This Place Is My Laboratory Now
“What?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Has this brat gone insane?”
Idel von Rheinland had become the universe’s greatest hook collector. For a moment, Verdia thought her audio device had malfunctioned.
“M-Milady, what on earth is he saying?!”
“It’s not nonsense. And I’d like you to become one too.”
“B-Become what?”
“A graduate student.”
Idel replied with a surprisingly serious expression. Become a graduate student. Could such words really come from the mouth of a seventeen-year-old high schooler? He had to be out of his mind.
“You’re not even a professor, and this isn’t a lab. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“I will become a professor someday. And within the next few weeks, I’ll turn this place into a proper lab. So I have every right to invite you all to join my research.”
This guy is actually insane. Verdia rubbed her face with both hands. Idel twisted his lips into a grin and continued, his next words rather shocking.
“Rustila, I actually wrote a paper with one of the professors around midterms. I’ve been researching gravity theory to find a way to restore the Ether Belt.”
“Whoa.”
Someone let out an exclamation. Feeling a chill, Verdia opened her tightly shut eyes and lifted her head. The moment she heard the words about restoring the Ether Belt, a spark of interest appeared in Rustila’s previously flustered blue eyes.
M-Milady?
The atmosphere had shifted. Something was going wrong.
“The reason I’m not leaving this place right now is because of the Ether Belt. If I don’t find a way to artificially restore the southern belt, the same situation will repeat next semester.”
“I see.”
“That makes sense.”
Sonia and Rustila nodded simultaneously. Only Verdia remained unconvinced.
“You wrote a paper? As a first-year at Academia? Don’t lie! Something like that would be exposed instantly if I just searched the Schola site…!”
Her words were cut short. Verdia’s CPU, connected to the wireless network, had already fetched the search results like a swallow carrying pumpkin seeds.
Author: Idel von Rheinland
Results: 1 research paper found
W-Why is this here?
No matter how vast the universe was, there could only be one person with the surname Rheinland, the name Idel, and a contact email registered at Stellarium Academia. Even the quality is high. The paper had already approached 200 citations. Its theoretical perspective, terminology, and ideas were, at least from an AI’s standpoint, a flawless masterpiece. The only drawback was its low practicality. But did a paper really need to be practical?
“Verdia, you pass.”
“W-What? Suddenly?”
“Your view count just went up by one. You looked up my paper, didn’t you? I commend your habit of searching first before asking.”
“What are you—!”
“Let’s work together.”
Verdia shot a desperate glance at Rustila. She had resolved to walk the tightrope between the young lady’s mental stability and the Kersil couple’s overprotectiveness. She had long decided to respect Rustila’s wishes as long as she wasn’t in physical danger. But not this time.
“Milady, we should be heading back soon…”
“I want to hear more about what Idel said.”
“Ah.”
Thud.
At that moment, Sonia placed a hand on Verdia’s shoulder.
“Give up.”
And so, Verdia became a mining machine.
***
I cheered inwardly. For this research, I needed someone skilled with a plasma sword, and Rustila had volunteered for the role. Honestly, I had been a little nervous when I asked her to help with the research. If things went wrong, the friendship we had built could have been destroyed in an instant. But the moment we met, Rustila threw herself into my arms without hesitation. That was when I knew for sure.
We’re already in the same boat!
“Trash. Even Casanova has more conscience than you.”
Rustila liked the research topic as well. If we succeeded, the Ether Belt would be restored. And we would be able to attend school safely. I might even be able to enter the college… no, the graduate program right away. Honestly, at this rate, I didn’t think there would be any problem with going to grad school next year. Anyway.
Me, Rustila, Sonia, Verdia, and even Cartesia and Popurus.
“W-Wait a second. Why am I— Aaaagh!”
◈ From: Orchestra of Mud and Flesh
We gathered around a round table and began our group meeting. I brought up the hastily made PPT on the monitor and spoke.
“First, you all know that the Ether Belt in the Alcatraz planetary system is tilted at an angle compared to other regions, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Because of that characteristic, the amount of ether exposed to the planet is greater, according to the search results.”
“That’s right. But why is it tilted like that?”
“That’s…”
“We still haven’t found the answer.”
In Outer God Slayer, Professor Feynman finds that answer right before his death. But it never gets published as a paper, buried forever by the Outer Gods’ schemes. That becomes the snowball that leads humanity down the path of ruin. It was truly lamentable. If we could just figure that out, it would be the same as obtaining the key to graviton manipulation.
“My current goal is to find that reason.”
“Won’t it be difficult?”
“Not at all. It’ll be done in three months.”
Verdia looked at me with a sulky expression.
“You’re awfully confident for a mere Academia student.”
“Verdia, are you looking down on me right now?”
“It’s not about looking down. Do you really think this situation makes any sense?”
