A disciplinary committee was convened.
The reason?
A single girl had taken down seven others with nothing but a staff.
It wasn't a case of self-defense against a group attack. No, it was the opposite… one girl had chosen to confront seven.
"… In all my years, this is the first time we've convened a disciplinary committee for something like this."
Instructor Han-Wol said with a deep sigh, staring at Flame, who sat nonchalantly in her chair.
Seven professors had gathered to discuss her punishment, but no one seemed to be taking the meeting seriously.
That was because Han-Wol, the head of the disciplinary committee, had no real intention of punishing Flame.
"Haah… Are you at least feeling remorseful?"
"Yes. I feel terribly sorry."
"That's a lie if I've ever heard one. Fine. The principal seems to have a soft spot for you, so you're off the hook. No formal punishment this time. Just write a reflection letter and be done with it."
"Hm…"
"What's the problem now?"
"It's just… Life really does boil down to bloodlines, connections, talent, and looks, doesn't it?"
"… Talent? Never mind. Just write your reflection. The rest of you professors can go back to your duties."
Reluctantly, Flame started scribbling down her reflection letter.
Her first attempt didn't even make it past Han-Wol's initial glance.
It read:
'I'm sorry for beating people up. I'll make sure to go easier on them next time.'
The statement earned Han-Wol a headache so fierce that he clutched at the back of his neck in frustration.
In the end, Flame had to rewrite her reflection seven times - one for each student she had beaten - before she finally managed to submit a somewhat acceptable version.
Only then was she allowed to leave.
Click!
Stepping out of the faculty office, Flame let out a deep sigh.
"Hooh…"
Though the ordeal had relieved some of her pent-up tension, nothing had truly changed.
It all felt like a meaningless waste of time.
Irresponsible.
Eisel was still in danger.
This world itself was still in danger.
And maybe—just maybe—she would never be able to return home.
'What am I even doing?'
'If they saw me like this, they'd call me pathetic.'
Vwoooom!
As Flame trudged down the hallway, she suddenly felt a strange sensation… her entire body being pulled somewhere.
It was the familiar feeling of time slip, something she had experienced several times before.
She was being dragged to another moment in time… one where a major incident was about to unfold.
"W-Wait! Not now!"
Panic laced her voice as she planted her feet firmly on the ground, trying to resist. She couldn't leave. Not yet.
She still had to meet Eisel and talk about the Mock Monster Battle!
But she didn't realize it yet.
Flame didn't realize it yet, but the moment she had let Eisel walk away earlier, choosing instead to deal with the seven girls who had wronged her, she had unwittingly sealed her fate.
The future had been set in motion, and her choice had locked it into place.
"Wait—just give me a moment—!"
Desperation surged through her. She summoned every ounce of mana in her body, willing it to resist the unstoppable force.
But the flow of time was merciless. No living being could defy its grasp.
Flash!
In an instant, everything turned blindingly white.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already seated in the waiting area of the Mock Monster Battle testing arena.
'No way…'
Quickly assessing her surroundings, Flame realized something alarming.
'Did I… already take the test?'
She couldn't even remember it… but the seats were now filled with students who had already finished their tests.
And the student currently undergoing the test was—
"… Eisel."
"Hahaha!"
"What is she even doing?"
"Is that the so-called genius from the 'Morph Family'? She's pathetic."
"How did someone like her even get into Stella?"
The waiting area wasn't just filled with first-year cadets… there were upperclassmen too, all watching and openly mocking Eisel as she struggled in the middle of the arena.
It was no wonder they mocked her.
Eisel's signature lightning magic fizzled out into tiny sparks before it could even ignite properly. Her ice spikes were dull and blunt, barely tickling the beast instead of piercing it.
'Her staff! It's still not fully repaired…?'
Eisel's financial situation had always been tight.
She didn't have the resources to properly repair Stella Academy's precious staff.
She must have pieced it together with whatever money she could scrounge up, but even so, it was barely functional.
A truly skilled mage could cast spells even without a staff.
But Eisel? She was still young and inexperienced.
On top of that, the series of recent incidents had left her completely drained, both mentally and emotionally.
"Hahaha!"
"Even my little brother could do better!"
"She's a disgrace to Stella's name!"
