Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Aftershocks of Wave Theory
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Isaac had successfully proven the "Wave Theory" at the Magic Tower General Assembly.
Two schools were deeply shaken by this fact.
One was, predictably, the Sound Magic School, whose rice bowl had been utterly smashed.
The other was... the Magic Tool Material Processing School.
The atmosphere in the Magic Tool Material Processing School's lab had grown quite grim.
The school head had just returned from a business trip and learned the news from the assembly.
School Head Bolton gathered all his senior professors and graduate students.
They all hung their heads low.
"..."
"..."
In the heavy silence, the school head finally spoke.
"So, we lost the commission to the annex exile school, and got humiliated at the assembly too?"
"...Yes."
"Who was the idiot who pushed this forward?"
As silence fell again, Rufus slowly raised his hand.
"It was me."
"...Rufus. So it was you."
Bolton's eyes blazed with fury. He pointed at one of the senior professors.
"Hey, bring me that fool's research proposal."
"Yes, sir."
The senior professor quickly handed Rufus's report over to Bolton.
[Study on the Potential Applications of Wave Theory]
He skimmed through it, then flipped to the results page and shoved it in Rufus's face.
"This is your result, Rufus? Impossible?"
"But School Head, with our current technology, we can't apply Isaac's wave theory."
"Can't apply it?"
Hah.
Bolton let out a hollow laugh.
"Isaac Uphills did it right in front of the Dean! And without any catalysts!"
Bolton's roar echoed down the hallway.
Rufus bowed his head deeply and replied.
"...I'm sorry, but I'm not Isaac Uphills."
"At least you know your place. Bring me some real results by next week. You know what happens if you don't."
"Yes, sir."
Probably, every project budget related to Rufus would be slashed.
...This scene was also visible to Floor Manager Ellara, who was sitting at the master's student table in the distance.
Her heart sank.
"Is this my fault...?"
If she hadn't dragged Isaac into the bell tower incident, none of this would have happened.
'I hope Senior Rufus finds a solution somehow...'
But she couldn't just sit back and hope. She had to do something too.
'Maybe I can convince Isaac?'
She couldn't bring it up openly, so Ellara waited for a moment when Isaac was alone.
And then she saw it.
-"Why does differentiability imply continuity?"
-"..."
Gwendolyn Everglow approaching Isaac when he was finally alone.
Oddly enough, this wasn't a one-time thing.
Whenever Isaac managed to be by himself, Gwendolyn would swoop in.
In the research building, the cafeteria, the library—wherever Isaac was, Gwendolyn was there too.
"What on earth...?"
Ellara muttered to herself.
"No way... dating since freshman year?"
Nah, no chance.
Isaac was a commoner; there was no way he could be with a noble lady from a prestigious house like Everglow.
...Not to disparage him—this was just reality.
Nobles discriminating based on birth and status wasn't anything new.
However, Ellara's suspicions soon shattered into pieces.
Because, in her desperate attempt to tail him and catch him alone...
She spotted Isaac heading to the Everglow family villa.
"What the hell...?"
As she paced near the villa's fence, a cold voice came from behind.
"You there—what are you doing here?"
Turning around, she saw the head of the guards, his eyes brimming with hostility.
Ellara instantly knew her situation had gone completely sideways.
A perfect weekend.
Escaping the horse-manure stench of downtown to the suburbs, basking in the sunlight, listening to birdsong, lounging on a plush sofa...
...If only Gwendolyn weren't right in front of me.
"...Are you listening, Isaac?"
"Yes."
Gwendolyn tilted her head at my immediate reply.
"What did I just ask you?"
"Why the gradient points in the direction of the steepest ascent for a function."
"And your answer?"
"Figure that out yourself from there, Gwendolyn."
She tilted her head again at my response.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I don't know either."
"Liar."
"..."
How'd she know it was a lie?
"...Am I that easy to read?"
"No. It's just... I can't imagine you not knowing something."
"Instinctive reductio ad absurdum, huh."
Who even does this...
Anyway, I didn't answer Gwendolyn's question.
