Chapter 88
*
A month had passed since I submitted my paper to the autumn academic conference, the Arcane Olympiad.
‘...Tsk. Was it rejected?’
I understood that if a paper was selected, an invitation arrived telling you to come present it.
Of course, my papers had been classified as Grade 1 and Forbidden, respectively, so presenting them was impossible.
But even if I couldn't present, I thought they would at least send me an upper-rank mage qualification certificate.
‘I hear the conference is ending soon, too. Then what about mine...?’
Even after judging ended and the list of presenters was released, no invitation came.
Just in case, I checked the list of accepted papers, but my name wasn't there.
Only then could I accept reality.
‘Tsk. Looks like it was rejected.’
It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed.
I had spent a full two years working on the paper.
On top of that, its scale was on a completely different level from the other mages' papers.
It was a study with a sample size of no fewer than 12,000 people.
Research on that scale was hard to find in this era.
But,
‘I suppose it was lacking something academically.’
Research scale did not directly translate into academic value.
Of course, the larger the scale, the higher the odds of producing academically valuable results.
But in the end, what determined a field's value was the idea and the proof, not the scale.
In that sense, perhaps my black magic paper and bleach paper hadn't had much academic value.
Sip.
I took a sip of my cooling tea and bitterly ruminated on my failure.
It was fine.
Failure was another form of learning, anyway.
I could just write another paper.
‘I'll take today off and start another paper tomorrow.’
What other topic could a professor of black magic defense write about?
Perhaps because I'd watched so many forensic investigation dramas in my previous life.
If black magic were combined with forensic medicine, countless applications were possible.
Faking a traffic accident with heparin and sleeping pills.
There were also assassinations causing hypoglycemic shock with insulin.
There were even murder methods that combined the famous pufferfish poison and aconite to create an alibi.
Setting aside the perspective of preventive medicine, the forensic applications for black magic techniques were endless.
I simply hadn't chosen those applications as paper topics because their academic value wasn't particularly high.
‘That's why I thought the warnings about lead poisoning throughout Sanctum Hill and chlorine accidents would have high academic value.’
Was it because this world's setting was different?
Apparently, the judges thought differently.
One of the judges was my master, after all.
There had to be a reasonable reason I'd failed.
That was what I thought as I organized the topics I could write about in a notebook.
Knock knock.
While the brownie was struggling to pour tea into the empty teacup, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Young master. A sealed letter has arrived from the Magic Administration Bureau.”
On head butler Wilhelm's silver tray.
A luxurious envelope lay there.
A round constellation emblem stamped in wax.
It was the symbol of the Twelve Mage Towers.
“The Magic Administration Bureau?”
I took the thick envelope and carefully pried up the wax with a letter opener.
Inside were a letter and a stiff card.
I checked the letter first.
===============
― Dear Sir Yulian Nihirit.
― First, we wish to inform you that the final judging for the autumn academic conference of Imperial Year 1049 has concluded, and apologize for the delay in notifying you of the results.
— As the academic value of the two papers you submitted is considerable, the internal review process took a great deal of time, which delayed this notification.
— Regrettably, given the seriousness of their security implications, your papers were not selected for presentation at this academic conference, but
— we hereby inform you that both papers you submitted received the unanimous approval of the ‘Astrolabium’ judging panel for their academic value.
― We are honored to inscribe your name in the Hall of Scholarship and welcome you henceforth as an ‘Astrolabium Honorary Member.’
― Furthermore, we inform you that, in connection with your registration as an honorary member, the Mage Administration has decided to grant you an ‘Upper-Rank Mage Qualification,’
— Enclosed with this sealed letter is your qualification certificate.
===============
‘Oh.’
To summarize the letter, it took a while to judge because I'd submitted two papers on my own.
That was why it had taken so long for the results to come out.
That was what it said.
‘Ah, if that's the reason, then fair enough.’
I took out the card that had been tucked beneath the letter.
An upper-rank mage certificate.
Beside the Magic Administration Bureau's seal at the top of the stiff ivory card was a familiar signature.
— Louis Edelhardt
It was my master's signature.
I gazed at the certificate in my hand for a moment.
‘I guess I won't have to worry about starving to death wherever I go now.’
It was a qualification required to become a professor in the Academy's Academic Affairs Department, a senior researcher at a Mage Tower, or an imperial mage.
Possessing only this certificate was enough for a noble family to try to hire you as a tutor.
In fact, Teacher Schmidt, who had taught Freya and me, had possessed one too.
Even head butler Wilhelm, who had been quietly watching the certificate in my hand, murmured with slightly widened eyes.
“To become an upper-rank mage before even turning twenty.... Congratulations, young master.”
“Thank you, Head Butler. Ah, I suppose I should tell my parents as well.”
“The master will be delighted. However, it would be best to delay that for a little while.”
“Pardon?”
Why?
Had another reason to hide my strength arisen?
Just as that thought began to occur to me.
