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Here’s the chapter I owed for the week. Apologies for the late.
(Alterisha is the assistant from the potion making arc)
Happy reading!
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Chapter 44: Gourmet Club (4)
In Stella Academy, the introductory lecture on basic magic was usually conducted as a group project with four members.
Flame’s group was formed at the beginning of the semester with the friends she made, and Jecky was included in that group.
"You want to do the presentation? But that's Flame’s role," One of the girls said, raising her eyebrows.
"I want to do the presentation too. Why does Flame always get to do the good stuff?"
“What? Good stuff? Do you know how much Flame prepares for each presentation?”
"I can do that much too! I'm always doing research and organizing portfolios."
Presentation.
It was the most feared role for every student. At the same time, it was a role that every student admired the most.
Each one of Stella's students surpassed the average high school level and possessed knowledge at the level of elite university students or even people with master's degrees. The level of the research presented was always impressive, and occasionally, students engaged in intense debates with professors.
Flame was famous for her fierce debates, and she was always in the limelight for skillfully catching and confidently refuting professors’ sharp criticisms or forced arguments, leaving the students satisfied as they enjoyed their sodas.
However, Jecky didn't like it.
‘If she can do it, I can do it just as well.’
‘She’s just had a bit of practice. That’s all. If I start now, I bet I’d outdo her.’
‘I want to enjoy everything that Flame enjoys.’
"Jecky, are you for real…?"
"Do you even have a conscience?"
As the other group members tried to dissuade her, Flame stepped forward and intervened. "No, it's okay."
"Huh? But you've been staying up all night for days preparing for the presentation—"
"It's okay."
Flame was not a saint. In fact, she considered herself plain selfish.
Naturally, she didn't want to give up this presentation. She had put so much effort and sweat into it. Why would she give it away for free?
‘Perhaps the best option is to pass this one up and handle the presentation for the next group project…’
‘Good grief. She’s so dead set on it.’
Jecky was determined to do the presentation.
‘If I don’t let her, she might even sabotage it.’
‘I want to wipe that look off her face so bad, but I have to hold back.’
The reason she endured was due to Baek Yu-Seol’s words that kept echoing in her ears. He had shown particular concern for Jecky.
‘There must be a reason behind his suggestion to pay special attention to Jecky.’
In the original work, there was no girl named ‘Jecky,’ so Flame didn't know who she was or what role she played.
But even if it were the original story, not all the characters and stories would be recorded, so Flame had no choice but to believe Baek Yu-Seol's words.
"Yeah, go ahead. I really want to see you do the presentation."
"Flame... Why are you so kind?"
"Yeah... Flame is definitely an angel."
‘Oh, please.’
Flame burst into laughter.
It was fortunate that the other girls didn't know about Flame’s usual personality, or else they would have grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out the back door of the classroom, cursing her all the while.
"Fine."
"You can do it, right?"
"Of course."
"Then, I'll trust you."
Even though she didn't want to give it up, Flame reluctantly gave Jecky the go-ahead. Jecky, in turn, accepted it without a word of gratitude and began reading through the contents, pretending to quickly skim through it.
It was obvious she had secretly read it several times before.
The other girls glared at Jecky because they didn't like the situation, but she didn't even pay attention to them.
"Next, group 7. Please come forward."
Finally, when Flame’s group was called, Jecky stood up.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"That’s Professor Kazewin..."
Professor Kazewin from Introduction to Magic was infamous among the commoners. He would belittle commoners with poor grades and relentlessly question those with excellent grades to find ways to reduce their scores.
And Flame, who consistently debated and beat Professor Kazewin, was practically worshiped as a hero among the first-year commoner students.
Jecky wanted to enjoy the kind of popularity Flame had.
And so the presentation began.
In Flame’s opinion, Jecky’s presentation was surprisingly good, considering she had actually not practiced much.
It would have been even better if she hadn’t attempted to mimic Flame’s sense of humor.
Professor Kazewin threw a few sharp questions, but Jecky didn't get flustered and responded confidently.
'Oh, she prepared well after all.'
Flame admired sincerely, but Professor Kazewin remained unamused.
"It's strange. The explanation of why magic exists for the sake of humans wasn't properly supplemented."
“What? That’s… Magic exists not just for humans but for the revival of—”
"Are you trying to make excuses before answering properly? Have you looked into why magic was able to progress before the existence of humans?"
