Chapter 137

I stayed behind to clean up as per Godin’s instructions. Cleaning up meant I was just drying the soaking wet floor.

Normally, I’d use a mop, but Grace helped out. Obviously, it was with magic.

“You can dry the moisture like this with Drying Magic. It’s not as effective as doing it manually, but it’s great when you’re in a hurry.”

“Oh.”

“You should try it too, Sivar. Given your raw power, you might dry it all up!”

And that’s why having a smart brain makes life easier. I used the Drying Magic as Grace instructed.

Suddenly, the mop that was dripping wet became completely dry.

Crackle!

“… Huh?”

“It turned into… sand?”

Instead of just drying, it scattered like sand. All the moisture had evaporated, turning it into a desert.

Grace looked completely flustered, clearly not expecting that outcome.

Well, she probably didn’t think that all the moisture would just vanish with the Drying Magic.

It was something I could adjust more carefully, so it was fine.

“Hmm. Hmm. As the professor said, even if Sivar is strong, it’s still too strong… maybe that’s a good thing…”

“?”

“It’s nothing. Shall we continue cleaning? I’ll maintain the Drying Magic beside you.”

After that, I wiped the floor with the mop while Grace cast the Drying Magic, finishing the clean-up.

You might wonder why we didn’t use Drying Magic directly on the floor, but it was tough even for Grace.

Drying Magic works wonders on soaked items, but the floor was waterproof.

So we had no choice but to wipe and dry repeatedly.

“If it’s hard, I can help you with the mopping.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, really. We’ll be spending a lot of time together, so I should help with these kinds of things.”

When was the last time I would be around Grace? I pondered while mopping.

Except for visiting Godin or during lunch, there wasn’t much else. We usually moved around together anyway.

I kept blocking her attempts to help with the mopping, determined to do the cleaning myself. The floor was waterproof, so it was convenient.

“Grace.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“What are you doing this weekend?”

Cleaning, with my mouth shut, was boring. So I asked that question.

Asking a noble, especially someone as significant as a Duke’s daughter, about personal matters is quite rude.

But I was Grace’s escort, so I could know what she was up to during the weekends, whether we hung out or not.

Above all, I didn’t have a clue what she was doing on weekends; she didn’t run around like Eli.

“Oh. Is this a date invitation?”

“?”

“Just kidding! Don’t make that face.”

When I stared blankly, Grace scratched her cheek awkwardly. It was surprisingly natural and ridiculous.

“As for my weekend… I don’t have anything specific planned. I want to invite Yeon-joo, but every weekend, I get back that they are busy. So I end up just staying in the dormitory doing nothing.”

“Aren’t you bored?”

“Boredom is better than being scared.”

“Better to be bored than scared” was a response worth thinking about.

Even after such an event, Grace was living confidently. From a distance, it looked like she had overcome her trauma.

However, trauma doesn’t just disappear in a day or two. It requires a trigger or motivation.

‘Could this be it?’ I thought, unsure.

Grace gazed at me intently, flushing slightly as she said, “Well, if you’re here, I can go outside. It’ll be comforting.”

She murmured as if to herself, but I heard every word. And I realized the situation Grace was in.

She hadn’t overcome her trauma. To be more precise, she had partially overcome it.

She could only live normally when the target of her psychological stability was nearby.

That target was Yeon-joo and me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to go out alone.

‘This is normal.’

She had experienced such an event in an academy filled with world-class talents.

The safety being good would likely sound hollow to Grace.

“I’ll take you. Every weekend.”

“Yes, yes?”

“I’ll take you. But I have things to do too. I hope you understand.”

I’d take her, but I’d also need her to understand that I had my own matters to attend to.

I wanted to voice that, but sadly, my current language skills couldn’t manage it.

That said, if I could break it down like that, my message would be clear enough.

“O-Of course! I actually feel bad for taking up your personal time!”

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you. Truly.”

Grace expressed her sincere gratitude, her face showing genuine appreciation.

Seeing her sharp cat-like eyes soften considerably, I could tell she really was grateful.

“Alright! We’ll take it slow! Let’s go!”

“… What?”

This felt like something was fishy. The moment I gave her the go-ahead, she clenched her fists.

Couldn’t I say it was super obvious? I just kept quiet about it.

If she had any ulterior motives, it probably wouldn’t harm me too much.

“Don’t rush. Just let it seep in slowly.”

[Faith is increasing!]

