I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 19

His eyes looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment, and so I couldn’t bring myself to ask why he was going so far.

Just as Jeran Ennessy had been exceptionally kind to me, it seemed that Ruad Rochef also had some unknown reason for acting this way.

Therefore, the only reaction I could give was to nod my head.

“All right. If I’m in danger or in need of help, I’ll tell you.”

“Thank you, Lucy.”

Ruad Rochef smiled brightly.

This time, his smile was pure and innocent, truly beautiful.

It was completely different from the awkward smile he had worn when I first saw him earlier.

‘His consideration may be a bit clumsy, and his appearance a bit like a delinquent, but it’s clear he’s not a bad person at heart.’

Though it was somewhat uncomfortable to keep chatting in the quiet library.

Since the conversation had reached its conclusion, I was about to tell him that I needed to return to my book when Ruad Rochef suddenly threw a sharp question at me, as though it had just occurred to him.

“But since the tuition deadline already passed, the fact that you’re still here means you managed to get the money.”

“……”

“That’s a relief, but if you borrowed from the bank, the interest must be pretty high. Are you okay?”

I was perfectly fine. There was no interest, only a rather costly price I was paying in another sense.

But of course, I couldn’t say such a thing in front of a friend, so I decided to gloss over it.

“It’s fine. …I borrowed it from someone I know.”

“Someone you know? A relative?”

“Well, something like that.”

“That’s strange. From what I heard, you never once contacted your family since you left them behind…”

“……”

At the sudden mention of Lucia’s backstory, I outwardly pretended to remain calm, but cold sweat poured down my back like rain.

From the moment I started scrambling for money, I had expected that Lucia’s family couldn’t be of any help. Judging by the fact that she had a patron, they were either dead or unable to support her tuition.

‘But I never thought she had cut ties with her family completely.’

And I had certainly never imagined that the rumor had spread so far that even Ruad Rochef knew.

‘The rumors here really do spread fast. Classes just started, yet everyone already knows that Karl Evenhart was dismissed. At this rate, soon every student will know I went begging for money at the bank.’

As I smiled bitterly to myself, Ruad Rochef cautiously spoke again, watching me closely.

“If you’re uncomfortable, I won’t ask more. But if you borrowed from a dangerous place, getting a scholarship would be better, so please tell me anytime.”

“…All right. Thank you for your concern.”

Since he put it that way, it was difficult to reject his goodwill again, so I quietly expressed my gratitude.

I had already signed a contract with Evan Bell, and I needed an excuse to maintain a connection with him, so applying for a scholarship was out of the question. But still, I appreciated the thought.

‘Yes. The one at fault is the bank clerk, not Ruad Rochef.’

And the sight of him, with his large frame and fierce looks, glancing nervously at me, was a little pitiful too.

Ruad Rochef didn’t pry further and instead tried to make small talk.

“Did you come to the library to borrow books?”

He gestured with his eyes toward the stack of books next to me.

I nodded obediently. “Yes. There’s something I wanted to look into.”

“Well, you do come to the library often. And you’re graduating this year, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then by next semester, you’ll be even busier. I won’t get to see you much.”

“Will I?”

As far as I was concerned, whether I had plenty of time or very little, writing a thesis was equally dreadful.

The only difference was whether I could put it off, or whether I had no choice but to write it in tears because I had to graduate.

That was all.

When I tilted my head slightly, Ruad Rochef smiled faintly. “Of course you’ll be busier. Besides, your research field involves large-scale magic circles. Just designing one of those takes months…”

His voice, laced with a smile, gradually faded away.

Wondering why he trailed off mid-sentence, I was momentarily puzzled, until Ruad Rochef, wearing a rather grave expression, asked me.

“Wait. Those books…”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“…This isn’t your research field.”

“……”

“Why did you suddenly change your thesis topic?”

He checked the titles of the books stacked beside me, then confirmed the title of the one I had open, and said this.

His face was filled with shock and betrayal, as if he couldn’t understand why I was reading such books in the middle of being busy with my thesis.

