Epilogue (1)
The man sits quietly on a tree stump and looks up at the blue sky.
Dressed neatly in a shirt, silk vest, linen pants, a bluish coat, and a thin wizard’s robe.
It was a stuffy outfit, but I had no choice but to stay neat. Still, since she had no other way to look at it now, she sat with a somewhat relaxed attitude.
Light up the tobacco. It was a bad habit I picked up while hanging out with a senior professor, but there is nothing like it to organize my thoughts.
Then, I absentmindedly listen to the birds chirping, look at the sky, and think. Past, present, future, and cliff point. All kinds of thoughts were fluctuating, but I decided on what I needed to do first.
The man survived.
And there is a question that inevitably follows those who survive.
It was a question about how to live.
*It has been two years since Tracyana Bloomriver came to Sylvania Academy.
“In the end, I end up coming here again even after graduation… ”
When I paid the money to the coachman, packed my luggage, and got off, I could see Aken Island across the sea.
The Maxes Bridge collapsed due to a disaster that occurred two years ago, but the newly constructed Bloom River Bridge has since taken its place.
It is a much more spacious and clean bridge than the older Maxes Bridge. Since it was a bridge built with support from the Bloom River family, its name was Bloom River Bridge.
Following Traceiana, an elderly woman got out of the carriage.
Senir Bloomriver, head of the Bloomriver family.
After getting off the carriage while being attended to by servants, she looked at the bridge leading to Sylvania Academy and spoke.
“The construction itself seems to have gone quite well. “It’s been a while since it was completed, but I’ve been so busy that I’m only now checking it out.”
“mother… No, because the head of the family was busy with work at home. “It doesn’t matter that I can’t come and check it in person.”
“Still, I wanted to see it with my own eyes since it was a business that invested so much of the family’s money. what… “I’ll see you often now.”
Senir put on a leather coat and tidied up his clothes.
She was the newly appointed alchemy professor at Sylvania Academy.
Sylvania Academy lost more than half of its teaching staff due to the disaster the year before last. So, in order to create as many new faculty as possible, all kinds of personnel were brought in.
Among them, those who were interested in teaching responded to the call, but most refused.
As Sylvania Academy suffered a great deal of damage, it felt like an unstable position as it was unclear how the situation would unfold in the future.
Still, with the name value that had been built up over the years, new positions were filled by presidents of various academic societies, magic tower lords, retired knight commanders of famous knights, mercenary captains, and alchemy authorities.
Senir Bloomriver also had a lot of work to do as the head of the Bloomriver family, but he was confident that his daughters were taking over and handling the family’s affairs well, so he decided to take up teaching.
Those who survived the disaster where Seong Chang-ryong Velbroke went on a rampage seemed to have gone through all the hardships to somehow run the academy.
And now, two years and several months later, the damage can be said to have been restored to some extent.
Among the new faculty members, Senir was almost the last one to join. In a way, he is the first faculty member to teach after the restoration of the academy was completed.
More than 70% of the buildings that had been destroyed were rebuilt with support from the imperial family, the upper chamber, and the religious order.
Thanks to the buildings shining as if they were brand new, it seems like a new heyday has arrived.
However, the scars also remained.
Near the end of the Bloom River Bridge, there is a large monument erected.
It was a monument with the names of victims from the disaster the year before last.
The monument erected to commemorate and not forget them appears to be well over several meters in size.
Tracyana sighed heavily as she looked at the names filled with the large tombstone.
“Those are very heavy names, considering you were there at the time.”
Traceiana was a student at Sylvania when the disaster occurred two years ago. He was about to graduate and was at the top of his grade, so he ran around trying to save his juniors as much as possible.
I tried my best to save a lot of lives, but I also lost a lot of lives.
Tracyana looked up at the tombstone for a moment, then shook her head calmly.
*“Oh, my… ! Oh my! The story about Senior Professor Sinir taking office today… I didn’t hear it… ! sorry! You’ve come a long way! Currently, there is a shortage of academic personnel and the schedule is full… ! No, he is someone who should not be treated this way… I am… Let me apologize… !”
A person of Seinir’s rank has been appointed as a professor, but there is no one to greet him.
Normally, this would have been a situation where he would have shouted, but after seeing the situation in the newly built Trix building, Senir kept his mouth shut.
There was no one who didn’t look busy.
It was only natural that this huge school was run with only a little more than half of the manpower it had in its heyday.
Claire, who had been promoted to full professor sooner than expected, was crossing the Trix building with wide eyes, holding a bunch of documents in her arms.
