The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 123: What Are You Doing Here, Sis? (3)

Chapter 123: What Are You Doing Here, Sis? (3)

My career path questionnaire came back crumpled and damp sweat.

She couldn’t have looked at it nicely?

[At least she didn’t rip it up.]

I immediately agreed with the hardcover and huffed a laugh.

Rosemary was one thing, but right now, miniaturizing Flare was the priority.

The mini-Flare that the chairman had asked me to provide for the purpose of assassinating the Blanton family.

Had he wanted it to be the size of a palm?

He was basically asking me to create a 6G smartphone when I just made a cordless phone. Of course, it wasn’t for playing so I didn’t have to consider GOS performance, right?

... Like that.

The chairman paid for my tuition and living expenses so I had to pay him back somehow. If I broke the contract on my end, that would be hypocritical1 of me. I didn’t want to be someone ashamed of myself.

Anyway, I had no idea how to do it....

“Huuu.”

Where do I begin?

Even as I sat here thinking, there was nothing that came to mind.

As I put the questionnaire inside the desk and waited, I heard the bell for first period.

“Good morning.”

First period on Monday was Elemental Magic Theory taught by Professor Cai-Lussac.

It wasn’t a course that was mandatory for the world go round but I was listening diligently with the thought that it’d be good to know.

It had only been a week since the semester began. As with any university course, this should become harder around the third, fourth week. Since it was my first time with this subject, I needed to read the textbook thoroughly and do preps and reviews.

“For this class, we’ll talk about what the Four Elementals are and what abilities come with each element. This part is closely related to common sense so please pay attention. That way when you’re out there, you can say that you studied Elemental Magic, hm?”

And for a while, he talked about the obvious.

“... and so, it can be said that the color of the Elemental’s eyes match the color of our pupils exactly.”

The official name of Elementals was ‘The Four Elementals’ because there were four main types.

Fire, water, earth, air.

The four-element setting commonly seen in fantasies.

Like Beasts, there were humanoid and non-humanoid Elementals as well, but I just learned that humanoid Elementals had eye colors corresponding to the element they controlled. It wasn’t exactly something I needed to write down.

“Currently, this theory explains why only the Golden-Eyed aren’t able to use magic.”

Professor Cai-Lussac looked over at me. It wasn’t malicious but it wasn’t pleasant, either.

“Is that because there isn’t a corresponding Elemental?”

“That’s right. To be exact... that is what we assume.”

Then didn’t that mean the Goddess didn’t favor the Golden-Eyed? She let all other races use magic and we were the only ones left like this. This was so fucking unfair.

“Professor.”

As if she was thinking the same thing, Rosemary raised her hand and asked a question.

“So you’re saying that when the Goddess first created the races, she didn’t grant them equal abilities, right?”

It seemed she was still miffed from the spat she had with Freyr earlier. What a seriously petty kid.

“I’m not sure. The abilities themselves aren’t the same, but that’s far from what equality is.”

“What do you mean by that...?”

“We were all born under different conditions, so differences do exist. But not discriminating against that is what we’d consider equality.”

I glanced back. Rosemary looked as if she still didn’t understand.

Maybe she was thinking things like ‘a mere human’ in her head.

“Does that answer it?”

“... Yes.”

“Then let’s continue. I mentioned in the first class that having even one of the Four Elementals dramatically increases your Element Magic abilities. Now let’s look at it in detail.”

Tap, ta-tap.

Professor Cai-Lussac picked up the chalk and wrote something on the board.

“Take a look at this equation here.”

It was some kind of complicated formula.

After a quick glance, I understood what it meant. It was a relational expression explaining the difference between a person who could use Elemental Magic and someone who couldn’t.

Huh, wait a minute.

“Let’s say that you need to control a very fine object. In that case, a person who doesn’t possess Elemental Magic can only ever manipulate things at the level of a millionth no matter how much they hone their skills. This has been proven by research. Look at the left term, however. In the version that assumes the presence of an Elemental, one can handle magic processes on a nanometer-scale.”

Wouldn’t it also be possible to make scrolls smaller with that?

“I mentioned this in the first class, but I’m not sure if you remember. I work on studying material properties at the nanometer-scale.”

He subtly promoted his lab while he was at it, the typical pattern of professors hungry for grad students. All the profs I’d met during undergrad used to insert slides of their research results in the lecture presentations to appeal strongly to the students....

