Chapter 121: Invitation
“Isabel, Jasmine, please go to the professor’s office at the Magic Academy now, Professor Fisher is looking for both of you.”
When the student officer from the dormitory association found Isabel, Jasmine, and Milica under the teaching building, they had just finished class.
“Oh, okay, we’ll go right away.”
The two called out were slightly taken aback, and then they both showed a hint of panic.
Isabel was worried because she had copied Jasmine’s homework over the weekend and submitted it, and now suddenly being called by name made her suspect that Professor Fisher had discovered her little trick.
Even as a princess, the sudden call from the teacher to the office made her heart race as if the engine of a steam engine had roared to life.
But outwardly, she maintained a calm demeanor, smiling as she replied to the student who delivered the message, and that student left. The moment the student walked away, her gentle expression crumbled, turning into sheer panic.
I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed.
She knew that during the Godlin Festival, Professor Fisher had an unusual relationship with her sister, and her sister was usually the strictest with her. If Professor Fisher reported her homework copying to her sister, she would be unable to go home at all!
By then, her brother and father would definitely find out!
If I had known, I wouldn’t have copied the homework, but my brother was meeting with the ministers of the New Party and hosting a banquet at the Golden Palace over the weekend; I had to prepare for the banquet and couldn’t finish my homework!
That assignment was so difficult, assigned on Thursday and due on Monday. How could I have done it!
Isabel’s face contorted in distress, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. She turned her head and found Jasmine’s expression was also very tense.
Jasmine was nervously pressing her lips together, hands clutching her chest, looking as if she were having trouble breathing.
Unlike Isabel, who was worried about copying homework, Jasmine feared that her identity as a Whale Folk might be exposed. If her status as a Subhuman were revealed…
She glanced at her roommate beside her, unable to imagine what the consequences of exposure would be.
“You guys are unbelievable! Isabel, I warned you not to copy homework! Professor Fisher must have mentioned this in class!”
Milica, who understood Professor Fisher the best among the three, had warned Isabel about this long ago when she wanted to copy Jasmine’s homework after returning from the Golden Palace. But seeing that she hadn’t written it and it was due the next day, Milica couldn’t help it.
“But… but there really were family matters, I didn’t have time to write it.”
Isabel looked at Milica with a pitiful expression, making Milica sigh.
In front of others, Isabel was that gentle and gracious princess; only in front of familiar people did her adorable, childish side show. Compared to a princess, Milica and Jasmine treated her more as a close friend.
Now that something had happened, they had to face it. Milica decisively stroked her chin and said,
“From my understanding of Professor Fisher, he must have noticed that Isabel copied the homework. The reason for calling both of you is likely to reprimand you. This time, the assignment will undoubtedly be a zero. The key is to apologize sincerely to Professor Fisher and assure him that you won’t do it again. And Isabel, you are a princess; the teacher won’t make things too difficult for you.”
After speaking, Milica emphasized with a hint of guilt, as she had revealed Professor Fisher’s information for her friends’ sake, “But next time! You really can’t copy homework again. If there’s a next time, Professor Fisher may hand you over to the academic affairs office. Do you understand?”
Isabel nodded pitifully, while Jasmine, who had only just realized that Professor Fisher wasn’t looking for her about that night, breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, after that sigh of relief, she fell back into a panic about the homework copying incident, a wave that hadn’t calmed down before another one stirred up.
But as uncomfortable as it was, they still had to go.
“Go quickly; I won’t go this time to avoid letting Professor Fisher know that I was behind you two strategizing. Remember, a good apology will definitely be fine!”
“Okay.”
Isabel and Jasmine trudged with grim faces toward the professor’s office. After passing several teaching buildings, they finally saw the Magic Academy office in the last building.
When they pushed the door open and arrived at Professor Fisher’s office, they found his door was open, revealing the scene inside.
“Mr. Fisher, you are definitely confirmed to participate in this charity teaching, right?”
“Yes, the topic is Ethics, right?”
“Okay, we will begin notifying each professor about the specific time and location starting next week, so please pay attention to your emails at that time.”
“Thank you.”
As Fisher stood up to see the academic affairs office staff off, he suddenly spotted the two anxious girls standing outside the door, like two small animals.