Since he was also in charge of personnel affairs, it was Professor Claire’s job to guide Professor Sinir.
“You look very distracted. “I also need to be put into practical work quickly.”
Senir responded politely.
Seeing that seemingly dignified appearance, Professor Claire suddenly burst into tears.
“Senior Professor Sinir… You are a person with common sense… ”
“… yes? “Did I do something?”
“no. Because you respond to a polite apology with polite encouragement… Somehow I feel like crying… Because I wanted to go… ”
How on earth is this person being treated despite holding the title of full professor?
Senir felt that asking for details would only open the wound, so he kept his mouth shut for now.
“Then that one… oh… I see Tracyana student. She has become really reliable. She had grown so much more mature than when she was a student that I almost didn’t recognize her. Well, it’s been 2 years… “People really change quickly.”
“Assistant Professor Claire… No, Professor. “How have you been?”
“How have you been… I can’t even say that with empty words. Normally, during this transition period, there is a lot of work to do. Still, it’s worth doing because it’s all roughly organized. Thank you for your concern, Tracyana. Oh, look at my mind. I’m not a student anymore.
Claire placed a large pile of documents on her work desk and corrected her words.
“Assistant Professor Tracyana.”
While Sinir went to check on his private laboratory, Tracyana followed Professor Claire to receive work instructions.
Professor Claire arrived at the private laboratory, giving various instructions on the way. As soon as she entered, she opened the window and ventilated the room.
Traceiana clicked her tongue as she looked at the number of documents, saying she would have done more than when she was an assistant professor, but not less.
He looks like a no-nonsense child and laments every day. Professor Claire tends to have that image, but in reality, she was carrying out the work of several people on her own.
A lot of my assistant professor skills have disappeared, so I am good at most things now. Even though Anis, the chief assistant, has graduated now, it felt like the speed of work was getting done faster.
“You haven’t been told who your advisor is yet, right? Assistant Professor Tracyana.”
“yes… “I guess you’re Professor Claire?”
“I am no longer in a state where I can take responsibility for anyone… ”
“ah… yes… ”
Traceiana made a sad face as she looked at Professor Claire, who had tears in her eyes.
Professor Claire quickly took out a specific document among the documents, shook it off, and checked its contents.
It seemed to be a list of advisors who would be in charge of assistant professors.
Professor Claire looked at the list for a while and then laughed as if she was embarrassed.
“Ahaha, Assistant Professor Traceiana must be having a bit of a hard time too.”
“yes? “Is my advisor a strict person?”
“no. Rather… ”
Professor Claire turned the document around and showed it to Tracyana.
The name of the professor next to Assistant Professor Tracyana is… It looked familiar.
– ‘Ed Rosstaylor’
“… what?”
“You know the name, right?”
“Obviously, I was in my third year when I graduated… ? why… “Is your name listed as my advisor?”
Professor Claire was wondering where to start to explain, but thought it would be easier to talk about the conclusion first, so she opened her mouth.
“I was appointed as a special professor early this year. A letter of recommendation from Princess Fenia, who was nominated as the next emperor, and a letter from Saint Clarice came in at the same time. As soon as I graduate, I will be appointed as a full professor, and now I plan to be appointed as a senior professor as soon as I accumulate a few years of experience. “If you look at the speed, it looks like you will be the head of the department in just a few years.”
“He’s a senior professor at that age…” ? It’s an unprecedented and unprecedented greeting… ”
“The achievements made at the time of the disaster were remarkable, and in the fields of elemental arts and magical engineering, even the professors achieved achievements beyond words. In addition, he is virtually unrivaled in the field of divine positionology… ”
He is a professor who can cover the fields of elemental science and magic engineering at the same time, and is also a person who can even dabble in aura science.
In addition, his background is noble, and he has charisma to lead the students… From the perspective of an undergraduate student already struggling due to a lack of manpower, he was a talent that they did not want to miss.
As proof, the bachelor caught Ed Ross-Taylor by giving him unprecedented treatment that has never been seen before and will never be done in the future. In addition to what was publicly known, there were also rumors that there were other conditions that were passed on to the Ross-Taylor family behind the scenes at the bachelor’s level.
Although it was just a rumor, there was a lot of talk that much of the real power of Sylvania Academy was transferred to Ross Taylor.
“… ”
Senior professor in his early 20s. When Tracy Ana thought about her position as an assistant professor, she realized the difference.
