I Burned the Genius Junior's Research

The air in the record room froze solid. Moonlight slanted through the gap in the window. The blue mana lamps flickered faintly, and the overnight training roster on the desk still had wet ink. I set down my pen.

There was no one in front of me. The door was closed. But the voice had been unmistakable. From the ceiling. Between the shadows of the beams. Evelyin Crow was there.

“The future?” I sneered without lifting my head. “You must not have slept enough. Does pretending to be an assassin give you delusions too?”

The shadow on the ceiling didn’t move. There was almost no presence. I couldn’t even sense breathing. An ordinary student wouldn’t have noticed her at all. But things were different now. She had deliberately let her voice be heard. She knew I had noticed, and she had spoken on purpose.

“The possibility of Liah Belcross sustaining an injury.” Evelyin’s voice dropped lower. “The crack in Seraphine professor’s divine power circuit.”

“……”

“And tonight’s overnight training assignment to Sector Three.”

She paused for a moment. I slowly raised my head and looked at the ceiling. In the darkness, a pair of red eyes stared down at me. Her face was hidden in the shadow cast by the moonlight, but her gaze was crystal clear. The eyes of an observer. Eyes that watched, recorded, and judged. In the original story, those eyes had always been fixed on Kyle Rowen.

“That’s too precise to call a coincidence.”

“Your powers of observation are impressive,” I twisted the corner of my mouth. “So? Are you going to report it to the royal family?”

“If you want me to.”

“Then do it.”

I folded the roster and slipped it into an envelope. “Abuse of assistant instructor authority. Falsification of records. Unauthorized entry into the overnight record room. Add a few more details and you’ll have more than enough grounds for disciplinary action.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“If I were the kind of person who trembled at the sight of one little watcher like you, I wouldn’t have done any of this in the first place.”

It was a lie. I was terrified. Absolutely terrified. If Evelyin reported me to the royal family, my actions would be classified not as simple misdeeds but as ‘abnormal prior intervention.’ The Royal Shadow was far more persistent than the academy. I couldn’t explain my knowledge of the original story, and I mustn’t. The moment I showed fear, it would all be over. Because Kyle Rowen was not that kind of person.

I tucked the envelope into my coat and walked toward the door. At that moment—

Tap.

Evelyin dropped from the ceiling. Her landing was so light it barely deserved to be called a sound. The hem of her black uniform swayed in the moonlight. She didn’t block my path. She simply stood beside me and looked at me.

“Why do you go that far?”

It was the same question again. She had asked it back in the record room, and now here.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

“It does.”

“Don’t misunderstand. Whether you’re the royal family’s dog or a Royal Shadow agent, you have no right to interfere with what I do.”

“I am an observer.”

“Then just observe.” I walked past her. “And keep your mouth shut.”

The instant my hand touched the doorknob, her voice came from behind me again.

“Kyle Rowen.”

I didn’t stop.

“Who’s next?”

My fingers stiffened for the briefest moment. Damn it. She was too sharp. Evelyin had realized I wasn’t the type to stop after merely altering tonight’s training roster. The flow that had touched Liah, Seraphine, and Mila. The name that remained after them.

The genius mage junior. Noah Arken.

Tonight was the night she would begin her research into forbidden magic.

I opened the door.

“None of your business.”

With those words, I left the record room.

The corridor was quiet. But the gaze boring into the back of my head didn’t disappear. Evelyin didn’t follow me. At least, there were no footsteps. That was even more unpleasant. I couldn’t tell whether she wasn’t following or whether she was following in a way I couldn’t detect.

I left the administrative building and headed toward the Magic Department. The Holy Swordsman Academy revealed an entirely different face at night. During the day it was filled with students’ voices, the sounds of training, and the ringing of bells, but at night every building held its breath like a colossal beast.

Over by the Combat Department, faint lights still glowed in preparation for overnight training. According to the roster I had changed, Liah would be assigned to Sector One and Mila to the rear of Sector Two. At least tonight, those two wouldn’t die.

The problem was that this wasn’t the end of it.

Noah Arken.

The Magic Department’s genius who had skipped grades. Seventeen years old. She rarely showed emotion and was far more interested in formulas and mana structures than in people—a research fanatic. In the original story, Noah first appeared as nothing more than an odd junior. A genius who spoke little, whose eyes were empty, who always carried a research notebook.

But the story changed from the middle onward. She completed a forbidden spell. More precisely, she created a formula that converted Maheun corruption into a ‘mana amplification material.’ On paper, the theory was insanely beautiful. Mana efficiency was three times higher than existing amplification formulas. Reproducibility was high and material consumption was low. The only drawback was that it slowly altered the caster’s body. It pulled the mana circuit away from human structure, rearranging nerves and blood vessels to suit corrupted mana. The moment it was completed, Noah would no longer be classified as a genius mage but as a humanoid Maheun lifeform.

In the original story, she neither laughed nor cried. Even as she watched her own hands turn black, she had simply said:

That single line had lingered in my memory far longer than it should have.

