Chapter 19

■ Chapter 18. Proposal (2) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

I headed to Professor Elena's laboratory as soon as all my classes ended, just as she had instructed. The laboratory is located in a building called the "History Hall."

As Professor Virius mentioned, students at Hailo Academy take common classes up to their second year, after which they must find their own path. This is why there are separate buildings for each major, making the level of specialization quite high.

'It's just like a university.'

Up to the second year, it's like high school, but after that, you have to move around different buildings for lectures, just like a university. I searched for the History Hall using the map Professor Elena had given me.

Since Hailo Academy is like a small city in itself, it took a long time just to walk around. I wish I had eaten a quick meal knowing this.

'But it doesn't matter since I got the book.'

Today, during the breaks, I read the book on Elven history that Professor Elena had given me as a gift.

As expected of the Elves, who consider themselves the chosen descendants of the gods, it contained many difficult words. However, thanks to my habit of reading books regularly, I didn't have much trouble.

I still had to look up the meanings of some words in a dictionary, but overall, I made a lot of progress. Even though I hadn't read a tenth of it, I could roughly understand what kind of race the Elves were. While the demons were mutants created by devils, the Elves were closer to the descendants of 'angels.'

This was a fact never mentioned in the history books written from a human perspective. It was possible because the Elves, being a long-lived race, had almost no lost records. Or perhaps it was because they valued records.

In any case, the fact that the Elves were descendants of angels was one of the most important pieces of information for me. It immediately resolved my long-standing question: why, in a world where devils existed, there were no angels.

The Elves' mana, being white, was evidence of this, unlike the mana of the demons.

'Other races only saw devils and didn't know about angels.'

Because I had memories from my previous life, I naturally assumed that if there were devils, there must be angels. Others, however, would not think that way. They would probably believe that only gods were the complete opposite of devils.

'I should focus on the story of Isaac's interactions with the Elves from the middle of the ninth volume to the end of the tenth. The demon officers will also become more active.'

On my way to the History Hall, I jotted down a brief outline of the plot for Zayon's biography in my notebook. I had already finished writing the manuscript for the eighth volume, so I just needed to send it to my parents by mail.

"Is this it?"

After walking for a while, I finally arrived at the building marked on the map. The History Hall wasn't particularly impressive, but it had a practical and simple structure.

It was probably because only professors and teaching assistants lived there, and unlike the martial arts department, there was no need for training rooms.

'Martial arts departments need training rooms. There are also more students.'

To reiterate, this is a fantasy world with monsters and mana. At Hailo Academy, martial arts, which enhance physical strength, must be prioritized. I heard that the literature department often complained about budget issues because of this.

I checked the map and the building again, confirming the name "History Hall" written at the entrance, and then stepped inside. The main door was well-maintained, giving a polished feel.

"Wow..."

As soon as I entered the corridor, I couldn't help but exclaim. It exuded a vintage atmosphere, and there was even a water wheel in the center of the corridor.

Moreover, the walls were adorned with portraits of famous figures in history, many of whom I had only seen in books. Each portrait had the person's name and a brief historical record written below it.

'Each race has its own famous figures.'

The portraits were categorized by race, and as expected, the most numerous were those of humans, who have the largest population despite their short lifespans. The portraits of other races were few, and there were none of the demons at all.

I looked around the corridor in amazement, then collected myself and headed to Professor Elena's office. Her office was room 104.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Professor Elena, it's Isaac. Are you in?"

I found Professor Elena's office by the sign between room 104 and the door. When I knocked and announced my name, I heard a rustling sound from the other side of the door.

The sign read "In," so it seemed Professor Elena was about to open the door herself.

Creak—

"...Who is it?"

No, let me correct that.

When the door opened, a zombie-like figure greeted me. It wasn't a real zombie, but the person looked as haggard as one.

The dark circles under their eyes were so severe they looked like they could jump out, their black eyes were lifeless like those of a rotten fish, and their skin was more pale than dry.

