[“What humans produce must be used correctly.”]

It was on just a moonlit night that Rishe last saw him.

[“I generally agree with that, but I have a problem with this precept. I mean, no one can define what ‘correctness’ is exactly.”]

Michel Evan, a genius, said that time with a scented cigarette in his mouth and the floral scent on his body.

[“With my ‘potion,’ I’m sure the world would be destroyed easily. If that’s not right, Kyle would definitely stop it.”]

[“Teacher, that’s …”]

[“Hey, Rishe…”]

Michel smiled softly as he draped his pale golden hair over his ears.

[“Is it dreadful to wish to see how what you’ve created will change the world?”]

[“…”]

Purple eyes shot at Rishe.

He said with a lonely, yet unquenchable smile, [“Goodbye, my student. Hopefully, your life is right for you.”

She never saw him again.

That Michel was now standing before her.

The two knight guards stepped out to protect her, who stood rooted in shock.

“Excuse me. I know you are from Koyor, but would you mind telling me your name, just in case?”

“Hmm?… Oh! I’m sorry if I startled you.”

Michel said and gave a bow.

His posture was rocky, without any core to his balance.

“My name is Michel Evan. I’m from Koyor, as you have guessed.”

“The tower you’re staying at is a short distance away. I’m sorry, it seems you got separated from the knights in charge of security and so was left here on your own.”

“Evan-sama, if you’re lost in the castle, I’ll call for another knight at once to take you to the tower.”

The normally gentle knights treated Michel warily. And yet, their behavior wasn’t suggestive of diplomatic discourtesy.

Nevertheless, Michel brushed them off. He smiled and said, “That’s very kind of you. But I’m not lost. I’m just curious about the girl over there and I’d like to ask her a few questions.”

“Evan-sama, with all due respect, she is our country’s…”

“I’m fine. The both of you.”

When Rishe interjected, the knights said “Hai~” and stepped back.

After thanking them for protecting her, Rishe turned to Michel.

It’s really a surprise to see my teacher here!

For the time being, as people who have met for the first time, she has to greet and ask questions as if they had never met before.

“I’m Rishe Ilmgard Wertsner. Are you one of the scholars that His Highness Prince Kyle has brought with him?”

“Well, the word scholar should be the most appropriate. I specialize in research, and I rarely get to work in the field.”

Michel chuckled and pointed his index finger at her.

“… Those fingernails.”

He was referring to Rishe’s fingertips, which were colored pink with nail polish. They were painted before the meeting with Kyle and has yet to be removed, in the hope that it would be a stepping stone for the distribution of nail polish in Koyor.

“I’m not sure if it’s the sap of gelwood. The sap, which is normally milky white in color, looks like it’s mixed with some kind of dye.”

“…”

When he pointed out, she felt a lump in her throat.

I can’t believe he could see through that much with just one glance.

Rishe created this pink nail polish.

Of course, Michel didn’t know it existed, and it should be his first time seeing it; but he analyzed in a matter of seconds.

“What method did you use to harden it?”

“I added Jibby nectar and Rapet herb to the Rissi herb, and mixed it with glue.”

“I see. That’s a good combination.”

Michel observed Rishe’s nails again, sounding impressed.

“Is the reason you didn’t use Cyril herb to prevent the formation of extra bubbles?” (not sure of the existence of these herbs/grass)

“You’re right. You know everything, don’t you?”

“Hmm, I’m just doing some theoretical calculations.”

Michel said and gave her a mischievous look.

“What do you think would happen if the sap of Estoma is mixed there?”

What came to mind were the days of repeated experiments.

I’ve dealt with Estoma sap many times when I was with him. So I can kind of picture it.

Rishe met him in the eye and replied with a conjecture that has formed in her head.

“I think it would harden more strongly than the one I formulated. It would be sturdy enough to be used for bonding chipped teeth. It wouldn’t be opaque and would harden while remaining transparent.”

“Yeah, I’d have to agree with you.”

“… However, it is just my conjecture. We can’t derive what the actual results will be without verification.”

When she added that, Michel’s eyes widened a bit.

He then huffed and laughed softly, nodding in satisfaction.

“You’re a very nice girl. You’re able to construct theories and are good at implementing them. You value experimentation and actual proof. If possible, I’d like you to be my student.”

“Thank you, Evan-sama.”