I Became a Terminally Ill Magic Genius at the Academy

At the sudden appearance of Serhen, Yohan blinked.  

He had been feeling drowsy just moments ago, his body sagging as the tension eased, but now he was wide awake.  

Why on earth was Serhen here all of a sudden?  

Yohan quickly began to think.  

Did Serhen ever visit the freshmen’s rooms like this in the original story?  

‘No. There’s no way.’  

What academy would have its principal personally visit the students’ dorms to greet them?  

Especially when the principal was a demon like Serhen—  

‘It’s terrifying.’  

Yohan managed to keep it together, but if it had been any other student, they would have been far more unsettled.  

He cleared his throat to gather himself and bowed his head.  

“Greetings, Duchess Demon.”  

Yohan addressed her with respect.  

In a situation with other students around, it might have been different, but right now, it was just the two of them.  

He decided that it was appropriate to acknowledge her not just as the principal but as a noble in her own right.  

As reiterated many times, the empire had four major noble families.  

The Orfen of the East.  

The Diaz of the West.  

The Demon of the South.  

The Hart of the North.  

All of them were significant in size, with long histories and numerous members in their ranks.  

The Hart family was no exception.  

When considering just the direct line, it might seem small with Yohan being the sole heir.  

‘But counting the extended family, it’s massive.’  

The same applied to the other families.  

But there was one exception: the Demon Duchy.  

For a thousand years.

There has been only one person bearing the name ‘Demon.’  

And what does that mean?  

It meant that the Serhen Demon standing before him had been the sole Duchess of the Demon family, maintaining her position for a millennium.  

“What’s with ‘Duchess’? Just call me Principal.”  

“Yes, Principal.”  

The Orfen family ruled the East, Diaz the West, and Hart the North, all based around the empire’s capital.  

However, the Demon Duchy officially held no territory.  

To put it simply, the Demon Duchy had relinquished its land back to the empire.  

And they requested just one thing. 

The continent’s greatest educational institution was to be established under her supervision. 

Thus, while Serhen Demon was officially referred to as the Duchess, in most other places, she was known as the Principal of Arcana Academy.’

“Is the room still quite empty?”  

“Yes, I was just assigned to it.”  

“Still, it might be better to invite someone inside rather than keeping them standing at the door, don’t you think?”  

“Oh, my apologies. Please come in.”  

Yohan stepped aside slightly to make room for Serhen to enter. She nodded and stepped into Yohan’s room.  

“First of all, congratulations on your admission to Arcana Academy!”  

“Thank you.”  

“Hmm, you’re entirely different from when I saw you last.”  

“Am I?”  

“You seem much more mature…”  

Yohan made a somewhat awkward expression, feeling uneasy under Serhen’s scrutinizing gaze. 

Naturally, it made sense that he would be more mature than the original Yohan Hart.

After all, Kang Ji-hoon had lived over ten more years than Yohan. If he wasn’t more mature, it would actually be more surprising.  

“Well, it’s probably just because I’ve grown up since I was a child.”  

“No, it’s not just that. It’s as if your entire being has changed. Even the nature of your mana is much more refined than before.”  

Serhen’s eyes flickered momentarily as if they were on fire. 

Yohan was slightly startled by her remark about his mana being more refined.  

‘Did she sense that I transformed the curse?’  

Even Grayson Hart, known as the Iron-Blooded Mage, hadn’t sensed that Yohan had transformed the curse. 

Considering that his own father hadn’t noticed it, Serhen discerning the change in the nature of Yohan’s mana was astounding. 

Of course, being a demon who had lived for over a thousand years, her magical prowess was unparalleled.  

Her magical achievement was on par with that of Bryan, the founder of the Hart family—an 8-star mage. 

While she had never progressed to the 9-star despite her long life, it was mainly because she didn’t aim to elevate her powers. 

She chose to live as a human, guiding students, rather than pursuing a life fitting of a demon.  

If she had embraced her true demonic nature and lived for a millennium as such, she might have become a 9-star mage.  

“As a mage grows, it’s only natural for their mana to become more refined than when they were a child.”  

“Hmm…”  

Serhen observed Yohan with eyes full of intrigue as if she was examining something fascinating. 

Soon, she finally spoke up.  

“How is your body feeling?” 

“Yes?”  

“You must be struggling a bit because of the curse, right?”  

“……”  

Yohan was at a loss for words when Serhen casually brought up the topic. 

The curse of the Hart family had been kept a closely guarded secret, thanks to the family’s efforts to conceal their weakness. 

Yet, Serhen brought it up as if it were common knowledge. 

As Yohan struggled to find a response, Serhen chuckled lightly.  

“Why are you so surprised? Did you really think I wouldn’t know about the Hart family’s curse? I spent the most time with Bryan until the very end, you know?”  

Well, that made sense. 

Serhen was the only one who had known all the founders of the current four great families. 

It wasn’t strange for her to be aware of the curse possessed by Bryan Hart.  

“I’m fine. For now, I’m focusing solely on quickly advancing my magical achievements.”  

Yohan answered calmly. 

Serhen looked at him and smiled.  

