bare face inside their helmet?”

Termia seemed shocked by Leeji’s words and lowered his head.

Then he nodded.

“That’s right. Whether I like it or not, since we’ve decided to act together, trust is important. I will gladly take it off.”

He removed the cumbersome decorations and took off his upper armor and helmet.

Then, the figure hidden inside was revealed.

At the same time, silence was maintained all around.

That was the same for me and Tamamo.

This is a bit shocking.

─Was it called the Reverse Side? To think that a being that only existed in legends and folklore in our world actually exists, what a stroke of luck.

‘I agree.’

The face revealed from inside the helmet was clearly that of a woman.

Only then could I be sure.

The helmet she wore not only had a defensive role but was also a means of concealing her information, including her gender.

The inside of the helmet must have had a [voice modulation] magic built into it.

But what’s important now is not that.

“Horns……?”

“They’re not curved like a demon or a goat, but they’re extended like a deer or Rudolph.”

“There are leaves on the horns too… Don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking it is?”

I did get the impression that the helmet was pointy and threatening.

I never imagined that she wore such a threatening helmet to hide something like this.

But there was no choice.

This was beyond my knowledge and insight.

“But isn’t her skin a bit unique? You could say it’s a bit too white?”

“Actually, horns on her head are nothing. Our teacher has fox ears and even three tails on his head.”

“Sniff, sniff, I smell something natural!”

“A natural smell? Come to think of it, I feel refreshed too.”

Termia’s unexpected appearance.

To be honest, I knew she was a woman.

How many cross-dressing women have I seen on the battlefield? There’s no way I wouldn’t know.

But I didn’t know this much.

“A forest fairy, a dryad.”

“D, a dryad……!?”

“What’s that?”

Dryad (Δρυάς) [Greek for “oak-nymph”], a forest fairy who lives in trees.

Termia was a descendant who inherited the blood of that race.

More precisely.

“It seems like she also has the blood of a rare species, an ancient species, or even a transcendent species mixed in.”

“A rare species……?”

“H, how do you know that……!?”

My eyes and the knowledge I had accumulated so far analyzed her thoroughly.

The conclusion drawn from it was truly shocking.

[Skill, 「Yoma Eye」 and intertwine, analyzing everything that comes into contact with the eyes without hindrance.]

[The genes that define the species are severely mixed.]

[Overheating occurs in the process of searching and classifying information.]

[Be careful of shock!]

Thud, a sensation of something rummaging through my brain.

Along with a hot sensation on my face, my vision blurred for a moment.

“Teacher! You’re bleeding from your eyes!”

“It’s okay, I won’t die.”

It’s so shocking that I’m bleeding from my eyes.

Really, it’s incredibly shocking.

[The species of the individual is a hybrid of 5 species in total.]

[Outputs a detailed list of each species.]

[Iron spirit derived from earth, forest dryad, apple forest deer beastman, linden tree wood elf, ogre.]

I doubted my eyes after examining the message.

Why are there so many mixed in?

It’s not like she’s a chimera [mythological creature composed of different animal parts].

“This… it’s not just a mixed breed, it’s a mutt.”

“Oh! Mutt, that’s vulgar. There’s a better expression called a mixed-blood.”

“That’s ridiculous. Fairies and spirits are close beings, so I’ll accept that. I can understand the elves to some extent. The beastman… I’m a little suspicious, but I’ll accept that too.”

This is not it.

I tapped the armor she was wearing.

The sound echoing inside was full, and I could infer that it was filled with very strong muscles.

“The ogre is a bit much.”

“H, how do you know that……? It was a secret that only the Baron knew.”

“It’s obvious.”

Hey, with that much muscle, you could tear a log with one finger.

Honestly… I’m a little envious.

If I had that much physical ability, I’m confident I could solve most episodes and main stories by myself.

Termia covered her body with her hands, perhaps misinterpreting my gaze of envy.

Hey, there’s nothing to see.

Besides, you’re wearing armor right now.

You’re already covering your whole body thoroughly, I don’t know what you’re trying to cover again. Such a clumsy little girl is a fanatic… it’s ridiculous.

In my opinion, Termia only looks like a girl obsessed with playing knight.

“W, what are you looking at……?!”

“Your body.”

“……What?”

“Teacher, is that your taste? Let’s see… a notepad, ah, here it is. Teacher likes… muscular and stilted speech.”

“Don’t make me out to be a weird person.”

I actively denied it.

‘That kind of taste’ my foot.

Having castrated the essential carnal desires and lusts of a human being, I have no rational preferences. If I had to say an ideal type… it would probably be my first love, my teacher.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand. I was just scanning her muscle density.”

“Muscle density?”

The species mixed in her blood.

The ogre is the race of strength.

If there is the dragon, the progenitor of magic.

The ogre is the progenitor of ki [life energy], including aura.

Ogres, who have ki flowing through their blood vessels, blood flow, and heart from birth, possess regenerative power that far surpasses trolls and possess the strength to dare to match the dragon’s draconic words.

“Teacher, so. You’re saying that person’s blood is mixed with several races? Some of them are elves, beastmen, ogres, spirits, and dryads.”

“Yes, that’s right. In my opinion, the most concentrated blood is dryad, and the thinnest is ogre. Maybe the ogre is a distant ancestor, and the dryad is within 3 relatives.”

“……Why do you know so much about my family history that I haven’t even uttered a word about.”

“Then, Teacher! Considering the characteristics of the species, she must be hundreds of years old! She’s a grandma, a grandma!”

“Hey, what did you say?”

Termia flared up at the word hundreds.

She even forgot her usual tone.

I know she’s in her 20s with the power of peeking at the status window, but usually, if the blood of a fairy or spirit is mixed in, it looks like they’ve lived for hundreds of years as a matter of course.

Is the title of grandma too much for a girl in her 20s?

There was no reason for me to stop it.

And soon, I regretted that fact.

“I……! I’m……!!”

“By the way, climbing mountains all day is really hard. I keep drinking water even after drinking it. I need to drink another sip.”

“B, but I’m still a virgin……!!!”

“Ptooey!!!”

Leeji spat out the water he was drinking at the sudden confession.

The water flying towards Isis met the cold air surrounding her and instantly froze, falling to the ground.

And I was in that path.

I almost got hit.

Ugh, how dirty.