Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius

It's an old memory.

No, perhaps not that old.

It was only five years ago.

For someone in their mid-twenties, five years might seem like a long time, but looking back, it doesn't feel that way. The memory is still vivid.

So vivid, in fact, that it sometimes takes my breath away.

"Lieutenant, were you here?"

A hoarse, aged voice called out from the end of the path.

Normally, I would have responded, but I didn't feel like it this time.

No, I didn't have the confidence to answer.

To answer properly.

"Hey, Lieutenant. Did you hurt your ears? If so, you should go see the Holy Mother."

"...Since when was my rank Lieutenant?"

My tone was sharp, laced with thorns.

It was clear that I was holding back a lot. The old man, dragging his aged body, approached me.

"As of today. To be precise, you were promoted 40 minutes ago."

"Do they usually promote someone without informing the person in question?"

"Well, what can you do? There's no one to tell you or a place to hold the ceremony."

"...Hah!"

His tone was utterly nonchalant.

At that moment, magical energy spread everywhere. Sharp, blade-like mana surrounded the old man.

The sharp mana sliced through everything it touched, cleanly cutting through the half-destroyed barracks and charred trees as if they were tofu. But it didn't touch the old man.

I gritted my teeth so hard they might have shattered.

Even though that old man's heart had long since turned cold, his honed senses and skills were as sharp as ever.

If only he had used that ability, perhaps those who died meaninglessly on the battlefield wouldn't have. I was disgusted by his shameless attitude.

"Lieutenant Baek, calm down. I'm fine, but there are wounded nearby. Most soldiers can't handle your aura."

"...You're utterly shameless."

The old man spoke with an indifferent expression.@@novelbin@@

I didn't want to comply with his request, but I decided to suppress my aura, considering it might harm the wounded.

It wasn't because I was following the old man's orders.

I acted according to my own principles.

"Since when have you cared about the safety of your subordinates? You've always treated them as pawns."

"Lieutenant, your words are harsh. I understand you're angry, but you should use honorifics with your superiors."

The badge on the old man's chest gleamed.

It bore a single star.

The symbol of a Brigadier General in the military.

The gap between a Lieutenant and a Brigadier General is vast.

An ordinary Lieutenant wouldn't dare look him in the eye.

"...Superior?"

In my case, it was different.

I couldn't care less about rank.

In a world where a Second Lieutenant becomes a Lieutenant overnight.

There was no time, place, or even people for a proper promotion ceremony.

Even the person in question had just heard about the promotion. In such a world, why bother with ranks?

"Hey, old man, do you know why I haven't rebelled against you yet?"

"...."

"It's because I still feel like I need you."

I pointed at the old man with my finger.

Such a rude gesture should have angered him, but the old man couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Sweat dripped down his forehead. Not just a drop.

It was as if a bucket of water had been poured over his head.

"I'm stronger than you. I have more achievements. Why do you think someone like me is still under you?"

The aura I emitted now was incomparable to before.

It wasn't just anger. It was a sticky, deep killing intent.

The old man's instincts, honed on the battlefield, screamed at him.

Run. Run for your life.

He had never felt this way, even when facing giant monsters or hordes of demons.

"First, it was because of your connections."

The war had been going on for decades.

Though shorter than the Hundred Years' War, the damage was beyond imagination. Humanity had united for survival.

The frontlines against the demons were spread across the world, and supplies were always scarce.

That's why we relied on the old man's connections.

With a Brigadier General's connections, supply delays were unheard of.

Indeed, we benefited greatly from his network.

"Second, I trusted your experience and command abilities."

As the war dragged on and the damage grew, humanity lost the need for national borders and distinctions. There was no room for countries to take sides.

Thus, under the name of the Military State, the military systems were unified.

It was simpler and more efficient.

The old man, who had risen to Brigadier General in such a massive army.

His experience and command skills had long been proven.

Even if age had clouded his judgment, I believed his experience, honed in the hellish battlefields, was as solid as a fortress.

But that trust was betrayed.

"What do you have left now?"

The Brigadier General's connections?

The old man's network, mostly composed of his ageing peers, was like a frayed rope.

The old man's experience and command abilities?

Though his experience was vast, his command was incompetent.

His tactics were stuck in the past.

Because of that, countless soldiers, and comrades, died meaningless deaths.

They didn't die gloriously in battle.

They died like dogs.

"Th-that was..."

"No. It was your mistake."

The intelligence that the demons were moving through the valley.

The old man, trusting his close aide without question, moved thousands of soldiers into the valley, only to realize it was a trap in an instant.

As the soldiers were organizing their ranks, the valley suddenly collapsed.

Countless soldiers fell into the deep valley or were crushed by rocks, losing their lives.

And from the cracks of the collapsed valley, demons emerged.

It turned out the old man's aide was a traitor who had betrayed humanity.

We had been played by false information.

Thousands of soldiers were massacred.

But there was still a chance. Hundreds of soldiers remained on the edge of the collapsed valley, ready to turn the tide.

We could have bought enough time.

Leading a special unit on an outer mission, I trusted they would hold out and brought a single sword.

