Gourmet Club (4)

In the high school course, the introductory lecture on basic magic was usually conducted as a group project with four members.

Edna's group was formed at the beginning of the semester with friends she made, and Jecky was included in that group.

"... You want to do the presentation? But that's the role of Edna."

One girl raised her eyebrows and spoke, but Jecky remained unyielding.

"I want to do the presentation too. Why does Edna always get to do the good stuff?"

"What? Good stuff? Are you finished now? Do you know how much Edna prepares for each presentation?"

"I can do that much too! I'm always doing research and organizing portfolios."

Presentation.

It was a role that every student feared the most, but at the same time, it was a role that every student admired the most.

Each one of Stella's students surpassed the average high school level, and possessed knowledge at the level of elite university students or even people with master's degrees. The level of the research presented was quite impressive, and occasionally, there were students engaging in intense debates with professors.

Edna was famous for her fierce debates, and she had always been in the limelight for skillfully catching and confidently refuting the sharp criticisms or forced arguments of professors, leaving the students satisfied as they enjoyed their sodas.

But, Jecky didn't like it.

'If she did it, I can do just as well.'

'It's just that Edna has been doing that role, but if I do it, it will be the same.'

'I want to enjoy everything that Edna enjoys.'

"Jecky, are you serious..."

"Do you have a conscience or not?"

As the group members tried to persuade her, Edna stepped forward and intervened.

"No, it's okay."

"Huh? Edna, but you've been staying up all night for days preparing for the presentation..."

"It's okay."

Edna was not a saint. In fact, she considered herself as plain selfish.

Naturally, she didn't want to give up this presentation. She had put so much effort and sweat into it, why should she give it away for free? Perhaps the best option would be to pass on the opportunity and make a presentation during the next group project...

'Oh, really. You're just waiting for my presentation to be torn apart,' Jecky thought, already deciding that she would do the presentation herself. She seemed ready to overturn everything if necessary.'*

'Ah, I want to swing a flaming whip so badly, but I'll endure it this time.'

The reason she endured was due to the words of Baek Yu-Seol, which kept echoing in her ears. He had shown particular concern for Jecky.

There must be a reason behind his suggestion to pay special attention to Jecky.

In the original work, there was no girl named 'Jecky,' so Edna didn't know who she was or what role she played.

But, even if it was an original work, not all the characters and stories would be recorded, so Edna had no choice but to believe Baek Yu-Seol's words, suspecting him to be the regressor.

"Yeah, go ahead. I really want to see you do the presentation."

"Edna... Why are you so kind?"

"Yeah... Edna is definitely an angel."

'What?'

Edna burst into laughter.

It was fortunate that the other girls didn't know about Edna's usual personality, or else they would have grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out the back door of the classroom, all the while cursing her.

"Good."

"You can do it, right?"

"Of course."

"... Then, I'll trust you."

Even though she didn't want to hand it over, Edna reluctantly handed her presentation to Jecky. In turn, She accepted it without saying a word of gratitude and began reading through the contents, pretending to quickly skim through it.

Edna had already secretly read it multiple times.

The other girls glared at Jecky because they didn't like the situation, but she didn't even pay attention to them.

"Next, Group 7, please come forward."

Finally, when Edna's Group 7 was called, Jecky stood up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"That's professor Kazewin..."

Speaking of Professor Kazewin from the 'Introduction to Magic course,' he was already famous among the commoners. He would belittle commoners with poor grades and relentlessly question those with excellent grades, lowering their scores.

And Edna, who consistently defeated Professor Kazewin, was practically worshiped as a hero among the first-year commoner students.

Jecky probably... wanted to enjoy that kind of popularity possessed by Edna.

"I will begin the presentation."

And so, the presentation began.

In Edna's opinion, Jecky's presentation was surprisingly good, considering she had actually not practiced much.

Except for the attempt to forcefully insert humor like Edna, which almost soured the atmosphere.

Professor Kazewin threw a few sharp questions, but Jecky didn't get flustered and responded confidently.

Perhaps... She had already reviewed the presentation and prepared for the Q&A session.

'Unexpectedly, you did well with the preparation.'

Edna admired sincerely, but Professor Kazewin seemed to have no intention of being impressed.

"It's strange. The explanation of why magic exists for the sake of humans wasn't properly supplemented."

"What? That's... It's not that magic exists for the sake of humans, but for the prosperity of humankind..."

