LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 33
EP.33 It Worked When I Tried It! (1)
After the public lecture, Apuria had three days of rest. Originally, it was an urgent holiday created by pulling the regular monthly break forward.
On the surface, it was to rearrange the barrier disrupted by the visit of outsiders…
Most professors knew the truth.
It was a necessary rest period to cool down the heated atmosphere.
That day, in the auditorium, the public lecture took place.
Rania van Trias.
The basic pronounced through that girl’s lips.
No distinction between professor and student needed to be made. No mage left the lecture without gaining enlightenment.
Mages, too, are scholars walking the path of magic. Like scholars, mages wanted to document their insights into writing.
In the past three days, that academic fervor had set Apuria ablaze.
Reservations for research labs poured in like crazy across the academy. Even the dignified professors rushed to claim their research rooms and lock the doors…
In such a situation, normal operations were out of the question. The three-day holiday was a necessary measure.
And today, as that three-day break ended, the professors gathered in the academy had one singular focus.
Rania van Trias.
Early in the morning, they visited Professor Rosel’s office, but the girl was nowhere to be found. The professors then headed straight to the café.
A café that was usually quiet. However, they knew all too well from rumors that this was where the girl frequented.
“Get me a drink here.”
“Me too…”
As a result, the café was bustling with unexpected customers. Professors sat at the window seats where she used to sit, eagerly waiting for her arrival.
And then…
“Wha—what the hell?”
Rania van Trias, who was a regular at that café, groaned while looking at the crowded space.
“I guess I’ll have to come back another time…”
She licked her lips and got up. None of the professors noticed her.
Only the café owner, clueless, had to endure the strange influx of customers for a while.
2.
Resti lingered in front of the professor’s office.
Since everyone rushed off to the café with their eyes lit up, the area in front of Mana Trading Studies Professor’s Office was quiet.
There was a chair in front of the office. Resti sat down and checked her notes several times while waiting for a professor.
‘I guess I could go in and wait…’
Still, since Rosel Elder made her uncomfortable, Resti chose to wait outside the office.
Rustle.
The warm wind blew. Resti yawned under the soft morning sunlight. She was a bit sleepy because she had worked late into the night, tidying up circuits.
“Yawn….”
Just as she yawned…
“What are you doing here?”
“…!”
At a sudden voice, Resti jumped and shivered. She hurriedly turned her head.
“Hmm?”
Ashen hair swayed in the breeze. Blue eyes twinkled through thin eyelashes.
Rania van Trias.
The very person Resti had been waiting for stood there. Resti quickly stood up.
“G-Good morning, Professor Rania.”
“Morning. What brings you here so early?”
As she asked, her eyes narrowed.
Those eyes had once seemed frightening when Resti first saw them, but now they didn’t feel that way.
What those eyes were focused on was the notebook in Resti’s hands. Resti instinctively tensed her shoulders.
“I came to ask a question about the solutions I’ve prepared.”
“Mm.”
She smiled, seeming intrigued.
Then, she pointed to the office door.
“Shall we go in and talk?”
“Yes.”
Entering the professor’s office, Rania poured a cup of coffee for Resti and sat down opposite her.
“Master, I have this student who has some questions…”
“Alright. I’ll step outside to take care of the noise.”
To tidy up the commotion outside, Rosel stood up. Only Rania and Resti remained in the office.
Sip.
Resti sipped her coffee, watching Rania check the notes.
‘This is really tasty…’
The coffee must have been expensive too; it had a delightful aroma. Yet, the professor did not even touch her coffee cup.
‘She must be focused.’
About a minute passed.
After checking all the solutions Resti had written, Rania opened her mouth.
“Correct.”
A brief comment.
“Your solution is accurate, and the circuits are neat.”
A simple compliment.
“The problem I assigned was a circuit disassembly task, but you even guessed how the circuit would be used?”
“Well, I had a bit of extra time…”
“Mm.”
A satisfied look in her eyes.
“Can you explain this solution in more detail?”
“Yes, of course.”
Resti gathered her slightly excited voice and slowly began to speak.
“By rubbing circuits together, we form a layer of magical power between the lines. Then, circulating mana within that layer accelerates it to amplify the spell’s power.”
“Aha.”
She smiled.
“Exactly, good job. That’s how we activate circuits by rubbing them together.”
Then she stretched out her hand for Resti to see.
Her delicate, white fingers. Mana slowly climbed up those fingers.
“Like this.”
Snap!
She flicked her fingers. The circuits stacked between her middle and thumb rubbed together. Sparks flew in the air.
The sparks transformed into flames. A brief flash of fire flickered brightly before it smoldered away.
A fleeting friction of circuits.
“Wow…”
Resti couldn’t help but let out an exclamation as she witnessed it.
In terms of time, it was barely two seconds. Counting how many mana reactions occurred in that short span was difficult.
