Academy's Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Chapter 8
Ever since I wrote Nam Hwa-yeon's lecture script for her, my daily routine after arriving at work has been nothing but scripting.
She seems to like the ones I write, because she always assigns my tasks personally. Maybe because I'm getting orders straight from the professor, but even after a week, there's no sign of the other TAs stopping their cold shoulders toward me.
No matter how much of an extra villain I am, getting ignored like this still hurts.
At this point, I'm even starting to think the errands from my first day were better.
Right now, aside from Nam Hwa-yeon, the only one who even talks to me is the Senior TA.
Maybe because he's been toiling under the professor the longest. He doesn't give a damn about the other TAs' glares and just does whatever he wants.
It seems like he's picked up that attitude from Nam Hwa-yeon herself.
"Oh, our newbie. Working on the professor's lecture again today? Impressive."
"...It's not that impressive, even for the Senior TA to praise."
"Nah, no way. If the professor had just asked once out of curiosity, that'd be one thing, but ordering you to make scripts every single day means she really likes yours. Have some confidence!"
The Senior TA slapped my back hard and shouted encouragement.
He went over to the other TAs too, patting their shoulders or backs to cheer them on. What a bright guy.
And that's probably why.
Every time he pats my back, I often catch the other TAs' gazes or the shift in atmosphere.
My guess is it's like this silent pressure of, "Why are you even cheering that guy on?" I thought that without realizing their stares were aimed at my tail.
'If you have something to say, just say it instead of giving me the side-eye.'
I was baffled by the other TAs' behavior, but at the same time, I understood them.
The more time I spent in this world, the more I could feel what a villain really was. Villains are enemies to be crushed by the protagonist, beings deserving of criticism.
And I'm one of those villains.
Rumors say I used to beat and verbally abuse my fiance during school, leading to our broken engagement. That I beat up anyone I didn't like until they couldn't even function in society. And the infamous stories about how I showed disgust toward orphans and told them to stay away.
The guy I possessed was one of the worst extra villains out there.
On top of that, the personal history of the Baek Seung-woo I possessed is pretty complicated. The massive Heavenly Fox Baek Family has me tied down.
Eve hadn't explained the Heavenly Fox Baek Family in detail, so I didn't know.
But in this world, it's a family with considerable power. Especially in Korea, where the main house is located.
'From conglomerates to S-rank guilds, nothing escapes the Heavenly Fox Baek Family's grasp.'
Eve had definitely said it was a declining family.
They say even when the rich fall, they have three years' worth of food stocked up.
The real heavyweights don't even show a scratch after one or two falls.
The Heavenly Fox Baek Family's influence, big or small, reaches even Chilseong Academy. That's why the TAs avoid any contact with me.
Because I'm the parachute Family Head from that place.
A Family Head in name only, with no real power.
Even the few vested interests I have left are being snatched away by other kin.
Bad rumors swirl online, and the media scrapes them up into articles. How incompetent do you have to be for all this mess?
'From now on, I need to fix what I can.'
Cultivate enough strength to not die to the protagonist, and gain the means to control the family.
Those are the priorities for surviving in this world.
As my thoughts grew more complicated from all angles.
"Um, excuse me... Could you maybe help me with this?"
Someone spoke to me.
A voice completely different from Nam Hwa-yeon or the Senior TA.
I wondered who this brave soul was approaching me.
"I-I'm still not used to this kind of work... I did what I could, but if it's okay, could you spare some time?"
She didn't look brave at all.
Her trembling voice like a goat and anxious eyes proved it.
She handed me a single sheet of paper.
"I have time, but is it okay to ask me for this?"
"Huh? I-I'm new here, only a few days in, so I don't know much. Was that rude...?"
"Not really."
From our chat, she seemed to be a peer who started at the same time as me.
That must be why she could approach me without knowing better.
I scratched my head and took the paper she offered.
"Helping isn't hard, but how do you plan to deal with the aftermath..."
"...Pardon?"
"No, nothing. I'll have it on your desk within an hour, so do your other work in the meantime."
"Th-thank you!"
She bowed at a perfect ninety degrees and scurried away.
She ran at a quick pace, nearly tripped, then hesitated before walking on. Quite the unique one.
I stared at the back of her head and skimmed the paper she'd given me.
It was a simple document, the kind you'd assign to a newbie.
I finished processing it in under thirty minutes and was heading to put it on her desk when I heard a strange noise from somewhere.
The sound of someone getting scolded.
This area should be near the water cooler and coffee pot.
"Haven't you seen how we've been acting all this time? Where are your eyes?!"
"S-sorry..."
Curious about what was going on, I peeked around the corner, and there was the Junior TAthe one who'd just asked me for helpgetting chewed out.
"It's been over a week already. If you had any sense, you'd have figured it out by now?!"
"I'm sorry.... It was just that he was the only one with free hands, so..."
"Ugh, you're really gonna make me lose it. Hey, Reina. Social life is all about reading the room. You act like that out there, and you're done for."
The reason she was getting scolded was obviously because of me.
Probably for associating with me.
"..."
It was an awkward situation to step into.
If I intervened now, I could mediate, but it would definitely mess up her future.
I don't want that.
I just placed the document on her desk and was about to get back to my work when our eyes met.
Her eyes widened, mouth slightly agape, so I pressed a finger to my lips and shook the paper.
I moved carefully so the guy scolding her wouldn't notice.
Then I set the paper on her desk, returned to my seat, and chugged my coffee.
Man, it's another tough day at work.
* * *
After finishing the grueling tasks, I headed to the library.
"Oh, you're here again today. Looking for more magic tomes?"
"Yeah. The books I read are all like that."
"You must really love books."