“……What a shitty game.”

I stopped in front of the stairs leading to the Magic Department basement. Unlike the Holy Department, the Magic Department building didn’t have clean white gates. Every wall was covered in complex magic circles and formulas. At night, those patterns glowed faintly.

The underground laboratories. An area off-limits to ordinary students without permission. But Noah Arken was an exception. Geniuses always received exceptions. And those exceptions ruined people.

I adjusted my black gloves and descended the stairs. The air grew colder. The farther down I went, the stronger the smell of chemicals, metal, and burning mana became. The mana lamps lining the walls flickered at regular intervals.

Underground Level Three. The innermost laboratory. Blue light leaked through the crack in the door. I was late, but not too late.

I stood in front of the door. From inside came the sound of pages turning, liquid boiling in glass tubes, and a very quiet murmur.

“Contamination density 0.7. Amplification stability maintained. Circuit response normal. The problem is backflow at the junction……”

It was a calm voice. Completely emotionless.

I opened the door.

Creeeak.

The sound of old hinges split the laboratory. The girl sitting at the desk lifted her head. Her messy grey hair fell around her shoulders. Small frame. Pale skin. The faint traces of all-night research lingered beneath her eyes. But her gaze was not blurred. If anything, it was too cold. The eyes of someone observing a phenomenon rather than looking at a person.

Noah Arken.

When she saw me, she blinked once.

“Kyle Rowen senior.”

“You recognize me.”

“You have been my recent observation target.”

“Observation?”

“Interference with Combat Department Liah Belcross’s public training. Interruption of Holy Department Seraphine Elua professor’s lecture. Possibility of nighttime entry into the administrative building.” Noah continued expressionlessly. “And now, unauthorized entry into my laboratory.”

I frowned. So she had been watching that too. No—she hadn’t seen it directly. She must have inferred it. That was the kind of person Noah Arken was. Give her a few clues and she would walk all the way to a conclusion.

“The genius has arrived.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Structurally the sentence contains sarcasm, but I will not deny the factual accuracy.”

Annoying. She had been like this in the original story too, but facing her in person made it even worse.

I looked around the laboratory. Papers covered in formulas were spread across the desk. Inside a glass tube, a black liquid slowly rotated. The blackboard on the wall was filled with complex magic circles and junction formulas. And on the central desk, a thick research notebook lay open.

The moment I saw the first page, my insides turned ice-cold.

That’s it.

The structure of the forbidden formula from the original story. Not simply purifying or sealing Maheun remnants, but incorporating them into the circuit for amplification. It wasn’t complete yet. But the direction was already wrong. One more step and there would be no turning back.

“Do not touch that.” Noah said. Her voice remained low and serene. “That is my research.”

“It looks like it.” I walked toward the research notebook.

Noah stood up. Her small hand moved toward her staff.

“I warn you. If you touch my research, I will activate defensive magic.”

“Go ahead.”

“You will be injured, senior.”

“A worthless senior beaten by a Magic Department junior. That would suit my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reputation perfectly.”

I laughed. And picked up the research notebook.

Noah’s eyes trembled ever so slightly. For the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first time. Truly just a fraction.

“Put it down.”

“No thanks.”

“That research is a personal project that has gone through the academy’s official approval process.”

“Liar.” I flipped through the notebook. “What received official approval was the basic structure of a mana amplification formula. Incorporating corruption remnants into the circuit was never approved.”

Noah’s mouth stopped.

“……How did you know?”

There it was again. The same question Seraphine had asked. Evelyin had said something similar. Do you know the future or something?

I didn’t answer. Because I couldn’t. Instead, I held the notebook in one hand and picked up the mana lamp on the desk.

Noah’s expression changed.

“Stop.”

“Why?”

“That is my research.”

“Which is why I’m going to burn it.”

“You don’t understand, senior.”

“I understand perfectly.” I looked down at the notebook. “Do you know what geniuses like you misunderstand the most?”

“……”

“That if the formula is beautiful, the result will be beautiful too.”

Mana gathered at Noah’s fingertips. A blue line drew itself in the air. Not defensive magic—binding magic. The minimal choice to stop me. As expected of a genius. She chose to protect her research rather than harm a person. But she was slow.

I tilted the lamp.

Blue flames touched the edge of the research notebook.

Whoosh.

The smell of burning paper spread. Noah’s eyes widened.

“No.”

For the first time, emotion entered her voice.

“You mustn’t.”

She reached out. I lifted the notebook higher. The flames spread quickly. The densely written formulas curled up black. The corruption junction formula. Amplification array. Circuit conversion reference values. Everything vanished inside the fire.

“Trash research like this is better off disappearing.” I deliberately laughed in the worst possible way. Like Kyle Rowen. “They called you a genius, yet you were clinging to something like this?”

Noah looked at me. Her eyes were different from before. They weren’t cold. They weren’t empty. It was rage. Pure rage.

“Senior.” Noah’s voice lowered. “I am currently expending a great deal of computational resources to refrain from attacking you.”

