Chapter 90: The Professor’s Grueling Mission

Chapter 90

The Professor’s Grueling Mission

And so it was. When Professor Medik reserved a private dining room, Professor Lucien nonchalantly joined them. Surprisingly, the beautiful Professor Medik didn’t reprimand him. He simply told Professor Lucien to order some food because he was treating both Ellie and Lucien.

"You must be surprised that Professor Lucien suddenly joined us for this meal, right?" Medik asked his student. Ellie didn’t deny it; she nodded amid the gazes of both professors.

"I figured you’d be puzzled. Lucien tried to slander you before, didn’t he?" Medik laughed, his eyes shining brightly as he talked about this.

However, Lucien fell silent, his ears and cheeks turning a faint shade of red. Ellie couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or angry, but Medik didn’t seem to care and continued speaking.

"Well...at that time, he had his first and only direct disciple. It’s not surprising he’d want to protect his disciple that much. Hehe."

"I already apologized to you about that, didn’t I? Why do you keep bringing it up?" Lucien’s voice was stern, but Medik just waved it off.

"I’m just recounting the past for my student. You have no idea how much we both despised you back then. If it weren’t for this royal mission where I got to work with you and received your help on many things, I’d still hate you."

"You hated me?" Lucien raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Why?"

"How could you say you hated me back then, yet also say you were sorry for expecting so much from me? Doesn’t that just mean you were disappointed in my decisions?"

"And how is there a difference between being disappointed and hating you?" Medik asked, confused.

"The difference is that you had positive feelings toward me. Because you admired me, you were disappointed in me. Therefore, you shouldn’t say you hated me," Lucien shook his head.

Even though the overall meaning of the sentences was similar, Lucien wouldn’t let Medik say that he once hated him. Even if there was no reason at all, but lately, he had been doing many unreasonable things, so he had long stopped seeking reasons from himself!

"So what? I still don’t think there’s a difference. Right?" Medik turned to his student as if seeking an ally. However, Ellie, with her extensive experience reading BL novels, felt that the atmosphere between the two professors was quite strange.

The young girl smiled and didn’t answer the question as her professor had hoped.

"Professor, does this mean you and Professor Lucien have reconciled?" Although Medik felt a bit odd about his only student’s use of the word "reconciled," it did approximate the situation, so he nodded.

"Yes, you’re correct. From now on, you can respect Professor Lucien as usual. He already apologized for what he did to you before."

"I understand, Professor. And about Professor Lucien helping to take care of the planting plot for me..."

"Mmm, that’s correct. I’ve been very busy and had no time to do anything. Professor Lucien kindly helped take care of the planting plots, including yours."

"I see. Thank you very much, Professor," Ellie said, expressing her gratitude to Professor Lucien, who must have been working very hard lately. He had completely changed Professor Medik’s perspective. Even though Ellie didn’t know if he had any hidden motives, as long as it wasn’t harmful to her, she was not inclined to care.

Ellie’s first meal upon returning to the institute was quite a feast. Professor Medik was indeed generous, ordering a wide variety of dishes, both savory and sweet. In reality, Ellie didn’t eat much. Unlike what the professors thought, she didn’t endure hardships at a camp. Her dimension was full of fruits and vegetables, and she ate nutritious food every day. While other students barely had enough to eat, it’s probably only Ellie who felt she was inevitably gaining weight.

Fortunately, even though Ellie didn’t eat much, Professor Medik had a stomach that could handle all the food. He claimed to be full and unable to eat more, but when he started eating, it was like he was starving.

Professor Lucien, sitting beside him, didn’t tease the beauty at all. Not only did he refrain from teasing, but he also helped by passing water and food, sometimes even serving dishes into Professor Medik’s bowl.

Ellie then understood the signal from earlier. She responded to it well because when Professor Lucien tried to make eye contact, it felt like he was communicating, “Take your professor to eat; he’s been starving for a long time.”

"Professor, have you been working very hard recently?" Ellie asked when everyone was done eating and there was a moment to talk.

Medik leaned back in his chair lazily. He wanted to say, "You should graduate as soon as possible so you can help me," but he said something else instead.

"I’ve just been working steadily. This task suited my abilities, so they asked for my help. Since I’m the only one with the power of botany, unlike other elemental powers, it makes sense. When you reach the third or fourth year, I might ask you to assist me."

"Is it work that only botanic powers can do?"

"Yes. You might not know yet, but our botanic powers are very useful for research, especially with herbs and medicines. There’s a device found on the 4th floor called a “Botanical Stratagem.” There are those who have studied that the 4th floor was once inhabited by elves. You might not know about elves now, but in the fourth year, you’ll learn more about different races.

