Chapter 239: Magic with Professor Im Sol!

Victoria Academy held a faculty meeting every Monday.

Although she was a visiting professor, her position was part of the faculty and staff, so Im Sol was forced to participate as well.

"So this time, the Chairman of the Board..."

Of course, it was a waste of time by Im Sol's standards. It was called a faculty meeting, but it was no different from a social gathering.

The actual meeting time was about 30 minutes.

Most of the time was spent making small talk about this and that.

"Ahaha, the Head of Year is truly hilarious."

"Professor Park's sense of humor is no joke either, is it? Hahaha."

Hahaha.

The sound of laughter echoed inside the meeting room.

While there were professors who humored that kind of atmosphere, there were also people like Doctor Kang Hyo-rin who openly did other things.

However, no one dared to even think about kicking their seat and leaving.

After all, those were the people paying their salaries.

"Haa..."

Im Sol sighed as she watched the spectacle.

Even though they all carried titles like professor or doctor.

They were catering to their seniors just because they had taken up the teaching profession a few years earlier.

Im Sol despised this kind of culture.

And in truth, she didn't need to walk on eggshells around them.

Because she was a visiting professor personally invited by the Chairman and the Chancellor.

She had wanted to wait until the meeting was over if possible since she had a suggestion about the field trip today, but at this rate, it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.

"Head of Year."

Eventually, Im Sol interrupted the people who were laughing and chatting.

"Oh, yes, yes. Professor Im Sol. Do you have something to say?"

"I would like you to quickly review the documents I submitted regarding tomorrow's field trip."

"Ah... You must be in a hurry. Please wait a moment."

The Head of Year flashed a good-natured smile despite Im Sol's sudden words.

Shuffle, shuffle-

Finding Im Sol's documents among the piled-up materials, the Head of Year nodded and read through the documents.

"Very good. Cadet Lee Ho-yeon is the pride of Victoria Academy. I think it would be good for Professor Im Sol to instruct him personally."

"Then I'll take that as your permission."

"Mm. Of course."

Phew.

Did she really sit there for two hours just to hear this?

"Then I'll be going now. I have a lot to prepare for the Magic Expo visit tomorrow."

Im Sol conveyed her intentions to the Head of Year who was leading the meeting.

"Mm-hmm. Alright. Please get some rest, Professor Im Sol."

The Head of Year, who had been laughing good-naturedly, widened his eyes and then nodded.

"Thank you."

Bow.

The Head of Year was just oblivious and happily accepted people flattering him, but he wasn't a bad person.

That was why Im Sol showed the bare minimum of courtesy.

After bowing her head, Im Sol left the meeting room without making eye contact with the other professors.

The meeting room, which had fallen silent for a moment after Im Sol left, soon began to fill with the sound of whispers.

"What's going on? She's going to the Magic Expo? Normally, she wouldn't even bat an eye at magic lower than her level."

"That's what I'm saying. A professor who didn't even care about her surroundings?"

"To bring in someone with zero social skills and call her a professor... Tsk, tsk."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If she wants to carry the title of a mage, she should have some manners toward her seniors..."

The ones driving the conversation were mostly magic professors.

The magic professors were still dissatisfied with Im Sol occupying the entire second floor of the Hall of Magic.

They also hated seeing Im Sol's behavior, which lacked manners by their standards.

In reality, it was a pathetic inferiority complex, an unwillingness to admit that they were being outdone in skill by a young woman, but most of them turned a blind eye to that inferiority complex and attacked Im Sol instead.

"..."

And Im Sol, who had been listening to their voices from outside the door, slowly moved her feet.

She hadn't cut off conversations like this from the beginning either.

It wasn't difficult. It wasn't wrong, it was just different.

Just like how she was born with the talent to be good at magic.

It seemed that other people were born with the talent to be good at conversation.

The society of mages was incredibly narrow.

At first, Im Sol had also tried her best to mingle with the mages.

But regardless of Im Sol's intentions, at some point, most of the people she talked to would be furrowing their brows.

