Anyone can be a professor (2)
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Senior Ed.”
The next morning, I went out to the living area for a long-awaited weekend. I crossed the bustling southwest residential area and came close to the Mexes Bridge, one of the two bridges connected to Aken Island. It felt like I had been walking for almost two hours.
When I entered the Sylvania branch of Elte Trading Company, which is the largest branch visible after passing the bridge, the staff guided me to the reception room as if I had been waiting. The strangely polite treatment actually made me feel more uncomfortable.
Lortel, who was waiting for me in the living room, had just apologized to me, saying that he had forgotten to prepare the contract he had promised.
“You made an appointment in advance, but I’ve been so busy these days.”
“…okay?”
“Yes. I’m really sorry. You’ll probably have to visit again next week. I’ve prepared some tea and refreshments as an apology. I’ve also packed a few magical engineering supplies that were missing from the ledger, so please pick them up at the counter when you return. ”
Lortel’s impression was very different from when he was in the teachers’ building.
Unlike her usual academy uniform and robe, she was wearing a long flared skirt, a pure white blouse, and a luxurious gold-rimmed hat.
When I was involved in the last incident, I only saw him wet in the rain or wearing an old robe, so it left a very new impression.
It felt a bit too luxurious to be considered everyday wear, so I asked if he had any plans.
“I have a pretty important schedule today, so I decorated it in my own way. How do you think?”
He asks with a grin.
“Important schedule?”
“There is such a thing.”
As if he didn’t want to answer, he smiled instead, so I nodded.
I sat down across from the luxurious drawing room and got straight to the point with Lortel.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss. Do you also handle furniture products?”
“Sure.”
“I want to buy decent furniture for a bit cheaper, but the products sold at the branch are all too high-end. Can’t I just buy something like a desk, chair, and dresser that does its job well?”
“Oh, seeing you say that, I guess the cabin has been completed?”
“It’s almost done. I just need to finish some minor finishing touches.”
“Hmm… As you know, aristocratic products are in high demand in Sylvania, so finished products that focus on practicality and price competition are not often delivered. I can arrange it myself, but it will take some time.”
Lortel put his hand on his chin, lost in thought for a moment, and then smiled.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to even offer up items for free. As I said, offering up items for sale for free is an act that goes against a merchant’s work ethics and can be looked down upon by nearby merchants.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“Well, there is a more intuitive way.”
After saying that, Lortel stood up from the sofa in the living room, strode over to his work desk, and began gathering magical power in his hands.
He then used magic to break the feet of a wooden chair that looked expensive at first glance.
– Kwadangtang!
“…”
“Woodworking is your specialty, right? You can just connect the broken leg and use it again. It’s now unusable trash, so I’ll throw it out tomorrow.”
It was a chair with an engraved deer pattern and an ornate gold frame that stood out.
“How much is that chair?”
“It’s a secret.”
Should I call it hot or full of drive? In any case, she is a girl overflowing with the unique spirit of a group leader.
Lortel’s gaze began to move away from the chair and towards the cabinet window. Since I couldn’t take everything with me anyway, I stopped Lortel for now.
“Well, I’ll send you the other little ‘trash’ later.”
“…okay.”
“Anyway, from my perspective, there are a lot of things I want to tell you.”
Lortel returned to the living room sofa, sat down, picked up his teacup and took a sip. Although he is trying to look elegant in his own way, the feeling of disparity with the way he casually destroys a chair only increases.
“Do you know Assistant Professor Claire, the first-year elemental science professor? Assistant Professor Claire Elphin.”
“Huh? You know.”
“That person’s behavior is unusual… so I’m keeping an eye on him these days. Well, he’s a very childish person, so I don’t feel that dangerous, but…”
Claire Elfin.
This young woman was appointed to a professorship for the first time this year, and she is one of the most poisonous people, having been Professor Glast’s best student for nearly 10 years.
From what I remember, he appears as a Phase 2 boss in the Glast subjugation battle, the final chapter of Act 2… It was time for him to show his face in the scenario.
“why?”
“It’s just… He has a strangely good intuition, and this time, he was assigned as the person in charge of the academic side regarding the Occupation of Ophelis Building. Well, I’ll handle it on my own, so you don’t have to worry about it… For now, I just want you to know. “Because.”
“Yes. I know.”
After answering that, I took a sip of tea, and Lortel’s eyes looked at me strangely.
When I accepted it with a look as if I had something to say, Lortel cleared his throat, stood up again, and came striding towards me.
Then he sat down on the reception table and craned his head towards me.
“How can you not change your expression like this, senior? This was a battle of its own.”
