The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 166: Exchange Students (1)

The plan for winter break as of yesterday was simple.

First, go to the Demon Castle. Then move to the Saliere estate under the guise of going to get research materials.

That was the deal I’d made with Jǫrmungandr–that she’d produce more uranium by winter break so I should come get it.

So I could use that as an excuse to go to the Saliere estate and come back. I’d spend a couple weeks there with Lotte, then return to the Demon Castle afterwards for the rest of the break.

Either way, I had to go to the Demon Castle. I had no choice as I’d promised Rosemary.

That was courtesy and the least I could do for my sworn sister.

At the same time, I had to be considerate of Lotte.

It was for no other reason but that my closest friend had suddenly become strange, so I couldn’t not worry about it.

If I thought about it, it had been since that early morning when Friday becameSaturday. She’d scolded me more than usual for coming home late, then had given me pointed looks all weekend.

But coincidentally it seemed that she herself wasn’t conscious of it. When we talked like usual, Lotte was herself.

Except in one case, when Rosemary was involved.

“S-sis?”

Monday morning.

There was only silence in the classroom. Rosemary looked up at me with a face like she was about to cry.

The scarf in her hand dropped with a fwup. It was a black muffler that looked microfiber-soft.

On the other hand, I was wearing a white muffler that I’d received from my best friend.

“Who gave you that...?”

“It was from me, Lady Blanton.”

A smile curved Lotte’s lips as she said this. Rosemary’s gaze was heading past my neck.

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My eyes shifted slightly. Lotte’s face came into view and it was calm and serene.

Her deep eyes that glowed red were on Rosemary. Lotte smiled as she looked at her.

It was a smile creepy enough to give me goosebumps. It was as if Lotte had become a different person.

Rosemary glared at Lotte with murder, releasing ‘Intimidate’ and concentrating it on her.

But there was no reaction, strangely enough. At Lotte’s confident attitude, it was Rosemary instead who hesitantly picked up the muffler.

“I knitted this scarf for you....”

My sworn sister’s hands holding the scarf were trembling pitifully. I couldn’t just stand by and watch this.

This couldn’t go on.

I smiled lightly and took the black muffler, and Rosemary went ‘uhh, uhh’.

“Thanks, little sis. Guess this winter’s going to be warm.”

Human or Beast, what did it matter? I was just thinking that I couldn’t keep being mean to someone who was devoted to me.

Tap tap. I dusted off the scarf and wrapped it around my neck. White and black yarn wound together like snakes, and honestly speaking, it wasn’t the best-looking fashion.

I ended up looking like a dumbass wearing two scarves, but it was fine.

Blueberry’s face brightened. It had been a mushy, bitter kind of face just a moment ago, but now it was plump and bouncy.

“Of course, sis! I hope you make good use of it.”

It was as Rosemary was standing there pleased.

Lotte’s face hardened a bit. It was a slight change, but even at a glance I could tell that the corners of her lips had gone down.

It was her own version of a disgruntled face. Soon, Lotte and Rosemary were in a glaring contest.

Crackle. It seemed like electrical sparks were flying. The spirit of crimson and the flash of yellow light under a blue guise clashed.

Jealousy raged on both sides. With a sigh, I went to my seat first.

I understood why Rosemary was acting like that; rather, it was like her.

To her, ‘Aether’ was comparable to the Demon King. At least, that was the case if this body’s memories were correct.

Rosemary was once the princess of the kingdom of ‘Tarkenil’ that the Golden-Eyed had established.

That country had been destroyed due to the invasion of the Empire. Rosemary had only been about fifteen-years-old at the time.

She had had neither power nor mana. The only thing she could do in the face of the Imperial Mage Order attempting to violate her was to jump off the palace spire.

Obviously, she’d sustained serious injuries; she’d lived but her body had been shattered. If this one hadn’t gotten there in time and helped her after hearing about Tarkenil’s devastation, she would’ve died on the spot.

Many other memories ran through my mind after that. Surgery, transformation, and even rehabilitation–this one had helped with all of it.

So Rosemary’s current behavioral pattern was easy to understand.

Her plans had all failed because of me, yet she couldn’t act hostile. Rather, she was whining for me to come home and committing herself even to the small things.

That is to say that Rosemary’s affections and obsession were something predictable.

However.

Not Lotte.

“You should be getting to your seat, Lady Blanton. It’ll soon be time for the morning meeting.”

She spoke quietly, her tone clearly barbed.

Watching the way she was acting, I could only narrow my eyes.

My best friend wasn’t like this before; she was someone far more kind and considerate. Her personality shouldn’t be so caustic that she’d unwittingly pick a fight with someone.

That was the kind of person she’d been these past few months, and couldn’t possibly have become pathologically obsessed over someone like me.

This meant one thing.

Something was clearly not right.

“And you only have to wear one scarf indoors. It’s uncomfortable.”