And then they would turn around and say she was arrogant, or that she thought the world revolved around her.

They poured out things Im Sol had never said. No, things she had never even thought of.

Eventually, Im Sol gave up on communicating with most people.

It was better to just leave behind unique people like Baek A-yeong, Min Ye-ji, and Lee Ho-yeon, and give up on talking to everyone else.

It was a survival strategy born from countless attempts and long experience.

It wasn't that she didn't care about others.

It was just that they had excluded Im Sol.

Of course, there was a way to communicate.

It was for Im Sol to give up on everything.

She just had to throw away her petty pride, bow her head to her seniors, treat older people with deference, and show respect to the elders.

To survive in a world where you couldn't look at a person with no talent clinging to magic and say, 'You have no talent, so it's better if you look for another path,' that was what she had to do.

She just had to hide her true feelings and wear a false mask.

But Im Sol wasn't born that way.

It wasn't that Im Sol had loved magic from the very beginning.

The only thing Im Sol, who had been excluded by them, could do to make them feel bad was magic, and fortunately, the thing she was best at was also magic.

In the end, the only thing left for Im Sol was magic.

That was why she loved magic.

"Haa."

Sighing again today, Im Sol headed to her research lab.

Because she still had unfinished magic research left to do.

*

"I'm heading out!"

"Da-hee. You shouldn't shout."

Tuesday morning.

At the entrance, Nam Da-eun and Nam Da-hee were putting on their shoes.

"Thank you. Scarlet."

"It's alright. It's my job."

For the Nam sisters to leave the men's dormitory, Scarlet's help was absolutely necessary.

When Scarlet wasn't around, I went out with them, but I had things to do today.

Because I had to go to the Magic Expo with Im Sol.

"Scarlet. You have to come back quickly. I'm bored."

"Understood. Please do not worry."

"Make sure you guard the house well. Liriana."

I said as I patted Liriana's head.

"Don't worry. I've been guarding it so diligently until now."

"You aren't feeling too cooped up?"

"Yeah. It's fine. Scarlet is here too."

"It's fine to wander around as long as you're with Scarlet, so you can go out if you feel stifled."

Unlike the Nam sisters, Liriana didn't wander around.

I was almost worried she would feel stifled just staying at home.

"Mmm... Not really? Outside isn't that great."

"Got it. Buy and eat whatever you want if you have a craving."

"The card is mine, so don't even think about taking it."

Still, it was a relief that there were a lot of people in the dormitory.

Since Liriana didn't look bored or depressed.

"Have a good day, Da-eun and Da-hee."

"Yeah. Ho-yeon!"

"Are you not coming to the academy later this afternoon?"

Nam Da-eun asked as she looked at me saying goodbye.

"I think I will, but just in case I don't."

After briefly finishing our goodbyes, I waved to Liriana, who was wearing a tracksuit, and left the dormitory first.

Because I had to head straight to Professor Im Sol's research lab.

'This is the first time I'm skipping class so legally.'

I had already told Lucy and Rumi during yesterday's afternoon class, so they wouldn't worry even if I wasn't there.

'Alice... probably won't worry, right?'

I headed to the Hall of Magic while watching the cadets on their way to school.

And in front of the Hall of Magic, I spotted a familiar silhouette.

Shimmering silver hair.

And a familiar sky-blue robe.

A person staring at the sky with her hands behind her back in a frequently seen outfit.

Perhaps sensing my presence, she slowly turned around, smiled slightly, and spoke.

"Oh, is my student here?"

Naturally, it was Professor Im Sol.

*

The Magic Expo.

Just hearing the name makes it sound unnecessarily boring, like a place where mages who only conduct research in dark rooms would show up, but it's surprisingly not like that.

It was an event held at regular intervals, a high-quality gathering where mages looking for new magic circles or research topics shared information with each other.

Of course, it was a bit distant from civilians because of that, but it couldn't be helped. It was the Magic Expo, after all.

