Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 166

Academy Fox is a Magical Genius – Episode 166

Academy Fox is a Magical Genius 166

A Small Aftermath (1)

The tens of thousands of people who made up the city died.

Nobles died too.

A giant monster died too.

The end of this world, filled only with death, was originally destruction.

A 3rd Circle being is beyond what an individual can handle. [In this context, a ‘3rd Circle being’ refers to a powerful entity in a magic system, indicating a high level of magical ability.]

Perhaps there wouldn’t even be 100 among the countless players ‘outside’.

‘There are very few who have the power to control the ending, the given destruction, on an individual level.’

And my name has been added to that small number.

Even though my body was cut in half or more, killing 「Jormungandr」 [a mythical serpent from Norse mythology], who boasted a more intense presence than before the injury, was originally impossible.

The best I could have done was run away.

But because I gave him his end, the villagers don’t have to run far away.

And my students and I didn’t have to flee from this world like losers who had lost their faith.

‘And the price for not running away is…….’

Just one of my arms.

Wow, what a bargain.

The price for saving people and protecting my students’ beliefs is just my pathetic left arm.

There’s no deal in the world as cheap as this.

“……I should get a prosthetic arm when I get back.”

“Teacher, what’s a prosthetic arm?”

“A prosthetic arm is an artificially made arm.”

“Then what do you use it for?”

“Hey, you idiot! Someone without an arm, like our teacher, would use it. Why are you asking such a weird question?”

“Idiot? How can you say that to your older brother?!”

Haha, the two siblings are arguing.

The two, who first met in the slums, clearly boasted a strong sibling bond, but now they seemed like ordinary siblings.

I like this better.

‘It seems like both the older brother and younger sister have gained some mental余裕 [mental余裕 (yoyuu) refers to having composure,余裕 or room to spare, both mentally and emotionally].’

The siblings, who had no choice but to rely on each other because they had no friends, parents, or family, had finally found a home.

This village had the 余裕 to accept the siblings.

The two were treated better than other city people.

Of course, that was possible because the siblings were from the village.

I heard that the siblings’ parents went to the city to find work and met with an accident. Poor kids.

How hard it must have been.

Perhaps because I knew about the children’s past, I was taking care of them before I knew it.

“──What’s wrong with asking about a prosthetic arm?!”

“I’m saying, it’s rude. You know our teacher lost his arm saving us, do you think he’d feel good if you mentioned it?”

Are you two still not done?

I looked at the two cute children who were still having a heated conversation.

Listening to the conversation, it was clear that the younger sister was younger, but she was making more mentally mature remarks.

She matured quickly.

Perhaps living in the slums forced her to mature.

“I, I didn’t mean it that way!”

“Even if you didn’t, it’s still rude!”

“You two, stop it.”

“But Teacher, my brother……!”

“My sister……!”

“Kids, didn’t Teacher tell you to stop?”

““!!!””

The siblings closed their mouths when I spoke firmly.

In just one day, I became their teacher.

I gave weapons to the siblings who came to me saying they wanted to become stronger and protect themselves and their family with their own power.

I gave the older brother a spear and the younger sister a sword, and I worked them hard enough to instill the basics in just one day.

I questioned the incredible growth rate and effort and asked.

“I’m curious. Why are you two working so hard?”

“……Because I don’t want to lose anything anymore.”

“I have the same thought as my brother, but we also really want to be like Teacher.”

“Like me……?”

“Yes, I want to be a hero like Teacher!”

“M, me too!”

Want to be a hero.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I heard those words.

I’ve often heard things like ‘I want to be the strongest’ or ‘I want to be a strong player.’ But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen children with such serious eyes wanting to be heroes.

‘……Good eyes.’

It’s the same look that my beloved disciple had.

Eyes full of pure desire to protect someone.

That was the look I used to have, and it was a look that I, worn out, could no longer have.

“……I’m glad I saved them.”

Even though I’m in this state, I don’t regret it.

Because that brilliant gaze, that bright smile that I, who can’t smile purely, can’t have, was so dazzling. This was really worth more than just one arm.

So I didn’t want them to fight.

When I stopped their argument, the older brother raised his hand.

Could it be that he has questions about what I taught him today?

“Teacher, I have a question.”

“What could our Charles want to ask? Go ahead and tell me.”

“Ah, were you going to ask that, Oppa [Older brother]?”

“Yeah, that thing we talked about yesterday. Teacher, can we call you Master from now on?”

