"……My goodness. What did you do?"
Temporary interview room of the Elemental Magic Tower.
Kevin asked, looking at the coffee cup in his hand.
Oliver, who brought the coffee, responded.
“I made some coffee?”
Kevin looked at Oliver as if he couldn't believe it.
“You made this?”
“Yes…… Did I make a mistake?”
Kevin shook his head. Not out of courtesy, but genuinely.
“No, it's just that the coffee tastes better than I expected.”
“Ah, thank you. I learned from some ladies I know, and then I tried adding a few recipes to suit my taste by looking at a book.”
“That's surprising… the fact that you know some ladies and that you have preferences.”
Kevin spoke sincerely.
It was surprising to him that Oliver had personal relationships with women and that he cared about the taste of coffee.
This guy, who when busy, simply settled for plain bread.
“The ladies, I got to know while working, and as for coffee, I also enjoy it occasionally…… Wouldn't you want it to be tastier if you could?”
Tastier.
Such a natural desire, yet it felt so alien when Oliver mentioned it.
It felt like a wolf or lion seasoning its prey with pepper after hunting.
Whether he knew it or not, Oliver asked calmly.
“Do you need anything else?”
To Oliver's question, Kevin shook his head.
“No, just go outside now and bring in the students listed in order.”
Oliver nodded, collected the list of laboratory applicants, and left the interview room.
Outside, there were a chair and desk for Oliver, and across from him, students waiting either sitting or standing were visible.
They were all students currently attending the magic tower, also applicants for Kevin's laboratory.
About fifteen or so.
Though it might seem like a lot, it wasn't necessarily so.
Many students apply to labs to build their career, network, develop their skills, or make money.
For popular professors, hundreds apply at once.
Compared to that, the number of applications to Kevin wasn't a lot.
Well, considering his reputation, it wouldn't be considered few either.
Anyway, Oliver sat in the chair and called the students listed one by one.
“Mr. Jim, are you here?”
***
Creak… thud.
The fifth applicant opened the door to the interview room and stepped out.
His name was Choji, a student from the Gaia School of Magic.
Despite preparing confidently by reading potential questions before entering, he came out drained after just a few minutes.
Of course, on the outside, he pretended to be fine, but inside, his feelings were a mix of confusion, shock, and self-loathing, as if they were bruises scattered here and there.
‘Just like the four before him.’
Oliver looked at Choji, who was walking more slowly than before, thought this, and called the next person. An unexpected one.
“Mr. Derick, are you here?”
In response to Oliver's call, Derick, who had been hiding amongst the crowd, slowly rose and walked forward.
The few applicants blocking the narrow hallway gave way when they saw Derick's face.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Derick walked confidently, making heavy footsteps, and stopped in front of Oliver.
“You don't seem surprised?”
“I was surprised when I first saw you.”
Sitting in his chair. After calling the first person, Oliver reviewed the list, and while observing the applicants with his warlock's eye, he noticed Derick and Felix.
It was somewhat surprising to see Derick there, even if Felix was expected.
“Hiding among the applicants?”
“Isn't there a list?”
Derick nodded, as if convinced. To him, Oliver spoke politely.
"You may go in now, Mr. Derick."
Derick nodded as if he understood, and followed Oliver's words into the interview room.
His attitude seemed a lot softer than when they first met.
Thud.
As Derick closed the interview room door and stepped inside, the interview began immediately.
Although it was impossible to know what conversations were taking place inside the interview room with a soundproof magic applied, Oliver, with his warlock's eyes, could glimpse the emotions of the two people in the back interview room.
The warlock's eyes could see in all directions, not just forward, depending on the training.
Fortunately, it seemed that the conversation was going quite well, perhaps thanks to Derick having once attended Kevin's class.
Kevin's emotions were not stained with disappointment, and Derick's emotions, which were consistent with his confidence, were proof of that.
‘Well, he's a good student. He seems to have completely regained his confidence…… Did something happen?'
Oliver wondered while focusing on his own work.
Fortunately, the waiting research applicants were chatting with each other, satisfying Oliver's curiosity.
"Derick. So, did he finally get kicked out of the family? Aren't you supposed to help with family business or research?"
"I don't think he got kicked out. His tuition and dormitory fees are still being paid by his family. But it seems that they have cut back a bit on non-essentials."
"They say the Redhill family is having financial difficulties these days. Because of the failed investment in thermal power…"
"So, is Derick's situation desperate?"
"Shh, be careful. They say that Derick beat up the guys who were gossiping about him at the end-of-term party. He took down over ten guys by himself."
"They say it was twenty, actually."
"Whether it's ten or twenty, be careful if you don't want to be humiliated. His temper seems to be the same as always."
It seemed that Derick's self-esteem had been restored by confirming his own capabilities. It seemed fortunate.
Having the confidence to do something was a good thing.
In addition to this, Oliver secretly heard other stories, most of which were about money.
Even though all the applicants here were students.
How can he put it… Despite their affluence, the wizards seemed to be impoverished.
…Thud.
A little later, Derick opened the door and came out of the interview room.
He was the first to come out maintaining his confidence, not just in appearance, but also in heart.
