Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 245: Professor Evelyn

After carefully browsing through some of the library’s books, Astrid roughly understood how it differed from the Royal Library.

The Elizabeth Academy of Magic’s collection didn’t include books unrelated to magic. Every book was written by a mage, from comprehensive spell encyclopedias to mages’ travelogues, all containing elements of magic.

Compared to the academy library, the Royal Library’s collection was more diverse, covering a wider range of topics, including history, humanities, forging, sewing, farming, and commerce. It had almost no barriers to entry and was quite friendly to those who hadn’t studied magic.

Astrid picked up a book on modern elvish, glancing at the cover and table of contents.

The author, Ryan Protheus, aimed to help more people understand elvish and its connection to magic.

Opening the yellowed parchment, Astrid narrowed her eyes and began reading word by word, unaware that a young woman with light purple hair, standing a dozen meters behind her, had noticed her picking up the book and was now staring at her with a deepening gaze.

Silver hair, red eyes... Isn’t that the Imperial Princess?

Evelyn Protheus stood lost in thought, temporarily setting aside her plan to leave the library.

At that moment, Amalia, sensing something, quickly turned her head to look behind her.

The library corridor was silent, with only the occasional soft rustle of turning pages.

Was she mistaken?

Amalia soon turned her attention back to the person beside her.

Astrid was still reading the modern elvish book, which contained translations of simple elvish words like "eat," "sleep," and "rest," along with phonetic markers similar to Romanization corresponding to the current common human language.

Moreover, the author’s writing wasn’t dry or didactic but included many interesting expansions and imaginative elements.

After just a few pages, Astrid could already imprint the words she saw in her mind.

If the common human language of this world was a blend of Germanic languages like, then, based on her current understanding, Astrid couldn’t see any similarities between this so-called elvish and the languages she knew from her previous life.

Closing the book but not returning it to the shelf, Astrid browsed through nearby books, hoping to find something on Elders Speech studies. Suddenly, a soft female voice spoke.

"Your Highness Astrid is interested in linguistics?"

Hearing the voice, Astrid turned around, her gaze settling on the speaker.

The woman was wearing a light white skirt and a knit sweater suitable for the transition from winter to spring. Her appearance was delicate, her skin fair, and her light purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, her eyes of the same color reflecting Astrid’s face.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Evelyn Protheus, professor of linguistics at Elizabeth Academy of Magic."

Protheus?

Astrid immediately found the surname familiar. She flipped to the title page of the book in her hand and, sure enough, saw the same surname.

Noticing Astrid’s small action, Evelyn smiled and spoke.

"Your Highness is curious about the relationship between the book’s author and me?"

"Ryan Protheus was my great-grandfather and a renowned linguist."

So that was the connection.

Astrid nodded and replied politely.

"Good afternoon, Professor Evelyn."

"I am indeed very interested in the languages of various races."

Astrid had previously consulted Charlotte. Since linguistics was a very niche elective and the total class hours were short, requiring minimal teaching resources, Evelyn taught both Basic Linguistics and Magical Linguistics.

In that case, they had essentially met their future teacher in advance.

"Since Your Highness is so interested, perhaps I could recommend a few books?"

"Or..."

Evelyn looked at the book in Astrid’s hand, her voice taking on an indescribable tone.

"...We could find a more private place to discuss this in greater depth."

...

Having just returned from the winter break, not all the senior students of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic had returned to academy, so there were few people left in the library.

Evelyn found a reading room without any borrowers, placed the books in her arms on the table, and turned to look at Astrid and Amalia.

"Please take a seat, Princess Astrid and Miss Livia."

"This is a reading room reserved for the professors of the academy. It is usually open to students when there are too many borrowers, but today there doesn’t seem to be much of a crowd."

When Astrid entered the room, she also saw Evelyn flip the sign at the door to inform others that there were people inside and incidentally lock the door with the latch.

"Is our conversation going to be very private?" Astrid asked, feeling Amalia gently scratch her palm.

Evelyn nodded at her words and smiled at Astrid. "Of course..."

"After all, this part of the teaching is a private lesson for Your Highness to understand."

Hearing the woman’s seemingly meaningful words, Astrid didn’t pay too much attention.

She straightened her back, naturally crossed her black silk-clad legs, and spoke slowly.

"So, Professor Evelyn, what book would you like to recommend to me?"

Faced with Astrid’s straightforward approach, Evelyn’s lips curved slightly, realizing that the princess was indeed very interested in linguistics. She spoke softly.

"This analysis of the differences between the elven language and the human common language is very well written. Your Highness can take it back to read."

"However, it would be better to read another book on elven annotations and the modern elven language in your hands before reading this one. The effect will be better."

Entering the teaching mode, Evelyn became much more serious than before. Her tone was no longer as teasing as it had been at the beginning, but slightly deeper.

Astrid looked at the books handed to her by Evelyn and gently reached out to take them.

