Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 212

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – Episode 212

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 212

Aftermath (2)

Almost instantly, was branded the worst criminal.

All that was known about this criminal was that they were unidentified, wore a fox mask, and wielded black flames.

Their voice wasn’t captured due to the massive explosion.

There was no way to estimate the cause or circumstances of the crime.

Even if the association wanted to track their escape route using magical traces (a common tracking method), left absolutely no traces.

No S-class player affiliated with the association could find their trail. They had already easily surpassed the magical manipulation abilities of an ordinary S-class player.

Eventually, a ranker at 289th place, working as a high-ranking executive in the association, managed to find a faint trace.

Rankers, approximately 300 highly skilled individuals worldwide who possess abilities beyond a certain level.

His title, directly bestowed by the system, was .

Originally, he earned this title for meticulously identifying enemy movements as a scout, leading numerous teams to victory without a single defeat.

Now, he was the association’s eye, identifying talent and capturing criminals.

With his involvement, the association believed they would soon be able to deduce ‘s identity.

“…The trail ends here.”

“What? This is a forest, though?”

“Yes, I’m saying the trail ends in this forest.”

“No, I mean, it’s not like they flew into the sky; how can the trail just end here?”

The subordinates looked dumbfounded at ‘s words.

After all, this wasn’t the edge of a cliff.

They couldn’t understand why the trail suddenly ended in the forest near the Choi family’s residence.

However, even more incomprehensible than them was himself.

He had absolute confidence in his search abilities and perception.

He could discern a person’s gait, gender, weight, and condition just from the grass they stepped on.

But from this point onward, there were truly no traces left.

It would be more plausible to say they vanished into thin air.

‘If they really did escape into the sky, there would inevitably be some kind of residue.’

There are methods to escape into the sky, such as using flames or telekinesis. However, all these methods leave behind telltale signs.

At least, there are no such signs in this vicinity.

No, even if I expand my perception range by dozens of kilometers, I can’t detect any lingering traces.

“…Ha! The director called me to confirm. Everyone, go back! We have nothing more to do here.”

“But, we haven’t obtained any information about …?”

“Yes we have. We’ve obtained plenty of information.”

“What information are you talking about?!”

“Hey, do I have to spell everything out for you? Figure it out yourself.”

After dismissing his subordinate, thought about the association’s director who had dispatched him.

His superior likely predicted this outcome in advance and sent him here for confirmation.

‘The opponent is at least high-ranker level when it comes to magic manipulation.’

Even if he couldn’t pinpoint the exact extent of their power.

They were not someone who could be dismissed as a mere villain.

A magician who could completely evade ‘s detection.

This proves that they possess skills surpassing the ranker, .

He knew he would be busy for a while.

* * *

The morning dawned after I returned home.

Sleep had become essential since my body had taken a beating.

But I could still push through with mental fortitude.

Moreover, Erzebet was sprawled out on my bed.

That left only the sofa to sleep on, and rather than endure such poor-quality rest, it was much more efficient to check and handle the spoils I had obtained the previous night. So, I spent my time doing just that.

Erzebet woke up from the bed, rubbing her eyes.

Traces of just waking up were evident, but her hair wasn’t disheveled, and her eyes were full of energy.

It was proof that she felt a sense of unease living in this house.

Haa… There’s nothing I can do about that.

Time is needed to adapt to a new environment.

I hoped the necessary time would be short.

“…I’m hungry.”

Come to think of it, it’s almost time for breakfast.

I focused intently as I looked at Erzebet, whose stomach was growling.

[The , which discerns the thoughts of others, is opening.]

Similar to the , which utilizes sight, but a divine power that hears what should not be heard. I heard Erzebet’s thoughts.

‘…I want to eat bread.’

Indeed, she seemed to want bread.

I had already fed her plenty of rice, but she had only eaten one piece of bread yesterday.

And that was just toast with strawberry jam, not the kind of cakes or cream-filled buns that other children her age would crave.

She seemed to like it quite a bit.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“…I like anything.”

A lie that was clearly audible.

Erzebet ate whatever was given to her without complaint, but that didn’t mean I could just give her any food.

Everyone has personal preferences.

Even those preferences change daily.

It wasn’t easy to discern what kind of food Erzebet preferred since she never voiced her desires.

Fortunately for me, I had a divine power that could eavesdrop on other people’s preferences.

“Then how about bread?”

“…Yeah, I like it.”

I hear her liking it.

But she didn’t cheer.

She was clearly happy, but her heart was as indifferent as her expression. I felt that she was desensitized to stimulation.

‘…Toast with jam. It was sweet and delicious.’

Soft toast or well-baked toast.

Various jams spread on top.

Strawberry jam is sweet.

Grape jam is amazing.

Orange jam is sour.

Apricot jam is tangy and sweet.

It’s good to spread just one, delicious to spread two, and heavenly to spread all of them.