When he made a fuss with a face full of dissatisfaction, I immediately realized what he was talking about.
We are talking about what happened before we received the torch the last time we parted ways.
“Senior Ed, you don’t even see me as a woman in the first place, right?”
Lortel swung his feet and tapped the awkward table with his fingers.
“What’s the point of going around and talking about it? I see Ed as the opposite sex. It’s exactly what you think. It’s all out of my own will to ask for this favor.”
“…I know what kind of answer you want, but…”
“Oh, I wasn’t looking for an answer. As you know, I don’t tend to fight when I can’t win.”
Lortel sighed deeply and pressed his hand to my chest as if showing off.
“I know very well what words will come out if I press for an answer now. The only way to bet on a match is when it is clear that I will win.”
“…”
“Originally, merchants don’t fight unless they win. They’re maintaining a calm attitude now, but… I don’t know.”
Lortel is smiling and speaking cheerfully.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling restless like this, right?”
If you look closely, Lortel’s fingertips were trembling.
The bewitching smile is always the same even when the odds of victory are clear and when you are cornered.
The unique temperament of a merchant who never reveals his true feelings is something that cannot be easily separated from his body.
* [Acquired the advanced production skill ‘Magic Engineering’. One advanced crafting skill slot has been consumed. ]
The magic equipment, which consists of a glass bead the size of my palm and a stand, had a simpler structure than I thought, so I was able to analyze it quickly.
A strange sense of accomplishment fills my heart as I finally learn a proper advanced skill.
I thought it would be a good idea to organize the rest of my magic engineering supplies in the cabin, so I packed up my things and crossed the camp.
After the sun goes down, it gets a bit chilly. It was now fall.
It was around early spring when I first started living in the forest. At that time, measures against the cold were put on the back burner due to the immediate need for food, clothing, and shelter.
However, as the colors of the leaves begin to become more colorful, the chill rising from the dirt floor is now impossible to ignore.
“Hmm…”
Now comes the time when you really can’t sleep outdoors.
In addition, when winter comes and snow begins to pile up, it becomes more difficult to hunt forest animals to obtain meat, and the number of edible plants decreases, so food itself begins to become a problem.
We need to prepare for winter.
The cozy atmosphere of lightly falling snow… The warm romance that comes to mind when thinking of winter was beautiful because it was premised on a sturdy house and a refrigerator full of food.
Still, it is not a completely hopeless situation. Because there is insurance.
“Eighteen… nineteen… twenty.”
I opened the leather pouch Lortel gave me. Twenty neat gold coins were neatly piled inside.
If you are pushed to the extreme, you can spend money. However, waste is prohibited. The policy was to minimize spending on items for one-time consumption.
I can survive until this semester with the scholarship provided by the Glokt Scholarship Foundation, but I don’t know what will happen next semester. If you want to cover tuition costs each semester, your spending must be done efficiently.
It seems clear that Lortel has a crush on me. However, relying on that favor is too uncertain. Even if that happens, it will be after the scenario has been completed. Until then, it will be difficult.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use people’s goodwill for a calculated purpose… I’m not saying something that could only be found in a moral textbook.
First of all, it is against policy to get too close to the main character of the scenario, and even if you break that policy… A person’s heart is like a reed, and you never know when it can easily change.
Self-sufficiency is the key to survival. Giving control of one’s life to someone’s temporary favor is a very dangerous decision. No matter what anyone says, I have to take responsibility for my life.
Well, I am willing to spend some money on things such as reinforcing the cabin and acquiring good woodworking tools.
This is because these are items that I will need to use consistently in the future and will help improve my skills in daily life right now.
However, you cannot spend too much money simply on buying food or firewood. I’ll give it a hundred steps and use things like spices and oil because they help with cooking skills, so it may be possible, but I never spend money on items that can be procured from the forest.
“Ignition.”
Now, the ignition magic, which is easier to use than breathing, has been activated by placing it inside the fireplace.
– A fire
burns in a reasonably well-finished fireplace, and smoke rises up the chimney, which took two full days to complete.
The fireplace itself is larger than expected, taking up almost two-thirds of the wall.
The reason it was completed larger than initially designed was to create a bigger fire… that is, to increase the firepower. At this point, it’s more of a fire pit than a fireplace.
Since the firewood itself can be supplied steadily, I made the choice to focus on firepower for now, but as a result, the size of the chimney to exhaust the smoke became larger, which was really difficult.
-Track, crackle.
The sound of burning firewood echoes faintly inside the hut.
It’s not even early evening yet, but it’s completely dark inside the cabin. Still, the warm light fills the interior, so it’s bright enough and makes me feel good.
