The monk asked in a troubled tone, "Do you think the path of Dollcraft can reach the Root?"
That was what he truly wanted to ask: whether this incomparably gifted girl believed Dollcraft could reach the Root, and whether she would use Dollcraft as a means of reaching it.
This was the answer he wanted to know, no matter what.
"..."
Aozaki Touko chuckled softly. "When anything is taken to its extreme, it may be possible to reach the Root."
"Is that so?"
The monk nodded slightly, then sat down. He did not look as though he intended to continue asking questions.
He had already obtained the answer he wanted.
"...Does anyone else have a question? If not, shall we officially begin the lesson?"
Seeing this, Aozaki Touko looked around the room again before asking in a calm tone.
"...I do."
A young man stood up. He had neatly combed blond hair and a pride that came from the bottom of his heart. He looked at the universally renowned genius girl.
"My name is Kayneth El-Melloi Archimedes, and I am the next head of the Archimedes family."
"Hmm... I've heard your illustrious name before~"
Aozaki Touko nodded slightly. "The Clock Tower's renowned prodigy. Even I, living in a remote countryside village, have heard of you."
"...I have also long admired Miss Aozaki's reputation."
Kayneth sincerely offered a compliment. "After all, you are the only person I acknowledge as being capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with me in magecraft."
"...Thank you for the praise."
Aozaki Touko nodded slightly, then smiled. "So, Kayneth, what did you want to ask?"
"Rather than a question, I would call it a marriage proposal!"
Kayneth said it as though it were only natural. "If we were to unite, we would surely be able to produce extraordinarily excellent offspring!"
"..."
Aozaki Touko was briefly stunned. Then, without becoming angry, she tilted her head and asked, "Oh... Shouldn't someone like you already have a fiancée or something? Proposing marriage to me so suddenly is terribly rude."
"My mentor does indeed intend to arrange for me to marry his daughter soon, but if it is for the sake of producing excellent offspring, I believe my mentor will understand."
Kayneth said it as though it were only natural.
"Hmm... I refuse!"
Aozaki Touko smiled sweetly. "I will not marry any man."
The Fifty-Sixth Chapter: A Magician's Perspective
The saying that hard work would be rewarded was not wrong in itself.
However, if all one received was an insignificant reward, then it was essentially meaningless, wasn't it? Pouring everything one had into something, only to receive the consolation that one had at least tried in the end.
It was unexpectedly cruel.
This world contained chasms that could not be crossed. No matter how hard one worked for one's entire life, in the face of the talents assigned by heaven,
the final outcome had already been decided.
Of course, the words above were not self-pity or resentment.
They were facts he had naturally realized as a talented person. There were many magi in this world who worked harder than he did, but few had received rewards as abundant as his.
He was someone who naturally achieved success.
Kayneth had understood this from a young age. He had naturally accepted the fact that he was a born genius.
His future life was destined to be smooth.
But if possible, he wanted something more extravagant: someone who could understand him and help him advance in magecraft, while receiving the same in return.
And today, he had already realized who that person should be.
On the podium, that dazzling girl named Aozaki Touko shone like the sun. She had a path through life similar to his. Both were naturally gifted geniuses of magecraft, and both were destined to walk naturally toward success.
He and this girl would certainly be able to understand one another and promote the advancement of magecraft together. They would live happily and give birth to excellent, enviable offspring.
That was right. As the finest male and female magi in the world, wasn't it only natural that they should unite and produce children with excellent bloodlines?
They were so perfectly suited to each other. Perhaps this was a fate ordained by heaven.
Thus, he had naturally proposed marriage.
"If we were to unite, we would surely be able to produce extraordinarily excellent offspring!"
From a magician's perspective, Kayneth had naturally proposed marriage.
"Oh... Shouldn't someone like you already have a fiancée or something? Proposing marriage to me so suddenly is terribly rude."
The girl on the podium tilted her head and spoke in vexation.
She's so cute like this. With such an open and generous personality, married life would surely be blissful.
Seeing this, Kayneth responded as though it were only natural.
"My mentor does indeed intend to arrange for me to marry his daughter soon, but if it is for the sake of producing excellent offspring, I believe my mentor will understand."
"Hmm... I refuse. I will not marry any man."
The girl on the podium rejected him openly and straightforwardly.
There was not the slightest trace of a maiden's shyness in her eyes. Her refusal was perfectly clear, yet it did not disgust him at all. Surprisingly, he did not feel embarrassed.
"I understand."
Kayneth smiled like a gentleman, then gave a gentlemanly bow.
"My apologies, madam. I was too abrupt!"
This magician from a remote family had probably yet to understand the importance of optimizing magical bloodlines. However, after spending some time at the Clock Tower, she would surely understand how perfectly suited they were for marriage.
