Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins - Chapter 134

The Federation’s abundant diet was a big shock to me, who had been surviving on hard bread, but even I find some things difficult to enjoy.

A prime example is alcohol.

And another is that black coffee that Louise ordered.

Louise, holding the thumb-sized cup lightly, emptied its contents in one gulp.

It’s a sight that makes my tongue feel bitter just watching, but her expression remains indifferent.

I wonder if the prestige of a Full Professor at the Federal University of Magic really doesn’t go anywhere. Just as I was thinking that…

Louise stuck out her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ugh. It’s bitter.”

“Do you always drink it like that?”

“Usually when I’m alone. I have no time and need to wake up. If I did this in front of other professors, my dignity would plummet, but well.”

“So it’s fine in front of me?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Because I don’t have any dignity left to lose in front of you anyway.”

She seems to be aware of it herself.

Louise put down the empty cup, then rested her chin on her arms on the table.

One corner of her mouth lifted into a grin.

“Eugene.”

“Yes?”

“How are things going with the young lady, any progress?”

A sudden question.

I froze with my cup raised, but it seemed better to just speak. There’s no need to hide it anyway.

I answered, hiding my embarrassment.

“I proposed.”

“Wow.”

“What kind of reaction is that?”

“No, well. Our little brother… How unusual for you to take the initiative.”

I feel like the one who asked first shouldn’t be surprised, but more than that…

This wasn’t the kind of conversation I came to see Louise for.

“I can clearly see a future of you being under the thumb of a strong-willed sister-in-law. Still, it seems your sister-in-law really cares for you. Congratulations, and take care. Well, I’m not in a position to give advice.”

“Um, Louise.”

“Hmm?”

“I came because I had something to ask you.”

I explained the recent circumstances.

I told her about my appointment as a temporary lecturer at the Federal University of Magic with Professor Müller’s recommendation letter and about the mindset of being a professor.

I thought I could seek advice from her, as she’s the only Full Professor I know. I explained this, and…

Louise, who had been listening with blinking eyes, responded blankly.

“Oh. Did you really come to ask a serious question?”

“Yes.”

“And here I thought you came because you really wanted to see me……”

Watching Louise scratch her cheek awkwardly, I reaffirmed.

The professors in the Oslo family are all quite hopeless people.

“That’s also true.”

“It’s too late. Thanks for the empty words, at least. Anyway, you want advice as an educator, right?”

I nodded.

The youngest Full Professor at the Frauzen Federal University of Magic. Louise Ehrlich.

Compared to other professors, Louise should remember the gap between a researcher and an educator relatively vividly. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Be diligent. It’s good advice, but I might expect more practical advice from Louise.

“Hmm.”

However, Louise looked at me carefully and then said nonchalantly.

“I don’t think you really need advice.”

“Please, Louise.”

“If you insist that much… Okay, straighten your shoulders.”

I did as she said.

I put down my cup and straightened my posture.

It feels strangely awkward.

It’s understandable, given that my posture has become hunched due to living as a left-handed person and preparing for professor qualifications, and moreover, I haven’t had the chance to proudly straighten my shoulders when going out.

But.

What does this have to do with the mindset of being a professor?

The inexplicable advice continued.

“Now, smile slightly, no. If you become too obviously handsome, your sister-in-law might worry. Right. That gloomy expression to that extent is good.”

“What does this mean?”

“What do you mean, what does this mean?”

Louise chuckled, then reached out and roughly patted my hair.

“It means that even without any advice, you’re already a magic scholar qualified to stand at the podium. As long as you have confidence, that is.”

“……”

“Didn’t you say Professor Müller wrote you a recommendation letter? Don’t think so lightly of the recognition from Klaus Müller and me, Louise Ehrlich.”

I’m already qualified, she says.

I looked back at myself anew.

Well. From the time I attempted to cross over to the Federation, I wasn’t really on good terms with thorough preparation or meticulous planning, was I?

A bit of recklessness and perseverance.

As always, if I grasp those two things, there might be nothing I can’t do.

I looked at Louise, who was putting on a deliberately cool expression.

It’s hard to believe this is the same person who just gulped down coffee and made a face that anyone could see was dying from bitterness.

That’s why it’s the appearance of a person I can rely on.

“Thanks for the empty words, at least.”

“They’re not empty words.”

“Haha…… Ah, Louise.”

“Still not convinced?”

“No. If it looks like my class won’t be popular, could you promote it a bit to the undergraduates?”

No answer came.

But, a clear smile had appeared on Louise’s lips.

She lifted the burden weighing on my shoulders and breathed life into the spark of will.

