Chapter 46: Was Mistaken for Daddy-Long-Legs (5)

“Director Schun...?”

“From the Merkur Trading Company...?”

“He really came?”

Murmurs filled the room.

Quinine.

The new medicine that stopped the terrible fever that had been pushing back the Empire's Southern Front.

To the public, Director Schun was famous as the person who created that new medicine.

When such a Director appeared, the students all began to murmur among themselves.

But not all the students reacted that way.

'Why are they so surprised?'

Valeria tilted her head.

The Scholarship Officer sent an invitation.

He said the Scholarship Officer was hosting a banquet.

Then isn't it natural for the Scholarship Officer to come?

Beside her, Ayla wore a similar expression.

“Unnie, why is everyone so surprised?”

“I don't know.”

The sisters whispered to each other in voices no one else could hear.

But before long, Valeria realized why the other students were reacting this way.

“I didn't think he'd come in person.”

“I thought a representative would come, of course.”

“I thought a butler would come.”

Valeria's ears perked up.

A representative.

That's right.

Come to think of it, it was common for a representative to come in his stead in a situation like this.

It was something she had experienced often while attending the Academy Middle School Division.

Nobles and the wealthy often went through representatives when meeting commoners.

So it was natural to think Director Schun would be the same.

'I didn't think of that.'

The reason Valeria and Ayla hadn't thought of it was simple.

Before coming to the banquet.

It was because their mother had been jumping the gun.

'Mother...'

Realizing this, Valeria gave a bitter smile internally.

The scholarship students' murmuring didn't die down easily.

Director Schun waited silently for the students.

Only then did the students, realizing their discourtesy, fall silent.

Beneath the shade of his fedora.

The corners of Director Schun's mouth drew a faint curve.

“There's no need to be nervous. As I said, you are the protagonists of today. It's alright, so if you have anything you wish to say, please feel free to speak without reservation.”

His low, gentle voice seeped into every corner of the room.

The students' shoulders relaxed a little.

Just then,

“Th-Then, in that case...”

A boy cautiously raised his hand.

It was Kal, the student from the Department of Swordsmanship who had the knife accident earlier.

His gaze was on Yulian.

“I-If it's not too much trouble, may I ask one thing?”

“Of course. Please, speak freely.”

“Th-Then, perhaps...”

Kal's gaze fell from Yulian.

And fixing his eyes on the red-haired woman wearing a woman's suit coat like a cape over her shoulders, he spoke.

“By any chance, what might your bodyguard's age be?”

“I'll answer that instead of the Director. There isn't more than a year or two's difference between us.”

“Then, I would like to ask which teacher you studied under. Your movements just now were so incredible.”

In the world of swordsmanship and the path of magic, skill was lineage.

Of course, there are students who build their basics at the Academy and work their way up.

But true masters usually inherit secret techniques passed down from teacher to teacher, from ancestor to ancestor.

For this reason, scions of renowned magic families or swordsmanship lineages sometimes didn't even enroll in the Academy's High School Division.

This was also why it wasn't uncommon for a supernova to suddenly appear in the Undergraduate Division (the course after high school).

'With movements like that, it's possible she's a high disciple of a famous sect or the descendant of a prestigious knight family.'

Kal clearly remembered Erika's Fighting Aura from a moment ago.

Unlike himself, who had to concentrate just to form it, Erika handled her Fighting Aura as if breathing.

She must be at a level of mastery far beyond Kal, the second in class of the Department of Swordsmanship.

Therefore, Kal couldn't help but be curious about the teacher who had made Erika so skilled.

“...”

But upon receiving Kal's question, Erika tilted her head.

Because she had no teacher.

Naturally, she had no sect either.

No, wait.

She learned Fighting Aura from Wangcho, so does that make Wangcho her teacher?

Captain Shen, who taught her magic, was one thing, but it felt somehow awkward to call that gang leader her teacher.

In the end, after much deliberation, she uttered a single phrase.

“...Actual combat.”

“Pardon?”

“In the Limbus Pit, I learned through actual combat.”

It wasn't a lie.

Wangcho's method of teaching Fighting Aura was always through actual combat.

Throwing her into factional strife without warning and just watching to make sure she didn't die was Wangcho's way of teaching.

Thanks to that, Erika had been able to reach a level of mastery where she could turn on her Fighting Aura as if breathing.

