Ch. 11.2

After turning the test paper in the direction of Hong Bi-Yeon, I asked her with a serious expression.

"First of all, do you know that this is a nonsense question?"

"… Nonsense?"

"Uh. You don't know?"

"I've heard of it… but I don't know what it is."

'No, you're that old and don't know what a nonsense question is? What have you been doing on a regular basis?'

{TN:- Also called as Nonsense Quiz. It's famous in Korea. It's a kind of fun riddle which normally makes no sense.}

At the same time, I was reminded of the fact that she was Hong Bi-Yeon.

'I'm convinced.'

In such a home environment, it was definitely possible.

Rather, I quickly attacked Hong Bi-Yeon because I thought it was a good strategy.

"What part of the chicken has the most feathers?"

A random question. But as she sat there, Hong Bi-Yeon's expression hardened as she earnestly began to brainstorm, believing that I would never ask useless questions.

She closed her eyes and tapped her forearm with her fingers, and after thinking about it for a while, she came up with the answer.

"Tail…?"

"Wrong."

"Then, back region??"

"Not even that."

She stared at me with an expression as if she was asking what the answer was, so I answered quickly.

"The outside part."

"… Why?"

"I told you it was a matter of creativity."

Hong Bi-Yeon opened her lips slightly and looked at me with a terrifying expression.

"No, this is really what this problem feels like? Do you want to solve this problem?"

"Yes."

"Look at this problem. It's made up of formulas and tricks you don't know. You know that, don't you?

"Of course."

"It means that you have to solve it only with your creativity. But, is it possible to memorise that creativity as usual?"

"… No."

"Right?"

I did not even give her a chance to argue. Like a rapid-fire cannon, I only fired what I had to say.

"You know what? Mages of the past developed their magic slowly and gradually. But they added a drop of creativity in every small development. Then, at some point, the 'Modern Era' arrived."

"That's… that's it."

I read it in a tutorial story, but I never thought I would use it like this.

"Do you know why? It's important to know a lot of spells and tricks, but the most important thing for a mage is to think beyond."

"Think beyond?"

"Yes!"

Hong Bi-Yeon pricked up her ears to see if a familiar word appeared. Yeah, I kind of guessed it. Most of the words I poured out were related to the quests connected to Hong Bi-Yeon.

In other words, her biggest concerns were coming out of my mouth.

"See the world outside the boundaries of your thinking. History proves that magic can grow explosively even with the smallest changes. But, why is your thinking limited to what you see? Is it okay to just memorize a spell and use it away?"

"It's not… It's not."

Hong Bi-Yeon listened to me blankly.

"You may be better than me in your ability to think analytically, to judge rationally, and to remember synthetically, but you lack the creativity that is crucially important to a mage."

To be honest, it was almost nonsense. They were all Hong Bi-Yeon's favourite words derived from the trashy comic books she used to read.

"I used some difficult words, but you're smart, so I guess you understood everything, right?"

"Of course."

'That's amazing. Even I don't understand what I had just said.'

But, as if she had really understood something, her expression became more serious than before. What was wrong with this girl? She was making me feel guilty having lied to her..

"I'm glad you understood. After all, you are a princess, and naturally smart. From now on, I will teach you to think beyond. I can explain how to solve this problem, but the next time something like this comes up, you will never be able to solve it that way."

Hong Bi-Yeon immediately nodded her head as if showing that she understood the last words properly.

"Then, let's get started right away." Hong Bi-Yeon focused on my mouth with an anticipating look on her face when I said I would finally start in earnest. I said, "What if the horse gets angry?"

In response, her face stiffened.

After such a lengthy explanation, it was another nonsense question. Hong Bi-Yeon closed her mouth again, but I did not stop and attacked again.

"What if a horse gets angry? What is it?"

"…I don't know."

"Give him some hallucinations drugs."

Hong Bi-Yeon was noticeably agitated, but unlike before, she did not object to me. It was a wonderful effect.

I kept attacking her.

"What if I push the bed and turn it around?"

"…I don't know."

"We have a badminton court."

"What if you don't want to let go?"

"… I don't know."

"Just give me scissors or a rock."

Hong Bi-Yeon, who was already facing a malfunction in her operating system under my rapid-fire attack, got more and more desperate.

It was also quite fun to watch it, and it felt like I had discovered something new to play.

But unlike before, she no longer objected. Looks like the bullshit I just spat had some benefits.

"What if the earth cries? It becomes wet soil. Which plant will make you cry when pulled? burdock."

It was interesting. It was so much fun. I was joking around, so I crossed the line without realising it.

"What if seagulls fly over the bay…?"

As I spoke, this was not a nonsense question, but something that was closer to the realm of daddy's gag.

'Oh, no. This is not right.'

Even if I tell her the correct answer, she would not be convinced. It seemed that Hong Bi-Yeon noticed that I was talking nonsense, but now what?

But.

"… They would be called bagels?"

Hong Bi-Yeon got the right answer.

"Huh? Huh?… You got it right."

When I answered with a bewildered face, there was a slight smile on Hong Bi-Yeon's face. Wow, this was the first time I had seen her smile in both game and real life.

"Oh, as expected of a princess. Your creativity is extraordinary."

Hong Bi-Yeon hardened her expression when I flattered her, but seeing that the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, it seemed like she was feeling good anyway.

"Hmm. Give me the next question."

Like that, I gave a 'special lecture' to Hong Bi-Yeon until late at night.