When I returned home with a much lighter heart like that…

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, Benjamin.”

I remembered that I still had one more professor acquaintance left.

When the sun sets, the ground cools.

Even in summer, there are no exceptions. As the dry air slowly cooled, the family members who had finished dinner needed at least the warmth of a cup of tea, if not the heat of the fireplace.

There’s no better place than in front of the fireplace to gather and share tea cups.

As the night gradually deepened, around the time when Susan, Lena, and Ellie had returned to their rooms… [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Advice?”

“Yes.”

I brought up that topic again, and…

I could hear Benjamin’s immediate answer.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t seek advice from a subpar professor who was demoted in two months. Eugene.”

“That’s true.”

“Tch. It doesn’t feel particularly good when you agree so readily.”

Benjamin chuckled.

It can’t be helped. There’s no doubt that he’s an excellent teacher, but was he really a good professor at the University of Magic?

For some reason, I find myself shaking my head at that question.

I can easily imagine Benjamin conducting lectures haphazardly, ignoring the syllabus, while possessing insight that would catch most students off guard.

It was then.

Sally, who had been listening intently to the conversation from a corner of the sofa, parted her lips.

“…Tell me, more.”

“Sally. Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Mmm, I think I might get, some good material.”

I smiled slightly.

It’s obvious she’ll fall asleep soon, given how she’s nodding off even now, but I wanted to humor her wish for now.

Coincidentally, I had something I was curious about too.

“Benjamin.”

“Yes.”

“Apart from the mindset of being a professor, what thoughts did you have when you were teaching me?”

Something I’ve been curious about for a while but had never directly heard the answer to.

Why did Benjamin Oslo become a Genius Collector?

As if he had invariably read through my question, Benjamin raised the corners of his mouth a bit more and said:

“I thought it was fun.”

“Pardon?”

“Geniuses are fun, aren’t they? There’s no grand reason.”

“……”

“This probably isn’t the answer you were expecting, though.”

Benjamin tilted his cup further and spoke again.

“Whether professors or teachers. The educators in the magic academic world are all similar in the grand scheme of things. They’re perverts who want to pass on the knowledge in their heads to the next generation somehow.”

“Benjamin. Language, please.”

“What does it matter? I’m saying I was like that too.”

I adjusted my posture because his eyes were directed towards the past.

“When I was young, all I had was my body. When I grew up, it was just my body and what was in my head. Because I grew up stupid and naive, I wanted to share what I had, but I didn’t have money. What could I do? I could only share intangible things like affection, family love, and knowledge.”

“……”

“Hehehe. Looking back now, it seems like it was a pretty good decision. And now I have this kind of expectation.”

Benjamin’s gaze gradually turned towards me.

“I hope that when you all grow up, you’ll live sharing again. Like this.”

“……I guess I need to become a proper professor to fulfill that expectation.”

“You’ll do well, Eugene. Because there are few people in the entire Federation with as strong a desire for learning as you. Well, you’ll understand the students’ feelings well, won’t you?”

It’s an optimistic conclusion in many ways.

After all, there’s no guarantee that understanding students’ feelings will make one suitable for a professorship. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

But, I looked straight at Benjamin and said:

“I’m sure I will.”

Words closer to a declaration than an answer.

Though still inexperienced, someday I’ll become someone who can live up to his expectations.

As I held such an embarrassing resolve and Benjamin and I faced each other…

“Big Brother Eugene.”

“What?”

Sally, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, said with her green eyes tinged with puzzlement.

“Your way of speaking.”

“Way of speaking?”

“Professor-like, way of speaking. Aren’t you, practicing?”

“……Ah.”

I felt like something was missing, and this was it.

I suddenly remembered something Johannes once said to me.

<I mean the professor’s way of speaking. You should practice too, just in case. You’ll definitely become a professor someday, and if you want to show professorial dignity on the podium then, you need to learn it in advance. Don’t you think so, Dr. Oslo?>

To think that my senior’s strangely clumsy prediction would come true…

Sometimes, appearances are as important as metaphysical resolutions.

I opened my mouth with a deliberately solemn voice.

“I shall do so.”

“……It doesn’t, suit you.”

Though I expected it, I could only smile bitterly at the sudden harsh criticism. It must have been quite awkward. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

But still.

From now on, I just need to walk forward and look ahead.

#October 24th. Clear.

“Ugh.”

On the first day of the winter semester…

First-year undergraduate Leila Brown grimaced the moment she set foot in the [ Type I Magic Studies Practicum ] classroom.

“I chose the wrong professor……”

In the empty classroom, there were only five students including herself.