I stared blankly at the burning flames for about five minutes, then sat down and leaned against the wall of the cabin.
“Ugh…”
He slumped against the wall and took a deep breath, but then he grinned again, feeling satisfied.
Until now, the idea of ‘heating the air’ during outdoor camping activities was close to impossible.
The warmth was not something that came to me naturally when I lay down, but something I had to actively get close to the fire.
But now there is a roof and a ceiling.
The walls and roof were finished with mud, and the floor was covered with leather as a carpet.
These items are made of materials with high heat capacity, so once they start to heat up, they do not easily cool down. Once the air is heated, that cozy feeling spreads throughout the house.
The problem is that fuel efficiency is not as good as expected… There seems to be no solution to this problem other than spending more time procuring firewood. If you don’t have time, you have no choice but to use magic to cut down the tree. Starting a fire itself doesn’t seem to be too much of an inconvenience since you can use ignition magic.
As expected… there seems to be a need for a process of increasing horsepower efficiency.
We still need to use firewood sparingly, but we are finally moving in. As long as you prepare some furniture, a stable living environment is finally guaranteed.
A warm feeling warms one side of my face.
I was so relieved by that fact that it felt like a burden had been lifted from my heart.
“…It’s already been so long. I guess I should check the traps first.”
Recently, not only snare traps for small animals, but also traps targeting quite large animals have begun to be installed one by one.
I hope there is a good harvest.
*
– ‘If you think so, it might be possible.’
Assistant Professor Claire expressed the opinion that there seems to be something unseen remaining in the Ofilis Hall occupation.
Then Professor Glast neither confirmed nor denied it. It doesn’t seem like he’s that interested in the first place.
– ‘Assistant Professor Claire. You have a strangely good sense, and sometimes you come up with quite plausible hypotheses… but there are times when you make a mistake in important areas. Please refrain from overconfident in your judgment at critical moments.’
“You talk too much! Right? Huh?”
“…”
Trix Building Student Counseling Room.
Assistant Professor Claire and Siggs Epelstein were facing each other across a desk.
“I see.”
“Listen to me, Ziggs. You know this because you took Professor Glast’s class, but why is he always like that? I’ve been a master student for almost 10 years, but I’m having a hard time taking on so much work. “Is it really that difficult to say a word or two of encouragement?”
Ziggs was sweating profusely as he agreed.
Assistant Professor Clare, who became the faculty member in charge of the Ofilis Hall occupation, felt a strange sense of discomfort while reading the file and decided to conduct additional independent investigation.
The intention was to hear the circumstances of Ed Ziggs Yenica, who had not yet been placed under investigation by the Academic Affairs Inspection Department.
As the first hitter, Ziggs was called to the Trix building, but what actually unfolded was closer to a lament about his situation rather than a hearing or investigation.
At first, the conversation was conducted with dignity and respect, but at some point, he stopped talking and began to sigh deeply as he confessed his situation.
It was obvious that if assistant teacher Anis or the other students in charge saw it, they would sigh deeply and shake their heads.
“Wow, this is not the time. Ziggs has such a reliable image that I ended up complaining without even realizing it.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“So, I have a strange feeling. Right now, the conclusion is that it is an illusion, but there are one or two eyewitness testimonies that say they saw the Golden King Elte at the scene… I also feel like Ellis’s motivation for action is weak. Well, Ellis Since he admitted everything, there seems to be no room for further investigation…”
Ziggs swallowed dry saliva.
On the outside, Assistant Professor Claire is a fool and an idiot. It makes you wonder if it’s okay for professors to be like this.
I clearly realize that the amount of academic knowledge and the cool-headedness of the person themselves are completely separate areas.
The papers and academic research results she published are certainly amazing… but the person itself is so screwed up that you wonder if it’s even okay to be like this.
However, her uncanny intuition often penetrates our lungs for some reason.
“Don’t you think there might be some kind of invisible darkness?”
“Well… for example?”
“Hmm… for example… why is it called the Golden King Elte… there is a daughter in the Ofilis Pavilion. I mean Lortel.”
Ziggs sighed at those words.
“Tailly testified that she saw Lortel being held captive by Ellis, perhaps? After that, she ran down from the Ofilis Building and her whereabouts… are unknown.”
“That’s…”
“But Lortel can’t be that bad of a kid. Hmm! He has good grades and a great personality! Last time I was working overtime, I brought him a bunch of tarts to cheer me up.”
“…”
After saying that, Assistant Professor Claire smiled brightly. Then he lowers his voice quietly and continues talking.