Seeing that message accompanied by the phrase made me more anxious.

******

Once we finished cleaning, we headed towards Godin’s Research Room together.

Grace originally worked as Godin’s assistant, and I was there to get a grasp on the nature of the Red Magic.

As I mentioned before, Godin possesses incredible theoretical skills. In other words, he has a vast amount of knowledge.

If Rod and Rize’s knowledge comes from experience, Godin’s comes from reading countless books.

Knock, knock-

[Come in.]

As Godin permitted after my knock, I opened the door and stepped inside.

As soon as I entered, a musty book smell hit me.

The smell and the scenery inside hadn’t changed since my first visit.

“Ah, you’re here. Just in time. Grace, student?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Could you help me find some books? I’d like you to locate anything related to magic.”

It seemed like he wanted to look up everything related to Red Magic since there wasn’t a book that explained it specifically.

Godin’s memory is quite sharp, but he likely knows little about the knowledge related to Red Magic.

In fact, it’s impressive that he remembers even slightly in passing. He probably had little interest in it.

“While I search, Sivar, you can pick any book to read.”

If that’s the case, then.

I nodded to Godin’s words and picked any random book.

It was quite a complex one, being a book read by a professor, but it didn’t matter. I just had to improve my language skills with it.

‘Hmm… What’s that proverb that fits this situation?’

The black is the text, and the white is the paper. That perfectly sums up my feelings right now.

Did Godin grasp all this while reading? And there are countless books like this.

I quietly closed the book and looked at Godin. He was thoroughly engrossed in reading to acquire knowledge about Red Magic.

‘It feels like it’ll take over an hour.’

Was there nothing more interesting around? I stood up and peeked at the desk where Godin was seated.

Godin was so focused that he didn’t notice what I was doing. Grace was the same.

Eventually, I discovered a piece of paper lying on Godin’s desk. It was filled with all sorts of symbols.

‘That reminds me, language and mathematics are closely related, huh?’

To be more accurate, mathematics is almost always involved. Most academic disciplines incorporate it.

Above all, the most crucial part is mathematical logic. Without mathematics, most fields of study would be stagnant.

Especially magic, it can’t be separated from mathematics. Some even say magic is just another word for mathematics.

‘But wait, I think I’ve seen this somewhere before?’

I couldn’t afford to handle it recklessly, so I just watched quietly.

A series of complex symbols and formulas were lined up, but they must relate to magic.

However, just staring wouldn’t bring any clarity. I broke my gaze from the paper and scanned the room.

Godin was diligently flipping through the books searching for knowledge. I guess it’s time to ask him something.

“Godin.”

“Yes?”

“What’s this?”

I pointed to the paper and asked, and Godin’s gaze followed my finger.

After seeing the paper on the desk, he let out an “Ah” and with a wry smile said,

“It’s a type of magic I’m researching. I’m still bolstering the theory, so it’s a bit embarrassing to show.”

“Is this the research you mentioned last time?”

Grace asked Godin based on his response. Godin just nodded instead of answering her.

It seemed Grace, being his assistant, was roughly aware of what the research was about.

“Do you know it, Grace?”

“Yes, but it’s too difficult, so I gave up. From what it sounds, it seems like it aims to replicate human intelligence… but honestly, I can’t get my head around it.”

“Hahaha. That’s why I’m just establishing a theory. Recently, there’s nothing in particular to research.”

With Grace’s somewhat blunt critique, Godin scratched his head, looking awkward.

Though he showed some embarrassment, I did not. I immediately caught on to what Godin was researching.

“What is it?”

“Shall I explain it simply or in a more complicated way?”

“Keep it simple.”

If it’s too hard, I wouldn’t understand either. I wasn’t well-versed in the knowledge of this world.

In response, Godin cleared his throat and began to explain, a small smile appearing on his lips.

“You can think of it as creating a kind of calculator. It processes human calculation abilities and produces the corresponding results. That’s it in a nutshell.”

“And you’re doing that with magic?”

“Yes.”

What Godin intended to invent was incredibly simple. In modern terms, it would be called ‘artificial intelligence.’

Magic is language, and through language, various spells can be cast. It’s about reversing that to use it instead.

“Is that even possible?”

If you were to ask if this was possible, I could easily compare it.

“It’s merely a pastime. I don’t seriously plan to do it.”

It’s similar to thinking of a mode or custom map that goes beyond the limits of a game.

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