"Elves are considered the ancestors of botanic power users. They lived solely using botanic powers and were high-level beings. It’s predicted they might reside on the 8th or 9th floor of the Tower of Eternity, as evidence suggests they migrated there."

"The Botanical Stratagem is something the elves left behind. This device can only be used by botanic power users of level 3 or higher. It simulates various scenarios, allowing us to channel our botanic power into it to see if the plants we’ve modified can grow in restricted environments."

"For example, the mission I received involves the southern region, which suddenly experienced a heat storm, altering the weather for the first time in 10 years. This heat storm will last for 1 to 2 years in the southern region. 10 years ago, they chose to evacuate because they couldn’t grow any crops during that period, leading to severe food shortages."

"This year...when they found the elves’ magical device, the royal palace tried to develop the area so that if another heat storm occurred, there would be no need for evacuation or significant losses like 10 years ago."

"My job is to modify native plants to withstand those changing conditions and use the Botanical Stratagem to simulate their growth in the southern region after a heat storm."

"I feel like I’m getting closer to my goal, but after every test, I always encounter failure. Now, there’s only 2 months left before the heat storm arrives. That means I must succeed within 1 month so that the news can spread in another month and prevent the evacuation."

"But 1 month is too little! No...I had plenty of time, but in the end, I failed, leaving only 1 month! I feel like I’m letting everyone down. If there are any losses, it will all be my fault. I want to believe I can do it, but in the end, I see no chance."

"This time, the experiment will probably fail again. No matter how many times I try or improve it, the result is always the same. I think...I shouldn’t have taken this mission and given everyone false hope!"

Originally, Ellie thought her professor had changed. He seemed more positive, at least not greeting her with negative comments anymore. But now she realized...it wasn’t that he had become positive, but that his negative thoughts were directed towards himself instead.

Ellie felt that the outcome of this project would probably end in failure, especially given how much her professor had already given up.

However, what intrigued her the most was the tool called the "Botanical Stratagem" and the mention of "elves."

Weren’t the elves talking about the long-eared, noble, and proud race living in harmony with nature, just like in manga, anime, and other novels? On further thought, this novel also stemmed from the author’s imagination, which meant it was inspired by various media.

If that were the case, how fascinating would it be to have tools left behind by a high and magical race?

Ellie thought about the "Rake," a level 5 spiritual weapon she got from the Setter family. If she investigated its origins thoroughly, maybe they found it during their exploration of the 4th floor, which was once inhabited by elves.

Hearing this fascinating story, Ellie set a new goal for herself. She wanted to enter the Tower of Eternity with her own strength and explore the 4th floor, hoping to find more elf relics. If those devices could only be used by botanic power users, they would essentially be cheat items for her, wouldn’t they?

As for everything Professor Medik had said, Ellie didn’t feel much pity for her kind professor. He chose to work so hard and dedicate himself like this, which made Ellie feel she shouldn’t reveal her power level to others. At the very least, she hoped it wouldn’t reach her professor’s ears.

Otherwise, he would surely ask her to help with the work. Ellie didn’t want to be trapped with a pile of tasks like in the past. Now that she had a new life...she wanted to avoid work as much as possible!

"No one expected you to succeed this year anyway. At least you tried for them. If the same thing happens again in the next 10 years, people won’t need to evacuate. Just think of it that way," Lucien said, trying to comfort Medik. His words were indeed reasonable, and Ellie nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, her beautiful professor, who always thought negatively, couldn’t see it that way.

"But this year, people will die, right? Those who die will curse me,"

"Just think of it as reducing the number of people who will die. If you hadn’t taken this job, people would die this year, and more would die in the next 10 years. But you’ve helped reduce the number of deaths. Isn’t that better?"

"I know it’s a good thing, but..."

"You’re not a god. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Let others take their turn this year. The southern governor must also do their best. The royal palace is working hard too. It’s not just you who has to do everything. Even the villagers who need to evacuate must try their best too."

Lucien’s words left Medik with nothing to argue about, so he sighed heavily. However, Ellie could tell that her professor still couldn’t let go.

"Professor...I should take my leave now so I don’t disturb you further. I’ve just returned and would like to rest a bit."

"Mmm, alright. Tomorrow, I hear there will be an announcement of the scores for the tasks you helped with. If I’m not mistaken, you should receive at least over 1000 points."

"Thank you. I’ll come to inform you tomorrow." Professor Medik smiled at her. Despite his despondent situation, Medik found a glimmer of hope in his life.

Medik didn’t realize that even if Ellie became a level 3 power user as he hoped, it would be very unlikely that she would willingly take on the arduous work he did now. Sadly...Medic might continue to be alone as he had been.No! He might not be alone. Given the current situation, it seemed that, at least from now on...he would have a new friend visiting the Botanical Building to keep him company and stave off loneliness...