Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Sealing Absolute Zero
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The sky is blue because of light scattering.
Sunlight colliding with air molecules dyes the sky that brilliant shade of blue.
So what if that light no longer collides with the air at all? What would happen to the sky then?
I looked up at the heavens.
It was daytime with the sun high overhead, yet the sky was pitch black.
Stars dotted that ebony expanse like scattered jewels.
The 'air' responsible for scattering light wasn't functioning properly.
This was my doing... but it was still absurd.
The school heads murmured among themselves.
"My word... Can't tell if it's day or night."
"Wasn't it just air resistance gone? Why's the sky changed?"
Oddly enough, people's voices carried through the air just fine.
Whew. Haah.
I drew in a breath and let it out.
Breathing was normal, too.
Just like Dolloren's had been, my 'rule' seemed to follow its own arbitrary standards.
'Didn't expect eliminating resistance would also wipe out interactions between gas molecules and electromagnetic waves...'
Rayleigh scattering impossible, but breathing and sound transmission still worked? What kind of nonsense was this?
I glanced at Dolloren.
She wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were fixed solely on the black midday sky.
"I have no idea why the sky turned out like that... but it's a beautiful starry night."
"..."
"So, you seized control of my isolation realm just to show me this spectacle?"
"Hardly."
My isolation realm was already back to normal operation.
I pointed at the empty air.
"The wind has stopped. I made it stop."
"...For real. When did that happen?"
The absolute zero zone could no longer generate storms.
The air molecules themselves had lost their resistance.
Gas molecules no longer collided with each other.
That plugged the heat loss from convection.
At this rate, I might be able to isolate the entire absolute zero zone.
Dolloren continued.
"Pretty confident for your first time forming an isolation realm."
"Brute force is what makes you brave."
This isolation realm's defining trait was perceiving the world in absurdly simplistic terms.
From here on, I'd discard intellect and judge the world through the shallow lens of high school physics.
I extended my hand toward the degenerate matter encircling the absolute zero zone.
Dolloren asked.
"Touching that didn't work before. Planning on eating two rebounds?"
"No such thing."
Degenerate matter or not, it was ultimately just compressed air and dirt.
Calculate the mass properly, apply acceleration, and it'd move.
F = ma
So I applied it.
The degenerate matter, with its terrifying mass, vanished beyond the 'undefined' absolute zero.
What happened after that? No clue.
High school physics doesn't cover it.
Gone? Whatever.
"...Huh?"
Dolloren let out a dazed sound at the sight.
Valerius's reaction was much the same.
"...What the hell was that? How'd you do it?"
"..."
The dean beside Valerius seemed lost in deep thought.
The hardest part was done.
Now for the easy stuff.
PV = nRT
Next, I turned the space around absolute zero into a vacuum.
F = ma
σ = F/A
I gathered the collapsed mountain's debris, packed it solid, and encased it in a hemispherical dome.
No air resistance or friction meant mana consumption dropped to extremes.
Prediction accuracy skyrocketed as a result.
Now repeat the process.
Vacuum, dome. Vacuum, dome. Vacuum, dome.
Domes stacked atop domes as the isolation zone steadily expanded.
Heh heh heh.
A laugh slipped out.
Was magic—physics—supposed to be this easy?
One school head muttered.
"...What am I even looking at right now?"
"Dodge first!"
To avoid the magic's aftermath, the school heads fell back.
Boom!
With that, the final hemisphere sealed shut.
Done.
Seven domes.
Conduction, convection, radiation—all but impossible now.
The absolute zero zone was sealed.
Clap, clap, clap.
Dolloren's applause rang in my eardrums.
Bzzz, bzzz. My head throbbed fiercely.
She said.
"Honestly thought you'd bail midway. But you endured without the isolation realm devouring you."
"...Pardon?"
Her words barely registered.
My head hurt too much.
My brain couldn't process the info.
Dolloren furrowed her brow.
"...Hold on. You okay?"
