Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

Universities are fundamentally profit-oriented organizations.

Some may attach secular commentary to this definition, but in the end, the meaning of the sentence is clear.

Like most profit-oriented organizations, universities must also struggle to maintain their lifeline.

Thus, university officials recruit professors and lecturers.

Just as companies stake their lives on profits, universities stake theirs on reputation.

Unless they have symbolic significance from their founder like the Frauvian Federal University of Magic, a university’s reputation depends on how excellent an output they produce, and the role of professors as researchers and educators is crucial.

It’s obvious how meticulously university officials would choose these people who are like lifelines to them.

[ Lecturer Appointment Offer ]

[ University of Vals ]

Therefore, what this letter means is as follows: ‘You are an exceptionally outstanding scholar. We will give you honor, so please dedicate yourself to our university.’

A golden opportunity that a young scholar shouldn’t miss.

Faced with this opportunity, I…

“……”

…fell into a small dilemma.

#May 14th. Clear.

The reason honor is valuable is similar to precious metals. Scarcity.

Therefore, refusing honor when you can have it might sound like saying “I don’t need a gold ring. Accessories are uncomfortable.” It means it’s unpleasant to look at.

I didn’t need to make much effort to prove my guess.

Werner glared at me with an unpleasant expression.

“You should accept it immediately. What are you pondering about?”

“Well……”

“Theorist, even you must have been longing for a lecturer position. Moreover, if it’s the University of Vals, it’s near Frauzen. You could commute comfortably. It seems good to become independent on this occasion.”

“That’s too much.”

I raised my head while sitting on the bench.

The appropriately cast tree shade blocked the sunlight. Thanks to that, I could take in the color of the sky without burden.

The bench in front of the Experimental Building of the University of Magic.

The lush campus scenery and two men steeped in research don’t match at all, but to have a conversation outside of research with Werner, who stays in the lab almost constantly, I had to forcibly drag him outside. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Facing Werner, who was squinting as if he were mortal enemies with the sun, I said:

“Answer me seriously. You’re part of the reason for my concern.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m a person who has decided to dedicate my life to experiments. Don’t propose to me, do it to the cane woman—”

Among the various methods to make others shut their mouths, the most efficient is the use of physical force.

I extended my fist, and Werner’s mouth efficiently closed as his side was hit.

I continued my explanation to my friend who had finally assumed a listening posture.

“Yes. It’s because of that experiment.”

“Urgh…… Experiment?”

“If I become a lecturer at the University of Vals, it would be difficult for me to help with your experiment.”

The experiment Werner is conducting and I’m helping with…

This experiment, aiming to ‘Identify the possibility of matter-magic conversion,’ which might seem absurd at first glance, has gotten on track more steadily than I thought.

The experimental equipment, which started full-scale operation around March, has been operating stably except for a few malfunctions.

That’s not all. Not only has the patent application for the experimental equipment been completed but the paper containing the conversion equation born from the pile of papers has been published with me and Werner as co-authors.

The reason I received a lecturer appointment offer is probably not unrelated to that achievement.

“I think it’s more that the true value of the two papers published in the 《Magic Studies Yearbook》 is only now being revealed. It caused quite a stir, after all.”

“Anyway. To become a lecturer, I’d have to leave the University of Magic. But I didn’t intend to help with your experiment only to abandon it midway.”

I let out a light sigh.

It was because the tension had eased.

“I came prepared to bow and apologize, but I didn’t expect you to tell me to accept it first.”

“Hmm. Certainly, it would be troublesome if you left.”

“Yes……”

“Magic scholars are quite frail, you see. It’s regrettable to lose a hard worker with good stamina like you.”

“Huh.”

With a hollow laugh, I turned my head, and Werner’s face with one corner of his mouth raised came into view.

Werner said generously:

“Theorist. You’ve been more than helpful. Just for making my vague wish concrete, I should be the one thanking you.”

“Well.”

I quietly closed my eyes.

I didn’t say it, but without Werner, I probably wouldn’t have been able to adapt to the University of Magic so easily.

The total amount of favor received is probably much greater on my side.

But he won’t demand compensation for the favor.

I will be the same.

I continued speaking with a grin.

“Indeed, it would be hard to find a worker as good as me. It’ll be too late to regret after I leave. This is your last chance to hold me back, what do you think?”

“Pfft, it doesn’t matter. But you should come as an observer for the conclusion of the experiment. Because it’s an experiment you and I started together.”

Werner said this while extending his hand to me.

A handshake request.

It was quite unexpected. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

When I grasped that hand after a slight hesitation…

Suddenly, Werner stood up and started heading towards the inside of the Experimental Building, tightly gripping my hand.

I shouted while being dragged along:

“W-what are you doing?”

“I should make the most use of you before you go.”

“Huh?”

“Three days. Help for just three days before you go.”

It was clear that this was to make the most use of me before I left, and that these three days wouldn’t include the worker-friendly system called commuting.

But it felt wrong to shake off that hand.

After all, this would be the last research I do with Werner.

“……Hey. Let go. I’ll walk on my own.”

