The talking book, realizing the implication of its words, quickly tried to clarify. "Of course, I didn't mean to wish you harm. I just meant that you should visit often."
"Ah, I see," Yi-Han replied, his unease slightly assuaged. He then opened the leather pouch to discover objects resembling solid rock fragments inside. "These are Griffin's gallstones," the book informed him.
"Oh...!" Yi-Han exclaimed, recalling information from the alchemy books he had read. Griffin's gallstones were renowned for their powerful effect on mana recovery. Confirming his knowledge, Yi-Han remarked, "They have a powerful effect on mana recovery, don't they?"
"That's right. You know your stuff," the book responded, impressed with his knowledge. However, Yi-Han appeared disheartened. He had learned from Professor Uregor's class that potions for mana recovery had limited effect on him. Unless it was a potion for reducing mana, the effect of a recovery potion...
The talking book was surprised by Yi-Han's reaction. It was one thing to not know about the gallstones, but quite another to react with such disinterest despite knowing their value. "These are valuable, you know? They are genuine Griffin gallstones," the book emphasized.
"Thank you. But I've rarely been short on mana..." Yi-Han replied. Realizing Yi-Han's unique situation, the book finally understood why he was underwhelmed by the gift. A freshman with Yi-Han's amount of mana would seldom feel a shortage.
The book pondered, mentioning that it knew some demons with the ability to absorb mana, but quickly dismissed the idea as too dangerous. Yi-Han, taking the gallstones, decided to keep a safe distance from a demon summoned by the skull principal.
"You must visit often! Let's talk about Gonadaltes!" the book exclaimed, flapping its pages as Yi-Han left.
Dolgyu remarked, amazed at the kindness the demon book showed towards Yi-Han, attributing it to his talent, as demons naturally favor those with such qualities. However, Yi-Han felt their interaction was different. It seemed to him more like the book had no one else to complain to about the skull principal. Who else would dare to speak ill of the principal?
With these thoughts, Yi-Han felt a tinge of sympathy for the talking book, entangled as it was with the skull principal.
<Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>
Mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines, and this lecture was no exception. It was of great importance, encompassing topics from mana calculations to magic circle construction and the development of new spells. The more advanced the magic became, the less it relied on intuition and feeling. Understanding this, the students recognized the importance of this class and dedicated themselves to studying hard.
Yi-Han glanced around the classroom. 'Has a sleep spell been cast?' he wondered. The students had already succumbed to sleep, including Gainando, who was nodding off, snoring softly. The only ones still awake were Asan, who was pricking his hand with a quill, Adenart, who remained expressionless (Yi-Han had seen the princess cast a spell to ward off sleep on herself), and Yonaire.
Yi-Han took out some coffee and handed it to Yonaire, who received it as if it were the first coffee given to someone stranded in the mountains for months. "So sleepy..." Yi-Han empathized, nodding in agreement. The classroom air seemed to be getting thinner. Yonaire, having momentarily shifted her focus to doodle a water bottle on a geometric figure, turned to Yi-Han. Somehow, he seemed more upright than usual.
"You stayed up all night?" she inquired.
"Aren't you sleepy?" she added.
"It's impossible to sleep during such a sacred class, Yonaire," Yi-Han replied, his tone unexpectedly solemn.
Yonaire was baffled by her friend's odd response. Why was he reacting this way? She couldn't understand.
'I must look alert,' Yi-Han thought to himself, trying to appear more attentive. He widened his eyes, fighting the urge to sleep. The professor's voice, despite his determination, was incredibly soporific. Its unique rhythmic quality was almost hypnotic, lulling listeners into a state of sleepiness. If Yi-Han hadn't been aware of the professor's esteemed status, he might have suspected him of being a master of mental magic.
Professor Alpen Knighton, responsible for <Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic>, was not your ordinary academic. Originally, he served as a senior administrative officer in the empire, a role that came with its own notorious reputation. He was well-known for slashing the research budgets of numerous mages, earning their enmity in the process. His metaphorical sword had been wielded so fiercely that even professors at the magic academy still harbored grudges against him.
However, Yi-Han's perspective was different. 'I must make a good impression...!' he thought to himself. Considering the professor's background as a senior administrative officer, one of the few such esteemed positions in the empire, Yi-Han recognized the potential benefits of making a good impression. Someone with such significant connections could open many doors. He imagined a conversation where the professor might say, “Wardanaz, you are precisely the kind of talent the empire needs. Come to the Empire after graduation! I'll recommend you.” and Yi-Han responding with a grateful, “Thank you, Professor!”
For Yi-Han, an ideal student-teacher relationship was one where a clean recommendation was followed by no further meetings, a stark contrast to the mutual loathing often observed in workshops. To achieve this, impressing Professor Alpen Knighton was crucial. Yet, Yi-Han observed, 'But he really seems uninterested in the students.' He considered the professor's demeanor, which epitomized an 'I'll go my way, you follow if you can' attitude. Professor Knighton appeared indifferent to whether the students grasped the lecture or not; he simply did his job. His self-satisfaction made him an even more challenging personality to impress.
'Similar to Professor Boladi, but difficult in a different way,' Yi-Han mused. Unlike Knighton, Professor Boladi wasn't indifferent to the students, or rather, to a particular student. In fact, his problem was excessive interest. He waited for students to catch up, albeit from a considerable distance, a different kind of challenge for Yi-Han to navigate.