There was no need to be anxious. All he needed to do was wait for the results that time would bring.
"...Yes. Does anyone else have a question?"
Pulling her attention back from Kayneth, Aozaki Touko smiled lightly. "But when it comes to marriage proposals, they will all be rejected!"
"...Hahaha, if marriage proposals are off the table, half the people here have lost their motivation."
Mel-Lydele Archleot rose to her feet, swaying her rose-gold twin tails as she planted her hands on her hips. "Quite a few people here are planning to marry Touko, optimize their bloodlines, and have her help complete their Magic Crests!"
That was true. Aside from those magi who knew they had no hope, everyone else had entertained thoughts of marrying Aozaki Touko, a magician with an excellent bloodline and powerful research abilities.
Although, as the future heir of the Aozaki Household, Aozaki Touko would most likely never marry into their families,
that did not stop them from inheriting one of her descendants. If they could use their marital relationship to have her continue perfecting their Magic Crests, wouldn't that save their families a huge step on the path to the Root?
In short, Aozaki Touko was a woman well worth marrying.
"Hmm... Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Aozaki Touko straightened her teaching materials and spoke indifferently. "The time for getting acquainted is over. Don't bring up anything unrelated to the lesson."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the blackboard.
Yet no one in the classroom left. Everyone listened to the lesson with great interest. In the quiet classroom, the only sounds were chalk scraping against the blackboard and the girl's clear, orderly voice.
The content was unexpectedly easy to understand and did not involve any profound theories.
However, it was very suitable for beginners. Anyone who wanted to establish a general framework would find it extremely worthwhile to attend Aozaki Touko's lectures.
"Hmm... Does anyone have any questions?"
Before long, after finishing a lesson, Aozaki Touko asked the group.
"Teacher Aozaki, I have a question!"
A young girl raised her hand.
"Let's hear it."
Aozaki Touko nodded.
"How should dolls handle object recognition?"
The girl asked this earnestly.
"...Does this have anything to do with what I was teaching?"
Aozaki Touko's mouth twitched.
"But that is my question."
The girl awkwardly scratched her cheek, but she had no intention of letting this opportunity pass. After all, the girl standing before her was the greatest Doll Master of the present age.
"...You can ask me about that after class."
Aozaki Touko pinched the bridge of her nose, then looked toward the students in the back. "What about you...? Don't tell me you also came here to ask about things unrelated to the lesson."
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Most of the students looked away.
That really was their purpose.
"..."
The Fifty-Seventh Chapter: The Housewife
The lesson was over.
Well... Aside from being subtly asked by some men and women whether she was interested in marriage, there had been no major incidents. Even being asked questions unrelated to the lesson was not a particularly big problem for her.
As long as they were not pieces of secret knowledge unique to her, she was actually quite willing to answer questions. If the questioner could offer some novel ideas, that would count as another kind of accumulation in the study of magecraft.
In short... her lectures at the Clock Tower had ended successfully.
"The next lesson will probably be next week."
On the podium, Aozaki Touko finished putting away her teaching materials, then left the classroom with an intimidating presence. Her frosty aura made her look like a general about to charge into battle.
Anyone who tried to block her path would definitely be treated as an enemy.
"..."
Seeing this, the people in the classroom silently snuffed out any thoughts of approaching her. If they stopped Aozaki Touko now, they would definitely incur the girl's hostility.
Therefore, whether they were aristocrats of magecraft or students seeking guidance, they all tacitly refrained from stopping Aozaki Touko as she left. They simply watched her depart in silence.
...Some time after Aozaki Touko left.
The people in the classroom also began preparing to leave. This time, they had witnessed the rumored genius girl's effortless yet profound teaching, as well as her calm smile in the face of the great families of magecraft.
All of this had confirmed Aozaki Touko's value to them. The next step was to find a way to win the girl's heart.
Then they would bring Aozaki Touko's excellent magical blood into their families and find a way to use her talent to advance their families' Magic Crests even further.
The plan was perfectly clear.
But then.
"—Bang!"
A crisp slap against a desk rang out.
Mel-Lydele Archleot stood up and swept her gaze over the nobles and students present. Then, with a beautiful yet gleefully malicious voice, she said,
"I advise you to give up on marrying Touko. Touko is already married. You have no chance left!"
Her declaration of fact echoed through the classroom. The people who had been preparing to leave all stopped and instinctively turned back to look at Mel-Lydele Archleot, wanting to determine whether her words were true.
"Miss Touko is married?"
A handsome young man stood up, his voice filled with hurried surprise.
To be honest, he found it rather difficult to imagine that the dazzling girl on the podium was already married.
"..."
Before you continue