Ch.142Chapter 142

The second-year classroom was bustling. This was a mandatory major course for anyone who entered the department studying Demon Gods. Since no one could escape our Professor’s lecture, everyone was trying their best to focus.

Unlike Karen who wore blue-colored clothes, outfits combining red and white colors caught my eye.

Since there weren’t any second-year students coming to the Professor’s research lab, these colors felt somewhat unfamiliar to me.

It made sense that I’d gotten used to black and white, since third-years and people from the Research Building tended to dress in more neutral colors.

I sat next to Iris, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. Ouro sat in the seat closest to the Professor, right in the middle of the front row.

Just as the lecture was about to begin, Iris casually struck up a conversation.

“Ourr, have you been well?”

“Yeah, I’ve been good. How about you, Iris?”

“I’ve just been studying. They say we should start thinking about graduation thesis topics soon.”

“What do you want to do, Iris?”

Unlike other friends, Iris didn’t have many opportunities to chat except through messaging, so we hadn’t really had the chance to discuss personal matters like career paths and future plans.

We didn’t have the opportunity before, but I could ask now.

“I… I think I’m done with studying and want to get a job…”

Come to think of it, Iris had been lukewarm about the study group too.

Judging by her comment about being done with studying, it seemed like she was finding her studies difficult. Or maybe she was simply tired of it.

“A job?”

“Yes, a job. People say it’s better to get a master’s or doctorate once you’ve made it to the Academy, but I’m not sure. I lack confidence, I guess…”

“Hmm, for example?”

Being around the Professor, I knew the curriculum to some extent. But I didn’t know everything.

Even though I followed the Professor around, I couldn’t see everything, and even if I did, it didn’t mean I could understand it all.

But I figured Iris, who had lived here for nearly 20 years and was directly involved in academics, would know well, so I asked.

Iris tapped her pen and explained to me.

“If you were to attend school, you’d have to start from the beginning, right?”

“Eh, is that so?”

“You didn’t go to elementary school, right?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then let’s imagine you starting from elementary school.”

I nodded at Iris’s explanation.

“Six years of elementary school, then another six years of middle and high school. Usually, people get jobs after these 12 years of education, but only those who want to study more come to the Academy.”

“So that’s three years?”

“Right. Three years. But typically, people who come to the Academy say they’ll do master’s and doctoral degrees, which is at least another four years. And if they’re a bit slower, some might take nearly ten more years. So I wonder if I should dive into that…”

Master’s and doctoral degrees, two years each, making four years. But it wasn’t a guaranteed four years; it was a minimum of four years, which seemed daunting.

It’s hard enough to postpone things day by day, let alone thinking about graduation being delayed by years.

“Is this just for graduation?”

“Yes. For this, you just need to submit a graduation thesis or project to graduate.”

Iris smiled bitterly.

It seemed like she just wanted to do something definite right now.

If time was precious, I could understand the hesitation about moving to the next step. If you don’t want to study more and are uncertain about graduating properly in the next degree program, it might be right to stop.

“Can you get a job easily with just an Academy degree?”

“Sure! It’s better than just having a high school diploma… though getting a doctoral degree would definitely pay better.”

Seeing Iris chuckle, I found myself nodding.

Everyone has their own thoughts about their career and future, and they all take different forms.

So what would I want to do in the future? What would I live for? It’s not that students who stay at the Academy to study don’t think about the future, but somehow, this different perspective made me think differently without even realizing it.

Is it right to just follow the Professor and attend the Academy?

For now, since friends were talking about attending graduate school after graduation, it didn’t really hit me.

But if I don’t go to graduate school, or even if I graduate from there, I might end up being the only one left at the Academy, which made me a bit worried.

The Professor won’t attend the Academy forever either… so there will come a time when I can’t go to the Academy. Definitely.

What can I do in the future? What will I do? Will there ever come a day when I achieve something on my own? Everything costs money, from eating to sleeping, and is it right for me to be in a situation where I’d have to return to the mountains if I don’t receive help from the Professor?

Questions upon questions arose.

“Does Iris want to earn money?”

“Hmm. I guess I need to, for now?”

“Do people work just to earn money?”

“Well? Money might be the goal for some, but others might see it as secondary.”

So it wasn’t just about working to survive.

As I stared at Iris, she continued her explanation.

“People who want to live in better houses or eat tastier food work to earn money. But even if that’s not the case, some people earn money for a minimal lifestyle and then do what they want.”

“Is it okay to earn less money then?”

“If that makes you happy? Of course, it shouldn’t be too little, but an adequate amount.”

“I see…”

I responded absentmindedly. After all, not everyone chooses the same profession, and each person stops somewhere to find a job they’re satisfied with.

I don’t know if everyone chose the profession they wanted, but striving for it every day isn’t strange. It might even be natural.

“What kind of job does Iris want? Where can you go with a Demon God department degree?”

This was a major lecture for the Demon God Research Department. Iris was also a student in the Demon God Research Department.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine where someone who researched Demon Gods would get a job. I assumed everyone had looked into it to some extent, so I asked.

Iris seemed to think for a moment before wiggling her finger.

“I think you’d more likely see them in public institutions rather than private companies. Most Demon God-related work is handled by them.”

“Eh, that sounds difficult…”

“It is~ But there’s no choice. I’ve already spent three years in the Demon God Research Department…”

I paused for a moment.

“Why did you choose the Demon God Research Department in the first place?”

I became curious. The career paths for the Demon God Research Department weren’t that diverse, so why specifically choose it?

Other departments had various applications and could lead to jobs in simple companies, but the Demon God Research Department didn’t have many distinctive features, making it not very helpful for entering companies unless it was for research.

So what were the thoughts of those who chose the Demon God Research Department? I couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

Iris thought for a moment and then smiled awkwardly.

“I wonder… why did I choose this department? At first, I wanted to research diligently, and there was that feeling of studying a life form not yet well-known to the world. But now it feels like everything has already been researched, and there’s no place for me to step in.”

“Ah…”

“At this rate, thesis topics will overlap so much that they’ll all be rejected.”

Ah, I see.

Looking at it this way, diving into research didn’t seem all that appealing.

Everyone wants to study more and research, but the problem is that you need to come up with something that differentiates you from others.

That’s not an easy task, and Iris, having realized this early on, quickly backed out.

“Oh, by the way, Ourr.”

“Yes?”

I was nodding and organizing what I had just heard in my head when she suddenly called out to me. Wondering what was up, I glanced over and saw the Professor standing at the podium, preparing for the lecture.

I turned my gaze as Iris seemed to be pointing in that direction. But her finger didn’t stop there; it made a circular motion.

“I don’t want to trigger any trauma or anything, but I just wanted to let you know so you could feel at ease. That boy from before is on leave, so he won’t be here.”

“Oh, really?”

I was surprised. When she mentioned “that boy,” I briefly thought of someone, and the moment I recalled, I felt my body tremble.

It wasn’t exactly trauma. It was painful, but it wasn’t to the point where coming to the Academy was burdensome, so it didn’t matter much.

Of course, meeting the person again would be a different story.

“I just wanted you to come with peace of mind. I want to be close friends with you, Ourr.”

Iris said that with a bright smile.

After that, the Professor’s voice calling attendance followed.