The Magic Academy's Physicist
Chapter 295: Letting It Out (1)

Chapter 295: Letting It Out (1)

0% In ancient Rome, there was a position called ‘dictator’.

A temporary position created to help resolve the situation when something happened to the country.

It was a position with lots of power since it was only established in times of national emergency. They were given all the power to deal with the affairs–big and small–of the state.

My status in Kaurelia was now on par with that.

“Professor Aether Heisenberg, upon the recommendation of His Excellency the President, we appoint you as the Minister of Magic.”

Minister of Magic.

So in terms of South Korea, a position that was a combination of Minister of Science and Technology and the Director of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS).

“We give you full control over magic research and development. You can use the budget directly without going through the Ministry of Economics.”

“Can I really?”

“The people will allow it.”

I didn’t believe it.

Just a year ago I was a freshman at Tilette Academy.

Then I became a professor a few months ago, and now I was basically a minister.

“That is how urgent the situation is. We have no one else but you.”

One of the two most powerful nations on Ahrens continent collapsed, and the other was in danger of the same.

The elf country’s higher-ups gave me this much power because they decided that the whole continent really could be overtaken by Beasts at this rate.

And now I was in an even higher position than President Cecil Renay.

“Huuuh.”

I was dumbfounded.

I had never been in this high of a position before.

“No, maybe lower than Winter Heaven.”

There were more than forty ministers, but only four Heavens could be appointed so that would be more rare.

Anyway.

This wasn’t the time to talk about that.

I began my schedule immediately after being appointed as Minister of Magic, first taking care of the basics before I even had time to discuss with subordinates.

And after that–

I gathered the best theoretical mages of the world and held a brief meeting.

“There are three main parts to the development of Dark Day.”

I spread my fingers and listed each element.

“The development of a superconductor that operates even past the boiling point of water, securing lithium deuteride, completion of a ultra-high-power, ultrafast, terawatt laser.”

First was the basic environment.

Second was the material.

Third was the trigger condition.

“First let’s talk about the laser. Akasha, Rosemary.”

“Yes, sis.... Minister!”

“I’ll give you 2000 Fire majors, and 500 each of Earth and Air majors to strengthen the White Night scroll. You have 3 months to complete it.”

Rosemary and Akasha affirmed that they understood and went off.

Next was securing lithium deuteride.

“One of Kaurelia’s specialties is said to be lithium. Oceans Minister, please go with the Ministry of Defense and secure large quantities of lithium ores from the sea.”

“Understood.”

“Next, I ask the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to complete the reinforcement and maintenance of the existing mana stone processing facility. It must be finished before the end of autumn.”

“Excuse me, we’ll need about 10 000 workers to reinforce the facility.......”

“I have 30 000 Earth Mages in construction on stand by. Please go see when you leave the building.”

I was getting surprised even as I was saying it.

We had the same ministerial position yet I was giving orders to other ministers.

This was no different from the President, wasn’t it.

“And lastly.”

The ultra-high temperature superconductor that I never got to finish making even at the Demon Castle.

Only with that could we magnetize the desired part of the planet.

The problem was whether we could find this within the time limit or not.

After a moment of pondering, one name popped out of my mouth.

“Klais Hasfeldt.”

All those years of bad blood.

It was finally time to let it go.

**The members of the Hasfeldt family were also present at the meeting called by Aether.

Renawill Hasfeldt, the current head, and his two daughters, Klara and Klais Hasfeldt.

Facing Aether, Renawill gave a pleased smile.

This smile of his was awkward for the Hasfeldt sisters. He was a father who had always appeared stern even to his own daughters, so how could he be making such a gentle face towards her?

“Klais Hasfeldt.”

While she was lost in thought, Aether called out her name.

“Yes, M-Master.”

Klais answered without thinking.

“...Ugh!”

She quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late.

“......Master?”

“Did I mishear that just now?”

The murmurs of elven bureaucrats.

Klais’s shoulders hunched in so much that they couldn’t even move.

Her face burned like she was standing in front of a bonfire, and it was hard to breathe as if she had an awful cold.

“Yes, M-Minister.”

“.......”

She quickly changed the title, but it didn’t do much.

