Chapter 842
Chapter 842
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 842
Chapter Title: The Stir in the Red Salon
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Ars Magna Town's 'First Red Roof Salon'.
Due to its excessively long name, this place is commonly referred to as the Red Salon or simply the Salon. It's a community for mingling among high-ranking witches with plenty of money and time.
One of their camaraderie activities is a daily contest of 'who dresses the most beautifully.' But today, the atmosphere was markedly different.
Intellectual debates and excited murmurs echoed throughout the salon.
Perhaps because the witches held thick academic journals instead of elegant fans in their hands. After all, these ladies were witches at their core, forever pursuing the ultimate truths of magic.
Afternoon, 4 PM.
True to the creed that the star of the show arrives fashionably late, Baroness Dmer, who appeared at the salon's peak hour, was soon surrounded by her followers.
"Baroness Dmer, have you seen the latest Academy journal?"
"Of course, ah... So that's why there are so many people today?"
"Yes, yes! That famous male witch published a paper there!"
"Really?"
She responded with refined smiles and gentle tones, but inwardly, Baroness Dmer felt somewhat indifferent.
The rumor had spread so wildly that her maid had informed her of it the moment she woke up.
She was surprised at first, but upon reflection, it seemed rather trivial.
The Academy journal was indeed one of Gehenna's three major academic publications. Its authority and utility were still recognized, and witches made sure to check it every issue date.
"You haven't read it yet?"
"No, I haven't."
"Aha."
One of her followers gave an ambiguous smile at Baroness Dmer's lukewarm reaction.
In a salon where power plays and reading the room were everyday affairs, discerning displeasure masked as refinement was a basic accomplishment—like reading palms.
"The male witch, his name is Siu, right? He's Tiferet Duke's disciple. He's also the adopted son-in-law of the Jemernai Countess family and a cherished guest of the Yesod Countess house."
"That's right."
"We don't deny the need for power to sustain witch society, but to allow such flimsy influence in a sacred hall of learning... Even the once-prestigious Trinity Academy isn't what it used to be."
This was the root of Baroness Dmer's irritation.
"Jemernai Countess must want to polish her son-in-law's credentials."
"Th-that..."
The followers, well aware of the longstanding feud between Jemernai Countess and Baroness Dmer, hesitated to speak and merely exchanged glances.
At that moment, someone pushed through the crowd of witches, thick as clouds.
It was Albreo Countess, a salon celebrity wrapped in a black dress. Even after catching them gossiping red-handed, she wore a beaming smile.
"Baroness Dmer, are you implying that I slipped her some backroom money?"
"Heavens, no. I simply know full well how capable the Jemernai Countess family is in all sorts of ways."
Baroness Dmer slyly parried with a flowery smile, her words laced with thorns implying that pressure could be applied even without bribes.
"Badmouthing it without even reading it yourself. Had some bad luck lately? That's not like you, Baroness Dmer."
"My apologies. I've always had a temperament that can't tolerate injustice."
Albreo Countess pulled out a thick academic journal that was practically the size of a single book.
What good were words? The gesture meant: read it yourself.
"I hope it's not a waste of time."
"Of course."
Baroness Dmer sat down, opened the journal to the male witch's section, and began reading from there.
"Hmph."
She snorted derisively at the grandiose title.
In truth, it wasn't all that strange for her to react this way.
Those close to Siu knew he had reached a certain level of mastery. It was certain he possessed at least the caliber of a great witch, along with diverse combat experience.
But ordinary witches had little concrete information on Siu.
The best they had were vague rumors: he got caught up in the Seoul COEX terror incident, survived a confrontation with the Witch of Greed, escaped captivity in Hexennacht...
Nothing substantial enough to gauge his true abilities—just clouds of hearsay.
This was because the two countess houses and Tiferet Duke had jointly controlled the flow of information.
As such, to witches ignorant of the truth, Siu was nothing more than a 'witch resilient to bad luck,' 'drawing attention due to his male uniqueness,' 'someone with standout connections,' and at best a 'dabbling fake witch.'
No one rated highly his scholarly talents, which required time to truly shine.
"......"
Yet Baroness Dmer's face, which had held even a hint of contempt, drained of color.
She had expected a half-baked paper at best—something that hadn't even undergone proper review, crudely slapped together for appearances.
No, it had to be.
But there, adorning the pages, were bold, innovative claims and intricate spells so complex they defied immediate comprehension, no matter how many times reread.
Of course, being published in the journal, the content was heavily condensed, making the explanations curt and unhelpful.
With only what was written, it was impossible to fully verify whether his theory held true or not.
