Chapter 36

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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Seraphina knew Professor Malles’ personality well.

Despite having produced numerous disciples, he was a professor who did not particularly maintain friendships with them.

Still, his disciples did not hate him.

It was because they knew it was due to his single-minded personality, being truly sincere about mathematics.

Furthermore, not making friendships also meant that he would not get caught up in useless factional competitions and would only continue his research.

Frankly, he was a person with a rigid stubbornness and personality rarely seen among professors these days.

That was why Seraphina also held respect for him, even though she called him “old man.”

But for such a person, who seemed like he would never ask her for a single favor in his life, to come looking for her like this.

‘What happened?’

Seraphina waited for Professor Malles’ words, feeling tense.

“I want to know a bit more detail about one student.”

“If it’s that, you can go to the Office of Academic Affairs and ask…”

“Who wouldn’t know that! That would take too much time! I want to know right now!”

Malles, as if frustrated, vented his anger by pounding the table with his palms.

“No, just who is it that you can’t even hold back that much and are making such a fuss?”

She wondered if he had come to find her just to ask for that, but more than that, she became curious about which student Professor Malles was so anxious about.

And also why he was acting like this.

For the old man, who had said that a disciple who became the Director was burdensome in many ways and that they should see each other’s faces later, to come looking for her of his own accord.

“Evi, a student named Evi Alden. She’s very small. Now that I think about it, wasn’t admission to the Gifted Center from age 7? That child looked five years old no matter how I looked at her. Moreover, she’s very skinny and even does the cleaning herself…”

“Phew, please be quiet for a moment.”

Seraphina cut off Malles’ words, which seemed like they would continue without rest.

“She’s quite a talked-about figure this year.”

“Why? Because she’s too smart?”

“She is smart, but that child is the one His Majesty the Emperor chose.”

With that, Seraphina briefly explained the background of how Evi came to be chosen.

“He didn’t exactly pick her after looking at her separately; it was just…”

“Hah, indeed. How lawless. No, if he picked her, he should naturally take responsibility!”

“No, what more responsibility can His Majesty take? Besides, when that child went missing this time, he even authorized the use of magic within the Imperial Palace and lent out mana stones!”

“No, missing! How does this Gifted Center manage its students! Are you still the Director after that!”

“That’s why we found her!”

“Still… no, never mind. Anyway, a child from an orphanage. It seems the little thing lost her parents during the war. It’s truly pitiful.”

Seraphina looked at her mentor, who seemed ready to actually shed tears, as if she were fed up.

“What is really wrong with you? Didn’t you say you were going to retire next year anyway? Then another professor will teach that child next year anyway, so why all this fuss…”

“What are you talking about! Retire! There’s much work to be done!”

It was only a short while ago that he had grumbled about going back to his hometown to finish his research, saying there seemed to be nothing to do at the Gifted Center.

“What do you mean, work to be done?”

“First of all, I plan to rewrite the advanced mathematics book. More kindly, to the point where even children can see it without problem if they can understand the theorems.”

“Whaaaat?”

Seraphina’s voice grew louder.

The advanced mathematics book was currently used as the official textbook for math classes not only at the Gifted Center but also at all academies.

It was also a book that remained Professor Malles’ greatest achievement.

Before that, they had used a mathematics book written several hundred years ago.

However, as newly discovered formulas were added in the meantime, talk continued among scholars about the need to create a new mathematics book.

“But who would do such a vast and tedious task?”

“One might gain honor, but the mathematical theorems each person wants to put in as the basics are different, so one would suffer in organizing opinions. Moreover, proofs and theorems clean enough to be included in a basic book are also difficult…”

The one who had accomplished that was Professor Malles.

The advanced mathematics that came out that way was also a book praised for raising the empire’s level of mathematics by several stages all at once.

Of course, there were drawbacks.

That it was difficult to study despite being well-organized because there were truly only just the basic explanations.