Im Sol and I arrived at such a place.

In a place crowded with people, I looked at Im Sol and opened my mouth.

"But are you wearing those clothes again?"

"What do you mean again? I change almost every day."

"...Almost?"

Im Sol was in the exact same style she always wore in the research lab. It was a fashion that pursued extreme comfort: an oversized pink plain t-shirt and black leggings.

She had come to the Magic Expo just throwing a sky-blue robe over it, as if she were going to a convenience store in front of her house.

Of course, wearing a cadet uniform, I wasn't in a position to argue about fashion... but I had to take classes in the afternoon, so I was not guilty.

"Yeah. Almost every day when my research isn't busy."

"...Ah, yes. Understood."

That could happen.

Whether she changed her clothes every day or not wasn't really important.

Being pretty was what was important.

"Where should we go first? Do you like magic tools? Or magic circles?"

"Let's go wherever my student wants. I don't really care."

"Yes, yes. Then let's go to the magic tools."

Im Sol's expression was ambiguous.

She looked like she was in a good mood, but also like she wasn't.

She seemed to be somewhere in between.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Im Sol]

- [ Favorability : 70 ]

- [ Libido : 50 ]

- [ Appetite : 35 ]

- [ Fatigue : 55 ]

Current Status : Haa... It's nice coming with my student. But there really are too many people. Thinking about the old people is annoying.

Seeing the status window, I nodded.

"...Mm. Let's go this way."

"Yeah. Let's go."

It seemed like something unpleasant had happened to her.

Still, I was glad she was listening to me.

A moment later, we arrived at the place where the magic tools were displayed.

"This... has decent efficiency even considering the useless formulas. Especially this explanation here..."

And I could see Professor Im Sol's eyes sparkling.

'She said it was boring, but she really loves it.'

I secretly let out a slight smile without Im Sol noticing. Since she's a mage after all, it seemed this kind of thing made her lose her mind.

I also stared intently at the magic tool with [1FAMG-H5MVJK] written on it from beside her.

'I have no idea what I'm looking at.'

Of course, it looked good. But the magic I use is more efficient, isn't it?

"But this is too bad. Its computational power dropped during the process of engraving the magic circle. If it were me, I would've used the core formula... Ah, I haven't announced that yet. Then, by making them resonate with each other..."

I guess there was something to learn when looking at it through the eyes of a mage.

I was just good at using magic, not actually knowledgeable about it.

When it came to academic elements, I still fell far behind Im Sol.

"Professor. Let's go look at something else now."

I grabbed the arm of Im Sol, who was muttering to herself about the improvements for the magic tool, and forced her away.

It was because the eyes of the mage who submitted the magic tool were growing wider and wider as he listened to Im Sol's words.

I couldn't just give away this precious information for free.

She's my master, after all.

"I haven't seen enough yet..."

The professor's eyes were still fixated on the magic tool.

This person was strangely sincere only when it came to things related to magic. Anyone looking would think she was a ghost who died regretting not being able to do magic research in her past life.

"We have plenty of time. It's hot, so do you want to go to a cafe for a bit?"

It was perfect since I actually had something to talk to her about.

I grabbed Im Sol's arm and pulled her along with a grunt.

Fizzle-

'Huh?'

Just as I briefly turned my gaze, a suspicious magic power was read by my eyes.

It was an ominous magic power, or an evil-feeling one, to be exact.

'Is this... maybe not? I'm a bit confused.'

Because there was so much magic power coming from the venue, it was difficult to find the evil magic power that had vanished in an instant.

"Professor. Did you happen to feel anything stra..."

"This uses the newly discovered method, doesn't it? Even though the magic circle's structure has changed, the operation method is..."

"Ugh. Seriously. Just come this way for now."

First things first, I needed to calm down Professor Im Sol who was right next to me.

Seeing that Professor Im Sol wasn't saying anything about it, I must have been mistaken.

I took Professor Im Sol and headed toward a cafe that advertised cold coffee.