The magical experiment was a success, but amid his delight, Roland did not forget to verify the results.
He understood profoundly the difference between knowing that something worked and knowing why it worked.
The humanities had always been regarded as a form of intuitive understanding unique to intelligent beings, and most approaches began with experience.
This time, however, rational analysis had achieved a similar effect.
"The effect? Hmm, aside from a slight headache, I really seem to have learned Seris at a proficient level!
"All sorts of words, phrases, and sentence structures have somehow appeared in my head,"
Princess Rosa told Roland.
"Why don't you give me a test?"
"What, are you still brooding over scoring twenty-seven last time?" Roland teased when he saw how eager she looked.
Princess Rosa flushed scarlet. "Ah, well... how should I put it..."
Roland laughed at the sight. "All right. I happened to write some reading comprehension questions while studying the exam syllabus. Listen carefully: how many different meanings does 'meaning' have in the following conversation?
"Boss: What's the meaning of this?
"Wang: Just a little something to show what you mean to me.
"Boss: That makes our relationship meaningless.
"Wang: It means nothing, really.
"Boss: You're quite something, if you know what I mean.
"Wang: I didn't mean anything else by it.
"Boss: Then I won't stand on ceremony, if that's what you mean.
"Wang: I'm the one who meant to apologize..." (Note: an internet joke.)
"Ugh..." Princess Rosa clutched her forehead and squirmed uneasily. "My head hurts!"
"Hahahaha!" Roland laughed heartily.
After that little joke, he casually posed some proper questions to assess Princess Rosa's actual ability. He felt that passing a level-four examination should be no problem.
Her recitation and writing were at roughly the same level.
The conclusion was clear: