Chapter 172: VOL 3 - 10: I really am a freak.
Hearing her boss—especially the genuine joy in his tone—an expression of absolute astonishment inevitably formed on Sofia's face, and she quickly asked, a bit fearfully.
"B-boss... Are you serious? You're not playing a prank on me, are you?"
Seeing Sofia's expression, Erik looked her directly in the eyes and replied with a confident tone and a reassuring smile.
"I'm absolutely serious. From now on, we'll be dropping all the alchemy and artificery from your curriculum. Instead, I'll personally be teaching you the general concepts of economics, marketing, project management, finance, risk management, and a bunch of other things—so get ready. From now on, you'll be accompanying me more often, and we'll have more classes."
Tears of happiness began to well up in Clara's eyes as she looked at her sister, filled with pride. Sofia, meanwhile, was stunned, completely unable to believe what she was hearing, until Martin gently shook her shoulder with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
"T-thank you so much, boss. I'll give it my all, so I won't let you down." Sofia quickly stood from her seat and said in a grateful voice that was on the verge of tears, bowing deeply as she did so.
"Don't worry—I know you won't." Erik replied cheerfully. But to his surprise, Sofia didn't sit back down. Instead, after a few seconds, she straightened up and asked with visible uncertainty.
"B-boss, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Erik nodded, slightly curious, which prompted Sofia to ask, visibly confused.
"Boss... why did you say I failed the ethics exam?"
"That's a great question. So, to answer it, I'll read one of the questions and your answer. I think that'll make it easier for you to understand the mistake." Erik picked up Sofia's packet of papers once again, randomly selected a question from the ethics section, and began to read aloud.