The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 181: Audacity

Rosemary’s lips quivered.

“S-sis.”

No other words came to mind except that.

Her whole body trembled like a quaking aspen. Fierce gold eyes glared directly at Rosemary’s face.

Four Heavens.

Unlike the ‘Great Nine Mechas’ that had been established after the Demon King was sealed, the force of the four machines who’d supported the Demon Army since the beginning was at another level.

Although the only Four Heavens that Rosemary had seen were Aether and Jǫrmungandr, she could tell that they exuded a different kind of aura than the rest of the Great Mechas from Tertius down.

Right now, she felt like she’d been overwhelmed by that aura.

“What were you doing?”

Goosebumps broke out at the gentle voice.

“That’s my work, isn’t it. Is it something you should be touching carelessly or not?”

Aether came closer, slowly shaking her head. Her hand moved in the air, then suddenly dived into subspace.

“Answer me.”

Shhrrrk.

A two-meter long staff was pulled out from within the dark space like taffy being stretched.

She didn’t know how, but Aether took out her staff without using mana grass.

Wh-what the hell.

With that time when she’d fought against the elves, too, she just couldn’t figure out how the hell she pulled out her staff.

“You know, right? There’ve been many taken out by this thing.”

Gulp.

Rosemary swallowed dryly.

I’m fucked.

What should she say?

How should she explain it?

What could she say to be forgiven?

The best thing to do was to beg for forgiveness, since trying to steal sis’s work had been definitely a bad thing.

Big sis was usually a generous person who laughed off most mistakes. That is, assuming one apologized and asked to be forgiven.

That was how she differed from the other ‘Four Heavens’. Even Jǫrmungandr would have released her Breath to kill if someone touched her things without permission.

There was room for consideration. She had to apologize immediately.

She should, but.

Wait a sec.

As she was about to bow, everything that had happened until now flashed through Rosemary’s head. And in that, she suddenly became angry.

It’s unfair if I think about it....

There was a pungent taste of iron in the back of her throat..

Pushed to the limit, Rosemary reflexively screamed.

“Y-you were the one who did wrong first...!”

“What?”

Bam! The caliper slammed into the ground. Eyes frowning, Aether glowered at Rosemary. By this time, Rosemary’s eyes were damp with liquefied propane because of how wronged she felt.

“It was my fault, you say?”

Aether looked displeased, but Rosemary kept shouting without a care.

“It’s true that you did wrong first! Why are you pretending you didn’t!”

It was true, technically.

Here she was devoting herself to the Demon Army, but Aether, who was higher-ranking than her, wasn’t very interested in resurrecting their King.

Rather, she had sabotaged everything that she did and used the ability that should’ve been serving the Demon King to help the humans.

She’d tried her best to hold back all that frustration. If she hadn’t been her lifesaver, she would’ve defied her once already like she had done with Jǫrmungandr.

The outburst of her anger right now was the result of having endured it for too long.

Tak!

While Aether appeared taken aback, Rosemary threw down the chalk she’d been using to draw the circle, seething.

Fwip.

Rosemary’s finger pointed to the bomb.

“If this was what you were developing, then you could’ve done it back at the castle! Doesn’t making a bomb here just mean you’re siding with the humans? Huh? Am I wrong?!”

“...Hah.”

“For years, why have you been like this! Did you get brainwashed by the Goddess or what!”

Aether didn’t say a word, because she still had a modicum of guilt towards her sworn sister.

After ranting for a while, Rosemary heaved for breath. Certainly, it felt like her head had cleared up after releasing some anger.

“Still, you can’t go around stealing other people’s things.”

“But it’s fine for these Imperial fuckers to steal you away from me?”

She picked up the chalk that had been rolling on the ground. Clack, cla-clack, clack! Her hand quickly moved around the atom bomb.

The makeshift circle was nearly done. It was an incredible speed.

Of the Great Mechas, Rosemary was the one who was most proficient with scrolls. Her rune construction skill was superior to Freyr’s.

Snick! Rosemary put a stick in her mouth and lit a match.

“Tell me honestly, sis.”

Rosemary asked.

“You don’t want to come back to the Demon Army, do you?”

“.......”

Aether maintained a poker face the best she could.

She wasn’t wrong.

She wasn’t ‘Aether’ but someone else, and she had originally been human, not a Golden-Eyed.

Although she’d live as a cog in society for more than half her life, she’d still been of the homosapien species.

So of course her mind would be closer to human than Beast.

Rosemary had been human once as well, but compared to the time she’d been a Beast, it had been only for a moment. On the other hand, Aether had only lived for about four years as a monster, the time she’d lived as a human being much longer.

There was a reason she’d made the effort not to pick the inhumane option of ‘destroy the entire continent and return to her original world’.

“To be honest, yeah.”

“I knew it.”

Rosemary blew white smoke from her mouth.

She was done.

There were only so many times she could be understanding because she had saved her. If she kept this up, forget the King’s resurrection, they were all going to be struck by Dark Day and die.

