Chapter 845 – #176_논문(4)
#839
1.
The one-on-one tutoring session with Baron Moirety, which had started in the morning, finally ended around evening.
I had received an expensive gift, and while I had no intention of slacking off, it still took longer than expected.
Baron Moirety offered a polite handshake with a gentle smile.
“It was a truly dreamlike… no, a satisfying time.”
“I also leave with great enlightenment. I was impressed by Baron Moirety’s profound insight.”
It was indeed a satisfying time for Siwoo as well.
This tutoring session wasn’t just a one-sided transfer of knowledge.
Until the morning, Siwoo had been teaching the Baron, who couldn’t understand.
But was she really a great witch?
After learning the core points necessary to understand the thesis, Baron Moirety began asking sharp questions from the afternoon.
To answer those questions, Siwoo also had to use her brain, and she even approached things from new perspectives she hadn’t considered before.
While she easily resolved her questions, it became a time of technical exchange where she got the best of both worlds.
“I’ll escort you to your carriage.”
Siwoo tried to see Baron Moirety off, recalling the etiquette lessons she had been taking from time to time, but the Baron seemed to hesitate.
Then, as if chased by the awkward silence, she spoke.
“Um, would you like to have dinner together?”
“Pardon? Ah, is there something you still don’t understand?”
“No, it’s not that. But I’d like to talk more with Mr. Shin Siwoo. About your values regarding magic… Ah, by the way, our mansion’s chef is very skilled.”
Based on her part-time experience at Takasho’s host bar, she roughly got the gist of it.
It was a request for an outing.
She was used to politely refusing about 100 times.
Rather, if you shrink back and apologize, witches think, ‘Does she think she can look down on me?’
So, she rolled up her sleeves, pretended to look at her watch, and smiled casually.
“I’m honored by the invitation. But unfortunately, my schedule is completely booked after dinner.”
Since there are many witches who are awake 24 hours a day, it wasn’t a flimsy excuse.
Moirety, who accepted the refusal appropriately, frowned as if she was disappointed.
“Here’s my business card. I’d appreciate it if you contacted me later. If the opportunity arises, I’d like to conduct joint research as well.”
“Of course. If there’s ever a need, I’ll contact you first.”
After escorting her to the carriage.
Siwoo opened the jewelry box that Moirety had given her.
A bright red core shining on the white cushioning material, where the ruby’s red glow could be easily identified.
She held it up to the lamp, and it was about the size of a grain of millet.
“This is worth 1,000 gold coins at auction?”
She was still in disbelief.
It wasn’t like she had exclusively transferred knowledge.
Even though it took longer than expected, the price for a mere 12-hour lesson was about 800 million won.
Converted to an hourly wage, it was a part-time job worth 66.66 million won.
“If I had known it would be this easy, I would have done it sooner.”
Of course, as she had heard from Baron Moirety, there was a good reason why Siwoo’s thesis was receiving such explosive attention.
It had high clinical utility from the theoretical stage and presented magic that many witches needed.
Therefore, the value of the ‘gift’ was also much higher than usual.
In other words, there was no guarantee that she could make as much money as this by writing another thesis.
Still, it was good that the opportunity had come.
Siwoo decided to make her wallet thick with this opportunity.
“I need to pay off my debt and prepare plenty of gifts for the upcoming harvest festival. I’ve hit the jackpot, I’ve hit the jackpot.”
2.
The reactions to the male witch’s thesis varied from witch to witch.
The first group was the type that immediately went to Shin Siwoo, gave gifts, and sought guidance.
Either they had fields of research they were already working on and thought it was a waste of time to dedicate time to other research.
Or they were wealthy enough to afford the expense.
Or they were witches who were eager to use the Gnosis’s egg perfectly right away.
Thanks to that, Siwoo was temporarily employed as a top magic instructor, teaching all day long, instead of being an unemployed bum who only did magic research.
Trinity Academy, which had published a good thesis in an academic journal, gladly lent her classrooms and experimental materials.
It was a time when she could confirm the witches’ passion for magic with material indicators.
‘It’s the business rights for the shopping district in Lenormand Town.’
‘This artifact, it’s an antique, but it has enough historical value.’
‘It’s a blank check written in my name. You can write down the amount you want and submit it to the vault bank.’
‘It’s a bond issued by Count Adonai.’
‘A land deed for the field near Tarot Town, deal?’
‘I picked up a gold bar on the way.’
Perhaps because rumors had spread since Baron Moirety had left, everyone brought gifts worth about 700 to 1,000 gold coins.
In less than a week, she had collected more than half of the money she owed her mother-in-law, which was a truly unrealistic income.
When she asked her mother-in-law how witches had so much money, she replied…
‘It’s unlikely, but if all the witches’ assets were transparently disclosed… at least half of the world’s top 100 richest people would be women, you know?’
And the second group was the witches who grabbed Siwoo’s thesis and clung to it until the end.
