The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 36: Not Human

Mr. Alex’s classes were overwhelming in some ways.

His prominent, eye-catching muscles behind the lectern were one thing, but it was mainly the way he blazed through the curriculum at the speed of light. Wasn’t it too much for the beginning of the semester?

I wasn’t dozing off or anything during the lectures. I couldn’t, actually. How could anyone be lying on their desks when he was explaining in a booming voice? Listening to Mr. Alex’s voice kept you alert even if it was morning.

As such, it was impossible to fall asleep even if you were sleepy.

“Snooore....”

I guess it wasn’t impossible.

Freyr calmly had her head on the desk even in this situation. She was attentive during magic theories but seemed disinterested in this kind of subject.

It wasn’t that Mr. Alex didn’t try waking her up. The issue was she’d just go right back to lying down.

Freyr was still an excellent student assigned to the gifted class. Mr. Alex seemed to think that she was tired from working hard the day before as opposed to refusing to pay attention. It was along the same lines as thinking that the top student of the school must have a good reason for sleeping in class and letting it be.

“Good, we’ll move onto the next Chapter. Open your textbooks to page 46!”

Shhlliff, the class rang out with the sound of books being flipped open. From page 46, it talked about humanoid beasts.

“The most important thing for you guys to know is how to deal with humanoid beasts! There are many of these devious creatures so we’ve recently been seeing an increase of gutsy bastards who are outright marching into enemy territory. From now on, you’ll be learning how to handle those infiltration types!”

[So we’ll be taught how to detect spies, in other words.]

“Humanoid beasts are difficult to detect by default. Hence they’re all categorized as Calamities or above because they can conduct operations behind the scenes which makes them enough of a threat to the country!”

“Then it doesn’t have anything to do with combat abilities?”

“Mm, note this as a test question! The criteria for categorizing Magic Beasts is based on how much damage they can do to the nation! Humanoid beasts are cunning so they can deal a great blow to the whole country one way or another even if they’re weak!”

“Are there any beasts that live like normal?”

“Great question! Unfortunately, we haven’t discovered any such beasts! Why? Because if they’re living normally as humans do, they’re practically imperceptible.”

So they just investigate the suspicious ones and beat the hell out of them.

Since all Magic Beasts carried mana stones, one could see if they were a beast or not by digging into their internals. Unfortunately, nondestructive inspection wasn’t possible with the current technology. It was hard to identify one without going to the extent of taking the head or gouging out the heart.

“The humanoid beasts are highly intelligent for the most part. Here, I will summarize the types that have mainly been used by those that were caught. The first is the honeytrap type!”

It was the most common. There was even the saying ‘a beauty who causes the downfall of a nation’ which described a situation where a country was ruined due to a beautiful woman or man influencing its leader.

“But it’s difficult to identify even in the case of a honeytrap since they could simply be a very beautiful female. Even if it weren’t for the beasts, the number of countries that met their downfall due to sexual desires is numerous!”

“Then it doesn’t really matter, no?”

“No, that is why it matters all the more! Because there are the actual ones who aim for that and blend in to bring ruin to the country! In any circumstance, we must stay on our guard!”

Then the second case.

“The second are the ones who are at the top of the country attending to political affairs.”

“Then they’d be the ones considered as the Emperor or the Four Grand Dukes of our country?”

“Exactly. In this case, they are much harder to catch than the honeytraps. Most beasts in this group are also competent in administration or academics. They’re smarter than the guys who use seduction. Historically, there have only been two cases of catching them in the last thousand years.”

Holy fuck. This was it. Professor Hasfeldt was definitely a Magic Beast.

Why else would she have overworked me like that? I knew she wasn’t human...!

[But most nobles here are like that. Traditional nobles don’t consider slaves as human.]

So all those nobles were beasts, then. It seemed that the Empire was doomed indeed.

“Then how do we catch the beasts who are in those high-ranking positions?”

It was a valid question. If the most powerful person like the Emperor was a Magic Beast, then there was no real way to catch them. Even if someone realized they were a beast, they’d have to just sit on their thumbs.

