Chapter 48

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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Another professor’s class?

Professor Malles’s eyes bugged out. What on earth did that mean?

He suddenly felt as if the sky were falling and the earth were sinking. His hands trembled and his breath caught.

At that moment, Professor Malles realized an important fact.

‘It’s not Evi’s voice.’

Yes, this was definitely another student’s voice.

‘Is it a child who found the wrong classroom?’

If so, it made sense.

A child who came here by mistake was surely agonizing that this wasn’t it.

‘I must kick her out quickly.’

What if Evi, who was inside, heard this and was swayed?

Professor Malles regained his senses and immediately flung the door open and entered.

Just as he thought, Evi was sitting at a desk.

And a student he hadn’t seen before was sitting next to Evi.

Moreover, right next to Evi.

‘No, then was that student telling our Evi to change classes?’

His eyes burned with fire.

Evi was a child who inspired him so much that he thought he should publish a new math book for the first time in decades.

She was a child who strove to understand the beauty of that world made of numbers and rules that exists but is not yet known to humans.

She even enjoyed it and was a child who followed what he taught very faithfully and correctly!

But to take such an Evi to another professor?

‘Do you think I’ll just stay still?’

No matter what, he would make her his disciple and a great star in the mathematical world of this Empire.

Professor Malles steeled his resolve and flung the door open.

‘Begone, you demon!’

Get away from my disciple!

With such a heart, Professor Malles entered the classroom.

Among the few desks, Evi was sitting in the seat closest to the blackboard.

In Malles’s eyes, even that looked admirable.

Since he would stick right next to her and teach her anyway, the front seat didn’t have much meaning.

But even adult students at the Academy, where only scholars attend, sit in the corner to avoid the professor’s eyes… to sit so close because she wants to study!

“Hello, Professor!”

Seeing him enter, Evi, who was sitting, jumped up.

“Oh, my child. Yes. Good morning.”

For a moment, Professor Malles forgot why he had rushed in and beamed as he received Evi’s greeting.

“Did you have a good breakfast? Was the homework I gave last time difficult? No, more than that, regarding the part I’m going to teach today…”

While he was pouring out the words he was thinking of, Irene stood up from next to Evi.

“So this is him. Hello, Professor Malles. My name is Irene Terence.”

“Ah.”

At that voice, Professor Malles regained his senses.

Then he looked at Irene with wary eyes.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a student.”

“No, I didn’t ask because I didn’t know that.”

As Professor Malles and Irene glared at each other and sharpened their blades, Evi hurriedly intervened.

“Uh, Professor! Irene is my… friend!”

Evi, who had hesitated for a moment, said so while grabbing Irene’s hand.

At the word friend, Irene smiled contentedly.

“Yes. You heard her. I’m Evi’s friend. Her best friend.”

Irene put strength into the word friend as if for him to hear.

“I, I see. I get that, but… I heard from outside, why are you telling Evi to take another class? My class! What! About it!”

“I’ve never taken your class, Professor, so I can’t say anything about the class itself.”

“Then why…”

When he was about to press her for why she said such a thing, Irene glared at him and said firmly.

“It’s too far.”

*Gasp.*

At those words, Professor Malles swallowed his breath.

Wasn’t that exactly what he had been mindful of?

“Evi, can you stand up for a moment?”

At Irene’s words, Evi hopped down from the chair and stood next to Irene.

“Here, look at this. You see the wound on Evi’s knee? And the scraped palm here. When I asked, she said it happened while running because this place is too far from other classrooms.”

“No, that’s if she’s careful…”

“Furthermore, math books are heavy. As there will be more and more books from now on, how hard would it be for a small child like Evi to walk around carrying all that?”

“A, no, even so…”

Every word was correct.

Professor Malles’s face distorted like a person whose bone had been hit.

However, Professor Malles recalled an important fact.

“But modification is impossible now. The application period has already passed.”

But Irene said nonchalantly.

“A notice was posted on the dormitory bulletin board this morning. It said everyone made many mistakes because they weren’t used to the Gifted Center’s rules yet, so they’re extending the modification period. Right, Evi?”

At Irene’s words, Evi, who was holding her hand, nodded.

Professor Malles searched his memory. He thought there was something new posted at the academic affairs office, could it have been that!

Malles bit his lip.

Irene muttered while looking at Malles.

“Still, I like that there are only me and Evi as students… what if you somehow obtain a classroom close to the main building, Professor?”

“I was already planning to do so! No, but you. I never said I would teach you. Can’t you just go take another class by yourself?”

“What? How can you say that? A student can take it if they apply.”

“That’s true, of course, but can you follow my class as much as Evi?”

At those words, Irene’s face stiffened slightly.

Even after coming to the classroom, she had asked Evi how far she had gone in math class.

Then Evi took out a book from her bag with a proud face.

“This is… advanced math?”

“Yes. Because Professor Malles teaches with this.”

“With this? Math class? Right away?”

There was no way. The class content Irene had looked into definitely said they would learn from an intermediate math book.

But advanced? Furthermore, listening to Evi’s words, the progress had already gone quite far.

What was even more surprising was the fact that Evi was following that progress without difficulty.

‘Even for me who studied like crazy at home, it wasn’t easy…’

She might be able to follow the beginning part for now, but if it continued at this speed, it would surely become difficult.

“Since it’ll likely be difficult, why don’t you just take another class by yourself?”

“How can you say that? A professor is someone who teaches a student if they don’t know! I came here to study!”

“No, if there were other children too, it would be fine to conduct the class according to the overall progress. But if it’s just you, it’s only right for you to move to another class that suits your level…”

It was when Malles had said up to that point.

Suddenly, a loud clattering sound of someone walking was heard from the hallway.

“…?”

Not to mention Malles, even Evi and Irene looked at the door with puzzled faces.

It was a building where even staff members rarely came. There should be no one else to come besides the three of them, so who was coming up so noisily?

The sound of footsteps approached the classroom where the three were. And then.

*Slap!*

With a loud noise, the door opened and the person who entered greeted loudly.

“Hi, Evi!”

The person who entered was the red-haired Ruska.

And behind him, Arcel stood with a face of resignation.

Professor Malles realized.

The fact that his dream of a quiet one-on-one class was rapidly drifting away.

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‘What kind of thing to do.’

Watching Ruska’s carefree appearance as he greeted Evi warmly, Arcel sighed inwardly.

Since yesterday, Ruska had been saying he must take this class, and clung to Arcel saying it would be a betrayal if Arcel took another math class alone.

Honestly, this was a foolish act.

The math class the two had originally applied for was fine. No, it was satisfactory.

The professor was kind and the progress was fine, and it was a class full of children who had a mind to study.

There were also many children they had seen several times since childhood and were close with.

But to change classes because of a small child they had seen a few times.

However, even while thinking it was a foolish choice, Arcel also submitted a class modification application along with Ruska.

‘Why on earth?’

Watching Ruska running off excitedly, Arcel couldn’t understand why Ruska or himself became so weak toward Evi.

It wasn’t just because she was small and young.

Because she was a commoner selected by the Emperor?

If so, it might be better for them to stay out of it.

Nevertheless, just as Ruska showed such interest, Arcel also couldn’t take his eyes off Evi Alden.

At that moment, there was someone who flashed through Arcel’s mind.

Someone who had eyes similar to Evi Alden’s…

‘Lilian.’

Strangely, every time he saw Evi, he kept thinking of her.