The First Project Proposal (3)
"If such a horrific idea had come from anyone else's head, just imagining what the world would look like is terrifying."
"Exactly! It's truly fortunate that those stupid heretics never realized this dreadful application. Those fools had the power to bring the world to ruin and didn't even know it. When you think about it, it's so simple, yet Professor Atwill didn't miss it."
"......."
"I'm truly proud of you. Haha. Saying it like this makes it sound like I raised you myself. Sorry for taking credit."
"......No, it's fine."
"Wait... So, did you really give up that practically guaranteed professorship at Imperial University and come here for this research?"
"That's..."
"There are unpleasant rumors going around. They say a mad wizard is hiding out, trying to do research that could plunge the world into danger. Some even claim it's more dangerous in Professor Atwill's hands than with the heretic groups."
"Yeah, I've heard similar rumors. Something about finding a suspicious grimoire and losing his mind over it."
"...Is that so."
"But the truth is the opposite! If this thing had fallen into the hands of some shady group, it would have been catastrophic. Publicizing the book's contents or conducting research right in the heart of the imperial capital would have been far too risky."
Please, just stop already! My stomach was already killing me, and now getting grilled excitedly by two people? No thanks.
"Come to think of it, you took on an elf as a master's student recently. Don't tell me... that was to staff up for plant research too?"
"Is that true?"
"Yes. The story that an elf grad student applied to Professor Atwill's lab and got in without even an interview is already famous among the magic faculty professors."
"Professor Atwill. It seems I've misunderstood you all this time. Let me apologize once more."
"...It's okay."
"Of course, we can't spread what we've discussed here to everyone. But today, the whole world owes you a great debt, Professor. The church won't forget—no, at least I won't."
"Yes... thank you......"
After that, things proceeded smoothly. The dean declared he'd select the university project by fiat, even apologizing that the funding was too meager. Inquisitor Prudence said she'd work to secure some sponsorship from the church once the research progressed further. There was a lot more back-and-forth, but the details didn't even register in my head. I had to focus every nerve on keeping a calm expression.
By the time I made it from the dean's office back to my lab, I'd finally regained my composure.
When I got to the lab, Arienael was wrestling with papers covered in class notes. She looked up as I opened the door, her face weary, then her eyes widened in surprise.
"What happened, Professor?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Your face looks terrible. Is something serious wrong?"
"No......."
Correction: I hadn't regained my composure even by the time I reached the lab.
"You said you had a meeting with the dean about the project, right? Did it not go well?"
"No, it went great. The presentation can wait a bit, but he said there's no way it'll fall through."
"Really? That's great! But... aren't you happy?"
"Of course I am! Why keep asking when it all worked out? Are you actually making progress on those class materials?"
"Why are you getting mad?"
Arienael made a what's wrong with this guy? face for a moment, then buried her nose back in the papers on her desk.
"Even if you'd known, you wouldn't have done it..."
"Pardon?"
"Because it'd be abandoning humanity."
"What?"
"Starving peasants and plunging the whole world into famine... that's abandoning humanity."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"No way you'd feel good about making money off that."
Arienael frowned again and gave up responding. I went into my office, sat in my chair, and spent a good while calming down.
Yeah. Even if I'd known in advance, I would've done the same. In the end, didn't I secure easy funding and even gain the church's trust? I'd been blacklisted hard after swiping that grimoire from the heretics, but I turned the situation around in one go. Things had gotten so tangled I'd been stressing out plenty. After repeated religious trials, I'd even forfeited vacation to wipe out that heretic organization just to win back church favor.
"Even if I'd figured it out myself, I would've gladly reported it to the church."
Maybe I'd subconsciously calculated all this. Could things have gone any better than they had? Even if I'd sold the spell to nobles or a mage tower, they'd have a hard time using it. The ripple effects were too massive—no guarantee the buyer would stay safe. If it blew up too big, I could've gotten dragged in too.
