The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 105: Back To The Capital (1)

Chapter 105: Back To The Capital (1)

Jǫrmungandr pulled out a small rock from inside her mouth.

“What is this?”

“You should know it.”

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a rock since the substance was something that came from the inside of a Beast. It was mana stone, a hundred percent.

It was a silvery stone, a color so common that you could see it by catching any low-level Beast.

Yet the one who presented it was none other than Jǫrmungandr, as in the Radiant Dragon who commanded the First Brigade of the Demon Army consisting of countless Steel Dragons and Drakes. This wouldn’t be an ordinary object knowing that the higher the Beast’s level, the rarer the stone you obtained when it was defeated.

And I wasn’t wrong.

[Substance Analysis Result ─ Plutonium-239 (80g) / Purity : 99.97%]“This is a byproduct of making your reward. This one is in no immediate need of it so do with it as you will.”

Like uranium, an element used to make atomic bombs. While it was harder to make than the bombs that used uranium directly, it was a more cost-effective material if you had the technology and facility.

“B-but why did you have that in your mouth?”

“You ask the obvious even though you’ve already seen it last time. It is because it came from this one’s stomach.”

With a conflicted expression, I accepted the scrap of plutonium.

It wasn’t much. Did she break it up so that there wouldn’t be a nuclear reaction? Anyway, this amount was useless for large-scale research. She probably wanted me to keep it for testing, then.

Jǫrmungandr then went to Freyr and gave the brat something from within her robe.

“Here, a gift for your hard work. Take this with you.”

“Wow, thank you!”

Freyr bowed her head cutely, a glass bottle in her hand.

I tucked the plutonium away in a safe place and asked Freyr.

“What’s that?”

“This is mana juice! The Mystical One gives it when we do a good job! You can reinforce scrolls or use it as a mana grass ingredient!”

“Mana grass?”

This liquid was used in manufacturing mana grass?

From what I knew, regular mana grass was made by taking the grass holding mana from nature and drying it. But they used mana juice?

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

Come to think of it, I heard last time that the Golden-Eyed managed a part of the manufacturing process. The ‘Goldenstein’ I’d smoked earlier with Freyr would be one of those. It was certainly a different class from cheap cigarettes.

“We’ll come back during winter break then, Mystical One!”

Freyr and I bowed in farewell and came outside. As Jǫrmungandr said, there were chunks of prepared uranium spread out around the entrance. She must have taken care so that a chain reaction wouldn’t occur.

“So? Isn’t the Mystical One a good person?”

“You’re right.”

The Jǫrmungandr I had seen in person was mostly consistent with what Vermel had told me. She exuded power, loved the people under her care, and at the very least kept her promises. Based on these alone, she didn’t seem that threatening for someone who was the Primus.

Yeah, until ‘midway’, at least.

While I was thinking about all these things, we’d arrived at the mansion. I had set out during the day but the sun was already setting into the mountains.

There wasn’t much after coming back to the mansion. We got permission from the Count so that Freyr could also stay until school resumed, then enjoyed a comfortable meal. In return, Freyr repaired all the flood damages to the County the next day.

It was fun to watch the residents including the Count’s family stunned by her overwhelming Earth Magic skills. That night, Freyr received three bags of candy from the maids.

I did something else in the meantime, which was giving a lecture of sorts to Lotte and her father.

“Can we not utilize this explosive power as a good energy source?”

“It’s definitely possible, but it’ll cost a lot of money to build the facility itself.”

“Do you know approximately how much funding is needed?”

“At least a few million gold.”

I let out a hum.

“Because inflation is really bad right now, it’s difficult to approximate the exact cost. You’d also have to consider material and disposal costs.”

“That’s true. But they said a currency reform will take place soon so the economic issue will taken care of.”

The Count Saliere family were good to teach. They constantly asked questions and understood beyond what they were told. Even if I wasn’t here, it would definitely be people like these who created the future.

“But you’re very good at explaining.”

“Yes, like a professor.”

How embarrassing. As I let out a short chuckle, the father and daughter pair changed the subject.

“Exactly. You can become a professor at Iliad Academy without a degree. Right, father?”

“Hm, I’ve heard of it. They prioritize talent and Elemental sensitivity over academic backgrounds.”

What the hell was this about? Hiring someone who hadn’t even gone to grad school?

“I suppose it’s due to elves having a greater life expectancy than humans. They didn’t seem to hold you in high regard simply because you had a masters or Ph.D.”

Well.... I suppose it wasn’t completely unlikely if I thought about it, since we even had Nobel Prize recipients with only a bachelor’s degree back on Earth.