"Are you trying to make excuses before answering properly? Have you looked into why magic was able to progress before the existence of humans?"

The so-called 'Ant Catcher.' Once you fell into Professor Kazewin's trap as a commoner student, there was no way to escape. His words sounded plausible and trapped the students like dumbfounded ants.

"You were so confident even though you couldn't answer that? Pathetic. Here's the next question. Humans have been dealing with supernatural elements before magic existed. But, you said magic comes first. How is that possible?"

Professor Kazewin's criticism grew sharper, and Jecky's voice gradually diminished.

Edna clenched her fist in frustration.

"This isn't good."

They had given Jecky the opportunity to present in order to lift her spirits, but if it ended like this, it would be meaningless.

In the end, Edna stepped forward.

"Professor, that seems like a question which deviates from the topic."

"... Deviate from the topic? What strange nonsense, Edna."

With a sigh, Edna opened her mouth, thinking, 'I knew it would end up like this.'

"Originally, the purpose of this presentation was to investigate the origins of magic, where we prioritize magic and humans. If you ask a probing question, we won't be able to answer that."

(Meaning: Professor, stop talking nonsense.)

"Huh, have you forgotten how to think for yourself? Or are you planning to completely disregard the teachings of the professor?"

(Meaning: Why are you speaking out again?)

"Since we haven't even covered that material yet, the professor hasn't taught us anything. We have organized our assignments based on what we have learned from the professor."

(Meaning: Why are you trying to trap us when you don't even know?)

"So the problem isn't just the lack of willingness to propose a minimal hypothesis? It pains me to see such a foolish mind incapable of even coming up with basic ideas."

(Meaning: What can you do about it?)

"We apologize for our lack of knowledge. As expected of the professor, you must have a clear answer to this topic that even historians haven't been able to uncover, right? Could you please enlighten us?"

(Meaning: Why don't you give it a try, Professor? Can't do it, can you?)

With those concluding remarks, Edna expressed the end of the pretentious yet childish verbal exchange. While he boasted about being a great teacher, most of the questions posed by Professor Kazewin remained unanswered even by scholars in modern times.

In other words, the hypotheses proposed by Professor Kazewin were nothing more than what other scholars had already suggested.

Although he instructed the students to present their own hypotheses, Edna effectively attacked the fact that he himself had never put forward a single hypothesis.

Professor Kazewin stared at Edna with pursed lips, but realizing that he would only fall in disadvantage if he continued, he quickly turned his raised eyebrows away.

"... That's enough. Study that aspect on your own!"

"Yes."

The professor tried to assert his dominance with forced authority, but everyone present knew the truth. That Professor Kazewin had been utterly torn apart by Edna.

"That damn commoner girl...!"

Kazewin's body trembled in rage as he glared at Edna, but he couldn't do anything. After all, she wasn't just an ordinary commoner that could be easily manipulated.

Edna was a special mage who possessed the attributes of an alien race. Moreover, she had been a prodigy attracting worldwide attention even before entering the academy.

In fact, Principal Eltman Eltwin of Stella Academy personally sought her out and requested her enrollment. The professors couldn't take her lightly because of that fact.

There were even rumors circulating that the renowned archmage Eltman Eltwin, who had never taken on a disciple before, was considering taking Edna as his first apprentice.

The only way of tormenting the geniuses who had influential connections was to fiercely criticize them and pick on their weaknesses during lectures. But, even that didn't work on Edna, causing Professor Kazewin's stress to reach its peak.

"Group 7, return to your seats."

"..."

As Jecky returned to her seat with a stiff expression, Edna tried to console her by speaking up.

"Jecky, you did really well~"

"It's fine."

"Huh?"

"I don't need that kind of pretense, so just shut up."

Edna was momentarily stunned, wondering how she should phrase her question to make it sound more polite.

But, before she could figure it out, Professor Kazewin called the next student.

"Group 8, step forward."

"Yes, Sir."

It was Baek Yu-Seol's turn.

It was already known that he was exceptionally articulate, so the students in his group often assigned him to do the presentation.

And today, once again, he delivered an outstanding presentation.

However, Kazewin didn't let him off either. Baek Yu-Seol was one of the students whom Professor Kazewin particularly disliked, so he threw relentless attacks as if trying to release the accumulated stress from before.

"Student Baek Yu-Seol, it was an excellent presentation indeed. However, I have some doubts about your opinion."

