Research Life of a New Professor at Magic University - Chapter 13

Of course, there are times when better results result from mistakes made during experiments.
Many people have done crazy things that no one has ever tried before, only to get unexpectedly good results by luck.

Is this one of those cases?

Considering the atrocities Arien committed during this experiment, I can’t help but think that nobody would have made such a mess.
However, when you take each of those actions apart, it’s hard to believe that nobody has ever done something like that before.
Hasn’t anyone ever ground the powder a bit finer or lazily passed the task to a spirit out of convenience?

If we can’t find the cause in individual elements, the problem becomes much more complex.
There could have been errors in the analysis and measurements, or the result could be a combination of multiple factors.

The biggest problem is that the experiment was so messy that there were too many variables.
Arien may not even be able to reproduce it herself.

I can already think of six variables off the top of my head, but how many combinations of two or more of those are there? Do I have to experiment with all of them, repeating experiments for each one?

That means Arien and I would be stuck with this experiment all year round, with barely a report, let alone a paper, to show for it.

Damn it, this is why experiment control is so crucial.

First, let’s confirm reproducibility.

“I don’t know why. Try making it again exactly as it was.”

“Exactly?”

“Yes. Forget about what I pointed out earlier and try reproducing it once. No, not just once. Twice. Make a total of three and check for reproducibility.”

Arien nodded and went to fetch two unused pots.

“No, leave one behind.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll use it.”

It’s not just the experimental process that’s a mess, as the equipment wasn’t thoroughly cleaned beforehand.
But I should at least try to learn her process.

“Start from the beginning. I need to observe everything.”

“You’re going to watch?”

“Don’t worry about me watching. Just do it the same way as before.”

“Ah…”

Arien started slowly and hesitantly, with a crestfallen expression.
Summoning the spirit, she began to fill the pot with water… Wait.

“Did you use spirit magic to create the water too?”

“Yes.”

“The recipe clearly states, ‘Fill with water using water creation magic’… Never mind; just continue.”

I wanted to let out a deep sigh.
Damn, spirit magic is driving me crazy.
If I keep pointing out each little thing like this, she might intentionally hide the rest of the process.
I should just leave her alone for now.

But what is she doing right now?

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m choosing the ingredients.”

“Choosing the ingredients? They’re all the same.”

“No, they’re different.”

In the end, I had to go and see for myself.
Arien had been scrutinizing the main ingredient for this batch, a red herb, comparing them carefully.
She held one in each hand when I approached as if to show me.

“They’re different?”

“Yes. The one on the left seems off. The color is a bit lighter and doesn’t seem to contain much mana.”

I’m not sure. Hearing her explanation, it does seem that way, but I wouldn’t trust myself to choose.
Even if Arien had casually picked anything and said they were the same, it would have been the same for me.

“I don’t see it. Did you learn this in herbology class?”

“I’ve known since I was young.”

“Is it some kind of vision passed down among elves?”

“It’s just visible to us.”

Even as Arien said this, she didn’t seem frustrated or reproachful.
It meant she expected me not to see it.

Whether it’s knowledge or senses, perhaps it’s something only elves can perceive.
It might not be visual; it could be scent or mana sensitivity.
Either way, I can’t see it.

“To be honest, I don’t know what the difference is. Can you explain?”

“I’m not sure. It’s just different.”

You’ve probably talked to students or professors who have taken natural science classes about this.
No matter how you explain it, no one could understand it.

“Well, that’s awkward. Can you definitely tell the difference?”

“Yes. It’s not a clear distinction, but when the difference is this severe…”

Is that considered severe?

“Why do you think such differences occur?”

“The conditions where they grew are different, which affects their state. Different trees or grasses, and even soil conditions, can vary. Also, it depends on which animal spread the seeds, how long the spirits stayed around, which season it grew in, and even what time the flowers bloomed…”

“Wait, so you can understand all that just by looking at the herb you picked?”

“Sometimes. I can vaguely sense it to some extent, but…”

“From the elves you lived with?”

“Some from my parents or elders in the village, and I’ve learned a lot in classes here.”

Wasn’t it said that humans couldn’t match elves in natural knowledge?
Isn’t that why you changed your major and came here?

“Studying herbology was quite helpful. The knowledge passed down from elf tribes is too fragmented and scattered.”