“You’re not just different from when you were a child; you’re also very different from the rumors.”  

“Rumors tend to be exaggerated.”  

“But they usually have a lot of truth mixed in. Yet, in this case, there’s nothing true at all. A useless scoundrel, they say… In what way are you useless, and in what way are you a scoundrel?”  

Yohan couldn’t answer. 

To be more precise, he didn’t feel the need to answer. 

After all, Serhen hadn’t asked the question expecting an answer. 

She continued, her tone casual but her eyes seeking affirmation from him.  

“When rumors are the complete opposite of the truth, don’t you think that’s a bit strange? As if the rumors had to be that way.”  

No. The original Yohan was probably just causing trouble without much thought. 

However, seeing Serhen’s meaningful gaze, Yohan couldn’t say anything. 

Honestly, she was right. 

Yohan had to be a scoundrel. 

Why? 

Because he was the villain.  

That was how he was created, how his character was meant to be.  

“Uh, well…”  

As Yohan stammered, caught off guard by the sudden question, Serhen quickly softened her expression and continued.  

“Or perhaps you’ve just become a really good person.”  

“I suppose the latter is more accurate.”  

While Yohan was destined to be a scoundrel, Kang Ji-hoon was not. 

As he spoke, Serhen let out a slight laugh.  

“True. That’s probably why Bryan’s magic pen recognized you. Because you’ve become someone entirely different, haven’t you?”

It appeared she had recognized Yohan’s magic pen.  

“Yes. That must be it.”  

There was no way the original Yohan Hart would have been acknowledged by Bryan’s magic pen; it had to be Kang Ji-hoon as Yohan for this to happen.  

“If it’s alright, may I take a look at it?”  

“Of course.”  

Serhen asked while glancing at Yohan’s waist. 

Generally, mages didn’t hand over their magic pens to others lightly. 

Moreover, the most powerful magic pens wouldn’t allow just anyone to handle them without recognition. 

However, Yohan handed the magic pen to Serhen without hesitation.  

‘She could just take it by force if she really wanted to, so what’s the point?’  

If Serhen desired, taking the magic pen from Yohan would be a trivial task for her. 

She held Bryan Hart’s magic pen for a moment and examined it slowly, before handing it back to Yohan.  

“It’s been a thousand years since I last saw it, so I couldn’t resist stopping by.”  

“You’re welcome to visit anytime.”  

Showing the magic pen was no big deal and could be done anytime. 

Serhen gave Yohan a strange look before nodding her head slightly.  

“Well then, I’ll be going now! I hope you have an enjoyable academy life ahead!”  

“Yes. Thank you, principal.”  

Eager for her to leave, Yohan quickly bowed. 

When he raised his head again, Serhen had already vanished.  

‘Why did she even come?’  

Yohan found the whole situation baffling. 

On top of that, the fatigue he had been holding back was starting to overwhelm him.  

‘Just a little rest.’ 

——

Yohan fell into a short nap after Serhen left. 

He was woken up when the dormitory leader, Geron, came to inform him that it was time for dinner.  

“If we want to win tomorrow’s dorm competition, we need to eat a hearty meal.”  

Geron patted Yohan on the back.  

“What’s there to eat that’s hearty…?”  

Hearing this, Herzyn, who was walking beside them, grumbled. 

Yohan looked at Herzyn curiously. 

He had always known Arcana Academy’s meals to be quite decent, so he couldn’t understand what Herzyn meant.  

But when they arrived at the cafeteria on the first floor of the dormitory, Yohan immediately understood.  

“What is this?”  

There were fist-sized pieces of bread, some ham, a few vegetables, and cheese. 

There was soup, too, but…  

‘Isn’t this just broth with no solid pieces?’  

Upon receiving his portion, it was indeed soup without any chunks.  

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

The meals at Arcana Academy, as he knew them, were never this inadequate.  

“Do you know why we’re so fixated on our dorm ranking?”  

“Sorry?”  

“The dorm rankings determine our budget. Whether it’s for events or meals, everything is managed within the allocated budget.”  

“Ah.”  

Yohan let out a short sigh.  

Right, that was part of the setting.  

However, since Cedric always came in first as if it were a given, the Golden Lion Dorm constantly topped the dorm rankings, rendering this rule virtually meaningless. 

He hadn’t even thought about it until now.  

“From a nutritional standpoint, it’s quite filling…”  

“What’s the point if it doesn’t taste good?”  

Geron tried to make it sound better, but Herzyn just shook his head.  

In the end, Geron clicked his tongue in agreement.  

“Yohan Hart.”  

“Yes, Senior Geron.”  

“We’re counting on you. Make sure we get that first place.”  

“… I’ll do my best.”  

“Alright, Herzyn and I have somewhere to go before dinner, so we’ll head out now. Make sure you eat well.”  

“Understood.”  

Yohan gave a simple reply and glared at the bread and soup on his tray.  

He had planned to take things easy, but this changed things.  

‘I have to win this.’  

Yohan clicked his tongue and looked around the cafeteria.  

Even if the food was lacking, he had to eat something.  

As he was about to find a seat, something caught his eye.  

‘Oh?’  

He spotted someone.