“Fine by me. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

I moved my feet with a slight smile.

Of course, I couldn’t maintain that smile until I staggered out of the Experimental Building three days later, but…

I walked, feeling the cool breeze.

There was still someone I needed to discuss this decision with.

Even until I left the Experimental Building and headed towards the street, the sky maintained a soft hue of blue.

Although the far side of the sky was slowly turning red like sand flowing down an hourglass, there would be enough time to look around the street.

The shopping district.

I was lost in thought while walking down the familiar street.

Unlike Werner’s advice to ‘become independent,’ even if I accept the lecturer position, I won’t immediately move my residence to Vals where the University of Vals is located.

Not yet.

It’s only been four months since Benjamin and Dorothy returned from the Empire.

With the eldest daughter, Louise, staying at her research lab and the second daughter, Dorothy, staying at the military base… If I leave too…

The two-story house that had just become lively again would become quiet once more.

I’ll become independent someday, but not now.

There are still many things to talk about with Benjamin.

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, I felt that the nuance of the word ‘someday’ was different from usual.

It was a word I usually used for matters without a set date, but its usage now was quite different. It’s a ‘someday’ with a promise.

To be precise, it would be when I’m recognized as a lecturer at the University of Vals and have established a foundation for living.

Now that the tumult has quieted down, if my position as a magic scholar becomes solid, there would be nothing more to hold me back.

For example…

Things like taking a step forward from being lovers…

At that moment…

“Waaah―!”

“W-wait a moment!”

Due to the sudden commotion, I had to hide my startled expression.

A girl running from the opposite direction whizzed past me, and someone who looked like her mother chased after the child with an urgent expression.

It’s an everyday scene.

One that can be seen on any street.

And one that I, as a boy, couldn’t even dream of.

“……”

Johannes’ words come to mind.

Building a home, getting a house, getting married, an ordinary life…

Every time I chewed over each of these words, I felt my chest area heating up.

It’s the season of fresh greenery. Even as half the sky was dyed in a color resembling her hair, the temperature was warm, and perhaps because I grew up under gloomy skies, my blood might heat up more easily than ordinary people.

The source of this inexplicable heat might be because of that.

The ordinary life that Johannes called his dream.

I added one more thing to it.

Someday…

When my back is bent and wrinkles are etched on her forehead…

Under the same roof, basking in the fireplace flames together, holding a cup of tea in one hand, with a smile on my lips…

I will reveal my origins as if talking about trivial matters.

Without any fear.

I would nonchalantly talk about the hardships of my childhood, and she would play along, saying “How many decades have you been hiding this?” even though she already knows everything.

Wouldn’t that make for quite a nice tea-time topic?

“……Oh my.”

At that point, I quickened my pace.

The sunset was gradually gaining strength. At this rate, it would become dark in the blink of an eye.

It’s too early to discuss the realization of dreams. It would take at least a few months to nearly a year before I can discuss independence, so I should temper my excitement.

I hurried. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

And when the sky was completely dyed in darkness, I carefully put a box containing a ring into my bag.

It was an engagement ring.

I didn’t want to make Julia anxious anymore.

However, when I arrived at the jewelry store, as they were just about to start closing…

…Some things happened that made the store manager’s kindness in delaying the closing time for me seem futile.

Still, with imagination befitting a magic scholar—though I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to use it for this—I managed to figure out the circumference of Julia’s slender fingers by recalling them and finally succeeded in making the purchase.

“Phew.”

With a sigh, I shook off the tension and took out the box again to glance at the ring.

There’s no particular decoration.

It’s a plain silver ring without even a pattern, let alone precious stones.

Julia’s silver cane might be ten times more expensive than this ring, but it couldn’t be helped.

I didn’t use the sponsorship money.

If she asks directly, I’ll dismiss it as a joke, but I really planned to use that sponsorship money as a deposit for marriage funds.

This was the best I could do with my pure assets, that is, three months’ worth of researcher’s salary.

But, well.

I smiled slightly.

This is enough.

It’s perfectly suitable for a new start for two misfits.

Rather, if there was a problem, it was how to give it to her, but that was the very concern I wanted to postpone.

Click―

“I’m home.”

In the end, I opened the front door without reaching a conclusion.

It was my first return home in three whole days.

While inwardly cursing Werner, the cause of this, as I was arranging my shoes, I realized that the Oslo family landscape had changed quite a bit in three days.

It’s late afternoon but early night. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

The two-story house, which should be noisy with dinner preparations, was too quiet.

There was no sign of anyone, and all the candles and mana lamps were turned off. It’s as if the whole family had gone out at once.

I hadn’t heard anything about this.

I took out my grimoire and chanted quietly.

“[Ray].”

The blue light that should move straight ahead spreads out.

As the darkness hastily retreated, I put down my bag near the entrance and slowly moved my feet.

Upon reaching the kitchen, I found a white piece of paper placed on the dining table.

Probably a letter left for me by Lena.

I quickly read through it, written in urgent handwriting, and immediately rushed back out the front door.

The hospital is far. To arrive before the night deepened, I had to run.

I ran.