Drip.
Hot liquid trickled down past my nose.
I wiped it—blood. Nosebleed.
Shiver, shiver.
My blood-smeared hand trembled.
Not weak stomach.
Tremors.
"What is this?"
"...You. Spammed spells without a care for your mana reserves."
Dizzy.
Vertigo hit.
"You're no magic newbie... Huh?"
Vision blurred. Dolloren's voice dragged, slowing.
"Hey! He's going down! Catch him!"
"Junior!"
The last thing I heard that day was Giuseppe's scream.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
What happened?
A quick look around—Magic Tower infirmary.
The same room where the quadriplegic Kaien had stayed.
Me, ending up here.
Ugh...
I tried to sit up, and the room erupted.
"You're awake, junior!"
"How's the body, Dolloren's disciple?"
Familiar uncle voices.
Hadn't seen faces yet, but definitely Giuseppe and Valerius.
I said to them.
"You two visiting the sickbed? Thanks."
"Not two."
"Huh?"
Tilted my head—Anna was there.
"Sorry, you're so tiny I missed you."
"...T-Tiny?"
Anna's eyes wavered.
"...A little? Anyway, thanks for visiting, little bro."
"..."
Anna froze solid.
Shouldn't have said that?
I patted her head.
No more short jokes from now on.
I turned to the uncles.
"So. How'd my thesis defense go?"
"Ah. That..."
Giuseppe started, but Valerius cut in.
"I'll handle this."
"Y-Yes..."
Before the archmage, eternal PhD candidate Giuseppe could only deflate.
Valerius said.
"After you collapsed, Professor Dolloren carried you here herself."
"I see."
"Lucky it wasn't serious... But me, the deans, even Her Highness the princess gave Professor Dolloren an earful. 'What kind of professor dumps her disciple with a nosebleed and faint the moment she arrives?'"
"But wasn't this injury my own fault?"
"I know. Was just mad at the time."
"..."
So that's what happened.
I nodded and asked again.
"So, defense a success?"
"...Regrettably, a failure. Dolloren's disciple. No master's for you."
"Really...?"
My mind went blank.
Shit. Worked my ass off till I passed out...
Heh heh heh. Valerius chuckled.
"You bought that? Still such a greenhorn."
"Ah."
This guy.
If he weren't an archmage, I'd have decked him.
"The rest is true, though. Rest up. Everyone's worried."
"Really..."
"Don't believe me? Check the state of that bedside table."
"Hm?"
Sure enough, the table next to the bed was piled high.
...Gifts?
Giuseppe spoke up.
"Everyone who visited left something."
"Ooh..."
I rummaged through the bedside gifts.
Gwendolyn Everglow's premium wine.
Liam's hangover remedy spice set.
Ellara's '101 Rules Every Master Should Know'.
High-grade jerky from Hans and Marcus.
In the midst of it, Laura sent a thick duty report instead of a gift.
...Read that later.
Plenty more besides.
Power mages led by Gedric, the Sound Magic School head, Giuseppe's Magic Tower peers, and assorted others.
Gifts from grad students I'd never even heard of.
Hold on...
Epic battle, faint.
Wake to infirmary overflowing with gifts...
Now we just win the dorm cup and semester's over?
'Even so, a degree beats a dorm cup.'
I picked up the master's degree certificate buried at the bottom of the pile.
Master's Degree Certificate Researcher: Isaac Uphills The above researcher established the concept of 'Absolute Zero', making immense contributions to magical academia. By the authority of the Magic Tower, a Master of Magic degree is hereby conferred.
Magic Tower Dean, Magarta Magica
Yahoo.
Now I'm a full-fledged master.
...So what do I get out of it?
Giuseppe answered my question.
"Well... Solo expeditions become possible, for one."
Oh. Guess I'm done being a total slave.
"Commute from a private home instead of dorms, way more base research funds... What else was it?"
As Giuseppe racked his brain, Valerius jumped in.