But there──

"─Nothing was left. Nothing."

All I found there was the old man, stubbornly clinging to outdated tactics, leading the remaining soldiers to their deaths. Every soldier except him had died.

Some even sacrificed themselves to save him, the Brigadier General.

"You're not qualified."

With a swift motion, I drew my sword. The pure white blade aimed at the old man's forehead.

I wanted to pierce through that head filled with outdated tactics.

I wasn't worried about insubordination.

The soldiers' trust was already with me, not the old man.

Given my achievements, even the Military State's higher-ups would have to tolerate my rebellion.

In this dying world, what matters is not hollow titles, but visible results.

His achievements had long faded.

Now was my time.

With a smooth swing, I cut through the old man's badge and medals.

I sheathed my sword and spoke softly.

"From now on, the White Sword Unit will leave the battlefield of Region 14."

"...Where are you going?"

The White Sword Unit.

That was the name of the special unit I led.

For the White Sword Unit to leave Region 14 meant changing our area of operations.

It also meant we wouldn't cross paths with the old man again. Something unimaginable for a regular unit.

"Who knows."

It didn't matter to me.

Though just a special unit, our achievements far surpassed those of a regular battalion.

Even the military authorities couldn't complain about the White Sword Unit's movements.

In this crumbling world, petty grievances were meaningless.

Though honestly, there weren't many battlefields worth moving to besides Region 14.

Region 14's battlefield was vast. Moving to another battlefield would take at least two weeks.

It would be a gruelling march.

Though I hadn't decided on a destination, the direction was clear.

"We're going to die."

In this dying world, standing on the frontlines meant going to die.

Well, even if we didn't stand on the frontlines, we'd die anyway. But I wouldn't let my unit die like dogs.

At least our deaths would be meaningful.

After delivering the notice, I packed up and moved the White Sword Unit.

The road was rough, and the demons attacking from all sides made it hard to sleep, but we reached another unit.

A few days later.

News came that the old man had died.

The cause of death: killed in action.

As expected, he was surrounded by a demon army, and his body couldn't be recovered.

He probably became food for the demons.

The next day, I was promoted to Captain.

A rapid promotion, not long after becoming a Lieutenant.

The reason was a shortage of officers.

Of course, this promotion also came suddenly, without a ceremony.

What a damn world.

***

When I opened my eyes, daylight streamed in.

It had been a long sleep, but I didn't feel refreshed.

How much time had passed?

I brushed off the dirt and ash clinging to my back and buttocks.

I absentmindedly dusted myself off.

Ugh, my whole body ached.

"...I feel like I'm going to die."

Bones, skin, blood vessels, joints—nothing was intact.

It felt like my entire body had been tenderized. I could barely hold on until I passed out, but now it felt like the day after a car accident.

By the way, it was already daylight, but there was still no sign of people.

If there had been a commotion last night, it should have been noisy by now.

Had not much time passed?

I rummaged through my pockets.

I wanted to check the time, but everything in my pockets was ruined. Well, after such a fierce battle, nothing could remain intact.

"My body isn't intact either."

Getting up from where I lay wasn't easy either.

My leg joints and ankles seemed broken. I used my still-functional left arm to feel my way along the wall as I moved.

Shaky, shaky.

My steps were like those of a newborn.

Even a baby taking its first steps wouldn't tremble this much.

As I moved, my wounds kept reopening, but there was no other choice.

No phone, no passersby in sight. No way to call 119 or contact the outside.

"How can there be no one on the streets?"

It made sense after last night's attack, but the silence was unsettling.

No screams, no demon cries, no sirens from ambulances or police cars. Not even the chirping of birds heralding the morning.

It felt eerie.

I brushed it off as my imagination and quickened my pace. The pain from my twisting body was intense, but it was the least of my worries now.

I hurried to the infirmary.

No one was inside. Instead, there were traces of medical supplies and equipment being taken away.

'Did they take everything to the shelter?'

Thinking that, I headed to the shelter.

The path I took was stained with blood, but I didn't have the energy to care.

My mind was a mess, anxious from not seeing a single person on the way.

No one was outside the shelter.

Just in case, I focused my eyes.

My red eyes glowed like amethyst.

Whoosh!

Then, the movements of artificial mana became visible to my eyes.

People.

"They were all in the shelter..."

Whew, what a relief.

I knocked on the shelter door, relieved. In emergencies, the shelter door couldn't be opened from the outside.

Only those inside could open it.

─Who's there?

A voice came from behind the door.

A voice filled with tension and wariness.

Suppressing the pained groan rising in my throat, I put on my friendliest voice.

"I'm Assistant Baek Seung-woo, under Professor Nam Hwa-yeon. Could you open the door, please?"

─Assistant Baek Seung-woo? Just a moment, I'll confirm with the other assistants.

As soon as the person finished speaking, I heard hurried footsteps.

While I leaned against the wall, the sound of footsteps grew closer, and the shelter door opened.

"S-Sorry. Did I take too long to open the door?"

"No, it's fine. By the way, you're a student?"

The voice was quite mature, so I thought it was another assistant or a guard.

