The Magic Academy's Physicist
Chapter 240: Unification (4)

Chapter 240: Unification (4)

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[Three strikes.]

–said her other self, feigning innocence.

“Three strikes?”

[Meaning I’ll literally give you three chances.]

To be specific, this was the idea: she’d be given three chances until the atomic bomb to be dropped onto the World Tree was completed. In that time, if there were three people–whether human, elf, or beastkin–who accepted ‘Aether’ as is despite knowing she was a Beast, then she’d pass on her soul.

[So that’s Freyr as the first. It may be a strikeout, but there’s only two more people left.]

“Wait, what are you deciding on your own.”

Aether contemplated with a frown.

It was a strange offer no matter how she thought about it. ‘Aether’ couldn’t understand Aether.

“Why are you being gracious towards me?”

‘Aether’ was currently unhappy with this offer.

Once a contract was formed, it had to be honored and should not be altered in the process.

That was ‘Aether’s conviction, and a code of conduct that had not changed for a thousand years.

[It wasn’t even a written one, just verbal; you’re being too strict.]

“A verbal contract is still a contract. There are no exceptions.”

[You’re so picky.]

She could hear a sigh in her head.

Still, it was after ‘Aether’ settled her heart.

“If you wish, then take my soul here and now. I do not want to live making lame excuses for myself.”

She was ready.

Dying was a frightening thing, but it was more honorable to just close her eyes and vanish like a shooting star in the night sky rather than pathetically prolong her life by breaking her lifelong conviction.

She had no regrets, after all. Either she died or the world ended–those were her only two options right now.

[Says who? That you only have two options.]

“Excuse me?”

[Augh.]

Her other self clicked their tongue like they found her pathetic.

[It’s like seeing my old self. That’s why you don’t have friends, you research-obsessed idiot.]

“.......”

[It’s time. Think about the rest after you get back.]

With that, Aether ended the conversation.

A curse was bit out.

“How could they be so shameless....”

It was troublesome. She had no idea how many ‘paving stones’ had been stacked.

She couldn’t forcefully hand over control of the body and disappear, either, as the other was adamantly refusing it.

In the end, she had to give up on talking and get ready for class.

She picked up the student attendance list that had been lying on the floor, then after dusting it off, she looked over each name. With the exception of a few, she didn’t know any of them.

“...I see.”

After scratching her head and thinking for a moment, ‘Aether’ realized that she had been testing herself in the same way that her other self was.

A period of two months, three chances.

It was similar to herself and the policy she had where she gave a thousand chances to humanity before the Demon King resurrected.

“So they weren’t going to get nitpicky over one person in the first place.”

Aether huffed a laugh, feeling dispirited for the first time in a while.

This, too, was strange, as Golden-Eyeds weren’t easily shaken up by most things that were said. Emotions had been something that the Demon King ordered to throw away because they were for inferior races.

Yet she was feeling it so clearly right now. One was exhaustion, and the other was... she wasn’t sure.

Unable to find an answer, she left the research wing.

When she entered the class, some students greeted her in a dry voice which Aether accepted with a light nod. For some reason, the classroom was calmer than usual.

“I’ll take attendance.”

Aether called out each name and waited for their response. Here, here, here. With each reply, she checkmarked it with indifference.

“Freyr Fon Fasstrand.”

“.......”

This was where the response stopped.

“Who knows where Freyr went?”

“She said she wasn’t feeling well and was taking leave.”

Her thoughts froze for a moment.

Aether felt like her mouth dried up, and couldn’t move her lips as if her tongue had sores on it.

“Should I contact her?”

“No, I’ll track down Fasstrand later and mark her as sick.”

Normally, she wouldn’t have even cared, but she found herself responding that way to the student’s question before she knew it.

The engine acting as the heart was hurting. It felt like it was clogged as if there was congestion. She’d never felt this way before.

She couldn’t tell what this feeling was. After a moment’s hesitation, Aether searched within herself and tried to calculate and quantify to find the closest answer.