I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘I’ve seen this before, haven’t I?’

My mind spun quickly, retracing memories, and then I remembered.

‘It’s the exact same question Jeran Ennessy asked me when I showed him the research proposal.’

Jeran Ennessy had also asked me why I suddenly changed my research topic when I already had a project I’d been working on.

Back then, and even now, I had no answer. Because I still didn’t know the reason.

Avoiding Ruad Rochef’s gaze, I replied, “Just… I wanted to try researching something different.”

“But dimensional transfer magic is something hardly anyone researches. And it has no connection whatsoever to what you were working on before.”

Everything he said was true, and I had nothing to refute it with.

If someone who had been researching barrier and security magic suddenly said they were switching to dimensional transfer magic, it would indeed seem strange.

Even to me, someone who didn’t know magic, it seemed strange.

But at present, the only explanation I could give was that it was a whim.

“Did Professor Jeran Ennessy say he wouldn’t take you as his student unless you chose this research?” Ruad Rochef asked seriously.

I flinched and waved my hands. “No, nothing like that. I changed it because I wanted to do this research.”

“Please, Lucy, just be honest with me. Karl Evenhart is gone now. There’s no one left to block your path.”

I didn’t know why Karl Evenhart was being brought up here, but if I didn’t clear up the misunderstanding, Ruad Rochef looked ready to confront Jeran Ennessy himself. So I firmly told him.

“No, Ruad. I really did change my research topic because I wanted to study dimensional transfer magic. It has nothing to do with Professor Ennessy.”

“……”

“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but misunderstanding my intentions like this is troubling.”

“……”

“Do you not believe me?”

“That’s not it… It’s not.”

When I spoke with finality, Ruad Rochef grimaced as though in pain. He swallowed hard, as if forcing down his emotions, and placed a large hand on his forehead.

His face and eyes were completely covered by his hand, as if he had put up a barrier between us.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a very low voice, “I believe you. If you want to do other research, then do as you wish. It’s not something I have the right to interfere in. And you’re talented, so no matter what kind of magic you study, you’ll do well.”

“……”

“But dimensional transfer magic is… not it. You’ll do well, but aside from that, your life will become difficult. Even if you become a researcher, there will be very little support for your work, and becoming a professor will be even harder.”

“……”

“I want you to stay here longer.”

“……”

“I mean it.”

With those words, Ruad Rochef lowered the hand that had been covering his forehead.

Even without saying more, the look in his eyes was already speaking the truth.

And when he said he wanted me to stay here longer, it was no different from saying he wanted me to keep walking this path.

They were moving words, but also difficult to answer.

Regardless, Ruad Rochef acknowledged and trusted my ability. Being recognized by someone, and in turn recognizing another, were both difficult things. So his words made me grateful.

But the one he acknowledged wasn’t “me.” It was Lucia’s ability.

So I didn’t know how I should respond.

‘And though I appreciate his concern, I don’t know anything about magic, so all I can do is follow the research proposal Lucia left behind…’

Moreover, since I didn’t know why Lucia had changed her research topic, I had even fewer words to offer.

Caught in the awkward situation of being unable to accept a kind friend’s advice but also unable to refuse it, there was little I could say.

“Mm… All right. I understand how you feel. And thank you for trusting me. But right now, I just want to do this research. And later, my mind may change, so don’t think too seriously about it.”

“…All right.”

He didn’t look convinced, but perhaps because the atmosphere made it difficult to press further, Ruad Rochef gave a small nod as if accepting it.

This time, it was my turn to shift the subject and ease the mood.

“And let’s refrain from chatting in the library from now on. Even if you say it’s fine, I can’t help but worry.”

“That’s a little troublesome.”

“Why?”

“Because I like your whispering voice.”

Ruad Rochef said this with a mischievous grin.

It was a completely different feeling from the innocent smile he had shown earlier, but it suited him just as well.

‘It’s definitely not my type…’

Even so, my heart thumped a little.