The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 209: From Master to Slave (10)

When Aether was still a slave–

As a master, Klais wasn’t someone who was good at personal conversations. She was only ever engrossed with magic and only talked about thaumaturgy.

And at the time, Aether didn’t exactly feel the need to exchange small talk with Klais either, so they never talked properly except for minimal conversation.

But there were exceptions.

Whenever Klais happened to drink with a colleague, she’d immediately act towards Aether out of drunkenness afterwards.

Although it was drunken shenanigans, it wasn’t so bad. Unlike her usual awful personality, Klais was the type to turn quite soft when she drank whiskey.

Times like these she didn’t talk about magic or otherwise. Instead she would tell sentimental stories about her past.

To be honest, Aether didn’t really pay attention to them, because another’s past wasn’t important to her whatsoever.

More than that, she would be wondering when she’d be able to master the entirety of Fire Magic.

But even then the brain of a Golden-Eyed etched all of Klais’ stories into her memories, and Aether learned at the time that Klais had many older siblings who had died.

According to Klais’ alcoholic emotional dumping, all her older sisters, besides her second oldest sister who died of illness,  were slayed by Beasts.

Her only impression at the time had been ‘Oh, I see’.

She had been struggling to survive at the time, so honestly, the death of another’s family was none of her business.

Still, the memories of that time still remained with Aether to this day and evoked a strange feeling.

“M-my sister is alive?”

Klais stopped her work of scroll-etching and jumped up.

A glimmer of hope bloomed in her eyes along with bewilderment, expectation, and hesitation.

“W-which sister? The second? Third? Fourth? What was the name? No, what did she look like? Did she have double lids?”

She had been looking depressed just a moment ago; she hadn’t expected her to regain her spirits this much with just a few words.

Forgetting her predicament and out of control. This was a Klais that she had never seen in the three years they were together.

Perhaps this was her true self.

Then again, a person would be devastated if they lost all their beloved siblings to Beasts.

But regardless of that, it didn’t change the fact that Klais had treated Aether poorly.

“Sit.”

Klais smiled brightly only for a moment. She soon met Aether’s cold gaze and sat back down, eyes dropping.

But contrary to her expression on the outside, she was internally jumping for joy like she had won the lottery.

“A-at least the name.......”

“I might tell you if you finish that scroll.”

Aether said, lips twisting.

And sure enough, Klais immediately turned her head and began piecing the scroll together like a madwoman.

She had known since before that she was a natural with scrolls, but had never seen her move her hand that quickly.

Knock knock.

“Sis, I brought the book you ordered.”

Rosemary came in holding a thick book.

“Put it over there.”

“Okay~”

Rosemary did her best to walk over to the desk with a crooked cane. A 1200-page technical book dropped in front of Klais wing a bam.

“If you need, you can use that as reference to make it.”

The book that Aether ordered was about scrolls.

A book that covered every theory about scrolls, which was written by none other than Rosemary.

“What? Your slave is reading it?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

Rosemary made a discomfited face, but soon relaxed.

She didn’t like Klais, but it didn’t matter if this was what sis wanted.

Rosemary walked over slowly and forced herself into Aether’s arms.

“I don’t have a problem if it’s you.“

“...But why are you hugging me.”

“You said you’d give me a hug if I bring you the book.”

Rosemary put down the cane and hugged her tight.

If another Beast saw this, they would have mocked her for being so clingy when she was hundreds of years old, but there was a sophisticated aim behind this.

Simply put, she didn’t want to die.

Currently, Aether was obsessed with destroying the world after the ‘Steam Rain’ incident. To melt even a bit of the anger against humans, she as her closest little sister had to take things into her own hands and make her sister feel better.

So this didn’t have anything to do with personal desires, really.

It was a scheme to prevent the continent from being vitrified by Dark Day bombings!

Aether gave up with a groan. Legs giving out, Rosemary hugged her sworn sister even harder.

“That’s enough. Get off.”

“My legs are weak.”

Rosemary looked up at Aether, legs shaking.

It was due to the lingering after effects of being attacked by White Night. She’d have to live with a limp for a while.

Of course, Rosemary planned to feign sickness for a while longer after recovering.

“Haa, please.”

Aether detached Rosemary forcibly.

