Your Paper Is Dope (7)
Your Paper Is Dope (7)
Over the past few days, countless mages had gathered at the academic society on the academy grounds.
In truth, "summoned" was the more accurate word. It was none other than the chairman of Tillet who had called them in.
Every renowned fire mage and fire-magic scholar on the continent had been invited. Save for a single refusal from Professor Haspelt, it was safe to say everyone had come.
The reason for their gathering was simple.
Paper review. For that reason alone, the leading scholars of the age convened what was essentially an otherworldly Solvay Conference.
The review period flew by. The paper was without flaw, and the fellow researchers departed with more inspiration than they had expected. After everyone had left, the chairman watched the same footage over and over again.
"No matter how many times I watch it, I can't believe it."
The submitted paper had included not only the manuscript but also several photographs and a single film reel. The author had slipped them in as supplementary material.
Reviewing the footage among the supplementary materials revealed an unbelievable sight.
The background in the footage was a snowy field. Frozen terrain, quiet within a blizzard, dotted with nunatak peaks. A massive magic beast burst through that quiet.
It was a magic beast that Yakob Robespierre, the chairman of Tillet Academy, knew well: "Homarus."
Homarus was classified as a calamity-class magic beast. Its carapace was tough, and it was the sort of opponent that required several veteran mages working together just to bring down.
Yet that magic beast had fallen to a single beam of light.
Robespierre had already doubted his own eyes countless times.
'This isn't fabricated...?'
He had distrusted it so much that he had even summoned imaging specialists to verify whether the film had been manipulated. The analysis result was almost absurdly simple.
— No traces of manipulation or editing were found anywhere.
Robespierre tapped his fingers on his office desk and looked down. The title of the paper came into view.
[A Study on the Construction and Activation of the Flare Scroll Using Earth-Magic Equipment]
'Has Flare truly been completed?'
If it had, it was an achievement monumental enough to mark a turning point in the continent's history. If one spell could bring down a calamity-class magic beast, then obviously it could land an effective blow against an extinction-class one as well.
Until now, humanity had possessed no means of opposing extinction-class threats. That was why they had always lived in instinctive terror of magic beasts. Much like the old days when praying to the gods was the only solution, ignorant of the cause of a plague...
'If Flare is complete, we no longer need to tremble.'
The northern front would be pioneered, and calamity-class beasts would topple one after another as easily as mages dealt with low-grade magic beasts. The Empire's territory would expand, and the people's livelihood would regain a measure of stability. Perhaps the long war against the magic beasts might even come to an end.
'I am intensely curious as to who it is.'
Robespierre stamped the seal approving the paper's suitability and then waited a few more days. A paper approved for journal publication would only be disclosed to the society's members after that.
Time passed, and the month of May came to an end. The chairman marveled at the unexpected identity that was revealed.
[First Author & Corresponding Author: Aether]
[Co-authors: Rote Saliere / Frey Shelkerni]
'Aren't all three of them academy undergraduates? And first-years at that!'
Above all, the name of the girl registered as the corresponding author was unexpected.
Aether.
Was there a single member of the faculty who did not know that name on campus?
The fact that she had toiled as a slave for three years under Professor Haspelt and then miraculously passed the academy entrance exam to attend had even reached the chairman's ears.
Nor was that all. Her entrance score had placed her second overall, and she had received a perfect score on the written exam. Four hundred points out of four hundred — the first and highest score in Tillet's history.
Being born of the Gold-Eye Tribe was her sole disadvantage. Yet the fact that she had not fallen below the minimum in the practical exam was proof that Aether had transcended her race's limits.
Still, he had assumed she was merely at the level expected of an undergraduate.
'To think she would produce something like this barely two months after enrollment.'
Was it because she was of the Gold-Eye Tribe, famed for their sharp minds?
Or had her long period of toil under Professor Haspelt given her such formidable research capacity?
Either way, it was astonishing. One thing, at least, was certain: she was a talent that might appear once in a thousand years.
"A former slave who took what her master was researching and completed it. How intriguing."
"Professor Herlein, I understand you've been friends with Professor Haspelt for ten years. Do you intend to gossip behind her back like that?"
"Heh heh, that's precisely why I can say it. It always bothered me that my friend was so buried in one thing that she couldn't see anything else."
Professor Herlein sank into the sofa and lifted her teacup.
"I know full well you're planning to ask that girl to attend the conference soon. I'll attend as well when that happens."
"You speak as though you were her homeroom teacher, not Haspelt."
"Ah, I never did mention that to you, Chairman."
"......?"
"No, you needn't concern yourself. It's all water under the bridge now, after all."
From behind, a faint si-i-ip sound was heard. The fresh scent of black tea leaves filled the chairman's office.
"I'm not particularly curious, anyway. More importantly, if Flare is complete, we can clean out every last one of those bastards coiled up in the Imperial Household."
"What, shall we prepare a guillotine?"
"For those wretches, even a guillotine would be too good. The blade wouldn't even cut them in the first place."
"In that case... what about the plan we've been working on all this time?"