You don’t always have to find someone better than you when trying to learn something.
You can learn from those who are not as skilled as you are.
Especially listening to explanations from those who pretend to know can be quite helpful.
Even if it lacks depth, it’s an opportunity to scan the overall outline broadly.

Perhaps experiential knowledge is what elves have the most of.

“D-Did I say something wrong?”

I looked at Arien with different eyes than before.

Elves following the human education system are extremely rare.
And among them, finding an elf who has studied a specific field would be even rarer.
And if that ‘specific field’ happens to be one most elves don’t care about?

Natural sciences, a field where elf knowledge exceeds that of humans by a small margin.
Potion alchemy, something most elves don’t need.
And an elf who learned herbalism, a combination of the two fields, from humans at a magic university…

Perhaps I’ve found an invaluable talent that would be hard to come by even if I searched the whole world.

***

Arien also took a long time to choose other ingredients.
Especially with mushrooms, she spent as much time as she did with the herbs.
Animal-based ingredients were briefly examined and quickly categorized.

“You’re choosing quickly. Are insects easy to distinguish?”

“It’s the opposite. It’s hard to tell the difference just by looking, so I picked randomly earlier.”

Come to think of it, I did tell her to do it ‘just like before.’
She didn’t follow the instructions earlier; I guess she has her own method.

“Is there any difference then?”

“There is, somewhat.”

“Okay. Let’s move on for now and continue just like before.”

The next steps went as expected.
Choosing mixing tools without considering the quantity of ingredients.
Spirits intervening in every step of the process.

As they say, “the taste of the potion is in the hands,” the measurements were rough and approximate.

The list could go on and on.

Normally, I would be furious and need to reprimand her, but today, each of her actions seems endearing.

She’s a valuable talent, so I should treat her well.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten to record all the errors in the experimental procedure.

Arien seemed very uncomfortable with my actions.
So, during the waiting phase, she was thrilled when I stopped observing and started preparing next to her.

“Did you wash everything well? The pot will be used immediately, so it must be cleaned.”

“Can I use the spirits for this? They can make fresh water.”

I was worried about the cleanup since the experiment process was such a mess, but surprisingly, everything was in good order. Well, there aren’t any set rules for cleaning anyway.

“Alright then. You use one and give me the other.”

“Are we going to test two?”

“We’re going to test three. I’ll make an example since it’s your first experiment. I can’t trust the items from the guild. Also, I want you to be ready after watching me make it experiment.”

I’ve made many potions and even conducted secret research on my own.
This potion isn’t difficult, and I have experience, so it won’t take long.

As expected, Arien took some time to finish her potion.
Even as I handled the preparation for two pots, made the intermediate solution, and divided it, Arien was still busy grinding the ingredients with wind spirits.

She seemed surprised, maybe thinking she would be faster since she used fewer ingredients and even summoned spirits to help.

But it’s natural to be slow when you’re grinding ingredients that only need to be crushed lightly.
It’s all about efficiency.

By the time I finished washing one pot for the next experiment, she had transferred the final potion into the bottle.

“You’re fast, Professor.”

“Well, I’ve done this a lot, so it can’t be helped.”

As we head to the herb box to gather more ingredients, Arien called out.

“I left some herbs that I picked earlier. Please use these.”

“You picked them?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t. The herbs you picked and the ones I picked are different.”

“But the ones I picked are better. Isn’t better, well, better?”

“Even if they’re better, I can’t use them. You need to think about the purpose of this experiment. I’m making a potion to compare with the one you made. The goal isn’t to make a good potion.”

“Oh, I see.”

Seeing her nod, it seems she understands my words well. In the subsequent steps, I meticulously followed the recipe to every detail, even deliberately making mistakes to demonstrate.

“This needs to be redone.”

“Why’s that? Is there a problem?”

“Read this. ‘Slice the dried mushrooms vertically before chopping.’ I should’ve sliced them, but I ended up crushing them. They ended up tearing in the wrong direction.”

“Really? Do we have to do it like that? We’re going to chop them anyway.”

“We have to. If the experimenter wrote it down like that, there must be a reason for mentioning the direction.”

Of course, I let some minor things slide, but I still mentioned them.
Elves seem to need this level of instruction to do things properly.

It will be troublesome if Arien continues to do experiments like this in the future.
The success of an experiment should not only be seen in hindsight.

With that, the production of my last potion is complete. It took a bit longer than expected due to the explanations along the way.

Now, it’s time to see the results.