Her dull blonde hair was tied up messily, and her eyes drooped so much that she looked like she could collapse at any moment.

I took a step back when I saw her. Stepping back, I could clearly see who had opened the door to greet me.

'...An Elf?'

The person who opened the door and greeted me was an Elf, a female Elf like Professor Elena.

Her beauty was somewhat dulled by her zombie-like appearance, but it couldn't completely hide her inherent beauty. Instead, it gave off a peculiar, decadent aura.

"...Excuse me?"

When I stared at her blankly, the Elf tilted her head and called out to me again, blinking slowly.

I quickly regained my composure and asked her very cautiously.

"Is this Professor Elena's office?"

"Yes, it is..."

I checked the sign on the door again, confirming it was indeed Professor Elena's office. The Elf in front of me was likely her teaching assistant.

"Who's there?"

At that moment, a familiar voice came from inside the office. The Elf, who I assumed was the assistant, turned around and answered in a tired voice.

"Yes... It's Isaac..."

"Ah! Bring him in quickly."

"Come in..."

"...Excuse me."

Despite feeling a bit uneasy, I stepped inside. As I moved, I made sure to maintain eye contact with the Elf who had opened the door.

Her gaze, often described as "dead fish eyes," was a bit scary, but I could endure it. Once inside the office, I could smell the musty scent of old books and see various books and stacks of papers.

Most of the books, at a glance, were related to history, fitting for a research office dedicated to historical studies.

"Welcome. Please sit here."

Professor Elena, sitting at her desk, greeted me with a smile. I sat down awkwardly on the sofa she indicated.

As I sat down, Professor Elena also took a seat on the sofa opposite me. A table was placed between us.

"Here are some snacks and tea..."

"Thank you."

Not long after I sat down, the assistant placed some snacks and tea on the table. After I thanked her, she turned to go back to her desk.

"Where are you going, Cindy? Sit next to me."

"I want to rest..."

"I know you're tired from writing your thesis, but this is important for you too."

"Okay..."

The Elf named Cindy, who seemed to be the assistant, sluggishly took a seat. Thus, I found myself facing two Elves with completely different appearances.

"Feeling a bit awkward, aren't you?"

Not a bit, but a lot. Anyone would be surprised to be greeted by a zombie-like figure as soon as they opened the door.

However, I couldn't say that outright, so I just smiled awkwardly. Professor Elena, sensing my discomfort, placed her hand on Cindy's shoulder.

"She's been up for several days writing her thesis. She's in a terrible state right now."

"Then let her rest..."

"I'll let her rest once she finishes the thesis."

"That's unfair..."

Watching them, I was reminded of the relationship between a professor and a graduate student from my previous life. Although I had never been a graduate student myself, I had seen many memes about it online.

The most striking one was that graduate students are not treated like human beings. They often serve as the professor's servants to earn a Ph.D. and are even asked to do personal errands.

Because of these memes, I also had the impression that graduate students were easy to exploit.

'Could I be one too?'

While I was slightly worried about this, Professor Elena, who had been scolding Cindy, turned to me and spoke.

"Let me introduce her. Her name is Cindy. Her full name is Cindy Skywalker. She's been my assistant for 25 years."

"An assistant is like a slave..."

"Shut your mouth. You're making him misunderstand."

"It's the truth..."

"Then get out."

"Sorry..."

The relationship between the professor and the assistant seemed more like that of good sisters. If Professor Elena had treated Cindy like a slave, she wouldn't be joking around like this.

I looked at the two of them curiously, and a question suddenly came to mind.

"25 years as an assistant?"

"Yes. For humans, to become a professor, one must work as an assistant for a certain period and earn a Ph.D. Most assistants in the literature department are in this situation."

I had never heard of this before. So, there are concepts like master's and doctoral degrees here. Given that there is an academy and professors, it wouldn't be strange for such degrees to exist.

