I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 42

Chapter 42

One month ago.

Karin had already anticipated Isabel’s perfect score.

“……Are there any errors in my solution?”

“There are none. It seems to be an accurate solution. If the Princess remembers the problem correctly, that is.”

“Then that’s a relief!”

Karin examined the solution Isabel had written down for a long time.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. You said you were the first to submit your answer sheet, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Karin nodded.

“Would it be alright if I took this?”

“Sure.”

Karin took the paper containing Isabel’s problem-solving and examined it carefully for a day.

Since she was from the Mirotel Magic Federation, she was familiar with their situation.

She also knew that Gilgalay’s apprentice, Marnon, was taking this Olympiad.

‘The difficulty of the problems is easier than usual. It must be a consideration to ensure Marnon gets a perfect score.’

The Mirotel Magic Federation would not want to give Isabel the top rank.

Then it was clear that they would make a move.

‘But they wouldn’t be able to arbitrarily change the score or anything like that.’

With the meticulousness befitting a final boss, Karin examined the paper for a long time.

And finally, she was able to draw a conclusion.

‘They’ll take issue with the ∴, won’t they?’

And they’ll give her second place, so be satisfied with this much.

She thought they would try to negotiate in this way.

‘It might be my excessive worry, but it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.’

She secretly began preparations for Isabel.

A month later, when the result that Isabel had ultimately achieved ‘second place’ was announced, Karin couldn’t hold back.

‘I will protect our Princess.’

She made her own moves.

And finally, she stood here.

“Have the professors not been looking at the recently published academic journals?”

Karin walked towards Head Professor Mangkong.

She put down the academic journal she was holding.

“It’s strange. Isn’t Mangkong Professor-nim one of the people who reviewed and approved my paper?”

Numerous steps are required for publication in an academic journal.

One of them is verification by an authoritative professor.

“What are you trying to say, Karin?”

“It means that Mangkong Professor-nim is the one who acknowledged the Isabel Theorem.”

“……”

The theorem that Isabel referred to as the “Laplace Theorem.”

Karin made various efforts to publish it in an academic journal and eventually officially registered it under the name “Isabel Theorem.”

Head Professor Mangkong cleared his throat with a “Kheum” and adjusted his glasses.

He examined the academic journal that Karin had handed him.

『In a binomial distribution, when the number of trials is large and……』

The 『∴』 symbol was clearly used there.

“You clearly acknowledged the （∴） symbol, meaning ‘therefore.'”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

After Isabel and Karin left, the professors of the First Magic Tower racked their brains and suffered.

“If Creation Mage Gilgalay-nim finds out about this……”

Gilgalay is a fiery person.

The professors feared and found Gilgalay difficult to deal with.

“In any case, we have to inform him of the truth.”

“……”

The professors’ gazes focused on one person.

Head Professor Mangkong subtly avoided their gazes.

Mangkong’s bald head shone brightly.

“Ahem.”

Mangkong knew that he was the one who had to make the report.

“I’ll make the report, but.”

This time, Mangkong looked around at the professors.

His eyes pleaded for help, but not a single professor responded to his gaze.

They all subtly averted their eyes and looked down.

“Isn’t there anyone who can come with me?”

“……”

Silence filled the air.

“Is there really no one?”

His bald head shone brightly again.

“Really no one? Are you even the honorable professors of the Magic Tower? Shouldn’t the professors of the Magic Tower share the heavy burdens? The Deputy Head Professor……”

“Oh my, look at the time. It’s time for my daughter to come home from school. Head Professor-nim, I’ll excuse myself first. Please do a good job with the report.”

Mangkong wanted to shout.

Your daughter is homeschooled!

But knowing that yelling here wouldn’t do any good, Mangkong subtly glanced at the professor next to him.

“I have a blind date today, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“……Didn’t you say you were a non-marriage advocate?”

“I met a good man.”

“A good…… man?”

“Yes, I’m sure I can spend the rest of my life with him.”

“You said you were single until yesterday?”

“We were secretly dating, Head Professor-nim.”

She got up from her seat.

In truth, she was still a non-marriage advocate, but she decided to give the blind date a try.

In the end, everyone got up, leaving only the Head Professor, Mangkong, alone.

“……Sigh.”

Silence filled the space.

His head shone like the morning star.

Three days later, the final results were released.

The top student of this 19th Olympiad was Princess Isabel of the Bilotian Empire.

She was six years old, the youngest top student in the history of the Olympiad.