A taste she had never experienced before.

A taste she had never savored by the side of her parents, whose faces and names she didn’t even know, or with the slave traders who treated her like a commodity. That stimulating taste was unforgettable even after a single night.

Well, if she likes bread that much, I can’t deny her.

“Then, I’ll go buy some other bread for a while, so will you stay home and eat toast with jam? I’ll be right back.”

“…No, I don’t like toast.”

“Huh?”

I was planning to buy her various kinds of bread, including cake, because she seemed to like bread, but Erzebet grabbed my sleeve.

She didn’t want me to go anywhere.

‘…I don’t want to eat alone anymore. I want to eat together.’

She said in her mind.

Last night was cold and dark.

Even though there was a warm blanket at the end of June, it was cold.

Even though she could easily turn on the fluorescent light, it was dark.

I could guess that it was all due to psychological factors.

Erzebet still needed to be comforted mentally.

Oh dear, I never thought I would end up doing childcare like this.

“Then, do you want to go out together?”

“…Yeah, I like it.”

“Let’s wash up quickly and go out. Shall I help you wash your face and remove your eye boogers?”

“…I’m okay with that.”

Well, Erzebet is also a teenage girl.

Helping her wash her face might be treating her too much like a child.

She looks like a little kid who needs adult care in my eyes, but in other people’s eyes, we might look like a combination of a student in their early 20s and a girl in her mid-teens.

That’s actually our physical age.

‘There’s a big difference in our mental ages, though.’

My soul’s age is in my mid-20s.

Moreover, I learned various martial arts under old masters and was forced to be mature at a young age, so my mental age is quite high.

Thanks to that, it was impossible to truly feel young.

“…I’ve already washed up.”

“Then let’s go now.”

“…Yeah.”

Erzebet had already finished washing her face.

Holding hands tightly so as not to lose her, we went out to buy bread.

I was worried that people might perceive our relationship as improper.

But when I thought about it, there were so many people here who looked young that I didn’t have to worry about that. In a world where magic was widespread and many people were learning and studying it, youth could be obtained more easily than I thought.

It’s just that living a long and healthy life is difficult.

If you surpass a certain level of mastery, you can appear 10 years younger.

Thanks to that, there are also women who learn magic solely for cosmetic purposes.

They invest a lot of time for youth, which is not even guaranteed.

Depending on your point of view, that may seem ignorant and superficial.

But I know.

That’s not even considered ugly.

‘Rather, ordinary magicians are uglier.’

Magicians could become morally corrupt for the sake of mastery.

Even if they were scholars, if they could kill an innocent citizen and advance to a higher level of mastery, they would seriously consider it.

And most likely, they would make a meticulous plan and kill them.

So that they would never get caught.

And that’s not a serial killer, but a scholar who exudes an air of nobility. That’s the magician’s obsession with mastery.

‘I don’t know much about it, though.’

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t born a magician in the first place.

Or maybe it’s because I have too much talent for magic.

I didn’t have much of an obsession with mastery.

If my mastery increases, I will naturally become stronger.

Rather, it was more urgent to create stronger magic with the abilities I had. At least, that’s my priority.

‘Maybe I would have seriously considered it if I didn’t have 「Archmage」.’

But after seriously considering it, I would never attempt it.

I have no intention of harming innocent citizens, let alone heinous criminals. Why would I go through all this trouble?

Wasn’t it something I volunteered for, hoping that fewer people would die, even if I couldn’t save everyone?

So, I will never harm innocent citizens for the sake of mastery.

Unless they are irredeemable trash.

‘Here’s the list.’

The trash of heinous criminals is not treated as the same people, so whether I kill them for mastery or for any other reason.

I don’t care much.

And coincidentally, the faces of the people I killed appeared on the 8 a.m. news.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen their faces without masks. They’re really ugly.”

The shells of those who were not human were also like beasts.

They may look pretty or handsome in other people’s eyes, but in my eyes, there was no more hideous appearance than that.

The images of people who passed by as victims.

After that, the appearance of the perpetrator was revealed.

Erzebet turned to me at the picture of me wearing a mask.

Well, she was surprised because the mask in our house was on TV.

No, maybe it’s not because of the mask.

[S-class villain . Among all the demons and villains identified so far, he is an evildoer who has committed fewer crimes but whose crimes are very serious.

Therefore, today at 9 a.m., the Player Association will designate him as one of the Five Great Evildoers. We will issue an international warrant and offer a reward.]

Five Great Evildoers.

I massaged my temples at the name that I would only hear in martial arts novels.

‘If my memory is correct, it seems like it was originally the Four Great Evildoers.’

From this moment on.

The mask I use in the shadows has been grouped with the same kind of madmen. It’s a good thing that the notoriety spread quickly, but I had no intention of getting involved with those guys at all.

I didn’t want to become famous like this.