The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 42

Episode 42

Rose, who had been standing behind Briley, quietly stepped to the side. 

‘Why was I so nervous…?’

Rose relaxed her tense shoulders and took a deep breath. While Adela and Jasper were facing each other, it felt as if the air around them had frozen.

Rebecca muttered from the side.

“Considering that Adela came all the way here… it seems like there was a discussion within the families, right?”

Briley pursed her lips. 

“Hmph. Those two don’t match at all.”

“Oh? They don’t match well?”

“No!”

Rebecca looked puzzled, but Briley quickly shook her head. In the meantime, Rose awkwardly chuckled and interjected.

“Well, they do look good together when they’re standing side by side, don’t they?”

“See? Even Rose thinks so!”

Briley pouted with a slightly sulky expression. Rebecca clung to Rose and raised her fist, playfully teasing.

“But Jasper was cold to Adela Bluewood too, right? He does have an extraordinary ego. And Adela, who doesn’t lose her composure, is remarkable in her own right.”

“They’re engaged like that?”

“Well, in that context, they’re doing fine. Many married couples don’t speak to each other after strategic marriages.”

“Ugh, I couldn’t live like that. Nobility must be so exhausting in that regard.”

“Well, when you’re born with the Conway name, there’s not much you can do.”

Rose listened to the conversation between the two and occasionally nodded her head. She understood both sides of the conversation.

‘If I were a man… even if it’s a strategic marriage, it would be nice if the other party were Adela.’

Adela Bluewood appeared to be a flawless girl without any imperfections. She would probably become even more beautiful as she grew older. Even with such Adela in front of him, Jasper, who was usually so stoic, seemed oddly fascinating.

‘But in the end… they’ll probably become close, right?’

She pictured Adela and Jasper walking side by side. Their story would be featured daily in all kinds of gossip columns. It was evident that they would become the social elite’s power couple.

‘That Jasper likes me.’

The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous the misunderstanding seemed.

Everyone had their place in the world. Adela Bluewood seemed to fit perfectly with Jasper as if it were destiny. 

Upon further consideration, Rose realized that she could comfortably interact with Jasper if she let go of everything. She had once again vividly realized that there was no room for her to interfere in their world.

* * *

The next day, no matter where you went at Berkley Academy, you could hear the names of Jasper Conway and Adela Bluewood. It was the hottest topic of conversation among everyone, regardless of their year.

There were quite a few who had witnessed the two in the garden. However, the rumors varied widely. Some claimed that the two had fought, while others said they looked like a newly started couple, sweet and affectionate.

The rumors spread through many mouths, but what had happened was uncertain. What was clear was that Adela and Jasper had been seen talking alone in the garden.

Most people were interested and supportive of the two. There were indeed some male students who had their eyes on Adela, but when they realized that their rival was Jasper Conway, they reluctantly backed off.

However, within a day, some were furious at the heated rumors circulating through Berkley Academy.

“Ugh… this is so unlucky. Jasper Conway, so unlucky…” 

“Briley, calm down.”

One of those who felt this way was Briley Lawrence.

Briley shuddered whenever she passed by Jasper or Adela. Some people speculated that Briley was angry because she thought Jasper had been stolen by Adela.

But in reality, it was something entirely different.

“If that’s how it was going to be, why did he ask you to go to the expo?”

Briley was upset because of Rose. Ironically, Rose Bell, the person directly involved, seemed oblivious.

“It was because of a project.”

“But there was still plenty of room for misunderstanding! That darn Jasper… I didn’t see him like that at all, he was just fooling around, right? Hmph, we can’t let our Rose go to someone like him.”

“Jasper probably didn’t have any different intentions from the start…”

Rose just smiled and shrugged it off. She regarded Briley’s overprotective behavior as her way of caring, so she didn’t take her words to heart. She wasn’t angry at all in this situation because there was no reason to be. She and Jasper had no relationship whatsoever.

Rose simply went about her duties diligently. She had already prepared for her tutoring session with Jasper that evening.

Since she had some time before the tutoring session, Rose decided to visit the library. She planned to look for books related to mana mechanics.

‘As I’ve entered the senior year, the courses have become more challenging.’

While she could still keep up with the dynamics course, the engineering classes that required practical application were beginning to feel a bit overwhelming.

‘I should start preparing in advance for the next ones…’

With that in mind, Rose was about to enter the library when she ran into someone coming out of it.

“Uh… senior.”

