Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Became the Greatest Genius in History
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Etilla Badford was a genius.
She was a second-year student at Tristy Academy.
Her exceptional understanding of runes and elemental magic gave her skills that not only her peers but even senior mages in the magical world couldn't easily overcome.
Even though she was just a young girl who hadn't undergone her coming-of-age ceremony yet, she had published three papers recognized by her professors in academic circles.
Even the prized pupils working as teaching assistants took at least a year to write a single paper.
She had completed three papers in a mere half year.
What had just been described was an achievement in itself, but the truly astonishing part was that each paper covered a different field.
Mages choose a field to dedicate their lives to researching.
Just as scholars divide their research areas, so do mages.
Fire magic means fire magic, rune magic means rune magic, metal magic means metal magic.
The point of creating miracles with mana was similar.
But since the formulas, structures, and properties differed vastly between fields.
It was an essential choice for greater efficiency.
That was why Etilla was the sole recipient of a full scholarship at the academy.
She was receiving love calls from numerous magic towers, including the Crimson Tower.
And she was evaluated as someone who would reach "Transcendence," the ultimate goal of mages, in just five years.
This was highly unusual.
Even the current tower masters of the magic towers had reached their prime in their forties.
"……."
Scribble, scribble. Her pen moved busily.
"Lady Etilla. I've brought tea…."
A woman in a maid outfit entered her dormitory.
Her name was Rangrang, a skilled bodyguard-cum-maid prepared by the Badford family for Etilla.
Etilla didn't respond.
"I'll set the tea and snacks here…."
She couldn't disturb Etilla, who was immersed in her studies.
Rangrang bowed her head and quietly left the room.
"……."
Etilla Badford was a noble.
She had a picky palate that wouldn't touch anything but tea brewed from high-quality leaves or snacks made by master artisans.
She was a beautiful girl with ruby-red hair, porcelain-white skin, and a charming smile.
She set her pen down for a moment and reached for the tea and snacks.
Even her movements exuded elegance.
As the only beloved daughter of the high noble Badford family, she had grown up showered with her parents' love and attention.
The elders of the Badford family understood the importance of family education.
Her personality had no rough edges.
"……."
Etilla Badford was the student everyone admired.
She inspired envy in girls her age and drew boys to her with lascivious intentions.
"……."
Etilla Badford was capable.
Etilla Badford was strong.
Etilla Badford was the best.
Etilla Badford was the world's greatest.
Etilla Badford was lovable.
Etilla Badford was attractive.
Etilla Badford was pretty.
Etilla Badford was smart.
Etilla Badford was wise.
Etilla Badford was the most perfect human in this world.
Everyone revered Etilla Badford.
The evaluations of her greatness were utterly natural facts.
They would never change for eternity.
She sat back down at her desk.
And busily moved her pen again.
About an hour passed.
"Ugh……."
Right now, Etilla Badford was crying.
"So frustrating…!!"
Her shrill voice echoed through the room.
"What the hell is this…!!"
It was the first time Etilla had been this agitated.
Her gaze fell on the paper on her desk, which was identical to the test paper Ester Tristy had received from the family head.
『Millennium – Hellfire Recreation』
She stomped her feet while sitting in her chair.
"I was working so hard on it, and in just one more month, I definitely could've solved it…!!"
Besides the test paper, another paper was spread out on her desk.
『Monthly Ostana – February Issue』
A headline in massive letters caught the eye.
『The Millennium Problem That Tormented Mages Finally Solved!! The Solver Is None Other Than a 15-Year-Old Boy from Tristy!?』
Etilla bit her lip.
How much effort and time had she poured into solving this Millennium Problem?
She had invested more than in her classes or papers.
She had even put off her favorite flint-starter novels and stared only at the test paper so much that her eyesight felt like it was deteriorating.
She crumpled up the test paper with the answer written on it.
"Ugh……."
The talk around her was all about this too.
-Saw that the Millennium Problem got solved?
-Yeah, but I have no idea what they're talking about.
-Just heard the fire elemental lecture, and the professor wouldn't stop praising it, saying a new star of the fire school has been born?
-Huh, wasn't it solved by a tower master or someone like that?
-The solver's 15 years old, the youngest son of the Tristy family.
-Eek, younger than me!? Same age as Etilla!! Amazing!!
-Etilla said even she couldn't solve the Millennium Problem, right? Isn't the Millennium way bigger than a paper?
Her still-immature fist trembled.
"So frustratingggg…!!"
Etilla's scream rang out.
This was the first emotion she had ever felt like this.
Supreme under heaven, sole sovereign child.
