Chapter 241: Magic with Professor Im Sol! (3)

"Don't be too heartbroken. I'll connect you with a guild in France."

"Smack... It's fine. I'll handle it myself. It's related to a guild in France anyway."

I shook my head as I watched Im Sol drinking her Choco Latte with sweet syrup added.

Well, it wasn't like she did anything harsh, and it felt good for me too.

There's nothing to be heartbroken about.

"Still, I feel a bit better thanks to my student."

"Is that so? Why were you in a bad mood?"

Seeing the slightly raised corners of the mouth, she definitely seemed to be in a good mood.

I took that opportunity to ask what I wanted to ask.

"...Haa."

Im Sol frowned slightly as if an unpleasant memory had crossed her mind, but fortunately, thanks to her improved mood, she seemed willing to tell me.

"It's always the same. There's more than one gloomy mage out there, you know."

Slurp, slurp.

I let out a soft smile watching Im Sol drink her Choco Latte like water.

"It's because there's a huge gap in level between you and everyone else, Professor. That's all."

Flattering Im Sol isn't a difficult task.

I just have to praise her magic.

It's not really a lie, either, right?

Even with the cheat-like ability of a special privilege, my knees tremble when I see extraordinary mages like Im Sol or Rebecca.

Other mages must feel something similar to me when they look at Im Sol, and there must be many who feel an inferiority complex because their opponent is a young woman.

There are a lot of men with the old-fashioned mindset that they shouldn't lose to a woman, after all.

"...Anyway, I hate mages who lack both skill and pride. Except for someone like you, of course."

Judging by her expression, it seemed our professor had a lot pent up inside.

She was narrowing her brow in dissatisfaction and taking her anger out by repeatedly poking at the ice in her Choco Latte with a straw.

"Especially those bastards who act up just because they were born a few years earlier, and those who are weaker than me but use their field experience as an excuse..."

I drank the coffee placed in front of me while listening to her curse out professors I didn't even know and mages active in the field.

How long did I silently nod along like that?

Only after my coffee was gone and Im Sol's Choco Latte was empty did the gossiping come to an end.

"...Haa."

Slurrrp-

Seeming a bit refreshed at last, Im Sol stuck a straw into a new Choco Latte.

Then, shaking the cup that had nothing left but ice, she pushed it to the side, looked at me, and opened her mouth.

"Tsk. I'm sorry for pointlessly saying things you couldn't even relate to. I'm a terrible teacher."

Still, she seemed to show a bit of repentance for taking her anger out on her student.

So that Im Sol wouldn't feel awkward, I spouted even more nonsense instead.

"Not at all. Those bastards must be in the wrong. There's no way you could be wrong, Professor. Bad bastards."

"Hey now. What's with calling them bastards in front of a professor? Seriously."

Im Sol, who let out a chuckle, drank her new Choco Latte and rested her chin on her hand as she continued speaking.

"So, are you not going to tell me why you're going to France?"

"Umm..."

I thought she was just going to let it slide. I guess not.

What should I do about this?

I quickly pondered what would happen if I told Im Sol.

It wasn't like I was committing illegal acts. I just had to say, "I'm going to investigate the Centaur."

If she asked for the reason, I could just use magic research as an excuse.

'But what if Im Sol says she wants to tag along then?'

A normal person wouldn't respond like that, but with Im Sol being crazy about magic research, it wasn't completely out of the question.

'Then should I sell out an acquaintance?'

An acquaintance who exists but doesn't exist.

I could just sell out Liriana.

What if she investigates my acquaintance?

Just then. As I was pondering how to act, Im Sol's hand appeared in front of my eyes.

With a snap- sound, a light breeze of magic power blew from Im Sol's flicked finger.

The magic power that brushed past and rustled my hair like a gentle breeze seemed to be telling me not to worry pointlessly.

As I raised my head and made eye contact with Im Sol, she was wearing a benevolent smile.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"..."

"You're still a cadet. Even if people hype you up as a genius mage, it's still a time to play, so you should have fun... No, wait. You play around plenty. Well then, just tell me if you have any difficulties. Got it?"

Mhm, mhm.

Letting out an exclamation like that, Im Sol nodded her head.

"I was like that too. At some point, I realized it. That I'm different from others."