Everyone’s gaze, including her dad and sister’s, was pinned on her. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole right now if she could.

Yet the memory of those days kept surfacing.

Because she recalled everything–the time when she was worked like a dog by Winter Heaven Aether, the day she began repenting after mirror therapy, the days she spent apologizing to her, all the days she was researching superconducting materials while eating cherry tomatoes–

She just couldn’t think of anything to say to smooth the situation.

“...You must have dozed off for a moment, Professor Hasfeldt.”

Yet why was it.

Instead of scoffing or getting angry at her, Aether just gave a slight warning.

“Professor Hasfeldt, I’d like you to work with me in the research team I’ll be making. For your information, the research team is divided into five sectors, and you will be in charge of one of them.”

“.......”

“Do you understand?”

“...Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Then the other four sectors are....”

Afterwards, while Aether distributed the remaining manpower, Klais sorted out the blank slate that was her mind.

Only five years.

It had only been that long.

Within that time, the girl had become a student one day. Then she became a professor.

And now she rose to be a minister of elf country.

More than feeling awe, she was sorry. If only she had treated her well from the beginning, the war would have been over by now.

No, it wouldn’t even have begun, and the Empire wouldn’t have fallen.

While she was regretting things that had happened, the meeting was over.

“Professor.”

When she snapped out of it, Aether was right in front of her.

“Come with me. There’s lots to get done.”

Hearing that, Klais followed after the Golden-Eyed girl as if possessed by a ghost.

**When she came to her senses, they were in front of Iliad Academy.

It was in the middle of a war, yet it was peaceful within the academy. As if they were in a different country, on a different world line.

As they followed the round, pointy leaves along the corridors, she was reminded of the past, even though she had never been here before.

Walking through the campus, something throbbed like she had a bruise. Her chest, mainly.

“.......”

Klais trotted after Aether with her mouth firmly closed.

She was able to look down on her round, black head.

She just realized it now, but Klais was about a head taller than Aether.

Was it simply because Aether was shorter?

It unwittingly stirred up a protective desire.

“...We’re here.”

Aether, who had been leading the way quietly, stopped abruptly in front of a building. It was a school building for researching Fire Magic.

Why did they come here?

She followed her up to the second floor making all sorts of reasoning.

“This was my lab.”

Right.

Aether had said she was a professor before she became a minister.

So she would have had a private lab. She must have come to collect her personal belongings.

“There’s a lot to clean up, if you could lend me a hand.”

“...Alright.”

Klais girded herself and stepped into the lab.

Aether’s lab was extremely simple.

Everywhere was white cement, and the furniture was also a gloomy, dark gray.

Still, there were three, four plants on the window sill, but they all happened to be growing cherry tomatoes.

It was the perfect place to go mad.

“We’re going to transfer all the equipment here to Ivy Island. I’m sure there are better ones there, but the number of equipment also matters for this task.”

Klais nodded wordlessly.

She was going to ask what she should do first, but she’d become unconsciously hesitant.

This was because she was accustomed to being a slave.

Because Klais hadn’t been able to ask questions or express herself properly at the time. All she had done was do what she was told and receive cherry tomatoes.

“Here, take these outside first. Most of them will be shipped.”

“Understood, Mas....”

Suddenly, Klais bit down on her lower lip until it bled.

“...Minister.”

Not just once, but twice.

If she could, she wanted to jump from a five-storey building.

Why a five-storey? Because her home was a large, five-storey mansion, and her lab was also on the fifth floor.

She had never flown or climbed up a high-rise building, so she couldn’t imagine anything higher than that.

“.......”

“.......”

A moment of silence.

Aether for one didn’t say anything, and Klais herself couldn’t think of anything to say, either.

Of course they couldn’t.

She used to be the master at one point, and then a slave at another.

But now they were equal research colleagues.

This relationship had gone through so many changes within a short period of time, so there was no way that titles and such would be sorted out.

“Haaah.”

The other person was the first to break the awkward air.

With a slight flick of her wrist, Aether made a suggestion.

“Let’s have a drink after we’re done today.”

“Uh, huh? Alright.......”

She replied before she knew it.

However, there was a problem that she realized after responding–

Which was that Klais couldn’t hold her liquor.