For a girl who had always been praised as having no equal genius under the heavens, the sudden appearance of a rival was……
Like an earthquake or tsunami—a disaster.
'It's the first time the young lady has lost her composure…'
Rangrang, standing guard outside the dormitory door, let out a sigh.
Thinking she should fetch more sugar and caffeine, she stepped away for a moment.
***
Dalpi called me.
"Young master."
"What."
"What are you doing right now?"
I was kneeling with my hands clasped, praying to the heavens.
Honestly, though I'd confidently used Nob AI, I wasn't sure if it was accurate.
Even if the AI was high-performance, it couldn't even draw human fingers properly.
So I had no choice.
"Ah, you don't know…."
There was a famous proverb in the Korea I used to live in.
"If you pray earnestly, the entire universe will come to your aid!!"
Dalpi sighed.
"If you're that nervous, you should've at least reviewed it. Young master, you submitted ten days earlier than your other siblings. I still can't forget the family head's expression when he saw it."
Hmm, yeah, Porto's face back then was pretty grim.
Less like looking at his child and more like looking at trash—as if saying, "This young punk gives up without even trying!?"
"Lord Porto is someone who does what he sets out to do."
"I know."
"I'll follow you anywhere, young master, but I wonder if you can even endure the battlefield."
She seemed to have already decided I'd become a soldier.
It wasn't just Dalpi.
Everyone in the mansion, including the servants, was coming to bid me farewell.
-Young master, good luck.
-He had such a kind heart…
-He was just a rice waster. It's a natural outcome, really.
-I hear demons like minors, so young master might be the first to get eaten?
At least the servants meant no malice.
Only my siblings bullied me, so that was a relief.
My siblings were so focused on the exam they didn't even do their usual tea-bagging and just ignored me.
"Really. Others at least spent money to hire famous mages…"
"Where would I get money? I don't even have enough to buy books."
Dalpi kneaded my shoulders.
Hard enough to hurt.
"Ow ow ow…!!"
"Sometimes I get murderous impulses looking at you, young master."
"This is treason…!!"
"You're not the king, young master. And you might not even be that soon."
Dalpi let go of her hands.
Her grip strength was gorilla-level.
Still, I knew Dalpi was worried about me.
"Anyway, relax."
"……."
"You think I'd be doing this without something to rely on?"
Dalpi blinked.
"Sometimes."
"Hm?"
"Very occasionally… I feel like the young master I've seen until now is different from how you are now."
Her voice was puzzled.
"Did you take some kind of drug?"
"I took a very expensive and rare one."
It was the drug called reincarnation.
"Hmm."
"It's a good thing. Let's have a drink."
"The current you is definitely more attractive than the gloomy, timid young master."
I stood up.
"It's about time."
"Yeah."
"Come back safe. I'll be waiting."
Today was the day the successor exam results would be announced.
Honestly, if I said I wasn't scared, it'd be a lie.
No matter how perfect the AI was, it hadn't been verified yet.
I didn't know if this was a surefire method or an uncertain one.
But the only thing I could trust was the AI.
I had no outstanding magical knowledge, no charisma to captivate people, and unlike my siblings, I didn't get much allowance.
My options were limited.
No matter what, I didn't want to go to the battlefield.
Honestly, if Porto tried to enlist me, I even had a plan to flee with Dalpi midway.
As I headed to the family head's office, I ran into my third brother, who hated my guts.
"Ester, recruit. Congrats. Our family’s finally getting a soldier."
"……."
"I was wondering when our rice-wasting youngest would leave the mansion, but to think it'd be today!"
In my memories, Felix was devilish.
A trashy type who, despite being prickly himself next to me, maliciously tormented me to vent his inferiority complex and stress.
-Brothers, know who’s the most useless bastard in our family? It’s Ester, right?
-You’re the most lacking and inadequate, so you clean up the wooden swords after the other brothers. Right?
-How do you plan to attend parties later? Your etiquette and speech are a mess. Don’t embarrass the Tristy name anywhere.
In modern terms, a school bully perpetrator.
These types should get exposed by celebrities, but unfortunately, no such job existed in this world.
I used to just take the beatings silently before, but now was different.
"Brother."
I stopped in front of the family head's office.
"Yeah?"
Felix stopped too, following suit.
Smack-!!
I swung full force at the back of Felix's head.
"Argh!?"
Leaving the stunned Felix behind, I quickly entered the family head's office.
And greeted my seated father.
Felix followed in with a flushed face but couldn't say a word in front of Father.
Hm, yeah, stress really needs to be vented right away.