“I think Ed Rosstaylor is suspicious. Ed is excommunicated now.”
It’s still a shame to whisper quietly in case someone hears you. To begin with, there are only Ziggs and Claire here.
The name that came out was so unexpected that Ziggs’ expression hardened.
“You mean Senior Ed?”
“Okay. This may sound like a conspiracy theory, but listen carefully, Ziggs.”
In the first place, Ziggs was just there to be investigated, so why do we have to listen to such stories?
It was the actions of an assistant professor without any trace of dignity, but Ziggs could not bear to resist.
“All the other people at the scene were either Ofilis Hall students or officials. It would not be surprising if they got caught up in the Ofilis Hall incident.
However, Tailley and Ed had no connection with Ofilis Hall. That means he was caught up in the matter. At least Tailley should be excluded from the suspect list since the circumstances of his being dragged away by Elvira are clear and he is the one who solved the matter himself. Then, the only remaining person is Ed. Why was Ed at the Ofilis building at that time? ”
…”
”
That’s because Ed is the mastermind behind this whole incident! They say the culprit will appear on the scene again!”
The way he makes something similar to a sound effect with his mouth and then smiles like he’s proud of himself is an immature thing to do.
“Well… isn’t there a motive for actions? Would you do something like that just because you thought there was something to be gained from Ed-senpai instigating such a thing?”
“We have to find out that now! By questioning Ed himself!”
“First identify the culprit and then find out his motive or method… Isn’t the order reversed?”
“One way is to investigate in reverse order, Ziggs.”
Claire’s temperament to act on intuition doesn’t last for a day or two. Ziggs was worried that Ed might get caught up in something troublesome.
“Well, Ziggs doesn’t look very suspicious and he doesn’t seem to know much about the situation, so I’ll let him go like this.”
“So, are you also calling Ed to the Trix Building to investigate?”
“No. If you have time to prepare an excuse for something like this, it will slip away like a loach. We have to attack it from here.”
This means that Ziggs’ plan to give Ed a hint in advance has come to naught.
“I’m not sure where he’s been living since he was kicked out of the dormitory… but I heard he’s often seen around the edge of the northern forest. I’ll have to go in and interrogate him in person.”
*
Once you decide to take action, you must proceed with momentum. It was Claire’s policy.
I was busy writing research proposals, checking next week’s class materials, and checking student suggestions… but since I had been given the task, I couldn’t handle it in a vain manner.
I was planning to quickly take a look at the northern forest before the sun went down, but there was more work to do than I thought, so the forest was already dark.
‘Hmm… I guess I should have come tomorrow after all. Still, I don’t have much free time unless it’s the weekend…’
The atmosphere in the forest, which is slowly becoming dark, is still gloomy. The field of view is narrow, so the search does not seem to be very efficient.
In the first place, it doesn’t seem like Ed would be walking around the forest in the dark either. Unless you are going to eat and sleep in the northern forest, why would you go out into the forest at midnight?
Let’s just come back when it’s bright. After making that decision, Claire was about to turn around.
– At the sound of the grass shaking beyond the Sasasak
trail, Claire swallowed her breath and quickly hid behind a nearby tree.
I looked out to see if it was a wild animal walking in the forest, and what came out was Ed, the rumored fallen nobleman.
On one side, he holds the bleeding corpse of a fawn under his arm.
And on the other shoulder… is carrying the body of a fainted human.
‘What… what is that…!’
Huh huh huh.
The sound of Ed’s breathing, as if he is struggling, already belongs to a beast. His eyes seem to shine for a moment in the darkness.
Claire was stunned and held her breath.
Clearly, what that boy is carrying on his shoulder is Lucy Mayril, a rare genius that even Professor Glast can outsmart.
Looking at the boy being held down and hanging helplessly by the boy’s hands, there is not even the will to resist. It looks like he has completely surrendered.
‘Lucy… She’s definitely a student…!’
There is not a single person among the undergraduate faculty who does not know that name.
Academy principal Obel is so great that he can be compared to Archmage Glokt or Great Sage Sylvania.
Even he goes so far as to say that he needs to do his best to deal with Lucy.
The girl born with such unbelievable talent is Lucy Mayril.
He overpowered the girl with just one hand and lifted her up… and just watched blankly as she disappeared through the forest.
Claire couldn’t even think of moving from her spot.
I have to dig into this a bit more. As expected, my intuition was not wrong.
‘I…maybe I really was born with the talent of a detective…!’
Even Professor Glast might be surprised and go home with news that would make him fall.
With fire shining in her eyes, Claire followed behind Ed.