I guess I was going to have to show interest in this appeal.

**The student who suddenly entered the second semester.

Lady Rosemary Blanton.

Several people including Heerlein had long since realized that she was a Beast or someone related to them.

The one who had sunk the First Prince was Duke Blanton.

The one who had brainwashed the slightly womanizing but completely normal Second Prince into someone violent had also been Duke Blanton.

The one who had stopped her from going to search for Klais was again Duke Blanton.

Everything was connected to Blanton. There hadn’t been a single day she didn’t think this since the summer break.

And Lady Blanton’s ‘visit’ last week was the decisive factor.

As soon as Rosemary appeared, the student who had been helping her asked to go into hiding. And that boy who had seemed calm all this time had done so in a trembling voice.

Vermel Horde.

He was an elf. She didn’t know how an elf knew about the Empire’s situation.

No, she didn’t understand how a student was aware of the political situation of the palace.

An interesting one.

It was safe to say that that was where most of Heerlein’s focus was on.

But there was another student that she was greatly interested in besides him.

“.......”

Time passed into afternoon.

Having returned to the office after wrapping up the day, Heerlein placed the career path questionnaires on her desk.

She sat in the chair like a statue and skimmed over each paper.

“Freyr, Lotte.... They all submitted decent answers.”

It was also a teacher’s job to care about a student’s career. Other teachers would’ve complained about this kind of student guidance, but Heerlein was different.

Roughly three years ago.

During the time that she’d served on the northern front, Heerlein had lost an eye to a Cataclysm that looked like an airship.

And after that, she had realized–they couldn’t do this alone.

For that reason, she helped the Golden-Eyed girl with her admission even while knowing that it would strain her relationship with her long-time friend. In some ways, it had been a selfish act but that was how valuable the girl was.

Behold, the result of that decision.

##########

[2. Write down what you want to accomplish in detail.]

Miniaturization of Flare and other offense magic

Research the uses of pitchblende stones

Develop bombs exceeding 50 mt (megatons) using the Teller-Ulam design

→ Blow up the Iron Magic Tower

→ Blow up the Eight Iron Formations

→ Blow up the first, second, third lines of defense

→ Blow up archipelagos A, B

→ Eradicate the Calamity-level or lesser Beasts on other fronts

Develop bombs exceeding 150 mt using laser plasma theory

→ Blow up the absolute defense line of the Demon Army

→ Blow up the Demon Castle

→ Eradicate Cataclysms

→ Kill the Demon King if he resurrects

Establish methods for the commercialization and miniaturization of the bomb research above##########

She was asked to write what she wanted to accomplish in the future but wrote down a research proposal.

Even without looking at the name, she thought she might know whose dream this was.

Freyr’s dream to harmonize all races.

Lotte’s dream of becoming a combat mage who will drive out the Beasts and build a peaceful continent.

They were all promising and to be supported, but they were infinitely abstract compared to Aether’s. To the point that a realist wouldn’t have a positive response to it.

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Of course, Heerlein didn’t dislike such children. Rather, she liked that they were innocent and ambitious.

But contrary to that, Aether’s future plans had a ‘solidity’ to them.

“What are you reading?”

A fellow professor drew Heerlein out of her sentiments and back to the real world.

“Ah, the career questionnaires of my students.”

“Wow, this student wrote a very long answer.”

“Yes, she’s the student who ranked first in the class last semester.”

“Those in first place really must be something else.... Even her future hopes are different from others.”

This professor was always reactive. And though she knew that already, it felt good to hear compliments about her student.

... No, she wasn’t her student, originally.

There was a bitterness like black coffee on her tongue. Her heart ached every time she thought of someone.

Unfortunately, time didn’t even allow her to reflect on what had passed. Either way, Heerlein was a professor who’d received tenure, busy to the point that she wasn’t getting enough sleep.

“I have a meeting this afternoon, so I’ll be heading out first.”

“Oh.... I hope it goes well.”

Right before leaving the office, Heerlein remembered the note that she’d written on the topmost questionnaire sheet.

[Come to the Cultural Center’s basement when done.]

It was time to go see the aforementioned student again.

Footnotes

1. 내로남불 - Korean acronym that means the act of cheating on someone is romantic when I do it, but adulterous when someone else does it