"Forgot 'cause you never get juniors. Normally, you can take on researchers under you."
At his words, Anna beside me shot her hand up.
"I'll do it!"
I shook my head with a smile.
Kids shouldn't get into this stuff.
"Little sis. Graduate undergrad first."
"..."
Anna pouted.
I asked Valerius.
"...Masters can boss people around?"
This felt off.
Masters are usually decent slaves, not owners, right?
"Strictly speaking, since Dolloren's your advisor, they're not fully yours. But you get the gist?"
"Aha."
Minions to boss around casually?
Nice.
Think I'd heard it all.
Time to head to the lab.
Ugh.
Tried to rise—failed.
No strength anywhere.
Something wrong with my body?
Tried sensing as always... but no.
No mana field sensation.
Valerius said.
"Rebound from forming the isolation realm."
He explained.
"Deploy or interfere with an isolation realm, and proportional to the power, you lose mana handling for a while."
"...Not forever, right?"
Anna jolted at my words.
"...!"
Valerius glanced at her and continued.
"It's fine. At worst, a day or two of misery. Dolloren shouldered most of the risk, so thank her when you see her."
"Was planning to visit the lab right away."
Giuseppe asked.
"Heading out now?"
"Yes."
"Could rest more..."
"Got something to do that just hit me. Can't wait."
"...What could be more important than health?"
"Need to record the phenomena I saw mid-exam before I forget."
"..."
I'd witnessed true 0 Kelvin, impossible by physics.
Couldn't let that slide.
Research. Now.
Thus, with Giuseppe's support, I returned to the lab.
Or rather, the door.
I said to him.
"Hold on."
"? Something up?"
"Mind fixing my expression before going in?"
"Why bother?"
"Can't hurt."
The advisor who'd granted my degree was inside.
Maximum reverence, gratitude loaded—I reworked my face.
Good.
Done.
Time to face Dolloren.
Knock knock knock.
"Professor, Isaac Uphills here. May I enter?"
A voice from inside.
-"It's your lab. Why knock? Just come in."
"Yes, ma'am."
Click.
The moment I saw Dolloren's face, I bowed from the waist.
But it wasn't her face I saw first.
Feet.
Dolloren's feet were right there.
Hup. Whoosh. Hup. Whoosh.
Dolloren was handstanding and doing push-ups.
Weird.
By Valerius's account, she shouldn't be able to use magic.
"Professor? Didn't you say no magic?"
"Yeah. That's right. But no magic doesn't mean no workouts."
"..."
Handstand push-ups... if not magic, what were they?
Snap.
Dolloren quit the push-ups and stood straight.
She asked me.
"Body okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"What... why so stiff?"
"..."
"Oh right. Master's congrats gift."
"Gift?"
"Don't know about degree staves? Swap catalyst usually. But you don't use 'em. Ancient relic maybe?"
"...Relic?"
"Yeah. Like your necklace."
"..."
Something like the Memorize necklace.
Only an idiot would turn that down.
But why so generous?
Trap?
I subtly eyed Giuseppe.
Out of Dolloren's sight, he nodded furiously.
'Just take it.'
Bow. I bowed.
"Then I'll gratefully accept."
"Good. Pick one from my vault later."
"Yes, ma'am!"
And so I sealed the deal on an ancient relic from Dolloren.
'One more hurdle cleared. Time to take it easy for a bit.'
Commute meant house hunting, check the new Uphills Workshop...
Oh yeah. Build that orphanage.
In between, poke at the absolute zero magic Dolloren demoed.
Tons to do at leisure.
Glad for that.
No risk of boredom.
But my sweet rest plan crumbled at the foundation.
"Oh. Right. You know about tomorrow? Got the conference."
"...? Sudden conference?"
"While you were out cold a few days, the Wind Element Magic Society date got set. Tomorrow."
"Ah."
"Your paper's gonna split 'em in half. You're the keynote speaker."