The news swept across the continent.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Reporters from influential news outlets flocked to the First Magic Tower.

This was an unprecedented upset.

In the 500-year history of the Olympiad, this was the first time a member of the Bilotian Imperial Family had achieved the top rank.

“To think I’d see something like this happen in my lifetime.”

Yuli, a dispatch reporter from ‘Whisper’, the continent’s leading news outlet, still couldn’t believe the results.

It was surprising enough that a princess was born in Bilotia, but how could that princess have taken the top rank in the Olympiad?

‘Oh? There she is!’

The six-year-old princess, veiled.

The princess, who had more bad rumors than good ones, showed herself.

‘Wow…… She’s incredibly cute.’

Her bright and abundant blonde hair caught the eye first.

Her face was very small, and her skin was as white as porcelain.

‘Her eyes, nose, and mouth all fit on that small face!’

If cuteness were molded into a human form, wouldn’t it look like this?

Yuli couldn’t take her eyes off the princess.

‘I expected a sharper impression and atmosphere.’

The sharp features characteristic of Bilotians were nowhere to be found.

Rather, her atmosphere was like warm sunlight.

Numerous reporters surrounded that sunlight.

“Hello? I am Isabel, the 5th Princess of Bilotia.”

Even though it was a situation that could be flustering, Isabel didn’t seem flustered at all.

It was as if she was quite used to such occasions.

As soon as Yuli saw the princess, she realized.

Very occasionally, there are people like this.

‘She’s someone born to shine.’

Someone who shines even when they’re just standing still.

Someone who strongly exudes a unique atmosphere even when surrounded by so many people and reporters.

That’s how Yuli saw Isabel.

Isabel even organized this chaotic situation.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll take the next question. The man with short hair over there. Please ask your question.”

“It was said that you almost lost the glory of the top rank in the middle. Is that true?”

“I don’t think the expression ‘lost’ is appropriate. The professors of the Magic Tower did their job. It’s true that I used a symbol that’s not commonly used. But Karin Teacher-nim happened to have published in an academic journal……”

Isabel continued speaking calmly, not at all flustered in front of the reporters.

It was a firmness that couldn’t be seen in a six-year-old.

Yuli was captivated.

‘This is officially her first interview. How can she be like this?’

There was something Yuli didn’t know.

Isabel had been exposed to countless media outlets in a world where media was far more developed than this one.

She was someone who had received support from many people and had managed to survive through it.

Therefore, Isabel was unintentionally very familiar with this kind of situation.

She instinctively understood how she would be perceived by the public when she said certain things.

Because she had experienced it countless times since she was young.

Isabel didn’t forget the kindness extended by many people and always did her best in front of the camera.

“I just wanted to show that I could do it. Even if I can’t learn Bilotian swordsmanship, I wanted to show that I could do well too.”

“Why did you make such a resolution?”

To compensate for her lacking position as a princess? To prove that she wasn’t inadequate? To equip herself with a weapon other than swordsmanship?

Everyone expected such answers.

“I’m a defective product as a princess of the Swordsmanship Empire, you know.”

Everyone fell silent at her words.

The princess herself had mentioned being a ‘defective product’.

“I thought that if this defective product achieved something, many people who consider themselves defective products could gain strength.”

There are countless Isabels in the world.

There will be children suffering from illnesses. There will be many children who think they are less than others.

Perhaps there are even children who wish for death rather than life.

Before possession, that’s how Isabel was.

“I don’t think there are any defective products in the world. We are all sparkling people. I wanted to show that.”

“Then weren’t there easier Olympiads?”

“My time flows differently from other people’s time.”

Isabel rolled up her sleeve.

An hourglass shape.

The Mark of Narvidal was visible.

The sand in the hourglass continued to fall.

Towards death.

“Because the time given to me is much shorter than the time given to others, I thought I had to run faster than others.”

The reporter who had asked the question made an awkward expression.

Some gasped in admiration.

It was a composure that couldn’t be imagined from a six-year-old terminally ill child.

“Are there any other questions?”

Yuli raised her hand.

A reporter from the leading news outlet, ‘Whisper’.

She asked.

“Traditionally, the top rank holders of the Olympiad have enrolled in the Magic Tower. Will the Princess also enroll in the Magic Tower? I heard that you learned magic a long time ago. Have you decided on magic as your future career path?”

It was the question Isabel, who had an excellent understanding of the media, had been waiting for.