While I was thinking this, Professor Elena continued her explanation.

"The same applies to us Elves. One must work as an assistant under a professor and earn a degree. However, as you know, Elves learn much more slowly than humans, so it takes a long time."

"On average, how long does it take?"

"At the very least, 30 years. In human terms, that's about 3 to 4 years. Moreover, to become a professor, one must pass a strict review in 'Yggdrasil.' One must submit a doctoral thesis, and the standards are very strict."

Yggdrasil is the capital of the Elven nation, Alfheim. As you can see, it has the same name as in Norse mythology.

Judging from the fact that one must pass a review in Yggdrasil to become a professor, the standards must be very high.

"Envious... It only takes 5 years for humans..."

"You're even slower than the average Elf, so 5 years is impossible. Anyway, I called you here for one reason."

"What is it?"

I was slightly tense, waiting to hear what Professor Elena would ask of me. If it was an unreasonable request, I would naturally refuse. I already had enough on my plate with writing the manuscript and couldn't afford to spend time on other things.

Meanwhile, Professor Elena, with her hand on Cindy's shoulder, spoke while munching on a snack.

"Teach her how to write."

"Me?"

"Me...?"

I was taken aback, and even Cindy, who had been sitting quietly, looked at Professor Elena with a confused expression. Professor Elena pinched Cindy's cheek with the hand on her shoulder.

"She's good at everything except writing. It took her at least 5 years to write a master's thesis, and even then, it wasn't very good."

"Ouch..."

Even as Cindy mumbled, Professor Elena didn't let go of her cheek.

"So, I need to teach her how to write, but I'm busy."

"Why not call another student?"

"I was going to, but you happened to catch my eye. She's only recently started writing her thesis seriously."

Then what did she do for 20 years? Elves learn slowly by human standards, but this seems a bit extreme.

Of course, learning slowly doesn't mean having a poor memory. Given their long lifespan, Elves can remember events from decades ago.

In short, they have good memory but poor application skills. Once they fully understand a concept, it's a different story.

I slowly processed her words and started to ask questions.

"Are there no other assistants? It seems unusual to have only one assistant."

"They all graduated and became professors. Cindy is my first Elf assistant. Most of the professors in the History Hall are my former students. I didn't want to burden them with their busy schedules."

"Surely there are students with better writing skills than a freshman like me?"

"You were the best I've seen. I've seen many students in my 100 years as a professor, and you stand out."

Professor Elena answered my questions one by one, and most of her reasons were reasonable and convincing. I was especially surprised to hear that my writing skills were the best among the students she had seen in 100 years.

After a moment, Professor Elena, seeing that I had no more questions, pushed up her glasses, which had slipped down, and spoke with a slightly disappointed tone.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I can't force you. How about this?"

She paused for a moment, then spread her arms wide in an exaggerated gesture, as if to show me something.

When I was about to ask what she meant, Professor Elena, with her arms still spread, spoke proudly.

"Most of the books and papers here were collected or written by me during my time as a professor. They cover not only the history from human and Elven perspectives but also that of dwarves, merfolk, and even demons."

"Demons? How did you...?"

"I met a demon by chance and extracted as much information as possible. Unfortunately, they have since returned to their homeland."

She then leaned forward slightly and spoke in a persuasive tone, her eyes gleaming with greed behind her round glasses.

"If you help Cindy, I'll lend you all these books. You can come and go as you please in the research office."

"..."

"How about it? By the way, you only need to help when you have free time. We Elves have a much longer sense of time than you humans. Even once a month would be fine."

What's the point of saying more? The answer is already clear.

"I'll do my best."

But at that moment, I had no idea.

That the Elves' learning speed, by human standards, was extremely slow.

"I'll do my best..."

I had no idea how much of a hardhead Cindy, the Elf, would be by my standards.

"Shall we celebrate by having dinner together? Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, I haven't."

I had no idea.