This was the ill-famed ‘picking a fight for no reason.’ Once you fell into Professor Kazewin's trap as a commoner student, there was no way to escape. His words sounded plausible and trapped the students like dumbfounded ants.
"How could you be so confident without answering that? Pathetic. Next question. Before magic existed, humans handled elements. But you said magic came first. Does the element belong to magic or not?”
Professor Kazewin's criticism grew sharper, and Jecky’s voice gradually diminished.
Flame clenched her fist in frustration.
'This isn’t good.'
They had given Jecky the opportunity to present in order to lift her spirits, but if it ended like this, it would be meaningless.
In the end, Flame stepped forward.
"Professor, that question deviates slightly from the topic."
"My question deviates from the topic? What strange nonsense are you spouting today, Flame?"
With a sigh, Flame opened her mouth, thinking, ‘I knew it would end up like this.’
"Originally, the purpose of this presentation was to investigate the origins of magic, where we prioritize magic and humans. If you ask a probing question, we won’t be able to answer that."
(Meaning: Professor, stop talking nonsense.)
"Huh, have you forgotten how to think for yourself? Or are you planning to completely disregard the teachings of your professor?"
(Meaning: Why are you speaking out again?)
"Since we haven't even covered that material yet, you haven't actually taught us anything. We have organized our assignments based on what we have learned from the professor."
(Meaning: Why are you trying to trap us when you don't even know?)
"So the problem isn't just the lack of willingness to propose a minimal hypothesis? It pains me to see such a foolish mind incapable of even coming up with basic ideas."
(Meaning: What can you do about it?)
"We apologize for our lack of knowledge. As our professor, you must have a clear answer to this topic that even historians haven't been able to answer, right? Could you please enlighten us?"
(Meaning: Why don't you give it a try, Professor? Can't do it, can you?)
With those concluding remarks, Flame expressed the end of the pretentious yet childish verbal exchange. While he boasted about being a great teacher, most of the questions posed by Professor Kazewin remained unanswered even by scholars in modern times.
In other words, the hypotheses proposed by Professor Kazewin were nothing more than what other scholars had already suggested.
Although he instructed the students to present their own hypotheses, Flame effectively attacked the fact that he himself had never put forward a single hypothesis.
Professor Kazewin stared at Flame with pursed lips, but realizing that he would only remain disadvantaged if he continued, he quickly turned his raised eyebrows away.
"That's enough. Study that aspect on your own!"
"Yes."
The professor tried to assert his dominance with forced authority, but everyone present knew the truth. Professor Kazewin had been utterly torn apart by Flame.
'That damn commoner girl...'
Kazewin’s body trembled in rage as he glared at Flame, but he couldn't do anything. After all, she wasn't just an ordinary commoner who could be easily manipulated.
Flame was a special mage who could handle attributes of non-human species and had been recognized as a genius even before enrolling, attracting global attention.
In fact, Principal Elthman Elwin of Stella Academy personally sought her out and requested her enrollment. The professors couldn't take her lightly because of that fact.
There were even rumors circulating that the renowned Grand Mage Elthman Elwin, who had never taken on a disciple before, was considering taking Flame as his first apprentice.
The only way of tormenting the geniuses who had influential connections was to fiercely criticize them and pick on their weaknesses during lectures. However, even that didn't work on Flame, causing Professor Kazewin’s stress to reach its peak.
"Group 7, return to your seat."
"..."
As Jecky returned to her seat with a stiff expression, Flame tried to console her by speaking up.
"Jecky, you did really well—"
"It's fine."
"Huh?"
"I don't need that kind of pretense, so just shut up."
Flame was momentarily stunned, wondering how she could have phrased it to make it sound more polite.
But before she could figure it out, Professor Kazewin called the next student.
"Group 8, step forward."
"Yes, sir."
It was Baek Yu-Seol’s turn.
It was already known that he was exceptionally articulate, so the students in his group often assigned him to do the presentation.
And today, once again, he delivered an outstanding presentation.
However, Kazewin didn't let him off either. Baek Yu-Seol was one of the students whom Professor Kazewin particularly disliked, so he threw relentless attacks as if trying to release the accumulated stress from before.
"Student Baek Yu-Seol, that was an excellent presentation indeed. However, I have some doubts about your opinion."
“What are they?”
