Chapter 16

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: A Little Wager
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“Stop right there.”

*No, don’t stop. Just keep walking.*

But contrary to my hopes, Oscar spun around as if he'd been waiting for it.

Dad put me down and walked over to Oscar.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I wasted my time on a fool.”

“Ha.”

Dad let out a dry laugh, then clenched his jaw.

“Apologize. To my daughter.”

“You should be the one apologizing for wasting my precious time. I've spent an hour and thirty-seven minutes here so far.”

“Who asked you to come? This hardly seems like a matter for the Master of the Magic Tower to handle personally. You showed up uninvited.”

“Because I had expectations. After all, you're the daughter of ‘the’ Enoch Rubinstein.”

Oscar added, tilting his chin up arrogantly.

“But it seems you're no different from all the other pathetic parents. Do you have any idea how many people apply for gifted education at the Magic Tower?”

“...”

“They all get so worked up over a bit of silly number play. ‘My child must be a genius!’ It's hilarious to see them puffed up with such baseless hopes.”

“Hey, I couldn't do what my daughter did when I was seven. Who could possibly solve that at her age?”

“I could. When I was exactly seven.”

“...”

Dad seemed at a loss for words.

“...Apologize.”

“I refuse.”

“You have absolutely no manners...!”

“Enoch.”

Grandfather stepped in to mediate the tense atmosphere.

“Master of the Magic Tower, it was I who contacted you about my granddaughter. I regret that she did not meet your expectations. Let's leave it at that, and you may go.”

“Ah, is that so? It seems you've gotten old too, Lord Nordic. To think the insight I once admired has vanished without a trace.”

…That crazy bastard.

He has no respect for his elders.

“Master of the Magic Tower!”

Dad couldn't hold back and raised his voice.

Grandfather grabbed Dad's arm tightly, worried he might raise a hand.

At that moment, I was chanting a mantra in my head.

*Hold it in. Hold it in. Don't act out, Lilis. Nothing good will come of it. Please.*

*No way. Why should I? Just let this jerk who's being rude to even Grandfather walk away?*

Reason, telling me to endure, and the impulse to knock that arrogant bastard down a peg were wrestling inside me.

“In any case, I welcome your return to society, Duke. Your daughter is just another dime-a-dozen dullard in this field, so don't entertain any foolish dreams. Just focus on rebuilding the family you've neglected for seven years and pass it on.”

…This guy just won't quit, will he?

*Snap.* Something in my head broke.

Impulse had won.

“Dad, wait!”

I ran and grabbed his pant leg before he could lose his temper.

Then, I spoke to Oscar, who was looking down at me with insolent eyes.

“You solved that when you were seven?”

“Yes.”

“You're a genius.”

“That's right. And you're a dullard.”

“I'm glad I'm a dullard, then. If I were a genius and went to the Magic Tower, I'd never learn any manners. Dad would be sad if I grew up to be as rude as you, Master of the Magic Tower.”

“...What?”

For a moment, Oscar's expression went blank.

Dad flinched, then smiled.

“Uh, that's right. All that matters is that you grow up healthy and polite, my daughter.”

“Give me five more minutes.”

I said, not avoiding Oscar's intense gaze.

“I'll try solving that problem again.”

“You?”

“Yes. If I get it right, please apologize for speaking rudely to my dad and grandfather.”

“...”

A silence fell.

After a long moment, Oscar chuckled and replied.

“Fine. Go ahead.”

“Thank you for agreeing.”

I returned to the blackboard.

A flustered Dad said.

“Lilis, Princess. You don't have to push yourself.”

As I reread the problem on the board.

*Are you crazy? You really are a fool.*

My reason returned.

The mess I'd made by failing to control a momentary impulse was immense.

If I solve this now, I'll be labeled a genius.

And then I'll be tested with even harder problems to evaluate my comprehension and cognitive abilities.

How long could I, someone who wasn't actually a genius but just an adult solving problems I already knew, keep up the act?

*No, no. I completed a high school education in my past life, right?*

Even if I was a liberal arts major.