Friction, acceleration, overheating, evaporation, circulation…
All Resti could identify were those five.
As she was admiring it, Rania pulled out a piece of paper.
“Welp, you got that one right, so… I bet you can solve this too.”
“Uh?”
“This one’s a similar problem. Since you already understood the last one, this will be easier.”
Rania picked up a pen.
Then she quickly sketched a circuit onto the blank paper. Resti closely observed the process.
It was a circuit mixed in a format similar to the one she had solved.
Resti narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing it.
When that circuit was completed, Resti finished her calculations as well.
“Then, I’ll turn this in by tomorrow…”
“I solved it.”
“…Huh?”
Resti pulled out a pen and immediately wrote down the answer next to the circuit. It was a problem that shared the same solving method as the previous one.
‘If I do this…’
Clack.
Resti set down her pen. The blank paper showed three separate circuits drawn on it.
“…It’s correct.”
A voice filled with surprise came through.
Resti suddenly looked up, meeting the professor’s eyes.
Her eyes, which had always been slightly narrowed, were now wide open.
As if in shock.
“Impressive.”
That praise mixed with surprise. In response, Resti asked in a slightly elated voice.
“Can I take more problems with me?”
3.
I surveyed the space Resti had just left.
The solution process laid out on the desk.
Reading through the neatly and clearly written solutions once more, I noticed there were no errors.
“Hmm…”
To be honest, I was a bit surprised.
It was similar to the type of problem I had assigned. However, while the original was based on fundamental theory, the problem I had just assigned was application-based.
‘She just looked at the circuit drawing and solved it.’
It was just a problem she had attempted only once.
But she managed to intuitively apply it.
“…This is beyond my expectations.”
I had thought she might have some talent. After all, the Elder of the Ashen Tower chose her, so she must possess some qualities.
But this truly surpassed my expectations.
“She’s not someone who should be looked down upon.”
No matter how I looked at it, she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. With this level of skill, she had great potential.
She discovered more than what was given.
It wasn’t just about finding the answer to the problem; she went so far as to identify potential applications for the solution she found.
And.
What caught my attention above all else was.
The faint halo of light glimmering in her eyes as she chased after mana and analyzed circuits. A hint of untapped potential yet to bloom.
That light was…
The ‘other’ type of talent I did not possess.
‘Come to think of it, her job is Summoner, right?’
I forced a smile.
Having been through it myself, I knew just how troublesome a Summoner could be.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord’s Army.
The alchemist and summoner.
‘The Heretic, Gletus.’
Recalling that mad summoner who manufactured beasts and commanded an army of chimeras, I felt a shiver creep up my neck.
‘That time, I nearly died.’
The peak of summoning.
As someone who faced that nightmare, I could never take the name ‘Summoner’ lightly.
‘If that light I saw earlier connects with her summoning talent…’
Suddenly, I imagined the outcome that could arise from that light and her talent as a summoner.
The conclusion came quickly.
With that conclusion in mind, I muttered with a bitter smile.
“…I could be in for a challenge.”
That nightmare, after all.
“Haah…”
With a sigh, I leaned deeply back in my chair.
“Scout, Belnoa.”
Then, I named each of the students I’d been watching closely, one by one.
“Frontline mage and support: Resti… and if possible, Princess Ayla too.”
A party consisting of those four.
“Aha.”
Suddenly, a laugh slipped out.
“They’re all kids worth raising.”
4.
“Now, you may go home.”
“No, just once would be enough…”
“Must I really raise my voice?”
At that cold voice, the professors fell silent. For them, Professor Rosel was a bit of a difficult person.
An Elder of the Ashen Tower.
And one of the few sages in the kingdom.
While he was bound as a fellow professor within Apuria, it would be a challenge to engage casually outside.
“Al, I understand.”
“Well, if the opportunity arises next time…”
Eventually, the professors departed with lingering regret.
“Haah…”
Rosel let out a sigh and shook his head.
‘Having an exceptionally talented student is quite taxing.’
The lecture prepared for an entire week was successful enough that even Rosel would give it high marks.
‘Still a long way from perfect though…’
But she was exceptionally smart, so she’d learn quickly. Rosel thought as he made his way back.
In the corridor leading back to the professor’s office, Rosel happened to notice a student approaching him from the opposite direction. He recognized her. Before being a student, she was an Elder of the Ashen Tower.
The future Master of the Tower, Resti.
She was walking down the hall, focused on her notebook, oblivious to Rosel’s approach.
‘That’s a bit dangerous…’
Pay attention and watch where you’re going.
As he was about to give her a warning, he caught sight of Resti’s expression and fell silent.
She brushed past Rosel.
He turned his head and watched her retreating figure.
‘…Was she smiling?’
She was definitely smiling.
As if she was joyful, as if she were happy.
She was always so expressionless. Seeing her smile felt incredibly unfamiliar to Rosel.