Rose was very naturally stroking Andersen's ego. I wasn't sure if she did it intentionally or if it was just her inherent respect for him shining through.
Anyway, the important thing was that such words worked perfectly on Andersen.
Andersen loathed people who disregarded the understanding of Magical Devices and only cared about commercial value. Thus, he was bound to be weak to this kind of praise.
“······Then, if we insert a crossed circuit there, what kind of result would be derived?”
It was definitely effective. Andersen's stiff attitude noticeably softened.
Whether Rose knew it or not, she excitedly continued her explanation.
“If you use ‘my’ crossed circuit, you can induce the flow in the desired direction. Here, like this······.”
Rose raised her hand to explain something but paused. Andersen, catching her intention, pulled a pencil from his pocket and offered it to her.
“Here, use this.”
“Thank you. To continue what I was saying—”
Scratch, scratch.
Rose's hand moved like the wind, drawing complex lines over the blueprint.
“Here, the mana concentrated in one spot meets at the center of the circuit. Especially if you adjust the angle of this part…….”
“Just a moment.”
Andersen's previously relaxed gaze became taut and focused. Even though Rose hadn't finished explaining, he seemed to have realized something.
“Right. Why didn't I think of the crossed circuit?”
He adjusted his posture and pounced on the blueprint.
“I only tried to complete it formulaically. For the sake of perfection.”
“It was already complete. It just lacked exactly one thing.”
“If we do that······.”
Andersen's busily moving hands stopped.
“······It's complete.”
He picked up the blueprint and trembled.
“The blueprint for mana retrogression.”
The problem that had plagued him for a long time was solved. It was a great achievement that could advance Magical Device research by decades.
In the original story, it had taken him much longer to reach this point. But today, because I had taken the initiative to arrange his meeting with Rose, that time was drastically shortened.
Was that all?
“As expected of you, Andersen-nim!”
The very person who solved that problem was giving all the credit to Andersen.
Clap, clap, clap.
With a purely smiling face while clapping.
“······.”
Andersen fiddled with his glasses wordlessly. It was a habit he showed when deeply lost in thought.
“······Earlier,”
Eventually, he slowly opened his mouth.
“You said ‘my’ crossed circuit.”
“······Ah.”
Rose flinched in surprise and covered her mouth. She glanced at me and Andersen, then spoke carefully.
“Could you promise me one thing? I'd like it if what I tell you today doesn't spread to the outside······.”
“I promise.”
“I trust you, Andersen-nim, so I'll tell you the truth. That paper from the academy's academic conference······.”
Rose swallowed hard and gave a faint smile.
“I actually wrote it.”
“Albert, that bastard!”
Andersen jumped up from his spot.
“And then to go around boasting as if he made the invention of the century!”
“By the time I found out, it had already been published under the professor's name······.”
“That son of a—!”
Andersen was breathing fire. He looked ready to storm the academy right this instant.
“I knew something was off!”
Andersen paced back and forth, still standing.
“It was far too neat of a paper for Albert to have written. He's a guy with such poor writing skills that he always brought his work to me for edits.”
He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh rising from the depths of his stomach. He wore the expression of someone who felt relieved to know the whole truth, yet extremely irked by it at the same time.
Thud.
Andersen sat back down on the sofa and stared at Rose.
“So in the end, that paper was your work, Madam?”
“I only gave it to him because he said he would polish it up a bit. I didn't know it would turn out like this.”
“He didn't just polish it; he disguised it as his own paper. It's not the first or second time he's done that.”
Rose tilted her head.
“It seems you know Professor Albert quite well?”
“I know him all too well.”
Andersen ruffled his hair vigorously. His already unkempt hair stood up even more towards the sky.
“Both that guy and I are from the academy. We were classmates.”
“Oh, but the professor never once mentioned that he knew you, Andersen-nim.”
“Because we weren't on very good terms.”
Displeasure spread across Andersen's face.
“That nasty habit of stealing other people's work—he did it when he was a student, and it seems he still hasn't changed.”
He added in a very biting tone.
“It is most regrettable that there is no character test for hiring academy professors. If there were, that bastard would have been dropped long ago.”
“Umm······. The academy professors' personalities aren't really the best, are they?”
Rose cautiously agreed, wearing an expression as if she was dying to say something. She looked thrilled to see someone cursing the professor in her stead.
“Excuse me, could you tell me a bit more about Professor Albert?”
“What, the story of that bastard getting caught trying to sneak into my room? Or the story of him pretending to accidentally knock over an ink bottle on my research materials?”
