Chapter 355 – #77_Home Tutor (5)
#353
1.
The moment the victory or defeat was decided.
A cold silence flowed over the table.
“……”
Diana didn’t throw a tantrum.
She didn’t even say a word.
She was just staring at the game board, where the outcome was already decided, with her unique blank gaze.
Only then did Siwoo realize, ‘Oops.’
Did I provoke her too much?
Should I have just won by a narrow margin so as not to trample on Diana’s pride?
There was no other option anyway.
I didn’t know how sincere Diana’s words were, but if I had lost this game, I would have been fired tomorrow morning.
Moreover, since it was a match that I had barely won by gently scratching Diana’s pride, the probability of that happening was even higher.
But there are many ways to win a game.
What Siwoo had done was like getting hit until you were about to die, then unleashing a full combo at the end of the game and completely overwhelming her.
Diana seemed to be very proud of this game, but I wondered if I might have not only scratched her pride but completely shattered it.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, Lady Diana.”
“You haven’t played this game for the first time, have you?”
Diana’s voice was small and low.
Her face, which had been shocked until just now, was now expressionless like a mask.
So it’s not easy to peek at the emotions inside.
What should I say here?
Should I honestly answer, ‘Lady Diana, you taught me for the first time’?
Or should I lie a little and say, ‘I’m sorry for deceiving you,’ to save Diana’s face a little?
“That’s…”
“Haa…”
Diana sighed deeply.
And she pressed the reset button on the position board to reset the game.
What would Diana’s judgment be?
There was a promise that if she lost the game, she would voluntarily resign without conditions, but there was no mention that she would maintain her position as a home tutor if she won.
With Diana’s fickleness and irritation, even a good home tutor position could become a dream of one night.
While waiting with a subtle tension, Diana got up from her seat.
“It’s okay. What does that matter?”
She drags her slippers, which she had changed into, and puts her hand on the doorknob of the bedroom.
“I’m really going to sleep now, so clean up and get out.”
Diana slammed the door and locked herself in her room.
This is messed up.
The plan went a bit wrong.
It would have been better to win by a narrower margin and create a hard-fought victory.
“Haa…”
I sighed and tasted bitterness.
With that kind of reaction, there’s no need to listen to any more words… or so I thought.
The tightly closed bedroom door opened slightly.
Half of Diana’s face, with a not-so-good expression, was slightly visible.
“Tomorrow… I’m going to take a nap first.”
The door closes quickly after she says what she has to say.
Siwoo, who was momentarily stunned, belatedly realized that it was a rematch request full of shyness.
In other words, he had overcome the crisis of being fired in just one day.
2.
The time Diana went into her room was 2 PM.
Since the time for the private tutoring session with Count Yesod was 10 PM, Siwoo had to wait a long time before he could meet her.
If he wanted to, he could have rested by teleporting, but he didn’t bother.
The Levana Grand Bathhouse was full of all sorts of things to do and see besides the bathhouse, so just looking around them was enough to pass the time.
There was a greenhouse displaying all sorts of colorful magical crops.
There was a museum exhibiting the works of master craftsmen, whose works are priceless in the present world.
The buildings alone were beautiful, and with such rich attractions, I could lose track of time while watching.
“I have come at the appointed time.”
“Come in.”
Thus, on a moonlit night when a white full moon rose.
Siwoo headed to Count Yesod’s private library, where he had been guided to in advance.
When he opened the door after knocking, there was a nice scent.
It was a sweet scent like ripe fruit, yet soft like cream.
At the table in front, Countess Lucy was sitting with her sleeves rolled up to prevent ink from getting on them.
Her attire was as elegant as a swan, as if she were about to go to a ball right away.
In the room, which was romantically lit by soft candlelight, she gently puts down her quill with a gentle gesture.
“It’s a dress I gave you as a gift, but it really suits you well, doesn’t it?”
“Thank you.”
One of Countess Lucy’s great characteristics was the grace that flowed from every sitting posture, speech, and action.
Should I say she was born noble?
Perhaps no matter how hard Siwoo tried, he would not be able to imitate that natural nobility.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry, the surroundings were so beautiful that I was looking around.”
“Oh my, that’s a happy thing to say. You must have raised your standards while staying at the Count’s mansion.”
“It seems that there are different characteristics. I like this place very much as well.”
“Is that so?”
The Countess smiled kindly and got up from her seat.
Countess Lucy came around the table.
Siwoo, seeing her attire, hid his surprise.
I thought it was a neat outfit, but one side of the narrow dress was coolly open.
It was such a precarious slit that you could almost see her panties, so her white thighs were completely visible.
It was a man’s instinct, so my eyes naturally went there, but I quickly managed my gaze.
By the way, even if she wears such a white outfit, her skin looks white.
It’s amazing, I thought, and I also prevented myself from thinking that it was strange.
“Please sit comfortably.”
“Yes.”
The Countess placed several thick books on the table in front of Siwoo, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked.
“How was my daughter?”
“I’ve felt it before, but she’s very bright and witty.”
“Right? I’ve met many apprentice witches, but I’ve never seen an apprentice witch as smart and cute as our Diana.”
“I, I think so too.”
“So, how was today’s class? Did Diana listen well?”
Siwoo nodded readily at the Countess’s appearance, who suddenly lit up her eyes and actively praised Diana, and then carefully brought up the topic.