However, Erika's answer unintentionally left Kal stunned.

“Through actual combat...?”

Without an academy, a sect, or a teacher.

It meant she had reached that level of mastery solely through actual combat.

Kal's mouth fell shut.

He had held a sword since he was a child and grew up hearing he had talent.

Sometimes, he had even inwardly sneered at children born in better environments who still fell behind him.

But now, that same boy couldn't say a word.

Erika, in a far harsher environment and with more blood-soaked effort, had surpassed Kal's level of mastery.

And at this age, she had been recognized for her skill and earned a place by Director Schun's side.

'...I was arrogant.'

Kal realized his own arrogance.

He had become too conceited over the fact that Director Schun had taken notice of him.

He had nearly let that arrogance get to his head and slacked off on his efforts.

'I'm truly glad we met today.'

Kal clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.

“You have taught me much! Nunim!”

At Kal's sudden reaction, Erika tilted her head, not understanding.

However, following the etiquette ingrained in her, Erika returned the fist and palm salute.

“Yeah, well. Glad it was helpful.”

Though proper etiquette hadn't quite stuck to her speech yet.

*

Just as the conversation between Erika and Kal was concluding.

Yulian suddenly rose from his seat.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

The students' gazes all turned to Yulian at once.

“I have a brief appointment. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

As Yulian headed for the door, Erika also stood up to follow.

At the door, Yulian looked back once.

“I will return when the appetizer is served.”

With a gentle smile, the two of them left the room.

Creeak.

The door closed.

And then,

“Phew...”

Someone let out a long sigh.

As if that were the signal, the students all began to talk.

“Ah, I thought I was going to die of nervousness.”

“Me too... I was even careful about how I breathed.”

“But he's not as scary as I thought. His voice is nice, too.”

A murmur arose among the students.

With Yulian and Erika gone, it felt like they could finally breathe.

“But is it really okay to be talking like this?”

One student raised the question.

To which, Kal answered the student's muttering.

“I've dined with nobles a few times, so I know. Usually, in cases like this, they leave to let us talk comfortably.”

“Then how long can we talk for?”

“Probably until the appetizer arrives.”

“Oh, is this noble speech? Where did you learn something like this?”

“The Department of Swordsmanship has a practical class where we escort students from the Department of Political Science. I learned it there.”

“Wow, so your goal is to be a knight?”

“For now. Just in case, if there's anyone who doesn't know proper etiquette, I'll check for you.”

Kal quickly began to teach the dining etiquette to the kids who didn't know it.

At first, the kids were wary, wondering what ulterior motive Kal had, but they gradually opened up to his cheerful voice and passionate teaching.

Naturally, Kal had become the center of the scholarship students.

While some students received a crash course from Kal.

Valeria interacted with a few other students.

Most were from departments with tendencies similar to Valeria's Department of Diplomatic Economy, students who preferred wielding a pen to physical activity.

“Wow, I can't believe I'm dining with Director Schun.”

A male student exclaimed as he began to speak.

Valeria recalled that the male student was from the Department of Military Studies.

And also the fact that he was the oldest in this group, a second-year in the High School Division.

The student, with a build like a bear, had broader shoulders and a deeper voice than Kal from the Department of Swordsmanship.

'He looks like he should be a general, not just an officer...'

While Valeria was having such thoughts, the student from the Department of Military Studies began to preach about Director Schun's greatness to the others.

“You've all heard the story of Quinine, right?”

“Yeah. They said it's why the frontline was held again, right? It's an amazing medicine.”

But the Military Studies student shook his head, saying that wasn't the important part.

“No. The amazing thing isn't Quinine's effect.”

“Then what is?”

“It's that he cut the price of that Quinine in half so that even the rank-and-file soldiers could easily use it. And he did it by giving up his own stake.”

The Military Studies student turned his head toward Valeria.

“You said you're in the economics department, right? By any chance, do you learn about the profits Director Schun has given up until now?”

“Why would we learn something like that?”

“Still, you should be able to do a rough calculation, right?”

“Hmm...”

Valeria hummed, doing a rough mental calculation.

The price of one Quinine is about 4000 Mar.

And considering that the royalty fee when selling a patent right to a trading company is usually around four percent...

“Well? There are too many variables to calculate, so mental math is difficult. But it seems he gave up roughly the average income of a baronial family.”