It didn’t seem all that important. As the two continued talking, I drank some tea.

“Then Aether, I have a favor to ask of you.”

Suddenly?

“Yes, what is it?”

“How would you like to join Lotte in a big research project funded by our family?”

Tap.

I put my cup down on reflex. My eyes narrowed at the Count’s unexpected words.

“I’m sorry...?”

Wait a minute.

Didn’t this happen before?

**Vacation–a time that was supposed to be for self-improvement apart from your studies.

Vermel didn’t have such time. For him, it was simply one hellish day after another.

It seemed so since he had been going all around the capital almost every single day.

He did his best to stop Professor Heerlein from going off to find Professor Hasfeldt, and caught Rosemary’s eye in the process as a bonus.

Rosemary invited him to her summer banquet. The invitation had come in Duke Blanton’s name so he wasn’t able to decline.

“Augh.”

Goosebumps broke out all over his body when he thought back to the waltz he did with her there.

─ What’s your relationship with the second place Golden-Eyed student?

─ We’re only classmates.

─ Is that really all?

─ Yes, it is.

─ Hmm, I don’t think so.

Just recalling that conversation had his stomach churning.

With a deep sigh, Vermel lay on his bed. When his back hit the mattress, it felt as if all the fatigue was melting away.

He wasn’t being lazy. It was his own way of rewarding himself for persevering until now. If he didn’t get rest like this, then he was going to die of overexertion.

Of course, it wasn’t the most diligent thing to be doing from broad daylight....

Knock knock.

“Who is it?”

“Ah, hello!”

When he opened the door, some girl with her hair up in buns was standing there.

Upon closer look, she wasn’t alone. There were a bunch of students standing there with tools for an interview such as notebooks and mics.

He had a feeling this was going to be bothersome.

“... And you might be?”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Angelica from our school’s Newspaper Club! You’re Vermel Horde, right? We wanted to interview you today so I hope you’ll excuse us for showing up like this!”

“Me?”

Vermel pointed at himself. Adjusting the notebook in her hand, Angelica nodded.

“Yes!”

“Why all of a sudden....”

He had mixed feelings about this. Did Rosemary sent them?

It could be Quartus’ ploy to waste his time. As he warily thought this, Angelica replied with surprise.

“Ohh? Haven’t you heard? You’re in the center of a love scandal that’s been heating up the campus despite it being on break!”

“But I haven’t dated anyone.”

Since coming to the Empire, he hadn’t had any time to establish a ‘heroine’ type of relationship. Enjoying a romantic relationship in [Nightmare] mode? Sure, if you wanted to see the world end.

“Oh dear.”

The entire group of reporters including Angelica let out a noise at Vermel’s reaction.

“So everyone knew about it except you, Mr. Horde. It can’t get any hotter than this!”

“Wait, more importantly, isn’t dating on school grounds against the rules? Shouldn’t you not be doing this?”

“That’s why we snuck here! Rules are meant to be broken!”

Angelica’s pointed her finger at Vermel’s chest.

“And if anything, you’re the one who broke the rules! You were having intimate rendezvous with your Golden-Eyed peer, no?”

With those words, Angelica began spilling all these things he wasn’t aware of like some unrestrained pony. To summarize it, it was that he and Aether were dating.

It was like being hit over the head with a sledgehammer, according to a traditional folk music rhythm1 at that.

“It’s false rumor.”

“Huhu, it’s too late to hide it. See! There’s already a novel on it!”

A different member held out a fifty or so page manuscript. When he skimmed over it, it showed a love story between the first place elf and second place Golden-Eyed.

He felt dizzy.

“And what’s this?”

“A masterpiece of the century by the Literature Club! Man, it’d be a hit if it gets made into a movie!”

His vision started to blur. This must be what it was like to faint.

“Okay, then let’s get started with the inter....”

“Please leave.”

He already didn’t have time and certainly didn’t have any emotions to spend on something like this. Vermel desperately stopped these hacks from intruding into his room and lay back down on his bed.

[Open the doooooor!]

[Senior, you can’t do this to us...!]

There was a bit of commotion but it soon died down. The studio room soon became peaceful again. Vermel took a painkiller and lied back down.

“Haaa....”

He felt like he was getting sick.

Footnotes

1. 굿거리장단 - Gutgeorijangdan; "leisurely 4/4 rhythm used in pungmullori (traditional folk music)"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%EA%B5%BF%EA%B1%B0%EB%A6%AC%EC%9E%A5%EB%8B%A8