“Hm, excellent question!”

But it seemed that the Empire wasn’t such easy prey, either.

“We aren’t completely without a manual for that. But this question is related to military secrets! Just be aware of this one thing, soldiers! There are people who are at work behind the scenes in preparation for any crises that may occur one day!”

And with that final exclamation from Mr. Alex, today’s class came to an end.

**

The Prince needed to rest a little while longer.

With the chairman present, the necessary documents were immediately drawn up. The Prince’s sickness absence would be processed normally.

“Then I will take my leave now as I have other business to attend to.”

Duke Blanton was the first one to leave the room. Duchess Hasfeldt followed suit after bowing to the Emperor. The last ones to leave were Professor Heerlein and Chairman Robespierre.

Hasfeldt was way up ahead. Whatever was occupying her mind, it was keeping her busy. Professor Heerlein made the effort not to ask her about it.

“Neeiigh.”

A few carriages were lined up in the courtyard of the main palace.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

The distance between the palace and the Academy wasn’t that far. It could be covered with about twenty to thirty minutes of walking. However, nobles were folks who couldn’t be bothered to move their feet even for that distance.

At the very least, they needed to move around riding on a four-legged thing to maintain their dignity. They believed it a waste of time to travel by foot when there was a convenient method of transportation.

Hasfeldt got onto the carriage with her family crest alone. In contrast, Heerlein and Robespierre, a Count and a Marquis at best, moved together in the same carriage.

The door of the carriage with the two of them closed with a Click. The air within the car became heavy in an instant. Heerlein and the chairman glanced at each other for a while, then breathed a sigh of relief once the carriage started to move.

The chairman spoke.

“This is enough.”

[Intermediate Innate Magic ─ Willpower] → Release

[Advanced Innate Magic ─ Resistance] → Release

[Advanced Innate Magic ─ Strengthen] → Release

[Ultimate Innate Magic ─ Disobedience] → Release

“Fwaa...! Thought I would die.”

“You’ve done well.”

With a bitter smile, the chairman held out a stick of mana grass. Heerlein stuck the grass between her lips with familiarity and brought a lightweight scroll containing a lighter to the end of it. The sharp odor of mana filled the carriage.

It became hazy due to the thick smoke but they couldn’t open the windows. Every bit of residual mana in the air was valuable to Professor Heerlein right now. Through secondhand smoke, she could replenish additional mana with every lift of the diaphragm. She was determined to inhale every bit that was left.

Heerlein’s brain started working again once her mana recovered to a certain level.

“I had the chills when he said he’d shake down the Eliyev family without any evidence.”

“I did as well. How is it that a Duke is manipulating the Imperials like so, he must think himself a regent.”

“Wouldn’t he? The affairs of this country could be entrusted to another considering the current state of things.”

The two replayed what they had just witnessed in their minds.

The dynamic between the Prince and the Emperor had been the best yet out of all they had seen and heard. But there was a sense of incongruity when they saw change in the Prince’s attitude at the end. In Robespierre’s case, he even got a sense of déjà vu since he had seen the Prince from a young age. It was as if the past had slipped by like a panorama and returned.

Professor Heerlein spoke first after some thinking.

“Chairman, I believe this confirms it.”

Heerlein tossed it out there and Robespierre took it. He nodded and opened his mouth.

“Indeed. It seems we have something that isn’t human coiled up and nesting.”

“Has the fate of the country run its course?”

“We’ll have to wait and see. With the way we are right now, we cannot do anything to stop the doom encroaching upon the country.”

Heerlein inwardly snorted at that. It was because of the absurdity of it all.

So this is how the thousand-year history of the Philiut Empire ends.

The thought actually made her indifferent since she couldn’t do much standing at the split in the road of a great history.

However─.

Despite this, they weren’t completely out of options.

“Then isn’t that method the only way to turn things around?”

Roberspierre kept nodding at Heerlein’s question.

“Mmhm. Good cultures are meant to be imported”