Chapter 855 – #178_논문감사(3)
#849
1.
“Well done, Lisienne. You never disappoint.”
Baron Demer greeted Lisienne with a smile that suggested everything was going according to plan.
“I’m sorry, I went ahead and agreed to the additional conditions.”
Lisienne lowered her head, watching Baron Demer’s reaction.
She had managed to steer the procedure as she wanted, but in the process, she had accepted Shin Siwoo’s proposal.
With 100 audience members, if she lost this debate, she would have to pay a considerable sum.
Of course, Lisienne didn’t have that kind of money, and Baron Demer had agreed to take care of things later, so if things went wrong, it would be her expense.
“It’s fine. It was obviously a bluff anyway. Or maybe she’s just been so spoiled that she’s become arrogant.”
“You think so?”
“Of course.”
Of course, for Baron Demer, who was confident of victory, the amount of compensation was not important.
In her view, Shin Siwoo’s reaction during the negotiation was one of two things.
Either it was a bluff, hoping that Lisienne would be intimidated by the amount and back down.
Or, like a young witch, she was intoxicated by the honor others had given her and was acting recklessly without any plan.
Either way, there was no need to think too deeply about it.
Even if Shin Siwoo won, the cost of a home visit was negligible.
“Ohoho, I can’t wait for tomorrow to come. Right, Lisienne?”
“…Yes.”
Baron Demer, oblivious to Lisienne’s sullen expression, stroked her beautiful bracelet and laughed loudly.
2.
“You’re quite clever, aren’t you?”
Sophia was genuinely impressed after hearing about what happened during the negotiation.
She had already confirmed that he was an outstanding scholar through this paper.
However, she hadn’t realized that he was also the type to be cunning like a fox.
The Siwoo that Sophia had observed was as clueless as Amelia and as inept at navigating the world as Duke Tiferet, a typical genius.
But what was this?
He had gone into the negotiation alone and had even come back with a plausible negotiation result as a trophy.
“It’s annoying to just unilaterally put up the stakes.”
“That’s true.”
“I need to get a lot of money to be satisfied.”
“Are you buying me a gift too?”
“Of course, you helped me.”
“I’m grateful? There was a fountain pen I had my eye on.”
Siwoo chewed on his cigarette filter, looking displeased.
He had been in a bad mood since yesterday, which Sophia found quite cute.
In fact, this audit was close to a unilateral imposition.
Even if he was upset about being accused, he couldn’t avoid it, and if he failed to defend himself, Siwoo would be the only one to bear the risk.
On the other hand, the accuser had almost no risk.
However, Siwoo had lured his opponent in with the bait of ‘audience’ and ‘free discussion’ and made them bear the risk of ‘compensation’.
“But did you know they would accept it so easily?”
“Of course. In their eyes, I’m just an immature witch intoxicated by my guardian’s power. If they backed down with just this much at stake, they would lose face, wouldn’t they? It’s not like I challenged them to a duel.”
He didn’t care much about how others saw him, but he knew how to cleverly use their prejudices.
If that was all, he would just be a fence-sitter, but the source of his overwhelming confidence was in his own abilities, which made him cool.
“Why didn’t you submit your research notes?”
“I thought it would make me look more vulnerable. They’d think I was like that because I had something to hide.”
“You mean it was a bluff?”
“That too, but my research notes are so disorganized that they include parts that I didn’t even intend to submit as a paper.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“If the paper I submitted was the first-generation early model, the magic I’m using now is about the fifth generation. But all of that is mixed up in my research notes. There’s no need to reveal all my secrets.”
Sophia had to make an effort to understand what he was saying.
Even if witches shared their data, they would always leave out the really crucial parts.
But a paper that was already causing a sensation in academia was just an early model?
“……”
Sophia felt a twinge of jealousy, but she quickly brushed it aside.
“Excellent. How was the atmosphere? Usually, a young, inexperienced witch would feel quite burdened.”
“It just felt like a gathering of witches who were working hard on their research.”
“Well, you are surrounded by so many prominent figures. You’ll do well tomorrow too, right?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t you need to prepare?”
“I don’t need to. I’ve already done similar things many times during home visits.”
Sophia gave him a thumbs up.
“I like your confidence. I’ll help you with your outfit that day.”
“Outfit?”
“Yes, the moment you brought in the audience, your image also became important. The people gathered there could become your enemies or your allies at any time. I’ll also coach you so you can exude a cool and sharp charisma.”
3.
“Did you hear about it?”
“You mean the research misconduct audit?”
“I heard that Senior Librarian Lisienne filed it?”
“Oh my goodness… She’s got some nerve.”
“Count Jemernai will be displeased.”
Gehenna was buzzing with another hot topic.
The name that had been on everyone’s lips lately.
Shin Siwoo.
The news that he, who had appeared with a paper that posed a difficult problem, was going to have a misconduct debate in the library was quite sensational.
In addition, the selection of audience members who could watch a magic debate similar to a research presentation without having to prepare expensive gifts also became an issue.
The library’s audit committee had allocated 30 seats to the Truth and Enlightenment Society and 30 seats to the Emerald Tablet, and the remaining 40 seats were to be randomly selected from applicants.
“Did you apply to be an audience member?”
“I didn’t get selected. It’s a shame.”
