I made up magic and taught a world-destroying witch?

Mia whispered:

"Sir, I still haven't succeeded this time."

Grace also whispered:

"Me too."

Joseph looked at the two of them and sighed inwardly.

Aren't your demands a bit too high?

The old guys at the college all thought it was the project's lifeline, but these two still felt they weren't good enough?

"I've said it before, a demonstration lesson is not a trial bench."

Grace and Mia looked up at the same time.

"What you have shown today has taken my research a big step forward."

When Joseph said this, he himself felt it made a lot of sense, although he himself was not very clear about where his research had gone.

Grace lowered her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded gently.

"I understand, sir."

She understood, and she would correct the mistake next time.

Mia nodded vigorously, even though she didn't fully understand what the man meant by those words.

But the gentleman said that taking one step forward meant that he had moved forward.

"I understand now!"

Joseph breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two students' mental state had finally been pulled back from the brink of self-isolation by his words, which could be considered comforting.

Very good, it's almost done.

"If there are no other plans on your day off, I'll take you on an off-campus training trip outside the college."

Mia instantly recovered from her low mood.

"real?!"

"Um."

Anyway, with the results of the demonstration class as a safety net, this trip is ostensibly for necessary project observation and some reasonable procurement. As long as there are enough terms, a trip can turn into a research trip.

Moreover, he really needs to find something to fool the association's review a month from now, and Joseph certainly can't conjure up something like a spell slot observation plan on his own.

But the Dwarf Merchant Guild has some kind of low-magic-driven structure and automatic transcription machine, doesn't it?

If they could actually find a few professional-looking instruments, put them in the experimental tower, and with Marco's knack for packaging administrative reports, at least the association's reviewers would think that their project was seriously tackling the visualization problem.

Whether it actually works or not is not important; what matters is that it seems to work.

Mia almost jumped up on the spot.

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"Sir, I'll take you there! I know the area outside the academy very well!"

The Grey Pigeon Market is busiest in the morning, but after noon, vendors start to overcharge, especially when they see people wearing academic robes, the price can double!

I never dared to wear my school uniform to play before, otherwise they'd sell me something that cost one copper coin for three!

She became more and more energetic as she spoke, and her earlier gloom was completely washed away.

"And Black Crow Street, although it's a bit chaotic, there's a lot of stuff there!"

Sir, if you're looking to buy old magical parts, I know an old man's stall that often has good stuff, but he's a notorious conman.

Last time he told me about some mithril bearing from an old era, and I knew something was off, but I still bought one and took it apart to check. Inside, it was all just ordinary copper cores!

Mia's tone suddenly became excited as she spoke.

"But there were some good things in that box of scraps under his stall!"

He didn't know the value of the goods and sold them as junk.

Last time I found half an automatic locking spring in there. It was almost rusted, but it could still be used after some polishing!

Seeing this, Grace whispered from the side:

"Sir, if you are going to the Dwarf Merchant Guild's exhibition area, I can have someone deliver a letter of introduction to Miss Penny of the Dwarf Merchant Guild in advance."

A letter of inquiry? Let's forget about it.

He hadn't even figured out what kind of person Miss Penny was, yet he directly had the Third Princess deliver a letter of inquiry. What was the difference between that and sticking a sign on his forehead that said, "I am the head of the new magic program at the Royal Academy. The project is well-funded. Double your offer is welcome."

He went to see if there was anything he could sneak into the project's procurement list, not to tell people that a fat sheep had arrived that they could be slaughtered.

Moreover, the Dwarf Merchant Guild doesn't sound like a gathering place for simple merchants.

Agents who can conduct cross-species business on human territory are definitely more astute than those old professors in the academy who only know how to grab authorship.

Joseph felt he should be more cautious.

"The letter of inquiry is not needed for now. The focus of the off-campus training is to observe the real environment, so we don't need to tell anyone this time."

Grace was slightly taken aback.

"You mean, recording the natural circulation of low-magic machinery and old magical parts from the perspective of an ordinary observer?"

Joseph nodded.

Yes, that's it, although he hadn't thought about it that complicatedly at all.

"That's one way to understand it."

Grace nodded gently.

"I understand, sir."

Mia winked beside her.

She didn't fully understand what "natural flow" meant, but she understood one thing.

I'm really going out tomorrow, and I don't have to wear my school robes.

"Shall we go to the Grey Pigeon Market first?"

Joseph glanced at her.

"Let's see how things go."

"What about Black Crow Street?"

"It depends on the situation."

"Where are the kebab rolls?"

"...If it's on the way."

Mia's eyes lit up just as brightly as when she was testing the crystal.

Joseph waved his hand.

"Let's go back and rest today. We'll leave the academy first thing tomorrow morning."

Mia cheered.

Grace lowered her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly before she quickly suppressed it.

Instead of the obligatory visits surrounded by maids, knights, ceremonial officers, and court mages, she would go with her husband to see places she had only ever seen in tax reports and chamber of commerce registers.

She suddenly felt a little hopeful.

Joseph watched this unfold and thought to himself that young students were so easy to please, that they could be so happy.