Lotte added while pulling out her textbook. It was a cold and heavy tone.

I felt like I’d been hit with ice magic, her tone cold enough to make my feet frost over.

But I shook my head.

“It’s fine, I’m plenty cold.”

It was a stance that I wouldn’t take it off since it was cold.

I wasn’t actually hot because my body was a machine. I couldn’t really feel hot, let alone cold.

“R-really? Is the classroom that cold? Maybe we should get a heater on...”

“Lotte.”

“Y-yes?”

“It’s still autumn, so don’t bother. This is fine.”

Lotte’s eyes blinked like they were flickering. Her face was a mix of different emotions.

It was hard to gauge her thoughts completely, but I could pretty much guess what she was trying to say.

I felt bad to do this to a good friend, but I decided to wear a mask for a bit, to treat her like someone I met for the first time.

I continued with a stiff tone, a dry voice like a machine.

“The teacher’s coming.”

She stood in front of the full-length mirror and brushed her hair. With each brush of her elegant hair, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What is making you so happy?”

“Hehe, ahh, how funny.”

Rosemary kept giggling even at Blanton’s question. Her face seemed to be saying ‘serves you right!’

“You should’ve seen that sly bitch’s face.”

“Did you deliver the scarf properly?”

“Yeah.”

“What did Secundus say?”

“She didn’t say much.”

A ‘thank you’. It was a bit embarrassing to boast to her adjutant about that.

“Anyway, it really is funny. How could that red change like that?”

“Well, I may have meddled a bit with that....”

“What?”

It was an admission that came out of the blue. Hearing Blanton’s confession, Rosemary stepped away from the mirror with a dumbstruck face.

“What did you just say?”

“That I was the one who interfered with Lady Saliere’s mind.”

“What, it was an arbitrary decision on your part?”

Duke Blanton... that is, Orléans shook his head.

“She has quite the high resistance. It wasn’t easy to give her stress, either.”

“I’m asking if it was your arbitrary decision.”

Rosemary’s expression went cold. Even if it was for the sake of Beasts, it was against the rules to take care of things on your own when your superior was right there.

But Blanton maintained the same attitude towards Rosemary.

“The Lodestone will be arriving soon, isn’t it?”

“What about it.”

“When that time comes, we don’t know what else the chairman might do. Then shouldn’t we be laying some groundwork before then?”

“You fucking son of a bitch, so you take a gamble and pull something which might make us lose her?!”

Rosemary’s voice was rising angrily as she said this.

“It can’t be helped, since all of our plans have been falling through.”

“And I’m telling you that we can make up for all of it if I just bring sis home.”

“At this rate, Octavus may laugh at us.”

“And why the hell are you bringing up that bastard?”

Rosemary sat on the bed, seething. Regardless, Orléans relayed what he’d saw and heard in a consistent tone.

“Did you know that Octavus recently executed a major raid on the southern coast of Kaurelia?”

“You mean the elf nation?”

“That’s right.”

“No, I didn’t?”

She had been spending a lot of time focusing on the plans for destroying the Empire and trying to convince big sis to come home. She wasn’t that interested in the accomplishments or activities of the other Great Mechas.

“They say they’ve successfully secured the Lodestone of Water.”

At least, up until a moment ago.

“R-really?”

“Would I lie to you?”

As he said that, Orléans held out a faxed paper. Rosemary’s eyes soon began scanning down the neatly printed sheet.

[Content : Lodestone of Water secured]

[Site : Secured at the coastal bay of Iliad Academy.]

[Operation classification : Ambush]

[Damage to allies : None]

[Damage to enemies : 8 academy professors and 30+ other faculty members dead, 100+ students injured.]

After finishing reading, Rosemary crumpled up the paper and threw it. It was a goal, going straight into the garbage bin.

“Dull as ever, this one.”

“What good is it for a Beast to be emotional? It’s better to only say what’s needed and do the work.”

“This is ridiculous. As if I’m not working....”

Rosemary fell into thought as she rolled around on the bed.

Blanton might have used ‘Mind Control’ and ‘Emotional Manipulation’. No, he definitely did. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain the change of mental state of the young Lady Saliere whom she had observed for a long time.

Still, there was something that was suspicious.

Lotte had ignored Rosemary ‘Intimidate’, which meant that she was highly resistant even to mind control skills.

That is to say, it was difficult to attribute Lotte’s change in personality to Blanton’s skill alone.

There must be something else.

She had to be missing something.

Another fax was delivered to Rosemary who was thinking such things.

[Additional info : The exchange undergraduate students have left Iliad Academy earlier than expected and will be arriving ahead of schedule.]

[Some seem to have formed contracts with higher Elementals, so be careful not to get caught during the operation.]

“What the.”

Rosemary snapped to her senses. It wasn’t the time to be concerned with Aether.

At this rate, they might have to pull out of the Empire.