The jeers of the crowd echoed through the arena, sharp and relentless. It was no wonder Eisel had ended up in such a humiliating situation.
'No… This can't be happening.'
Flame jumped to her feet.
This isn't right.
In the original timeline, Eisel had shined brighter than anyone during this event.
She had made a spectacular debut with her magic.
'Crystal Flower.'
Pale ice blossoms intertwined with radiant blue sparks, blooming in the air like something out of a dream. It had been so stunning, so extraordinary, that no one could believe it had been cast by a first-year student.
Flame could still see it clearly in her mind.
How could she ever forget such a beautiful moment?
'No! In the real world, Eisel never suffered like this…'
But suddenly, Flame felt a wave of discomfort.
This wasn't a fake world.
The Eisel standing there, defeated and humiliated, wasn't fake.
She was the real Eisel—from another timeline.
And Flame had caused this.
Because she failed to protect her.
"Ah…"
Eisel finally gave up.
She stood in the center of the arena, her head hanging low in defeat.
Flame tried to call out to her, but no sound came from her throat.
Vwooooom!!!
The pull of time slip surged through Flame again, dragging her away before she could act.
The gray time had brought her here only to witness the results of her choices, not to interfere with them.
"Ah…"
Thud!
She collapsed to her knees, and when she lifted her head, she found herself in the Alchemy Department's faculty office.
As she blankly looked around, the office door suddenly burst open.
Professor Maizen Tyren stormed out, dragging Alterisha by the ear.
"How many times do I have to tell you?!"
"I-I'm sorry, Professor!"
'Assistant Alterisha…?'
Flame quickly stood up and hid behind a pillar in the hallway.
"I told you over and over that you couldn't attend the presentation! And yet you dared to write a paper behind my back?!"
'Presentation…'
Judging by the timeline, it was most likely the Alchemy and Magic Engineering Conference.
Flame hadn't been present at the time, but the story was so famous that she couldn't possibly have missed it.
At that conference, Alterisha had developed a groundbreaking new technology called Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique, earning her the title of the world's greatest alchemist in an instant.
And just like always, Baek Yu-Seol had been there to support her.
Rip!
"This paper is confiscated."
"Ah…!"
But that future was never going to happen in this timeline.
Because Baek Yu-Seol didn't exist here.
Professor Maizen Tyren tore Alterisha's thesis to shreds, his expression cold and unyielding, before retreating into his office. Alterisha crumpled to the floor, her shoulders trembling as she wept quietly.
Flame immediately realized—
This was another incident she was powerless to stop.
Baek Yu-Seol… He really knew everything.
Even in alchemy, he had mastered knowledge at a doctoral level.
That's why he had been able to give Alterisha the faith and hope she needed.
With just a small hint, he had helped her unlock her talents, leading to her explosive growth as an alchemist.
But Flame…
She didn't have that knowledge.
Alchemy, to her, was nothing more than basic first-year material she had skimmed through.
She had nothing that could help Alterisha.
Vwoooom!
Perhaps this world, too, already knew that Flame had no options to interfere with Alterisha's fate.
The time slip began again immediately.
This time, she arrived at a new location… the Alchemy and Magitech Conference.
"A round of applause for Professor Maizen Tyren!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Maizen Tyren, who had stolen Alterisha's paper, was being showered with praise from the alchemists in attendance.
And yet…
Alterisha was nowhere to be seen.
In the end, unable to complete Alchemical Engineering Cross Technique on her own, she had lost all confidence and couldn't even bring herself to attend.
Vwoooom!
The time slip struck again.
More events flashed before her eyes.
— The Persona Gate training had turned out to be real, not just a simulation.
— At the masquerade ball, a tragic incident had deepened the conflict between Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel.
Eisel had somehow managed to resolve the chaos, but not without leaving herself scarred. Hong Bi-Yeon, meanwhile, emerged from the ordeal broken, her confidence shattered and her heart filled with jealousy… jealousy that should never have taken root.
It was a festering seed planted deep within her, one that would slowly erode her from the inside.
Vwoooom!
The time slips repeated endlessly.
Flame could do nothing.
In truth, there was never a single incident that she could fix with her choices.
Was it arrogance to think she could find the right answers in one time travel attempt, when even Baek Yu-Seol had required thousands of regressions to figure them out?