"Among the principles of magic, there is a concept called 'belief,' which was advocated by philosophers in ancient times. Why do you think so?"
(Meaning: I want to challenge your statement.)
Baek Yu-Seol simply smiled and replied, "Professor, do you believe in the existence of mana?"
"Isn't that an obvious fact? Are you questioning that?"
"Then, do you believe that mana moves according to our will?"
"Yes, that’s an unnecessary question. Give me an answer."
"In that case, Professor, have you ever seen the particles of 'mana' with your own eyes?"
For a moment, Kazewin was at a loss for words. Just as humans couldn’t observe atoms, there was no one who had observed the particles of mana.
"... That's impossible."
"But why do you know that mana and magic exist if you've never observed the particles with your own eyes?"
"Magic... exists. That's why."
"Yes, that's your belief in magic, Professor. Magic is not a phenomenon; it’s a belief."
"Magic is mathematics and science! You're forcing your argument, Baek Yu-Seol!"
Kazewin tried to shout loudly, but Baek Yu-Seol shrugged his shoulders with a relaxed smile.
"Why do you think it is forced? I don't know because I'm still learning. As a student, I want to be corrected if I have incorrect information."
Kazewin pondered over it, carefully ruminating on the words before speaking.
"... Magic is a phenomenon which involves science, calculation, and the will of nature. It is not derived solely from belief but from numerous efforts, calculations, and research."
(Meaning: Anyway, my words are all correct.)
"Yes. It's true that the efficiency of magic has increased since humans started calculating it, but during the time of the '12 Mages' who first received magic from the Progenitor Mage, there were no calculations or magic circles. It’s mentioned that they used magic solely based on belief. Even now, don't the followers of the Divine Moon use magic through belief?"
(Meaning: Your words are all wrong.)
Baek Yu-Seol’s words left no room for rebuttal. He precisely countered the professor's words and presented his own opinions. Even if his opponent forcefully argued, he would insert another fact.
In the end, it was Kazewin who was left speechless.
"This...!"
As everyone quietly exhaled with satisfaction while observing Kazewin, Flame quietly nodded her head.
"Sigh."
‘This academy is truly bizarre. The professors openly envy the students. When ordinary commoners without any background try to stand out, the professors outright ignore and discriminate against them.’
Such blatant harassment might be a trademark of an academy romance fantasy, but it was baffling why they kept doing it despite always being defeated in the end.
‘Well, it’s satisfying to watch, though.’
"... That's enough. Return to your seat!"
Kazewin’s face turned red, and he shouted loudly, while Baek Yu-Seol nodded calmly and took his seat.
Ding! Dong!
As the bell signaling the end of the class rang, students quickly left the classroom.
"Hey, did you see them just now?"
"Oh, my heart feels so refreshed."
"Thinking about how the professor gave me a hard time last time, it feels like a decade-old grudge has been resolved."
After arranging her textbooks, Flame was about to leave with her friends, but Jecky hurried away first.
"Hey? Um..."
While she was contemplating her next move, Baek Yu-Seol approached.
"Hey, Flame."
“Hey. I saw your presentation. It was satisfying to watch."
"Is that so? But I have something to say about that."
"What?"
He cleared his throat and said gently, "As you know, the professors seem to dislike me."
"Well, when they see your attitude, it's natural for them to feel that way. So what?"
“But you’re close to the professors. So I was wondering… I’m trying to start a club. Could you help me find a professor to supervise it?”
"Hah."
Flame was momentarily taken aback and let out a dry laugh.
“You should’ve been better behaved all along.”
“It’s not like I can just stay quiet when they pick on me for no reason.”
"Ugh..."
Flame thought about it for a moment, but finding a supervising professor was quite a hassle and there weren’t many she could easily recommend. Then, one person came to mind.
“Come to think of it, aren’t you close to Assistant Alterisha? I see you visiting her lab often.”
"Well... that's true."
"Then, why don't you ask her for a favor?"
“Huh? Can an assistant supervise a club?”
“... Are you an idiot? It's Stella."
Baek Yu-Seol was shocked. He had been wandering around, unaware of this easy path.
Flame looked at him with genuine pity on her face.
"Well, whatever. Thanks. I'm going to go."
"Fine..."
He quickly walked away as if worried someone would snatch away Alterisha.
‘Sometimes he seems really smart, but other times he’s just plain clueless…’