The Weekend Is Like the Eye of the Storm
The Weekend Is Like the Eye of the Storm
Kleis's weekend did not go smoothly.
She was managing to maintain her relationship with Professor Herlein and conducting composite magic research, but that alone had not yielded any significant results.
Sparring with the prince was no easy feat either, and with the original Flare development plan falling behind schedule, Kleis was frustrated to the point of madness.
'On top of that, dealing with the magic beasts from the entrance ceremony... The workload is mountainous.'
The drake horde that appeared at the entrance ceremony included specimens classified as high-grade magic beasts.
Unlike mid-grade beasts, high-grade ones were difficult even for novice mages fresh out of the academy to handle. They could only cope after enlisting in the military and receiving full tactical training.
Even before the entrance ceremony began, the board of directors' investigation committee, Kleis included, had visited Tillet's back mountain at every opportunity to search for the cause of the magic beast overflow.
The only notable details were the corpses of low-grade magic beasts found deep in the mountains.
And the core of a Construction Array that had manifested in the central plaza's fountain.
'Could it be that they sacrificed offerings to summon stronger specimens?'
It wasn't as if such magic didn't exist. On the contrary, the variety was so wide that it was hard to pin down.
Even the top-grade earth magic Mecharomancia alone was a spell that transformed dead magic beasts into golems. If such a thing existed among elemental magic, why wouldn't there be a Unique Magic Art that summoned new magic beasts using dead ones?
Her head was a mess. With so many things to think about, a migraine naturally set in.
To clear her mind, Kleis tucked her pipe between her lips and stepped outside.
Mana Cigarettes provided more than just mana.
That sharp yet sweet sensation. Mana Cigarettes contained an ingredient that temporarily calmed an uneasy heart, making them a favored luxury item even among those who had no shortage of mana.
Tap, tap. Kleis knocked off the ash and set off. Her destination was a certain academic institution.
The Imperial Academic Institution attached to the academy. Founded by the emperor and operated by the academy's chairman, this place was virtually the cradle of the empire's magical knowledge.
Kleis was a full member here as well. Many people recognized her, so she could come and go freely without any special conditions.
"You've arrived, Professor Haspelt?"
Kleis's primary duties were research and teaching. However, reviewing papers submitted by other society members was also part of her job. The only difference from her regular duties was that this task came with extra pay.
The money she earned from paper reviews was quite lucrative. The fewer the reviewers, the more so. She could pocket most of the fee paid by the person requesting the review.
Today, Kleis had only one paper to review. The category was theory.
An exceptional combat mage also fulfills the role of a theorist. After all, they develop the theories for using efficient spells in combat and for rapidly casting more powerful spells.
Therefore, it was not unusual for Kleis to conduct paper reviews in the field of magic theory.
Kleis skimmed the paper she was to review. It was a short piece of six pages, but something was unusual about it from the very first glance.
[Title: Are Mana Particles and Mana Energy Interchangeable?]
[Abstract: Yes.]
'Who writes an abstract like this?'
The abstract was where one condensed and wrote only the core part of their research. The usual template was to fill this blank space with roughly 200 to 300 words. In comparison, this paper's abstract was so short it was almost non-existent.
'It's concise, which isn't bad.'
At least, it was a format Kleis had never seen before. She shrugged it off and turned her attention to the paper's content.
And then.
[This discussion demonstrated that the angular-momentum sub-Casimir operator, the operator measuring fire-type mana particles, and the four-vector operator measuring energy over time all commute. Proof complete.]
[The same reasoning can proceed by introducing operators corresponding to the remaining attributes (i.e., Water, Air, and Earth).]
'What in the world am I looking at?'
Kleis could tell. She could tell how astronomically high the value of the paper she had just read was.
The hypothesis that mana particles, which comprised half the world, were interchangeable with energy had been whispered among academic circles for a long time. However, no one had ever proven this hypothesis until now.
It was a fact Kleis herself had only known empirically while using magic: that using magic released an equivalent amount of energy in the form of mana waves.
The way it clearly explained the exact quantity based on a new theory was nothing short of revolutionary.
'With this, I can do it.'
The next stage of Flare.
She could complete the pinnacle of fire magic. Based on this theory, she could build a more precise circuit and carry out the calculations to stabilize the scroll.
There were almost no corrections to make. After catching a few typos, Kleis stamped the accompanying document with the Tillet seal embossed on her stamp to signal that there were no issues.
'I'd like to know who the author is.'
During review, the author's name field was hidden from the reviewer to prevent collusion between the reviewer and the reviewed. Kleis knew this but couldn't help feeling disappointed.
'...A research result of this caliber. The author must be an incredible scholar. I'd like to meet them once.'
With that thought, Kleis rose from her seat. It was to soothe her lingering curiosity with a cigarette.
