Chapter 38: He’s gone mad. What is Kaplan doing?
Chapter 38 – He’s gone mad. What is Kaplan doing?
The results of the pop quiz were finally announced.
It was a late announcement, after a whole week had passed. And the reason for the delay was a single poster.
[ A shout-out to all the professors of the Magic Department at Merhen Academy ]
This poster was it.
Because of it, the lectures were suspended for a week. It was no exaggeration to say that the Magic Department was turned upside down.
“Sigh.”
Becky let out a deep sigh and opened her trivia. She had something else to worry about.
[ ? Hey, Plan. ] [ ? You wrote that poster, right? ] [ ? Please reply. ] [ ? The Magic Department is in chaos for a week. ] [ ? What will you do if they find out you wrote it? ] [ ? Can you handle it? I’m worried about you. ]
There was still no reply from Plan.
But she was sure. This poster was written by Plan.
It had to be. The magic formula on the poster was based on what Becky had recently summarized and given to Plan.
The other elements also fit perfectly like a puzzle.
The unique arrogant tone, the confident attitude, the elegant formula, and the bold courage to stick the poster on the Agora board…
Yes, it had to be Plan.
She already knew that his goal and plan were beyond her reach.
But that was only something she vaguely knew, not something concrete. She didn’t expect him to have such thoughts.
Good. Bad. She couldn’t express it with such emotions.
…She just thought it was like Plan.
Becky recalled the scenery she had seen through the magic formula on the poster.
What she saw was a nostalgia she had never experienced before.
It was more like a novel than a novel, and sweeter than any fantasy. It was a world that every magician would have imagined at least once, and it was suddenly unfolded before her eyes.
Anyway, Becky was rooting for Plan. She was just worried about him.
As she thought about this and that, she was soon in front of the classroom.
The A-grade students gathered in the classroom after a week. This place was nothing but a chaos.
“What are you going to do? It’s not fair to you, is it?”
As soon as she entered the classroom, she heard Haley’s worried voice.
Not only Haley, but all of her friends were looking at Louis with concern.
“It’s okay. I’ll do my best no matter what. I’m still the representative, right?”
Louis shrugged his shoulders and Haley smiled faintly.
“Well, I’m still worried, you know… I’m so annoyed. Who the hell is Kaplan?”
“Kaplan, his name is similar to Plan.”
“Louis. Can you please not mention him? He didn’t write anything on the rolling paper.”
Haley frowned sincerely. But Louis smiled kindly.
“Why, Plan seems to be very talented. He ranked first in the pop quiz.”
“That’s because the professors are biased! Just look at the scores of this pop quiz, doesn’t it make sense that he’s the only one who got a different grade?”
Becky shook her head as she watched their conversation. Anyone would think she was Louis’s girlfriend.
And one more thing, not everyone was moved by Plan’s magic formula like Becky.
“No, why would there be such a thing as imagination?”
Martin, who was chatting with his friends in the corner, was the proof. He seemed to have a lot of complaints.
“Right. It’s because it can’t be done in reality, so it’s done in imagination. What’s the point of making such a fuss for a magician? Why bother to create a conflict with the Knight Department?”
The girl who listened to Martin’s story tilted her head.
“But isn’t it true that the criteria for selecting the representative was a bit strange…? They said it was purely the professors’ choice.”
“Hey. That’s not the professors’ fault. How many times has the Magic Department ever won against the Knight Department? Even if they picked and trained properly, they couldn’t win.”
“Is that so? I think you should say that after you try your best.”
Then Martin thumped his chest as if he was frustrated.
“What can we do if we try our best? How can we beat the knights who have innate abilities?”
“Martin, lower your voice. Louis will hear you…”
But then it happened. The door of the classroom opened suddenly.
Naturally, all the students’ eyes turned to the man who appeared after opening the door. Becky was no exception.
A gaze that looked down on everything in the world, and a stature that seemed to be able to do so.
A sharp academy uniform without a wrinkle or dust, and a nose and chin line that shone more clearly when seen from the side.
Plan.
The one Becky had been looking for, he finally showed up.
But Plan silently headed to the blackboard. His action of checking the results of the pop quiz had no flaw.
If ‘dignity’ was personified, he would be it. His expression, demeanor, walk, and gaze… All of them were like that.
[ Plan – A+ ] [ Louis – A ] [ Trixie – A ] . . .
Despite the fact that the top students who were praised by the students got A, only his grade was different.
Everyone was distracted by the poster story, but this should have been a very hot topic.
“Tsk.”
But Plan clicked his tongue as if he was bored.
He made a bored expression and signed next to his score.
He used magic to sign, and his handwriting was elegant. Becky stared at it for a moment.
“Geez, I thought he was a professor.” “Why did he come in through the front door of the classroom?”
The other students complained a few beats late, and Becky came to her senses and approached Plan.
“Hey, Plan!”
Plan rolled his eyes and looked at Becky.
He had no worries on his face. Even now, when all the magicians were confused, he seemed like a person from a different world.
“What.”
“What do you mean what…! Why don’t you check my messages!”
“Do I have to do that?”
“Ah, no… That’s not what I meant.”
She was just anxious and asked, but the answer was so blunt that she felt sad.
Plan took out his trivia from his pocket and opened it.
As soon as he closed his trivia, Becky opened her mouth.
“So, you wrote that poster, right?”
“Who else could do it?”
“Aren’t you worried or nervous? The professors are having a meeting with the dean today.”
“A meeting.”
Plan thought for a moment.
“They’re doing it pretty fast. It’s been a week.”
