Chapter 24

EP.24 Different Ways of Thinking (3)

“That’s strange.”

Thud. Professor Roselle put down the textbook.

“Let’s conclude the second week’s class. Think about the origin of the balance we discussed today on your own.”

The four-hour consecutive class.

As soon as Professor Roselle left the classroom, sighs erupted from all corners. Some students slumped over their desks, others tilted their heads back, and their reactions varied widely.

-Are you crazy? Another assignment.

-But this time, we have two weeks...

Most students grumbled and left the classroom. In the now quiet classroom, the sound of pens scratching against paper was the only thing heard for a while.

Fifteen minutes later.

“Phew...”

Resty put down her pen, catching her breath. In front of her lay the result of the past four hours.

Notes summarizing the second week’s class.

A summary that spanned no less than twenty pages.

‘Still, I managed to summarize everything somehow.’

Looking at the densely filled notebook, a strange sense of accomplishment welled up inside her. However, she was also worried.

She had written down everything she heard and added comments based on her understanding. Despite writing non-stop, she wasn’t sure if she could understand all of it.

It’s difficult.

Too difficult.

It was definitely a class she could understand. When she listened, she felt like she was grasping something. However, the problem arose after the class ended.

‘...I can’t do it on my own.’

While listening to the class, she could piece together the structure of the balance. But when she tried to do it alone after the class, she couldn’t even create a single weight.

“Phew...”

She needed more practice. Resty exhaled and stood up from her seat. She planned to finish the rest back in the dormitory.

Just as she was about to leave the classroom.

“...”

Resty stopped in her tracks at the sight of Professor Roselle standing by the door. How long had he been waiting there? He looked down at her.

“Resty.”

“...Did you call me?”

Resty instinctively took a step back.

She still found Professor Roselle... no, Elder Roselle, uncomfortable. It was fine to meet him as a professor and student in the lecture hall, but...

This one-on-one situation was far from pleasant. It felt like her breath was being cut off.

“I have one question. Not as a professor, but as an elder of the Ashen Tower.”

The moment she heard the words “Ashen Tower,” Resty’s eyes naturally looked downward.

-Are you the next master of the Ashen Tower?

-...Is that what it’s come to?

The reason was the cold gaze of Elder Roselle, who had looked at her with a chilly expression. Resty didn’t want to meet the eyes of Roselle as an elder, not as a professor.

“Will you attend the upcoming regular meeting of the Ashen Tower?”

“...If it’s a regular meeting...”

“Yes, the meeting held every quarter. The elder asked if you would attend. If you plan to, I’ll arrange for you to miss the third week’s class.”

“...It’s fine. I don’t plan to attend.”

There was no hesitation in her answer.

Attending wouldn’t change anything.

‘I’d just end up feeling out of place.’

The look in their eyes made it clear that this wasn’t her place. She had received that look countless times over the past three years.

‘Better not to attend at all.’

That’s what Resty thought.

“I’ll let the elder know.”

Roselle nodded lightly and left his spot.

Only after his footsteps faded did Resty lift her head. Her eyes, which had been bright when she sought knowledge, were now cold.

‘It’s fine.’

‘The elder said to take it easy and forget about the Ashen Tower... It’ll be fine.’

Resty muttered to herself.

2.

Lania von Trias.

Her reputation is not good.

The assistant professors’ disapproving gazes contributed significantly to this. And, in a way, it was understandable.

Lania is not a graduate of Aphria.

Among the assistant professors who had known each other since their school days, she felt like an outsider.

Lania is a well-known assistant professor under Professor Roselle.

She was appointed to the position without taking any special exams. To the other assistant professors, it was nothing more than a parachutist.

‘Parachutist.’

‘A woman who relies solely on Professor Roselle’s favor.’

Whether it was true or not was irrelevant.

The assistant professors simply felt that way and judged her accordingly. And there was a decisive moment that fueled their resentment.

Her daily appearance at the café within the school was that moment.

Her appearance is unique. Once seen, it’s unforgettable. Her delicate and somewhat pitiful look stands out wherever she is.

Such a figure was seen at the café every day.

While they were running around with piles of documents, she was leisurely sipping coffee.

It was only natural that the assistant professors’ eyes would roll at the sight.

‘Favoritism by Professor Roselle.’

‘There’s a rumor that Dean Aaron also favors her.’

‘A parachutist with no real skills.’

‘A blemish on Aphria.’

The rumors about Lania grew.

To the point where some students had heard them.

*

“Today...”

Mana Trade Class, third week lecture room.

“That assistant professor is coming.”

“...That parachutist assistant professor?”

“Yeah. Professor Roselle is attending the tower meeting today... I don’t know much about it.”

“If it’s that assistant professor... Is that right?”

The students who mentioned her name couldn’t hide their smiles. They whispered with a sneer.

“Parachutist.”

They were all students of elemental magic. They were close to Caesar, so they were well aware of the rumors.

“Caesar said she doesn’t fit in at Aphria.”

“That’s what he said.”

Mac nodded.

He was particularly close to Caesar.

Creak.

Just then, the door opened, and the rumored figure appeared.

Lania von Trias.

