CHAPTER 67…………….
‘Does he mean Melin is too young for me to show my true feelings…?’
That’s how I interpreted it. As I was lost in thought, Lennox quietly asked:
“Then, what about you, Professor?”
“Me?”
I hadn’t expected the question to turn back on me, so I pointed at myself with a flustered finger.
Lennox’s eyes curved gently as he watched me.
“I’m curious too. About what you’re thinking, Professor.”
It was a breathtakingly beautiful smile. Staring blankly at his face, I stammered as I opened my mouth.
“I…”
Answering his question wasn’t difficult.
Because there was only one thing I truly wanted.
I lifted my gaze to the clear blue sky.
“I thought… I wished this peace could last forever.”
At my words, Lennox also looked up at the sky with me.
After a moment of silent sky-gazing side by side, he spoke.
“I think the same.”
When I turned toward him at those words, I saw his green eyes reflecting the clear sky.
But in truth, I hadn’t told him what I really wanted.
‘That your peace would last forever, Len.’
Because that was my peace as well.
But he would never know that.
Thus, the long yet short vacation came to an end.
A year passed, and winter returned.
Today was a truly eventful day in many ways.
Melin had earned her first B grade on her own, and the business had advanced further.
But most importantly—
Professor Rogan had returned from his paid leave.
“It’s so good to have you back, Professor.”
I smiled brightly at the middle-aged man before me.
Of course, my true feelings were the opposite. Inside, I ground my teeth.
‘That damn old man…’
Apparently, his vacation had been so sweet that he hadn’t wanted to come back. If it had been a lifetime paid leave, he probably would have stayed away forever.
Then I would have been stuck here permanently as a professor at the academy.
Thankfully, it was only one year.
“To think there are so many slaves—no, students—in my lab… coming back was worth it!”
Professor Rogan’s eyes grew moist with emotion.
“This student is coming with me.”
I pointed at Deborah.
“What about me?”
Alfeo asked in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me you’re just throwing me away now that I’ve outlived my usefulness?”
“You’ll be staying here for a long time.”
Hearing the implication in my words, Alfeo frowned with mild dissatisfaction. But he didn’t refute it.
‘That’s right. If you don’t want to be killed by the Emperor, you’d better stay here for a long while.’
The Emperor had already killed two of his sons with his own hands.
For Alfeo, the safest place wasn’t the Imperial Palace but the Academy.
“Professor, how about planting your stake here for poor me instead? Didn’t you say I was a rare talent?”
“Oh, Clemens! The assistant professor’s position is always open!”
Overhearing us, Rogan raised both hands in joy. When he spread his arms wide in welcome, I recoiled in alarm.
“I must decline, Professor.”
I flatly rejected him and then unfolded a letter from René Emil, the Duke of Dinero’s aide.
It was approval for our new business plan.
“Alfeo, we’ve almost made it.”
“…Really?”
Alfeo’s crimson eyes sparkled, immediately guessing what I meant.
The jet engine development had gone more smoothly than expected.
Thanks to Alfeo’s brilliance—and the cheat-like artifact.
The vast continent of Seriel was on the verge of entering a new era of efficient transportation.
For fast, direct travel, no one could rival our Tara Transport Company.
“Let’s test the first flight today.”
When we arrived at the airfield, a proud smile spread across my face.
With Headmaster Albrecht’s approval, we were temporarily using the space behind the Academy as an airfield.
Mechanics were checking the plane’s condition—technicians handpicked from Tara Transport under Duke Dinero’s supervision.
Even though it was a secluded spot, we’d placed protective magic around the area just in case.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
Clapping my hands, I admired the plane. The mechanics had faithfully reproduced Alfeo’s blueprints.
“This?”
Alfeo looked at the plane with a sulky expression, clearly dissatisfied.
“The tail and wing supports… they’re not finished smoothly at all.”
His criticism made the mechanics visibly uncomfortable.
‘If they knew what the first human airplane in my past life looked like, they’d faint.’
This quality was something that, in my past life, had only been possible decades after the first plane was built.
I told the staff,
“Since it’s just the beginning, let’s keep the cargo light—around 50 kilos.”
They loaded sacks of sand.
“Who’s going to fly it? Naturally, the designer should—”
When my eyes met Alfeo’s, he whistled innocently and looked away.
“What if I crash and die while flying? Then you’d lose your rare talent, Professor—no, Boss. Tragic, isn’t it?”
“You don’t have to make excuses. I wasn’t going to force you.”
Hmm, then what now?
I had acrophobia myself and hated heights. Even in my past life, I’d never liked flying.
‘Still, since I’ve flown before, maybe I should do it…?’
As I hesitated, someone nearby quietly raised their hand.
“…Count! May I try it?”
It was Deborah.
Her brown eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the plane.
And after ten tries, the plane finally soared across the open sky.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Her excited scream echoed across the horizon.
—Buuuuuum!
As the plane raced through the sky, Alfeo and I stared in a daze.
‘If Deborah had been born in the modern era… she would’ve been a pilot, wouldn’t she?’
Probably quite an excellent one, too.
Thus, the first flight was a complete success.
A huge leap forward for the Jacqueline family business.
This year’s graduation speech was given by Lennox.
After me, then Callisto, now Lennox.
For decades, there hadn’t been a single early graduate. Yet within four years, there were three—a remarkable situation.
“Was early graduation always this easy…?”
Dellerno muttered blankly as he watched a fourth-year student take the podium, sounding like a retired soldier reminiscing about battle.
Harry, beside him, replied,
“Humans evolve. Of course intellect evolves too.”
Albrecht chimed in,
“It’s true that recent graduates are unusually gifted.”
“That’s true.”
“But we couldn’t make even one of them our slave.”
“…Ahem.”
At Elihu’s remark, everyone fell silent, their faces grim.
“Kids these days just don’t want to suffer…”
“It’s been a while since I agreed with you.”
Seated at the faculty table, I kept my mouth shut.
I knew instinctively there was nothing good to be gained by speaking now.
At that moment, applause erupted between the graduates and new students.
Lennox had reached the center of the stage.
Having just turned sixteen earlier this year, he was maturing rapidly.
I looked at him with surprise.
I’d thought Lennox would refuse this role.
I’d realized he wasn’t the type who enjoyed standing in front of others.
He began to speak.
“It’s an honor to stand here today.
Around this time, I often recall a certain someone’s remarkable graduation speech.”
The words gave me déjà vu.
“So this moment is especially meaningful to me.
Because at my entrance ceremony, I heard a speech that became a milestone in my life.”
He hadn’t taken his eyes off me as he continued.
“To learn, to have knowledge, means you have something you can give to others.
Now, with what I’ve learned, I want to become someone who helps others. And I hope you, too, will give as much as you’ve gained. Lay that foundation here.”
When his speech ended, thunderous applause followed.
‘No way… Is Lennox Aquila?’
My mind went blank.