I understand that even Professor Glast, who was promoted quickly and was the fastest to become a senior professor, was in his late 30s at the time. Even at that time, he was famous for his unconventional greetings.
“Now that someone who was a junior has become my advisor, Assistant Professor Traceiana must be in a bit of an awkward position.”
“no. I don’t really care about that. To begin with, he was the son of a duke and I felt more uncomfortable treating him poorly. but… “I have no idea how the work will be done.”
“Actually, that’s what really worries me. “Professor Ed Rosstaylor is a very unpredictable person.”
“… yes?”
He rose to prominence at an unbelievable rate and quickly became the equal of Professor Claire.
In fact, it was obvious that as time passed, Ed Rosstaylor would rise higher. Equal status may only be temporary. The achievements he had made and the honors that came with them were already famous throughout the empire.
Among the freshmen candidates, many were excited about the fact that they would be able to see Professor Ed Rothtaylor in person when they came to Sylvania. Although Tracy Ana, who had no interest in her teaching, did not know this.
“He handles all the basic tasks neatly, but because he has so much work to do, it’s hard to visit him often. Normally, he doesn’t come out of the private laboratory we set up in the northern forest, but it’s even harder to find him during vacation periods.”
“is it so?”
“There are many times when he even goes out of school… You don’t see me much these days… “Considering that you said earlier that you were going to visit Ross Taylor’s parents’ house during the vacation, he might be there now.”
“No, you’re just walking around like that without even telling me where you’re going?”
“… Still, since you’re doing everything you need to do… I can’t say anything… In the first place, working with great people or extraordinary people is inherently difficult… “Because everyone thinks they are as capable as they are.”
He clearly seemed like a person who was sure about getting things done. In fact, he was that kind of person even when he was a student.
Tracyana rested her chin and thought for a moment. She wondered if she had the wrong advisor… That’s what she thought.
“I already have three documents to hand over, so Assistant Professor Tracyana, please hand them over to me. If you’re not in the Northern Forest Lab… I don’t know where you are either… ”
“Oh, yes… Documents… ”
This is my first assignment since taking office.
Find Ed Rosstaylor and deliver the documents.
“Besides, we also have to prepare for the graduation ceremony for fourth-year students. Since this is the job handled by the youngest professor, it should be seen as Assistant Professor Tracy or Assistant Professor.”
In addition, preparing for the graduation ceremony of current fourth-year students.
“I can do this much work.”
“is it so. That’s great, Assistant Professor Tracyana… ”
Professor Claire felt faint for a moment while looking at Traceiana. This is because he remembered the time when he had just been appointed as the youngest professor and was busy with his work.
Now that I am in a position where I am responsible for all the work, the passage of time is meaningless.
However, this did not mean that his workload decreased.
Traceiana looked through the documents she had received.
“This document… ?”
“This is the work that Professor Ed Rosstaylor will handle during vacation. In fact, you don’t have to do them all, you just have to choose one of the three.”
“is that so?”
“yes. Although they are all important tasks, it is difficult to complete them all during the remaining vacation period. Still, I hope you can definitely complete at least one of the three. “Preferably before the vacation ends.”
Come to think of it, there isn’t much time left until the vacation period. Looking at the academic schedule, school starts right after the new student selection exam is completed and the graduates are sent off.
“I’m sure you’re busy taking care of the new student selection tests, but I hope you’ll still make time to do it.”
“okay… ”
Tracyana opened the first document.
“Pulan… ?”
“Oh, that’s it. Do you know Pulan, the land of pastoralism? “The dairy farm area is spread out widely.”
“yes… ”
“I recently received a call from the undergraduate research team. “The record about ‘Tirkalax,’ the highest-ranking wind spirit who was famous in the past, was cut off there.”
“If it’s Tyrkalax… A giant bear-shaped spirit the size of a mountain ridge… Right?”
“yes. that’s right. In fact, academic research is a task of low importance, but if academic work is not handled on time, the imperial family will inspect it. “We must continue to do the bare minimum of research.”
Professor Claire continued speaking while signing various documents.
“Recently, literature about Tirkalax’s records was discovered in the Pulan region. This is a great discovery in the field of elemental science. “Currently, among the professors of elemental science, the only one who could use his help is Professor Ed, so I’m asking at the academic level if he could go to the Pulan region and look into it if there’s any spare work left.”
“is that so… ”
“Well, it’s not a particularly dangerous job, but just in case, someone with the minimum combat skills should go.”
Tracyana nodded, then took out the other documents that followed.
This time, the documents were more realistic and practical.