“How admirable.”

“However, the necessity of that restraint is gradually decreasing.”

Lines of mana spread throughout the laboratory. The glass tubes on the desk trembled, and the magic circles on the walls reacted faintly. Blue light surged around Noah. This was dangerous. If we clashed head-on, I had no guarantee of victory. No, even if this body was Kyle Rowen, fighting a prepared mage inside an underground laboratory was idiotic.

But I couldn’t back down.

I threw the burning notebook onto the floor. Black ash scattered.

“Go ahead and break me.”

Noah’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.

“What did you say?”

“Whether by logic, by magic, or by your own methods.” I looked down at her. “Break me. If you want to prove your research wasn’t trash, then do it.”

Noah clenched her teeth. It was a small sound, but I heard it clearly. The emotionless genius had clenched her teeth for the first time.

“I will definitely do so.”

“Good.” I crushed the remaining embers under my foot. “Do it while you’re still alive.”

With those words, I turned away. As I walked toward the door, I glanced sideways at the underside of the desk. There lay the single sheet of paper I had secretly slipped underneath the moment I entered. The critical error Noah had missed in the original story. The fact that directly incorporating Maheun remnants into the circuit would cause backflow at the third junction. The first clue to an alternative formula that could avoid it.

I couldn’t tell her everything. That would only make her suspicious. Above all, Noah Arken was not the kind of person who trusted answers handed to her by others. So I left only a clue. I made her follow even if it meant fueling her rage. I guided her toward survival.

“Kyle Rowen senior.”

Noah called out to me at the door. I didn’t turn around.

“I will hate you from now on.”

“Do as you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠please.”

“I will record today’s events. I will analyze them, reproduce them, and refute them.”

“Sure.”

“And I will definitely prove that you were wrong.”

I opened the door.

“I look forward to it.”

Behind me came the sound of the flames dying out completely. The smell of ash settled inside the laboratory. I stepped into the corridor. Just before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of Noah collapsing to the floor. She was digging through the charred remains of the notebook with her hands. She would probably find it soon. The paper I had left behind. And the sentences written on it.

The door closed.

I stood alone in the underground corridor. My heart was beating a little faster. It had been dangerous. If Noah had attacked in earnest, I might have lost at least an arm. Maybe suffered even worse injuries. But it was fine. Tonight, Noah Arken had taken one step away from the route that led to completing the forbidden magic.

She would hate me now. She would probably cling to me horribly from now on. She would look for holes in my words, record the contradictions in my actions, and dig into why I had done what I did.

That was okay. She could hate me. As long as she stayed alive.

“……Ha.”

I leaned my back against the wall for a moment. That was when I heard a voice from the darkness at the top of the stairs.

“So this time you’re an arsonist who burns research.”

I closed my eyes. Damn it. She really had followed me.

Evelyin Crow was sitting on the stair railing. She rested her chin on her hand and looked down at me. Her expression wore a faint smile, but her eyes were not smiling at all.

“You really are strange.”

“Get lost.”

“No.”

“Don’t the Royal Shadow have anything better to do?”

“They do.” Evelyin lightly dropped to the floor. “Watching you.”

I glared at her.

“Did you get addicted to it or something?”

“A little.” She glanced at the closed laboratory door. “Why would the villainous senior who just burned his junior’s research deliberately hide a piece of paper under the desk?”

“……”

“Isn’t that strange?”

I didn’t answer. Evelyin took one step closer.

“You stopped Liah from breaking, prevented Seraphine professor from dying, pulled Mila Lupus out of the danger zone, and saved Noah Arken by burning her research.” Her voice lowered. “Kyle Rowen.”

The darkness beneath the stairs settled between us.

“Just what exactly do you know?”

I clenched my teeth. Answering would be the end. Not answering might be the end too. But there was only one thing I could say.

“It’s none of your concern.”

Evelyin stared at me for a long time. Then she smiled quietly.

“That just makes me want to get even more involved.”

I walked past her and climbed the stairs. Evelyin’s voice followed from behind.

“I won’t make a royal report just yet.”

My steps halted.

“Instead.” She said. “For the time being, you will stay inside my field of vision.”

I didn’t turn around.

“Do as you like.”

That was all I could say.

When I reached the top of the stairs, the night air entered my lungs. It was cold. My mind was complicated and my body felt heavy. Still, one thing was certain. Once again ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tonight, someone had not died. In exchange, I had earned the hatred of yet another person, and had been caught by yet another.

Inside the underground laboratory, Noah Arken picked up a single sheet of paper from among the burnt ashes. She stared at the sentences for a long time. The hand that had been trembling with rage stopped. Inside her eyes, cold calculations began to move once more.

And she murmured very softly.

“If you die, you can’t kill me……”

Black ash clung to the edge of the paper. Noah rubbed it with her fingertips.

“So survive.”

Her gaze sank in a strange way. Hatred. Curiosity. And something inexplicable. For the first time, all three pointed in the same direction.