Ch.329I’ll Become a Professor (7)

“Did your Callisto interview go well?”

“Yeah.”

When I returned from the east, my two wives welcomed me warmly.

Actually, their expressions weren’t entirely welcoming.

“You didn’t come back covered in Pron, did you?”

“No strange person tried to harm you, right?”

Half welcome, half worry.

It was a natural reaction. I had visited a restricted area, after all.

“Well, I don’t seem to have any unusual symptoms.”

Rustila leaned against me while massaging my shoulders.

Zernya also frowned before burying herself in my arms. It had been a while since I felt the warmth of my two wives. As I stroked Zernya’s hair, she looked up and asked.

“What’s your next interview schedule?”

“Iryuel is next week, on the holiday.”

“They asked you to come on a holiday?”

“The schedule was suddenly moved up.”

Callisto had already announced they would release acceptance results within two weeks. Universities don’t usually rush administrative matters like this.

“Why are they in such a hurry?”

“It’s about talent acquisition. If applicants who get accepted to Callisto don’t go to other school interviews, those schools lose out.”

While students are “selected,” professor candidates are more like being “courted.” Apparently, in times like now when foreign gods are rampant, the schools cover all travel expenses and even security costs.

“I can hear the administrative staff dying from here.”

“Anyway, that’s how it is.”

The schedule seems like it will end faster than expected.

Zernya checked the calendar and raised the corner of her mouth.

“I’m free next week on the holiday too.”

“Oh, me too.”

“Should we all go together? Since the west is also dangerous, we can leave the kids with your parents.”

“…By that logic, we should bring Ireh unnie too.”

Rustila and Zernya glared at each other. They both sighed deeply at the same time.

“I guess we should bring Ireh unnie too, right?”

“We have no choice. The west has terrorist attacks every other day. And it’s close to the foreign gods’ stronghold. We need the Great Triangle effect.”

“Wait, I’ll contact her.”

The conclusion was reached quickly.

Rustila, Zernya, Sonia. And now Ireh too.

My wives and my future first graduate student decided to take a 2-night, 3-day trip to the west. Of course, we could do it in a day, but since it was a holiday, we booked a hotel to refresh ourselves.

“Damn these women. Am I just a house dog?”

Cartesia complained.

“This won’t do.”

The night before departure, Cartesia brought out her tentacles and tormented me thoroughly.

As days passed, various types of tentacles appeared, one of which could reduce sexual desire with a single slap.

“I’m confiscating your testosterone, kid.”

“Please, Cartesia.”

“If you don’t want female hormones coming out of your body too, you’d better leave quietly.”

Who called her a constellation? Cartesia was still a foreign god. Her skill at toying with people had reached artistic levels.

Anyway, I boarded the shuttle to Iryuel with the penalty of… reduced sexual desire.

And I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable during the journey.

Why?

“Ireh unnie, that seat next to Eidel is mine.”

“Ah, sorry…”

Because of guilt.

That day, when Ireh suddenly confessed, I lost my reason and ended up exploring her lips of my own volition. Even though neither of us was under a foreign god’s curse.

Looking back, it was a deadly mistake.

Despite having two, no, now three wives, I committed adultery again.

“Haah…”

Thinking about it, I can’t look my wives in the eye.

How did I end up in this situation?

“…”

“…”

When I slightly raised my head, I saw Sonia staring at me.

She smiled mischievously.

“Please make me your graduate student. Until when? Forever.”

“Be quiet…!”

***

Billord and Eidel met again at Iryuel Academy.

“We meet again.”

“Indeed.”

Billord slightly frowned.

‘He seems less energetic than before.’

His face was immersed in worry. He seemed to have some major concern.

Not that it was any of Billord’s business. If Eidel was in poor condition, that was actually good for Billord.

“Let’s do our best in this interview too.”

Though he offered words of encouragement, his true feelings were the opposite.

He had lost the attention of professors he’d known for a long time at his alma mater, Callisto. He must avenge that humiliation.

‘With this power I received from Renatus… I’ll control the professors’ minds.’

This was Iryuel Academy.

What kind of place was Iryuel’s Physics Department?

‘A place full of monsters.’

Monsters.

A compound word of professor and monster, referring to those who treat graduate students like actual slaves. These monsters could be called true teachers in that they physically demonstrate that academic ability and character are separate matters.

‘I’ve thoroughly checked all graduate school info sites. The professors here are strict. There will definitely be pressure interviews.’

He would manipulate the level of pressure in those interviews. Make it harder for other applicants, and easier for himself.

With the power of a foreign god, it was entirely possible.

Shortly after, a blonde female professor with a full stomach entered, sighing repeatedly.

“Please take your seats.”

The fatigue in her voice suggested her personality wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Billord knew who this professor was.

‘Callis Stranov.’

Though he had never met her directly, she was quite famous.

Mostly in a negative way.

She was known for squeezing the lifeblood out of graduate students to produce results, and she would never let students graduate if they weren’t proficient in theory, process, and analysis.

And that wasn’t all.

