"Should I go to the new dessert shop today? Hmmm...Armand."
Michelle was determined to go there.
When she imagined eating a delicious cake, her sunken eyes came to life.
'There are so many people. But it is no wonder, I heard that the publicity for this place was a bit glamorous so a lot of customers must have come during the opening out of curiosity.
But still... Why are Thierry and Guillaume here?'
Because two people that only frequented the racetracks and gambling houses were in a dessert shop, Michelle looked at them with suspicion.
"Number 1091. I was really close."
"That's why I told you to wait in line for ten more minutes."
"You never said that!"
Michelle looked at them from behind while they disappeared in the distance quarreling, and then she looked around.
'It seems like they are having some event.
They are certainly good at promoting the shop in interesting and creative ways, and the people do seem to enjoy it a lot.
However it is all superfluous. In the end what matters the most is the taste.
The line is still so long. What should I do?
I came outside after such a long time, it was a pity to go back, and the weather is good too.'
Michelle decided to put a doll to stand in the waiting line while she spent her time sitting in front of the square fountain.
The other customers were startled for a moment at the sight of a doll standing instead of a person, but they soon whispered among themselves that Granbert's eldest daughter had arrived.
Because she was stuck in a small room all week, only touching dolls, the hot sun blazing on her pale face felt amazing.
'It feels hot.'
Michelle entered the shop cowering like a vampire that had been attacked by the sun, she had to wait for 30 minutes and
because of the hot weather, people naturally looked for cool drinks.
"Something cold. Something very coldâ¦"
While she was muttering like a ghost, a servant brought her a smoothie, saying it was for taste-trying.
"Oh? Taste-trying?"
The moment Michelle took a sip, fireworks exploded in her mouth.
'What on earth is this?! It seems to have fruits inside... It's amazing!
My thirst disappeared in an instant, and a deep refreshing feeling spread from my mouth to my stomach. In addition, the freshness of the fruit remained in my mouth.
It feels even cooler than ice cream, this is really a drink that suits the summer.'
After drinking the smoothie, Michelle registered as a regular purple member and came back to Armand again the next day, and because Michelle had a doll accompany her instead of a maid she stood out even more, so rumors soon spread that the famous gourmet, Michelle Granbert, visited Armand for four days in a row.
Michelle became the first silver member, and her number one choice was the smoothie.
...
'Everything is going well.'
I again watched, like every day, happily, how customers are lining up in front of Armand and then moved to the Wizard Association for another seminar lecture scheduled for this afternoon.
'He came again.'
Duke Seymour's unannounced appearance at one of my lectures is not surprising anymore.
'It seems that when I told him that I would present a new formula he took some time off so that he could attend.'
Today's seminar was for the middle-ranking officials from the Wizard Association, and fortunately my new presentation was very useful to them.
When I finished the presentation about the cubic equation thesis, which can be useful when someone wants to change the flow of the mana curve distributed in the air, loud applause sounded in the auditorium.
'I didn't expect this kind of reaction after all I know how arrogant and conceited mages can be.
This kind of feels like the end of an opera performance instead of a lecture.'
There was even one mage who approached me while wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.
"I'm sorry, but I can't stop my tears from flowing because your lecture moved me so deeply. Oh! Let me introduce myself. I am Count Almare, the manager of the 9th floor of the Wizard Association."
The higher the floor, the stronger the mage is. Duke Seymour is at the 13th floor and the elders are on the 11th and 12th floors, so it seems that Count Almare was promoted at a young age.
Count Almare was quickly interrupted by a middle-aged mage with a large build that suddenly slipped between me and him.
"This young bastard has no manners! Ahem, ahem... I am Marquis Keishi the sixth Elder of the Wizard Association. I was very impressed by your outstanding logic, insight, creativity and by your reasoning, ability and effort to create a new formula. You are indeed Duke Seymour's daughter."
I was taken aback when I heard him spitting out words fast like a rapper.
"If you come to the Wizard Association, please visit the 11th floor at any time. I will give you a tour of the laboratory. Haha..."
"Oaaa⦠You really were part of the children's choir."
'What is going on! The manager of the 9th floor and even an elder? Wasn't this a seminar for middle-rank officials?!(â @â _â @â )
Why are all these big shots here?'
