Chapter 7
"Ooh~ You're pretty quick on the uptake, huh?"
"Shut up."
I wasn't happy at all, even though she was complimenting me. A compliment should at least sound like one; with that smirk on her face, it sounded like she was making fun of me.
More than the professor's extra credit, what bothered me right now were the countless gazes that had been directed at me moments ago. Rina and Cecily's were born of curiosity, but several of the others were by no means friendly.
I didn't know how things would unfold from here, but for now, the best course was to keep my mouth shut and sit still. As the applause gradually died down, Professor Virrus began explaining in a leisurely voice.
"Like Isaac's answer, knowledge is essentially a weapon that can become power. For humans, power is something they can never be separated from. Also..."
Unlike his presentation, his lecture dragged on dully. Even so, every student, myself included, focused on the professor's lecture.
It was boring, just like university classes in my previous life, but it wasn't useless. Besides, it made me realize I was attending an academy that could have existed only in a fantasy novel.
When the professor's long-winded explanation had continued for about thirty minutes, he brought up something that could capture everyone's attention.
"Let me ask you a question. Has anyone here read The Chronicle of Xenon?"
"...Huh?"
Why was my book suddenly being mentioned? While I was flustered inwardly, the professor coughed awkwardly and spoke again.
"I'm sorry. I misspoke. Is there anyone here who has never read The Chronicle of Xenon?"
As soon as the professor asked that question, I looked around. No matter how popular The Chronicle of Xenon was, surely one or two people out of fifty wouldn't be interested in it.
But, as if my prediction had been completely wrong, not a single student raised a hand.
'No way. Seriously?'
It was absurd at first, but it wasn't entirely incomprehensible. Even if this was a fantasy world where magic existed, it was still close to medieval times. There must have been very little culture to enjoy in one's free time.
Smartphones and computers, not to mention televisions, hadn't even been invented, so the things available for leisure were extremely limited. Besides, nobles would read books to cultivate their refinement, so they must have naturally encountered The Chronicle of Xenon.
Thinking about it that way, I couldn't have been born at a better time.
"Then this will make things easier. As you all know, The Chronicle of Xenon is a work that appeared like a comet a year ago. I couldn't help but be amazed as I read it. How much knowledge must one possess to have the ability to create an entire world?"
That's everywhere back in my previous life. Fantasy is fantasy, after all. If you mixed the seasoning well, readers would call even similar stories entertaining.
"And how many experiences must one have to write such a beautiful story? I can say with certainty that the author of The Chronicle of Xenon must have gone through experiences an ordinary person could never even imagine."
...I had simply read a lot of books at home. Still, the professor wasn't entirely wrong: I was a 'reincarnator.'
Not only had I experienced something different in another world, I'd also had easy access to things no one could even imagine. If that counted as experience, then I suppose it was.
More importantly, I'd had easy access to stories created by others—manga and novels—so creating a new story was easy enough.
"Above all, what matters most is expressive power and readability. I'm sure you all know the feeling of watching a scene vividly play out in your mind. I can only imagine how much thought and research the author put into writing sentences like these."
If you keep praising me like that, you're only making me embarrassed. I nearly gave a bitter smile.
If he reacted like this to a book I'd written, wouldn't he faint from shock if he saw The Lord of the Rings or Sherlock Holmes?
I wondered what kind of impact Tolkien or Arthur Conan Doyle would have made if they had been reincarnated here.
Ah. Tolkien, on the other hand, would probably be flustered since the world he had created himself had turned into reality.
"Writing an immortal masterpiece like The Chronicle of Xenon is certainly difficult, but since its author has already paved the way, following that path won't be difficult. However, knowledge and experience capable of creating a new world are essential."
"Professor, may I ask a question?"
While Virrus was continuing his explanation, someone suddenly shot up a hand. It was a dark-brown-haired female student sitting in the very front. Perhaps because she was sitting in front, I couldn't see her face.
They say no professor dislikes questions, no matter where you go, and Professor Virrus asked her with a delighted expression.
"Of course. Your name?"
"My name is Leona."
"I see. Leona, what is your question?"
As Leona rose from her seat, every kind of gaze poured toward her. Then she spoke in a clear yet curt voice, saying what she wanted to say.
"As you explained, The Chronicle of Xenon has not only made its mark on the cultural world beyond being a mere novel, but has also opened up a new path. Thanks to that, it continues to enjoy unprecedented popularity."
"Indeed."
"However, some critics have assessed it this way: while it is certainly a book that anyone can enjoy regardless of social class, it is woefully inadequate for cultivating refinement. I would like to ask what you think, Professor."
I had a rough idea what she was getting at. Once The Chronicle of Xenon became a huge hit, most people showered it with praise, but a minority criticized it.
Their criticism was that it was far, far too inadequate for cultivating refinement, despite being enjoyable to read. I scoffed when I saw it.
'If they're jealous, they should try writing something as easily as I did.'
As I mentioned before, novels in this world were like English questions on a college entrance exam. Every book was packed with words you might hear once in your lifetime, if ever, so you couldn't understand what anything meant, let alone follow the story.
The professor seemed well aware of that point too, because he nodded after hearing Leona's question.
"I understand what you mean. As you said, The Chronicle of Xenon is easy for anyone to read, but there will always be people who dislike it. But did you know something?"
"What do you mean?"
"The common thread among those who criticized it is that they are novelists. More specifically, they are writers whose work, before The Chronicle of Xenon appeared in the world, was known most widely 'only' among nobles rather than commoners. One of them is Professor Megner, who is one of the people besides me who will pass on knowledge to you."
The professor had placed conspicuous emphasis on "only." Virrus took his eyes off Leona and paced back and forth in front of the blackboard, explaining in a relaxed voice.