Isabel stood in front, while Jasmine was carefully hiding behind her, looking both curious and terrified as she glanced into the office.
Although she was not human, the fear of being asked to the teacher’s office was no less than Isabel’s.
“Come in.”
Fisher glanced at the two of them without much expression, and his plain invitation almost pushed Isabel into the office due to Jasmine’s nudging.
“Professor Fisher.”
The two greeted him, but Fisher didn’t respond and instead motioned for them to sit in front of his desk. Fisher poured a cup of coffee and placed two assignment sheets in front of them. Isabel quickly spotted the numerous circles on her paper and the big zero at the beginning; she nearly fainted.
Jasmine, looking at her full score homework, didn’t know why but also pressed her lips together.
“This was last week’s assignment, which had three main questions. The thoughts behind the three questions are roughly the same for both of you. Now I want to ask you two if there was any copying between you.”
Huh?
It seemed that Professor Fisher could not yet confirm whether she had copied Jasmine’s homework?
Hearing Fisher’s words, it appeared he had no concrete evidence to prove she had copied Jasmine’s work, which was why he had come to ask?
Isabel subconsciously wanted to say she hadn’t copied but glanced at Jasmine and recalled Milica’s words. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and said,
“Yes, I… I copied Jasmine’s homework, and I was the one who requested Jasmine to let me see her assignment; it’s all my fault.”
“No, it’s me, Professor Fisher!”
Jasmine also wanted to explain, but Fisher raised his hand to stop her from continuing.
He nodded at Isabel, speaking,
“Very well, then according to what I said in the first class, your assignment will be judged as plagiarism, and you will receive a score of zero and a warning. If there is a next time, you will fail this course. Do you have any objections?”
“No, no.”
Fisher pointed to her assignment.
“In the third question, on the explanation of the essence of magic, only Jasmine and your thoughts are consistent in the entire class. However, when I designed the third question, there were slight differences in the magical data each student received. Your subring number is 101, while hers is 107, yet your data matches hers exactly.”
As soon as Fisher’s words came out, Isabel realized that his inquiry about whether she had copied was baiting. Fisher must have called her and Jasmine over with concrete evidence in hand. If she had just now claimed she hadn’t copied, it would have been more than just a warning.
“Now tell me, why didn’t you complete my assignment carefully and resorted to copying Jasmine’s?”
“I’m sorry, Professor Fisher, my brother hosted a very important banquet over the weekend, and I had to attend, which delayed my assignment completion.”
Fisher tapped his fingers on the table. The brother she mentioned was probably Dexter Godlin, the current eldest son of Godlin the Ninth, the king, about seven years older than Elizabeth, the most likely prince among several children to inherit the throne.
Due to Godlin the Ninth’s health, the regular affairs of the kingdom had been handed over to this prince. Now that Shivali would soon visit Nali, the banquet he hosted for the New Party officials must be related to this matter.
It could be guessed that the prince intended to delegate this matter entirely to the New Party.
He politically leaned towards the New Party but maintained a certain degree of ambiguity with the Griffin Party; this was a skill every king possessed.
Thoughts flickered through Fisher’s mind, and he subsequently acknowledged Isabel’s explanation.
“I understand, but this time is the last time. If there’s a next time, you will face the penalties I mentioned before. Alright, you may leave.”
“Thank you, Professor Fisher!”
Jasmine and Isabel simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, about to rise to greet Fisher, but Fisher suddenly spoke behind them.
“Wait, I mean Isabel can leave. Jasmine, you stay here; I have something to discuss with you.”
“Eep.”
The girl who had just stood up let out a squeak of surprise, small enough that it was barely audible. She looked at Fisher and quickly sat back down, appearing flustered and unsure.
Isabel quietly squeezed Jasmine’s shoulder to signal her that she would wait outside and then exited the office.
Once only Fisher and Jasmine were left in the office, Fisher meticulously sized up the girl before him for the first time.
The girl in front of him always preferred wearing loose dresses that weren’t in fashion at Saint Nali. Under that dress were a pair of over-the-knee white socks and black shoes. Her sitting posture was reserved, with both feet modestly together, and her hands instinctively placed on her small abdomen, her face slightly flushed.