Before that happened, she had to get the Lodestone of Fire no matter what and get out of the Empire. Another Great Mecha would take care of things after that so that was it for Rosemary’s role.

Eyes shifting, Rosemary completed the circle.

It was then that Aether spoke again.

“Like you said, I might not go back to the Demon Army completely.”

“.......”

“But that doesn’t mean I’m siding with humans, either.”

Rosemary’s eyes widened into full moons. It wasn’t only because sis’s answer had been unexpected.

In an instant, the air about her changed.

“Did I not tell you last time? That this one would give a fair chance to everyone–Beast, human, elf, beastkin alike.”

It was then that Rosemary came to her senses.

Just now, what have I said–

“In the thousand years since the Great War, I have seen the ugly side of humans and elves nine hundred and ninety-nine times. Not individually, but collectively.”

Rosemary had become a monster out of the sorrow of being betrayed by humans, but sis was someone much more seasoned in life who had been through all sorts of messes long before being taken in by the King. There was no way that Aether wouldn’t know what she knew.

“Then.......”

“Which means the Empire has only one chance left.”

Aether continued, pointing to the work that she had made with her friends.

“If you want to know how I truly feel, then you can take the bomb to the castle. I’ll even give you the activation scroll.”

Flutter. A sheet of magic paper containing the detonator floated over Rosemary’s head. She took the paper without thinking and looked it over.

“S-sis?”

“Keep that in mind, this opportunity isn’t just for the humans.”

Rosemary wasn’t someone who wouldn’t realize what Aether was saying.

“......I understand.”

She nodded, her clever mind having understood the whole process.

Flash!

Rosemary’s form disappeared with the bomb.

Staring at the place with only the circle left, Aether put away her staff.

Right after, she hung the hardcover in midair and flipped through the pages.

[Current connection status ─ Very good]

[Please enter the 8 characters of the password : ]

“It worked.”

Grasping my head, I slumped to the ground.

“......Ugh, my head.”

It hadn’t been easy to control my consciousness lately.

Because since looking into the ‘Inner Mirror’, it’d occasionally feel like the egos were mixing together.

Most of the time it wasn’t a problem, but if my consciousness blacked out at a crucial moment like earlier, things became complicated. Because it wasn’t what I wanted but what ‘Aether’ wanted to say that came out.

[Proficiency level of ‘Free Transmutation’ is currently at 53%.]I was laying the groundwork just in case, but I had to maintain my current state until I completed all Earth Magic, at least.

The plan needed to be carried out perfectly and stealthily.

I dusted myself off and got up. Using the chalk that Rosemary left behind, I made a fake bomb and cleaned up the place.

“Then after this.......”

Get ready to send Lotte off and help Vermel.

There was no time to waste.

Returning to the Demon Castle, Rosemary first looked around the area.

“It’s unexpected that you’ve returned here.”

A familiar voice, but a sound that she didn’t want to get used to.

The first one to greet Rosemary was someone unexpected.

“You literally brought shit1 with you.”

Reptilian pupils, vertical and narrow, gazed at Rosemary. She put down the atom bomb and asked in a puzzled way.

“What’s this? Why are you here?”

The Primus of the Great Nine Mechas.

And at the same time, the big shot who was called the ‘Autumn Heaven’ of the Four Heavens.

“...Jǫrmungandr.”

“Do not call your elders by their name, brat.”

“I’m too old to be called a brat, alright?”

“You sound exactly like a certain Youko child.”

Smirking, Jǫrmungandr glanced at the atom bomb.

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“It’s Winter Heaven’s work.”

“How did you know?”

“The disciple has surpassed their master–not even the Demon King can make something like this.”

Rosemary narrowed her eyes.

“The King can’t make something like this...?”

“You think he is capable of anything.”

“Of course he is, no?”

“He isn’t.”

Tsk, Rosemary clicked her tongue.

Jǫrmungandr had always been like this.

Even though she’s beneath the King.

She still wasn’t giving up her pride with having once fought equally with the King. This was a trait shared by the entire dragon race in the Demon Army, not just her.

Irritated, Rosemary spoke.

“Why are you here? Should’ve just stayed on your mountain like you always do.”

“Because this one has also brought something.”

“What?”

“The Lodestone.”

At that, Rosemary’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“It was quite the work transporting what Octavus discovered on the coast of Iliad Academy.”

“Hah, so you just took off as soon as you got the call since you’re a dragon, too?”

“Yes. My wings were aching since I haven’t flown in a while.”

Jǫrmungandr groaned while rubbing her iliac crest area. Her waist flashed slightly through the slit in her priest robe.

“Anyway, did your sister not say anything as she gave that to you?”

“Ah, right.”

Rosemary relayed the whole conversation that she had with Aether a moment ago, leaving out the part where she got angry, of course.

“...And so sis said she would give us one more chance.”

At that, Jǫrmungandr’s face went deathly pale.

She shouted urgently.

“Go throw that out! Now!!”

1. Originally dick/cock. In Korea, the word is also used as an insult/swear hence the play-on due to the bomb's phallic shape