Chapter 36

Chapter 36

I didn’t know the incident had gotten this much attention. While it was true that I’d actively worked to generate some buzz, I hadn’t been expecting this sort of reaction.

Uh-oh. Now I’m getting kind of scared. A rush of anxiety hit me and my heart began to race. William Lemont, on the other hand, looked elated. If the administrators of Epsilon were to discuss the incident publicly, it would surely make waves within high society. He looked already triumphant, as though he’d carried out some great act of justice.

“I’m going to expose the House of Seymour today and defeat corruption,” he muttered to himself, clenching his fists. The ridiculous sight he made—nostrils flared as he grunted to himself in approval—brought me back to my senses a little.

I’ll lose sleep at night if I let a guy like him walk all over me. And that would ruin my lovely skin... I realized the tension I was currently feeling was nothing compared to the paralyzing fear I’d experienced on the day of my CSAT exam. Biting my lip, I forced myself to calm down.

This was how the test would go: William would write the problems he’d picked out himself on a blackboard. Under the dean’s and the professors’ watchful eyes, I would solve them. This would ensure there would be no foul play.

“Now then, let’s get started,” called the vice dean, who was presiding over the inquiry.

William started writing out the problems and I stood next to him, solving them right alongside him.

These problems seem almost hand-picked to give me an advantage. Lemont had probably picked problems that took longer to solve, but most of them had immediate solutions I could find using techniques developed by mathematicians in my world.

For instance, the answer to a problem needed to be found by calculating the geometric progression manually in this world, but I could simply use my world’s formula for the sum of a geometric progression and find the correct answer almost instantly. Of course, that particular formula wasn’t the only one that allowed me to solve problems so much faster than my fellow students.

“William. Hurry it along, will you? It seems as though I’m solving these faster than you can write them.”

William blanched as he watched me scribble out a few numbers, writing the answer in a matter of seconds. “Vice dean, are Lady Deborah’s answers correct?”

The vice dean glanced at the answer sheet and nodded grimly. “They’re all correct.”

“I-is it possible she was able to guess them all?”

“Five problems in a row, none of them multiple-choice problems? If I was capable of that, I’d be at the races making millions every day, not standing here next to you,” I said mockingly.

“This can’t be possible.” William’s handwriting grew messier and messier as he became more agitated.

I answered the remaining three questions correctly with ease, of course, and the hall fell deathly silent. Before long, the audience began to murmur to one another in confusion—this outcome had visibly confounded the dean, the professors, and everyone who had come to watch.

I addressed William, who stood rooted to the spot. “Now that I’ve proven myself innocent, it’s time for you to be held accountable for damaging my reputation.” I glowered at him angrily.

“Eeek!”

There’s a reason I wore such dramatic eye makeup today.

William gulped, deathly pale, then began to ramble. “Y-you must have cheated again somehow! Nobody is capable of solving these problems so quickly! That must be it—you’re a witch and you’ve been using black magic!” He was only destroying his own credibility by accusing me of turning to black magic, something strictly forbidden in the empire.

The vice dean began to frown as he witnessed the disgraceful display. “Lord William! Watch your mouth. If she had cheated, I’d have known. I did not witness her using any forbidden spells. You’re essentially saying that all the professors in attendance, as well as myself, are blind!”

Seeing that the tables had turned in my favor, Kyle, who’d been sitting nervously in his seat for the duration of the test, suddenly rose to his feet. “William, you accused me of taking bribes from the Seymours, despite having no proof. Consider yourself expelled from my classes.”

What’s he getting involved for? I stared at the professor dubiously.

“B-but isn’t it strange, Professor? Not even the ancient archmages could solve the problems that quickly. I’m sure something sinister is going on—”

“You selected this location and picked out the problems as well, and yet you still have the nerve to suggest such a thing! The gall!”

Seeing that Kyle and William were beginning to raise their voices at one other, Dean Vert intervened. “Kyle, you’re in no position to be angry. Sit down. And as for you, William Lemont, your undue accusations will be met with severe punishment.” Having effectively silenced both of them, he turned to me. “Lady Deborah.”