“This is… the commercial city of Old Deck… ?”
“yes. That too is probably a business trip request. It’s not academic research, but practical work related to logistics distribution. “It is time to renew distribution negotiations with Elte Trading Company, which is currently in charge of academic logistics.”
“Why is Professor Ed handling this… ?”
“Professor Ed has extensive connections at the top. In addition, I often hear rumors that the situation in Old Deck is unusual these days… “I think the academy hopes that someone trustworthy will appear.”
“Are you saying it’s not that unusual?”
Claire signed the document with a quill pen, then tilted her head as if thinking for a moment.
“Do you know who the current owner of Elte Trading Company is? “That old merchant called Slog Keldlux.”
“It wasn’t Lortel?”
“The Lortel student’s official title was ‘Assistant Manager.’ While Lortel was a student at Sylvania, he needed a face to sit at the table. “To manage the Elte Trading Company head office in Old Deck, an assistant manager position is not enough.”
He joined Lortel and pushed out the Golden King Elte, and held the position of leader until Lortel returned to Sangdo.
“However, there is a rumor that Lortel has been making various avoidance plans to avoid giving up his position as a member of the group even after graduating. “Perhaps he harbors ambitions to reorganize the balance of power in Oldeck.”
“The story of such shady merchants… I’m not used to it… ”
“Me too. What is certain is that Old Deck’s situation is not unusual… “At the very least, it would be better for Professor Ed, who has extensive local contacts, to go directly.”
It was definitely an understandable decision. It would be okay to assign another person in charge, but from the perspective of leading the academic department, it would be better to have someone who can clearly handle the work.
“Then the last document is… ”
“Ah, that’s a request for a business trip to the Rameln Mountains.”
“Why do you have so many places to go on business trips?”
“People who are inherently capable tend to be asked a lot of things. “That’s Scout’s job.”
Tracyana swallowed dry saliva and skimmed through the documents.
“You know a wizard named Zelan the Severer? He is a wizard who participated in the demi-human war with Professor Glast and Professor Kaleid… Recently, it is said that it has been appearing in the Rameln Mountains, following the traces of the archmage Glokt… Looking at the traces of his life or something… ”
“Are you thinking of recruiting this person for a professorship?”
“He is a man of outstanding ability. However, there have been rumors recently that you are very interested in research on aspect magic… I thought the most likely option would be to ask Professor Ed, the highest level magic expert in the academy, for some persuasion. “The bachelor’s department is experiencing a manpower shortage right now, so you’ll definitely want to bring them in.”
“okay. But, should you come and persuade me? ”
“well. In fact, it would be most certain that Principal Obel, who is currently lying in a hospital bed, would go in person, but he is unable to move due to his mobility problems… ”
Professor Claire continued speaking in a regretful voice.
“Another student, Lucy, who is proficient in Aspect magic, left school and stayed at the Rosstaylor Mansion while she recovered her magic… After all, in the end, Professor Ed is the right person.”
Seeker Glast, Outlaw Kaleid, and Slicer Zelan.
Zelan is one of the three wizards who lived during the war era with Obel and is said to have achieved the most remarkable achievements. He was also the party who entrusted the Ain children to Abbot Austin’s Cleric Monastery.
“surely… It’s too tight to handle all three at once. “They are all important things, but…”
“So, if you find Professor Ed, be sure to tell him to pick one thing and deal with it.”
“all right… But how do I actually find Professor Ed? ”
When Tracyana asked that question, Professor Claire smiled and answered.
“It would be quickest to visit the private laboratory in the northern forest. If you are not there, check out the other facilities at the university… If it’s not in Aken Island… Since it is also vacation time… ”
“… ?”
The smile Professor Claire put on with difficulty was somehow ominous.
She quickly took out a piece of paper stuck between the documents and spread it out on the desk.
It was a map that showed the entire empire at a glance.
At that point, Tracyana felt an ominous sensation.
“Ho, maybe… ”
“From here.”
Professor Claire picked the center rim of the empire. The northern end of the Rosstaylor estate managed by matriarch Tanya Rosstaylor.
“So far.”
And all the way to the Barony of Failover, which is attached to the southern end.
“If you stop by, you’ll probably find one here somewhere.”
Tracyana’s face turned pale. If Professor Claire couldn’t find him on Aken Island in the first place, there’s no way Traceiana could have come up with a clever solution.
The first task upon taking office was to ride a carriage to the center of the continent for several days. I wondered what was happening, but I couldn’t help it.
It was the youngest professor’s fate.