Still, I was a well-rounded genius... well, not a genius, but talented enough.

I even remember tutoring math to pay off my student loans.

For the record, the high school student I taught got into the math education department at Soul National University.

*Right, let's just go for it. I've already crossed the Rubicon.*

I picked up the chalk.

While everyone held their breath.

*Tap, tap, tap.*

The sound of the chalk moving across the blackboard was the only thing that could be heard.

Scenes from countless movies came to mind, where geniuses effortlessly filled blackboards with solutions...

Of course, they were real geniuses, and I was just pretending to be one.

*Since I've decided to play the part of a genius, I might as well do it in style!*

What's life, anyway?

I decided to act shamelessly and without hesitation.

Without a single pause, I moved the chalk and wrote the final point.

Then I put the chalk down with a *thud* and turned around.

Robel, Dad, Grandfather...

They all looked as if their eyes were about to pop out.

“W-what did I just... No, uh... D-Duke? W-what was that?”

Robel asked Dad, who was standing beside him, blankly rubbing his eyes.

“...I-I don't know either.”

Dad shook his head, his mouth hanging open.

Amidst them, Oscar had a peculiar expression.

“Master of the Magic Tower.”

I said, dusting the chalk from my hands.

“You're seventeen.”

* * *

Oscar Manuel was just a jerk.

It turned out he knew very well what manners were.

As promised, he admitted his rudeness to Dad and Grandfather, even bowing a full ninety degrees.

Perhaps because it was too easy a victory, I felt neither excitement nor satisfaction.

All that remained was regret for my reckless actions, which had blown things way out of proportion.

“Hah, my life...”

Sitting alone in the study, I stared blankly into space.

“What have I done?”

I just wanted to see Oscar's face twisted in frustration...

Instead, his eyes shone with a mad satisfaction, as if he'd found the genius he was looking for.

*He really is a psycho.*

He even had dinner at our house and offered to tutor me personally.

Of course, I had accepted, thinking I might as well try to win him over now that I had a connection to the Master of the Magic Tower.

*Screech.*

“You scared me.”

Startled by the sudden sound of a chair being pulled out, I turned to see Oscar, who had finished his meal.

“*Buuuurp.*”

“...?”

“That was a good meal.”

After letting out a loud belch, Oscar patted his stomach.

*W-what the?*

If it weren't for his handsome face, his actions would have been completely insufferable.

Oscar smirked at my dumbfounded expression.

*...What's this? He seems like a different person.*

For some reason, his vibe was completely different from before.

“Shall we study a bit more?”

Oscar gestured with his chin, and a piece of paper and a pen flew over and landed in front of me.

“Whoa.”

“Cool, right?”

“Yes.”

“Every space has coordinates. To create a magic formula, you need to be able to express the concept of space as an equation.”

Aha. Expressing space as an equation...

So it seemed you needed to understand concepts up to vectors to create a magic formula.

*So magic is actually quite systematic, huh?*

I was starting to get a little interested.

And vectors were something I could handle with my current knowledge.

“Do you know about numbers smaller than zero?”

“There are numbers smaller than zero?”

I feigned ignorance, and Oscar chuckled, resting his chin on his hand as he scribbled on the paper.

3－5＝

“Solve it.”

“Hmm.”

It seemed Oscar was trying to teach me the concept of negative numbers.

Well, I'd just pretend to think about it for a bit and then give the answer.

As I stared at the problem with the tip of the pen in my mouth, Oscar muttered.

“...You're small.”

“Huh? What is? The numbers?”

“No.”

When I looked over, Oscar was smiling with a strange look in his eyes for some reason.

“You.”

“...Me?”

“You're too small.”

For a moment, I went blank.

Oscar rested his chin on his hand, studying me carefully, and added.

“For a seven-year-old... you seem abnormally small.”

“...”

*Thump.*

I thought I could hear my heart drop.

Right, I was smaller than other kids my age.

And there was a reason for it.

*H-he doesn't know something, does he?*