The First Research Proposal (1)

Two days later, in the morning. When I got to the lab, Arienael was sitting there looking half-dead. Her usual elven grace had faded considerably from exhaustion.

"Pulled an all-nighter, huh."

"Yes..."

So why didn't you read it faster? The deadline had been last night, but seeing how hard she'd worked, it was hard to be too harsh.

"Alright, then. Let's talk about the lecture plans. We've got exactly one week left now."

"Yes..."

"Before that, what I told you to do was 'read this book through once by last night.' The key part wasn't 'read it through once'—it was 'by last night.' That's what you should've prioritized above all else."

"I'm sorry. It was my first time trying to read something in such a short time... I was trying to grasp the details and couldn't make the deadline."

"No. That's the mistake."

"Pardon?"

I knew it would come to this.

"It's not about trying your best to thoroughly understand the book's contents by the deadline. It's just about meeting the deadline somehow."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not at all. Put another way, it's 'read as much as you can in detail within one day.' If you realize midway that you won't make it, skim the rest even more roughly. Get a general sense of the content and move on."

"But... if I do that, I won't even know the contents properly."

Long-lived species like her are terrible at time management, so I had to drill this into her from the start.

"You don't need the details. How could you perfectly understand a whole semester's worth of material in one day? Just get the overall picture before diving in."

"Is that really okay? I thought to assist with the lectures, I need to know it properly... And it might even be useful for research."

"When something really needs to be read thoroughly, I'll give you more time. But from now on, most books and papers you'll read will be like this. Even if you only read the truly important ones properly, you won't have time left over."

Arienael finally looked a bit convinced.

"Now, before we plan the lectures, this is the course material from the professor who handled Magic Material Applications until now. It's pretty solid since the same guy taught it for four years."

"What?!"

Arienael let out a sudden strangled cry. It was almost a scream.

"Now what?"

"Professor, if something like this existed, I didn't need to read that whole book through..."

"No. You still had to read it. We're not using this material as-is."

"Oh, was the original professor's lectures poorly rated?"

"Not really. I never took them myself, but the overall reviews were good. The materials are decently structured too."

"Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why?"

Lecturing isn't a professor's main job, obviously. But that doesn't mean you can just phone it in mechanically. Lectures are a hassle, but they're also an opportunity in themselves.

"Look at this. The course is called Magic Material Applications. The textbook is Magic Tools and Materials. Magic materials and tools are inseparable, so it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inevitable both topics are covered. But check the materials—what do you see?"

"There's way more on magic tools. Over 60%... no, almost 70%."

"Right. Simple reason: that professor's main research field is magic enchantment."

To a professor, lectures are a powerful 'advertising tool.' It's not easy for us to meet students either. Professors are intimidating figures to them, so students rarely approach first. For most professors, lectures are the only way to connect with undergrads and scout talent for their labs. It's the one chance to promote their research field.

"It's common for professors to weight things toward their specialty. They know it well and can teach confidently, so the quality often goes up."

"So you'll do the same, Professor? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Focus on spells and formulas?"

"No."

That'd be too obvious.

"Then what? More on potions and ingredients?"

"Neither. I'll just balance it according to the textbook's original proportions. This isn't a new course—I'm taking over an existing one. Can't change it too drastically all at once."

Nothing in magic materials or tools is unrelated to applied magic. Showing the diversity and various applications actually helps promote our lab better. Plus, overhauling everything to shoehorn in spell formulas would be a nightmare.

"Base the lecture materials on what you read over the last two days. Use this as a format reference. I know you're tired, but I can't give you much time."

"Me? This?"

"Who else?"

Her face screamed, You, Professor! Humans and elves are the same in moments like this.

"Don't worry too much. I've got the overall plan laid out. I'll point out the must-haves so you don't miss anything. And I haven't mentioned the other lectures, right? Those I'm planning solo without your help. Of course, once the semester starts, I'll need you, but until then, just prep this one theory course."

The other classes are lab sessions, so not much to do before term starts. Grading reports is the TA's job anyway.

"...So, when do you need it by?"

Her voice was already half-dead.

"Monday's first class will be orientation—easy pass. So Wednesday's materials are fine by Wednesday."

"Then, Tues... no, by Monday?"

"You can't plan like that. Individual materials can be separate, but the overall framework needs to be set. You don't want to spend the whole semester just prepping lectures, do you?"

Arienael's eyes lit up briefly, then dulled again. She nodded reluctantly after hearing me out.

"For Wednesday's materials to be ready by Monday, the full plan needs to be done by Saturday. Factoring in revisions and my additions, I'd like the draft by Thursday."

"Thursday? That's the day after tomorrow!"

"Whoa there. Yeah, day after tomorrow. Why yell?"

I'd originally planned to make the first lecture materials myself since it was my debut. But with procurement and lab setup dumped on me too, what choice did I have? If I handled prep on top, we wouldn't start experiments for weeks after term began. Things would ease up for Arienael later too. Once we get an undergrad researcher, more grad students, proper equipment, funding, and a few papers out... Until then, we'd tough it out.

Arienael had already accepted reality with resignation. Her black hair and eyes gave a calm impression anyway, but now she looked downright gloomy.

"Oh yeah, you registered for classes, right? What are you taking this semester?"

"Right, I forgot to ask. Alchemy and Pharmacology are set, but for spellcraft, I don't know which one. Ideally, something that covers spellcraft broadly?"

"Thinking one class will unlock the vast world of magic spells and profound formulas is arrogant. ...Why the face?"

Arienael wore the same expression from dinner the other night.

"Nothing. So what do I do? Like you said, I'll take one, but I don't know where to start."

"Advanced Spellcraft, Formula Interpretation, or Basic Formula Design would be good."

"I'll pick one of those."

"Two would be better."

"One. I have other classes."

"...Fine. If you really need it, I'll pick some papers for you."

"Thank you."

"Alright. Get to it. Not much time left."

I checked if she'd read it properly. After our long talk, I sat down in my office. Truth be told, the one I really needed to train with care wasn't the undergrads—it was Arienael. She had to start pulling her weight ASAP for things to work.

With equipment and materials set, I needed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plan what to do with them. Something we could jump into right away upon arrival. The first experiment should teach lab basics more than advance research. She'd probably only done academy beginner stuff otherwise. Ideally, minimal material waste while learning equipment handling...

Planning the 'lab course' took me past lunch. Oh right, the research proposal. I'd hit snags from the concept stage and hadn't started writing. The deadline had passed, but the university had given me some leeway. They said a formal proposal could come later—just send the rough topic soon.

What could be a paper-worthy topic? Not super profitable, but easy to churn out. For a decent journal, though, it had to be this ominous book. But I didn't want to use anything too important or applicable. That'd be a waste—could make real money later if played right.

Tough call. Deciphering was barely started. I had to judge based on fragments grasped so far, inferred overall flow, and a few reference illustrations. Time crunch was the killer.

In my distraction, I jotted a topic based on a corner note in the grimoire. Added that details would follow later, and submitted it to the university.

The next day, I got a summons from the Dean of the Magic Department. Time was tight for a full written plan, so come explain verbally ASAP. And when I arrived, an inquisitor was there too.

What the hell?