Chapter 46: Hints, Hints, Hints
“But it seems a bit unfortunate, the kid who’s been following you these days isn’t here.”
Facing this problem, Liya crossed her arms, looking quite annoyed.
“Don’t even mention it. Who… who told him his practical exam retake was scheduled for this morning. Hmph, those people in the academic affairs office, they just love holding exams early in the morning. I wonder if these people don’t sleep in?”
“What? Worried he won’t pass?”
Mary chuckled, walking over slowly like a kind old lady, and sat down on the other end of the bench.
“Hmph, who would worry about him failing? Don’t let Will’s talent fool you, his knowledge reserve is truly strong. Although people his age aren’t required to have combat experience, his performance is so seasoned it’s like he’s read hundreds of thousands of words of combat descriptions.”
“And also… he’s really suited for research. The dosage of magic and magic data calculations are basically the students’ weak points, and higher-level magic mathematics is hard to grasp. But he’s so familiar with it, it’s like the magic data wrote itself.”
“Plus, his opponent in the practical. An obvious, stupid rich kid. Not only was he tricked into being the sparring partner for the exam, but he probably thought he’d outmaneuvered him. When the exam starts, he’ll definitely be taken out in one go.”
“And… when we were in the laboratory… ah… I… I said this much?”
Liya’s fingers had just started to move, wanting to list some of Will’s brilliant actions during experiments, then she stopped.
“It’s alright, keep talking. You seem to like talking about him a lot, and you’re smiling so happily.”
“No, no… Fine. There aren’t many outstanding students, as you’ve heard, the academy doesn’t encounter one in ten years…”
“So? Aren’t you planning to take him as your student? You’ve never had a graduating student, and you still have 4 years left on your contract with our school. Are you really going to have no students at all?”
“Mary, you know… I don’t want to. Just like my mother became your teacher.”
Liya looked at the wrinkled face of Mary and sighed.
“For a witch… it’s too heavy.”
“Mmm… Sister Liya, do you know? The last time I saw Teacher, I thought after so many years, seeing me so old, she would definitely be sad and upset…”
Mary began to speak slowly, as if telling a story.
Liya knew her mother had visited Entak First Academy before, and the Ice Array was probably left behind from that time.
“She… she wasn’t?”
“Quite the opposite, she smiled happily. She said that even though I was so old, when I looked down at my book, I was still leaning so close to the page, just like before. You know? I was so scared I looked up at her, afraid she’d grab me by the hair and pull me away from the book like she used to.”
“Haha, that’s true, Mother was quite violent when correcting you before.”
“She said she now understood Witch Iaar. She had gained such a long life, yet at the last moment of her life, she never stopped interacting with the world, contacting others, and left countless legends of her in the world.”
“…I see.”
“She said, looking into my eyes, I was still the same in her eyes. Even though I had aged so much, when she looked at my eyes, she still felt I was the same person.”
Liya nodded.
“She certainly changed quite a bit. She never said things like that when she was with me.”
Liya seemed to still have some hesitation, looking down at her own shaking feet and the pair of brown boots she had worn for many years.
Her mother had actually changed, not standing still.
It was like the Ice Array she had prepared for herself, shining brightly before her eyes.
Perhaps she was hinting at some change she should make?
“Actually, taking students on projects comes with quite a bit of subsidy.”
“Ah? How much?”
Liya immediately raised her head.
“Pfft hahaha…”
“Don’t laugh, I’m afraid… afraid you’ll throw your back out…”
“You’ve changed so much these past few days, Sister Liya. For the first time in a long time, you remind me of how you were when I first became a student, talking with me.”
Mary steadied her cane and rubbed her lower back.
“However, you’re a bit more straightforward than back then. Back then, you’d shut the door and not talk to me, but I’d often find many of your annotations added to my notebook.”
“Because your notes were so… so ridiculously wrong.”
Mary smiled, Liya’s evasive yet revealing words were something she was used to.
Then, she ran her finger along her cane and said:
“Let’s get back to the main topic. You see, I started by mentioning an interesting young man who came to your laboratory. Guess how I knew?”
“You’re the vice dean, word of mouth among the teachers generally… wait?!”
Liya thought of something ominous.
She was too far removed from the other teachers. In her campus life, the only teachers she saw were herself and Mary.
Therefore, she was also far removed from the usual research life expected of teachers at the school. She lived a life of waking up in the laboratory, closing her eyes in the laboratory, and taking naps in the laboratory.
What about project results? What about the number of students nurtured? It had nothing to do with her. She could handle these small matters alone.
It seemed she had completely forgotten… this school had many… teachers who cared deeply about research results and nurturing good students…
“Yes, as you said, a student who can participate in such a major research competition right after enrolling, and who is doing so well under the Little Witch, is bound to stand out.”
Mary’s words had a double meaning, and she didn’t seem to intend to state things directly, but every sentence was a subtle hint.
“In the past few years, there have been quite a few students well-suited for research who, right after enrolling, were snatched up by various teachers. They would then diligently work under that teacher for three years and continue their advanced studies.”
Students entering Entak First Academy essentially had only two paths—
Either after completing the basic curriculum, they would enter the dungeons for exploration and work.
Or, they would find a teacher, become part of the academy faction, engage in some minor research that might be useful in the dungeons, and become teachers for life.
For those with talent in this area, the latter was practically a smooth path!
Extremely tempting!
“It’s just that he doesn’t have the results from the entrance practical exam, so he can’t choose a teacher. Today… he’ll be getting those results, won’t he?”
“…”
“Ah, I’ve said too much. This is just a reminder, compete well, and think a bit more. I’m quite optimistic about you this year.”
Mary stopped at a suitable point and patted her shoulder.
“Number 9, Flame Blazing Fire Technique, come up and perform.”
The host’s voice startled Liya out of her thoughts.
Right, it seemed like it was almost her turn.
But…
The words Mary had spoken had affected her.
Most importantly…
Will, who was taking the exam on that side, might… probably… today…
Become a student of someone who wasn’t her?
