Ch.160Chapter 160
by fnovelpia
I entered the third year, now facing graduation from the Academy. Three years isn’t a short time, but having graduation right around the corner gave me mixed feelings.
It was funny how I spent three years studying in the Magic Composition Department with Aria, only to switch to Demon God research at the end.
I still couldn’t help but laugh remembering how Ourr used to follow me around saying, “Sera, Sera.” Honestly, it seemed like Ourr wanted me to enter graduate school so we could spend more time together, and I couldn’t resist.
This was a confirmed advancement.
Most people who enter the Academy are prepared to dedicate at least seven years to their studies.
Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate. The shortest path takes seven years. With frequent delays of a year each, there were plenty who comfortably attended for ten years, which made many hesitant.
Those without such determination don’t dream of entering the Academy. There’s no need to be fixated on it since you can find employment without necessarily attending the Academy.
While most approach it with such determination, I took a more casual approach.
My family had money. I started studying simply because I wanted to learn interesting things.
So I didn’t need to feel pressured. I figured I could treat graduate school as a hobby too. Since my enjoyment usually led to good grades, I believed I could succeed.
‘You can’t just enter without purpose. You need a goal.’
Professor Yuria disliked people pursuing education as a hobby. I supposed she meant that while good grades were important, passion was necessary too.
The thought and motivation that you must do this need to persist for you to move forward.
Setting other things aside, I needed to understand the types of students trying to enter the Academy’s Demon God Research Department under Professor Yuria.
There were two kinds.
First were those who saw Professor Yuria as a senior “Demon God Slayer” and followed her. Most joined the research to meet the conditions for becoming a “Demon God Slayer” or to learn how to kill Demon Gods.
The second type was interested in creating “Originals.” Creating an Original was an achievement comparable to winning an award. Most approached the professor to borrow her knowledge to achieve this honor.
Professor Yuria was an extraordinary person.
Becoming a professor at a young age and achieving such accomplishments—how many could follow in her footsteps? Few could be placed on the same level.
The honor of being a “Demon God Slayer,” the prestige of being an “Original Owner,” and simultaneously continuing research while teaching students.
She was admired by both teachers and students alike.
But to me, she seemed unfortunate.
Research on Demon Gods appeared aimed at sharpening blades against them. Even magic research seemed like a byproduct of efforts to kill Demon Gods, nothing particularly grand.
Currently, Professor Yuria seemed to want to show that there are different kinds of Demon Gods. She often paraded around the Academy with Ourr and Ouro, whom she didn’t necessarily need to bring along, which confirmed my intuition.
But Demon Gods were already seen as public enemies.
There were already those who harbored resentment toward Demon Gods. While beings like Ourr and Ouro weren’t the same as Demon Gods, damage caused by Demon Gods had occurred multiple times.
Those incidents couldn’t be undone.
In the end, things wouldn’t go exactly as Professor Yuria wished.
The Demon God Research Department would be filled with people who resented Demon Gods or wanted to kill them simply for honor. If not that, they would be those who wanted to create their own Originals, even if it meant using Demon Gods.
So I had no choice but to tell them.
That beings like Ourr and Ouro exist too. Perhaps looking at Demon Gods in a more positive light would lead to a better future.
Not just for me, but for Ourr and Ouro too.
Not as “extermination targets.”
Not as “research subjects.”
But simply as friends.
“Hello! Oh, is it exam period now? Should I not come in?”
I knocked on the door out of habit, and Ourr opened it as usual.
After entering, I suddenly remembered it was exam period and took a step back.
“Oh.”
Ourr, who had opened the door without thinking, tilted her head with a puzzled expression, wondering, “Should I not open the door during exam period?”
I wished I had just gone to the study group room as usual.
No, there was a clear reason why I came here instead of going there. For a moment, guilt and confusion almost made me forget my original purpose.
“Seri.”
“It’s Sera, you dummy.”
“One.”
“That’s mine, I tell you! I was just about to eat it!”
Meanwhile, Ouro remembered my name. I was happy that she remembered about 90% of it correctly.
When Ourr pointed it out, Ouro nonchalantly popped a snack from Ourr’s seat into her mouth. Seeing one cheek bulging out, Ourr put her hand on Ouro’s cheek in alarm.
“Spit it out, it’s mine.”
“Mmmmph!”
“Spit it out, I said spit it out.”
As Ourr persistently attacked Ouro’s mouth, Ouro’s expression began to contort.
At first, she seemed to evade well by moving her face around, but there seemed to be a limit to that, and she was about to be caught and forced to spit it out.
“Keck.”
“You greedy thing. You ate all five yesterday!”
Ourr said this to Ouro and then popped the snack that had fallen on the table into her own mouth.
What did I just witness?
“Keck! Kack! So rough…!”
“Oh my, what’s happening? Ourr!”
Ouro was caught and started coughing repeatedly, and the professor jumped up from her seat and rushed over in surprise.
Ourr, startled by the professor suddenly rushing over, looked at her with wide eyes. Then she blurted out something like an explanation.
“Ouro took mine so I was teaching her a lesson…!”
“You still shouldn’t do that. Are you okay, Ouro? You ate all five yesterday, how could you covet Ourr’s too?”
The professor skillfully mediated.
She gave a simple scolding, perhaps thinking Ourr’s actions were somewhat justified, or trying not to make her feel bad since she was already the victim of theft.
She mixed concern with gentle reprimand for Ouro, who had been forcibly robbed of what was in her mouth.
Ouro, who had been groaning softly, looked at the professor and then pointed at Ourr.
“I didn’t think she would take food that way…”
“Ourr didn’t eat any yesterday. She was trying to eat what she had saved, but Ourr, you should have told the professor first instead of taking it like that. Someone could have gotten hurt.”
“Okaaay.”
I had come to ask about graduate school admission, but what was happening? The situation was so sudden that I felt confused.
After observing the situation settle down a bit, I finally spoke up.
“Um, Professor. I actually came to talk about graduate school admission.”
“Ah, graduate school? It’s good to decide before graduation. But you need to know what you want to do. Have you decided?”
A specific goal would be better than a vague one.
There must be many who want to research under Professor Yuria. I would need to show a clearer goal than others to compete successfully for admission.
“Yes, I have.”
“May I hear it?”
To kill Demon Gods and get tips on working as a “Demon God Slayer”? That wasn’t it. I had no feelings of resentment, nor did I want to kill anything.
To research Demon God magic to contribute to magic composition? I did enter the Magic Composition Department, but now my study and research interests had changed.
It wasn’t the typical goal others might have.
It might sound grand, but probably not as grand as those two goals.
But it was the path I had chosen. My feelings over these three years pointed in one direction.
“I want to research Demon Gods. And I want to become friends with them.”
“…Are you entering because of Ourr and Ouro?”
“Yes. I want to spend more time with them. And I’d like to see more people we can talk with. I want to inform others too, so that past incidents don’t repeat.”
The professor looked surprised at my answer.
Then she smiled and replied.
“Alright. Even if we’re full, I’ll give you priority. Come to me when the application period begins.”
“Thank you.”
I was worried she might challenge me with something like “You’re just coming to see Ourr and Ouro?” but I was relieved that wasn’t the case.
I replaced my feeling of relief with joy.
“Wow, we’ll see Sera at graduate school next year too?”
“Sera.”
“Yes, Sera. Since I got it right, I’ll give you one of these.”
“Give it back.”
“The one in my mouth is already chewed, so no! Eat this one instead.”
Meanwhile, the two were still squabbling over the snack that was still in Ouro’s mouth.
Indeed, it seemed impossible for anyone to harbor resentment toward these two.
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