“See! That's the kind of person he is!”

The bear-like student began to passionately preach Director Schun's greatness.

“He developed Insulin, and even a vaccine!”

More fervor entered the Military Studies student's voice.

“The fact that we're dining with him right now is a miracle in itself!”

At the eldest brother's grand speech, the students nodded in agreement.

Just then, a small voice cut in.

“B-But I don't think the Director made the medicine all by himself.”

The students' gazes gathered in the direction the small voice came from.

At the center of their gazes was a female student wearing eyeglasses.

Top of the class of the Department of Alchemy's High School Division, Eli.

As if conscious of the gazes on her, she shrank back slightly.

“Ah, no. I mean...”

Her fingers fiddled with the frame of her eyeglasses.

“Quinine is true. Director Schun probably developed it himself. There's an academic paper, and the patent for the formula is in his name. He grew the company with it, too.”

“Right.”

“But...”

Eli's voice grew a little quieter.

“To say he made Insulin and the vaccine all by himself is... uh... difficult to believe.”

The Military Studies student's eyebrow rose.

His reaction was one of 'How dare she insult the great man I admire'.

“What are you trying to say?”

Eli shrank her shoulders even more.

But even so, her mouth didn't stop.

“D-Don't misunderstand. I'm n-not trying to say Director Schun took credit for someone else's research.”

“Then?”

“I-It's just that, alchemy isn't that simple.”

Eli's gaze dropped to the table. It seemed difficult for her to meet anyone's eyes.

“Quinine is in the infectious disease branch. But Insulin is a completely different domain. It's in blood physiology... The fields are completely different.”

“...”

“For one person to simultaneously create new medicines in such different fields... it's not theoretically impossible, but realistically...”

Her words trailed off.

A silence fell.

Eli's shoulders shrank.

'...Ah.'

Regret washed over her.

The conversation had been flowing pleasantly.

There was no need to interrupt.

But in her greed to get closer to them, she had forced herself to speak.

'Did I say something unnecessary?'

She peeked at her surroundings from behind her eyeglasses.

The Military Studies student's expression was strangely stiff.

The other students also looked awkward.

Eli's fingers fiddled with her eyeglass frames again.

Just then, as if to support Eli's words, Valeria spoke up.

“She's right. I think so too.”

Eli raised her head.

Valeria moistened her lips with the pre-dinner drink and continued.

“Do you know how fast the Merkur Trading Company has grown in recent years?”

Valeria's voice was calm.

“It usually takes several years to develop one new medicine. But Merkur is launching several new medicines simultaneously every 2-3 years. I even heard he publishes physiology papers in his spare time, right?”

“...Th-That's right.”

Eli's eyes sparkled.

Director Schun was famous for his medicines, but in the Department of Alchemy, he was even more famous for his groundbreaking research results.

You can't make medicine without first identifying its principle, so it was only natural.

At the fact that a student from another department knew this, Eli unknowingly felt a sense of kinship with Valeria.

Reading Eli's thoughts, Valeria gave a bitter smile and continued.

“This isn't something one person can do alone. There has to be a team."

Valeria tapped her fingers on the table.

“Director Schun probably raised capital with Quinine, and used that money to recruit excellent alchemists. He would oversee the whole operation and set the direction, while the team handles the detailed development. That would be the structure.”

At Valeria's words, the Military Studies student lowered his eyes and stroked his chin.

“Ah... The army is similar. A general doesn't win a war alone; he has his advisory staff.”

“Right. That's how large organizations work. That's what you meant, right? Eli?”

Eli nodded eagerly.

Seeing her reaction, the Military Studies student's gaze softened considerably.

“What, so that's what you meant.”

“S-Sorry. Director Schun is still an amazing person, that hasn't changed.”

“That's true. No matter how great the advisory staff is, it doesn't diminish the greatness of a great commander.”

The atmosphere softened again.

Eli glanced at Valeria.

'...Thank you.'

She didn't say it aloud, but her eyes were filled with gratitude.

Valeria gave a slight shrug.

Just then, a student suddenly raised a question.

“By the way, I wonder what Director Schun's age is?”

“Hmm... I wonder? At the very least, he must have graduated from the Department of Alchemy or the Department of Healing Arts...”

“His way of speaking also seemed more experienced than our instructors...”

“He looked kind of young, though?”

