Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 302

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius – 302

Academy Gumiho is a Magical Genius 302

Mastone (2)

History is written by the victors.

Even if the loser is virtuous, the winner can twist the narrative. Solomon’s 72 demons are a prime example of this kind of historical revisionism. Many of these demons were born from such fabrications.

‘A prime example is 「Baal」.’

He began as a benevolent god.

The faith that worshipped 「Baal」 was eventually defeated by another.

As a result, 「Baal」 was relegated to the status of a demon.

─Well, such things were common in the countries I ruled and wandered.

‘There are cases in history books where the indigenous beliefs of minority groups are labeled as paganism, and they are invaded under the pretext of conversion.’

Religion is faith.

Belief is life.

Forcibly twisting this is abandoning a belief held for a lifetime and ruining a life. Well, that’s how it is.

There’s no need to dwell on it now.

‘Anyway, a fragment of 「Baal」 came out of Baek Seok-ho, and the largest chunk was taken by the Majin. This fact is the most important.’

─Citizens are disgusted by the Majin who threaten their safety. It’s a useful tool.

‘This Mastone, by its very existence, will give me the justification to legally deal with the elders and their forces.’

But you know.

After keeping the Mastone in my pocket for a while, I felt strange.

‘This time, it’s like this even though it didn’t touch my bare skin.’

I’ve experienced this feeling before.

A few days ago, when the Mastone fell out of Baek Seok-ho’s body.

When I picked up that small fragment, I felt an inexplicable sense of omnipotence and ennui [a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement].

At the same time, I felt an enormous appetite.

‘That wasn’t *my* feeling.’

Omnipotence stemming from the feeling that everything in the world is mine.

Ennui that slowly erodes the body because everything is mine.

Hunger that knows no end, even after consuming a sufficient meal.

All of these things were not mine.

Rather than feeling those emotions because of the influence of the Mastone, it felt like the tendencies of the being deeply engraved within it were being projected onto me.

It’s not because of Baek Seok-ho’s tendencies.

Baek Seok-ho’s greed and desire made him a diligent person.

It’s far from ennui.

He’s not omnipotent either.

Baek Seok-ho, who became a Majin, was definitely strong, but he couldn’t land a fatal blow on me, which someone omnipotent could have done.

‘Unlike other Mastoones, this one seems particularly special.’

Still, there was no need to worry too much.

I stopped paying attention to the Mastone and immediately focused on the meeting.

“So, so, Clan Lord. What about the other elders…?”

An unknown young man said.

Originally, he was the Clan Lord of a collateral line without the right to speak, but he was hastily selected to fill the vacant seats of the elders.

Still, he was qualified enough. He had a decent amount of integrity and was even mentioned as a candidate for the originally vacant 5th Elder position.

“…I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“No, it’s okay.”

I recalled the altered topic of the meeting.

After fiddling with the Mastone in my pocket, I eventually expelled all the elders from the meeting hall.

I newly elected the elders.

The problem is.

“Clan Lord. I am grateful that you have placed me in the position of the 3rd Elder, but how are you going to fill the remaining eight seats?”

“…”

“Currently, except for the vacant 5th Elder, you have expelled all the remaining eight elders, and their followers have left the meeting hall.”

“…Certainly, there are many empty seats.”

“More than half of the dozens of people have left.”

The Cheonho Baekga is a family of foxes that inherit the blood of white-haired Cheonho [a mythical nine-tailed fox], as the name suggests. However, the synonym for fox is Gumiho [another name for a nine-tailed fox in Korean folklore].

The old ancestors took note of this and divided the Clan Lords of the collateral lines into 81 people. The elder is the representative of the collateral line but cannot perform the role of the Clan Lord based on fairness.

So, there should be a lot of people in the meeting hall.

“A lot of people really left.”

As if counting them one by one.

I looked at the seats they were sitting in and answered.

Then, the young man who was newly selected as the 3rd Elder by my hand said.

“Ah, is that so? I’ll go call everyone!”

The young man was trembling, which was not suitable for the position of an elder.

‘Is he a timid person?’

Or maybe he’s feeling burdened by the position of elder?

I made various inferences, but.

The truth was simple. The pressure that had been spread in a narrow area to pressure the elders was still being maintained.

The new young elder who entered that area was surprised and flustered by the pressure he had never experienced before.

Although a slight wrinkle formed on my brow at the sight of the newly elected elder’s disgrace, the most important thing was ability and loyalty rather than personality.

I didn’t care about the tone of voice, so I retorted his words.

“It’s okay.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“I will select the remaining eight elders from the forty-five people in this seat.”

“!!!!”

Only 45 out of 81 people remained in the meeting hall.

More than thirty people followed the elders out, but in terms of the ratio of numbers, the remaining personnel can sufficiently fill the eight seats.

But you know.

“The people who followed the elders out are mostly promising candidates for the next elder, right?”

Originally today.

The reason why the Clan Lords of the collateral lines gathered in one place on a golden weekend was to fill the vacant 5th Elder position.

Of course, the people mentioned as candidates for the 5th Elder are.

There were several people besides the new young elder in front of me.

