Honestly, I quite agree with Arkhangelo’s opinion.
“But there’s no choice, Arkhangelo. This is the essence of mathematics…”
“Is this even really mathematics?”
“It’s logic, so you can’t say it’s completely unrelated to mathematics.”
When I responded to Arkhangelo’s grumbling, Ghieuspe looked at me with interest.
“Do you know the answer?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Oh,”
Raffaelo exclaimed.
“I have no idea. Simone, do you?”
“Thinking about it a bit, I think I can figure it out, but since Seraphina knows the answer, I’d like to hear her explanation.”
“Alright, then I’ll explain.”
I looked around, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a chalkboard. So, I just clapped my hands.
“Okay! Pay attention!”
“What, what’s this?”
“She always gets so passionate when explaining.”
“Turn off the local broadcast! You don’t want to take the test again, right?”
“What on earth is she talking about…?”
Ignoring Raffaelo’s bewilderment, I began my explanation.
“Why do you think the first and second logicians didn’t say how many glasses of wine they would drink?”
“It’s because they didn’t know whether the other logicians would drink or not.”
“Yes, that’s the key point of this problem! Or rather, that’s the core!”
“At this point, just speak casually…”
Ignoring Raffaelo’s comment, I firmly continued my explanation.
“First, the first logician said he didn’t know because he couldn’t tell if the others would drink. But he intended to drink himself.”
“How do you know that?”
“If he didn’t intend to drink, he would have answered no to the question about bringing three glasses.”
“……….!”
“The second logician, being a logician, realized that the first logician intended to drink. However, he didn’t know if the third logician would drink, so he answered that he didn’t know.”
“Then he must have intended to drink as well. Because if he didn’t, he would have answered no to the question about bringing three glasses.”
“That’s right, very smart student.”
I looked impressed, then quickly averted my gaze when I realized it was Simone.
“The third logician figured this out. So he answered ‘yes’.”
“So that means the third logician will also drink! If not, he would have said ‘no’!”
“That’s correct, Raffaelo!”
Now we knew how many glasses of wine the bartender should bring.
[Three]
When the answer was entered, the box clicked open, and Arkhangelo cheered.
“Finally, this tedious problem is solved!”
“It actually wasn’t that difficult.”
“Shut up!”
Anyway, the box opened, and we were able to check Aurora’s letter inside.
“I’m going to the Magic Tower! See you there!”
“The Magic Tower…”
Ghieuspe muttered with a thoughtful expression.
“Where is the Magic Tower?”
“It’s not far from here. Let’s go.”
We got back on our motorcycles.
I glanced at Simone again, but as always, Simone had an unreadable expression.
Because of the different speeds of each motorcycle, the distance between us grew. Especially since our motorcycle had two people, it was slower.
So, when it was almost just Simone and me left, I fell into deep thought.
‘How can I convince Simone this time…?’
Alright, how did I persuade students in the previous world?
“Teacher, I really want to go to Namhan University, but can’t I? With my grades, can’t I apply to Namhan University?”
“Honestly, if you apply to Namhan University with your grades, you’re wasting a choice.”
“But I still want to apply.”
“Go talk to the director.”
Aha, I used to dump all counseling tasks on the director!
In fact, I never really cared about students’ career paths, ha ha!
…Damn, why does it feel like the more I think about my previous life, the worse it gets for me?
Anyway, I racked my brain again and finally spoke up.
“Machiavelli, in ‘The Prince,’ said that to succeed in politics, one must be skilled in deceit and lies.”
I used the famous example of Machiavelli.
“But I am critical of that. Even if you achieve something through dishonest means, losses always follow. People must ultimately live pursuing good.”
“Quite a sudden and philosophical statement that doesn’t suit you, Seraphina.”
“It means it’s cowardly to pretend to be a kind person while hiding your sinister intentions for political success.”
“If you really want to persuade me, you shouldn’t say things like that.”
“To wear a mask and hide oneself, never daring to show one’s true self, is a cowardly act like that of a slave.”*
* Michel de Montaigne, Essays
“Unfortunately, such words can’t move my heart.”
Damn, of course, a sermon about goodness won’t work.
Humans are always driven by self-interest, and I was no different…
“Do you really think that’s right? The private education market in our country is abnormal.”
“I’ve already made a lot of money from it. It’s too late to go back.”
Hmm, right, I wasn’t exactly an idealist either.
As I grew more confused about how to persuade Simone, a loud noise erupted.
Boom! Crash!
The ground seemed to shake, and dust rose.
Startled, I looked up and saw a rock rolling down from a high place, right towards me.
“Damn it!”
At that moment of shock, Simone quickly turned around and looked at me.
And he immediately grabbed my waist and threw me off the motorcycle.
Thrown, I landed on the ground, bewildered.
‘What is he doing?’
Surprised that Simone had suddenly thrown me, I looked up and saw something even more shocking.
“Simone…!”
Simone, who had collided head-on with the rock, was lying on the road with the motorcycle.
Realizing he couldn’t avoid the rolling rock, he must have quickly thrown me to protect me.
‘What should I do?’
Simone staggered to his feet with a grimace.
“Are you alright?”
“Damn… I did take a bit of a hit, but I’m okay.”
However, despite what Simone said, his arm was bleeding and starting to swell from scraping against the ground.
Damn, it looked like the injury might have reached the bone. Even though he was pretending to be fine, he must have been in considerable pain.
Although he was standing, he seemed unable to move his arm at all. His awkward posture suggested that just standing still was causing him significant discomfort due to the pain.
I couldn’t just leave him like that.
‘I can’t use spatial magic to heal…’
I reached into the bag strapped to the back of the motorcycle, rummaging around until I found some bandages and medicine.
“Give me your arm.”
“Are you going to treat me?”
“Do you think I’d just abandon an injured person?”
When I responded with an incredulous look, Simone closed his mouth with a peculiar expression.
In fact, this was a good opportunity to escape from Simone since he was in such bad shape.
But my conscience wouldn’t let me abandon an injured person and run.
So I held onto Simone’s arm, applied the medicine, and wrapped it with the bandage. Since it was a magically made potion, the wound would heal quickly.
“Does the motorcycle still work? If it does, I’ll try driving it. I think I can manage.”
“No, it’s alright now. I don’t intend to make you do that.”
Simone spoke with an inexplicable look.
“I thought you would run away and leave me.”
Hearing this, I blinked a few times before replying with a matter-of-fact expression.
“Why would I run away?”
“Because you are afraid of me. I’m a threat to you.”
“Well, I’m not that scared.”
What I feared more was Princess Eva rather than Simone.
Of course, I was somewhat afraid of Simone, who had figured out my true identity, but not as much as Princess Eva.
Simone looked surprised by my answer.