"That we'll keep as a final resort..."
Si-i-ip.
"For now, we'll watch for the right time and attempt an assassination."
**
Two months had passed since I enrolled at Tillet.
Time really flew. Back when I lived as a slave, each day had been hell itself.
While I was endlessly occupied with work, a letter addressed to me arrived at the dormitory.
[Sender: Yakob Robespierre]
This person — I'd seen that name many times before.
I traced back through my memory as I tore open the envelope. Only after reading a few lines did I realize that the sender was the chairman of the academy.
[A presentation session will be held regarding the paper you have recently submitted. We hope that Student Aether will share your esteemed insights with the entire academic community so that the development of Flame Magic studies may progress more swiftly.]
[The Board of Directors is currently conducting internal discussions to award an academic encouragement grant and a commendation to Student Aether, the first author, as well as to the co-authors Student Rote Saliere and Student Frey Shelkerni. We will endeavor to guide the discussion toward the most favorable outcome possible and arrange for your next semester's tuition to be waived.]
[Furthermore, our Board of Directors will do our best to ensure that Student Aether may receive a title of at least viscount from His Imperial Majesty immediately upon graduating from the academy.]
[All of this is because the student has produced achievements deserving of it, so please do not feel pressured, and we ask that you strive to deliver an even better performance. Thank you.]
[Chairman of Tillet Magic Academy, Marquis Yakob Robespierre (Seal)]
I wondered whether it was proper for the academy chairman, of all people, to adopt such a humble stance toward a mere student without even a family name, but... well. It probably meant Flare was being recognized as a magic of that level of importance.
That aside, to ask me to share my "esteemed insights" with the entire academic community was, in other words, a request to hold a Q&A session.
It was a slightly daunting task for a novice who had only just set foot in this world's academic circles.
Still, not so daunting that I couldn't manage.
Midterms were over, and a gap in my schedule had just opened up. I had no reason to refuse.
Opportunities to meet high-ranking people in academia were rare. If I went in with the mindset of building connections, filling out the Magic Compendium would become easier going forward. At the very least, events that would cause me harm or sour my mood weren't likely to occur.
[The deadline is about three days? The preparation period is shorter than I expected.]
It wasn't as if I were preparing proceedings; it was just a straightforward presentation. And given that the target was a first-year undergraduate, the odds were high they wouldn't grill me too severely. I decided to just roughly summarize the points for the talk and take them with me.
Well, it's not like this was the first or second time I'd done something like this.
**
It happened one fine day in early May.
"D-done... done!"
The final experiment was a success as well. It was the moment an ultimate fire magic, refined across a long lineage, had been born.
Kleis had succeeded in creating Flare through the 'Maso-Energy Exchange Theorem' and her own unique design method. Puffing repeatedly on a Mana Cigarette, she smiled broadly with satisfaction.
The manuscript was nearly finished. With the final data entered and a few more calculations completed, a masterpiece for the ages was born. It was the completion of Flare Magic.
At last, her family's long-cherished wish had been fulfilled.
It had been long.
Truly, long.
Conservatively speaking, she was not completely certain whether the Flare she had developed could bring down an extinction-class beast, but since she had conducted experiments that melted the carapace of every calamity-class magic beast, she was confident it would deal an effective blow to an extinction-class one as well.
In any case, the research results she had achieved on her own, without borrowing the power of the Gold-Eye Tribe, were sweeter than anything. At the thought of being praised by her father — who had hounded her since childhood — the corners of Kleis's lips curled up without her realizing it.
Kleis sealed all the materials and then came out, pressing down her witch's hat. The as-yet-unrepaired electric light flickered violently, but that was nothing worth caring about right now.
Outside, it was warm. Perhaps because rain was due tomorrow, dark clouds had gradually begun to gather, but the temperature was still mild. From a nearby hill behind the academy, a cuckoo's call sounded at intervals.
"Welcome!"
After receiving greetings from the staff working at the academic society, she headed for the desk to submit her paper. The hallway leading to the desk was a long, straight hallway.
"Huh... That person is..."
Two people were walking toward her from the opposite end of the hallway. Kleis narrowed her eyes and glared at the taller of the two, a middle-aged man.
"It's been a while since I've had such a productive conversation. I consider it a stroke of fortune that Tillet was able to welcome a talent like this student."
The voice was familiar too.
It was Robespierre, the chairman of Tillet Academy.
"Haha... you flatter me too much."
The one who responded to the chairman was a girl. She wore the undergraduate uniform neatly, and her long, glossy hair reached down to her waist. Her features were arranged in delicate detail as if measured against the golden ratio, but what caught the eye most among them were her irises, which gleamed gold.
"But concerning the matter of..."
The next moment.
The girl's footsteps stopped abruptly. At the same time, Kleis's steps also came to a halt.
Kleis's gaze darted to the thick envelope held in the arms of the girl from the Gold-Eye Tribe.
Their eyes met. Kleis knew intuitively that something had gone wrong.
Presently, the girl opened her mouth.
"......May I take the patent for Flare?"