A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 137

I stayed behind to clean up as per Godin’s instructions. The cleanup was nothing more than drying the soaking wet floor.

Normally, I would have used a mop, but Grace helped me. Naturally, she used magic.

“You can dry the moisture using this kind of Drying Magic. It’s less effective than doing it manually, but it’s great in urgent situations.”

“Oh.”

“Mr. Sivar, why don’t you try it too? Since your power is naturally strong, you might be able to dry everything completely.”

So this is what they mean when they say being smart makes life easier. I used the Drying Magic as Grace had shown me.

In an instant, the mop, which had been soaking wet, became completely dry.

Rustle—

“…Huh?”

“It turned into… sand?”

It went beyond becoming dry and started crumbling like sand. The moisture had completely vanished, leading to desertification.

Grace seemed quite flustered, as if she hadn’t expected this outcome.

Well, she probably didn’t think all the moisture would evaporate just because of the Drying Magic.

This was something I could fix with finer control, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“Hmm. Hmm. As the professor said, Mr. Sivar, your power is overwhelmingly strong. Maybe that’s a good thing…”

“?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Shall we continue cleaning? I’ll cast Drying Magic for you as we go.”

After that, we finished cleaning with me mopping and Grace casting Drying Magic by my side.

You might wonder why we didn’t just use Drying Magic on the floor, but even Grace finds that difficult.

Drying Magic works wonders on soaked objects, but the floor is waterproof.

So we had no choice but to repeat the process of mopping and drying.

“If it’s too much for you, I can help with the mopping.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, really. We’ll be spending a lot of time together, so I should at least help with this.”

When would I even spend time with Grace? I thought about it while mopping.

Aside from meeting Godin or during lunch, there wasn’t much. After all, we usually moved as a group.

I ended up stopping her from mopping and diligently cleaned the floor myself. The waterproof floor made it easier.

“Grace.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What are you doing this weekend?”

Cleaning in silence was boring, so I asked her that question.

Asking a noble, especially the Duke’s Young Lady, about their personal life was highly improper.

But I was Grace’s Bodyguard Knight. Knowing what she did on weekends was part of my job to decide whether to accompany her or not.

Besides, I had no idea what she did on weekends. Unlike Ellie, she didn’t run around restlessly.

“Oh, is that a date proposal by any chance?”

“?”

“Just kidding. Don’t make that face.”

When I gave her a blank stare, Grace scratched her cheek awkwardly, looking embarrassed. Her natural demeanor was absurdly casual.

“What I do on weekends… Not much, really. Even if I want to call Yeonju, she always says she’s busy every weekend. So I just stay in the dormitory.”

“Doesn’t that get boring?”

“It’s better to be bored than scared.”

Better bored than scared, huh. That was an answer worth pondering.

Despite what she’d been through, Grace carried herself with confidence. At first glance, it seemed like she’d overcome her trauma.

However, trauma isn’t something you overcome in just a day or two. It always requires a trigger or motivation.

‘Is it me?’

That thought crossed my mind with a sense of disbelief.

Grace stared at me for a moment, then spoke with a shy expression.

“Well, if Mr. Sivar comes along, I might be able to go outside. It would make me feel at ease.”

She mumbled as if to herself, but I heard her clearly. And I realized what kind of situation Grace was in.

She hadn’t fully overcome her trauma. To be more precise, she’d only partially overcome it.

She could live normally only when she had someone who provided her with emotional stability nearby.

That someone was either Lee Yeonju or me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to step outside alone.

‘That’s normal.’

She had gone through such an incident in an Academy filled with the world’s top talents.

Even the claim that the Academy was safe would sound hollow to Grace.

“I’ll take you out. Every weekend.”

“Huh, huh?”

“I’ll take you out. But I have things to do too, so I ask for your understanding.”

I wanted to phrase it as, “I’ll take you out, but please understand that I have personal matters to attend to as well.”

Unfortunately, my current language skills didn’t allow for that.

Still, speaking in short, clear sentences like this would get the message across.

“O-Of course! If anything, I should be apologizing. I’m taking away your personal time, Mr. Sivar.”

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you. Truly.”

Grace expressed her gratitude with a genuinely thankful expression.

Her sharp, cat-like eyes softened considerably, showing how sincere she was.

“Alright! This is how we take it slow. Let’s go!”

“… …”

Or maybe not. What on earth is she plotting?

As soon as I gave her permission, Grace clenched her fist in triumph.

I couldn’t exactly call her out for being too obvious, so I just left her alone.

