Chapter 89
*
Swish swish….
Even at that moment, Wendy was going back and forth on the platform, drawing a magic formula.
The part she first drew with chalk looked like a child’s scribble.
But that was the skeleton of the formula.
As flesh began to fill that skeleton, the clear shape of the formula emerged.
“Wow….”
The students gasped at the sight of Wendy drawing the formula without hesitation.
Like a painter sketching, Wendy’s hands quickly shaped the form.
As the formula neared completion, the surrounding magical energy began to react.
The atmosphere in the classroom was trembling.
It meant that the formula Wendy had drawn was working properly.
Swish swish….
‘It’s almost done….’
When only a few strokes remained to complete the formula, Wendy felt a surge of worry.
She didn’t know what would happen if this formula was completed.
But the professor said it didn’t matter….
He must have had a reason for saying that.
‘Haha. Don’t worry.’
It wasn’t Professor Ariel who answered Wendy’s concern, but Myohail.
‘I know what you’re worried about. But you don’t need to worry about that. Isn’t this master by your side? So, my disciple, feel at ease and complete the formula.’
‘Master…….’
The master was indeed the master.
He must have prepared thoroughly, knowing his disciple’s heart.
Wendy felt a pang in her chest.
Encouraged by Myohail’s support, Wendy steadied the chalk.
And just as she was about to draw the final stroke to complete the formula…
“Stop.”
Ariel grabbed Wendy’s arm.
“P-professor…?”
“Didn’t you hear me? That’s enough. So, come down from there.”
“Huh? But….”
“Come down. Now.”
Ariel’s expression as she scolded her was unusual.
Had she done something wrong?
Wendy had no choice but to put down the chalk and step down from the platform.
“P-professor?”
“Wendy.”
“Yes?”
Ariel sighed.
“In the future, could you act with a bit more discretion?”
“Yes…?”
“This class is about basic formulas. There’s a limit to showing off…. What on earth is this?”
Wendy couldn’t understand Professor Ariel’s words at all.
“I-I was just trying to complete the formula you were going to draw….”
At Wendy’s words, Professor Ariel looked exasperated.
“Sigh…. I wouldn’t have drawn something like that.”
“Huh?”
“I told you. This class is about ‘basic formulas.’ The formula I was going to draw was the Wind Formula, Level 1, ‘Wind.’”
She had no idea.
Had she misread the formula?
But the formula had definitely been about to activate.
Wendy couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
“T-then what I drew….”
“I’d rather ask you. Did you create this formula, Wendy?”
Ariel muttered as she looked at the formula drawn on the board.
“It seems you’ve reassembled the formula based on basic magic. Level 3? No…. At least Level 4.”
Only then did Wendy realize the source of her unease.
What she had learned from Myohail wasn’t just simple magic theory.
What Myohail had taught her was how to read and write magic formulas—practical skills. And not just any practical skills, but unique methods crafted with the wisdom of a sage.
Naturally, it was bound to deviate from the systematic, textbook-standard theory.
‘Ugh…. It’s my fault for not paying attention in class….’
‘Haha. A mistake? From what I see, you interpreted it quite well. Isn’t it a fine formula?’
‘B-but this isn’t the correct answer….’
‘There’s no such thing as a correct answer in magic. What you’re learning here as the standard of magic is just old knowledge that was once considered correct. And even what I taught you isn’t the correct answer. The correct answer is what you create yourself. That’s what magic is. So, the formula you drew can be seen as a new formula layered over the old one.’
As Myohail had explained, it was no wonder Professor Ariel was surprised by the formula Wendy had drawn.
Of course, it was still technically wrong….
“I-I just… that was the only formula I could think of….”
“In class, just follow the textbook. I didn’t call you here to show off your skills in front of everyone.”
“I-I’m sorry….”
Wendy honestly bowed her head in apology.
Seeing her like that, Ariel couldn’t bring herself to scold her further and sighed.
Then, with a flick of her hand, she neatly erased the formula drawn on the board.
“If you know you’re sorry, that’s enough. I’ll let it slide today. But if you do something like this again, not only will it be considered poor class behavior, but I might also have to report you to the disciplinary committee, so be careful.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
“Now, release the barrier.”
“Huh…?”
Wendy was about to ask what barrier when she stopped.
Something was off.
It wasn’t just Ariel and Wendy in the classroom, but only their voices had been heard since earlier.
