Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 242

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 242

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 242

Leonhardt (2)

We are the same person.

Not someone’s motif, but both of us were Baek Seung-woo.

However, there is a difference.

“From what point have you been living here?”

“You haven’t even confirmed my identity, yet you’re already sure I’m the same as you?”

“Then, aren’t you?”

At my words, ‘Baek Seung-woo’ nodded, looking like he couldn’t help it.

“Well, yes, but don’t you think there are a few things missing in between? Like how I separated from you? Whether you and I can really be considered the same human being? You know, issues like self-identity and ethics.”

“Is it really necessary? We can just define it as I am me, and you are you.”

“…Well, I guess you’re right.”

The conversation briefly went off track, but I managed to persuade him smoothly.

So, back to the main point.

“Then let me ask again. From what point have you been living here as Baek Seung-woo?”

“After experiencing everything I wanted to.”

“You mean…?”

“Right after the war ended, when I was burying the bodies of the dead in the sanctuary I was building. I, who was dying mentally, was reborn in this land. Again with the name Baek Seung-woo.”

There’s no more to hide.

‘Baek Seung-woo’ readily confessed.

Now I know when he arrived.

Now it’s time to find out who brought him back to life in this land. Of course, I think I know who sent him without even asking.

The person who comes to mind is just too suspicious.

“So, the one who sent you here was…”

“Eve.”

“…Yeah, who else but that bitch could make you be reborn in another world.”

The only magician in the world I lived in.

The great archmage who didn’t need to wander in search of truth.

The genius among geniuses who first called himself the Archmage, the Saint of Magic.

And at the same time.

‘The most mischievous person in the world.’

Eve is a genius strategist.

Her strategies led allies to victory with minimal losses and drove enemies to defeat with heavy losses. The problem was that she often used that brilliant mind for pranks.

Of course, even that acted as a nutrient to refresh the gloomy atmosphere of the army when viewed from a macro perspective, but from my perspective, having watched Eve’s pranks from the side, it was a headache.

Why does she live like that?

Although I was a minor, I could somehow experience the heart of a parent just by looking at Eve.

That mischievousness almost disappeared after the massacre of allies, though.

Her nature itself never changed.

“It’s been over 20 years since I saw her face, but I still remember it vividly. If you were born pretty, you should take care of yourself. Why did you always smear mud on your face?”

“Are you talking about when she was 19? Yeah, everyone followed Eve’s example and smeared mud on their faces to prepare for fire attacks.”

“But in the end, the flames never came to us.”

“I used my sword to create wind pressure and extinguish the flames as they approached.”

“I can still hear what the soldiers said back then. They complained that they had gone to the trouble of putting mud on their faces and clothes, but the captain ruined it all and everyone lost their energy. Even Eve had the same expression. Unlike you, I’ve lived in this land for over 20 years, but that day is still vivid in my mind.”

I said to ‘Baek Seung-woo’, who had a look of reminiscing about the distant past like an old man. Adding a bit of humor to hide the slightly bitter feeling.

“That’s a dying man’s flashback.”

It was a joke, but.

It wasn’t wrong at all.

“…I guess so. It might be a little different from other people’s flashbacks, but vividly reliving the past before disappearing is also a flashback.”

“…”

“Don’t make a sad face. It doesn’t suit you at all. We look best with a nonchalant expression.”

“…Says the guy who has about 3 minutes left, acting all high and mighty.”

This pure white space was gradually turning black.

It hasn’t yet invaded the space where we are talking, but it’s only a matter of time. The estimated time remaining until this mental world is completely black is about 3 minutes.

Right now, he’s in a soul state.

The destruction of the mental world is the same as his death.

In other words, ‘Baek Seung-woo’ has only 3 minutes left to live here. Not much time left.

“But do we have time to be talking like this?”

“Of course not. So, this is the end of our conversation. From now on, I’ll explain the information I’ve gathered and the path I’ve lived.”

So, shut your mouth for a moment.

‘Baek Seung-woo’ tried to smile slightly, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his expression hardened. Even if death was approaching, he didn’t seem to care.

I’d probably be the same.

Even if death comes, it’s enough if I can fulfill my duty.

That was the identity of me, and our lives.

“After the war ended, I wandered aimlessly, remembering the names of the dead and building tombs. And after building all those tombs, around the time it was called a sanctuary, Eve came to me.”

‘Baek Seung-woo’ desperately recalled the past, dredging up old memories.

There were gaps in his memory, and when he grabbed his head to recall those memories, the blackness that was invading the mental world quickly approached.

There’s no more time to agonize and reminisce.

“At that time, she asked me if I wanted to be happy. Actually, I don’t remember exactly, but it was roughly that nuance.”

At the time, I had no will to live.

I had annihilated the monsters, the enemies of humanity, so I didn’t have to wield a sword.

Almost all of my comrades were annihilated, and my beloved first love and respected teacher also died. The war was over, and I had built a giant cemetery to commemorate the dead.

Now there was really nothing to do.

The goal and reason for living disappeared in an instant.

It was there, but it was gone.

I couldn’t find anything to fill that void, so I was suffering from severe PTSD at the time. I’d rather die.