"...You were, Professor?"

Caught off guard by the unexpectedly serious atmosphere, I focused on Im Sol's words.

"Yeah. To be exact, it was from the first time I used magic."

I had asked her a question in her research lab before.

At that time, reporters were swarming me for quite a while. Since it was when I had first revealed my dual attribute during the festival.

So I had asked Professor Im Sol how to deal with the reporters' questions.

Asking, 'What was the reaction like when you first revealed you could use magic of all attributes?'

At that time, Im Sol answered like this.

[I was blasting all-attribute magic left and right from the very first time I used it.]

[I thought that was perfectly natural, you see.]

Because of that, I can't even imagine the envy, jealousy, and expectations Im Sol must have received.

Literally peerless (不世出).

She must have been a genius whose very existence in this world was a mystery.

"So, what I want to say in the end is... Haa. Don't mind others. Don't get discouraged. And if you have any hard times, ask me. Got it?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I smiled as I looked at Im Sol.

It was a senior's advice, so I should take it to heart.

"And just in case, I'm telling you... never compare yourself to me."

"Pardon?"

What is she saying all of a sudden after only saying good things until now?

Im Sol made noises like "Umm, mhm," and scratched her head as she continued.

"It's awkward to say this myself, but... I'm a genius. I can understand any magic just by looking at its magic circle, and I can copy it in a minute. I was also born with a monstrous amount of magic power, and my affinity for natural magic power is high. So... don't lower your self-esteem by comparing yourself to me by any chance. There are already way too many mages like that. It would be exhausting if even my student felt jealousy toward me."

Im Sol, who had been giving me advice with an incredibly serious expression, finally gave a soft smile at the end.

Im Sol's words could be summarized in one sentence.

Don't compare yourself to her.

She ended it a bit playfully, but inside Im Sol's words lay a worry for me, along with immense confidence.

It was the confidence that said, 'No matter how hard you try, you can never catch up to me.'

Last time, she clearly said that I was stronger than she was at twenty years old.

And yet to say something like that... it must mean she can improve faster than the speed at which I improve.

Of course, you couldn't call it arrogance.

Whether looking at the achievements she's accomplished or her current skills, I couldn't deny that she was leagues ahead of me.

'But...'

Even if those words were said out of concern for a crow-tit stumbling while trying to copy a stork.

Even if it was rude but truly considerate of me.

Saying something like that in front of a man is a taunt, Professor.

I let out a hollow laugh and replied.

"Thank you for worrying. Professor. I'll definitely keep it in mind."

"Mhm. That's a relief. As expected, my student listens well."

Im Sol offered a slight, bitter smile.

It seemed she knew how someone else might feel hearing the words she had just said.

But the fact that she still said it directly meant she trusted me that much.

Since some time ago, it seems Im Sol has been thinking of me as an existence she needs to protect.

But it shouldn't be like that.

'A man protected by a woman?'

I can't do something like that, you see.

Even though I claim to be a representative of gender egalitarians, I can't help but be anachronistic when it comes to male and female relationships.

Because this is a male's instinct.

The instinct imprinted into my genes, always wanting to be a strong man for my female.

"But, Professor."

"Hm?"

To Professor Im Sol, who made a puzzled expression, I also spoke in the most serious tone possible.

"Don't think you'll always be ahead of me. I'll be giving it my all, too."

I acknowledge Im Sol's talent.

I acknowledge her effort as well.

But there is always a sky above the sky.

No matter how outstanding Im Sol was, I was confident I could catch up to her.

"Chuckle."

Im Sol, who snorted as if she was dumbfounded, beamed brightly.

"Because of what you just said, it's going to be even harder for you to surpass me."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Still, give it a try. Who knows? If you really surpass me, I might even grant you a wish."

Im Sol was wearing a pleased smile.

It was a smile that looked like she was watching the cute antics of her student.

"Oh? You won't regret those words, right? Granting a wish?"

"Yeah. Of course."

The eyes Im Sol used to look at me were filled with affection.

We had definitely gotten closer than before we came to the exhibition.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Im Sol]

- [ Favorability : 75 ]

- [ Libido : 45 ]

- [ Appetite : 20 ]

- [ Fatigue : 40 ]

Current Status : How can my student be this good to look at?