Whatever she’s scheming, it likely won’t harm me much.

“I can’t rush things. I just need to ease my way in.”

[Faith Increases!]

Seeing the message that appeared with her words made me feel even more uneasy.

******

After finishing all the cleaning, Grace and I headed to Godin’s research lab.

Grace originally worked as Godin’s assistant, while I was there to investigate the identity of the Red Mana.

As I mentioned before, Godin had exceptional theoretical abilities. In other words, his knowledge was vast.

If Rod and Rize gained knowledge through experience, Godin acquired his by reading a wide variety of books.

Knock, knock, knock—

[Come in.]

After knocking and getting Godin’s permission, I opened the door and entered.

As soon as I stepped inside, the scent of books hit me.

Both the smell and the interior were the same as when I first visited.

“Ah, you’re here. Perfect timing. Grace?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Could you help me find some books? I’d like you to gather all the ones related to mana.”

Since there were no books specifically about Red Mana, it seemed he intended to search through them one by one.

Although Godin had an excellent memory, he likely had very little knowledge about Red Mana.

In fact, it’s impressive that he remembered anything about it in passing, considering he probably wasn’t very interested.

“While I’m searching, Mr. Sivar, feel free to pick up any book and read.”

That works for me.

I nodded at Godin’s suggestion and picked up a random book.

As expected of a professor’s book, it was quite complex, but that didn’t matter. I just needed to improve my language skills.

‘Hmm… What was the proverb for moments like this again?’

Black is text, white is paper. That perfectly summed up how I felt.

Does Godin actually understand all this while reading? And there are countless books like this.

I quietly closed the book and looked at Godin. He was engrossed in reading, trying to extract knowledge related to Red Mana.

‘This is going to take well over an hour.’

Isn’t there something more interesting? I got up from my seat and peeked at the desk where Godin was sitting.

Godin was so focused that he had no idea what I was doing. The same went for Grace.

Eventually, I spotted a piece of paper lying on Godin’s desk. It was covered with all sorts of symbols.

‘Come to think of it, language and mathematics are deeply connected, aren’t they?’

To be precise, there’s hardly any field that mathematics doesn’t touch. It’s involved in almost every academic discipline.

Above all, the most important thing is mathematical logic. Without mathematics, most academic disciplines would stagnate.

Especially magic and mathematics—they are inseparable. There’s even a saying that magic is just another form of mathematics.

‘But this… doesn’t it look familiar?’

I couldn’t bring myself to touch it recklessly, so I just observed it quietly.

Complex symbols and modifiers were lined up, but they were likely related to magic.

However, staring at it further didn’t help. I shifted my gaze away from the paper and looked around.

Godin was diligently flipping through books, searching for knowledge. I figured I should just ask him directly.

“Godin.”

“Yes?”

“What’s this?”

When I pointed at the paper and asked, Godin’s gaze followed my finger.

Then, upon seeing the paper on the desk, he let out an “Ah,” gave a wry smile, and said,

“This is a magic theory I’ve been researching on my own. It’s still being refined, so it’s a bit embarrassing to show.”

“Is it the research you mentioned before?”

At Godin’s response, Grace asked a question. Godin nodded instead of answering verbally.

It seemed Grace, being his assistant, had a rough idea of what the research was about.

“Grace, do you know?”

“Yes, but it was too difficult, so I gave up. From what I understand, it seems like he’s trying to replicate human intelligence… but it defies common sense.”

“Hahaha. That’s why I’m just building the theory for now. There’s nothing else to research lately anyway.”

At Grace’s sharp yet not entirely wrong remark, Godin scratched his head awkwardly.

Though he seemed embarrassed, I wasn’t. I immediately figured out what Godin was researching.

“What is it about?”

“Should I explain it simply or in detail?”

“Simply.”

If it was too complicated, I wouldn’t understand it either. While I might know about the Soul World, the knowledge of this world was still overwhelming for me.

At that, Godin cleared his throat and began to explain, a small smile forming on his lips.

“Think of it as creating a kind of calculator. Something that processes human computational abilities and provides result values. That’s the gist of it.”

“With magic?”

“Yes.”

What Godin was trying to invent was very simple. In modern terms, it would be called “artificial intelligence.”

Magic is essentially language, and through language, various forms of magic can be executed. He’s trying to reverse-engineer that concept.

“Is it possible?”

If you’re asking whether it’s possible, I can give a simple analogy.

“It’s just a pastime. I don’t intend to pursue it seriously.”

Think of it as a mod or user map that pushes the boundaries of a game.