"Here..."
As soon as they entered the Professor's staff room, Euphemia quickly slipped away. She then took out a letter from her inner pocket and handed it to Ferzen.
Since I knew from earlier that it probably wasn't urgent, the content of the letter was mostly regarding my well being.
"The... reason you came here after my work hours with this letter is because you wanted to see the academy?"
"It's not wrong to check out the place I'll be working at."
"Anyway, you will be working from the last week of the month."
"Isn't it next week?"
When Euphemia inquired as such, Ferzen reached out to her and gently caressed her belly.
"You shouldn't misunderstand your priorities."
"Ha, don't..."
What do you think you're doing?
"Or did you get bored by yourself since you kept remembering about the events that transpired in the bedroom? If that's your wish, I'll fulfill it. It doesn't matter anyway, since very few people come here during. It's oddly a lonely corner. So, Euphemia."
"It's not like that..."
As I lowered my hand and pulled up her skirt, Euphemia shook her head violently as I kept stroking her thigh.
"If you keep whispering, I won't be able to hear you."
"..."
It's absurd he keeps feigning ignorance, knowing that in this kind of situation I would only reply with a 'No'….
As his teasing hands became more and more brazen, Euphemia opened her mouth with an ashamed expression.
"...… I don't want—"
"I can't hear you."
However, upon hearing her weak tone, that didn't transmit properly. Ferzen instantly raised his hand, that was stroking her thigh all the way to her waist.
"Hey...!"
Euphemia's voice choked in astonishment.
She bit her lips tightly and grabbed Ferzen's tie, forcing him to lower his eyes as their gazes clashed against other.
However, she couldn't keep up the momentum when Ferzen's crimson eyes were staring right at her. Her now tamed body withdrew reflexively.
Still, Euphemia mustered up a little bit of her courage…
"Your seeds …I'll receive it...back at home..."
She spat out those obscene words.
"S-So stop doing this... ! E-Enough!"
Despite reciting such words, which was equivalent of throwing away her shame, Ferzen grabbed the laces of her panties and pulled it down as Euphemia tried to twist her body in haste.
Then Ferzen took off his hand and caressed her messy hair.
"You did well."
"... "
At that time, Euphemia, who believed he was just messing around till now to enjoy her reaction, wondered if she should pretend to step on his foot by mistake. However, after a moment of serious deliberation, she gave up.
"I'm like your toy... aren't I?"
"Never have I considered you as my toy… Let's go out. If you want to take a look around the academy, I will guide you."
"Hey, don't put your hands on my waist."
She felt nauseated. She didn't want to show this side of her in front of other people, so she looked disgusted.
"Then hold my hand."
I wanted to say, can't we just walk? But, knowing that this was a compromise that Ferzen had made in his own way, Euphemia took hold of his outstretched hand.
"..."
His palm feels needlessly big and... warm.
* * * * *
A week has passed since Fersen's public lecture.
Laura, who couldn't attend because she was sick at that time, took a bath early in the morning and walked out of the dormitory.
These days the sunlight has gotten a lot stronger, and Laura, who has frail skin, had to move while wearing long clothes. So, the relatively chilly morning is relatively the best time to venture out.
'Should I buy a copy of the newspaper while I'm out?'
The literacy rate in the Capital of the Ernes Empire isn't that low.
Most commoners here can read, so newspapers are frequently printed and sold.
'It's written here too...'
Professor Ferzen was on the front page of the newspaper.
Even though she bought it, she was still heading towards the Wizard Association to read his thesis.
"I…"
"Can I get you a copy?"
"Y-Yes."
The conversation technique where you intentionally lower your voice during the end of the sentence, which compels the other person to infer what you were trying to say on their own and reply to your first is an essential skill that Laura, a stutterer, learned on her own.
'It's really not that useful, but...'
Over time changes are bound to happen.
Education was originally the privilege of the wealthy, but as that privilege gradually faded, commoners began to receive education as well.
Originally, fetters of folly adorned the necks of commoners, but instead of releasing those shackles, the Emperor made the verdict to educate the commoners through newspapers, and thus rule them
In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that all the newspapers in the Capital are published under the watchful gaze of the imperial family, and they control the public opinion.
In this regard, how useful it will be to have only the contents that have been inspected and censored according to the taste of the Imperial family?
Still, Laura had never read the capital's newspaper, so she moved to the Mage Association and lowered her gaze.