**
Clion spent the entire weekend cooped up in the Imperial Palace.
It was not because he was a shut-in. On the contrary, on a normal day, he would have skulked around the market in disguise just to find a pretty commoner woman.
"Why on earth did I fail?"
He was currently beside himself because he had failed to acquire Aether.
Five thousand coins.
Not silver coins or copper coins, but a staggering five thousand gold coins. Never before had a commoner girl refused to wag her tail after being offered such a sum.
The empire's gold was concentrated solely within the Imperial Household. Moreover, the wealth gap had only widened as tax rates rose due to the prolonged war. Because of this, the vast majority of commoners lived lives wanting for plenty.
'Slipping those bastards a gold coin or two and making them bow their heads was pretty amusing in its own way....'
Aether did not do so. Far from bowing her head, she held it high and protested against him.
She clearly must have been short on money. Yet she refused the prince's offer as if having just enough to get by each day was sufficient.
"Should I have gone in with a ten-thousand-coin unit instead?"
Knock, knock.
─ Is His Highness the Crown Prince in?
"Enter."
There were not many people who could fling open the door to the Second Prince's bedchamber and walk in.
Everyone in the Imperial Household knew Clion's temper. He was quick to anger at the slightest misstep. Even a servant rushing to deliver urgent news usually opened the door carefully and entered slowly.
But even though his bedchamber door had just swung open with a loud racket, Clion did not get angry. The prince's lips curled up the moment he saw the figure who had appeared before him.
"Duke Blanton! Your timing is excellent!"
"When Your Highness calls, is it not only natural that I come running?"
Jack Blanton.
Among the Four Great Dukes, he governed the element of water and was the vanguard of the Second Prince faction that served Clion.
"Jack, hear me out. I drew up and executed the plan exactly as you instructed, and that insolent wench threw me out!!"
"Are you saying the girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe did not accept Your Highness's money?"
"Yes! She refused flat out, said she didn't need it."
Clion could not give up on Aether no matter what. Every woman included in his grand ambition of "building a harem of 1000" had to be beautiful and, at the same time, special. In that respect, the girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe was the perfect addition to Clion's collection.
"I want to drag that wench to my bed...."
To do that, he first had to make her unable to attend the academy. Whether she dropped out voluntarily or was forcibly expelled.
Of course, he fully expected that, being a member of the Gold-Eye Tribe, she would receive an F in practical courses and get an academic warning. After receiving an academic warning once or twice, she wouldn't be able to attend school.
"There is no need for you to worry so much. She is of the Gold-Eye Tribe; whatever she does, she will fail the graduation exam. When that time comes, she will realize her foolishness. Soon enough, she will come crying and cling to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"I suppose so. But I don't have the time to wait for that brief moment!"
Blanton knew well that Clion was impatient. Therefore, he decided to propose another solution immediately.
"If that's the case, how about we first lure in a different student?"
"A different student? Are you perhaps referring to Viscount Eliyev's daughter?"
"Yes. That daughter you tried to bring in last time."
Clion reflexively groaned, "Ugh."
"Wouldn't that wench be even more troublesome to handle than the Gold-Eye Tribe?"
Irka Eliyev. A girl characterized by her navy-blue hair and fierce eyes.
Though she looked rough around the edges, she was a woman whose very appearance exuded beauty. Had she not been pretty in the first place, Clion would never have taken an interest.
There was just one problem. Irka was a girl who lived up to her looks.
Her temper was comparable to Clion's. No, perhaps even greater.
But contrary to Clion's concerns, Blanton presented a cunning plan.
"It is of no matter. The House of Viscount Eliyev is nothing more than a low-ranking noble family that cannot defy the orders of the Imperial Household. There will be no issue if we pressure the Viscount's house directly."
"Didn't we already use that method last time? That's precisely why the wench ran off to the academy."
"Even if her status as the viscount's daughter was erased upon coming to Tillet, her relationship with her family remains. If we make her parents move, there is no chick that will refuse to eat."
"Oh ho."
"If we make that child leave the school in such a manner, wouldn't the girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe also feel a sense of crisis?"
It wasn't without its crude points, but it was a decent idea in its own way.
"Is it really... decent? It should be fine, right?"
"Yes. Should we succeed, it will be akin to plucking two fruits at once."
"I see. Yes, Jack. You are right. What was I even worrying about?"
The prince nodded. Now, all that remained was to draw the sword named authority.
"Heh heh heh.... Duke Blanton, I'm always grateful. I suppose I'd better pay Viscount Eliyev a visit by this week at the latest!"
The plan would go into effect on Monday. Clion's lips curled into a nasty grin.
**
The weekend passed, and Monday morning arrived.
Clion was found in the Central Plaza, having been stabbed.