“Anyway, Shin Siwoo seems confident. I heard that he was the one who suggested the free discussion.”
“Wow, he’s got some guts.”
“Either he has something to rely on, or he’s just unable to tell right from wrong…”
“We’ll see when the results come out.”
“Haa, I should have gone…”
And so, with the attention of many witches focused on it.
The witches who were lucky enough to be selected as audience members were sitting in Hall 2, waiting for the start of the super fun magic paper battle.
Interest in the accuser, Lisienne, was somewhat diminished, but the gaze towards the author, Shin Siwoo, was intense.
There were suspicious gazes, dogmatic gazes, vague rejection, and pure interest.
But as if he was used to being the center of attention, his attitude was calm and relaxed.
Shin Siwoo, a sharp-looking handsome man, was wearing a loose suit jacket, his hair slicked back, legs crossed, and smoking a cigarette.
He had a slightly cocky vibe, but it was not a problem since the audit had not yet started.
Rather, his attitude made him look more confident than Lisienne, who was sitting stiffly.
While the witches from the two major academic societies were conscious of each other and trying to save face, the randomly selected audience members freely shared their opinions.
“He’s handsome.”
“He smokes so sexily…”
“Was he always like that? I thought he was a bit more innocent.”
Of course, not all the random audience members were friendly to Siwoo.
In particular, the witches belonging to the Truth and Enlightenment Society and the Emerald Tablet, who were mostly conservative traditionalists, were looking down on him with a more critical eye.
“That young punk looks a bit arrogant.”
“He’s probably just showing off because he has a powerful backer. We might see his gold plating come off today.”
At exactly 5 p.m.
“We will now begin the 1444th Research Misconduct Audit. Please be seated.”
With the declaration of Librarian Gremory, who had been watching the clock, the commotion subsided.
“As has been communicated, today’s research misconduct audit will proceed with in-depth argumentation. Author Shin Siwoo.”
“Yes.”
At the librarian’s call, Shin Siwoo adjusted his clothes and went up to the platform where a large blackboard was placed.
The paper he had published in this academic journal intentionally omitted the core, the proof of phase coupling.
Before the Q&A, discussion, and argumentation, he needed to explain that part.
“……”
As Shin Siwoo went up to the platform with a piece of chalk in his hand, a heavy silence fell over the hall, which was already quiet.
The person who had posed the problem that had been attracting attention and causing many witches to rack their brains was now writing down the answer himself.
He went straight to the large, antique blackboard without any fancy words or self-introductions, not even a proper greeting.
And he began to write about the proof.
-Tap, tap!
His movements as he wrote down the calculations and the gestures as he drew the magic formulas in the necessary places were without a single pause.
Not only was he fast, but his handwriting was so elegant that it could be written on someone’s butt and still be legible.
In an instant, one side of the black blackboard was filled with white writing.
Without hesitation, Siwoo moved to another blackboard and wrote down the rest.
-Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap
The clear sound of the chalk hitting the board filled the air, and gasps of admiration came from the audience and even the committee members.
“Ah…”
“He did it like that…”
“So, the meaning of phase coupling is…”
Since the paper was one that had been attracting the attention of the witch academia, there was no one here who had not been working on the proof.
Even the accuser, Lisienne, stared blankly at the writing, her mouth open at the proof that presented a groundbreaking idea comparable to Columbus’s egg.
The audience seats became busy.
Even if they didn’t understand it right away, they were diligently moving their hands to copy the proof and make it their own.
Lisienne, watching this, became anxious.
A considerable number of great witches from both major academic societies had been selected to sit as audience members.
When she first saw their faces, she had secretly thought it was a good thing.
About half of the 60 people were prominent figures or great witches in their respective fields.
That meant that difficult questions would be directed at Shin Siwoo, and he would likely fail to answer them.
But as soon as the writing began, the atmosphere changed.
It was more like a lecture by an invited renowned witch than a research misconduct audit.
“…This isn’t good…”
This audit was not a place to show off the excellence of research results, but a place to determine whether there was plagiarism.
However, the audience seemed to have forgotten the essence and were simply focusing on the results.
-Tap, tap, tap
After writing the last letter, Shin Siwoo turned around.
“This is the proof.”
“Accuser Lisienne Erbat, please proceed with the prepared questions.”
Lisienne stood up from her seat.
First, she needed to change the flow of the room.
“It’s an excellent proof. But the point of this audit is not to judge the excellence of the paper, but to test his abilities. Even an apprentice witch can memorize that much writing and write it in front of others.”
The audience members, who had been immersed in magical contemplation or simply admiring, closed their mouths.
Some nodded at Lisienne’s words, which pointed out the essence they had been missing.
“The point is to prove how well he understands his own paper in this place. I have prepared several questions that are appropriate for that.
I hope that this audit will not be a place to criticize a young witch who has committed research misconduct because she was blinded by fame, but a place to celebrate the birth of a new talent. Author, I will ask you the first question.”
She had suddenly accused him of plagiarism, and now she was talking about celebrating the birth of a new talent.
It was obvious what she meant by calling him a young witch.
Perhaps it was funny, but Shin Siwoo, who had been expressionless until now, smiled fiercely.
“Go ahead and say whatever you want.”
“Author, I demand you be careful with your language.”
With Metis’s dry warning, the full-scale in-depth argumentation began.
