Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: It Worked When I Did It (2)
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Rosel van Trias.
Lately, he had one nagging worry.
It was a concern unworthy of Rosel, elder of the Ashen Mage Tower and a sage in his own right. This was the worry of a teacher to one particular student and a professor bearing that title.
What on earth should I do with this hopeless disciple of mine?
It was also a rather belated worry.
"Hoo..."
Rosel let out a sigh.
Lifting his head, he saw his disciple blinking at him. Looking at her, Rosel slowly opened his mouth.
"So, what I'm saying is."
"Yes."
"Explaining something—teaching it to others—means breaking down the phenomenon in a way they can understand."
"Uh... like breaking it down like this?"
Raniel wiggled her finger.
Suddenly, a balance scale materialized in the air. Mana filled the completed scale. It tipped to one side.
Whoosh.
She pulled her finger. Words imbued with Restriction settled on the opposite side. The scale leveled out.
With that, the trade was complete.
Tick, tick.
A finished spell flickered at the girl's fingertips.
The spell ignited, cradling starlight within.
...That's correct, sure enough.
The process itself was flawless. Not a single flaw.
The problem was that she was presenting it as if she'd "broken it down."
How is that 'broken down' in any way?
Blink once, and the finished result sparkled before your eyes.
It was impossible to even guess how much of the explanatory process had been skipped. It was like showing only the answer out of nowhere.
If she shows that in front of the students...
Rosel imagined it for a moment.
The students, buzzing with anticipation from the last lecture, watching Raniel demonstrate that process.
A process that flashed by in the blink of an eye.
Confused by it, the students would start asking questions.
-How do you do it?
And to that question, this disciple of his would surely reply something like:
-It just works if you do it.
-Why can't you do it?
Surprisingly, this wasn't a line Rosel had just imagined. Raniel had actually said something like that in the past.
-No, even if you ask me that...
How did she reach that conclusion?
How did she solve that difficult problem?
When the mages of the tower had pressed her like that, Raniel had tilted her head and said:
-It just worked when I did it.
...There was no malice in those words.
No intent to deceive. Astonishingly, none at all. From Raniel's perspective, it was simply obvious.
Of course, Rosel understood that.
But he could only understand because he'd spent over a decade teaching Raniel.
Naturally, the other mages couldn't comprehend it.
As a result, Raniel had been ostracized in the tower for a while. Rosel remembered that time well.
If the students hear that...
The carefully built image of a capable, enigmatic professor would shatter. She'd likely be seen as arrogant and deceptive instead.
And...
Rosel knew all too well how tedious and bothersome it was to clear up that kind of misunderstanding. It had taken him nearly half a year just to sort it out in the tower.
"Hoo..."
Rosel pressed his temple, sighing for the umpteenth time.
"Wrong. If you show it like that, no one will understand."
"Pardon? Then like this?"
"No, that's not what I mean."
"Was it wrong? I thought I did it right."
"It is right, but that's not what I'm talking about... Hand! Keep that hand still!"
"Yeees..."
Raniel drooped her head, looking dejected.
Seeing that, Rosel tilted his head back. Sighs kept leaking out. His vision was going dark.
How on earth do I explain this to her?
The previous public lecture had been more of a demonstration, so it hadn't required much commentary.
Thanks to that, he'd been able to hide it.
Raniel's major flaw as an educator.
He'd managed to get through without it being exposed.
But in a proper class, that flaw would be revealed in no time.
'Not understanding others' levels.'
Raniel didn't grasp others' levels.
Because her baseline was centered entirely on herself.
'Was I too hasty?'
Sometimes he thought that.
She was smart, so he'd figured she'd pick it up and fix it quickly once he taught her... but.
"Not like that..."
Watching his disciple mutter to herself, it seemed unlikely she'd fix it in a day or two.
He couldn't really blame her for it, though.
There was a good reason for it.
A survivor from a village razed by the Demon King's army.
The child of serfs who'd never received proper education.
That was Raniel's origin.
And yet.
From the moment she'd met Rosel, Raniel's talents had fully blossomed.
'She'd already established her own path in magic.'
Where had she gained that enlightenment?
It wasn't hard to guess.
'From herself, no doubt.'
When Rosel had found Raniel, her standards were already firmly set.
Standards that were far too firm.
And those standards had become poison.
'Too high.'
Too high by far.
Because she used herself as the benchmark, the standards Raniel demanded of others were impossibly elevated.
She'd improved somewhat from rolling around on battlefields... but those standards never budged.
As far as Rosel could tell, if left as is, she'd demand at least mage tower-level foundational knowledge from the students.
'This is my responsibility.'
Handing a professor position to a girl who was still incomplete as an educator had been Rosel's decision. Even if Aaron had recommended her, he'd been the one to approve it.