Therefore, advanced mathematics was not a book for those studying on their own, but a book that required a teacher to explain it.

So, people had asked Professor Malles several times.

If he had any intention of releasing advanced mathematics with easier explanations.

But every time, Professor Malles had firmly refused.

“My book is perfect! If you can’t understand it, then your efffoooort is lacking!”

Malles had refused more stubbornly the more people asked.

He had been that stubborn for almost 20 years. So everyone had given up on the revised edition of advanced mathematics coming out…

“It would be better to make the book cover a bit brighter after all. And since new proofs have come out in the meantime, I should put those in too. First of all, I’ll have to write the existing proofs with more detailed and kind explanations. If possible, wouldn’t children like it more if cute drawings were put in here and there to explain?”

“…”

Looking at Malles speaking excitedly, Seraphina was dumbfounded.

Who is this person? Is this my mentor, that stubborn old man?

“Anyway, for me to do all this work, let’s see… it will take another 8 years for Evi to graduate from the Gifted Center, so I’ll have to work for 8 more years. Hehe.”

Professor Malles, who was readjusting his retirement schedule by himself, said as if he had suddenly remembered.

“Now that I think about it, who is Evi’s guardian?”

“It’s a professor named Sian Roshen.”

“Who is that? Where is he?”

“Ah, that is…”

When she had finished the business regarding Evi last time and returned the mana stone, Seraphina had heard the news related to Evi.

At that time, the Minister of Internal Affairs had said he had appointed a professor, whose name was only registered at the academy, as that child’s guardian.

In fact, he was a professor who was not here right now. But if she spoke that fact honestly, Professor Malles seemed likely to make a fuss, demanding that he be changed to her guardian right away.

‘I don’t think I’ll hear anything good if I touch what the Minister of Internal Affairs has decided.’

So Seraphina answered with a vague circumlocution.

“There’s just a quiet professor. As you know, there are many people aiming to profit from the guardian position, so I’ve left it to someone without greed, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Not worry! If he has no greed, isn’t that more of a problem? A student’s future only blooms when the guardian is dependable.”

“…That is true, but hearing it come out of my mentor’s mouth really feels strange.”

He was a mentor who terribly disliked politics and hated the flattery that accompanied it.

In addition, Malles was someone who had never once acted as a guardian until now, despite the requests of others.

Above all, he was a person who was reluctant to intervene in another person’s life, but in a single day, he seemed to have suddenly become a different person.

“But it’s not something that can be easily changed. We have to look at qualifications too…”

“No! My career is not one that falls behind anywhere!”

“…And the student’s own will is also important. What I’m saying is that it cannot be changed if Evi Alden does not want it.”

“That is just a matter of persuading her well from now on! Anyway, I understand. Ah, and are there any classrooms left in the main building?”

“What about a classroom again?”

“The little thing walks laboriously all the way to that far place, and I felt so sorry for her…”

“That was the classroom you chose on purpose, Mentor. So that the students coming would find it difficult and give up.”

At Seraphina’s cold gaze, Malles turned his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, please give me one classroom in the main building.”

“There probably won’t be any classrooms left in the main building.”

How much effort did the professors put in to occupy a better classroom?

The closer a classroom was to the main building, the more it was proof that the professor’s influence was strong. Therefore, places close by had already been occupied by others.

“I’ll try to find a place that’s even a little bit closer for now.”

“Yes, yes. I’m counting on you. By the way, the student has to want it… Hmm.”

Malles fell into thought.

‘Come to think of it, it’s about time for guardians to give gifts.’

If it was a professor roughly appointed to prevent a strange guardian from attaching themselves, they wouldn’t pay much attention to Evi’s gift.

They would probably send something suitable just to save face.

‘At that time, if I give a bigger gift, it’s only natural that the child’s heart will lean toward me.’

Malles smiled contentedly.

He didn’t know who that professor named Sian Roshen was, but he probably wouldn’t be able to send a gift that Evi would like.