Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 127

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 127

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 127

The Dead City (2)

Taking care of children in an already destroyed world under the guise of volunteer work didn’t take too long.

Surprisingly, it ended faster than expected, within two hours.

Tomorrow is the last day to spend here.

Perhaps because it was the final day of the midterm exams, the students were unusually busy, and in the process, Isabel and her group naturally met.

They weren’t that far apart to begin with.

The meeting was easy.

“Isabel, I finally found you.”

“You, shorty, found me? Shouldn’t I be the one finding you from above?”

“Funny. You were off on your own. Did you know that everyone else met up in a day, but you only joined on the sixth day?”

Isabel and Easy greeted each other warmly as soon as they met.

It was a heartwarming sight.

─A heartwarming sight… right?

‘Just go with it.’

That’s heartwarming enough.

How common is it in society to have relationships where people try to kill each other as soon as they meet?

For the record, it’s definitely not a personal experience.

Really.

“Isabel! Where have you been, Isabel?!”

“Me? See that biggest building over there?”

Isabel pointed to a building that looked like a pillar.

That was where she was assigned her role.

“It’s called a Magic Tower.”

“Magic Tower? The Magic Tower we know?”

“It’s probably different from that. What we commonly know is the most authoritative group of wizards, regardless of East or West. But I heard that in this continent, Magic Towers are public institutions in every major city.”

“I think I get the gist.”

So, in the end, the Magic Tower is a public institution that employs wizards and is responsible for large-scale development and security at the territory level.

It’s probably where they do all the things that wizards in the Middle Ages typically did.

Of course, security and guarding are the responsibility of the Knights.

“Is the work hard?”

“Not really? I wasn’t assigned as an apprentice, but as a wizard with some experience. I can only come out like this from time to time.”

“So you don’t have much free time?”

“That’s about right. Especially since a few years ago, we’ve been solving the things that the lord of this land has been instructing us to do, so there’s a bit of a labor shortage.”

“The lord’s instructions?”

The lord of this land would be Baron Epotes.

What kind of instructions did that old man give?

“Well, I don’t know the details.”

“Don’t you have the authority to know such things?”

“It’s not that. Thanks to my original knowledge and wisdom, I’ve gained a top position within the Magic Tower.”

“In that case… you didn’t just not bother to look it up, did you?”

I thought it was a reasonable suspicion, but she seemed quite offended, and Isabel immediately retorted.

“Do you think I’m like you? Of course, I looked it up. However… it’s not a document that can be read unless you’re the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Can there be such official documents?”

Official documents that can’t be read unless you’re the Master of the Magic Tower, the head of a group, and the instructions given by the owner of this land.

Ah… this smells fishy.

It smells so much that my nose is going to get crooked.

“Isn’t this too obvious?”

“The mastermind is decided.”

“It’s so obvious that it might be a fake out. For example, it could be part of a welfare activity that was kept secret from the people.”

“Are you saying that after seeing that sight?”

Noh Yoora retorted to Easy’s matter-of-fact attitude.

But Isabel’s argument shattered it mercilessly.

The place she was pointing to was where they had been taking care of the ragged children until just now. What kind of welfare is there in a city where such a place exists?

It would be more fitting to clean up the vagrants.

“That sight just now…? Ah, I guess so.”

“Hmph, good to know.”

“Hmph, my ass…”

“…Hey, what did you just say?”

“Oh, crap. You heard that?”

Isabel was still cold, and Easy muttered secretly at that attitude.

But because she muttered it out loud, Isabel heard it.

You should keep your mutterings to yourself.

Everyone here is a superhuman, how could they not hear it?

Still… thanks to that, the atmosphere isn’t bad.

After that, the two played tag.

Isabel was still the tagger.

It was like watching a déjà vu.

But in reality, the two weren’t really playing tag.

Rather, they were doing it on purpose.

Easy’s face was full of playfulness, and it was noticeable that she was trying to create a bright atmosphere on purpose. In fact, thanks to that, small smiles bloomed among the students watching the two.

Isabel also seemed to be participating in Easy’s actions as the leader of the group. What can I say, they are admirable.