Since the books had been held under the woman’s arm, the covers still retained a faint warmth and a barely noticeable fragrance.

"I remember the academy library allows a person to borrow up to two books at a time?" Astrid asked.

Hearing this, Evelyn nodded and replied softly, "These two books are on loan from me. Your Highness can return them within half a month."

It was not easy to meet a new student who had such a strong desire to explore the languages of various races. As a professor of a niche subject and a linguist, Evelyn naturally would not let this opportunity slip away.

If she could pull Princess Astrid into the elective class, it would be even better.

"Is that so..." Astrid pondered for a moment, her tone calm.

"...Thank you very much, Professor Evelyn."

Having a teacher guide her was much more convenient than her randomly flipping through books alone.

Seeing Astrid accept the books, Evelyn seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. "Your Highness, are you interested in only the elven language, or are you also curious about other languages, such as the goblin language, the demi-human language, and the dragon language?"

Evelyn was most knowledgeable about the elven language, but that didn’t mean she was unfamiliar with other languages.

As long as they were intelligent races that humans frequently interacted with and had a means of communication, Evelyn had researched them to some extent.

"I am equally interested in other languages," Astrid said.

Her main goal was to analyze the relationship between Elders Speech and modern human common language.

However, understanding the linguistic logic of other intelligent races might help her find patterns more quickly.

At the very least, it could be preparation for her future travels around the world.

"So, which language does Your Highness most want to understand?" Evelyn asked.

Hearing this, Astrid raised her eyes and silently stared at Evelyn’s pale purple eyes for half a minute before speaking.

"I want to know more about Elders Speech."

Since her transmigration, Astrid’s two main advantages were her knowledge of the original plot’s predictive nature and the cheat-like English annotations or Elders Speech incantations of magic.

Now that the first advantage was gradually disappearing due to her actions, the second one became increasingly important.

Evelyn was the one who had set the additional question. Astrid wanted to know how far her research into Elders Speech had gone.

If she wanted to unravel the secrets of Elders Speech, this linguist who had been studying it for years might provide much unexpected help.

"Elders Speech?"

As expected, Evelyn’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing the term, her heel lightly tapping the ground. Her breasts under her white knit sweater rose slightly with her breath.

"Why does Your Highness want to know about this?"

Facing Evelyn’s question, Astrid spoke softly.

"No mage would refuse to understand the essence of the magic in their hands. Since modern common incantations are derived from the Elders Speech translated by the founder of modern magic, Lady Gemini, doesn’t that mean that Elders Speech is closer to the original form of magic than common incantations?"

At least, when Astrid practiced Elders Speech incantations in private, she could feel that the amount of elemental particles she could mobilize with a single strand of mental power had increased, and the effects produced were better than reciting the same type of common incantation by two to three times.

This was only for apprentice-level spells. If they advanced to the level of Sorcerer and Magnus, or even the super-level and forbidden spells that only Arcanist level mages could attempt, the effects of reciting Elders Speech might reach a level unimaginable to ordinary people.

"Moreover..." Astrid paused slightly, drawing Evelyn’s attention to her next words as her pink lips parted slightly.

"There are additional questions related to Elders Speech on this magic theory exam paper. That question has greatly stimulated my thirst for knowledge."

"I want to know what would happen if those magic incantations were successfully recited."

Although Astrid suspected that the text was not a magic incantation, to avoid revealing that she understood English, she answered Evelyn according to the content of the question.

"Also, I learned from Lady Charlotte that the person who set this question is Evelyn Protheus."

"My future dear... professor and mentor, Miss..."

Upon hearing this, not only Evelyn but even Amalia trembled slightly. Her crimson eyes stared at the silver-haired princess nearby, almost unable to hide the possessive desire in her eyes.

Realizing that Astrid was getting back at her for teasing her earlier, Evelyn, who had been caught off guard by her junior, quickly adjusted her demeanor and narrowed her beautiful eyes.

It seemed that Her Highness Astrid was not a young girl. She had been too focused on staying in the library and neglected to understand the people around her, accidentally allowing someone to play a joke on her.

However... this future mentor, could it be...

"Is Your Highness going to choose basic linguistics as your elective course this semester?" Evelyn asked.

Astrid let out a faint hum, and the silk between her legs made a subtle and pleasant rustling sound.

"In the future, during formal studies, Miss Evelyn will have to guide me frequently. After all, I also want to have more in-depth discussions with my teacher."

Hearing the slightly emphasized tone, Evelyn once again confirmed that the princess was retaliating for her earlier actions, and her lips curled slightly.

"Of course, as long as Your Highness has time, my office door is always open for you."

How could she be afraid of a junior?

After a few subtle exchanges with Evelyn, Astrid gently held Amalia’s hand and slightly parted her pink lips.

"Back to the main topic, I heard that Professor Evelyn has conducted extensive research on Elders Speech..."

"I wonder if Professor Evelyn could share some of her research results with me. If it’s private and you don’t want to disclose it, I can understand."