Verdia remained skeptical. I had expected Sonia to put up more resistance, but she stayed quiet.
“Fine. Let’s make a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Yes. The winner gets to ask the loser for one favor.”
I took out a blank sheet and tore it in half. I kept one piece for myself and handed the other to Verdia. Click. Verdia uncapped her pen, thought for a moment, then passed the paper and pen to Rustila.
“Milady’s will is my will. That’s fine, right?”
“Do whatever you want. And let’s keep it a secret until the three months are up.”
Sonia tilted her head.
“Is there really a need to keep it secret? Wouldn’t revealing the bet’s contents be better for boosting motivation?”
I answered with a smile.
“If you know the penalty in advance, it won’t be scary, will it?”
Rustila gave a soft laugh and nodded. Since Rustila’s intentions had become Verdia’s intentions, the bet had effectively become one between me and Rustila. After writing down the terms, we each folded our papers three times and placed them in a box. We didn’t forget to write our names on the outside so we could tell whose note was whose.
“You wrote something tough, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Honestly, it’s a difficult topic.”
Rustila scratched her cheek with a bright smile. It was a little pitiful to see her smiling so radiantly without knowing what I had written.
[Next Paper Collaboration]
☐ Assist with plasma sword-based experiments
☐ Provide intuitive ether distribution analysis
🎁 Reward: Significant reduction in research time
Rustila probably had no idea how much she would contribute to shortening my research period. After that, I threw myself into designing simulations and setting up experimental equipment. The reason I needed experimental equipment while doing theory was to demonstrate the “applicability” of the previous research. I planned to conduct experiments within a relatively efficient range. Still, I had to accept that it would cost a fortune.
“Student, you’ve crossed the line.”
And I had reached the point where the prison warden was saying that to me.
“Look at the amount on the invoice. I acknowledge your abilities, but even so, you’ve already been given a full recovery verdict. This puts me in a difficult position too.”
“I admit it. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t just say sorry—refund everything while you still can. It’s not too late.”
Long story short, I had just purchased 300 million credits worth of experimental equipment in half a day. Using Warden Whitewood’s card, no less. It was natural for him to be angry, but returning equipment that was absolutely necessary didn’t make sense either. After thinking for a moment, I spoke.
“Please charge the debt to the Rheinland family.”
Our family has plenty of money.
***
The news of the Celestine incident had, of course, reached Arnold, the head of the Rheinland family, and his wife, Lhein. The couple was busy treating soldiers who were holding back Darwin’s monsters on the southern front. Even so, the fact that their daughter had fallen into a coma and their third son had been dragged off to Alcatraz Prison was enough to make the news. It was just as shocking for them.
“I’ll take leave. Sick leave.”
“Me too.”
After nearly half a year, Arnold and Lhein met again and headed to the Southern Holy Sanctuary. There, they saw their daughter lying peacefully on a flower-woven platform.
“Seti!”
Lhein’s unfocused pupils lost what little light they had. She ran toward Seti, who was essentially in eternal sleep, only to trip and fall. “M-My daughter…” Lhein couldn’t continue. Her sobs echoed through the dome. Arnold, grinding his teeth, listened to the story from the divine officer who served the stars.
“Her breathing is stable, but she won’t wake up. It seems she may have suffered permanent damage to part of her brain…”
“Where is the damaged area?”
“Well…”
“You’re in the medical profession too. Can’t you speak clearly?”
“We couldn’t identify the location.”
That was how it was. No matter how advanced medical technology became, it was useless against the schemes of Outer Gods. Even diagnosing the condition was nearly impossible. After that, Arnold and Lhein occasionally came to visit Seti. They couldn’t come often because of work, but they saw their daughter’s face more frequently than ever before.
“Wake up soon. What will happen if the next head of the family stays like this?”
When Arnold wasn’t around, Lhein whispered those words into Seti’s ear. But no matter what she said, her comatose daughter never woke up. Then, one weekend, several weeks later, Arnold, who had just finished a 36-hour major surgery, stopped by the sanctuary without even wiping the patient’s blood off his glasses. Something irritating had happened to him in the past few days. He didn’t know the details, but 300 million credits of the family’s assets had disappeared. It wasn’t Brian who had spent it. It wasn’t Katrick either. It was the third son.
Idel…
Somehow, there was evidence that he had been siphoning money from the family while in prison. To be precise, it was Seti’s money. Even in this state, the profit system Seti had built continued to generate hundreds of millions of credits every month. Arnold sighed and whispered to Seti.
“Daughter, so that’s what happened. Idel has been spending your profits like water. It seems he’s set up a gambling den in prison.”
“……”
“It looks like he’s already taken about a billion in total.”
“……What the hell did you just say?”
“?”
Seti von Adelbain Rheinland. Forty-seven days after falling into a coma, she miraculously woke up.