Chapter 125 The Young Alchemist Magician'S Pride And The Aspiring Librarian
"Come to think of it, I've never heard about Mister Thomas's specialty before."
"I'm an economics expert."
"Oh, really? I thought you'd be interested in alchemy since you're in the tower."
'Ugh... I might want to talk about economics with Mister Thomas...
Sarasa's memories started to ache, but Sara endured it silently.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sara. I didn't notice you were leaving... kyaaa!"
Just then, Alicia the Alchemist Girl rushed down from the upper floor where the specimen shelves were, but tripped halfway and almost fell down the stairs. Luckily, Thomas, who was below, quickly caught her.
'Wow, nice catch! I thought Mister Thomas was clumsy, but he's actually strong.'
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, but are you hurt?"
"I'm fine too."
Thomas helped Alicia the Alchemist Girl up.
"There's no need to panic just because I'm here. If anything happens to Ms. Alicia (Alchemist Girl), I'll be in trouble with Mr. Theofrastos."
"Oh, could you be the daughter of Mr. Theofrastos from the Alchemist Guild?"
"Yes, I'm Alicia."
"I'm Thomas Tyler, a tutor for the children of the Grandchester Knights' commander. It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Alicia. I never thought I'd meet the expert Aristos."
"Ah, did you know it?"
"Of course. I was involved in an incident during my school days, about 5 years ago. There's no one in our generation who doesn't know about that academy incident."
"Embarrassing... please forget about it."
'Huh? What's going on?'
Sara tilted her head, and Thomas explained.
"Usually, you need to take an entrance exam to get into the Academy, but there's a system that allows researchers to enroll just by submitting a thesis and participating in a public debate."
'Is it like the AO entrance exam or something?'
"A thesis from a certain Mx. Aristos arrived, and the alchemy researchers were extremely impressed. They all wanted to join the research lab, it was that intense."
"So, it seems like Ms. Alicia submitted a thesis under a fake name, pretending to be a different gender?"
"That's right."
"I was really full of myself back then... I mean, I wanted to challenge the Academy that didn't allow women to enroll, so I sent them a thesis under a fake name..."
Alicia the Alchemist Girl starts making excuses, stumbling over her words.
"So, what happened?"
"I disguised myself as a boy and went to the Academy, but my father's disciple was participating in the debate, so I got caught right away."
"Oh, that's too bad."
Sara sympathized with Alicia the Alchemist Girl. It must have been really frustrating for her to not be able to enroll in the Academy just because she was a woman.
"This is where the story gets really good."
Thomas continues, chuckling.
"Mr. Thomas, please go on from there."
"I really want to hear it!"
Sara can't help but get excited, urging Thomas to continue the story.
"Ms. Alicia told the professors who were trying to kick her out that she didn't care about enrolling, but she wanted to participate in the debate at least."
"And then what happened?"
"The professors dismissed her, saying 'debating with a woman is a waste of time' and 'she must have had her father write the thesis for her'."
"That's terrible ."
'This is some serious sexism!'
"But Ms. Alicia shot back at the professors, saying 'if the Academy's standards are so low that you can't even debate with a little girl, then that's pathetic'."
"What? Did Ms. Alicia...?"
"Yes."
Alicia, who is usually bright and lively, is unbelievable when she gets into a heated argument.
"I was so embarrassed back then."
'That's so sharp!'
"When it gets to that point, the professors gang up on Ms. Alicia with all their might, and the debate meeting begins. Moreover, the rumor that they got into a fight with a woman spreads instantly throughout the academy, so even researchers and upperclassmen specializing in alchemy participate, and the venue is packed with students who can't even get in."
"Isn't Ms. Alicia almost like a sacrificial lamb?"
"Yes. It's not an exaggeration to say that everyone around Ms. Alicia is her enemy."
'Just imagining the situation is scary.'
"But Ms. Alicia was amazing. She refuted her opponents one by one, and answered questions about her submitted thesis that only the author would know. Moreover, she grasped the professors' research contents and pointed out their doubts and contradictions. She even brought her own experimental data and proposed alternative approaches, shining with terrifying talent."
"Ms. Alicia, you're so cool~."
However, Alicia the Alchemist Girl herself is making a flustered expression, her face bright red.
"But there's a punchline to that story, Miss Sara..."
"What is it?"
"It's that at the end of the debate meeting, my furious father burst in like a raging fire..."
"Is it Mr. Theofrastos?"
"Yes... And he glanced at my thesis, pointed out the problems and contradictions one by one, and said 'I'll take this arrogant little girl home' while bowing his head, and really dragged me back home."
"But didn't the professors also point those out?"
"My dad has been watching my research from the sidelines, so I thought he wouldn't point it out even if I didn't notice myself. But because of that, I ended up making a fool of myself in front of a lot of people. Ever since then, I've been too embarrassed to even set foot in the Academy or the royal capital."
'That's pretty harsh, isn't it?'
Thomas looked like he understood and turned to talk to Alicia.
"So, Ms. Alicia, you didn't know about that, did you?"
"What's going on?"
"After the debate, the professors seriously considered giving you special admission."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Many of the students who were there supported Ms. Alicia and even wrote petitions and signed them. In the end, the king and the headmaster decided not to make an exception, but it's undeniable that you made a big impact on the Academy. So, the students of generation at the Academy respect you and call you with 'the Expert Aristo' with admiration. You're truly a descendant of Paracelsus. If you get the chance, please visit the Academy with confidence. I'm sure the professors will welcome you."
