City ​​of Witches 1023

Chapter 1023 – #245_Trial Semester (2)

#1017

1.
Tiferet Manor, North Wing, Lecture Hall 3.

Just because they’re witches doesn’t mean their theory classes are held in special places.
A very ordinary lecture hall with tiered tables arranged in a fan shape around the podium.

Inside, about thirty witches are seated, spaced out appropriately.

Some witches are yawning languidly, but most are looking at the still-empty podium with expectant eyes.
And then, a man enters right on time for the start of class.

Like at the last founding ceremony, he doesn’t put in much effort, yet he exudes his charm with his unique style. It’s Shin Siwoo, the only male witch in Gehenna.

“Class will now begin.”

The Hessed University will exist as an affiliated institution within the Hessed Society.
It was a bold attempt that would essentially become the driving force of the society, but the number of applicants fell short.

When I consulted Sophia about this, she gave a brief diagnosis.

“Isn’t it obvious? The tuition is incredibly expensive. The registration fee is also high.”
“I couldn’t help that… Isn’t it relatively cheap compared to the cost of magical research in general?”

Witches don’t skimp on investing in things that are valuable.
And isn’t the most valuable thing for a witch the advancement of magic?

It wasn’t like I was trying to suck their desires dry and leave a 50% profit margin. The tuition was set within a reasonable range.

“That’s right. You definitely won’t find these conditions anywhere else in Gehenna.”
“Rather, that’s what’s holding us back.”
“You’ve become quite perceptive, haven’t you?”

“Hessed University hasn’t proven anything yet. Even if the tuition seems relatively cheap, they think it’s meaningless if the quality of the classes is poor.”
“Bingo.”

The Hessed Society’s unconventional purpose and founding ideology were conveyed.

But even with the merits of an excellent faculty and relatively low tuition, what if the lectures were mediocre?
For example, what if they kept the really important parts secret and taught at a level that anyone could figure out with a little thought?

They still haven’t completely shed their doubtful gazes.

So, what’s lacking?
Ultimately, it’s results.

“They’re awfully suspicious.”
“Think of it positively. It means the conditions you’ve set are that unconventional.”
“Then, I guess we should move up the trial semester.”

If proof is needed, then we’ll provide it.
The trial semester was originally scheduled to start a month later in the fall.

To be precise, it was a paid beta test to sample the ‘Basic Undergraduate Classes,’ the first-year course of the Hessed Society.

No one had ever created such a full-fledged curriculum for witches, so it was necessary to find areas for improvement.

The professor in charge was Siwoo, who also served as the head of the first department’s undergraduate program, and he was diligently preparing the curriculum.

I wanted to have about a month more leeway, but I couldn’t help it because of the unstable financial situation.

I’d have to use the first half, which was already almost complete, for classes, and complete the second half while teaching.

“Can you do it?”
“I’ll have to stay up for a few nights.”
“Is it that urgent?”
“Well, yes.”

Sophia, who knew how arduous it would be, looked slightly worried.

“Should I lend you money?”
“No, I’m sick of being in debt.”

“Then… do you want to touch my chest? I’m not wearing a bra.”
“I’ll pass, Amelia would get angry.”

I stood on the podium, having rejected Sophia’s temptation.

I’ve had my papers reviewed in front of more witches than this, but I’m still nervous for some reason.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the future of the society’s operation depends on what kind of performance I show to these mere thirty witches.

But at least on the surface, Siwoo was looking around the room with a cool gaze, not showing even the slightest agitation.

“I am Shin Siwoo, the head of the basic undergraduate program and the president of the society. It is a true honor to invite you to the historic first lecture of Hessed University.”

The great witch is probably estimated to be in the 20th rank.
The average rank of the rest is about 18.

No matter how cheap the tuition is compared to the regular semester, it’s clear that there are no so-called ‘successful witches’ who are interested in the imperfect means of a trial semester.

In other words, there were no cases of witches who were already affiliated with famous societies or had strong backing.

It’s actually a good thing.

If these witches truly benefit from the trial semester.
It can prove that the Hessed Society’s founding purpose of being a magical education institution for everyone is fulfilling its role.

“The goal of this class is to thoroughly learn about standardized magical knowledge before entering higher-level classes.”

And so, the class began.

Today’s class topic is basic magic circuit theory.
The detailed topic is the control of transient transformations within a magic circuit.

It’s a lecture on the methodology of rectifying and controlling the noise that inevitably occurs during all magic demonstrations.

Although it’s called ‘basic,’ the profundity and level of the class are far from ‘basic.’

The witches gathered here are also proper scholars who submit papers under their own names, aren’t they?

If I had presented some mediocre content as basic and dragged it out, there might have been witches who would have stormed out and demanded a refund.

But.

“Let’s stop here for now. We’ll take a 10-minute break and move on to the next class.”

In just two hours since the start of class, the blackboard was filled with writing.