"The reason their work was known only among nobles rather than commoners is that, until then, most novels could only be read by nobles. They contained so many difficult words that commoners practically had to decipher them. As a result, readability suffered, and eventually the flow of the story would become tangled in strange directions."
"... ..."
"But The Chronicle of Xenon has simple sentences and expressive power sufficient for even commoners to read it easily. To say that The Chronicle of Xenon cannot cultivate refinement? That's nothing but nonsense. Culture, by definition, is something one can only acquire through academic study and knowledge.
The professor abruptly stopped pacing. Then he finally looked Leona straight in the eye and asked her a question.
"Now, Leona, I'll ask you a question in return."
"Yes, Professor."
"How many volumes of The Chronicle of Xenon have you read?"
"I've read all of them, up to the latest volume."
Marie remarked upon hearing that answer.
"Wow, damn. I couldn't even read the latest one. How did she manage it?"
"There must have been a way."
As we chatted, the professor nodded at Leona's answer and spoke gently.
"Then how do you feel about demonkin after reading The Chronicle of Xenon?"
"... ..."
Leona didn't answer. Instead, she shifted her gaze toward Cecily, who was seated in that direction. Cecily flinched slightly, apparently not expecting to be mentioned, but met Leona's gaze directly.
A moment later, after holding Cecily's gaze for several seconds, Leona spoke bluntly, apparently satisfied.
"I'm sorry. I believe I asked the wrong question."
"No. That was a very perceptive question. I'll award Leona extra credit."
"Thank you, Professor."
Despite the unexpected extra credit, Leona answered in an even voice. To someone who didn't know her, she might seem like a robot.
"Anyway, to truly make certain knowledge your own, you must first understand what that knowledge is meant to teach you. In that respect, The Chronicle of Xenon is an extremely advanced novel."
Wow. He was putting such a fancy spin on a novel I'd written as a hobby without giving it any thought. If that too was a talent, it was definitely one.
The professor seemed to think he'd stumbled onto a good topic, and continued his lecture, mentioning The Chronicle of Xenon here and there. The students, too, began listening with more interest.
"In particular, what I want to point out here is that one must never become arrogant, even at the very last moment..."
At one point, the professor even invented meanings for parts of the story that even I hadn't known. The catch was that the author himself had written them without any meaning whatsoever.
They say overly intelligent people interpret simple traps in unnecessarily complicated ways, and this was exactly that.
So from then on, I listened to the lecture with an indifferent expression, only half paying attention. When I glanced to the side, Marie was listening with shining eyes.
"Hmm... It seems we're gradually running out of time."
How much time had passed? Checking his wristwatch, the professor announced that the end was near.
Though I wasn't, apparently the lecture had been quite interesting to the students, because little sighs could be heard here and there. Was it really that fascinating?
Professor Virrus, apparently pleased by the sighs, chuckled warmly and spoke.
"You don't need to be too disappointed. We have plenty of time besides today."
"What do professors other than you teach?"
"History, theology, magic, medicine, administration, politics, philosophy, biology, and so on. Each professor will teach you basic knowledge. Also, once this period ends, we will issue your timetables."
"Do we have to get good grades in every subject?"
One student asked in an anxious voice. It would certainly make your head hurt to take every single one of those classes. Was this the height of inefficiency?
However, Professor Virrus shook his head in denial.
"No. You may attend only the lectures you want. However, you will need a certain number of points if you want to avoid failing."
"Then does that mean we don't have to attend subjects we're not interested in?"
"It won't matter much. The professors will focus only on students interested in their lectures anyway. But as I mentioned earlier, to secure enough points, it would be best to attend as many lectures as possible and earn at least the attendance points."
As explained earlier, everyone took common classes until their second year, but if you could earn enough points, it meant you didn't have to take classes you weren't interested in.
Judging by this alone, the system resembled the university system from my previous life. The difference was that your major was predetermined, so you didn't have to register for courses separately.
Still, it was a system I was somewhat familiar with, which pleased me.
"Well, our time is up. It was a pleasure meeting you, students."
As the lecture time ended, Virrus bowed at the waist and gave a gentlemanly greeting. Since it had clearly been an impressive lecture, the students responded with applause.
Eventually, Virrus left the classroom, and people who appeared to be teaching assistants came in and distributed papers to the students. They seemed to be the timetables the professor had mentioned earlier.
"What the hell is this?"
The moment I checked my timetable, I couldn't help being horrified. The classes packed from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon weren't the problem; it was the sheer number of subjects.
There were so many that even when I tried to find two in the same field, every single one was different. Marie clicked her tongue and muttered in a troubled voice.
"There are so many of them for no reason. We just need to secure a certain number of points, right? What subjects are you going to take?"
"...I'll try taking them all first. There are too many for me to figure out, too. I'm considering history, theology, and biology, at least."
I gave Marie a vague answer while staring hard at the timetable. To be honest, I was confident in those three subjects. The wealth of knowledge I'd gained through books was stored away in my head.
Naturally, I'd attend subjects I wasn't interested in only once before ignoring them afterward, but there was one thing in particular that worried me.
'Grades don't matter, but I wonder if they have group projects here too. That would be a pain.'
It was just then, while I was examining the timetable filled to the brim with a serious expression, that someone spoke.
"Mr. Isaac?"
"Huh?"
A woman's voice, clear and tinkling like rolling jade beads, pierced my ears. I took my eyes off the timetable and raised my head.
And then...
"You're considering history, theology, and biology?"
Rina, whose beauty was as radiant as the sun, was looking at me with a small smile. Her blue eyes held intense curiosity.
Cecily was standing beside her as well, looking at me with a similar gaze, though not as intense as Rina's.
'...Goddamn it.'
I'm going to put a curse on that bastard professor.