The Ideal Son-in-Law (1)
Rustilla, what are you saying?
“I’m staying here until vacation ends. I promised Idel we’d do this together. So I can’t go.”
The Kersil couple fell silent at their daughter’s fierce resistance. No matter what they said after that, it was useless. Threats only backfired, and gentle persuasion fell on deaf ears.
“It’s dangerous here.”
“Where in the world is one hundred percent safe?”
“This place is crawling with Outer Deities and criminals!”
“According to a study from the Iruiel College, the crime rate in the Alcatraz planetary system is eleven percent lower on average than in other systems.”
The Kersil couple clutched the backs of their necks. This was all because of that boy—Idel, or whatever his name was. The once timid Rustilla became bold as if she’d received a buff the moment she was near him. She even peppered her arguments with research papers and academic articles. They had never taught her that kind of rhetoric.
“Honey, I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“If Rustilla refuses to leave, we can just stay here with her.”
“Dad!!”
Rustilla, failing to keep her expression in check, shrieked. This went beyond mere embarrassment. It was the level of humiliation an adult would feel if their parents showed up at the office with a packed lunch.
“Don’t do anything weird! You’re both busy people!”
“No, we have to do this. Who knows what that boy might do to you!”
“Idel isn’t that kind of person!”
“So you’re saying you’d be the one to do it?”
“Ugh…! No, I wouldn’t!”
“Mom doesn’t trust you.”
Thus began the verbal battle between mother and daughter. Idel and Lloyd Kersil, who had fled the bickering, exchanged meaningful glances.
Idel spoke first, choosing his words carefully. “I understand what you’re worried about, sir. Living together does require caution.”
“Good that you know. You haven’t done anything untoward, have you?”
“I haven’t.”
Of course, Lloyd didn’t take those words at face value. Idel, for his part, never expected him to. Some compromise was needed.
Lloyd tried to steer the conversation. “In the end, we should take Rustilla with us…”
“Then please stay here with us.”
“What?”
With a soft creak and a thud, Idel slowly closed the door he had been reading a paper behind.
The Kersil couple began direct supervision of Idel and Rustilla in twelve-hour shifts. Verdia, the original watchdog, had long since been repurposed into a lab graphic mining rig.
One day passed. Two days. Three days. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.
“Idel, can’t we rest now?”
“Just this one more part.”
“Ughhhhh…”
If there was anything unusual, it was that Idel refused to let Rustilla sleep on time. The reason the two stayed up all night was papers. And it wasn’t an exaggeration—Rustilla was genuinely writing one.
“The first draft is always the hardest. Just push through this part.”
“Hnnng, save me…”
One might worry she would collapse from overwork, but Rustilla’s body, forged by swordsmanship, was not so easily broken. If anyone looked like they were about to die, it was Idel. Yet the boy possessed an iron will. A resolve so fierce that even Heidegger would have recoiled in horror at the thought of finishing the paper no matter what insane things he had to do.
“Heh… hehehe.”
“This is fun.”
The pair were going mad together.
Rustilla was following Idel’s research far better than he had imagined. When she offered raw, primal ideas, he would turn them into equations. They would simulate the improved model, endlessly refining the flaws of previous attempts. Rustilla also took on all the grunt work—checking whether countless lines of code were written properly, turning extracted data into tables. She couldn’t quite be called a formal graduate student, but she was providing help at the level of an undergraduate intern.
“Please, drink this.”
A glass of lemonade was offered to Eida Kersil, who had been scribbling something in a notebook. She took a sip. It was mixed with carbonated water.
“Mmm, that’s good. Did you make this?”
“Yes. It is one of Young Master Idel’s favorite beverages.”
The navy-blue-haired maid android bowed politely and withdrew.
“Your name was Sonia, right?”
“That is correct.”
Sonia tilted her head. “What were you writing in your notebook?”
“It’s difficult to tell you.”
“Then this Sonia will inquire no further.”
What Eida had been writing in her notebook was none other than Rustilla’s ‘List of Potential Husbands.’
Eida had suffered a difficult labor and given birth to Rustilla only after overcoming many crises. As a result, Rustilla was an only child. An only child must unconditionally carry on the Kersil line. Preventing the family from dying out was the destiny of every named house. Fortunately, Rustilla had been born healthy, so there was no fear of her dying young, but grandchildren still had to be produced. Therefore, as her mother, Eida had been searching for a suitable groom for her daughter. In simpler terms, she was preparing an arranged marriage.
‘None of these boys catch my eye.’
There were already hundreds of boys’ names written in the notebook. Not a single one satisfied her completely.
Tap. Tap.