"What are you pondering?"
"How can I catch the professor's eye?"
"...Isn't it enough?" Yonaire asked, her voice tinged with perplexity. Yi-Han, curious, responded.
"What do you mean by enough?"
"You attract enough attention from the professors, but too much might be burdensome for you..." Yonaire cautiously advised. She had never imagined before entering the academy that she would be giving such advice to a friend. Advising someone not to attract too much attention from the professors seemed like unusual counsel. Yet, seeing Yi-Han, a boy from the Wardanaz family, she felt compelled to offer this advice out of genuine concern.
"It's okay, Yonaire. This much is fine. And Professor Alpen Knighton is different from the others," Yi-Han reassured her.
"Hmm... if you say it's okay, I won't argue, but..." Yonaire couldn't shake off an inexplicable sense of foreboding. She wondered why it felt like her friend was unwittingly setting himself up for trouble.
Meanwhile, Professor Knighton had concluded his lecture. "…And with that. Remember this equation. It will be essential for calculating mana." His words signaled the end of the session.
Gainando, who had been dozing off, perked up at the phrase 'And with that,' looking around in disbelief. "It's over? Is it really over?"
"Then, let's proceed to a brief test now," the professor announced.
"...It's really over..." Gainando realized in a different sense that the class was indeed over, and, clutching his head in despair, he saw that the other students, previously asleep, were now awake and sharing his sense of dread.
"Lucky me."
"How is this lucky?!" Gainando couldn't hide his shock at Yi-Han's mumbling. He wondered if his friend had lost his sanity during his absence. Yi-Han, paying no heed to Gainando's reaction, was lost in thought. 'I will definitely catch Professor Knighton's eye in this test.' He was confident that in mathematics, at least, he would not be outdone by the other freshmen in the classroom. He was set on showing something extraordinary.
As the test began, a noticeable distance formed among the clustered students, and test papers started to appear before them. Yi-Han observed a transparent barrier, conjured by Professor Alpen, enclosing the space. Looking through it blurred his vision. 'Cunning will be difficult if you don't have magic,' Yi-Han thought. Since joining the magic academy, he had instinctively begun thinking of ways to counter any magic he encountered.
Professor Knighton's voice interrupted his thoughts. "If you've finished early, feel free to submit and leave." 'Naturally,' Yi-Han thought. "If you haven't finished, you cannot leave." This casual addendum to the professor's statement seemed almost trivial at first, but something about it struck Yi-Han as off. 'Can't leave if we don't finish everything?' The statement's explicitness felt unusual.
Yi-Han wasn't the only one pondering this; another student raised their hand to clarify. "Professor, do you mean we can't leave until we've filled in all the blanks?" "That's correct," the professor replied. The students sighed in relief, but it was short-lived. "...Correctly." The professor's additional comment changed everything.
"What... What happens if the answers are not correct?" a student asked, anxiety creeping into their voice. "One must solve it correctly before leaving," the professor answered bluntly, as if the question was trivial. It was then that the students realized the gravity of their situation, their faces turning pale. 'We can't leave until we get everything right?'
The students, now anxious, instinctively looked out the window. They had plans for the afternoon and evening, but those plans were now in jeopardy. Uncertain of how long Professor Alpen would keep them, thoughts raced through their minds. 'Surely not until night?' 'Do you still not understand this academy?' 'It won't be until tomorrow, right...?'
Frantically, Yi-Han began to write with his quill. It was no longer just about impressing the professor; it was about the ability to leave the classroom.
'I've roughly solved everything...'
Yi-Han surveyed his test paper, marked by circles that appeared magically each time he got an answer right. The test, enhanced by magic, presented a unique challenge. However, the last question was particularly perplexing:
One day, Gonadaltes received 3,892 imperial gold coins from the emperor to build the Vilteron ballroom. The following spells and reagents were used...
(Abridged)
...Given these spells and reagents, how many imperial gold coins remained with Gonadaltes?
'No matter how I think about it, 720 is the correct answer,' Yi-Han thought, utterly baffled. He had meticulously checked the magic circle, verified the amount of reagents, and even confirmed the labor costs. Yet, after all his recalculations, the answer remained the same. Why?
Looking around, he noticed other classmates, who had caught up with him, were also deeply engrossed in this final question. They seemed equally stumped.
'Was the problem not meant to be solved with the given information? Did it require prior knowledge, or a different approach?' Yi-Han pondered. Gonadaltes was the name of the skull principal's castle. Would the skull principal, if he received gold coins, have saved any to return to the emperor? 'It doesn't seem likely,' he thought.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Yi-Han wrote '0' on the answer sheet. It was a wild guess, as there was no penalty for a wrong answer. To his amazement, a circle appeared on the test paper, leaving Yi-Han stunned. 'What is this...??'
Professor Alpen, noticing Yi-Han had finished, remarked, "You're quicker than I thought. Well done. A perfect score, Mr. Wardanaz." Despite receiving the praise he sought, Yi-Han felt more confused than pleased.
"Professor..." he began.
"What is it?" Professor Alpen inquired.
"May I ask about the last question?"
"Ah." The professor, with a strict face now slightly softened by a smile, replied, "It seems you found it amusing. I wanted to bring a smile to the tired students with this test."
"...Oh..." Yi-Han, reflecting on this revelation, wondered if he needed to revise his strategy to catch the professor's eye.
