Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

“Here. Read this.”

“Theorist. I’m not in a position to talk, but you should moderate your all-nighters.”

“You’re well aware you’re not in a position to talk.”

4 PM.

I didn’t intentionally visit the lab at such a late hour. It was because my short nap had gone on for too long.

I wasn’t sure whether to be glad that I had already adapted to my new research room, or to be sad about the dramatic decline in stamina of a 24-year-old scholar, so I just decided to act petty.

I waved what I was holding at the person sitting casually on the floor.

“Just take this quickly, Werner.”

“What’s this all about?”

“A theory that will make you faint from shock.”

“Hmm.”

Werner didn’t immediately reach out his hand.

Instead, he lowered his gaze as if suspicious of something.

“Well. You call that thin paper a theory?”

“Just read it.”

“Fine, if you insist.”

As Werner said, what I handed over was just a single sheet of paper.

And it was a paper with a corner torn off due to a mistake while tearing it out of a notebook.

If Werner had handed me such a paper claiming it was an interesting experimental result, I would probably have crumpled it up and thrown it in the trash can. It would obviously be a ridiculous joke.

But just as experiments revere systematicity, the aesthetics of theory lie in simplicity.

The formulas filling the blackboard…

That single sheet of paper was a comprehensive summary of all the characters and equations I had written tirelessly overnight, and to my eyes, it was a kind of masterpiece.

“……”

I waited silently until Werner checked the formula written at the end of the paper.

…And until he realized its true meaning.

The reddened mountain ridge signals the beginning of night.

But not much time has passed. February. It’s still when the day loses in the struggle for dominion over the celestial sphere.

After what felt like about ten minutes…

In the lab where long shadows were cast due to the setting sun, Werner slowly raised his head.

“……Theorist.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t find any errors in the derivation process of this formula, no, should I say principle?”

“I couldn’t find any either. That’s why I’m showing it to you.”

“Hmm. If I had to nitpick, I’m a bit concerned about expanding the series and dropping terms in the middle, but that’s just a secondary factor.”

He mumbled something while looking at me, but it seemed to be more for convincing himself than me, judging by the fact that he didn’t seem to expect an answer.

And.

Werner’s eyes began to burn brightly.

[ Mass = L / V² ]

He pointed to the formula at the bottom and said:

“So, this really is the equation explaining the conversion rate between mass and mana…”

“That’s what I think. How does it look to you?”

“How? It’s amazing!”

Werner sprang up from the floor as if leaping.

I, blinking my eyes from fatigue, realized half a beat late that this action was worthy of surprise.

I reflexively stepped back, but before I could take two steps, Werner grabbed my shoulder.

Werner said with a rare clear smile on his shameless face:

“As expected, you’re the theorist I acknowledge, Eugene. Yes. The square of the speed of light! It was because such an outrageous ratio was applied that we could only create a tiny amount of matter from mana. I understand why the reverse is not easy either, because we had to produce mana quantities with two-digit exponents.”

“Y-yes. Have you found some clue?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

A positive negation.

As I felt the dissonance of witnessing such an extreme contradiction right in front of me, Werner continued.

“The proposition that the experiment needs to solve remains the same. Confirming the possibility of converting matter into mana. We’ve only learned the underlying principle, there hasn’t been progress in the experiment itself. But.”

“Ah.”

Only then did I also realize why Werner was speaking so passionately.

Coincidence always works in both directions of luck and misfortune.

With good luck, you can discover a new law, but conversely, if you mistake a single coincidence for a law, you can lose countless hours, money, and will.

Werner was standing at that crossroads.

But now, with the equation established between the two…

“This experiment is not meaningless.”

“That’s right. Well, we might struggle, but I’ll succeed no matter what it takes.”

Werner grinned, clenching his fist tightly.

“It’s my wish, now that I’ve even received your help.”

Right after that, we began modifying the experimental equipment.

Three days later…

The lab that had been constantly emitting loud noises finally fell silent.

When a researcher from the neighboring lab, enjoying the liberation from noise, put his ear to the lab door out of scholarly curiosity, he felt dismayed.

―We did it!

―HAHAHAHAHA!

“W-what?”

The sudden outburst of two men’s voices assaulted his eardrums.

And the researcher’s suffering continued. Because from that day on, the experimental equipment in the next lab would emit thunderous operational sounds whenever there was a chance.

Continuously.

#February 27th. Clear.

Late February.

It’s not long since the winter semester at the Frauvian Federal University of Magic ended, and there are still about two months until the summer semester.

It’s a time as precious as gold for undergraduate students.

There are fruitful ways to use this time, such as accumulating knowledge in the library that’s open despite the end of the semester, helping with parents’ work, or sometimes stepping back from academics to explore new career paths.

And by throwing away all these utilization methods and focusing entirely on rest, an undergraduate’s vacation is completed.

In other words.

“Ah, I’m late.”

The fact that Grace Brown, who was just a sophomore, passed through the main gate of the University of Magic with a very displeased look wasn’t because she was an exception to the rule.

There was a reason she had to come.

The graduation ceremony.

She had to attend the graduation ceremony of no less than the former Student Council President and Vice President.

Normally, meeting someone you respect should be enjoyable, but Grace wasn’t particularly happy at the moment.

Because that’s the nature of going to school.

Still, one can’t frown in front of someone they respect.

Grace shook off her fatigue with a sigh and quickly took her next step. She was late, after all.

Right after…

A sinister floating sensation of ‘slip―’ soaked Grace’s five senses.

Her vision, which should be showing what’s in front of her, reflected the ground.