"What is it?"

"Among the principles of magic, there is a concept called 'belief,' which was advocated by philosophers in ancient times. Why do you think so?"

(Meaning: I want to challenge your statement)

Baek Yu-Seol simply smiled and replied.

"Professor, do you believe in the existence of mana?"

"Isn't it an obvious fact? Are you questioning that?"

"Then, do you believe that mana moves according to our will?"

"Yes, it's an unnecessary question. Give me an answer."

"In that case, Professor, have you ever seen the particles of 'mana' with your own eyes?"

For a moment, Kazewin was at a loss for words. Just as humans couldn't observe atoms, there was no one who had observed the particles of mana.

"... That's impossible."

"But why do you know that mana and magic exist if you've never observed the particles with your own eyes?"

"Magic... exists, that's why."

"Yes, that's your belief in magic, Professor. Magic is not a phenomenon; it's a belief."

"Magic is mathematics and science! You're forcing your argument, Baek Yu-Seol!"

Kazewin tried to shout loudly, but Baek Yu-Seol shrugged his shoulders with a relaxed smile.

"Why do you think it is forced? I don't know because I'm lacking. As a student, I want to learn if I have incorrect information."

Kazewin pondered over it, carefully chewing on the words before speaking. It was the best he could do…

"... Magic is a phenomenon which involves science, calculation, and the will of nature. It is not derived solely from belief but from numerous efforts, calculations, and research."

(Meaning: Anyway, my words are all correct)

"Yes. It's true that the efficiency of magic has increased since humans started calculating it, but during the time of the '12 Mages' who first received magic from the Progenitor Mage, there were no calculations or magic circles. It is mentioned that they used magic solely based on belief. Even now, don't the followers of New Moon use magic through belief?"

(Meaning: Anyway, your words are all wrong)

Baek Yu-Seol's words left no room for rebuttal. He precisely countered the professor's words and presented his own opinions. Even if his opponent forcefully argued, he would insert another fact.

In the end, it was Kazewin who was left speechless.

"This...!"

As everyone quietly exhaled with satisfaction while observing Kazewin, Edna quietly nodded her head.

"Sigh."

'This academy is truly bizarre. The professors openly envy the students. Even ordinary commoners without any background stand out? Then the professors outright ignore and discriminate against the students.'

'If such obvious torment is considered the pinnacle of the "Men's Fantasy Academy" genre, then... '

'But, I don't understand why they constantly torment and yet always end up on the receiving end. Well, from a spectator's point of view, it was satisfying to witness, but…'

"... That's enough. Return to your seats!"

Kazewin's face turned red, and he shouted loudly, while Baek Yu-Seol nodded calmly and took his seat.

Ding! Dong!

As the bell signaling the end of the class rang, students quickly left the classroom.

"Hey, did you see them just now?"

"Oh, my heart feels so refreshed."

"Thinking about the professor who gave me a hard time last time, it feels like a decade-old grudge has been resolved."

After arranging her textbooks, Edna was about to leave with her friends, but Jecky hurried away first.

"Hey? Um..."

While she was contemplating her next move, Baek Yu-Seol approached.

"Hey, Edna."

"Hey. I saw your presentation. It was satisfying to watch."

"... Is that so? But I have something to say about that."

"What?"

He cleared his throat and asked subtly.

"As you know, the professors seem to not like me."

"Well, when they see your attitude, it's natural for them to feel that way. So what?"

"But you're close to the professors. So, I have something... I'm planning to start a club. Can you see if any of the professors would be interested?"

"Hah."

Edna was momentarily taken aback and let out a dry laugh.

"You're always causing trouble for no reason, so that would be difficult."

"Ugh..."

Edna thought for a moment, but being a mentor was quite a bothersome task, so there was no professor she could easily recommend. Then, suddenly, a person came to mind.

"Come to think of it, aren't you close with Assistant Alterisha? You used to visit her often."

"Well... that's true."

"Then, why don't you ask her for a favor?"

"Huh? Can an assistant be a mentor too?"

"... Are you an idiot? It's Stella."

Baek Yu-Seol was shocked. He had been wandering around, unaware of this easy path.

Edna looked at him with genuine pity on her face.

"Well, whatever. Thanks. I'm going to go."

"Fine..."

He quickly walked away as if worried someone would snatch away Alterisha.

"That guy, sometimes he seems really smart, but other times he just seems like a fool..."