Lost in these thoughts, I ended up wasting a full three hours after getting back without accomplishing a thing. It was a fatal time sink amid my busy schedule, but my brain didn't have the bandwidth to care. The whirlwind of negative emotions only stopped thanks to Arienael's knock.
Knock knock.
"What is it?"
I didn't mean to, but it came out a bit snappish. Arienael didn't seem fazed at all.
"Someone's here to see you, Professor. Looks like a merchant—they brought a wagon."
Ah, right—I'd forgotten. I'd ordered experimental equipment and materials, and they'd finally arrived.
The delivery folks were a goblin-orc duo. The goblin, whose head didn't even reach my chest, handled the payment settlement while we checked each item one by one. Since it was a goblin, I double- and triple-checked, but the math was spot-on. The hulking orc moved the confirmed goods. He carried three small cauldrons and a double-pan balance all at once. He looked a bit nervous lowering the glassware like hourglasses, beakers, flasks, and test tubes, but the orc's technique was far more precise than I'd expected. Guess I shouldn't have stereotypes about species.
They could move everything up to the multipurpose alchemy workbench, but the massive cauldron was too much even for the orc. In the end, I had to use telekinesis to float it to its spot.
Arienael watched, wide-eyed and impressed, as I shifted the huge cauldron in one go without any tools or aids. Good grief. The assistant's at the desk working, and the professor's doing manual labor. Who even knows who's the professor here. Karma for hiring a non-human, I guess.
Since I wasn't saying much, Arienael must've figured she could take a break. She stood and started inspecting the deliveries.
"Wow... I've always wondered—this huge pot, do you use it often? Seems like every alchemy lab has one."
"Not often, but you need it on hand. Potion-making's complicated. Even with the same ingredients and method, results can differ between a small cauldron and a big one. Think about cooking: ten single servings versus one big batch of ten—the taste comes out different."
"Never thought of that. Why are those flasks shaped like that? What's the difference between the round ones and the triangular? And the test tubes, why that shape...?"
I answered, and she kept firing questions. Her curiosity was endless—one per item, practically. I was mentally exhausted and wanted to ignore her, but I couldn't. If Arienael didn't know this stuff, I'd be the one hurting. Answering her nonstop barrage as best I could was draining me to exhaustion. Or maybe she's using this as an excuse to slack off. Nah, probably not.
"Is this an herb? What’s it for?"
"The red one's obviously for stamina potions—the kind adventurers stock up on. The dried herbs are for base potion solutions."
"Base solution? Wait, so we're researching stamina potions?"
"I'll explain in detail later. Probably best that way. Good for testing effects, and lots of interest in stamina potion research. Potions are one of the top things elves need anyway, right?"
"True, but is it okay to jump straight in like this? Oh, have you settled on a research topic?"
"At first, think of it as learning, not producing results. Start with cheap materials. Potions vary wildly in methods and properties, but there are common threads."
"What's this weird powder?"
"Alchemy catalyst. Lots of types, but I got the most versatile one commonly used in potions."
And price-conscious too. This'll never end. I cut her off vaguely and pointed to the stone workbench.
"More important than that stuff is this alchemy bench. You'll use it for basic prep, synthesis, breakdown, analysis—everything. Personal gear would be ideal, but our lab can't afford it."
Arienael examined the bench, etched with patterns, magic circles, circuits, and gauges. Different circuits activate based on how you inject mana. It quantifies mana output too. And doubles as a regular workbench—wood tables can't handle mana.
"Enough gawking at gear. Finish prepping those materials. You'll see plenty once research starts."
"Ha... Got it. Almost done. Should have them ready tomorrow as planned."
"Good. Got something for you."
I went into my office and pulled out a stack of a dozen or so papers. I'd gathered them before heading to the dean.
"...What's that?"
"Papers for you to read. It'll help a ton before experiments start. You're in grad school now—no more undergrad slacking. Study whenever you can."
"I study all day already!"
"That's just prepping classes, not your own study."
Arienael's face looked like she'd just seen the World Tree wither and die. And this after I'd gone out of my way to find papers for her sake!