I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

“… How did you know?”

“Well, the biggest clue was that there’s no way Arcana Academy’s security would be that weak.”

It was obvious. 

There were too many nobles on this airship. 

The security wouldn’t be weak enough for Crow to simply attack. 

Especially considering this airship was filled with new students heading to take the entrance exam for Arcana Academy. 

Would the academy just sit back and let that happen? 

If such an attack were real, the academy professors would personally hunt down every single Crow member involved.

Only Ariel, who wasn’t aware of the bigger picture, tilted her head in confusion.

“Young Master? What do you mean?”

“What I mean is, this whole thing is part of the entrance exam.”

Yohan stood up and explained. 

The moment they boarded the airship, the exam had already started, and the most critical part was how the students would respond to the staged attack.

“Senior students disguised as Crow members are pretending to attack the airship, and the applicants are being graded on how well they react.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Isn’t it obvious just by how things are playing out?”

“Now that you mention it…”

Ariel glanced over at the academy student disguised as a Crow member. 

After staring at her for a moment, Ariel blinked and spoke.

“Lady Violet, right?”

“You know me?”

“We met at a banquet once.”

“Is that so? Well then, could you let me go now?”

“Oh. My apologies.”

Ariel quickly released Violet after realizing her mistake. 

Violet rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the discomfort. 

She let out a short sigh before glaring at Yohan.

“Seriously, did you really come at me like that, knowing I was your senior? When that dagger flew, I thought I was actually going to die.”

“Don’t worry. I told Ariel to just make it threatening, so your life wasn’t in danger.”

“No. I wasn’t fine. I almost had a heart attack!”

Violet placed her hand on her chest as she complained, while Yohan shrugged nonchalantly.

“Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Violet Heinz from the Arcana Academy student council.”

“Yohan Hart.”

Violet formally introduced herself and extended her hand for a handshake. 

Yohan took her hand and shook it. 

He already knew exactly who Violet Heinz was. 

She was the president of Arcana Academy’s student council, and in the original story, a supporting character who occasionally helped Cedric.

In the midst of that, she had a bit of a clumsy side, which occasionally made her a source of amusement.

“So what happens now?” 

“Well… I’m not really sure myself. This is the first time something like this has happened.”

Violet scratched her cheek awkwardly.

Even if it was just a mock battle, the chances of actual combat magic being used were high. 

A mistake could easily lead to accidents. 

Naturally, the academy had chosen highly skilled individuals to play their roles. 

As the student council president, Violet was one of them.

“I didn’t expect there to be a freshman capable of taking down a student council member.”

“It’s all thanks to Ariel.”

“Hmph! Stop being modest. You used your bodyguard because it was the most efficient way, right?”

Yohan didn’t respond, but his silence confirmed her words. 

Honestly, Violet was right. 

Even without Ariel, there were at least five other ways he could have subdued her. 

It wasn’t that Yohan’s magical prowess was extraordinary—there were other reasons.

‘Violet is a bit of a klutz according to her character setting.’

Besides, if it came down to it, Yohan could have used the ‘Blood Missile’ taught to him by Brian’s magic pen. 

He only refrained from using it because it was a highly lethal spell. 

If Violet had been a real Crow member instead of the student council president, Yohan wouldn’t have hesitated to use it.

“Anyway, I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Could you stay quiet about this until the entrance exam is over?”

If it got out that the Crow attack was just an act, the exam wouldn’t proceed properly. 

Naturally, Violet didn’t want the entrance exam to be disrupted because of him being overpowered. 

And since she couldn’t force Yohan to stay quiet, she had no choice but to ask.

“Don’t worry about your grades. Seeing through the truth behind the attack and managing to subdue me means you’ve practically secured a perfect score. You’ll be a top student as soon as you enter. Congrats.”

“Hmm… I don’t recall agreeing to help you yet.”

“Wait, what?” 

Violet’s expression shifted as she processed Yohan’s words.

Yohan remained unfazed. 

Growing up in an orphanage had made him mature a bit faster than others. 

One thing he had learned about life was that everything was a give-and-take.

“Senior, you’ll be gaining something from this entrance exam, right? Like your grades?”

“Uh. Yeah, I guess?” 

Arcana Academy was known for its strict emphasis on practical education.

And when it comes to practical lessons here, it was not just about battle training.

Thanks to the principal’s strong beliefs, ‘how to navigate life’ was also included.

Of course, since this involved one’s own time and effort, it was definitely not volunteer work.

“But what’s in it for me if I help with this entrance exam?” 

“Uh. Well…” 

Violet was clearly flustered. 

It appeared she hadn’t anticipated this kind of situation at all.

The academy had specifically chosen people whose skills far exceeded those of the applicants.

Yet, not only had Violet been overpowered by an applicant, but she also failed to manage the aftermath. 

It was clear that Violet would be held responsible for messing up the entrance exam. 

For her, it was crucial to make sure Yohan didn’t spill anything.