「Artist Hal Cass (35) has been arrested — He has been carving unpleasant murals for ten days, and when he was arrested, he said that the reason his paintings don't sell is because the people don't see them.」
「Kyle (26), who couldn't bear the destitution, was executed on the morning of February 23, for committing robbery and murder. His last words before he died were, "Even if I go to hell, I will monopolize everything that I couldn't enjoy in this world."」
「Because of Nickelon, a nefarious criminal who was executed eight months ago for multiple rapes and homicides, there is a growing number of people who suffer from groundless preconceived notion that, 'If a person has big nose, he can't control his lust.' One person was reported by a woman because he had a big nose, when in reality, he was just stroking her hair and considered her a little sister.」
'It's fun... '
The current affairs section that appeared after you turn a few pages usually has quite stimulating content, so it was enjoyable to read.
Still, even though it was published under the jurisdiction of the Imperial family, creepily enough aristocrats' names weren't censored.
Of course, if there's an aristocrat influential to hide their name, they wouldn't be mentioned here in the first place.
'I'm there.'
When she suddenly saw the Mage Association on the other side, Laura folded the newspaper neatly and stepped inside.
"E-Excuse... me."
This early in the morning, there was no one inside the Mage Association.
Originally, this was normal, but it was quite crowded last week. As such, Laura cautiously stepped in.
Since Ferzen's thesis on the recognition of alternatives for magical formulas was exhibited to the public freely for a month, it wasn't difficult to find the place where it was published.
'This...'
Initially, Laura's eyes hurt due to the clustered text and diagrams that were explained as examples next to it…
However, as she started reading it step by step, she find herself getting engrossed in it.
The concept itself was on the difficult side.
Frankly, if he hadn't grafted this concept onto the figure, Laura wouldn't have known what he was talking about.
After she finished reading, she started to recognize the composition of the magically made ice cubes as a line next to the published thesis as she replayed the information scattered in her head step by step.
'That's why… … '
Did Ferzen dare to mention the fundamental word "wizard"?
It is much more intuitive and faster than recognizing by formulating.
Nevertheless.
Because of that.
The realization that she had no talent for elemental magic in this lifetime dawned on Laura.
Elemental mages were practically free to give up math, but it was difficult for warlocks to give up math right away.
All the corpses of elemental wizards that exist so far have recognized the composition of magic through formulas, so in order to increase comprehension and synchronization rate, a warlock had to dig into mathematics even if they hated it.
After a long time, I don't know if an evolution would transpire after generations of change..…
'It's such a waste...'
Laura heaved a sigh and pouted.
'Still, I have to admit it. This paper delved deep into basics.'
It's not about complex theories.
As simple as it may seem, what could be more important than the basics?
No matter how beautiful a flower is, it needs to be planted in order to grow.
Ferzen's thesis will become the basis of magic, and will lead many wizards to a more convenient path.
In the process, he will also collect a lot of money.
Although it will open to the public for free over the course of a month, in order to inform others, in the future, they and their children who will be born and embark on the path of magic will need his permission to read this thesis.
In the long run, Louerg province couldn't have gotten any better benefit than this.
If Ferzen dies, all the money will go back to the head of Louerg's province.
When submitting his thesis, if he had used his last name as Brutein instead of Louerg, Brutein would have enjoyed the benefits, but Ferzen did not and instead chose Louerg.
'This... '
Is it because of his love for his wife?
He didn't show any aspects of being a devoted husband.
"...!"
She glanced at the clock and it was 8:40.
With only 20 minutes left until the black magic lecture, Laura became pensive and quickly left the Mage Association.
"Gasp! Gasp...!"
Due to her fragile body, she ran out of breath after 5 minutes. She stopped and gasped for breath.
"Charles!"
And then, Laura, who was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, heard the voice of a woman passing by, calling out her dog's name.
"Ah...?"
Unknowingly, she lay flat on the road as if to show her belly.
She herself didn't understand what happened at that moment, but...
"Ah!"
"Pant, pant!"
When the woman's puppy named 'Charles' who had just passed her by a moment ago, quickly rushed in her direction, seeing her lying on the ground, she hurriedly got up.
"I-I-I-I-I...!"
The woman pulling the leash frowned and looked down.
A middle-aged man who was opening the door to open a store next door clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "What in the world!"
With a flushed face, Laura stuttered several times before running away. She turned her back on them, unable to deny that she wasn't a pervert or an exhibitionist.
In that moment, Laura surpassed her limits.
It took only 6 minutes to get to the academy.
Her speed was… phenomenal.