'Wow, Ms. Alicia is amazing. No wonder Mr. Theofrastos recommended her with confidence...'
"Then, wouldn't it be better for Ms. Alicia to take the research data from here directly to the Academy?"
"What kind of research is being done here, Ms. Sara?"
"It's verification work based on Paracelsus' experiment contents and results. There are a lot of detailed notes, so we're checking them one by one."
"Is that a family heirloom or something?"
"No, my family doesn't have any of Paracelsus' documents left. Probably the only ones that exist are the ones left in this tower."
"Huh? Why are they in this tower?"
"Don't you know, Mr. Thomas? This is Paracelsus' laboratory!"
"Whaaat??"
Thomas's eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape.
'Even when he'ssurprised, handsome guys are still handsome, huh.'
Sara had a nonchalant impression, but it wasn't something she'd say out loud.
"It seems I forgot to explain. I'm sorry, Mister Thomas, for surprising you. I didn't think you'd be this interested."
Then Blaze patted Sara's back.
"Hey, who's that Para-whatever guy?"
"He's an old alchemist magician. He's the ancestor of Ms. Alicia, who's here."
"Is he an amazing person?"
"Uh, people have really different opinions about him."
"Hehe, my family has a lot of weirdos."
"Eh, but Ms. Alicia, you aren't weird at all, and you're really cute!"
"Thank you. And your name is?"
"I'm Blaze."
"Oh, so you're Blaze, Miss Sara's classmate. Nice to meet you."
Alicia the Alchemist Girl smiled at Blaze with a hint of mischief.
'Wow, Blaze is a natural-born airhead!'
Sara, who was taken aback, was amazed by Blaze's innocence and good nature. However, considering Blaze's past circumstances, this might be a survival tactic for him.
"Blaze... you like older women, don't you?"
"So, Scott likes little girls, huh?"
"Don't say people are perverts I don't like little girls; I just want Sara to be my wife!"
"Oh dear, it seems Miss Sara has gained an admirer."
"Yes. I'll protect Sara!"
"Thanks, Scott. Then, let's work hard on swordsmanship, studying, and magic too."
"U, yeah..."
Sara took Scott's words lightly. Through this exchange, Alicia the Alchemist Girl also correctly understood Sara and Scott's relationship.
'Well, from now on, there will be plenty of guys like that around Miss Sara, I suppose.'
"By the way, where's Ms. Amelia?"
"She was supposed to be sketching in the garden, so I think she'll be back soon. Ms. Maria said she'd go call her. Ah, look!"
As Sara turned to face Alicia's words, Amelia (Pharmacist Girl) and Maria appeared, entering from the second-floor door.
"Welcome back, Miss Sara. I heard you were called."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your work."
"No, it's fine. The sun is setting anyway, so it's just in time. It's been getting cold lately, too."
"That's true. We should be careful not to catch a cold."
"Hehe. Then it's a pharmacist's neglect, isn't it?"
'Ah, it seems they have that kind of saying in this world too.'
"By the way, what's the purpose of your visit?"
"Actually, I wanted to confirm with Ms. Alicia and Ms. Amelia whether it's okay for Mister Thomas to come and go from the library."
"If Miss Sara permits, I don't mind."
"I don't have a problem either. However, I'd like to refrain from going out at night, if you don't mind..."
'Hmm... these two don't seem to care about Mister Thomas's true face at all. I suppose it's okay, then?'
"Of course, I won't permit nighttime outings either."
"And, Miss Sara, who are these people?"
Amelia the Pharmacist Girl asked a very natural question, so Sara introduced Thomas and her cousins.
"And, is Mr. Thomas the only one who will be staying here?"
"That's the plan..."
"Then why not hold classes in this library too? There's an empty room that can be used as a lecture room, and we have a garden, so I can help with botany lessons."
"I can help with alchemy basics too."
"Ms. Sara, this is an amazing proposal!"
Thomas suddenly gets excited.
"What does Miss Rebecca think later?"
"I'll explain it to her and convince her myself."
'Hmm... if Rebecca gets married and has a baby, that wouldn't be bad either.'
"By the way, Scott and Blaze, would it be okay if we studied in this tower?"
Sara'll just confirm with her cousins too.
"It doesn't matter where we study, does it?"
"As long as there's a delicious lunch, I'm good anywhere."
'Aww, they're not worried at all, are they?'
"Earlier, Ms. Sara said she wouldn't hire me as a librarian, but if I can come and go as I please, I'll help with organizing books and creating a catalog during my free time. Of course, I won't neglect my main job, so don't worry."
"...I guess that's how it is. I thought Mister Thomas would say that."
"Books are heavy, and it takes a lot of physical strength. If Mr. Thomas helps, it'll be a big help."
Alicia the Alchemist Girl also backs up Thomas. She probably wants an assistant for organizing documents.
"If Mister Thomas says so, then I have no choice. However, if you're going to do the librarian's job officially, even if it's just for a short time, I'll pay you a reward. If not, it'll affect the next person who becomes the librarian. Let's talk about it with Sir Jeffrey later."
"Yes, I understand."
It seems like Thomas got his wish granted.
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