'I thought she'd learn it quickly.'
Seeing her like this, it was inevitable to think she still fell short.
"Hoo."
Rosel exhaled deeply once.
He organized his thoughts and calmly assessed the situation.
'I'm overthinking this too hastily.'
Rushing only made simple problems harder to solve.
Remembering the sage's advice to go slower when in a hurry, Rosel spoke.
"Raniel."
"Yes, Master."
"Let's change the approach."
Then, in a gentle voice, he continued.
"Let's take it a bit slower, shall we?"
"Slower?"
"Yes, slower."
Rosel gave a kind smile.
"Think back to how you handled the trading process when I first taught you magic."
Experience, and teaching based on experience.
Lessons infused with personal experience could win empathy easily, even if rough around the edges.
'A storytelling style of class might get me or Aaron called old fogeys...'
But this disciple was young.
A girl in the flower of her twenties, by all appearances.
'She can connect with the students easily.'
Too much familiarity wasn't ideal, but approaching on friendly terms wasn't bad. Hm, Rosel nodded to himself.
Then he glanced at Raniel's face.
She looked like she was pondering something.
"Hm..."
Raniel tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"Um, Master?"
"Yes?"
"I thought about it..."
After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke.
"...It just worked when I did it, though?"
Thwack.
Rosel smacked his forehead.
"Of course you'd say that..."
It was the story of a certain spring day, right before her second class.
2.
I hadn't planned to resort to this method.
But it can't be helped, Raniel.
If they can't understand, all that's left is rote memorization.
We have to jump into the next class soon, so let's fumble through this one as vaguely as possible.
What? You can just fumble through a class?
It's better than ruining it.
A hundred—no, a thousand times better.
For the content I taught, just show examples like in the public lecture.
Not that fast! As slowly as possible, so everyone can follow, nice and leisurely.
After getting through this class, starting next time, observe as many other professors' classes as you can. Watch how they teach.
Learning by watching seems like the fastest way.
Yes, let's take it slow, Raniel...
And one more thing.
I beg you, please.
No matter what, never say something like "It worked when I did it?" Got it?!
"Hm."
Recalling my master's words, I walked down the hallway.
'Did I really do that badly?'
I didn't think I'd messed up that much.
Master had told me to memorize and fumble through, but I had no intention of doing that.
'How could I?'
This was my responsibility.
Skimping on the job? My pride wouldn't allow it.
'Still, I can't ignore Master's advice.'
So, I chose a slightly different approach.
I'd successfully taught someone once before, after all.
"...This should do it."
The handout I held in both hands.
Drawing from my report-writing experience, I'd made this myself—a sort of "worksheet."
'If I can't explain it verbally, I'll do it in writing.'
It was my idea, but a pretty good one.
I nodded and kept walking.
Today was my second class.
About a week after the public lecture. This time, it was just for the students.
'It's just supplementing Master's lessons, but...'
Still, a chance to observe those students I'd taken note of up close. My steps felt oddly light. Who knew? This professor gig might actually suit me.
Didn't Belnoa and Resti say they'd gained a lot from my lecture?
'Maybe I have a knack for this.'
Lost in such idle thoughts as I walked the hall, a familiar silhouette caught my eye.
Platinum hair swaying gently.
Thanks to that signature hair, recalling her name was easy.
"Princess Aila?"
"Hm? Professor Lania?"
She turned her head.
"Hehe."
Then she flashed a bright smile.
It looked so much like a predator spotting prey that I instinctively stepped back.
"Hello, Professor."
She approached with a playful eye-smile, her steps bouncy and light.
"Heading to class? I'm on my way to yours too."
"This isn't the student hallway, though?"
I tilted my head.
There should be a direct path from the central academy building where she stayed straight to the lecture hall.
'Plus, this is just offices.'
It was practically a faculty-only corridor.
No reason for her to be here.
"Hm..."
To my question, she looked at her fingertips.
"Something felt off."
"Pardon?"
"Like, my intuition just went zap! You know? I got a bad vibe from here."
What kind of vague nonsense was that?
"Intuition...?"
"I have good instincts."
Aila suddenly pointed her finger at me.
"It tingles in my index finger every time I see you, Professor, but that's a good feeling? But..."
She ran her finger along the windowsill.
Dust clung to her fingertip.
"The feeling from this hallway right now... it's super ominous? Like something's about to explode."
"...Ominous?"
"Like a bad feeling kind of feeling."
She gave a faint smile as she said it.
A smile dripping with mischief.
"Professor Lania."
"Yes?"
"After class, will you check out this hallway with me?"
"...Pardon?"
Aila narrowed her eyes.
"It's dangerous alone."
"The stars are whispering that much."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Author's Note
The Hero Party aims for a growth story(?).
Please watch over the rapid growth of new professor Lania!