“Does Professor Fisher have anything else to discuss?”
She tentatively asked in a low voice, causing Fisher to momentarily forget she was a Subhuman. At least on the outside, he saw no flaws in her appearance.
But he remembered that night when the girl had whispered in the swimming pool, having called the name “Ramastia,” which meant she was also from the Southern Ocean and was a Sea Subhuman who believed in the God of All Forms.
The last time he had heard that name was from Rena, that little crab folk.
“Your assignment was completed exceptionally well, surpassing many of your peers in various aspects.”
Fisher pointed to her clean and tidy assignment, saying, “Particularly in the third question concerning the essence of magic, this perspective is something I’ve never encountered before. Even I find it quite fascinating; so magic can be explained in this way.”
In her third question, she viewed magic as a bridge of connections, distinctly different from how people typically saw magic as a tool that resonates with the world. She understood the various components of magic as parts of a bridge, with the bridge’s orientation, body, and foundation corresponding to the components of magic runes.
Fisher speculated that this might be the perspective of a Subhuman from the ocean towards magic; although Jasmine had polished it with words, it still revealed her unique worldview as a Whale Folk.
“Um, um, I just read a lot of works from my seniors… and then thought about it like that,” she nervously explained, fearing Fisher might detect something amiss.
But it seemed that Fisher didn’t think along those lines at all. He smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous; this is a good thing. It shows you possess an exceptional vision and talent for magic. But even so, I must criticize you for lending out your homework. You can’t do this next time, understood?”
“Yes!”
Hearing Fisher’s warning, she straightened up in her seat, her voice rising slightly as she replied.
But seeing Fisher’s surprised expression because of her sudden loud response, her face turned red as she covered her mouth and repeated softly,
“Yes.”
Fisher, snapping back from his surprise, casually stated, “The thing is, my assignments have many parts that need reviewing, and I usually have other matters to attend to, so I was considering finding a student assistant, typically to help me grade assignments and prepare tutorial classes. In those classes, you would need to explain assignments and clarify any doubts that arise during courses.”
“Of course, this doesn’t mean you will do it for free. I will compensate you strictly according to the assistant salary standard, and I can also teach you some magic and knowledge of your kind. I remember that at the beginning of the semester, you were the only one who submitted an application to enroll in my course on Subhuman knowledge.”
At this point, Fisher’s true intention was revealed.
It seemed he genuinely valued Jasmine’s magical talent and wanted to further guide her in the knowledge of magic. At the same time, it could alleviate the pressure of grading assignments, as this was common practice in both the Royal Academy and Saint Nali University; for instance, Milica was campaigning to be Laura’s literary assistant to help her grade routine assignments.
However, Fisher’s real goal was to seize this opportunity to bind to this Whale Folk he had so notably encountered. He wanted to learn everything about her, including how she disguised herself as a human and why she had come ashore.
These secrets hidden in her heart could not be extracted through ordinary methods. He needed a pretext to increase the probability of her revealing flaws, and the assistant role fit perfectly.
“Um, but I…”
Jasmine instinctively wanted to refuse. She was not someone who liked to stand out. When there were too many people, she struggled to express herself. When underwater, everyone generally remained quiet, resting in the trenches; she was the most lively among them. Now, having come to the human world, she felt shy around their enthusiasm.
But deep down, she wanted to accept the invitation.
Because she was very interested in everything related to humans. She found humans to be both friendly and creative, having created many beautiful things, including their magic, architecture, opera, and most importantly, delicious food!
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of teaching in front of your classmates?”
“Ah, um…”
She blushed and nodded, clearly struck by Fisher’s insight.
“Well, we can put the tutorial classes on hold for now, but I think you should train in this area.”
He packed her assignments back into the bag. As if thinking of something, he suddenly said, “A deficiency in verbal expression can make you lose the opportunity to convey your true thoughts and feelings. Though it may seem insignificant at the time, ultimately, they all turn into regrets that stay in your heart for a lifetime. This is a sincere piece of advice. What will your decision be? You can tell me.”
But Jasmine, moved by this simple remark, raised her head. She seemed touched by Fisher’s words. After several seconds of silence, she struggled to nod her head and replied,
“Okay!”
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(End of Chapter)