Evelyn might not understand English as well as she did, but she was familiar with the languages of other races on this continent and often dealt with Elders Speech. She might provide Astrid with some inspiration and supplementary information.

When it came to business, Evelyn’s attitude quickly became serious.

"What exactly does Your Highness want to know about?"

"Of course, the part that Professor Evelyn thinks is the most important."

Hearing Astrid’s words, Evelyn thought to herself that the girl was quite cunning. After some consideration, she found a suitable entry point.

"Your Highness mentioned earlier that modern spell incantations were derived from the Elders Speech understood by Lady Gemini, meaning that Elders Speech is the cornerstone of modern spell incantations."

"Your Highness can flip to page one hundred and twenty-one in the modern elven language."

Astrid followed the instructions, her fingers gently flipping through the pages to find the page mentioned by Evelyn.

This page was written in black ink: [Elven Language Common Spell Appendix]

"Your Highness must have learned many spells. You can recall the common incantations required to cast those spells and compare them with the elven language translations here."

As she listened to Evelyn and flipped through the book, Astrid read the first line about the elven incantation for the ignition spell and gradually furrowed her brows.

The elven language’s ignition spell was almost identical to the human language’s ignition spell, even the format for praising the fire element was similar.

"Although we have been in contact with the elves for a long time, the more secretive magic incantations have only been collected in recent years. For these incantations, I have arranged and compared their structure and found that their meanings are almost identical to the incantations recited by humans."

"If the information about Lady Gemini is accurate, doesn’t that mean that the elves also understood the oral incantations similar to Elders Speech from the magic elements, forming their own spell system?"

"Based on this discovery, I tried to analyze and translate the differences between the magic incantations in the elven language and our common magic incantations, hoping to use their similarities and differences to deduce the exact meaning of Elders Speech."

The common language and the elven language being consistent basically indicated that they pointed to a similar magical system.

It did seem to have practical significance. Elders Speech, due to its age, had lost the community that used it, making it very difficult for modern people to decipher it.

The only available references were the handwritten copies of magic spread by Lady Gemini, with very few things like directional Stele and Elders Speech books.

"After numerous comparisons, I roughly deduced the meaning of this symbol in Elders Speech."

Evelyn raised her hand and softly recited a spell incantation. In the next moment, a spot of light appeared on her index finger as her arm moved, drawing a line in the air.

Fire.

This was the Elders Speech symbol Evelyn had drawn.

"I think this symbol has a high probability of representing fire and a small probability of representing burning."

Hearing this, Astrid remained calm on the surface and spoke after a moment.

"Fire?"

"Yes, many fire attribute spells contain it."

When it came to this topic, Evelyn’s speech speed increased slightly as she explained to Astrid how she deduced it and the reasons supporting this conclusion.

"Professor Evelyn’s research is indeed very surprising, but since there is already a method to decipher it, I think your achievements should not be limited to this." freewebnøvel.com

According to this reasoning, the symbols of the other major elements should not be difficult to deduce.

Evelyn nodded slightly and drew several more magic symbols, explaining to Astrid their corresponding elements.

"These are easy to find, but connecting them into sentences becomes very difficult," Evelyn said, dispersing the light particles floating in the air, leaving only the symbol for fire.

"Like this fire symbol, sometimes it appears at the end of ancient spell arrangements, sometimes in the middle or at the beginning. I tried to intercept the connecting words for translation and compare them in both languages, but..."

"...the results were minimal."

Deciphering this language with little in common with the current language was extremely difficult.

Moreover, from Astrid’s perspective, the common incantations provided by Gemini were not completely different from Elders Speech, but they had no connection at all.

She couldn’t understand how these two languages could point to the same magic.

"Moreover, I don’t know why."

Evelyn lowered her voice and spoke with a hint of confusion.

"I always feel that when deciphering Elders Speech, something is missing, as if there is a layer of fog preventing me from touching its truest form."

There was something else that she hadn’t understood and might be a psychological effect that Evelyn didn’t mention.

That was when she studied Elders Speech, there was a very strange feeling in her mind, as if there was a force that suppressed her curiosity and thinking ability, preventing her from making a breakthrough.

"What does this mean?" Astrid didn’t quite understand.

Hearing this, Evelyn shook her head and said softly, "I don’t know, I just have this feeling."

It seemed destined that she could not decipher this language on her own.

But it was understandable. In the long history of the Valeria Empire, many people had tried to decipher Elders Speech, but only one person, Gemini, had succeeded.

"Let’s not talk about that for now, let’s continue from where we left off."

Half a minute later, Evelyn put aside her mixed feelings and continued.

"Although there hasn’t been much progress in Elders Speech, by comparing the languages of various races, I discovered something more interesting."

"Not only are the elves and humans similar, but even the goblins, demi-humans, and dragons use magic incantations similar to our common language."

"Could it be that they also invented a spell system similar to Elders Speech?"