But that was not respectful to those who died to save me.

So I lived because I couldn’t die.

At that moment, Eve made an offer.

“I accepted without hesitation. I didn’t particularly expect or trust her words. I just hoped that the only friend I had left wouldn’t go crazy like me.”

I accepted with the intention of indulging in Eve’s pranks, but.

The price of acceptance was greater than I thought.

“As soon as I accepted, my vision went dark. When I opened my eyes, I was in the arms of a woman. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I had been reborn as a baby and entered the novel that Eve often talked about.”

“How long did it take?”

“Roughly a week.”

Because I was a baby, it’s not certain, but.

I grasped my situation and circumstances in a week.

It didn’t take long to make a plan after that.

“At the time, I was around 21 or 22 years old, so I remembered most of the consultation and advice about Eve’s novel. I lived while repeating it in my head every day.”

I spread out all five fingers.

Then I folded them one by one while talking.

“I trained my body while recalling the years I had trained as a swordsman, and I also learned magic, which I couldn’t learn before because I didn’t have the aptitude and knowledge. I took care of the opportunities that I could easily seize in advance. Thanks to being recognized for such qualities, I was engaged to a cute fiancée who didn’t match my age, and I was praised as a genius by my family and the world. I miss those days.”

“Cute fiancée…”

“We were both kids back then.”

“I didn’t say anything? I was just thinking in my head that it might be a little dangerous because of the mental age.”

“That’s the same thing! And I have never broken an oath. I vowed to love only one person for the rest of my life. My oath is not so light that my heart will soften even after a long time has passed since I got engaged!”

I know that too.

I made that oath too.

But I just thought it might be a little dangerous for a moment.

Yeah, just for a moment.

“Your eyes look strange… Well, whatever. I’ll just skip it because there’s no time.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“…As I lived so diligently and my heart was healing, my parents got sick and passed away. Through their will, I learned that the cause was the inherent malignancy I was born with.”

That was the first thing I heard.

My parents’ will. Thanks to that word that hesitated to call their child, he was able to understand the problem he had.

“Malignancy?”

“It literally means evil nature. Do you know what the origin of the Cheonhobaekga family means?”

“Cheonho [Thousand-tailed fox]. It means the descendants of a fox with ten tails.”

“You know it well. We are the descendants of a Cheonho with ten tails. But who was the Cheonho’s spouse?”

“What?”

What are you talking about now?

The Cheonho’s spouse?

Why is that suddenly coming up?

I was embarrassed by an element I had never thought of.

“You’re not saying that you’re that spouse, are you?”

“Of course not. There’s a difference of over 1,000 years in the era.”

But still.

“It’s not that there’s no connection at all. After my parents died, I barely found out through all the secret archives of the family that became entirely my property.”

“You mean you inherited the qualities or constitution of that spouse more strongly than the Cheonho?”

“No, it’s just that I was born with the body of that spouse.”

“…Huh?”

What are you talking about?

The Cheonho’s spouse. Born with the body of that spouse.

As I sent a look that I couldn’t understand at all, ‘Baek Seung-woo’ burst into a hearty laugh.

“It’s a bit strange, right? I was like that at first too. But thanks to that, I was able to understand Eve’s intentions and what she was looking at.”

“You. You know I barely understand what you’re saying, right?”

“Of course I know. But there’s no time to delay. I recommend memorizing the contents and tone I said rather than understanding it.”

Swish.

The black is getting closer and closer.

“Black is an ominous color in a family full of white. It wasn’t for nothing that the saying existed. A long time ago, there was a Gumiho [nine-tailed fox] with black fur in this land. He was discriminated against a lot because of his fur color. Later, he combined with a white fox with ten tails and had children, but the discrimination didn’t disappear. It got even worse.”

“That can’t be…”

“Just listen quietly. I’m not done talking yet.”

Pitch-black that dyes the pure white mental world.

Two somethings are visible in that gap.

Looking like eyeballs, it had a gloomy and eerie red light like hardened blood.

“The black Gumiho cursed the world. But soon he realized that he had one talent. It was an overwhelming aptitude for mysteries, including magic and sorcery.”

The red light is coming closer.

Soon it reached our feet.

The surroundings are now all black.

A dark space where not a single ray of light enters. In it, only the red light below flickers. The atmosphere is getting more and more eerie, and a chilling sensation brushed against my nape.

I tried to check what it was, but maybe because it was dark all around.

I couldn’t see anything.

“Later, he killed his descendants and started a rebellion, and the Cheonho sealed him, but he, who was proficient in mysteries, looked forward to the future. And the time has come. The black Gumiho was reborn as a baby. Because the fox’s blood was diluted, his appearance was close to human, but he had a talent. But that body was taken away.”

Something black wraps around ‘Baek Seung-woo’s body.

If you hear this far, you can’t help but know.

What is the black that is staining the mental world?

“The magical talent that you and I have. It was originally his. But after Eve sprouted my ego in his body, it became entirely mine, but well.”

I think I might lose that talent now.

At that moment, the eeriness reached its peak.

The two eyeballs, the pitch-black Gumiho, were clearly staring at us.