Magic Academy's Bastard Instructor

Chapter 76: Fractal Veil [1]

Chapter 76: Fractal Veil [1]

"How's Roselyn, Karina?" Vanitas asked, setting down books and documents on his desk.

Karina stood by the bookshelf, organizing papers. 

"She's finished moving in. It was quite a hassle since she insisted on bringing everything from her old apartment to the new one."

"Is that so? I hope she compensated you."

Karina shook her head with a small smile. 

"It's fine, Professor. Connections are everything. Knowing I'm second-in-line for anything Roselyn does is enough for me. She's practically a celebrity now. With the sponsors' support, she's setting up her very own alchemy workshop."

"Oh?"

"It's impressive," Karina added. "She's focusing all her time and effort on it."

Vanitas leaned back in his chair, considering. It made sense. Focusing on her alchemy career now was a smart move. 

With more experience and accomplishments, she'd be better suited for the role of a professor in the future.

"Good for her," he said. "Keep me updated if she needs anything."

"Actually, she wanted to visit you a few days ago but couldn't find the right opportunity, and she's too shy to ask you to visit her."

"I'll visit her."

Karina smiled. "I'll let her know."

Vanitas nodded and flipped through the documents in his hand. Flip, flip—

 "In the meantime, come here."

"Yes, Professor?"

"I need your feedback," Vanitas said, holding out a stack of papers. "This is the draft for my second paper. It's incomplete, though."

"Oh…. another book."

"...."

Vanitas raised an eyebrow but chose to ignore her reaction. He could guess she'd read the first paper the original Vanitas had written.

"This one's completely different from my first one," he said.

"Ah? Uhm… I didn't say anything."

"Right." Vanitas leaned back in his chair. "Read through it. Let me know if anything stands out or doesn't make sense. Feel free to skim."

Karina nodded, taking the papers and sitting in the chair across from him. She began flipping through the draft.

After about thirty minutes, she looked up at him in surprise.

"How is it?" Vanitas asked.

"It's… wow…" Karina said, stunned.

"Is that supposed to be a good reaction?"

"N-No, I mean… wow. I've taken notes from your lectures, and some of these ideas felt familiar, but the way they're explained here is much more thorough. The foundation circuit you outlined is especially groundbreaking."

She looked at him seriously. "This is a big deal, Professor."

"Is it?"

"Yes!" Karina said, leaning forward. "These days, it's rare to find anything truly new, let alone something original. But everything in this draft…. it's completely uncharted territory."