The content, quality, and quantity all far exceeded what the students had expected.

It was natural for Siwoo.

The class was based on the magic Siwoo had learned, combined with materials received from the great witch department heads, and presented as a newly created curriculum.

Its perfection was comparable to a top chef using the best ingredients to create the best signature menu.

“Wow…”
“This is insane. I can’t even breathe.”
“My head, my head is about to explode… Heueueung…”
“Why did I only come now…”

But from the students’ perspective, it was not natural at all.

It was like being so hungry that you went to a newly opened all-you-can-eat buffet, only to have a Michelin 3-star chef serve you a course meal.

A wave of countless information that quenched their intellectual thirst.
An enormous amount of nutritious, highly concentrated knowledge was being served up, far too much to cover in just one class.

“Do you have any questions up to this point?”

Siwoo looked around and asked, and several witches raised their hands.
Siwoo had memorized the names, backgrounds, and even the nature magic of all the students before entering the lecture hall, so he immediately called on them.

“Let’s hear Stigma’s question first.”

She was a witch who had been yawning at first, but had been concentrating and taking notes so intently that her cheeks had turned red.
As soon as she was called, she stood up abruptly and asked stiffly.

“You mentioned the limitations of the dualistic approach to noise rectification in part 1-5 of the writing on the board… Could you explain that in more detail?”

“It would take too long to cover that part in a question. I’ll organize the references I used when creating the lecture materials, so please request to view them at the Valentinus Secret Archives. Next.”

“Ah, Society President.”
“Professor is enough.”
“Professor. I… I haven’t obtained access to the Secret Archives yet…”

Stigma caught Siwoo’s words as if she was flustered.
Siwoo responded with a gentle smile and continued the society’s PR.

“Don’t worry. The Hessed Society has a mutual information-sharing agreement with the Secret Archives, so members of the society can freely access them.”

“Ah! Th, thank you!”
“We will announce the detailed application requirements soon.”

A flood of questions and Siwoo’s skillful handling of them.

At first, he had intimidated the witches with his sharp demeanor, but during the question time, he showed a different side of himself.

“In other words, magical dynamic noise is like a debtor. You can postpone the payment date, but if you keep ignoring it, it will definitely come back to collect the debt with nasty interest. You have to catch it early.”

He mixed witty metaphors without obscuring the message and accurately identified the parts that the questioner didn’t know.

“No, that’s an unnecessary process. It’s in the realm of sorcery, not magic. Most magic that isn’t related to symbolic systems doesn’t need to consider those parts.”

He didn’t raise his nose and obscure the main point with pedantic answers, but treated magic as a discipline in itself.

The Q&A session is not just a time to spit out predetermined answers.
Therefore, it’s a time to comprehensively check the professor’s broad knowledge and understanding of the field.

And Shin Siwoo was demonstrating his abilities to the fullest.

Frankly, it also suited Siwoo’s aptitude.

“Hmph.”

After diligently answering most of the students’ questions and about to start the class without a break.

A sharp, dogmatic snort pierced his ears.

It was something I had fully expected.
From the start of the class until the question time just now, there was a troublemaker who hadn’t shown any interest in the class content.

It was Aria Sparrow, the only great witch who had applied for this trial semester class.

She had been sitting with her legs crossed, arms folded, not writing a single word, and pouting her lips, but I didn’t particularly care.
From the start, I didn’t care about the class attitude of a troublemaker who had decided to be difficult.

“I have a question too.”
“Please, go ahead.”

So, she got angry for the first time because she didn’t get any attention, and then she got angry for the second time when I didn’t take her seriously when she asked a question in a sharp voice.

“Of course, the excellent lecture is also interesting, but I’m also curious about Society President Shin Siwoo’s love life. There was even an article about it, is everything okay?”

There are plenty of witches who dislike Siwoo and the Hessed Society.

This delinquent great witch is probably just a free and idle person who paid a small amount of money to disrupt the class atmosphere or to humiliate Siwoo.
Or maybe she was hired by someone.

And I’ll be facing witches like this often in the future.

Still, since she’s a great witch, the model students around her can’t express their dissatisfaction right now.

-Step, step, step

Siwoo, who had come down from the podium, headed straight for the delinquent student.
It was a stride that didn’t hide his hostility, and at the same time, didn’t shrink back at all.

The delinquent student was engulfed in Siwoo’s shadow while still sitting.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but she arrogantly raised her chin and didn’t avoid the staring contest.

“If that’s really a question, say it again.”

Let’s ask here.

If the person standing on the podium wasn’t Shin Siwoo, but other witches.
Would she have been able to act like this?

Absolutely not.

A pushover is treated like a pushover for life.
It’s ironic, but the world is such that the more bad-tempered you are, the better you’re treated.

“If I may offer some advice, it’s best to think carefully before asking questions during class.”

Shouldn’t I set an example once?