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She had wasted a moment’s time, a clear interruption of her research. Part of her wanted to tell her off threateningly like she had done with Gilach.

But she couldn’t to this little sis of hers.

Rosemary watched her, fresh like a grape washed with cool water.

In her head, the desire to kick her out co-existed with the desire to coddle her.

She didn’t need to think with a scowl where the latter desire was coming from.

For sure it was the other personality. She had to stop this other one from surfacing no matter what.

Aether gathered her thoughts and spoke.

“Get out.”

“Just a bit longer.”

“Get out, you’re interrupting my research.”

“.......”

Rosemary limped away, her face one about to cry.

“...I’m going to other sis.”

“Akasha is gone for work.”

“.......”

The door shut with a thunk.

She knew she should be pitied, and even felt the stab of guilt for chasing her out.

But the affections of her beautiful sister couldn’t get rid of all the anger she had against the world.

Most of all.

She had several experiences of being betrayed by those who she had been close with like Rosemary, so it was best to be wary.

She was done, and didn’t want to be dragged around by her emotions anymore.

“You.... that was cruel just now.”

And Klais thought Aether was being too cold.

She paused trimming the scroll and glanced at Aether.

“Aren’t you two sisters? Why do you treat her so coldly?”

“What is this all of a sudden.”

To think that Klais, who had been subservient all this time since they had reunited here would defend Rosemary.

She didn’t know if she was being bold or sympathetic.

“Didn’t you say that you were beaten by that child before? I don’t know why you’re meddling in something pointless when you’re a stranger.”

“It’s not pointless meddling. If she’s family... if she’s your younger sister, then treat her kindly.”

“What do you know?”

“I know better than you about the importance of family.”

“You think you can say whatever just because you have a mouth. For someone who knows that, that was how you treated me?”

“Th-that’s.......”

As Klais stumbled to find the words, Aether clenched her teeth and said firmly.

“I’ll tell you once more. Stay out of other people’s business.”

Klais glared at Aether with her carnelian red eyes at that, venomous in a way she hadn’t seen in a while.

As she sent a fierce look like a snake targeting its prey, the blood drained from Aether’s head. It seemed she still needed more training.

Aether shook the bag that she brought and spoke in a heavy tone.

“Anything more out of you and there will be no dinner tonight.”

“...It doesn’t matter.”

That was unexpected, but there was no need to be flustered.

The body was more honest than words.

Aether took out a handful of cherry tomatoes for her to see and put them in her own mouth.

The sound of popping tomatoes as she chewed had Klais swallowing.

The auditory stimulation was too strong, and Klais was perking her ears before she knew it. The pupils that had been steady also began to vibrate from side to side.

“I was originally going to give you something new starting this evening instead of porridge and bread.”

“W-what is it......?”

“A steak dish stir fried with peas and onions over charcoal and spinach quiche. A warm glass of milk so that you don’t choke, and a Mont Blanc or fried dumplings for dessert if you made progress today.”

The hand holding the pen shook minutely.

This was cheating.

Every single dish was somehow something she liked. Once she tasted something like that after a long time, she wouldn’t be able to forget it whether she liked it or not.

At this rate, she really might get in trouble.

Just as she was automatically accepting the tomatoes right now, she would eventually be conditioned to food so that she’d be drooling like a dog when it was time to eat.

Then the dignity of the Hasfeldt house would be completely destroyed.

“What in the world are you going to make me do to give such a meal.......”

“I only mean to give back as much as you’ve worked.”

“...You’re a Beast.”

“That would be obvious.”

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

No matter how much she thought about it, it was strange that she was living comfortably.

Of course it wasn’t the most humane life to be constructing scrolls all day, but it was a luxury compared to the prisoners who were being drained of their blood and having their limbs cut off over at the Iron Formations. No, this was heavenly for an environment of torture.

“I’m being kind? I am, to you?”

Aether huffed a laugh like a cow snorting.

“Right, you wouldn’t know anything.”

Aether picked up a cherry tomato and threw it lightly, and Klais caught the tomato flying in a parabolic trajectory with both her hands.

Klais was hesitant for a moment.

“Eat it.”

But she still didn’t want to be trained like this. She was the proud heir of the Duke Hasfeldt family. She needed to maintain the minimum dignity....

Grooowl.

“Ugh.......”

Klais ate the tomato in frustration.