She... just didn’t know.

[Guilt.]

......This?

This... was that kind of feeling?

“......Let’s move forward.”

She shook off her thoughts.

In order to proceed with the lecture for now, she opened the textbook and pulled down the blackboard. As soon as she picked up the chalk, she could hear from around the class the sounds of rustling through pencil cases.

Aether swept her eyes over Vermel, Lotte, and around the class. The expressions of the students were varied.

Lotte looked like she was paying attention. Vermel seemed to be observing her expression. The rest looked uninterested.

Even the Golden-Eyed girl, Leninya, had her arms crossed, staring wide. She was leaning back in her seat and the only one without a pen or pencil in hand.

Aether didn’t exactly scold her attitude as today’s lesson–as well as the last one–consisted of things that could be understood just by listening without having to write it down. To be honest, ‘Aether’ had no doubts that she was one of the easier lecturers.

“Did you finish the essay that I assigned you last week?”

Only a few students nodded at the question.

Aether just said ‘alright’. The homework itself wasn’t what was important, anyway.

“Today, I’ll be talking about parity. Starting with symmetry and antisymmetry.......”

It was about five minutes into the lesson.

As she was using symmetric groups and alternating linear mapping to explain determinants, one elf kept raising her hand.

“Miss, I’m not sure I get what you’re saying.”

Yufiel Vierbein–she was the one who had answered most confidently when taking attendance earlier.

She was usually a calm student, but became a question monster during class.

She didn’t know what the other students thought of Yufiel, but Aether, who didn’t have much interest in the class, was able to pass the time by exchanging questions and answers with her.

Several hard questions were thrown back and forth. Only Lotte or Leninya would nod while the rest still sat there looking stupid.

“Any other questions?”

“.......”

“If not, we’ll end here for today.”

When Aether put the chalk down, sighs burst from here and there.

Most of the students seemed to have given up on the class.

Even today, they simultaneously learned linear algebra at graduate-level mathematics and quantum mechanics concepts at graduate-level physics. She’d condensed only the absolute essentials into two hours so of course second-year undergraduates wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“Then today’s assignment is.......”

The already worn faces of the students turned aghast.

Aether paused giving the assignment and turned her gaze elsewhere.

Lotte and Vermel.

Since Freyr knew, the other two would also have realized. For all she knew, they could have talked about it with each other behind her back.

She had been out of her mind at the time and had acted stupidly. If she thought about it, it was pointless if they had been in a study group or something.

With a sigh, Aether waved her hand.

“...The assignment will be to answer questions one to ten on page thirteen of the textbook.”

For reference, the textbook she chose didn’t have the answers.

**

“Ah, shit. I’m stuck with a bad homeroom.”

A female student tugged on her hair and flopped onto her desk. Her lament was followed by the grumbling of other students.

“This is shitty, I’m going to lose my scholarship because of one course.”

“She seriously sucks. Can’t she make it a bit easier to understand?”

Even these comments were the most restrained. Professor Asteya Heisenberg’s reputation had plummeted amongst the students.

She wasn’t a professor who was incompetent nor was she condescending. Rather, she was very clear cut about things. Yet because of the one flaw of sucking badly at teaching her subject, everyone was calling her the worst.

“To be honest, she is moving too quickly.”

Lotte flapped the notebook she had been taking notes on and expressed how it was a shame.

“Huu.”

“Huu.”

Vermel and Akasha exhaled at the same time and got up from their seats.

Vermel had never spoken with Akasha before.

So that’s the twin sister Aether mentioned, he thought, a little wary.

─Once the semester has settled a bit, go find Akasha. I’ll write you a letter so give this to her first. It’ll definitely help.

The talk that they had when he had been planning with Rosemary.

It wasn’t time yet; the semester hadn’t settled down. Right now, Freyr came before Akasha.

He knew where that kid was. As Vermel went off to comfort Freyr, Akasha headed towards the cafeteria with a smirk.