He wasn’t sure about now, but before she got married, she was often evaluated as having a terrible personality.

The only concerning thing was that Professor Stranov and Eidel had co-authored a paper together, but this was actually an opportunity for Billord.

If a professor who was close enough to collaborate with Eidel applied sharp pressure to him, the feeling would be indescribably embarrassing.

‘I’ll break Eidel von Rheinland’s mental state.’

Then other professors entered as well.

“We’ll begin the interview now.”

Now was the time.

[— Using <Mind Control>.]

[— Warning. Cannot be used!]

‘…What?’

Cannot be used?

That’s impossible.

While Billord was bewildered, the interviewers took turns grilling the dozen or so applicants. Eventually, it was Billord’s turn.

“When you introduce yourself, please also mention your main research field and the subject you’re most confident in teaching.”

“I am Billord von Leblen. I majored in physics and mathematics at Callisto Academy, and my research field is overlapping field theory. Quantum theory, field dynamics…”

“Don’t you work on foreign god physics?”

“Pardon?”

“In times like these, it would be good to include foreign god physics in your research topics. Do you have any related experience or know-how?”

“I’ve purely focused on field quantization, so that area…”

“Do you work on AdS/CFT?”

“Yes, I learned that when studying black hole theory. I’ve also dabbled in higher-dimensional theory.”

“Tsk, tsk. This doesn’t seem to match our academic style.”

Billord was flustered.

“That’s theory, but have you done anything on the experimental side?”

“No, apart from taking common courses during undergraduate studies… but if I set up a lab, I plan to collaborate with experimental professors.”

“In what field?”

“Foreign god physics.”

“Do you have any specific projects planned?”

He was at a loss for words. Of course, he had nothing on the experimental side.

Do theorists these days need to be good at experiments too?

He answered as best he could, but the questions kept coming one after another.

“What experimental equipment would you need in your lab for that research, and are you properly aware of the scale of government funding available to our academy?”

“If government support funds are insufficient, wouldn’t you need to write a proposal to the Research Foundation? Imagine you’re presenting a proposal and suggest it here. I’ll cut you off after three minutes.”

“Are there professors at our school with whom you could collaborate in that research field?”

He was completely overwhelmed.

Unlike the comfortable atmosphere at Callisto, Iryuel’s interviewers were strict, solemn, and deadly serious. Feeling drained, Billord cursed inwardly.

[— Attempting to apply <Mind Control> effect again.]

[— Notice. Impossible!]

‘Why on earth!’

[— Notice. ‘Great Triangle’ is in effect.]

‘Great Triangle…? What’s that?’

[— ‘Great Triangle’ is an effect resulting from collaboration between constellations corresponding to Vega, Deneb, and Altair. It neutralizes mental attacks by foreign gods within its range of effect.]

Damn status window, no.

Damn foreign gods!

Billord ground his teeth and got through the interview. From the middle, he gave completely perfunctory answers, resulting in unfavorable looks from the professors.

Billord’s gaze turned to Eidel. He was facing Professor Stranov’s barrage of questions.

“What would you like to do first if you set up a lab at our school?”

“I would like to collaborate with Professors Stranov, Wiegent, and Alazima to create a device that controls black holes using gravitons. It will basically require a budget of over 500 trillion.”

“Where would you get that budget?”

“From the government, and from companies like Stronium. I’ve already spoken with the government. Support is confirmed, but it’s difficult to expect subsidies of more than 100 trillion, so corporate support is essential.”

“Even Megacorp would only move if there’s economic utility.”

“Of course there is utility. Previously, similar to nuclear fusion, a theory was proposed to obtain energy by colliding two small black holes. Research on black holes using gravitons is closely related to this. If successful, we would have an energy source that surpasses nuclear fusion.”

“You’re saying it has investment value.”

Billord’s eyes suddenly grew as big as saucers.

What on earth was this?

Professor Stranov, who had clearly been wearing a vicious expression when she entered, was now smiling like someone in love.

No, it wasn’t just her.

The other four professors were smiling the same way. Their grinning faces looked almost hypnotized.

‘He must have a contracted foreign god too. Could this be that foreign god’s ability?’

In fact, that couldn’t be the case.

Hadn’t they said techniques couldn’t be used because of something called the Great Triangle?

‘No way.’

A sliver of possibility flashed through his mind.

‘If this Great Triangle or whatever was intended by him…’

***

“The interview is now concluded. Thank you for your time.”

With this, Iryuel is also finished. Now only Stellarium remains.

This time too, all familiar professors—ones I’ve collaborated with at least once—came in, so the interview itself ended without much difficulty. In this field, the community is so small that if you extend your reach a little, you become acquaintances through just one connection.

“Whew.”

I feel stiff from sitting so long.

Trudge, trudge.

The exhausted applicants left the room first. Since I was sitting at the very back, I was waiting for them all to leave before I would go.

But then.

Right after the other applicants had ebbed away like the tide, the five interviewers, including Professor Stranov, came up to me and whispered in my ear.

“Do you have a moment?”