The head butler subtly stepped aside from the doorway and said,
“There is a guest who has come to see you, young master. Please speak with your guest before going to the master.”
Along with that, a woman appeared from behind the head butler's shoulder.
Our gazes met in midair: her emotionless blue eyes between the head butler's shoulder and me.
Knock knock.
Giving the open door a light knock, the woman entered the room.
“Good day, Sir Nihirit.”
Only then did I get a proper look at the lower part of her figure, which had been hidden below the head butler's shoulder.
Her black uniform coat fell below her knees, and a black tie draped over the gray shirt beneath it.
Epaulettes rested on her shoulders, and a pair of X-shaped suspenders beginning at those epaulettes crossed over the center of her chest.
...The fact that the suspenders crossing her chest were stretched a little too taut wasn't particularly important.
The woman removed her military cap and saluted.
Shoulder-length, medium-long blonde hair spilled out from beneath the cap.
“I have come from the military. My name is Felicia Verbeau.”
At a glance, the woman appeared to be in her late twenties.
But I could tell that her apparent age wasn't everything.
Pointed ears that her cascading blonde hair couldn't conceal.
She was an elf.
I held out my hand to her.
“I am Yulian Nihirit. It is an honor to meet you.”
“I have come to deliver a message from the military to Sir Nihirit.”
After a brief handshake, the woman turned her gaze to the head butler.
Wilhelm gave a slight bow and left the room.
Click.
Once the door closed, Ms. Verbeau turned the lock.
Her blue eyes, framed by dark circles, turned toward me again.
“Excuse me. As this concerns military secrets, I was instructed to deliver it to you personally.”
The woman took a letter from inside her coat.
I seem to be receiving a lot of fancy letters today.
With that thought, I pried up the wax with a letter opener.
============
Dear Sir Yulian Nihirit.
― The military hereby officially confirms that you simultaneously published two papers at the Imperial Year 1049 autumn academic conference, the ‘Arcane Olympiad,’ and, in the name of the military, expresses its deepest respect for your academic achievements.
― In particular, your insight in the field of black magic defense was so exceptional that even in the military's security assessment...
============
To summarize, it said the following.
— You received an upper-rank mage certificate from the academic conference, huh?
— So we'll put you in charge of the black magic defense course we've been talking about for years.
— Since Eschenwald Academy is a military institution, you'll be assigned a corresponding military rank as well. Probably a lieutenant or captain?
— And we reviewed your qualifications regarding nobility, too. For now, there are no issues with your ability or permanence, but your potential for development is the problem, right?
— If promising students emerge while you're working as a professor this time, the developmental potential of your black magic knowledge will be automatically proven, and it will be recognized as a type of arcane art. So work hard.
— If things go well, you'll even be granted a title, so it'll be good motivation, right? Good luck.
I know I summarized it in a rather flippant tone.
But there had been so much flowery language that I couldn't help it.
Thanks to that, it had taken me a while to read the letter while translating it into everyday speech.
‘They'll even give me a noble title if I work hard as a professor...’
But is this okay?
I had already been canonized, hadn't I?
I briefly considered whether I should reveal that now, but the thought passed quickly.
Because I remembered something Charlotte's father—in other words, my father-in-law—had hinted to me a few days ago.
— “Congratulations on your canonization, bro—no, son-in-law. Hmm? You mean Charlotte might have to give up her title because of you? Don't worry about it.”
Originally, marriage between nobles and priests was forbidden.
This was to prevent people from enjoying both by using marriage as a loophole despite the prohibition on simultaneously receiving ordination and a title.
Because of this, if they truly wanted to marry, one of them had to give up either their title or their ordination.
That was why I had asked my father-in-law about it.
But for some reason, the only answer I received was that Charlotte didn't particularly need to give up her title.
— “Don't try to find out why. Sometimes it's better not to know. You should simply enjoy what you've been given.”
Since he had put it that way.
Thanks to that, Charlotte didn't particularly need to give up her title.
Likewise.
Even if I were granted a title while working as a professor, there probably wouldn't be a problem.
Probably.
After finishing organizing the contents, I neatly folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.
Then I turned my gaze and met the elf's eyes as she looked at me with an expressionless face.
She was staring at me without having changed at all from before I began reading the letter.
“…Do you perhaps have something to say?”
“No.”
“Then why are you still here...?”
“Ah, I was late in conveying it. As of this moment, I have been officially appointed as Sir Yulian Nihirit's escort officer.”
“Didn't you come to deliver the letter?”
“Delivery is a secondary duty. My primary duty is your close protection.”
She stopped speaking and held out her hand.
Thinking she wanted the letter, I handed it over, and she carefully took it from me.
“The fact that you have been appointed professor is to be treated as confidential except among the relevant parties. Thank you for your understanding.”
As she put the envelope back into the inner pocket of her coat, she continued,
“The military has judged that as soon as your appointment as the next professor of the black magic defense course becomes known outside, black mages are likely to target you. Accordingly, I have been assigned to guard your daily life.”