The siblings’ eyes sparkled.

They were sparkling so much, I wondered what they were going to ask.

“Master? Out of the blue?”

Master, huh.

Personally, I hate being called that.

My ideal master is only the woman I loved, and I already have a history of failing to guide a disciple on the right path as a master.

I absolutely hated hearing the word ‘Master’.

“Couldn’t you just call me Teacher instead of Master?”

“My dad used to say that a teacher is someone who is born earlier and teaches someone, but a master is someone who teaches and guides someone at the same time!”

“But what does ‘guide’ mean?”

It was hard to say anything when they brought up their father.

Especially since they were children who had lost their parents at a young age.

‘……Damn it, it’s hard to refuse when approached with a dictionary definition.’

It would be difficult to dissuade the children simply by saying that I didn’t like the term ‘Master’.

Children have a unique stubbornness.

Moreover, the child who lost his parents added that it was something his father had said when he was alive.

“Oh well, I can’t help it.”

“Wow! So, can we call you Master from now on?!”

“Yeah, do whatever you want. But don’t let my students… the older sisters and brothers hear you.”

“Master! Master!”

“Wow, I have a Master now!!”

“……Good grief.”

I wondered what was so great about being a Master.

I thought they were still young, but suddenly I felt like I was the same at that age.

When I think about it, I’m not in a position to talk about others.

‘……I decided not to take any more disciples after losing you.’

I’m sorry, my disciple.

But since these children will be leaving tomorrow anyway, please forgive me, who is worse than a disgrace.

Of course, if you were here, you definitely wouldn’t have forgiven me.

You would have found all sorts of faults, saying that taking disciples behind your back was like an affair.

‘It’s been years since I accepted a disciple after that child. I have the title of Master, but there’s not much I can do.’

There’s one thing I can do even with this body.

The “Ancestral Sorcery” I learned from Tamamo.

The sorcery I was taught by her, regardless of the field, was gradually accumulating in my head like a huge library.

This is just one branch among those many books.

‘A sorcery with no proper name. I hope it works well in one go.’

I secretly formed a hand seal with my right hand.

A sorcery to overcome predetermined misfortune.

It increases luck and, in some cases, even overcomes predetermined great destiny.

The price for that is.

‘I’ll take it.’

It’s a curse I cast, after all.

If so, it was only right that the children enjoy the effects, but I bear the cost.

A curse to avoid misfortune that will come someday.

If the destruction that those children had already faced was misfortune.

The small question that started with the thought of whether I could take the price instead led directly to a sense of sacrifice.

Even if it’s a dead fate.

As long as they were connected by the bond between master and disciple, I couldn’t help but want the siblings to live.

After casting the spell, I suddenly remembered.

‘Come to think of it, there’s one more thing I can do.’

I got up from my seat as I was teaching the siblings the sword and spear.

Of course, I was just levitating my body with telekinesis because I didn’t have the strength or muscles to get up, but after getting up from my seat, I immediately took out a few things from the space in the ring.

“H, hands disappeared……?”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Is that magic?”

“To be exact, it’s a magic tool.”

Swoosh, a hand was sucked into the air.

The hand groped for the objects inside and took out a very large piece of leather, a fountain pen with special ink, and sharp scissors.

There was nothing particularly unusual overall.

“Just a moment.”

Snip, snip, I cut the leather I had secretly taken from the collapsed mansion with scissors and cut it into a size suitable for carrying around.

Of course, since I didn’t have a left arm, this entire process was done with telekinesis.

Somehow, as the days went by, I felt like unnecessary muscles were degenerating and my aptitude for magic was increasing.

Anyway, after trimming hundreds of pieces of leather into a shape suitable for a book, I wrote letters on them. A fancy cursive like that of a noble.

……was not.

Since the target audience was young children, I decided that it would be better to write neatly and legibly rather than in difficult-to-read cursive.

“Wait just one day. I can’t teach you by your side, so I’ll make a book that suits each of you.”

“A book……?”

“M, Master? My brother and I can’t read.”

“That’s why I’m making that too.”

I’m making a total of three books.

Two books described martial arts or skills that could utilize the siblings’ characteristics and talents, respectively. The last book is a book that will be given to the siblings in common.

A book related to language.

I read dozens of books buried in the mansion, interpreted the unfamiliar characters, and unraveled them all into one book.

“I’ll teach you how to read the letters, so learn all of this book based on that. You don’t want to become a hero without even putting in that much effort, do you?”

