I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 237: The Witch (5)

Arien placed a pocket watch on the table. It was an item used by mages to prove their affiliation. Unlike the student pocket watch he had, Arien’s had a golden star pattern engraved on it.

‘Stella Knight Order’s Pocket Watch’

He spoke calmly.

“This is a pocket watch that temporarily certifies your status as a member of the Stella Knights.”

“That means...”

“You have worked alone so far, and despite that, you’ve accomplished many things. But there are clear limits to working alone.”

Saying this, Arien pushed the pocket watch towards Baek Yu-Seol.

“If you accept this and join the Knights, I promise you the same respect as a full-fledged knight, and I will provide you with information inaccessible to the general public.”

“... Is this a recruitment offer?”

“Yes. Even within Stella, you stand out. Such conditions should be met.”

The Stella Knights were the world's top martial organization, often referred to as the 'world police,' and not just anyone could join them.

Besides having a high level of magical skill, one had to build a career over several years by hunting dark mages and subduing magical beasts to prove their abilities and barely qualify.

So, it was even stranger.

Even though Baek Yu-Seol had solved many incidents, compared to the achievements of the Stella Knights, they were insignificant.

"If you accept this pocket watch, you can use some of the authority of the Knights even as a student, and upon graduation, you can become a full-fledged Knight. I guarantee it."

"This is... quite an honor for me."

"You can think of it that way."

Baek Yu-Seol stared at the pocket watch.

'This is really a good deal.'

The reason he had been working alone was because there was no one to work with.

Of course, even if he joined the Knights, he wouldn’t be able to disclose future information, so he would still be working alone in that sense, but receiving some assistance from the Knights was undoubtedly a significant advantage.

Additionally, it solved a practical issue.

He had always pondered, 'What will I do after preventing the future apocalypse?'

For someone like Baek Yu-Seol, who couldn’t use magic or alchemy, the Magic Knights—where ranks were determined solely by combat ability—were the most fitting group.

"Of course, there's one condition."

"... A condition?"

"Currently, the Stella Knights operate as a mercenary group without a sovereign nation, taking on cheap assignments."

His tone showed no pride in being a magic knight.

"You will also need to act as a student normally but respond to orders when missions arise."

That wasn't ideal.

Seeing Baek Yu-Seol’s reluctance, Arien immediately revised the condition.

"But at your age, with a focus on your studies, frequent missions would be difficult. So, like now, I will assign you missions only related to cases you are interested in. Is that sufficient?"

"It's more than enough. Why are you treating me so well?"

"I hold you in very high regard. For the future of the Stella Knights... You are essential."

"Oh come on, I haven't done anything to deserve such high praise."

Baek Yu-Seol tried to lighten the mood with a joke. He felt Arien was overestimating him, but he remained firm and serious.

"... Are you really serious about this?"

"Yes."

If he said it so earnestly, there was no need to hesitate any longer. The conditions were good, and for some reason, Arien had a lot of trust in Baek Yu-Seol, so he just needed to make the most of it.

"I'll do it."

When he accepted the pocket watch, Arien finally seemed satisfied and his expression softened ever so slightly.

"Congratulations on becoming a provisional Stella Knight. Now, let’s discuss your first mission right away."

"... Wait, you're giving me a mission even before I've received my appointment?"

"It's a mission I think you'll find interesting. It involves witches."

He kept touching his wrist every time he mentioned witches.

"That is... Yes. That sounds interesting."

Seeing Baek Yu-Seol’s agreement, Arien appeared to have expected it. He pulled out a prepared document and placed it on the table.

"Your mission is to track down, and if possible, eliminate the witch causing trouble in Arcanium."

After saying that, he interlocked his fingers and spoke.

"Can you do it?"

Without hesitation, Baek Yu-Seol took the document and nodded.

"Of course."

After that, it took a long conversation with Arien about the existence of witches before he could finally leave.

“As you probably already know, witches do exist.”

Arien began and carefully avoided any mention of his own defeat at the hands of a witch, while trying to provide Baek Yu-Seol with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, most of it was information he already knew.

However, there was one particularly interesting piece of information. It might be directly related to why he kept hearing phantom sounds in his ears.

Apparently, witches with grudges could bind their souls to objects...

“Hm?”

When he returned to his dorm, he found the door slightly open.

Had he not closed it properly?

'Whatever.'

There were CCTV cameras anyway, so the likelihood of a thief was low.

Once inside, Baek Yu-Seol took a quick shower and hid the document envelope securely in a makeshift safe. Then, after turning off the lights and collapsing onto his bed, he felt something soft and warm beside him.