That evening, Joseph returned to the top floor of the experimental tower; he was utterly exhausted from the day.

Each of these incidents alone would be enough to make a normal professor want to resign, let alone the fact that he's not a normal professor, he's a fraud.

Joseph took off his thick, expensive archmage's robe, casually draped it over the back of a chair, and slumped onto the bed, closing his eyes to clear his mind for a while.

But for some reason, a very blurry box suddenly appeared in front of him.

Joseph opened his eyes.

The fireplace was still burning, and outside the window, the twilight vines were already glowing with a blue and white light.

What was that just now?

Joseph sat up and closed his eyes again, trying to recall the blurry box from before.

It's gone; all I see is darkness.

He refused to believe it and closed his eyes for a long time, but his mind was blank except for the faces of those professors vying for authorship, Brewster's annoying mustache, and Marco's bald head that was shining with excitement.

I probably thought too much about things today, or maybe the fireplace made my head a little too hot.

Surely he couldn't have been influenced by this stuff himself?

What a joke.

Joseph quickly dismissed the absurd thought and lay back down on the bed.

The next morning, a small horse-drawn carriage arranged by the college was parked at the entrance of the experimental tower.

The carriage was the kind of light, four-wheeled type commonly used by the academy, with the Royal Academy's emblem painted on the outside. A small shock-absorbing magic device was mounted on the roof, which was said to automatically absorb some of the vibrations when the road was bumpy.

When Joseph first heard Marco introduce this thing, he thought it was some kind of high-end magical technology, but after riding in it a couple of times, he understood.

It can indeed absorb some of the vibrations, mainly the passengers' coins, because the jolts still happen, just in a more ceremonial way.

The carriage was pulled by two grey-maned horses from the college stables, which looked more energetic than many of the students. The driver was a little old man wearing a round hat, who was checking the belt and wheels next to the carriage.

Mia arrived early in the morning, carrying a tool bag, looking as energetic as if she were going to war.

"Sir! I brought my tools!"

Joseph glanced at her bulging bag.

"We're just going there for training."

"I know," Mia nodded seriously, "that's why I only brought the ones I usually use."

Joseph didn't want to ask her what exactly was in her "commonly used" list, feeling that asking might lead to some unpredictable risks.

Grace arrived quickly as well. Today she had changed into a simple light-colored dress, with a short white cape draped over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was tied up with a hairband, making her look much lighter than usual.

Mia's eyes lit up when she saw her.

You look great in this outfit today!

"Thank you," Grace replied, then immediately added, "You look...very energetic today."

Mia chuckled, "Of course, I barely slept last night!"

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm so excited!" Mia said confidently.

Just as the three were about to get into the car, a series of rhythmic hoofbeats suddenly came from the end of the road outside the experimental tower.

Joseph looked up and saw four knights in royal uniforms walking along the main road, followed by a modestly decorated carriage that was clearly not from an ordinary academy.

An older maid stood by the carriage door. After getting off, she first bowed to Joseph and then turned to Grace.

"Your Highness."

Grace's expression vanished almost instantly; the lightness that had just appeared seemed to be gently pressed back into her etiquette textbook by an unseen hand.

"What is it?"

The maid whispered, "His Majesty wishes you to return to the palace today for the afternoon tea and dinner."

Hearing this, Grace pursed her lips.

The news from the demonstration class has already been relayed back.

She didn't really want to go back; the thought had barely crossed her mind when she paused for a moment.

From childhood to adulthood, returning to the palace was a matter of course for her.

The court was where she was born, where she was supposed to be, and the source of all her etiquette, duties, titles, and status.

Mia paused for a moment, then looked at her with some disappointment.

"You can't come along?"

Grace gently shook her head and said, "It seems it won't work today."

Mia scratched her head, opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Grace turned to Joseph and gave a slight bow.

"Sir, I'm sorry."

Joseph waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it. Off-campus training isn't a one-time arrangement. There will be other opportunities in the future."

Mia nodded in agreement.

"Yes! Next time I can take you out to play by myself!"

Grace, who had been feeling a bit down, was taken aback by Mia's words. She smiled gently and replied, "Okay."

The knight beside him whispered, "Your Highness, it's time to get in the carriage."

Grace nodded, turned and walked a few steps toward the carriage, then couldn't help but look back.

Joseph had already led Mia toward the academy's public carriage. Mia walked beside her teacher, excitedly talking to him.

The man turned his head to listen, nodding occasionally, his expression somewhat helpless, but he did not interrupt her.

Mia was always so free, like a fire that was not bound by rules.

But Grace suddenly realized that the gentleman was actually more like that kind of person; his thinking was not like that of a human being confined by rigid frameworks.

If it weren't for the Royal Magic Academy and Magic Association project, and if she had used her status as a princess to get herself into the experimental tower, she probably would never have met Mr.

They will never know that they can experience new magic.

At that moment, she was actually somewhat relieved that her husband was trapped in the academy.

This thought startled even Grace herself.

She should have wanted her husband to be free.

But she couldn't help thinking,

If he were truly free, would he still stay here?