“Maybe he's an elf or a half-elf?”

“That's right. There's an instructor like that at our school, too. He's really short. He always says he's only 96 years old.”

“So he could be older than he looks?”

The discussion about Director Schun's age continued.

The older Director Schun's supposed age grew, the more Valeria felt that Ayla seemed strangely disappointed.

She didn't know why.

Finally, just as the students were settling on Director Schun being roughly an 80-year-old half-elf.

Creeak.

The door opened again.

“My apologies for the wait.”

With his gentle voice, Yulian and Erika entered the room.

Waiters entered in a line behind them.

On the silver trays were a clear, golden soup and a very small blini.

While the food was being placed on each table, a man in a white uniform stepped forward.

He appeared to be the chef.

“Today's appetizer is a Truffle Consommé. In a beef broth slow-cooked for 24 hours at a low temperature, we've infused the aroma of this year's first harvest of black truffles...”

The students held their breath.

They only recognized a few of the words, but they could tell it was an incredible dish.

“The blini is baked with buckwheat flour and yogurt. Eating it with the consommé will further deepen the flavor.”

The chef gave a light bow and stepped back.

Valeria carefully picked up her spoon.

From the steam rising off the golden broth, a mixed aroma of mushroom and beef drifted out.

Valeria's eyes widened.

“Woooow...”

Beside her, Ayla also let out a soft gasp of admiration.

For the sisters who had grown up eating food made of oats, pigeons, and sausage, the flavor was just too deep.

It was hard to describe, but,

'This... is the taste of truly fresh ingredients...'

Valeria could declare it was the most delicious food she had ever eaten.

Valeria slowly took a second spoonful.

As the meal progressed.

Valeria's gaze naturally drifted toward Yulian.

'...'

At first, she had glanced over, remembering the etiquette of matching the host's pace, trying to adjust her own speed.

But once she started looking, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Yulian's hand moved, and his knife cut the blini.

And when he put a piece in his mouth, the food remaining on his plate was still beautiful.

It was gradually changing from the shape the chef had plated, but its beautiful form was being maintained.

Valeria looked down at her own plate.

Her half-eaten blini was already hard to recognize. The caviar she had touched with her spoon was scattered here and there.

The other students' plates were the same.

The more they ate, the more of a mess it became.

Valeria had thought it was unavoidable while eating.

However, seeing Yulian's plate, she was forced to change her mind.

'Is this the real difference in class with the upper class...'

The emptier his plate became, the more neat and tidy the remaining food looked.

It was a way of eating that was only possible if one perfectly understood the chef's intent behind the decoration.

Valeria stared blankly, her spoon in hand.

Was it his beautiful etiquette?

Was it the beautiful atmosphere?

Or was it everything mixed together?

Only one thing was certain: her scholarship officer was a more perfect person than she had ever imagined.

'I also...'

I want to become part of the upper class like that, too.

Just as such a small yearning was blooming in Valeria's heart.

When the meal had progressed some way, Yulian opened his mouth.

“Shall we have a comfortable chat?”

Yulian wiped his mouth with a napkin.

From behind that napkin, a gentle voice could be heard.

“Not so stiffly. If there's anything you're curious about, ask me anything.”

The students glanced at each other.

Who would speak first?

In that silence.

'...Now's my chance.'

Eli quietly took a breath.

Her fingers fiddled with her eyeglass frames. It was a habit when she was nervous.

'I have to ask.'

The conversation she had with Valeria earlier flashed through her mind.

Director Schun's specialty is infectious diseases.

It's highly likely he received help from other alchemists for Insulin.

If so, if she asked a deep question about Insulin, Director Schun might not be able to answer perfectly.

'But still.'

Eli didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Insulin.

A miraculous medicine for patients with wasting disease.

But recently, among the academic papers in the Department of Alchemy, cases of death from heart attack after Insulin administration were being cautiously reported.

Eli had also heard about those cases in class.

And while learning about it, a few questions had arisen.

It was still just her own hypothesis, but if she could perhaps get confirmation from Director Schun...

'This is my chance to make an impression on the Director.'

To be honest, it was also a calculated move.

This was an opportunity that might never come again.

To make herself stand out among the ten scholarship students, she had to speak up now.

She had to ask a question, have a conversation, and leave an impression.

It didn't matter even if Director Schun couldn't give a perfect answer.

