Research Life of a New Professor at Magic University - Chapter 5

When I arrived at work, Arien was sitting in the lab, looking half-dead, as if she had been struggling.
Due to exhaustion, even the inherent elegance of elves seemed considerably diminished.

“Did you stay up all night?”

“Yes…”

I wanted to hurry her along, but seeing her worn-out appearance made it difficult to be too harsh.

“Well, read faster then. The deadline was last night, but seeing how much you’ve struggled, I find it hard to scold you.”

“Okay…”

“Anyway, shall we discuss the lesson plan? There’s only a week left.”

“Yes…”

“But before that, I instructed you to ‘read through this book by last night.’ The crucial part here isn’t ‘read through’ but ‘by last night.’ That’s what you should have paid more attention to.”

“I’m sorry. It’s my first time reading within such a short timeframe… I couldn’t grasp the detailed content while trying to meet the deadline.”

“No, that’s not the issue.”

“It’s not?”

I expected as much.

“The point wasn’t to thoroughly understand the content within the deadline. It was simply about meeting the deadline, no matter how roughly.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not at all. Put differently, it means ‘read as thoroughly as you can within a day.’ If you feel you won’t make the deadline while reading, you should skim through more. That way, you’ll at least have a basic understanding of the content.”

“But… if I do that, I won’t properly understand the content and will just pass it along.”

If time management is an issue, it needs to be emphasized from the start.

“You don’t need to know the details. How could you possibly fully understand what we learn in a semester within a single day? Just grasp the overall content before moving on.”

“Is that enough? Shouldn’t I fully understand to assist with the class? Perhaps I can use it as research as well.”

“When you need to read properly, I’ll give you more time. But you’ll have to skim everything I give you in the future. Even reading only the important parts will leave you with no time.”

Finally, Arien seemed to understand, if only a little.

“Alright, before we plan the lesson, this is the course material from the ‘Utilization of Magical Materials’ course that the previous professor taught. Since the same professor handled it for four years, it seems quite decent.”

“What did you say?!”

Arienne suddenly groaned loudly, almost screaming.

“What now?”

“Professor, if that’s the case, I didn’t need to finish reading that book…”

“No. You still need to read it. We’re not using the same course material.”

“Oh, was the previous professor’s course not well-received?”

“Not really. I’ve never taken the course, but the feedback was positive overall. The organization of the course material seems fine.”

“Then why?”

While teaching may not be a professor’s main duty, completely disregarding it and tossing it aside like a machine isn’t good either.
Lectures are not only a tedious task but also an opportunity in themselves.

“Look at this. The name of this course is ‘Utilization of Magical Materials,’ and the book title is ‘Magical Tools and Materials.’ Since magical materials and tools are inseparable, it’s unavoidable that both topics will be covered. But what about this course material?”

“The content about magical tools is much more extensive. It’s over 60%… No, almost 70%.”

“Yes. The reason is simple. That professor’s main research field is ‘spell casting.'”

For professors, teaching is a powerful means of promotion.

From the professor’s perspective, it’s not easy to meet students.
Since the students see their professors as the bane of their existence, it’s very rare for students to approach them first.
Therefore, lectures are the only way for most professors to meet undergraduate students and find potential candidates for their research labs.

Teaching is also the only opportunity to showcase their research fields.

“The emphasis on a topic according to a professor’s specialties is common. Since it’s a field they know well and can confidently teach, the course quality often improves.”

“Then, will you do it like that too? Focusing on charms and potions?”

“No.”

That would be too obvious.

“Then? Will you increase the focus on potions and herbs?”

“Not that either. I just plan to distribute the content equally according to the original weight of the textbook. This isn’t a new course; I’m updating the older course. It would be difficult for everyone if it suddenly changed.”

Anyway, among magical materials and tools, there is nothing that is not related to ‘applied magic.’
Introducing diversity and various applications will further highlight our research lab.
Moreover, it’s too bothersome to overhaul everything just to insert spells and potions.

“Now, organize the course material based on what you’ve read in the book for the next two days. Use the course material as a reference. I know it’s tiring, but I can’t give you much more time.”

“Me?”

“Is there a spirit I can’t see?”

Looking at Arien’s expression, it seems like she wants to say, ‘Professor you…’ She’s quite human-like, isn’t she?