It was as if there was an invisible wall between the two of them and the students. No, there really was an invisible wall.
‘Master…. Is this your barrier?’
‘Hmm. It’s a kind of insurance.’
As Myohail had said not to worry, he had set up a barrier while Wendy was completing the formula.
Ariel clicked her tongue and said,
“Don’t treat the professor like a fool. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you setting up a barrier so the students wouldn’t get hurt?”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll release it right away!”
“Ah, wait. Let me give you one last piece of advice.”
“Yes?”
Ariel slowly approached Wendy.
And whispered in her ear.
“Keep your distance from the Chairman.”
“Huh…?!”
Seeing Wendy’s flustered expression, Ariel smiled leisurely.
“I don’t know what your relationship with the Chairman is…. But if I were you, I’d stay away from him. There’s a saying, you know? If you get close to something black, you’ll end up stained black without even realizing it.”
Wendy remembered.
The blatant hostility Ariel had shown toward Tristan during the entrance ceremony.
Not knowing the circumstances, Wendy couldn’t tell what had happened between the two.
But she could tell that the hostility wasn’t ordinary.
“If you stay by his side, you’ll end up completely blackened.”
Wendy looked into Ariel’s eyes.
The emotion in them was hatred. Deep-rooted hatred toward Tristan.
“I trust that you, being a smart student, will take my advice to heart. Hehe.”
As Ariel turned to leave, it happened.
“P-professor…!”
“…?”
Wendy spoke in a trembling voice.
“P-please don’t speak carelessly. The Chairman… he’s not like that….”
“Not like that…?”
Ariel’s lips twisted.
Outside the barrier, their conversation wouldn’t be heard.
“It seems you know nothing about that man…? Or rather, you know nothing about his family.”
“Huh…?”
To Wendy, who tilted her head in confusion, Ariel asked in a calm tone.
“Do you know about the ‘Autumn Tragedy’?”
“The Autumn… Tragedy?”
It was the first time she’d heard of it.
Ariel nodded as if she had expected as much.
“The Chairman didn’t tell you, did he? Well…. Of course, he wouldn’t. If you knew about it, your view of him and the Ruelberta family might change.”
As she said this, Ariel waved her hand in the air, and slowly the barrier began to dissolve.
She had released Myohail’s barrier.
As one of Meikhael University’s professors, it wouldn’t have been too difficult for her.
“Good work. Wendy, return to your seat.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, Ariel addressed the students.
“Let’s continue the class.”
*
“Oh…. Count. You’ve come.”
“Yes.”
I had stopped by the secret workshop on the mansion grounds for the first time in a while.
Albert Groble, who had been working, put down his magnifying glass.
And beside him was a rather familiar face.
“Oh! Long time no see, Count!”
Vanessa Groble, who had been hammering away, waved at me.
Albert Groble’s granddaughter and apprentice, she had also started working here.
The reason for this was simple.
“Is the workshop doing well now?”
“Yes! Thanks to you, we’ve paid off all our debts! Those debt collectors don’t even come around anymore!”
Vanessa spoke in her usual brash tone.
The workshop, which had nearly been lost due to debt, was saved when I paid off their debts on the condition that they work under me.
It was a kind of advance payment.
Moreover, the two were among the finest craftsmen in the game.
Considering the benefits I would gain from them in the future, the money was well spent.
Freed from debt, Vanessa spoke with a refreshed expression.
“But haven’t you lost a lot of weight since I last saw you? And you’ve even brought a girlfriend?”
She pointed to Helga, who was wearing an eyepatch and standing beside me.
“Huff…. I-I just met her, but she seems like a very likable person….”
Helga muttered in a choked voice, covering her mouth.
“Ahahaha. You’re an interesting one. So, is she really your girlfriend?”
“…She’s my bodyguard, Helga. You must be meeting for the first time.”
“Bodyguard? The Count’s?”
Vanessa looked at Helga with interest, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
“For a bodyguard, her legs are quite thin and slender. Or is this your type, Count?”
“Exactly. The Count’s type is just like that. Hehehe…. Once, the Count even said my legs were white and sticky….”
“I came today because I have business.”
I cut Helga off before she could continue her nonsense.
At my words, Albert blinked.
“Hmm. Business, you say?”
“Yes. I have a request, so I came to see you.”