“At all times?”
“The standard close-protection distance is three paces. This applies to academic activities, medical activities, and private outings alike. I will keep the family's living quarters and your private bedroom outside my line of sight. I have also been instructed to stand by if you do not wish otherwise.”
That part was a relief.
Her as well as the paladins.
It seemed they had been told that if their superiors ordered them to fall back, they had to fall back.
This should mean there wouldn't be a problem with Yulian's and Director Shun's double life.
“Understood, Ms. Verbeau.”
“Felicia.”
“Pardon?”
“In terms of military rank, you are my superior. Also, while on escort duty, it is recommended that we use names to build familiarity quickly. So please call me by my name.”
“…Ms. Felicia?”
She nodded with an expressionless face.
Soon, she closed her mouth again.
An awkward atmosphere filled the space between us.
It felt much like when I'd first met Otto.
If there was a difference,
“May I ask... what is your rank?”
“Fourth Tier. My primary discipline is spirit magic. My specialty is escort duty.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Unlike when I'd first met Otto, she would answer when asked.
She didn't give off the atmosphere of someone saying, Let's not get close.
She was merely a little difficult to approach because she was so thoroughly soldier-like.
“...”
“...”
An awkward silence began again.
I tried to overcome the awkwardness and make some small talk.
“How do you usually handle your meals?”
“The military says it will contact the head of the Nihirit household later and arrange a room for me.”
“When I go to the academy...”
“I have a separate room assigned.”
“...”
“...”
Silence again.
She never took the initiative to speak first.
Ultimately, the only way to have a conversation was for me to talk to her.
“How will you handle your meals?”
“I will handle my meals personally...”
“Don't do that. Eat with me when I cook.”
“Pardon?”
“Haven't you heard about my hobbies?”
“...I heard that cooking is your hobby.”
“It's nice that you answer so quickly. Adding one more bowl isn't difficult, so eat with me then.”
She quietly nodded.
And once again, the conversation ended.
“...May I get up now?”
“Just pretend I'm not here and act as you normally do.”
As if that would work, realistically.
“Let's go see my parents.”
“As your escort officer, I am grateful that you are willing to inform me of your entire schedule, but as your superior, you may go about your business comfortably without telling me your schedule.”
“Yes....”
I rose from my desk and headed for the door.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the teacup on the desk.
Several small brownies were busily carrying around a teacup that was still half full, along with the teapot.
“...Brownies?”
Felicia murmured in puzzlement.
Come to think of it, she was an elf, so she must be friendly with fairies.
“They are friends I happened to form a connection with some time ago.”
I had hired these ‘brownies’ during the incident when Freya was kidnapped.
After I freed them from their evil master,
they came to me because they had nowhere to go.
So I hired them instead.
However, Felicia seemed more surprised by something else than by the existence of household fairies.
“The brownies... are showing themselves in front of their master.”
“Ah, I was curious about that too. Why do you think they do it?”
Brownies were originally creatures like house sprites.
They were shy beings who did housework while the homeowner was asleep or away.
But the ones I'd hired hid from everyone else, including the head butler,
while openly showing themselves and doing housework whenever I was alone.
So I had always wondered about the reason too.
“Do you perhaps know why, Ms. Felicia?”
“Fairies are not shy in front of those they trust, just like elves. It seems to be proof of how much they trust Sir Nihirit.”
“So that means they liked the gifts I've given them all this time. I'm glad.”
In other words, the brownies trusted me no less than they trusted their elven friend.
I gave the fairies honey candies as a token of my gratitude.
As if to say they would work and eat afterward, the fairies set the candies in a corner and began diligently clearing away the teacups.
Watching them, the corners of Felicia's mouth lifted ever so slightly.
She looked pleased.
“You know a great deal about fairies. That is a relief.”
“It's an honor to receive recognition from a noble of the forest.”
That pleased smile immediately returned to an expressionless face, though.
Still, I felt as if my relationship with Ms. Felicia had progressed a little.
Meanwhile.
Felicia's gaze naturally settled on the notebook lying on the desk.
Before the letter arrived.
It contained traces of a brainstorming session where I'd scribbled down possible black magic topics.
— Possibility of disguising a bathtub slip-and-fall death using water-ghost black magic (rejected)
— Putting a pilot to sleep using an ether gas leak on an airship (on hold because it isn't black magic)
— Possibility of poisoning someone using the shoe soles of an eczema patient...
The notebook had lost its purpose now.
My upper-rank mage qualification had just been proven.
There was no need to bring up those topics anymore.
“Ah, please don't pay it too much mind. They're paper topics, but I don't need them anymore.”
I explained to Ms. Felicia somewhat defensively.
I gently closed the notebook and ushered Ms. Felicia out of the room.
“...Ms. Felicia?”
“...”
“Why are you keeping your distance?”
“It's nothing.”
“?”
On the way to see my parents.
For some reason, Ms. Felicia was keeping a little distance from me.
I assumed it was just my imagination.