“Could you please tell me both?”
“So, it was during our senior year at the academy. The research I was doing then······.”
Rose seemed to forget to breathe as she focused on Andersen's story. If she had a pen and notebook, she looked ready to take notes.
‘To think she'd find that entertaining.’
I was newly reminded that Rose had quite a hard time at the academy.
Perhaps the reason Rose's grades in magical scholarship weren't widely known was the work of a professor wary of her outstanding talent.
‘She's always getting ripped off everywhere.’
She was used by her half-sister in the Vikander household, and used by the professor at the academy. I couldn't tell if giving everything away was a habit of hers or if she was just too naive.
But then again, how could that all be Rose's fault?
‘It's the fault of those bastards who flawlessly dig into people's weak spots.’
To avoid falling victim to such bastards, one had to become more ruthless than them or overwhelmingly strong. I knew that fact better than anyone.
“······So I wrote it again and submitted it. I stayed up two nights straight.”
“As expected, you had all the contents in your head.”
After finishing his conversation with Rose,
Tap, tap.
Andersen slapped the papers he was holding onto the desk and tidied them up.
“I understand why Your Excellency is trying to build a laboratory for your wife. For a talent of this caliber, it is only right to support her. The crossed circuit your wife developed was truly fascinating.”
Andersen looked Rose up and down once more, as if amazed.
“It seems your wife alone is better than my three students.”
Coming from someone so stingy with praise, it was an incredible statement. Usually, he didn't even treat anyone other than himself as human.
“Y-You flatter me.”
Rose twisted her body in embarrassment, then deeply lowered her head. She seemed extremely shy from the praise pouring out right in front of her nose.
“Madam, by any chance.”
Andersen, who had been staring intently at Rose, suddenly asked.
“Do you have any intention of becoming my student?”
Andersen's eyes sparkled as if he had found mouth-watering prey.
“Room and board will be taken care of at the castle anyway, so there's no problem. You just need to come to my laboratory at a set time. I'd like you to help me with a few of my unfinished research projects.”
“M-Me? As A-Andersen-nim's s-student?”
Rose was so startled that she even stuttered her words.Andersen handpicked his disciples, strictly choosing them from among the top graduates of the academy. Becoming his disciple meant having one's talent as a Magical Scholar acknowledged while simultaneously having the path ahead widely opened.
“Andersen-nim's······ student······.”
At the unconventional proposal from the kingdom's number one Magical Scholar, Rose's eyes began to spin wildly. Andersen's temptation toward Rose continued.
“You are too great a talent to be working under a thief like Albert. I assure you, that bastard recognized your talent and sabotaged you in advance. He's the type who can't stand seeing someone better than him.”
“Professor Albert······.”
“That will never happen in my laboratory. Your contribution to this research is also significant. I'll list you as a co-author.”
“Oh my, me as a co-author? Are you serious?”
“Without you, it would have been difficult to complete this research on time. Then Your Excellency would have cut my resea······ Ahem. Anyway.”
Andersen smacked his lips as he looked at Rose. A desperate desire to finally acquire a decent human student gleamed in his eyes.
And seeing him like that, I thought.
‘He must be crazy.’
How dare he attempt to recruit her right in front of me? And my own wife, at that?
Of course, I had guessed that this might happen. In the original story, Rose became Andersen's disciple as well.
‘Would it be okay if I did it like this? I have organized them by subject and by year.’
‘I placed your favorite drink right there so you can pour it easily. I've secured it so it won't spill.’
In the original story, after learning that Andersen's laboratory was in the estate, Rose had made unremitting efforts to enter it.
Since Rose's talent couldn't be hidden no matter how much she tried to hide it, she quickly won Andersen's favor and was able to enter as his disciple.
Any Magical Scholar wanted to study under Andersen.
‘Could he not understand something this easy? Was he even human?’
‘Complete it unconditionally by tonight. You can't? Make it happen!’
However, it was only after getting close to him that one realized Andersen was like a sun that burned himself out.
Rose was no exception. She was worked like a dog by Andersen and had to spend grueling times. Still, Rose endured those times steadfastly.
‘If I'm here, I should be able to research His Excellency's antidote.’
Although it was a contract marriage, Dane didn't actively support her. He just refrained from treating her coldly in front of others.
Entering Andersen's laboratory was an inevitable choice for Rose.
So, I did not like Andersen's proposal.
‘Is she going to go through that hardship again?’
I knew perfectly well what kind of time Rose had spent in the original story. I had purposely called Andersen all the way here just to prevent that.