"She is a child that still has a lot to show. Don't compliment her too much."
Duke Seymour intervened with a stern expression and his hands behind his back but that didn't stop the 6th elder from talking.
'The Seymour men don't like to say things twice, they have a bad temper.'
"Elder Keishi, I promised my daughter to have dinner with her today, so we will leave first."
'I knew it, he cut him off without mercy.'
"Aaaa, you are having a peaceful dinner with your daughter! I'm so envious, Duke Seymour. I only have a bunch of hopeless sons! I wonder what sins I committed in my past life to be so unlucky."
"You are exaggerating. Let's go. Deborah."
'Being the Lord of the Wizard Association, means that you don't have care about others.'
"Deborah, what do you want to eat today."
"Steak."
I was hungry, so I thought I could go to a nice steak restaurant with Duke Seymour.
"Did you see?! Just now the Lord of the Wizard Association lifted the corners of his mouth by about 1 mm! He smiled!"
"Really?!"
"But did you all hear? His Lord just asked Deborah Seymour what she wants to eat, he cares about..."
I heard some strange conversations from behind, but I soon forgot about them, because my mind was filled with steak.
...
"There is no doubt that the most outstanding student in the Department of Magic in the first half of the year is Princess Deborah."
The Academy's Dean, Marquis Bert, said, so one of the elderly professors hesitated but still opened his mouth.
"She is good, I admit. However, since Princess Deborah first presented the Improved Formula at the Wizard Association, instead of⦠Haaa."
Watching the professor sigh with a worried face, Dean Bert rubbed his chin.
'Deborah has been actively participating in many recent conferences held at the Wizard Association, she continues to increase the value of her thesis.
In addition, she came up with a new formula, she is doing a great job. There are many who are curious about the contents of her new thesis.'
"Princess Deborah is still an undergraduate student, but she's making presentations without discussing with the Academy at all."
"She seems to show favoritism for the Association."
"Professor Kyle has already received disciplinary action and has been demoted! So I think that Princess Deborah's broken heart has had sufficient time to heal."
Dean Bert didn't like the arrogant attitude of the unsatisfied professors.
'She is promoting her achievements so well, to the point that the professors are dissatisfied.'
Suddenly, he remembered Deborah's attitude and words at the fact-finding meeting.
'She is a bold one. She complained to me that it was unfair, but in fact, she used the situation to her advantage. I must say this niece of mine has an interesting side to her.'
After a brief moment of reflection, Dean Bert opened his mouth.
"Then, from this second half of the year, we should try to provide opportunities for Princess Deborah to present her thesis within the Academy. From the outside, it will look like the Department of Magic is supporting her."
Because things had already turned out like this, the strategy was to secretly get some profit even if it was late. And there is no other student he would recommend except Deborah.
She is currently considered something like a deity at the Wizard Association, so if they recommend another student, the Academy would be seen as a laughing stock by others, like what happened at the fact-finding meeting.
"But will she accept?"
Princess Deborah's personality was not easy, so one of the young professors asked anxiously.
"I will talk with her and try to convince her to accept. Now since we have reached an agreement, the meeting is over."
Dean Bert got up and headed to the President's Office, in the Academy's main building.
At the end of each semester, the Academy selects the most excellent students through a rigorous process and puts their names into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is a building that has existed since the establishment of the Academy, it was a place with deep history and great meaning in the Empire, so of course all the professors hoped that the best students would all belong to their own departments.
The selected students will have their names put up in the Hall of Fame, decorated with laurels, and the students major and department were written below it.
"We have to appeal to our undergraduate students."
A strange tension was felt, when the Academy president talked with a solemn tone.
"Until now, the Academy has nurtured many talented people who deserved to lead the Empire. The talented people are the future of this Empire, so I hope that the title of best student will go to students who have the possibility of growing and big potential. Alsoâ¦"
'Why is he here?'
Dean Bert narrowed his eyes as he looked at the old man who was called a Sage, who was sitting next to the President.
After giving his speech, the President finally said that he would receive the Department's recommendations.
Dean Bert opened his mouth.
"We believe that Deborah Seymour is qualified to receive the title of the most excellent student.
She has an unprecedented and high-quality thesis, which is not only contributing to academic study, but can also use practicality, so she has enough qualifications.