Unexpectedly, the person was a female student. Judging by her worn uniform and the colour of her nametag, she was a third-year.

Had I been staring too intently at her uniform and nametag?

The girl, sensing my gaze, blushed.

"Uh, that look is too..."

"Ah, sorry. I didn't expect to meet a third-year in this situation."

I didn't have any particular thoughts about staring at her.

I was just curious. The third-years of Seven Stars Academy.

They were the strongest in the academy, excluding the professors.

Of course, they were just promising students.

But as third-years, they were no pushovers in terms of combat.

She should have been able to handle the attack to some extent.

Why do I feel like I'm seeing her for the first time?

Sensing my gaze, the girl spoke softly.

"I'm not very strong. Last night, I was organizing other students' documents..."

I think I understand.

Her presence was faint. Even a first-year could probably beat her.

Not all third-years are strong. It's entirely possible.

It would be rude to pry further, so I changed the subject.

"By the way, do you know where the first-years are? I told ten students to head to the shelter a few hours ago."

"The first-years are over there, wearing uniforms. If they arrived late, they'd be at the front."

I thanked the girl and moved on.

I wanted to check on Kyle.

Now that I was here, I was curious about his condition.

He wouldn't awaken anymore, but I wanted to see him one last time. I also wanted to apologize for my harsh words.

'I hope I didn't hurt his young heart with my rushed words.'

They weren't wrong, but I might have hurt his feelings. I wanted to apologize.

With 2,000 students packed together, I couldn't find Kyle. But I did spot Seo Yerin in the distance.

She had a splint on her leg and was sleeping like a log.

Next to her, the injured were lined up.

Kyle was injured too, so he must be there.

"Ah, Assistant Baek Seung-woo?"

"...Ah, that kid from back then."

Someone called my name, so I turned my head. It was the male student in a torn uniform, the one I saved with Kyle.

"What brings you here? Is the operation already over?!"

"...Operation?"

What did he mean?

Did the guards or assistants who weren't here go to hunt the remaining demons?

As I tilted my head in confusion, the student spoke.

"Huh? You didn't know? Two hours ago, the assistants went to fetch the students who weren't in the shelter."

"Was there no aid from nearby guilds?"

"Ah, the A-rank and B-rank guilds nearby entered a dungeon two days ago and left. Why now of all times..."

Nearby guilds entered a dungeon two days ago?

It must be because this is a novel. The timing is too perfect, like a well-written script.

...Wait a minute.

Students who weren't in the shelter?

I grabbed the student's shoulder and asked.

"There are students not in the shelter?"

The student, flustered by my action, opened his mouth.

"Y-Yes, there was a rescue request from the outskirts of the academy on a phone. They said there were critically injured, so even students were dispatched to find them."

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

What did he just say?

A 'sudden' rescue request from the 'outskirts' of the academy?

Critically injured, so 'students' were dispatched?

'...Wait, students were dispatched?'

The situation was so contrived, like a script, that I questioned it.

I denied the thoughts rising in my head and forced myself to speak.

"Names! What are the names of the students dispatched?!"

"Ah, you'd know them. My friend Kyle, who was really weak, suddenly had a change in demeanour..."

"Damn it!"

In an instant, I rushed out of the shelter.

The student might have found it strange, but that didn't matter.

The pain in my legs was excruciating, but I couldn't let it stop me. My low physical ability was enough to hold me back.

I'd endure this pain through sheer will.

I immediately ran towards the outskirts.

The academy grounds were vast, and the outskirts, being the outermost area, covered the largest portion.

How could we find the students in such a wide area?

That's why the assistants and guards must have taken Kyle.

"...Wasn't it all over?"

I thought I had eliminated all variables.

The high-ranking demons targeting the protagonist's friends, the mastermind behind the incident.

I killed them all with my own hands.

So what's going on now?

I ran frantically.

My already overworked body was pushed further, and I almost fainted.

Each time, the screams from my body served as an alarm to wake me up.

How long had I been running?

As my body grew heavier and my mind hazier.

A smell hit me.

"...!"

The metallic stench of blood.

The unmistakable smell of blood and corpses.

I moved towards it.

Please, let them be alive. Even if they're bleeding profusely, just let them be alive.

With that hope, I arrived at a remote forest.

A cursed forest, off-limits to anyone but authorized personnel. Even I, as an assistant, couldn't enter freely.

But from there, I heard a faint, hoarse breath.

A sign that someone was alive.

The off-limits area didn't matter now. I entered the cursed forest without hesitation.

"...What is this?"

I was cursed on the spot.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

The densely grown trees in the forest.

Among them, one particularly large tree stood out.

A beautiful evergreen conifer, like a spruce or fir. Perfect for decorating as a Christmas tree.

Is that why?

Even though it was March, long past Christmas, decorations hung everywhere.

Intestines, whose they were I didn't know, dangled like ribbons.

Multicolored mana glowed like lights. The remnants of mana flowing from chest cavities.

And not just that.

In place of winter snow, the ash of the plants I had burned piled up. All sorts of organs decorated the tree.

Late March.

An early Christmas had arrived.

One that took the lives of students.

***

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