“Hey, if I catch you, you’re dead?”

“Crazy! Don’t really launch a barrage. My shield is in my bag right now!”

“Then you should have taken it out sooner!”

“Did you know this would happen, damn it!!”

…….

Oh, um.

‘……They’re trying to create an atmosphere, right?’

Please say it’s right.

Let’s at least keep our atmosphere warm.

* * *

The sun set, and the chilly wind unique to early spring filled the city.

Soon, the night of the sixth day passed.

Seungwoo took out all the books related to the empire’s history and intrigue from the city’s library and scanned them. There were nearly 100 such books in this medieval setting, and he managed to read them all before morning came.

Thanks to that, he was able to fully analyze the geographical location, advantages, and political uses of this frontier city.

He memorized sufficient evidence to understand the behavior patterns of the frontier barons passed down from their ancestors. And while reading the books, he used the purple bugs [presumably a form of magical surveillance or scouting] to explore the city’s dawn and the interior of the mansion little by little.

Thanks to that, he was able to plan how to escape if a battle broke out and how to induce a fight.

“Guys.”

“Teacher, what’s wrong?”

“I have something to say for a moment…”

“Sister’s here again!”

“Today, wow! It’s meat!”

“Ah, wait a minute. Kids, we only have dried jerky, but soak it in the soup and eat it.”

“Thank you!”

And even if not as much as himself.

Since these kids were the ones taking the exam, I thought they would be serious even at dawn.

I never thought they would waste time like this.

The back side of the city is full of ragged children.

It’s been a day since I volunteered there.

I couldn’t understand if I had returned to the past or if I was dreaming, with the same appearance as yesterday. Seungwoo denied the current situation.

That’s because.

“Wasn’t this not part of the agreement?”

I didn’t say I would volunteer for two days in a row.

“But I promised to come again tomorrow?”

“…Hey, Noh Yoora.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Seungwoo put his hand on his forehead.

His head ached, and a few words lingered in his mouth.

He wondered if what he was about to say would hurt the children. After pondering whether it was okay to say it, he finally spat it out.

“Are you guys crazy?”

“…Yes?”

“Tomorrow is the last day, can you handle it?”

The midterm exam, which lasts for a week, ends tomorrow.

If they don’t finish the minimum target of 50% of the capture [likely referring to completing a certain percentage of a quest or objective] by tomorrow night, they will all receive a score of 0 without partial credit.

Partial credit is only given to students who have completed the exam until the end.

It’s not given to students who haven’t finished it.

Although it may seem harsh, the inflexible midterm grading method, which reflects the reality of the cold player industry, does not suit these children.

Even if their grades were at stake.

My students were too kind to ignore the children in front of them.

Even though everything is an illusion, and volunteering will only lead to emptiness.

“Do you even know how much of the capture has been completed?”

“Ah, yes? O, of course. I checked it at the mansion this morning. It’s 41.2%.”

Noh Yoora opened the status window and looked at the air with her eyes.

As her gaze turned to the floor, a specific number came out of her mouth.

41. 2%.

Infinitely close to half.

It’s a number that is difficult to fill up to half in one day.

To do this in one day, they would have to constantly plan and put it into practice by now, even at dawn.

But what is this mess?

The students’ complacency made me feel dazed for a moment, and then anger began to simmer.

Thump, thump!

When Seungwoo looked at what was hitting his abdomen, he saw a notebook hitting his stomach.

“…What is this?”

“The conversations between the Baron and the Master of the Magic Tower that I’ve seen and heard in the Magic Tower. And the prices of this city and the people’s thoughts on them for the past 3 years. I’ve investigated many other things, so take a look.”

“Okay.”

I immediately opened the notebook.

First, I’ll read it.

Everything the students have investigated will be written in here.

The notebook, which was at least 100 pages long, contained various data, analysis, reasoning, and evidence to support it.

It was several times more detailed and elaborate information than I thought.

‘The difference between the ratio of peasant men conscripted by the Baron in the past 5 years and the size and level of the buildings built with their labor. The usage and gaps in the taxes paid by residents for 10 years. The mysterious vibration phenomenon that has occurred periodically in the surrounding land for nearly 20 years.’