That one's not even going in the paper I'll present to Valerius.
They'll figure it out themselves.
I told her,
"Judging by questions like that, looks like there's nothing more for me to teach you."
"...Is that so? I still feel like I'm sorely lacking."
"That's normal. The more you know, the more you realize you don't know."
The island of your knowledge grows, and the shoreline of the unknown stretches further.
'Tutoring's over... time to head back?'
As I prepared to leave,
Knock knock knock.
A knock at the door.
Moments later, a man who looked like the villa's head guard entered and said,
"Miss Gwendolyn, we... caught a suspicious person near the garden."
"Suspicious?"
The guard scratched his head at her response.
"Well... she claims to be a mage from the Magic Tower, but we're not sure."
"...Did you get a name?"
"Yes. Ellara."
Gwendolyn and I locked eyes.
Less than five minutes later, we came face-to-face with Floor Manager Ellara.
"Hahaha..."
Ellara laughed awkwardly.
"Hello. Lady Everglow, and Isaac."
"..."
"You two make such a great pair. Hahaha..."
An awkward silence followed.
Moments later, Ellara spoke up again.
"I wasn't trying to spy on your rendezvous or anything..."
"What do you mean? Rendezvous?"
"Huh?"
Ellara blinked in confusion, looking back and forth between me and Gwendolyn.
"You two... aren't dating?"
"What nonsense is this all of a sudden?"
"..."
"How does a grad student even have time for dating?"
Of course, those who make time do... but not me.
After clearing up the ridiculous misunderstanding, I heard Ellara's long, drawn-out tale.
The school head's return.
Rufus getting publicly reamed at the assembly for the total flop.
His team's budgets on the verge of evaporating...
It smelled just like home.
I asked her,
"But aren't you in a different research group from Senior Rufus, Ellara?"
"No, same school, different topics."
"Then it doesn't matter to you if their budget gets cut, right?"
Everyone's eyes widened at my point.
"Really?"
"Whoa..."
"..."
Gwendolyn, Ellara, and the guard, in that order.
Why were they all reacting so sensitively?
"Isn't grad school like that? You pour your blood and sweat day and night, one mistake tanks the project, you get publicly humiliated..."
"..."
For a split second, pity flashed in their eyes.
Pity...?
Why?
Gwendolyn stepped closer and asked,
"Is the Magic Survey School atmosphere like that?"
"...No, ours is fine."
"Liar."
"It's really not..."
After that, I spent ages defending our school from the slander.
"Anyway, sorry, but I don't think I can help Rufus. I'm focused on the special lectures right now."
Ellara nodded silently.
I figured she'd cling more. Unexpected.
Whatever. Good things are good.
I stood up immediately.
"Well, I'll be going then..."
"Already?"
"Got things to do."
"...Like what?"
"..."
Surprisingly, Gwendolyn was clingier than Ellara.
I racked my brain for an excuse to slip away.
"Actually, it's time for my pet's walk."
"Dorms only allow fish."
"..."
Damn. Forgot about that.
No choice now. Time to exit boldly.
"Guess I'll go walk the goldfish then."
"...Pardon?"
"What did you say?"
I left the two stunned women behind and departed the villa.
That same evening, a package arrived for Valerius.
Sender: Isaac Uphills.
Heh heh heh.
A chuckle escaped Valerius's lips.
The document inside was titled [Principles of Calculus].
It was the pinnacle of new knowledge that broke through "Achilles and the Tortoise"—exactly what he'd longed to hear from Isaac.
"...Thought he'd make me wait longer. Unexpected."
Not a workaholic, though.
What had him rushing like this?
He read the enclosed letter.
[I've heard that the Magic Tool Material Processing School might need calculus lately. Feel free to share news of this paper's presentation with them too.]
Valerius tilted his head at the postscript.
Magic Tool school?
"Come to think of it, I heard their influence has been waning lately... Betting on them, eh?"
Valerius smirked.
"Thought he was just good at magic... Turns out he has political savvy too."
Unleashing a theory that would upend the magic world, yet still pondering the balance of power between schools.
As expected of a genius.