In fact, this side was overwhelmingly larger in absolute numbers and proportions.
‘I won’t sleep until I solve it.’
‘This is igniting my competitive spirit.’
‘Kieeeek!!!’
It wasn’t purely a financial issue.
Witches are creatures with immense pride and obsession with magic.
They refused to be spoon-fed and were determined to spend about a year on it, using the infinite time they were given.
Either way, this much was certain.
Shin Siwoo, who was already famous, became even more famous, to the point where there wasn’t a witch in Gehenna who hadn’t heard of his name.
Not as an irregular with research and possession value, but as a ‘scholar.’
Not only in the Red Roof Salon, but also in other small salons, cafes, bars, research buildings, and small research groups, his research achievements were the talk of the town.
Some predicted that his thesis would raise the average hierarchy of Gehenna by about 0.1, and others praised it as an achievement comparable to Count Yesod’s field theory.
But where there is light, there is also shadow.
Jealousy and resentment towards the achievements of others exist in all times and places.
Moreover, quite a few witches expressed doubts about the fact that a human who had not even been a witch for 10 years had achieved such a feat.
The witch supremacist view that saw humans as inferior to witches also played a part.
At Baron Demer’s private salon.
The witches gathered here also had dissatisfied expressions.
“Is this really something that guy did?”
“No matter how I look at it, something’s strange…”
“It’s a fictional theory that can’t be proven in the first place, you know?”
“Even if it’s not that, he has so many patrons. Baron Demer?”
Baron Demer, who was lying down with his body stretched out, took a puff of his pipe and nodded.
“That’s right, there are too many ways he could have gotten help, right?”
“But there are rumors that some witches have visited his home… If it’s not a theory he created himself, would he be able to explain it properly?”
The witch lying next to him tilted her head and asked.
“Of course, if he had any sense, he would have prepared a manual and made them memorize it. The House of Geminai is keeping quiet because they’re worried about their reputation, but there are also rumors that everyone is dissatisfied with the home visits that have yielded no results.”
“I knew it.”
The witches nodded in agreement with Baron Demer’s assertion.
It was more realistic to think that he was a fake genius manipulated by Geminai’s power than a sudden, unprecedented genius.
They were too busy admiring the amazing results right now, but as time passed, seeds of doubt would sprout.
“……”
Baron Demer pondered for a while and came up with a good, interesting idea.
It was an idea that could screw over the arrogant Count Geminai.
“Lisienne, I’d like to talk to you alone for a moment.”
“Yes, Baron.”
It was uncomfortable to openly oppose Count Albireo.
So, what if he created an issue that many witches would be interested in, and wielded the power of public institutions under the pretext of public interest?
“Lisienne, you were a librarian at the Secretary’s Office, right?”
“That’s right.”
The Secretary’s Office not only collects and stores theses, but also serves as a review body for various academic materials.
While it does not directly involve itself in the publication of theses, it does monitor misconduct.
If issues such as falsification of experimental data, alteration of experimental values to desired values, or plagiarism of other people’s research materials are raised, a ‘research misconduct audit’ is opened.
If a problem is confirmed through the procedure, the publishing institution is advised to withdraw the publication.
It was just an advice, but there was no institution that did not follow it.
The higher the bird flies, the longer it falls.
If it was revealed that a thesis that had caused such a sensation had actually violated research ethics, the backlash would be significant.
Count Albireo wouldn’t be able to show his face at the salon for a while because his face would be burning.
It goes without saying that all the theses that Shin Siwoo would publish in the future would be rejected.
“Could it be…”
“Lisienne, that male witch’s misconduct is an act that undermines intellectual integrity. Shouldn’t someone correct it?”
“It’s not certain yet… As you know, the head librarian is someone who doesn’t compromise.”
Lisienne looked troubled.
As a librarian at the Secretary’s Office, it wasn’t difficult to request a research misconduct audit.
But Head Librarian Metis was someone who was not swayed by any pressure or persuasion.
She would answer in a monotonous voice, ‘Oh, really? Let’s see,’ and then she would tenaciously uncover the truth.
If it was determined that there was no problem, Lisienne would be highly likely to become a false accuser who had slandered Shin Siwoo.
It was like she was challenging him without any clear evidence, saying, ‘Is this really something you wrote?’
“Lisienne, are you doubting my judgment?”
“It’s not that, but…”
“There won’t be any problems. Instead, I’ll forgive all the back interest you owe me.”
But Lisienne, who owed Baron Demer a large sum of money due to research funding issues, had no justification to refuse the request.
The words that he would forgive all the back interest meant that if she refused, he would collect all the interest that had been postponed.
If that happened, she would go bankrupt.
She wouldn’t be able to pay the central city taxes and would be kicked out.
“You’re doing a good thing. It’ll definitely go well.”
Lisienne reluctantly nodded at Baron Demer’s touch on her shoulder.
“Yes, I’ll try to request an audit…”