With that, he turned around.
“Hey, wait. Plan! Just a minute!”
Becky followed him like a chick.
Then, suddenly, Plan stopped and Becky bumped her nose into his back.
“Ouch!”
Flan opened his mouth.
“By the way, I was talking about the question of whether you can handle it or not.”
He turned his gaze to Becky.
“Becky. I’ve been with you the longest at the academy.”
“Huh, huh? All of a sudden?”
Becky’s face turned slightly red.
It was the first time they looked into each other’s eyes so closely. Something like a mirage flickered in his red eyes.
Burning.
He looked down at Becky with a blazing gaze and muttered softly.
“But, you still don’t know me.”
?
The magic department’s conference room.
In this space where the professors were seated around a single seat, a heavy air flowed.
It was Brody, the specialized professor of the ‘summoning’ branch, who broke the silence.
“I’m going crazy. What is Kaplan doing?”
Brody scratched his head as if he was annoyed.
“The competition is only a week away, and what is he trying to do? It’s not like we can do anything in this short period of time…”
“Professor Brody.”
Violet opened her mouth in a calm voice.
“Don’t talk as if you did something when you had more time. Honestly, the magic department professors didn’t do anything.”
“Professor Violet, what are you saying in front of everyone…!”
“Was I wrong? You were just sitting on your hands.”
“No, is that something you can do anything about? I’m also a magician before I’m a professor, but I’ll just admit it if I have to!”
“What do you have to admit?”
“Think about it. What do you think? Innate abilities are inherently superior to magic. They’re different from the start!”
Professor Brody pounded his chest as if he was frustrated.
Some other professors started to chime in with Brody’s opinion.
“Professor Violet. We understand your enthusiasm. But what’s going to change if you do it for a week?”
“Yeah, we didn’t have passionate days either. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. You’ll get tired if you waste your energy on useless things.”
The other professors who kept their mouths shut didn’t seem to think much differently. They looked at Violet with displeasure.
Maybe Audrey was the only exception. She looked around nervously with a worried look.
In such a situation, Violet didn’t flinch at all.
She narrowed her sharp eyes and opened her mouth again.
“All the time you spent giving up and resigning was wasted. We have to do something this time.”
“Professor Violet!”
Brody finally shouted.
That’s when it happened.
“Stop it, everyone.”
It was the voice of the dean, Connet. The professors stood up at once.
She had a white exterior and a black interior. She appeared with her two-tone hair, which was her symbol.
Connet opened her mouth with a blank expression on the seat in the middle.
“How was it? Did you have a good talk while I was gone?”
Brody opened his mouth right away.
“Dean. I’m Brody, the summoning branch.”
“Professor Brody. Please speak.”
“The competition is less than a week away. You’re trying to do something now? That’s ridiculous, that’s our position.”
“Really, is that so?”
“Of course. Don’t you think the same, Dean?”
Brody muttered nervously, licking his lips. Connet was still expressionless.
“Well… Is there anyone who has a different opinion?”
Then some professors gave Violet a hint.
They opened their eyes sharply, as if to warn her not to open her mouth.
Violet ignored the warning and opened her mouth.
“I’m Violet, in charge of the first grade A class.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“We should try to select a representative according to the thoroughly prepared criteria. That’s what I think.”
As soon as the words ended, the sharp eyes of the other professors pierced Violet’s body.
“Well… You might think that way.”
Connet lifted the corner of her mouth slightly.
“But why did you think that way, Professor Violet?”
“Huh.”
“What I’m curious about is this. At this point, when the competition is less than a week away, can the magic department do anything?”
All eyes in the conference room were fixed on Violet. She swallowed once and opened her mouth.
“The knight department is preparing for the competition in a systematic way. Magic is not inferior at all. If we also establish a system and go out…”
“No. Professor Violet. That’s not it.”
Connet cut off Violet’s words. The faces of the other professors who were watching smiled.
But the next words Connet uttered were somewhat shocking.
“I’m just asking for your subjective opinion.”
“Yes…?”
“Professor Violet. What is your honest opinion? Is a week enough for a magician?”
“That…”
Violet clenched her fist.
It hurts. The wound on her palm where her nails had dug in a day ago had not healed yet.
And she was afraid.
In fact, the thoughts of the other professors were normal. She was well aware that she was more like a freak.
If they fail, the knight department will ignore the magic department even more. And also, they would have to calmly accept the contempt of the same magicians.
But.
Even so.
“Dean. Have you read the bulletin board?”
She uttered a voice that surprised even herself. Violet looked at Connet’s eyes without avoiding them.
“Of course, I did.”
“I agree with the opinion of the bulletin board. And also, I believe that there is a gemstone that matches that opinion in the magic department.”
“So?”
“So I think we should select a proper representative. If we find the gemstone, the magic department will be able to win enough.”
Violet tied up her words without shaking.
The conference room was silent as a mouse. All the professors were looking at Violet with a curious look.
“Oh my.”
It was Connet who broke the silence. She smiled.
“I’m sorry for the other professors… But I think the same as Professor Violet.”
The eyes of the professors widened as if they were about to pop out.
Connet blinked once, and a bunch of white papers flew into the conference room like a flock of pigeons.
They landed neatly in front of the professors.
The dean of the magic department, Connet, opened her mouth again.
“I prepared the criteria. Select the representative of the magic department properly.”
The conference room was engulfed in shock. In the heavy silence, Connet added one more thing.
“I’ll decide whether to raise the stakes or not… After seeing the representative student myself.”
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