Isekaied Into An Eroge, Time To Have Fun!-Chapter 132: My Favorite Classes (3)

"That’s not... entirely wrong, Miss Natalie, however there is an easier solution that requires a single less rune than what you are using now."

Professor Alexia stopped beside me and looked over my work, saying that and then staring at me as she waited for me to spot the mistake I had made, which was definitely not putting any pressure on my shoulders whatsoever...

As the seconds ticked by I had to work my mind on overdrive as I searched the sequence in front of me very closely, trying to figure out what could be taken out and replaced by just a single rune, making the entire thing more efficient.

Each second just had the pressure mount even more as I felt her emerald gaze locked onto me from above, and without being able to turn towards her to stare into those gorgeous eyes I wasn’t able to tell if she was getting more and more disappointed or not.

The thing she had wanted us to create was a simple ’Flame Blade’ enchantment for a curved sword made from steel; it wasn’t as easy as a straight blade enchantment but it was still quite easy, though I had no idea on how to turn a four rune sequence into a three rune sequence...

It felt like it should be easy since she was so willing to come up and point that out to me, yet at the same time I had no idea where to even begin since the sequence was already as complete as I thought it could be.

Four runes to create this enchantment already seemed so simple and ’perfect’, yet apparently I could drop one of these runes altogether and replace another to get an even more efficient enchantment..?

One for the element, one for the shape, one for the power and another for the control... I didn’t know how else to structure this enchantment, and considering I had heard that most of the class had done this in either four or five I was completely lost.

I thought I had done good yet here Professor Alexia was, looming over me and making it clear that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was... and yet nothing happened for almost ten seconds as I just puzzled over it again and again.

Nothing came to mind and she didn’t say anything, yet she didn’t move either as she just waited and waited... up until she finally gave me a hint, murmuring "We went over this in the beginning of the class; the runes for element and shape can be merged into one, but the line work has to be immaculate."

Immediately I ruffled through my notebook and returned to the notes I had taken from the beginning of the class, trying to find what she was talking about and wondering how I could have possibly forgotten about something like that.

Finding it wasn’t hard because, like she had said it was all the way at the beginning for the notes I had taken for today, yet at the same time I was now flushed with embarrassment for both forgetting about this but also because the rest of my notes were visible too...

Specifically the one right beside the merged runes that made it clear I thought they were a waste since the advantages were minuscule for something that required perfection and nothing less; whether she saw that or not I was unsure, and even if she did she didn’t say anything about it.

So with a somewhat shaky hand I began to rewrite the enchantment, trying to get the lines perfectly crisp and without flaw all while she continued to watch me closely; trying to get perfect lines while your strict and sexy Professor stood over you was very hard, let alone when you could hear the somewhat sharp exhale she made after you finished.

"You need to clean that bottom portion up on the merged rune... but otherwise, you have decent line work. I am disappointed that you view something like merged runes as ’a waste’, however I cannot deny that you are amongst a large group of people who think the same."

"P-Professor, I just..! I understand that it is more efficient, but it seems to leave a larger margin of error for maybe a modicum of extra efficiency when it comes to mana usage. I would rather make something less efficient yet far more safe, because that way I could free myself of worry about my work when it is in someone else’s hands!"

I felt the need to explain myself to her to avoid further disappointment, so I turned towards her and said that before realizing that she was now smiling, albeit in a way that didn’t seem to convey joy..?

It was definitely a smile though, and it didn’t seem to be mocking me either, so I was thoroughly confused... and Professor Alexia just nodded before walking away, not clearing that up whatsoever...

That deflated me a little as I worried about my grade because of that, yet when she paused and turned back around I felt my heart leap into my throat as she said "Miss Natalie, regarding your grade-", making me very concerned now as I waited for her to finish.

"- you should be pleased to know that you just earned yourself a few bonus points for humility. The greatest flaw of any artist - in any form of art, be it painting, singing, cooking or enchanting - is and will always be ego. Never believe that you are perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist in mortals. Always be cautious, especially when dealing with others."

Giving me a nod she resumed her walk around the classroom, stopping by various other students and critiquing their work while also ignoring the looks a few of them gave her and me for that.

Some were envious of the extra points, others were judging me for being some sort of... I don’t even really know, and a few were seemingly irritated with themselves for not thinking of that; thankfully it washed over quickly enough, so I wasn’t left beneath the heavy gaze of multiple classmates, but still...

That was a bit close, yet at the same time it was a reminder of just how alluring and amazing my Professor was since she had my heart fluttering and warming up simultaneously; that genuine compliment paired with her beauty was making me shiver a little, and it was also very nice to hear.

Even though she had put me through a rollercoaster of all kinds of emotions just before that, it was all forgiven and forgotten because of that, and it was also a reminder of why I was so enamored with this class.

It was because of her but also because of what we were doing, since the ’problem’ itself had been a fun one even if she had to remind me of a more ’efficient’ way to do something; the fact that it had multiple solutions was so cool to me, especially when each one had various merits and risks attached to them.

The hour passed by in relative quickness after that, another two ’problems’ being given to us before we were released for dinner, and before I left I approached the seated red head and gave her my thanks for the extra points, which just earned me a curt nod as she continued her grading.

Since she didn’t say anything to me I just took that as my sign to leave, though right as I was about to step out of the room she said "Miss Natalie, I do mean what I said. Thinking not of the most efficient way but instead of who will be utilizing your work... that is what matters. I am here to teach you the most efficient way, but I cannot really teach you to continue to respect your own moral compass."

I paused at the door and turned back to her, catching those emerald eyes as she gave me a warmer smile than before and immediately feeling my face go hot as I blushed, which surprisingly made her blush as well, albeit not as much as I was.

"Ahem... Go along now, Miss Natalie. Just know I appreciate someone thinking not of the problem at hand but instead of the people that will eventually be involved. It is sadly something that many enchanters forget at the beginning of their careers, until they are reminded of it in a way that costs them dearly..." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Now her smile wilted a little, her eyes growing somewhat distant before she waved me off and looked back down at the books in front of her, clearly not wanting to think about it anymore; while I wanted to take this opportunity to try and endear myself to her, I wasn’t capable of thinking of anything that would comfort her without being far too obvious, so instead I just gave her my thanks and bid her farewell.