She entered the lecture room and stood at the front with a blank expression.

“Hello.”

With ash-colored hair and calm blue eyes, she spoke.

“I’m Lania von Trias, substituting for Professor Roselle today.”

She bowed slightly and pointed to the problem sheets on the desks.

“Today’s class involves solving the problems on your desks. If you have any questions, please raise your hand and speak up.”

Mac raised his hand.

“Can I ask a question about the problems?”

“Sure.”

The students around Mac confirmed the problem. Soon, those who caught on to his plan began to chuckle softly.

A problem that only Professor Roselle could solve.

A problem that even other professors would take a long time to solve.

The intention behind picking such a problem was obvious.

‘There’s no way a parachutist could solve it.’

Thinking this, Mac pulled his chair back to let Lania see the problem sheet.

“Hmm.”

She silently looked at the problem sheet.

Even though he had offered her a pen and paper to work out the calculations, she showed no intention of picking them up.

Seeing this, Mac inwardly sneered.

‘Of course, she wouldn’t even know where to start.’

A sneer appeared on Mac’s face.

The students around him also covered their mouths and turned their heads to hide their laughter.

‘It’s a problem that requires complex calculations. She’d have to solve that circuit first, which is dizzying just to look at.’

Yet, the assistant professor was just staring blankly at the problem. If it could be solved by just looking, they wouldn’t have struggled so much.

*Chuckle.*

Just as the surrounding laughter began to leak out.

Mac shrugged and spoke.

“Oh, if it takes a while, you can move on to other problems...”

“The basic theory of balance in mana trade, I see.”

“...Pardon?”

What did she just say?

“It seems to be a question about the standards of balance in trade...”

As she muttered, she flicked her finger. She drew the circuit from the exam paper in the air.

“Why did you hide the problem like this?”

She hooked her finger in the center of the circuit and pulled.

*Snap!*

Just that.

The complex circuit was neatly simplified.

*Whirr!*

The loud movement of the circuit drew the students’ attention to Lania. Mac stared blankly at the circuit floating in front of him.

“Can you see it better now?”

“Yes, yes...?”

“It’s asking how many constraints are needed to cast a spell with a balance using 1 mana. That’s what it seems to be asking, right?”

Her tone was calm.

“It’s the basics of trade. The form of setting a price with constraints.”

Her tone suggested it wasn’t that difficult.

“Let’s take a look.”

She flicked her finger again.

Mana, resembling starlight, took the shape of a balance.

A simulated balance.

A balance used to measure the cost of a trade.

“I’ll leave a model here for you to experiment with. Those who can create a balance can do so and experiment on their own.”

No one responded to her words.

The students just stared wide-eyed at the balance Lania had created.

“Creating one yourself will help you understand it better.”

Her tone suggested it wasn’t difficult.

The students were speechless at her tone.

‘Create one yourself?’

Creating a simulated balance was a concept they would learn much later. They were only learning about the reduction of costs based on constraints.

Yet, she was telling them to create a simulated balance right away?

For students who were just learning the basics of addition and subtraction, it was like asking them to build a high-level computational device.

“Any more questions?”

In a completely nonchalant voice.

She was saying something unbelievable.

“...”

Silence spread.

“If there are no more questions, I’ll go back to my seat.”

Mac watched her return to her original spot, speechless. Soon, students began to gather around his desk.

“Wow, what is this...”

“Quick, someone put some mana into it!”

“I’ve never seen anything so neat. What is this...?”

The commotion continued until the end of the class.

3.

“...Lania.”

“Yes, Master?”

Roselle, who had returned from the tower, called his disciple, rubbing his temples.

“What exactly did you teach them?”

“Huh?”

“This, this.”

Roselle pointed to the problem sheets submitted by the students.

The solved problems varied, but all the students’ sheets had the 30th problem solved.

And all of them were correct.

‘A problem that shouldn’t be solvable.’

It was a problem that required dismantling a circuit layered in several stages. It was a problem where just confirming the problem would earn points.

‘But, they all solved it? Every student?’

It was unbelievable.

When something unbelievable becomes believable, the cause is usually close at hand.

Eventually, the cause spoke up.

“Oh, that? I gave them a balance model.”

“...”

“Nowadays, they seem to learn this before the basics of mana utilization? I remember learning it much later. Looks like the kids these days are smart.”

“...Lania.”

“Yes?”

“This problem was one where just confirming the problem would earn points, and it was a basic concept of mana trade.”

“Oh...”

“How could you give them a simulated balance for a problem that should be solved with basic concepts?”

Giving a computational device that provides the answer with just a press to someone who can’t even do basic addition and subtraction—what was she thinking?

“Well, they asked...”

At her response,

Roselle smacked his forehead.

Author’s Note (Author’s Afterword)

Well... I think this got a bit tangled up because I initially confused the terms “assistant” and “assistant professor.” I’ll clarify it in the story later.

Aphria Academy, due to its special nature, has a setting where graduates can take an exam to become assistant professors...

If I have to be precise, it’s similar to the concept of an assistant in Japan.

Even if you think of assistant and assistant professor as similar... it shouldn’t matter.

I apologize for the confusion ㅠㅠ.