My older sister is a villainous rich girl.

The study of magical theory can analyze any elemental attribute according to the same magical pathways and methods of application.

Therefore, the theoretical courses in the academy were not deliberately categorized according to the five elements of wind, fire, water, earth, and wood. Instead, all students were mixed together in various classes.

There are 40 students in Class E, where Wayne is located. Chris, Molly, Gavin, and the second prince Lawrence are all in this class.

However, Wayne's family and social circle are currently all in the First Prince's camp, and he is not familiar with the Second Prince at all, and they rarely speak to each other.

Therefore, whenever there is an unavoidable need to talk or when we are assigned to the same group for group work, the atmosphere is always quite subtle.

"Wayne Wincher, classmate."

During the break, Lawrence suddenly showed up at the door.

He asked shyly, "I wonder if Professor Conley would like to take on any more students?"

"I have long admired Professor Conley and very much hope to become his student."

Wayne gave him a somewhat suspicious look.

This second prince has a rather dark personality, and he harbors great hostility towards Prince Richard, which is quite unlike his seemingly gentle and innocent appearance.

However, ever since he and Richard fell in love with the same person, his gloomy character instantly transformed into a tsundere personality that is widely loved by girls. His scheming and methods are extremely childish, and he often competes with Richard for her affections.

"...Because I want to be more important to you than Richard."

This is one of his famous lines.

The person he was referring to was none other than Chris, the duchess's daughter who had become the fiancée of the first prince at the time.

What should have been a detestable character instantly became a popular supporting male character.

—At least it's more popular than Wayne, the minor supporting character who just appears and is completely useless.

However, since the start of the semester, Lawrence has not shown any unusual affection for Chris, and he is more enthusiastic about talking to himself than to Chris.

"Well, I don't know either," Wayne said. "If you're interested, you can ask the teacher yourself."

"I always felt that making such a request suddenly would seem a bit abrupt," Lawrence said.

"So I'd like to ask Wayne first, what are the professor's strict requirements for his students? And how did Wayne get accepted into the program in the first place?"

Wayne recalled the scene at that time.

"Well... I said I was Wayne Winche, and then he mumbled a whole bunch of things to himself, and then asked me if I wanted to learn magic from him."

Lawrence looked surprised. "Is that all?"

"Maybe it's because I'm very good at magic? My teacher had heard of my name beforehand, and even asked me if I was a magic genius in the elementary school."

This title has always been synonymous with Wayne, from the elementary school to the junior high school and now to the main campus. The title of "magical genius" has always accompanied him.

Lawrence's smile faltered, but thankfully the school bell rang, saving him from the awkward situation.

"Let's talk again next time."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his seat.

……

In the afternoon, Wayne went to Professor Conley's lab alone.

The gray building, still hidden by tall trees, looks exactly the same as it did a few years ago.

However, it is precisely from this place that various novel magical tools have been born in recent years, which can even be said to have greatly changed the lives of some people.

As Professor Conley himself said, magic was simply the skill he was least proficient in.

What he is truly skilled at and passionate about is to deeply analyze the original properties of various objects and thereby develop practical tools with higher magical utilization rates.

Given time, Wayne wouldn't be surprised if Professor Conley were to be hailed as a "groundbreaking great inventor."

"Wayne! Come quick, help me take a look at this!"

Unlike his attitude when they first met, after he felt that this apprentice shared the same interests and ideas as him, Conley regarded Wayne as a fellow traveler and often discussed with him some of the problems encountered in his research.

"This is an enhanced version of that little gadget from before! By pre-filling it with enough magic power, it can be set to explode after a timeout, and its instantaneous power is no less than Olive's Great Fireball."

"Moreover, hiding it in some concealed bunkers can have a surprise effect, making it extremely difficult to defend against."

Conley was very satisfied with his new work, with a "come and praise me" expression.

Wayne looked at the spherical object on the table, then at Professor Conley.

...Isn't this a time bomb?

"Teacher, did you give that prank prop to anyone else?" Wayne asked.

The bad feeling was growing stronger.

"Hmm... I sent a few to the royal family before, so they could also appreciate my research results."

Professor Conley asked in confusion, "What's wrong? That thing isn't very dangerous, so it shouldn't be a problem to send it away."

Royal family?

Wayne changed the subject.

"Teacher, lately I seem to have seen some of our lab's work being leaked from other places as well?"

Professor Conley's expression turned serious.

"Is there?"

"It's unavoidable to occasionally send some finished products to the nobles, since the research lab still relies on their funding," he explained.

"No, no, no, I'm not referring to those gifts given as favors, but rather... those that are sold at high prices on the market."

Wayne's expression was inscrutable. "It shouldn't be... that you, teacher, sold it yourself, right?"

Professor Conley froze.

Sweat dripped from Wayne's forehead under his death stare.

"Hahaha... It's been really hot lately." He laughed awkwardly as he rolled up his sleeves and wiped his face.

"I remember, Olive and I should also get a share of our lab's income, right?"

Wayne had a mocking smile on his lips.

In order to raise more research funds, Conley would rent out some props and charge the renters a fee. If necessary, even Olive and himself would occasionally have to step in.

In the royal capital, many noble families are long-term clients of the Conley Research Lab, including the Duke of Winchester's mansion.

The money earned through these means also reflects the efforts of both myself and Olive, and naturally cannot be pocketed by Professor Conley alone.

Hearing his ruthless words, Conley nervously swallowed.