“Yes, Dean.”

“Can you explain how this is possible? You solved them so quickly and accurately, to say you are a genius would be understating it.”

“Hmm.” I tilted my head slightly. “Why should I bother?’

The crowd murmured, looks of confusion on their faces. I smirked.

“What?”

“William Lemont submitted a petition simply because I was solving problems quickly in class. He had no evidence of any kind that I was cheating. Isn’t that correct?”

The occupants of the hall fell silent.

“For the entirety of this process, no one has once bothered to point out that William Lemont was being rash and disrespectful,” I said. “In fact, I believe some of the other students even joined him...”

The students who’d blindly followed William’s lead studiously averted their eyes.

“Now then, I’d like for you all to hear a recording I took of a conversation I had with Professor Kyle the other day.” I produced the artifact I’d purchased capable of recording. “My brother Veleque gave this to me as a gift. I never thought I’d have occasion to use it like this... This sort of behavior is deplorable,” I muttered, not forgetting that I’d decided to claim Veleque had bought it instead of me.

“Wh-what is this about?”

Noticing Kyle’s puzzled stare, I tapped on the artifact three times.

“All you women are the same—obsessed with your pretty trinkets and dresses. You’re not a child, my lady.”

“Lady Deborah. Why do you insist on staying on in the Department of Magic like a leech?”

It went without saying that the three-million-won voice recorder currently playing back Kyle’s voice at a booming volume had editing capabilities.

I recorded what you said when you called me to your office, asshole. Rubbing a finger against the artifact softly, I watched the blood drain from Kyle’s face.

“Professor Kyle! You called her a leech? How could you say that to one of your students?” one of the other professors demanded to know. “I’m so disappointed in you. I had a lot of respect for you, how could you say something so inappropriate.”

Several of the ladies enrolled in the Department of Magic appeared especially incensed hearing his sneering remark about “pretty trinkets and dresses.” His rotten character now exposed to the public, Professor Kyle sank into his seat, knees suddenly weak beneath him.

“As you can see, I was facing attacks from both my professor and fellow students. I came here today to do away with the misunderstanding, utterly alone. All I am guilty of is having passion for my studies.” I looked around the hall. “Why should I reveal my groundbreaking new technique to you when it’s the result of hours and hours of intense work?”

“She came up with a new technique?”

“Goodness!”

“How is that even possible?”

The murmured mutters around the hall grew louder than ever before.

“The sublime rules regarding mana that we use today were developed by an archmage and a dragon. How would you go about modifying them? How could you even entertain such an idea?” Marquess Vert muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

I shrugged casually. “I realized there was a much faster and more accurate way to find the answers, so I modified the formula. What does it matter who came up with the original method if it can be improved upon? All of you are crippled by custom.”

The crowd appeared as if they had expected nothing less from such an infamous villain when I delivered my arrogant statement. I smiled malevolently, flicking open my fan, then folding it again. Keep talking. Let the rumors spread far and wide.

“The ancient formulas are perfect. They cannot be improved upon!” someone cried angrily.

“But she arrived at the answers faster than anyone else could have. If she’s telling the truth, we’ll be able to cast spells faster than we’ve ever been capable of before. It would be revolutionary!”

“I can’t believe it. She must be lying to us all.”

Sentiment within the crowd was shifting towards doubt. I heaved a great sigh.

“Some of you still doubt me, even after I proved myself to be innocent. I am a daughter of the Seymour family, the House of Magic,” I said, pretending to feel humiliated. I bowed my head and let my shoulders shake with pretend indignation. “If you really can’t find it within yourselves to believe me, I’ll reveal the technique that I toiled over for many hours.”

“She’s going to reveal it?”

“Do you mean it, Lady Deborah?”

“Yes.”

Wearing an exquisitely pained expression, I began to write the great mathematicians of my world’s findings on the blackboard.