It was Theo Lixton.

“Rose!”

Theo greeted Rose with a happy expression. 

“Are you moving into the staff dormitory?”

“Yeah, I finished packing this morning. Were you on your way to the library?”

“Oh, yes. Engineering classes are getting a bit tough…”

“What part was difficult? You can ask me.”

“Really?” 

Rose’s eyes sparkled. Theo smiled softly and squinted his eyes.

“Of course. I ended up working as a teaching assistant for mana mechanics, but my original field of study was magic engineering.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could help me… Are you not too busy?”

“I have some time now. It’s a bit awkward to discuss things in the library… would you like to go outside? The weather is nice today.”

Rose nodded quickly. She suddenly felt her heart racing, and her face flushed. 

‘I’m so excited… What should I ask first?’

It was much more comfortable to ask Theo questions than a professor. They already knew each other, and Theo had a personality that put people at ease. Moreover, he had worked in the field of magic engineering for several years after graduating, so she believed he knew much more than she did.

As Rose organized her list of questions in her mind, she followed Theo’s busy pace. Theo led her out of the library building and found a nearby bench.

With both cheeks reddening, Rose sat down next to Theo. 

“So, what do you want to ask?”

“Well, it’s not just one or two things…”

“Is there anything even a genius like Rose Bell doesn’t know?”

“No, it’s not that. Sometimes I feel like a complete fool…”

Rose had been feeling a bit down because she didn’t understand her morning classes very well. Theo chuckled when he saw Rose’s sulking expression.

“That’s how it is in this field. The deeper you delve into it, the more your head hurts. Professors must feel the same way, right?”

“Even senior felt that way?”

“Of course.”

Rose’s face brightened considerably. Theo lightly touched her forehead with his fingertip and continued.

“When you learn something new, you’re bound to struggle, Rose. Don’t get discouraged.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best…”

“Do you know what your greatest strength is?”

Rose looked at Theo with a puzzled expression.

“It’s your determination. Even when faced with difficult problems, you dig deep until the end. Of course, your natural talent is exceptional as well, but ultimately, effort is what keeps you from falling behind.”

Blushing from the compliments that followed, Rose lowered her head slightly.

“Senior always seems so kind. Just like before.”

“Am I kind?”

Theo chuckled and then smiled.

“Not to everyone. I’m subtly selective when it comes to people, you know? That’s why I’m like this with you. I hope things go well for you, Rose.”

“Really?”

“Our situations are quite similar, after all.”

Rose nodded her head. She felt comfortable with Theo for many reasons, and one of them was their shared experiences. They could empathize with each other’s struggles without needing to say much.

Could this be what it feels like to have an older brother? Growing up as the oldest daughter, Rose had never been able to rely on her older siblings. She had always been busy taking care of her younger siblings.

‘Being like this isn’t so bad after all.’

Rose chuckled softly. Theo lightly patted her shoulder.

“Show that people like us can succeed too.”

“Yes, I want to graduate safely like you.”

“You will.”

“…Oh, by the way, can I keep calling you ‘senior’? Since you’re a teaching assistant here now.”

“When we’re alone, you can call me casually. It would be weird to suddenly start calling me ‘Assistant,’ right? Between us.”

Rose paused for a moment and then nodded her head. While she acknowledged that Theo was a good person, she didn’t think they were close enough to use the expression ‘between us.’ 

Even though they hadn’t stayed in touch for several years after Theo graduated, seeing him again made him feel more approachable than he did during his time at the academy.

‘Is it because I’m happy to see him again?’

Seeing Theo Lixton here at the academy made Rose feel more at ease. Over the years, all the other commoner scholarship students had gradually left Berkley Academy as they failed to meet the academic performance criteria. In fact, among this year’s freshmen, there weren’t any students who entered through the Commoner scholarship route; it seemed like they had all failed the entrance exam.

In such a situation, Theo’s arrival as a teaching assistant felt like she had found a like-minded comrade. 

“Now, go ahead and ask anything you’re curious about.”

Not only that, he was willing to teach her as well. Rose retrieved her notes from her bag and hesitated for a moment before offering them to Theo.

“I took notes during class, but I didn’t quite understand this part…”

As she was about to hand the notes to Theo, she stopped. Theo’s gaze seemed to be focused somewhere beyond her, and his expression had lost its previous cheerfulness.

“Senior?”

“Oh. What did you find difficult?”

Theo quickly changed his expression to a softer one and looked back at Rose.