Lilly’s sulky expression caught my eye, a look that seemed to say, ‘Surely not.’

It seemed my words had wounded her pride.

‘On the other hand, her brother…’

He turned his head away, his face flushed as if I had seen right through him.

I seemed to have hit the nail on the head.

In any case, I spent my time teaching the children with words and gestures, while simultaneously writing three books using psychokinesis.

That night, the students completed all the houses they had promised.

It wasn’t too difficult for students armed with magic and mana to construct houses from the abundant trees in the mountains. With the adults’ help, they secured enough space for 500 people to live comfortably.

In the future, they would need to build separate houses for individuals or families, but that wasn’t our immediate concern.

“Okay, kids, let’s get going.”

“We’re leaving now, right? We need to get the teacher to the hospital quickly.”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“Teacher, don’t be ridiculous. You’re wrapped in bandages all over, so it’s hard to see, but we all know you’re not okay, alright?”

“We can’t delay any longer. Let’s hurry.”

“Wait, just let me say goodbye to the kids and give them their presents.”

“No. You were writing books for them just two hours ago. If we keep this up, it’ll take all day.”

Isabel snatched the three books from my grasp and immediately levitated them into the building where the siblings lived.

It’s late dawn now.

The children, still asleep, will find the books by their bedsides tomorrow morning and realize I’ve left.

I wanted to say a final goodbye at least, but the students had waited as long as they could, so I had no choice.

It’s strange.

I was definitely shouting to get out of this world as soon as possible just two days ago.

Somehow, the situation has reversed.

[Finished relocating the surviving residents.]

[Proceeding with all episodes……!]

[Progress rate: 100%]

As we finished preparing to leave, everything seemed to rush to a conclusion.

Several sentences flooded my vision.

The sight was like a waterfall, making it difficult to read everything.

[You have perfectly cleared the city-level otherworld, ‘The Ruins of Eternal Winter, Temir’!]

[You are the first to perfectly clear an otherworld with 100%.]

[Analyzing the level of achievement and calculating rewards.]

The first?

I wondered if no one had ever reached 100% completion before.

When I think about it, even meeting the minimum requirement of 50% isn’t easy, so how many people could possibly reach 100%?

[Calculating rewards…….]

[Providing a total of three rewards!]

[Given to ‘Baek Seung-woo’ as the representative according to contribution.]

I felt the empty space in my ring being filled in that moment.

So that’s what it meant to be given as a representative.

[You have acquired ‘3rd Circle Mana Stone (50kg)’.] [Mana Stones are used as a power source for magic.]

[You have acquired a fragment of the great magic, ‘The Beginning of Spring’.]

[You have randomly acquired ‘Equipment (S~Epic Grade)’ that the author used.] [In this context, Grade refers to the quality and rarity of the equipment.]

Now that I’ve got the rewards.

The moment I felt my body trying to leave this world.

……

A quiet silence.

If there are no questions, there are no answers.

That quiet, pure white space wrapped around me gently, without a single breeze.

A familiar sensation.

It was definitely someone I knew.

“Eve.”

It’s you.

“Oh, you woke up quickly.”

“My mind woke up a long time ago. It’s just that I didn’t have the strength to move.”

“The guy who woke up hasn’t taken a single breath since a while ago?”

“You’re the same.”

In the first place, there was no need to breathe here.

“What kind of breathing is needed in the mindscape? Right?”

Unlike the pure white light.

This place, which is sacred but has nothing but a pure white space, makes me feel uneasy. It is the heart of my oldest friend.

“Your mindscape is always absurdly pure and innocent.”

“Can I take that as a compliment?”

“Nonsense. Even my mind, which has rejected all desires and emotions, has rotted and decayed from the long war, but how can your mind, which has been on the battlefield for two years longer than me, be so pure white? You’re really crazy.”

“Crazy, what a rude thing to say to a girl.”

“What do you mean by girl when you’re almost thirty?”

“Hey, I’m only two years younger than you, okay?”

“You’re almost thirty because you’re almost two years younger than me.”

“……I’m really going to curse you.”

The first friend I ever made.

And now my only remaining friend.

There are many names for her.

The Chief of Staff of the Military Kingdom, the founder of magic, the Magic Star among the Eight Stars, the Archmage.

And─.

“─Anyway, Author-nim [Author-nim is a Korean honorific used to address an author.], can I ask for a quick answer?”

The author of the novel that encompasses this world.

That’s who she is.