> Professor Feynman, it looks like my second paper is finally nearing completion. Another student is helping this time, so progress is much faster. I’ve written the first draft—please take a look when you can.
Idel was sending a direct message. Eida stole a glance at it while wetting her lips with lemonade. The conversation continued.
> By the way, could you add Rustilla to the acknowledgments?
> Wouldn’t that be too much of a waste? Last time you said you were only able to understand the multiple diffusion effect of ether thanks to that student. In that case, it would be proper etiquette to at least put her in the author list.
> Then I would be first author, and Rustilla second author.
> Yes. Please be sure to list me as the corresponding author.
> Of course.
Eida had attended graduate school herself, so she understood exactly what those words meant. A name on a paper. And not just any paper—a top-tier journal. The calculator in Eida’s head spun busily.
‘A soldier is out of the question. But graduate school is also unacceptable.’
She herself was a PhD program completer.
‘If she says she’s going to grad school because she’s developed an interest in academia… that fair, beautiful face of hers will be ruined!’
Because that was exactly what had happened to her. What lay ahead was hell.
Eida resolved to find a suitable excuse the moment vacation ended and separate Idel from her daughter.
While researching alongside Idel, Rustilla came to one realization. Up until now, she had only trained her body. To run faster. To swing her sword faster. But she had never trained her mind.
That was why she could stand against monsters that targeted her flesh, yet remained vulnerable to Outer Deities that attacked the spirit. If so, she needed to train her mind. And not long ago, she had learned the easiest method of doing so.
‘Graduate school.’
If she could have an advisor like Idel—no, if Idel became a professor first and guided her, wouldn’t a master’s degree be feasible? She would learn how to handle ether quantitatively. At the same time, she would accumulate knowledge and cultivate mental strength. Using that experience as fertilizer, she would reach even higher realms as a swordswoman.
She would become a Sword Master in the truest sense.
Surveillance? House arrest? Whatever it was, it was now the second week.
Idel had grown close enough with Lloyd to exchange casual conversation. While Lloyd might be a complete failure as a parent, as a man he was quite decent and upright. Moreover, Lloyd had begun to hold Idel’s attitude in rather high regard.
“You really haven’t made a single move on Rustilla.”
“You told me to be careful.”
“What I mean is, your self-restraint runs deep.”
Idel tilted his head. Lloyd gave him a light pat on the back and smiled thinly.
“My daughter is quite the beauty, you know.”
“Ah.”
There it was. A universal truth. The daughter-obsessed nature every father possessed.
“Idel. I’m sorry, but would you mind if I tested you on one small thing?”
“If it clears up any misunderstandings, I have no objection.”
Though they had grown comfortable with each other, two weeks was hardly enough time to build complete trust. And men knew this. There were three methods that strengthened the bond of friendship between men more than anything else: alcohol, console games, and—
“This is a new release.”
Adult video.
‘I’ll gauge his reaction with this.’
The portable software that had been smuggled past Alcatraz security was designed to stir the hearts of men in the most pleasant way. One could discern a man’s true nature and whether he was putting on a front by watching his reaction. No man could deceive another man’s eyes on this matter.
“Oh.”
A bite.
“I’m not interested.”
A miss.
“Come on, just keep it. There’ll come a time when you need it.”
“Weren’t you testing me? In that case, shouldn’t I refuse it?”
“Whether you take it or not isn’t what matters. Everyone has sexual desire. There’s no need to be ashamed.”
“I really am fine.”
After much back and forth, Idel eventually accepted the disk containing the adult videos. It had a storage capacity of 512 terabytes. Idel’s expression turned slightly lecherous.
‘At least… he has a bit of a front. Still, that face he made means he’s not impotent.’
If he truly had no sexual desire, that would have been a story worthy of solemn reflection. Lloyd patted Idel on the shoulder.
“That’s enough. I’ve learned what kind of person you are.”
“Y-yes.”
Idel’s eyes darted about as he slipped the disk into his sleeve. The two men shared a light meal and rested. Even during this time, Idel refused to let the paper leave his hands.
“You really are diligent.”
“Thank you.”
“Looking at the title of the paper you’re reading, it reminds me of a news article I glanced at yesterday.”
“Pardon?”
“I think the title was… ‘Methods to Repair the Ether Belt Using Quantum Gravity Clamps’?”
He didn’t actually remember it well. He was simply reassembling the story from what he could recall. If Idel read that article, perhaps he would finish the paper a little sooner and they could take Rustilla away.
“They found an engineering method to restore a torn Ether Belt to its original state through simulation. Even a layman like me could tell it was impressive. Student, perhaps you…”
Lloyd stopped mid-sentence as he sensed something was off and turned his head.
“Huk, huuuk… huuuuuk…!”
What a beastly bastard.