But Baroness Dmer was an orthodox great witch.
She could instantly distinguish between a daydreamer's flights of fancy and a hypothesis born of profound insight.
Baroness Dmer glanced around once more.
When she first entered the salon.
She had assumed the murmurs from all sides were mocking Trinity Academy for publishing such drivel, or gossiping about the Jemernai Countess house for forcing it through.
But now, she could finally make out what they were saying.
"Is this really supposed to work like that?"
"I tried it myself, but I couldn't prove it."
"A single male witch wrote this...?"
"And he's been a witch for less than ten years."
"Maybe it's unverifiable? The latter part's just wordplay."
All the witches were buzzing about the same topic.
It was Yesod Countess's 'Barrier Theory'—hailed as the most outstanding and innovative paper in nearly half a century. The stir was as massive as when it first debuted.
Even Baroness Dmer, perched at the pinnacle of witch society, had been awestruck by it.
Before this fresh southeast wind offering new enlightenment, everyone was pooling their heads to unfurl their sails.
They debated the incomprehensible parts, marveled at the insights, and immersed themselves in fresh inspirations.
And unanimously, they heaped praise on Siu.
"It's truly amazing..."
"I saw him at a host bar before—he's incredibly handsome. Good manners and a sense of humor too."
"I'm so jealous. When I was that young, I got rejected over twenty times in ten years..."
"Talent freak, drop dead."
She caught sight of the infuriating Albreo Countess smirking.
She looked utterly smug.
"How is it? Our son-in-law's got some skills, right?"
Part of her wanted to retort, 'Just this much?' and snap the journal shut to feign nonchalance.
But Baroness Dmer was a witch too.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from knowledge that expanded the horizons of understanding.
Hiding her envy and jealousy, she clicked her tongue and ignored Albreo Countess's jabs, turning back to the paper.
Siu's thesis was as fiendishly difficult as it was revolutionary—even Baroness Dmer couldn't grasp it at once.
Moreover, the core theory of the anti-phase control model, 'phase matching,' lacked a clear proof.
Proving that theory was the very crankshaft that would make all this research data operational.
If only that were proven, she could effectively utilize the Gnosis egg she'd obtained not long ago...
"What! Are you kidding me?"
Brimming with such expectations, Baroness Dmer slammed the table.
For this moment, she forgot her baronial grace and refinement.
The witches who had examined the paper before her let out knowing chuckles, as if to say 'just as expected.'
But Baroness Dmer had no attention left for her surroundings.
"Found an astonishing proof method, but omitting due to page limits...?"
The final proof that would complete the paper's framework was cut off just like that.
An arrogant attitude unbelievable for a rookie's debut paper.
The most frustrating part was how she herself felt not anger at that attitude, but curiosity and a burning desire to explore.
Why, why, why didn't he reveal it all?
Her body heated up.
She wanted to meet him right now and dive into a deep discussion to hear his thoughts.
"Our son-in-law's got a bit of a playful streak."
Albreo Countess poked her head in from the side with a jab.
Baroness Dmer snorted loud enough to be heard.
"Think I can't manage even this? I'll prove it myself."
Baroness Dmer pulled out paper and a fountain pen.
And like the other witches gathered in the salon, she buried her head in her work, trying to prove Siu's theory.
2.
"Professor Sophia, is this really okay?"
The day before the paper's publication.
Siu, who had received the final proof copy from Sophia, tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"If you leave this out, it can't be applied. Proving it would be tough too."
Sophia's proof copy had neatly omitted the proof for 'phase matching,' the core of self-magic fusion.
Even after she'd provided feedback on logical gaps.
And her excuse was 'omitted due to page limits.'
Wasn't it just a matter of adding five more pages?
It felt like cosplaying as a genius, making his face burn.
Sophia grinned.
"Theses need showmanship too. Lots of attention brings more honor and interest."
"Honor aside, I think I've had enough attention."
This whole thing started over one secretary position—now he wondered if it was a mistake.
But objecting to edits from Professor Sophia, who must have written dozens of such papers...
"Money comes in too, naturally."
"Money?"
"With a paper like this, everyone will be dying to talk to you. Plenty will show up with lavish gifts. It'd be too wasteful to give it all away for free, right?"
"Open the basics as open source, but charge for the core teachings. That's one way witches fund their research."
He didn't fully get the rest, but money was always necessary.
He still hadn't repaid the donation from his big mother-in-law, and he had no intention of freeloading forever.
Sophia must have arranged it wisely.
"Well, Professor Sophia's probably right."
Siu casually signed off on Sophia's proof copy with final approval.