Not only that.

The rumor that there is a rebel group, also known as the Revolutionary Party, in the city’s underground aqueduct who are dissatisfied with the Baron’s reign, and evidence of this.

Data and statistics showing that the amount of food stored in the mansion is gradually decreasing as the days go by, and so on.

It was a very objective and meticulous analysis of everything in this land.

Of course, a significant amount of the data overlapped with the information that Seungwoo had spent all night analyzing, but he hadn’t even considered certain parts at all.

That was the content about the rebels.

“…Did I underestimate them too much?”

While Seungwoo was looking for information about the history of the Empire, including the Mindo [likely a historical period or event] and the Baron.

They had obtained their own sources of information and were learning about this city and the world.

If Seungwoo used purple bugs to search for information in both the shadows and the light.

The students created a mind map by weaving together subjective information from ordinary citizens, including vagrants.

Well… the mind map was closer to a 50-page report.

“How is it? We’re not just thoughtless or too kind to come to a place like this. Volunteering is just a side thing.”

“Good job.”

I quickly scanned the contents of the notebook with my eyes and memorized the contents at once with the power of 「Magic Citadel」[presumably a magical ability or skill]. Even if it’s not related to magic.

If it takes the form of knowledge, the knowledge desire and power of 「Magic Citadel」 somehow greedily stores and classifies the contents.

Now, it has become a trait with power comparable to complete memory ability.

Of course, it’s only for storing knowledge. It was up to me to use it appropriately.

And I had the ability to use it appropriately.

“The reason you came here again today. The Revolutionary Army, right?”

“Among the residents, the seeds of rebellion are sprouting little by little. That’s why they’re trying to be more careful. There was no other way to make contact other than here.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

In the end, the students started volunteering again.

But behind it, there was a hidden purpose to find a group that was in conflict with the Baron family, which is the main background of this world.

Isabel said that the informant they had to find was a young child.

A young boy.

All the children looked about the same age to my eyes, so I was quite troubled, but the moment I turned my head, my instincts were sensing it.

It was a mandatory and immediate signal, as if ordering my body.

To put it into words.

Turn your head.

Look and scan.

Instincts that deviated from intuition and sixth sense were pricking Seungwoo’s nerves like needles without any warning.

Don’t ignore yourself.

Hurry up and move your body. In the end, the instinct that stood above reason made his body move.

At the end of it.

“Can you… eat this?”

“U, un.”

“Should I cool it down for you?”

“Un.”

“Okay, I understand. Wait a little bit.”

Hoo hoo, a cool breath cooling the soup.

Even if I didn’t do that, the city’s temperature, which was close to early spring, was enough to cool the heated soup just by staying still.

Nevertheless, the boy personally cooled the soup with his mouth for someone in his arms. That was a form of childcare and love that went beyond affection.

It was an action that could never be done unless you had the mind that I had to cool it down and give it to you.

─These children look very young.

‘Yeah, they look especially young.’

My heart aches.

It was truly a scene that filled me with humanity.

Was Seungwoo’s instinct standing above reason just to show this scene?

If you ask that, definitely not.

From the beginning, his eyes were not on the two children supporting each other, but on the bottom of them.

Clang─!

Something hanging on the boy’s chest made a clear sound as it collided with the bowl containing the soup.

The unique sound heard when metals lightly collide with each other.

It was a name tag.

Engraved on the name tag was the name of the little child.

Seungwoo couldn’t take his eyes off the sparkle of the name tag that was reflected even from afar.

Step, step.

Before he knew it, his footsteps were heading towards the little child.

“Are you a kid named Charles?”

“…Wh, who are you?”

“…Uuuu.”

A small height that barely reached his thigh.

A little kid with such a small height was holding an even smaller child in his arms.

The name in the name tag attached to the smaller child was Mary.

Two people who looked like siblings.

The moment he faced those two children, his chest felt choked.

The stiff feeling of paper on his chest pressed against Seungwoo’s chest in his coat in the form of a letter paper that many people had carefully written on.

It was a sign of foreshadowing.

It was proving that this world was heading towards the correct path to a predetermined ending.