“Ah! How about this? When you apply to join the student council later, I’ll write you a recommendation. You seem pretty sharp, so as long as your grades are good…”

“That’s not really an appealing offer to me.”

Yohan replied swiftly before Violet even finished.

Violet was now even more flustered. 

She tried again. 

“No, no! Do you have any idea how prestigious it is to be in the Arcana Academy student council?”

“I’m not really interested.”

In the original storyline, the protagonist Cedric would be the one to join the student council. 

Since Yohan had already decided to keep his distance from Cedric, joining the student council was out of the question.

“Then… What do you want?” 

“Hmm.”

Yohan pondered for a moment, which made Violet even more restless. 

He thought about his options briefly. 

He could simply agree to help her—it wasn’t a big deal. 

After all, gaining the favor of Violet, a supporting character and the current student council president, was already beneficial.

But something felt lacking.

“In that case, I have a request as well.”

Violet’s eyes lit up immediately.

———

“What is it? If it’s something I can do, I’ll definitely help.”

It was clear that not messing up the entrance exam was crucial for her.

“I need a pass to leave the academy.”

Ariel glanced at Yohan. She was slightly surprised that he was making the request so directly.

“A leave pass? I thought you were going to ask for something grand since you turned down a student council recommendation. But that’s it?” 

Violet looked puzzled, while Yohan nodded lightly.

“Yes, I’ve heard that the student council can issue them. Or is that wrong?” 

“No, you’re right. But… Are you sure that’s all you want?” 

Arcana Academy was a boarding school, which meant leaving the grounds was difficult. 

To leave, students needed an official pass, which could only be issued by two entities; the academy office or the student council. 

Since both were known to be quite strict, obtaining a pass wasn’t easy.

“I’d like it to be available whenever I need it.”

“Well, as long as you don’t cause any trouble outside, I can issue it at my discretion.”

Since the student council could freely leave the academy, they might not fully appreciate the value of an exit pass. 

For regular students, unless it was an emergency, getting one even once a semester was rare. 

Yohan had just secured the privilege of unlimited use of such a valuable pass.

Ariel observed Yohan effortlessly get what he wanted and was visibly surprised.

‘Since when did the Young Master learn how to negotiate so skillfully?’

Yohan had always been a spoiled troublemaker, who only knew how to throw tantrums to get his way. 

If something displeased him, his solution was to destroy it. 

Having watched Yohan closely all these years, Ariel couldn’t help but be astonished by his calm and composed demeanor during the negotiation.

Upon reflection, she realized that it had been strange from the beginning. 

Knowing now that the Crow’s attack was part of the academy’s entrance exam script, everything seemed confusing.

‘Telling me to go to the engine room… That too was strange.’

From the moment they went to the engine room instead of the designated evacuation area, things had started to shift. 

Every move made after reaching the engine room was directed by Yohan.

“If a Crow member enters, I’ll make the first move.”

“What do you mean?” 

Making the first move would mean becoming the target, after all. 

Why would Yohan want to make himself the target?

“They’ll use an attack spell, which will create an opening. That’s when you strike.”

“If I can’t take them down in one hit, you’ll be in danger, Young Master.”

“No, no. Don’t kill them. Your attack will be blocked anyway. Then just wait.”

“Not attack again?”

She could understand the order to not kill. After all, obtaining information from the Crow member would be more useful before safely escaping. 

But not following up with more attacks didn’t make sense to her. 

If she just stopped, what would happen next?

“Yeah. Just wait until I finish casting my spell.”

“Young Master, this is the engine room. If something goes wrong, the engine might get damaged and it could be dangerous…”  

“Don’t worry, it’ll just be a quick flash of light. Once I cast the spell, you can handle the rest. And remember, don’t kill them—just subdue them and use enough force to threaten them.”

At the time, Ariel hadn’t understood his reasoning. 

She had been prepared to push herself to the limit, even if it meant killing the Crow member. 

But, in the end, everything played out exactly according to Yohan’s plan. 

He didn’t even need to use his secret magic, probably because he didn’t felt the need.

‘Is this really the same reckless young master I know?’  

Ariel quietly observed Yohan as he shook hands with Violet after concluding their negotiation. 

Looking at him now, no one would ever associate him with the troublesome Yohan Hart.

“Well then, see you later.”  

“Yes, senior. Take care.”  

Violet waved goodbye and left the engine room. 

The moment she left, Ariel finally let out the words she had been holding back.

“Everything went exactly according to your plan, didn’t it?”  

“Yeah, fortunately. Let’s just lay low here for a while until the exam ends, and then we’ll head back.”  

Yohan nodded calmly and sat down casually on the floor. 

Ariel stared at him with a mix of emotions.

She didn’t know how Yohan had figured out the Crow’s attack was part of the entrance exam or how he had planned everything out so perfectly. 

But one thing was clear.

‘He’s changed.’  

Yohan Hart had undeniably changed.