Translator: Nox

36 - Can I Cry Now?

Episode 36

Seraphina knew Professor Maless's temperament well.

Despite having produced numerous disciples, he wasn't one to maintain close relationships with them.

Still, the disciples didn't dislike him.

They knew it was because of his single-minded dedication to mathematics.

Moreover, his lack of socializing was also seen as a way to avoid getting caught up in unnecessary factional rivalries, allowing him to focus solely on research.

Frankly, he was a rare breed among professors these days, possessing unwavering integrity and a strong character.

That's why Seraphina, despite calling him "old geezer," held him in high regard.

But for someone who seemed like he'd never ask her for a favor in his life to come seeking one like this…

'What could have happened?'

Seraphina waited anxiously for Professor Maless to speak.

"I want to know more about a certain student."

"If it's something like that, you can ask the faculty affairs department…"

"Who doesn't know that! It takes too long that way! I want to know right away!"

Maless, seemingly frustrated, slammed his palm on the table, expressing his irritation.

"Honestly, who is it that you can't even wait a little bit for, to be making such a fuss?"

She wondered if he had come to her just for this small request, but she was more curious about which student could make Professor Maless so impatient.

And why he was acting this way.

The old geezer, who had said he'd see her face later because having her as the dean was too much of a burden, had come to her on his own two feet.

"Ibi, a student named Ibi Elden. Very small. Come to think of it, isn't the Academy for the Gifted entrance age seven? She looks five to me? And so skinny, even doing her own cleaning…"

"Oh, please be quiet."

Seraphina cut off Maless, who seemed like he would never stop talking.

"She's quite the talk of the town this year."

"Why? Is she too smart?"

"She's smart, but also, His Majesty the Emperor chose her."

Seraphina then roughly explained the circumstances of Ibi's selection.

"It's not like he specifically looked at her and chose her, it was just…"

"Hmph. How reckless. No, if he chose her, he should take responsibility!"

"What more responsibility can His Majesty take? Besides, when she went missing this time, he even allowed the use of magic within the Imperial Palace and lent her a Magic Stone!"

"No, missing! How is the Academy for the Gifted managing its students! Are you even a dean?"

"That's why we found her!"

"Still… no, never mind. Anyway, she's from the Poorhouse. A young child who lost her parents during the war, it seems. How unfortunate."

Seraphina stared at her teacher, who seemed on the verge of tears, with a weary expression.

"Why are you being like this? Didn't you say you were retiring next year anyway? Then another professor will be teaching her next year, so why are you making such a fuss…"

"What are you talking about! Retirement! I have so much to do!"

It hadn't been long since he grumbled about going back to his hometown to continue his research, saying there wouldn't be anything for him to do at the Academy for the Gifted.

"What do you mean, things to do?"

"I'm thinking of rewriting the Advanced Mathematics Textbook. In a more friendly way, so that even children can understand it if they can grasp the concepts."

"What?!"

Seraphina's voice grew louder.

The Advanced Mathematics Textbook was currently the official textbook for mathematics classes in the Academy for the Gifted, as well as in all academies.

It was also the book that remained as Professor Maless's greatest achievement.

Before that, they had been using a mathematics book written hundreds of years ago.

But with the addition of newly discovered formulas in the meantime, scholars had been constantly talking about the need to create a new mathematics book.

"But who would do such a vast and troublesome task?"

"You might gain fame, but you'd struggle to reconcile the different mathematical concepts that everyone wants to include as fundamental. Besides, it's difficult to create clean proofs and theorems suitable for a textbook…"

Professor Maless had accomplished that.

The resulting Advanced Mathematics was praised as a book that had elevated the empire's mathematical level by several stages at once.

Of course, it had its drawbacks.

It only contained the most basic explanations, so while the concepts were well-organized, it was difficult to study with.

Therefore, Advanced Mathematics was not a book for self-study, but one that required a teacher to explain it.

That's why people had asked Professor Maless several times.

If he had any plans to release a more easily understandable version of the Advanced Mathematics Textbook.

But each time, Professor Maless had firmly refused.

"My book is perfect! If you can't understand it, you just need to try haaaaaarder!"

The more people asked, the more stubbornly Maless refused.

He had been insisting on that for almost 20 years. So everyone had given up on the idea of a revised edition of Advanced Mathematics…

"The book cover should probably be made brighter. And since new proofs have come out in the meantime, I should include those too. First, I need to write the explanations for the existing proofs in more detail, in a more friendly way. If possible, adding cute illustrations here and there would make the children like it more, wouldn't it?"

"…"

Seraphina was dumbfounded as she watched Maless, who was getting carried away.

Who is this person? Is this really my stubborn old geezer teacher?

"Anyway, if I'm going to do all this, let's see… Ibi will need another eight years to graduate from the Academy for the Gifted, so I'll have to work for eight more years. Hehe."

Professor Maless, who was adjusting his retirement schedule on his own, said as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Come to think of it, who is Ibi's guardian?"

"A professor named Sian Roshen."

"Who is that? Where is he?"

"Ah, well…"

After finishing the matter regarding Ibi last time and returning the Magic Stone, Seraphina had heard about the matter regarding Ibi.

At that time, the Minister of the Interior had said that he had made a professor whose name was only registered at the academy as the child's guardian.

In fact, he was a professor who wasn't here right now. But if she told the truth, Professor Maless would immediately make a fuss about changing the guardian to himself.

'I don't think I'll hear anything good if I mess with what the Minister of the Interior has decided.'

So Seraphina gave a vague answer.

"There's just a quiet professor. As you know, there are many people who are aiming for the guardian position to gain benefits, so we entrusted it to someone without ambition, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Not worry about it! If they have no ambition, that's even more of a problem. A student's future blooms when their guardian is strong."

"…That's true, but it feels really strange coming from your mouth, teacher."

He was a teacher who hated politics and despised the flattery that came with it.

Maless had never been a guardian for anyone, despite requests from others.

More than anything, he was someone who disliked interfering in other people's lives, but he seemed to have suddenly become a different person in a single day.

"But it's not something that can be easily changed. You have to look at the qualifications too…"

"No! I don't have a career that would lose out to anyone!"

"…The student's own wishes are also important. You can't change it if Ibi Elden doesn't want to."

"That's a problem that can be solved by persuading her well from now on! Anyway, I understand. Ah, and are there any classrooms left in the main building?"

"Why do you need a classroom?"

"The poor child has to walk such a long distance with such difficulty, it's so pitiful…"

"You deliberately chose that classroom, teacher. So that the students who come would give up because it's too hard."

Maless turned his head away from Seraphina's cold gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, give me a classroom in the main building."

"There probably aren't any classrooms left in the main building."

How much effort did the professors put in to occupy better classrooms?

The closer the classroom was to the main building, the stronger the professor's influence was. So the closer ones had already been taken by others.

"I'll look for a place that's at least a little closer."

"Yes, yes. I'm counting on you. By the way, the student has to want it… hmm."

Maless was lost in thought.

'Come to think of it, it's almost time for the guardians to give gifts.'

If it was a professor who had been assigned as a guardian just to prevent a strange guardian from being assigned, they wouldn't pay much attention to Ibi's gifts.

They would probably just send something to save face.

'If I give her a bigger gift at that time, it's only natural that the child's heart will lean towards me.'

Maless smiled contentedly.

He didn't know who that professor Sian Roshen was, but he wouldn't be able to send a gift that Ibi would like.