“There’s something I need to tell you about that.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Actually, I was only able to act as a home tutor for about 2 hours today. All I did was play one game of position board…”
The Countess, who was leaning slightly forward and listening intently to Siwoo’s words, waved her hand and smiled.
“It’s okay, Diana is so stubborn. If you played a position board on the first day, that’s a remarkable achievement.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s an embarrassing fact, but I’ve raised and taught Diana for over 20 years, but sometimes Diana is difficult.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Hehe, what’s this about? Anyway…”
Finally, the long-awaited private tutoring time with the Countess.
After the job of playing with Diana was over, I was supposed to be taught about field magic for about 2 hours every day.
Learning about new magic was quite fun in itself, so I was full of anticipation.
“Before we start the class in earnest, I’ll calmly explain what we’ll be aiming to teach you in the future.”
“Yes.”
The Countess placed a piece of paper on the table.
The ink wasn’t dry, as if she had just finished writing it.
“Siwoo’s goal is to control the artifact ‘Red Branch’, right?”
“That’s right.”
“If you start field magic from scratch and reach that level, even 10 years won’t be enough. So, we’ll set the direction of research by subtly adding field magic to the existing magnetic magic.”
“Ah, I see.”
Just like how the law of shadows was applied to various elemental magics to create a stronger and more robust armor, the distortion field would be controlled in the same way.
Of course, if that were to happen, the flexibility and applicability would be lower than creating a new magnetic magic, but the fact that it could greatly shorten the time was a hope.
“Of course, no matter how much you remodel the existing magnetic magic, the basics are important. So, during these 2 hours of private tutoring, I’ll teach you the basics of field magic. Shall we look at this book first?”
The Countess showed Siwoo a book that she had placed on the desk earlier.
The book was as thick and large as a phone book.
The cover read ‘Introduction to Field Magic’.
“This is a revised version of the introduction that has been passed down in the Yesod family to teach apprentice witches the basics. Diana also learned with this. Take it.”
“Is it okay for you to give me such a precious thing?”
“Yes, I prepared about 10 copies because Diana used to hide the books when she was young. The content itself is not really special.”
“Thank you very much.”
Siwoo flipped through the book that the Countess had given him.
It was quite thick.
It was already thick enough to be used as a weapon if you used the corners, but the letters were really tiny.
I would believe it if you said that it contained the content of almost two or three textbooks.
“There’s a lot, right? It’s a book that usually takes an apprentice witch about 3 years to learn everything. But do you know what? Our Diana finished it in just 6 months. Isn’t she amazing?”
“She’s amazing.”
Just like the letters in the introduction, the tiny bragging about her daughter came in from time to time, and Siwoo diligently agreed with her.
I’ve felt it before, but she seems to be a huge daughter-fool.
“But, Mr. Shin Siwoo.”
“Yes, Countess.”
“Judging from your success in shielding the distortion field, it seems that you have studied field magic to some extent, right?”
“That’s right. But all I did was flip through a few books in the Trinity Academy library.”
“Before we start the class in earnest, shall we see your skills? That way, we can save time.”
“I would appreciate it.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The Countess grabbed a pen and quickly wrote down the problems.
A total of ten problems, from basic problems that could check whether he properly understood the concepts of principles and basics, to simple application problems.
It was a problem with a moderately balanced level of difficulty.
“Would you like to solve them?”
First, I scanned the problems with my eyes.
No matter how difficult and abstract the concept of field magic is, its roots are ultimately in magic formulas.
In the end, it means it’s a calculation problem.
Siwoo grabbed a pen and calmly solved the problems.
A conceptual description problem about the abstraction and conceptualization of magic formulas.
A calculation problem of the effective potential and the potential that is naturally lost when realizing it in the real world, given the magic formulas in the imaginary world and the symbolic world.
A magic formula problem needed to realize the given formula in the real world.
Siwoo, who had solved all the problems until the last one, smacked his lips.
The first three problems were not difficult at all.
But because the questioner was the questioner, it felt like I was being poked in the weak spots.
“I think I’ve solved all the problems I can.”
“……”
When I glanced at her, I saw the Countess blinking her eyes and checking the test paper.
Even after waiting for a long time, Yesod’s eyes did not leave the answer sheet.
“Countess?”
“If it’s not rude, may I ask how long you’ve been studying?”
“I started in earnest… about a month or two.”
“A month or two…?”
She frowned deeply, then took back the book she had given to Siwoo.
As I was staring at her in bewilderment, Countess Lucy answered.
“I don’t think you need this.”
“Yes…?”
“There’s no need to look at it. It seems like you already know everything.”
The 10 problems that the Countess had given were not problems that a beginner who had studied for a month or two could solve.
The reason she gave the problems was not to get the ‘correct answer’, but to see the process of solving them.
In the first place, there is no correct answer in magic, and especially in field magic, where abstract aspects are emphasized, there is no correct answer.
But he had written down his own answers to all 10 problems as if to show off.
There were some shortcomings and some logical leaps.
But an approach that even Lucy Yesod had not tried.
An attempt to quantify and measure the field, which is inherently unmeasurable.
In Lucy Yesod’s view, the answers he submitted had already far exceeded the content to be studied in the introduction.
“You’re much more amazing than I thought, Mr. Siwoo.”
“Is, is that so?”
The first male witch in history scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
His name is Shin Siwoo.
I’ve become a little more curious than before.