And except for the young man in front of me, they all followed the elders.

“…That’s right.”

“They are also people who occupy a significant portion of the family. If we exclude them along with the elders, a big problem will arise…!”

“They are very despicable guys.”

“Yes?”

Despicable guys?

What are you talking about?

Right now, if there are no Clan Lords of the collateral lines who went outside, wouldn’t it be easy for the family to split into two?

The new elder doubted his ears.

“But it’s fortunate that so many people are left. With this number, we can sufficiently select the elders and still have some left over. Don’t you think so?”

“…Ah.”

However, he realized that what was wrong was not his ears.

It was this world.

‘…I’m screwed.’

The new elder sensed it.

Why the sweet title of elder was given to him, who was young and had no backing.

‘A hellish work life will unfold in the future.’

The future is clear.

* * *

Six of the family’s nine elders’ seats were filled.

3rd Elder, 4th Elder, 6th Elder, 7th Elder, 8th Elder, 9th Elder.

The rest were still vacant.

That’s because it was necessary to select the remaining three seats more carefully. The 1st Elder is a position that can be seen as the representative of the elders, and the 2nd Elder is a position that assists the 1st Elder.

The 5th Elder has traditionally been in charge of the family’s military power, so someone with definite military power had to be selected.

“It would be good to put Baek Eun-ho in the position of 2nd Elder or 5th Elder, and offer one of the elders to the guys who were attached to the existing elders.”

I was left alone in the conference room, muttering to myself.

My head was complicated, so I organized my thoughts by repeating all kinds of ideas out loud.

“…No matter how much I exclude the existing elders and elect new elders, it will not be easy for their status to drop at once. Then, the best thing to do is to cause discord and internal conflict.”

What should I do?

What would be beneficial to do?

Comparing the cards I have—the ones that are certain but have weak effects and the ones that are uncertain but have strong effects—I checked the best move.

“The number of people is slightly insufficient.”

Considering the best plan 1, the second-best plan 2, and the so-so plan 3, I suddenly thought that there were not enough people to stand on my side.

I have enough military power, and if I cause discord and internal division in the opposing forces, there is no problem with power. The justification is clear, and I have accumulated enough financial power, but the final key was power.

‘A Clan Lord close to a puppet president and elders who seized all the real power.’

Between the two groups.

It was obvious who the family’s servants and business operators would choose according to their interests.

What is needed to overcome this is power.

Of course, the Clan Lord’s power favored the new elders, but.

‘In fact, the Clan Lord may have the authority to elect elders, but they do not have the authority to dismiss elders at will.’

From the beginning, the position of elder was not only an assistant to the Clan Lord.

It was a position created to check the Clan Lord.

They are people under me, but they are not beings that I can control as I please. Of course, that was only until they crossed the line.

‘They crossed the line first.’

The elders who had already coveted the power of the Clan Lord were nothing more than corrupt officials.

Perhaps there may be loyalists among the elders, but most of their actions were closer to those of rebels.

I should just get rid of them all.

“To do that, I need to bring in my sister.”

After finishing a long thought, I left the conference room.

Perhaps everyone had left this building; the outside of the conference room was quiet.

“…You wicked guys.”

Even if I came out late, that’s not right.

There isn’t a single person waiting until the Clan Lord comes out.

“Besides, even if it’s other people, the new elders I gave the title to as a shield should have stayed until the end.”

This won’t do; I need to establish discipline once.

Just as I was thinking that I should scold them properly.

Click-clack.

I heard the sound of shoes.

It was a familiar footstep sound.

“Oh, isn’t this my sister?”

“…”

A sister I barely know.

To be exact, my older sister. Baek Seung-woo’s sister.

“I’m really glad to see you.”

“…”

No, in fact, I knew a lot.

Small episodes written in the diary.

Memories of her left in my head.

None of them were mine, but because they were Baek Seung-woo’s, I, who had his heart, slowly scanned her with a greeting.

“Your complexion has improved a lot compared to before.”

“…So what.”

“It looks like you’ve been offered good food as a Clan Lord candidate. It’s good to see you healthy.”

“…Don’t be ridiculous and get lost.”

The way she treats me is harsh.

I wonder if she hates me, but I know.

The person who took care of Baek Seung-woo as much as his parents since he was young, and the person who would be the saddest in the world if Baek Seung-woo died in the future.

“Instead of that. How about a meal since we met after a long time?”

“…”

“At least I don’t remember having a family meal this year.”

“…742 days.”

“What is that?”

“…The last day you and I had a meal.”

Oh… I think she has a better memory than I thought.

As expected, she was a woman who concentrated all her talents on politics, management, and agitation, even if she didn’t have the talent for fighting. With this talent.

‘I can trust her and leave it to her.’

She didn’t react much to my invitation to dinner.

It seemed like she wasn’t very interested.

When you’re not interested, you have to put up a bait.

Like a wholesaler who hides precious items and then puts them out, I mentioned what she wanted most.

“The seat of the Clan Lord.”

“…Why that again?”

“I’ll give it to you, sister.”

“…?”

At that moment, her eyes widened.