As expected.

Her favorability had gone up quite a bit.

Seeing Im Sol satisfying herself alone while drinking her Choco Latte made me feel proud for some reason.

"Shall we slowly head back to look at the exhibition?"

"That's a good proposal."

We left the cafe in a good mood.

*

Im Sol and I wandered around every nook and cranny of the exhibition hall, taking in the sights.

"This one would be hard to control its magic circle. Ah, of course it's not great, but it's usable."

In fact, the purpose was a date, but it just felt like an outdoor private lesson.

'Well, as long as she likes it, it's fine.'

Since Professor Im Sol looked like she was having fun, you could say it was a date in a way.

After walking around tremendously like that.

"I'm exhausted."

"...Me too."

Im Sol and I sat down at the central fountain to take a rest.

The time had already passed noon and was heading toward 1 PM.

My original plan was to only skip the morning class, but at this rate, it looked like we were going to skip the afternoon class too.

I should slowly get ready to leave.

I struck up a conversation with Im Sol, who was lowering the surrounding temperature with magic.

"It's a good thing we came, right?"

"...Yeah. It is a good thing. Truly."

Im Sol's refreshing smile.

It was the purest smile I had seen from her so far.

"Thanks to you, I feel like all my stress has flown away. Why do I feel so at ease when I'm with my student?"

"It's all thanks to you, Professor. A collaboration between a brilliant student and a brilliant professor. I had a lot of fun, too."

I really meant it.

Walking around with a beautiful woman was great in itself, but the exhibition also had a lot of genuinely interesting content.

"T-then, you know."

"Yes?"

Im Sol suddenly avoided my eyes and stared into empty air.

It was a posture the normally confident professor never showed.

She even had a faint blush on her cheeks, completely different from her usual self.

"Since today was... already marked as a field trip anyway. I'm not forcing you, but if you're okay with it. Yeah. Only if you have nothing else to do... um, for the afternoon too..."

Getting sucked into Im Sol's words, I was watching her slowly moving scarlet lips when.

Bang! KABOOM! Thud-!

Sounds of something exploding began to echo from all over the exhibition hall.

- Aaaahhh!

- S-stop!

"W-what the!"

Flustered for a moment, I shot up from the fountain and looked around.

Smoke and screams erupting from everywhere in the exhibition hall.

Countless people were screaming and fleeing from the explosions, and chaos was steadily spreading inside the exhibition venue.

- It's an attack! An attack!

- A demon is in disguise! We have to be wary of each other!

"Damn it..."

I should have focused a little more.

Because it wasn't a terror event where a heroine's life was in danger, I hadn't even considered it.

The aura of malice I felt earlier.

It must have belonged to a demon.

I quickly racked my brain.

A demon terror attack on this large of a scale is definitely Pandemic.

It was probably one of the countless terror attacks that never appeared in the original work.

Although it wasn't an incident related to a heroine, it was my duty to stop it since I was here.

'A way to quickly stop this situation...'

My thoughts soon landed on Professor Im Sol, who was sitting next to me.

"Professor! There's a terror attack...!"

But I couldn't finish my sentence.

Because I saw Im Sol's trembling fists.

"...Professor?"

"These bastards..."

It was a cold voice from Im Sol that I had never heard before.

I felt like an unidentifiable chill was washing over me standing next to her.

Fwoosh-

Magic power began to rise from Im Sol's body.

Marveling at the blue magic power leaking out of her body like a heat haze due to its sheer amount, I looked at our professor.

Im Sol.

The genius mage with the greatest talent in the worldview's setting, holding a visiting mage professorship at Victoria Academy in her young 20s.

But I had never actually seen her 'true power'.

I had only helped with her research by her side, and Im Sol had stepped back from the field to focus mainly on her research as well.

Even when we were swept up in the last Cheonsangje terror attack, I couldn't properly feel Im Sol's magic power.

She probably hadn't gone all out.

But this time was different.

The momentum felt from her body was... even greater than Isaac's and Rebecca's.

Snap-

Im Sol, having fully drawn out her magic power, flicked her finger.

At the same time, the magic power that spread out from Im Sol's toes covered the exhibition hall in an instant, and,

Vwooom-

Gigantic magic circles, glowing radiantly, rose into the empty air.