He made eye contact with Oliver and waved a greeting before leaving, and Oliver likewise greeted him and called the next candidate. The next candidate was also familiar.
"Mr. Felix, are you here?"
***
As they finished interviewing the last, eighteenth candidate, the afternoon time had almost flown by.
They would probably have to continue categorizing summer semester students until tomorrow.
There was no need to regret since the schedule was not urgent yet.
Oliver helped Kevin tidy up the interview room a bit and packed his stuff.
"You've worked hard, Professor. I've packed everything."
Oliver slung the bag containing the documents over one shoulder and said.
"Good job. Then, let's go."
Oliver moved in step with Kevin's pace.
Oliver pierced through Kevin's emotions and asked.
"Are you very disappointed with the interviews?"
"Honestly, a bit."
Kevin responded naturally.
"Well, I'm not terribly disappointed."
"You're talking about Derick and Felix."
"……How did you know?"
"I have pretty good eyesight."
Kevin nodded, reminded once again that Oliver was a warlock.
"Sure, Derick and Felix were alright, I guess. At least they read my paper and knew what I was trying to study… At least it wasn't a waste of time today. I thought only fools applied."
"Congratulations… But may I ask why you're suddenly recruiting researchers? I thought you planned to do research alone during the vacation."
"Well, that was the original plan. But the situation has changed."
"The situation?"
"Yes, if I hire students, I get more research funds. It's indirect financial support… Also, I can benefit in terms of lab rankings."
"Ah… So it's good to hire more?"
"While that's true, I'm going to hire only the minimum number of people. If I hire too many, inefficiencies will occur, and it's not good for safety either."
Oliver could roughly understand what Kevin was saying.
Hiring students for the lab was a matter that required more careful handling than he thought. It was not just about research efficiency or financial issues, but also for safety.
This was because there were quite a few cases where some of the students employed in the lab would embezzle research data for the benefit of other professors or for personal monetary gain.
This fact was recorded in the the diary of the Lightning Wizard and the research journal of Audrey as one of the backdoor businesses in the Magic Tower.
Outstanding magic research was worth that much.
Remembering that fact, Oliver slightly tilted his head.
"Then, wouldn't it have been better not to hire anyone at all? Looking at it comprehensively?"
"Not necessarily. Contrary to the original plan, I ended up taking on work like summer courses, and if I want to produce results within the deadline, I need manpower to do simple tasks."
"Ah…"
Oliver suddenly realized that Kevin had taken on a summer course he hadn't planned on because of him.
"I'm sorry, professor… I apologize."
"It's okay. I'm not the type to only engage in losing deals… By the way, how's your schedule afterward?"
Oliver checked his watch before answering.
"It's currently 3:54. I plan to finish the student categorization work I took on in the morning and leave work by 6 PM."
"Do you have anything scheduled after that?"
"Yes, I have personal matters from 8:30 PM."
This was not a lie. Recently, he had been teaching the Fighter Crew in District X again.
Currently, Oliver was teaching the basics of black magic to the new Fighter Crew members, and giving basic education for fostering warlocks to thirty-six Fighter Crew executives.
In addition, he was conducting basic physical training through pre-made assessment forms and teaching them to read and write for their development, but he didn't need to worry about that because Joe and Al were helping.
"From 8:30 PM? May I ask what it is?"
Responding to Kevin's question, Oliver carefully answered.
"It's not a big secret, but I would prefer not to disclose it as it involves personal matters."
"I've felt this way for a long time, but you tend to ask a lot while keeping your own matters secret."
"Ah, I'm sorry if you felt that way. It's just that it's not just about me, but it involves other people as well."
"I'm not convinced, but considering my regrettable position, I'll let it pass."
"Regrettable?"
"Do you remember the deal we made last time?"
Oliver remembered the strange deal he made with Kevin very well.
In exchange for teaching Kevin black magic that can fuse mana with emotions, Kevin would answer Oliver's personal questions.
Nodding his head at Oliver's agreement, Kevin answered.
"From today on, teach me steadily, even if it's just one or two hours a day. The paperwork is not urgent, so take your time."
Oliver looked at the clock. The clock pointed to exactly 4 o'clock.
"Um… How about having an early dinner and starting right away? I think I can spare time until 7 or 7:30 PM."
Oliver proposed without considering his own rest time.
It was time that could be used or not.
Kevin was pleased with Oliver's surprisingly proactive attitude, though he didn't show it.
"Is that okay?"
"Yes, I want to do it properly if I'm going to do it. Is it okay with you, professor?"
"It's fine… Then, let's go home right away, have a light meal at a restaurant, and go to my house."
"Your house, professor?"
"We can't train at the Magic Tower."
"Ah……"
Oliver exclaimed at the obvious fact.
"Don't worry, I have a training ground at my house."
"You have a training ground at your house?"
"I'm a professor at the Magic Tower. I have that much property."
"Ah… I see."
"But what are we going to start training with first?"
"I'll start with a test and then simple training."
Oliver answered calmly, and about an hour later, Oliver forcibly inserted emotions into Kevin's eyes.
Kevin groaned in pain.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr……!"
"Yes, yes. It's okay. You're okay."
(To be Continued)