Still—
She didn't give up.
She ran until her feet bled, chasing every event until it ended.
Even when, like Alterisha's incident, there seemed to be no solution, she desperately tried to prevent disasters whenever time allowed her to act.
… It was all useless.
[Edmon, the eldest son of the Duke Atalek, proposes to Princess Hong Bi-Yeon!]
[Professor Maizen Tyren's alchemy ushers in a new era…!]
[Assistant Alterisha Goes Missing.]
[First-Year Rankings – Eisel Falls to 149th Place.]
[Tragedy Strikes at the First World Tree Familiar Contract Ceremony… Professor Maizen Tyren Transforms into a Dark Mage.]
Countless incidents flashed before Flame's eyes.
Incidents she had witnessed and failed to resolve.
[Tragic Geniuses—Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel Denied Entry to the Aslan Seminar. Are They Truly Deserving of the Title 'Genius'?]
[Dark Mage Infiltrates Summer Magic Survival Event—Is Stella Academy Truly Safe?]
[High Elf Orenha's Crimes Revealed…]
[Florin, the Elf King, Betrays the World's Trust and Disappears Without a Trace.]
[Strange Ghost Incident at the Seventh Main Tower—Exchange Student Anella Found Dead in Chilling Circumstances.]
[Jeliel, Daughter of Starcloud Trading Company's President, Goes Missing at Ancient Ruins.]
It wasn't just Eisel.
When Flame had witnessed Alterisha's case, she'd had a feeling…
But now, every incident happening across this world was laid bare before her.
It felt like the world was toying with her… like giving college-level problems to an elementary school student just to enjoy watching her struggle and fail.
Baek Yu-Seol had been involved in all of it… from beginning to end.
Every single incident.
And all of this had occurred in less than half a year.
Even though Flame had only glimpsed these events through the relentless cycles of time slips, it felt as though she had endured an eternity.
But Baek Yu-Seol had lived through every second, feeling it in his very body as he ran from one disaster to the next.
And he had resolved them all.
"… This place."
She stood in a sunlit garden, the air heavy with the heat of the waning summer. The golden light seemed to mock her exhaustion, and the dark circles under her eyes told of sleepless nights.
The end of summer was approaching.
Flame walked, guided by instinct.
The first person she sought out was Hong Bi-Yeon.
Flame found her sitting in the study hall, staring blankly into space. The once-proud princess looked utterly broken, her presence devoid of the sharp, unyielding energy that used to define her.
In the novel, Hong Bi-Yeon had always been depicted as a cruel villainess.
But outside the printed words of the story, she had always been trapped in suffering.
Hong Bi-Yeon's fate was already sealed.
She would either be forced into marriage with Edmon Atalek—
Or be unable to bear the shame and humiliation… And take her own life.
'… Hong Bi-Yeon is going to die.'
But it wasn't suicide.
When Hong Bi-Yeon ultimately refused Edmon, he had framed her for a heinous crime, pinning false charges against her.
In the novel, Eisel had intervened, providing readers with a satisfying twist as justice was served.
But right now… It was nothing but tragedy.
Soon, Hong Bi-Yeon would lose not only her status as a princess but also her qualification as a Stella cadet.
Disgraced, she would be imprisoned with the worst criminals in the world.
Overwhelmed by stress, her curse of flames would ignite uncontrollably, and she would die.
A world without Baek Yu-Seol…
It was even worse than the original novel.
'It's because I interfered.'
If Flame hadn't meddled, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this badly.
Maybe Eisel wouldn't have suffered even more than in the original story.
She couldn't save everyone… but at the very least, Eisel might have had a chance at happiness.
But instead, everything fell apart because Flame interfered.
'… What if I disappeared?'
Would that fix everything?
If Flame vanished, could she save Eisel and everyone else in this world—the one that now felt like another true reality?
"Ha… Haha…"
What am I even thinking?
This isn't like me.
Thinking such depressing and negative thoughts… This isn't like me at all.
And yet, even as Flame tried to deny it, her heart churned with chaos, refusing to settle.
Leaving Hong Bi-Yeon behind, she walked away helplessly.
And once again, the gray light surrounded her, devouring her whole.
It was dragging Flame into yet another moment of pain and suffering.