“Ah.”

It’s over.

Of all places, it’s a path full of dirt and grass. Grace imagined the sound she would hear in one second. ‘Thud,’ perhaps?

But what Grace heard, after momentarily contemplating the futility of life and mentally drafting a petition to shoe factories for improved grip, wasn’t that sound.

“Ugh―”

It was a strange noise that burst out of her own mouth.

While feeling the pain from sudden abdominal pressure, she realized it was a side effect of someone catching her as she was about to fall.

The rescuer in formal attire opened his mouth.

“Be careful.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Rescuer and rescued. If it had been herself a few months ago, she might have been excited by this romance novel-like situation.

But now Grace was feeling more shame and anger than gratitude, and…

Above all, the rescuer’s face was familiar.

Falling twice right in front of him is a bit too much. She was about to straighten up quickly and greet him awkwardly.

Just before opening her mouth, Grace held her nose.

“Excuse me. Are you going like that?”

“Why?”

“……You smell.”

“I washed.”

“No. I mean the smell of metal and some kind of oil.”

“Ah.”

“Valedictorian, Julia Müller. Please come up to the platform.”

Was it from the moment she heard those words?

No. It must have been from before that.

Julia Müller didn’t consider this degree conferment ceremony a celebration.

Rather, she felt it was full of regret.

Tok. Tok. Thud.

Unlike others, as she climbed onto the platform listening to her footsteps divided into three beats, that sentiment deepened.

What could be the reason?

Julia decided to count them one by one.

As she turned her head, she felt the gaze of about 700 students staring at her.

Having served as the Student Council President, she had long been accustomed to the gaze of crowds.

So feeling uncomfortable with those gazes anew must be because they contain admiration.

Julia won’t become a magic scholar unlike her father. Not only did she take the top spot, but she’s even receiving such admiring gazes. It was quite burdensome.

That’s a rich person’s complaint.

Dismissing it as such, she stepped forward with both her feet and cane.

At the center of the platform was the Chancellor of the University of Magic.

 He opened his mouth with a kindly smile.

“Ho ho, Miss Julia. Congratulations on your graduation.”

“Thank you.”

While giving a light bow, Julia had a slightly rude thought.

Perhaps it was because the Chancellor’s congratulatory speech just before in the program order was too long.

Hmm.

Probably not.

But between the admiring gazes and the congratulatory speech, which made Julia feel more regretful, it was surprisingly the latter.

It was a less significant sentiment than I thought.

Even while thinking this, Julia’s lips were forming a gentle smile. The Chancellor is a wise person. There was no reason at all to treat him coldly.

Only after the handshake, degree conferment, and even the photo taking could Julia come down from the platform.

The subsequent degree conferment ceremony was a bit boring.

Sitting quietly back in her seat, she couldn’t help but think so.

The Frauvian Federal University of Magic had the wisdom to have non-outstanding graduates receive their degrees separately, but apparently lacked the flexibility to recommend interrupting the guest speaker’s lengthy speech midway.

Unconsciously, her habit slipped out. Humming.

“♬♪― Ah.”

She reflexively closed her lips again.

It was quite an impolite behavior, and she had realized a few months ago that this habit pops out not only when she’s happy but also when she’s anxious.

Fortunately, thanks to her stopping quickly, the nearby students didn’t seem to have guessed that Julia had been humming.

So, Julia calmly contemplated her anxiety.

Why was she anxious?

The answer to the question could be known soon.

The degree conferment ceremony ended. Of course, this only meant the end of the official program, and for students, this time to share their feelings with friends and family was rather like the main event.

While everyone was getting up from their seats and heading somewhere, Julia remained seated.

It’s simple. There’s no need to stand up.

Because there’s no one to meet.

Her father seemed to have some business that was difficult to cancel. He would come only after the degree conferment ceremony ended.

Eugene?

He must be busy.

“……Ah.”

This is it.

The reason for feeling regretful and the source of anxiety. Even the reason why both felt trivial.

For Julia, solitude is quite familiar.

It’s a self-contradictory statement. Because there’s a familiar counterpart to solitude, therefore Julia is not solitary.

It’s a play on words, but that was the truth. Even when responding to occasional greetings, even when sitting alone, Julia wasn’t that lonely.

She was satisfied just sitting quietly, ruminating on the slight regret of parting with the University of Magic where she had accumulated many memories.

But.

“……”

Why?

Julia suddenly realized that she was looking around.

Won’t he come?

Well.

He’s busy.

I heard he’s been even busier lately.

That’s mean.

Even if she complained like a child, nothing changed. The surroundings were noisy, and the clearly noticeable gray hair was not in sight.

When she was quietly sighing…

“……?”

A familiar scent brushed her nose.

It’s the scent of her room.

Roses.

Just as thoughts like ‘But it’s not even March yet’ were passing through her mind, Julia realized this was an illusion stemming from her vision.

What was held in the hand stretching out from behind was a single blue rose.

There’s no way it could have a scent.

Nevertheless, Julia turned around with wide eyes.

She was no longer regretful at all.

“Eugene.”

He replied.

“Congratulations on your graduation.”

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Thanks for reading this set of five! That derivation in the previous chapter was not easy but I’m glad they detailed the important steps. As you may have noticed in the previous chapter, Eugene has just derived Einstein’s famous E = mc^2 equation, relating mass of a particle to its energy. In reality, this equation was used in the development of the atomic bomb, further hinting that war is imminent in the plot.

The delay in publishing this set was primarily due to the aforementioned derivation, so see you in the next set of five later today!