In fact, that would be natural.

Showing one's limits in a field outside one's specialty is nothing to be ashamed of.

The important thing is the question itself.

As the top of the class in the Department of Alchemy, it was to show that she was studying.

'...Let's do this.'

Eli raised her hand.

“Excuse me.”

Her voice came out smaller than she expected.

The students' gazes turned to her.

Eli's shoulders shrank slightly, but this time, she didn't back down.

“May I ask one thing?”

Yulian nodded.

“Of course. Go ahead.”

“It's about Insulin...”

“Yes. To have prepared a question about Insulin at your age. You've studied hard.”

“Hehe...”

No. This isn't it.

Eli's fingers fiddled with her eyeglass frames again.

“I heard in class that recently, there have been reports of cases of death from heart attack after Insulin administration. P-Perhaps...”

Eli took a sharp breath.

Yulian waited quietly for Eli.

Thanks to that consideration, Eli was able to continue speaking.

“I was wondering if... this is a side effect you are aware of... and if you have any plans to improve upon that side effect... May I ask?”

A silence fell.

Eli waited for Yulian's response.

It was highly likely that Insulin was not Director Schun's specialty.

If so, there were usually three possible responses.

“I'll check with the team,”

“That's a good point,”

or “That's still under discussion at the company, so it's difficult to give a definitive answer.”

After all, unless one had complete control, it was difficult to answer so easily.

However, the answer that came back far surpassed the expectations of the students present.

“An excellent question.”

Yulian's voice was still gentle.

“For a student from the Department of Alchemy to keep up with discussions in the healer's domain. I know it's not on the exam, that's amazing.”

“Hehe...”

“To answer your question first. Yes. I was aware, I predicted it all, and countermeasures have already been prepared and medication guidelines have already been released.”

“...What?”

The top student of the Department of Alchemy stared blankly at Yulian.

Yulian looked at her as if she were cute and continued his explanation.

“First, let me explain the background.”

Yulian lightly wiped his fingers with his napkin.

“It is true that cases of heart attack after Insulin administration have increased. However, the cause is not a defect in the medicine itself.”

“...Then for what reason?”

“It should be seen as a problem of the patients' medication compliance.”

Eli's eyes blinked.

She had heard in class that the Department of Alchemy professors were still trying to figure out the cause...

But Yulian was speaking as if he had grasped the cause long ago.

“When Insulin first came out, it was like a miracle drug for patients with wasting disease. People who had to give up sweets for their entire lives were suddenly told that all they had to do was take the medicine.”

“...”

“So what do you think happened?”

Silence.

Yulian didn't wait for an answer.

“They trusted the medicine and started binge eating. 'I have Insulin anyway, so a little should be fine.' With that kind of thinking. The result was diabetic shock... no. An acute exacerbation of wasting disease. In a hurry to save the patient, a large dose of Insulin was administered, and as a result, a heart attack occurred.”

Eli's mouth fell open.

It was such a simple and obvious logic.

But... why hadn't anyone figured this out?

And how did Yulian, who she thought was a non-specialist, know all this so well?

Meanwhile, Yulian continued his explanation.

“So as long as the dosage instructions are followed properly, side effects basically do not occur."

Yulian nodded.

“Of course.”

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

“Nevertheless, side effects can still occur. There are cases where an overdose is unavoidable in an emergency, and unexpected reactions can appear depending on the patient's constitution.”

“...”

Eli was speechless for a moment.

Before she could even ask, everything had already been prepared.

An analysis of the side effect's cause.

And countermeasures for situations that could still arise despite that.

'...Perfect.'

After hearing that answer, she had no choice but to admit it.

Including Insulin, Yulian was perfectly overseeing all the medicines.

He was a genius beyond what people thought.

Just as such thoughts were dominating Eli's mind,

Yulian suddenly snapped his fingers.

“Ah.”

Eli raised her head.

“From this point on is material for the Department of Healing Arts' Undergraduate Division, so it's not at all shameful if you don't know. Still, I'll give you a chance.”

“...Pardon?”

“If you harbored such a question, you must have your own thoughts on the matter.”

Yulian's gaze turned to Eli.

“What was the solution you were thinking of? And what do you think our supplement was?”

From the shade of his fedora, she felt a gaze that was gentle, yet somehow sharp, fix upon her.