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve already planned the overall structure. I’ll point out what shouldn’t be missed. Also, I didn’t mention it, but I’m handling the other class. I’m planning them alone without your help. Of course, I’ll ask for your assistance once the semester starts, but until then, preparing only one theoretical class is enough.”

There isn’t much to do before the semester starts for some classes.
Grading lab reports is the job of teaching assistants.

“…Then, when should I have it ready?”

She sounded like she wanted to die.

“We’ll have an orientation for Monday’s first class, so your material will be used on Wednesday.”

“Then, should I have it ready by Monday or Tuesday?”

“You shouldn’t work like that. Even though you’ll make individual class materials, the overall framework should be set. You wouldn’t want to spend the whole semester just preparing for classes, would you?”

Arien’s eyes suddenly brighten, then quickly lose their spark. She nodded listlessly.

“Since you want the Wednesday class material ready by Monday, the overall plan should be ready by Saturday. Considering revisions and my additional content, I hope to receive a draft by Thursday.”

“Thursday? The day after tomorrow!”

“Why are you shouting like that? Yes, it’s the day after tomorrow.”

Since it’s the first class, I had intended to create the lecture materials myself.
However, in the end, I handled everything, from purchasing supplies to arranging the space.

What can I do about it?
Amidst all this, if I were to take charge of the class preparation, we wouldn’t even start experiments for quite some time after the semester begins.

Things will get easier for Arien later on. So… Let’s hang in there until we have undergraduate researchers, master’s students, ample equipment, sufficient research funds, and a few papers published… Fighting. (TN: Fighting is a way to cheer someone up in Korea. 파이팅 [pa-ee-ting])

Arien seems to have already accepted and resigned to reality.
With her black hair and dark eyes, she already gives off a calm impression, but now she looks beyond that—she seems melancholic.

“Come to think of it, have you registered for courses too? What classes are you taking this semester?”

“Yes. I forgot to mention that. I’ve decided on the classes for Alchemy and Potions, but I’m not sure which course to take for Enchantment. Is there a comprehensive course on it?”

“It’s arrogant to think you’ll grasp the vast world of magical spells and profound potion-making with just one class… Why the sudden change in expression?”

Arien suddenly wore the same expression she had during our dinner meal.

“No, it’s nothing. So, what should I do? I plan to follow the professor’s advice and take one course, but I’m unsure where to start.”

“Advanced Enchantment, Interpretation of Potions, or Basic Potion Design would be good.”

“Then, I’ll choose one from those.”

“It would be better to take two.”

“Just one. I need to take other courses, too.”

“…Alright. If necessary, I’ll select a few papers for you later.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay then. Good luck. Time is running short.”

I review the conversation with Arien.

After the lengthy conversation, I entered my office and sat down.
Actually, the person I really need to focus on teaching is not the undergraduate students but Arienne.

I need to enable her to act as a human as soon as possible.

Since all the experimental equipment and materials have been decided, I need to plan what to do with them.
I should be able to start experiments as soon as they arrive.
The first experiment should focus on teaching rather than research.

Apart from basic experiments, I haven’t tried anything else.
It would be best to minimize material waste and learn how to use equipment…

Planning the “Experimental Class,” I lost track of time, and noon passed swiftly.

Come to think of it, I still need to write the project proposal.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot during the planning stages, so I haven’t started writing it yet.
Although I’ve missed the project proposal deadline, the university has given me some leeway.
They said it’s okay to submit a rough topic for now and write the formal proposal later.

What could be some topics for submitting a paper?

Even if the funding isn’t much, I need easy topics to write papers on.
Yet, to publish in a decent journal, there’s no escaping from this dreadful task.

However, I want to avoid topics that are too important or applicable to my research.

It’s a waste.
If I handle it well, later on, I might be able to earn a lot from it.

It’s difficult. The deciphering process is still in its early stages.
All I could do was read the fragmented information I’d gathered, surmise the overall flow I’d deduced from that information, and use a few illustrations for reference.

I can’t afford to spend too much time. In a moment of distraction, I based my research topic on the contents written in one corner of the grimoire.
Then, I submitted it to the university, adding that I would provide detailed explanations later.

“Research on Vitality Absorption Magic on Collective Homogeneous Entities”

The next day, I received a call from the Dean.
Since there wasn’t enough time to write a detailed proposal, they asked for a quick explanation, even if it was just verbal.

And when I arrived for the meeting, an inquisitorial officer was also present.

Why in the world…?