Since I borrow magic tomes from the library every day after work, I've gotten familiar enough with the librarian to chat lightly.
Strangely, she seems oblivious to the rumors around me and keeps talking casually. Though she does sometimes stare intensely at my butt area.
It can be scary at times.
"Phew, let's just find some books."
No more useless thoughts. Time to hunt for magic tomes.
I've long since mastered the basics of fire magic. Of course, knowing it in theory and embodying it physically are different.
It's time to move into serious applications.
I need to grab magic tomes that synergize with fire magic.
I roamed the vast library, searching for books on curse magic or telekinesis.
Now, just need to find the one on incantations.
'Where the hell is it?'
I even checked the library computer for its location, but it was nowhere.
Maybe because incantations are such a niche magic.
It's hard to spot.
Turning my head this way and that, I noticed a few dusty old books in a secluded corner.
On a hunch, I checked the titlesthey were exactly the magic tomes I wanted. I grabbed two or three from the shelf and turned to head back to the librarian when.
"...Was there always a door here?"
A small door I'd never seen once in all my library trips.
Drawn to its antique yet elegant design, I tried to open it.
Click click.
The handle turned uselessly; the door wouldn't budge.
Looks like it needs a key.
'Why the hell is there a place like this in the library?'
Maybe a storage room.
But the door's design is too fancy for that.
I'll ask the librarian later.
With various magic tomes tucked under my arm, I headed to the checkout desk.
Thud!
Maybe because I had a lot, setting them down made a pretty loud noise. The librarian, scanning the barcodes, furrowed her brow and said.
"Eleven books total. You planning to check out all of them?"
"Yes. Is there a limit?"
"No... Students might have restrictions, but TAs and professors don't. Haven't you usually borrowed just two or three a day?"
As the librarian said, my routine had been borrowing books after work, reading through the night, returning them the next day, and grabbing new ones.
So I'd only taken two or three at a time, manageable for one night. But today was different.
"Before, I knew exactly what field I wanted, but I've read through them all, so tonight I'm trying a variety."
"Ah, I see..."
"Haha, starting tomorrow, back to two or three. No need to worry."
The librarian and I had a brief chat, and as dusk began to fall, I was about to head to the dorms.
But that antique door nagged at me.
On a whim, I asked.
"Do you know anything about a door?"
"A door? What door do you mean...?"
"I found one near the shelf where I got these."
I showed her the old books on incantations.
The librarian checked the titles and the identification numbers on each.
"AZ-2361.... That's a number for pretty old books. If it's around there, you mean the basement."
"...Basement?"
"Yes. The library looks like a three-story building above ground, but it actually includes one underground floor, making four total."
A fact unknown to most students and TAs.
But I know it well.
Because Eve told me what's hidden down there.
"The basement is a restricted access area, and inside there."
"are originals of ancient magic tomes and books designated as forbidden by the academy."
"Oh, you know about it. Well, if you're into books, it's hard not to."
The library's B1 floor stores all sorts of ancient books that could once be read or borrowed freely, but now protected for safety or because of dangerous content.
The Forbidden Archive.
It holds many lost magic tomes from ages past, making it a dream space for countless mages. But only a handful can enter.
I want to get in there too, like any other mage.
But my goal isn't the lost tomes or forgotten forbidden books.
'The hidden piece in the deepest part of the library.'
A serendipitous opportunity from the late game in the original story. Excluding intangible things like relationships or bonds with people, it's the greatest hidden piece in this academy.
Vampires are one of the top races I set up among the otherworldly ones. Exciting that their legacy is in the academy basement, right? Huh? Why's it there? Because having the Forbidden Archive in the library basement is romantic! Oh, and I haven't decided exactly what's there yetsaving it for later!
I don't know what's in the Forbidden Archive.
At least it's an archive, so probably something book-shaped.
It could be a spell, a skillbook.
Maybe even a map to a vampire treasure.
'It's definitely vampire-related. High chance it's tied to bloodsucking.'
Vampires are an ancient race, like the Heavenly Foxes, precursors to my own kind.
In the lore, they went extinct thousands of years ago, with only a tiny fraction of descendants inheriting their power through atavism, proving their existence.
This world has several extinct races like vampires.
Their existence is proven by various traces: skills, artifacts, and even otherkin.
Among those traces, the vampire legacy stands out as the best.
'Whatever the vampire legacy is, adapting to it will probably take a long time, given its reputation. Just in case, maybe I should learn some healing magic too.'
It might be a skill activated by drawing blood.
In that case, healing magic would be effective, so learning it ahead isn't a bad idea.
I told the librarian I'd grab one more book and searched the terminal for the most borrowed healing magic tome. Luckily, one was left in the library.
Feeling lucky, I printed the call number.
TC-7847. Not far from here.
I said I'd be right back and reached the shelf with TC prefixes.
Let's see, 7847 should be around here.
Scanning up and down, a fresh light green cover caught my eye.
That's the one.
As I reached for it, suddenly two hands overlapped.
It wasn't me overlapping my own hands. Who grabs a book with both hands stacked?
The warm touch over gloves made me turn my head, and there was a girl.
Her uniform on, brown hair tied back.
Her features seemed familiar.
"...Ah."
The girl from a few days ago who ambushed me.
Definitely her.
Back then, she was in sweat-soaked gym clothes in a dark spot with no lights, so her face was hard to make out.
But here in the bright library, it's clear.
This kid landed a hit right on my Adam's apple.
"...Huh?"
I stared at her, and she turned her head too.
At first, we exchanged intense eye signals like "let go of the book," but as she slowly looked at my face, recognition dawned.
"Long time no see, right?"
She smiled and tugged the book toward her, but she tugged back, not yielding.
No way I'm letting this go.