In addition, Deborah Seymour has significantly improved her grades in liberal arts compared to last semester."
Hearing Dean Bert's words, the professors from the department of liberal arts nodded their heads in unison.
"She improved drastically. We need to set her as an example for the other students, that if they strive to improve in the end it pays off."
After he spoke, Dean Bert rubbed his chin and swallowed a bitter feeling.
'It seems that no matter what happens in the end I unintentionally, keep recommending my nephews.
Rosad and Belreck took first place in the Department of Magic without fail when they attended the Academy.'
Even though the Seymour twins were famous for their brains, Dean Bert never dreamed that there would come a day he would recommend Deborah for the best student.
There were some discussions between the professors for a while, and then the professor in charge of the Department of Theology opened his mouth.
Mia Vinoche has a divine power with such purity that no other student can match it. It is one of the best in the entire history of the Academy even the Bishop from Helleia was amazed by it."
"Even the Bishop!"
"In addition, she is consistently doing good deeds and uses her divine power to heal the week. She is a student who emulates with the spirit of Saint Nyla, she will set a good example for everyone."
After a long and fierce debate, the nominees were narrowed down to Deborah Seymour and Mia Vinoche.
The professor in charge of the Department of Theology was very displeased.
"It's already absurd that a student who can't feel mana is studying magic, but for her to be the top of the whole class, isn't it suspicious?
Dean's Bert's thin lips hardened.
"Absurd? Suspicious ? Well, you could say that, since you didn't really understand Deborah Seymour's thesis."
The professor in charge of the Department of Theology widened his eyes at the subtly degrading remark.
"What?"
"She overcame the disadvantageous condition of not being able to feel mana and wrote a practical and excellent thesis to help the ones that can feel it. Isn't that something greater?"
"Disadvantageous condition? Can it be said that a student who has the Lord of the Wizard Association as her father is at a disadvantage?"
"What other achievements did Mia Vinoche do on her own at the Academy? Besides her innate divine power."
"Can I say my opinion?"
Suddenly, the old man, who was sitting quietly next to the president the whole time, raised his hand slightly and stopped them.
All the professors swallowed dry and showed respect for the elderly man.
Jean-Paul Louis was an important figure in the Empire, even though he retired with honorary, he still had a strong influence because he was the former president of the Academy, and is currently providing political and military advice to the heads of prestigious families and high-ranking officials.
"I had a conversation with the head of the Seymour family a while ago and I discovered something very interesting."
Jean-Paul spoke out of nowhere, pulling out a pile of cards hanging from a round ring.
It looked like a bundle of keys.
"What is that?"
"An index. It can be said that it is a shortcut for searching information. Using this index, you can get quick access to the books you want."
After Jean-Paul opened the metal ring and handed out the cards, he began to explain the function of an index, and the professors quickly understood its convenience.
"With this, it takes less than thirty minutes to find a book at the latest and at the earliest, within five minutes. All the important information about the book is summarized in this little card."
"Who invented something like this?"
"This would be so convenient if you need to manage many books."
"Who thought of it? Was it Seymour's vassal?"
Jean-Paul shook his head lightly.
"The reason I, who am retired, came all the way to the president's office was not to get involved in this conversation, but to suggest to the President to introduce this index in the Academy's library."
Jean-Paul spoked slowly.
"But the student who devised this excellent system was just mentioned here, so I couldn't hold myself."
When the head of the Seymour family showed him the library managed by his family, he secretly boasted that his daughter had developed an index, and Jean-Paul was extremely surprised.
"If it's the Seymour Library, then the person who made it isâ¦"
"It makes no sense."
Someone murmured unconsciously, but quickly shut up.
Jean-Paul looked at the professor in charge of the Department of Theology and clicked his tongue.
"It makes no sense? Be careful what you say because Deborah Seymour devised it."
'She is full of surprises.'
Dean Bert had no choice but to swallow a smile.
It was hard for him to believe that she overcame her weakness of not feeling mana and now this. He was secretly very amazed by his niece.
"The change that the index will bring to the Imperial Library and the entire catalogue system will be enorm. If you understand the wisdom that Deborah Seymour is showing, you must also understand why I intervened."
After Jean-Paul finished speaking, a long silence fell in the President's office.
In the end, this year's best student was a student who nobody could imagine a few months ago.
..................