Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

Lieutenant Zeller spoke in a displeased tone.

“Of all places, a train station without a waiting room… The issue regarding the train’s delay is being looked into by Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich, so it should be resolved soon. Aren’t you cold, Doctor?”

“No.”

“…That’s fortunate.”

The lieutenant smiled artificially.

He was originally a cheerful person, but it was difficult to smile naturally even in the biting wind and fatigue.

Especially when his conversation partner hadn’t opened his mouth once during the entire journey so far.

There was a limit to saying things he didn’t mean.

Lieutenant Zeller looked at Eugene’s profile while putting warm tea into his stomach.

An expressionless face. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

To Lieutenant Hans Zeller, who once aspired to be a magic scholar before turning to the military, Eugene Oslo seemed to perfectly embody the ideal scholar he had imagined.

The intellect to achieve top entrance and graduation.

Genius ideas, and the practical ability and perseverance to theorize and present them.

Although he approached Eugene as a subject for ideological verification, the more he investigated, the more respect he felt toward him.

If the Federal government had known his passion for the academe, they would have immediately withdrawn their suspicions of him being an agent.

Even in the situation of going to the Leslie National Laboratory, Lieutenant Zeller was confident that he would remain an ideal scholar.

He was wrong.

That profile was empty throughout the journey.

There was only a young man who would be alone, separated from family and lover.

But it wasn’t Lieutenant Zeller’s duty to care about that, and it didn’t seem necessary to care. Because he was now looking at the tracks with a more lively appearance compared to the past few days.

His eyes were focused clearly.

The lieutenant, considering his goodwill conveyed by handing over warm tea, asked formally.

“Once we board this train, we’ll arrive at Leslie Station. It should take about ten hours to reach the National Laboratory. Do you have any more questions about the laboratory?”

Eugene answered without looking at the lieutenant.

“Is contact with people outside the laboratory possible? Things like mail or telegrams?”

“Limitedly. There’s a set number of times, and in the case of mail, the laboratory will check the contents.”

“Do they censor love letters too?”

Lieutenant Zeller almost marveled at the thought that he was capable of making jokes.

It was a dramatic contrast to how he had been silently looking out the window throughout the journey to the laboratory.

He answered towards Eugene, who still wasn’t looking his way.

“Well. I suppose so.”

“…Then, I guess I’ll have to apologize in person. A censored love letter wouldn’t convey sincere words.”

The context of the conversation has been strangely off since earlier.

Just like how his gaze is off.

“What do you mean? Anyway, you’ve been staring blankly, what exactly are you looking at―”

Lieutenant Zeller sighed as he followed Eugene’s gaze and…

Immediately after, he too found himself staring blankly across the tracks.

The dim night sky.

The night sky under a new moon, with even starlight obscured by clouds, wasn’t emitting any light, and even the city landscape, despite its prosperity, lacked mana lamp facilities, so light was scarce on land too. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Therefore, the outside of the railway station should have been filled with darkness, but…

“What’s that?”

Lieutenant Zeller opened his eyes wide.

Up there in the sky.

In the starless sky, there was a light source flickering instead of stars.

Blink, blink. 

It flickered at regular intervals.

When Professor Klaus Müller, who was staying in the north-central part of Oslovya for a conference, received an urgent message, at first he didn’t understand at all how it was urgent.

[ Father, it’s me ]

[ I have a request ]

To summarize the contents of the telegram that started with this simple preface:

‘Please raise a light sphere in the sky and express the following message in telegraph code so that it reaches the neighboring city.’

No details were written.

But Klaus Müller left the ongoing conference and headed to the rooftop of the building.

Even if he didn’t know what it was, his daughter had urgently requested it.

And there’s not much that can make an old father feel more worthwhile than granting his daughter’s request.

“It’s urgent, huh.”

Klaus thought about what reason his daughter might have for this to be urgent, and immediately could recall the face of one student.

“…I guess I was too kind to him.”

When he returns to Frauzen, he’ll thoroughly teach that gray-haired student what a professor’s reprimand is like.

With that resolve, Klaus quietly chanted towards the sky.

“[Firefly].”

A star rose.

A star made up of thousands of twinkles.

Eventually, Klaus, who instantly unified the blinking cycle just like real fireflies do, checked once more the content he needed to express.

“Long. Short. Long. Short.”

Blink, blink.

I took a deep breath and stared at the star that had risen far away.

That star was blinking.

It was strange. Unlike the explanation of pulsating variable stars written in the astronomy section of the encyclopedia, the blinking cycle of that star was short, about a few seconds.

Above all.

The old knowledge deeply ingrained in my mind was saying.

That’s a signal. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“C. O. M…”

Light flashing for one second for short and three seconds for long.

Since the light caught my eye while waiting for the train, I had been interpreting it based on the Telegraph Code System. Even while Lieutenant Zeller was chattering beside me, I responded vaguely.

It took nearly two minutes to complete one cycle, so it took a long time to verify if I had interpreted it incorrectly.

As a result of completing the interpretation…

I discovered that the blinking starlight was repeatedly displaying two words.

[ C O M E ]

[ H O M E ]

I don’t think it’s part of a military operation or aimed at someone else.

After all, as far as I know, there’s only one magic scholar in the entire Federation who can create such a large light source in the sky.

“…”

I looked up at the sky.

Whose initiative could it be?

It can’t be just Professor Müller. He doesn’t know much about this situation.

It must be a collaboration between someone who knows my circumstances and someone who knows Professor Müller’s location.

The former is Benjamin, and the latter is Julia.

The friendship between the two isn’t that deep.

There must have been someone who acted as a bridge. Like Lena, for instance.

It doesn’t seem likely that Lena and Julia would have devised a plan in completely different places.

They probably did it in the Oslo family’s duplex house, and everyone living in that house must have contributed.

In other words…

“Everyone.”

Does it mean everyone wants me to return?

I rubbed my face with my dry hands, forgetting that Lieutenant Zeller was beside me. I closed my eyes and imagined Julia’s face.

Perhaps thanks to remembering her face in detail before leaving…

Her image vividly appeared in the darkness.

Among my few talents, my imagination was once again being used unnecessarily.

Even with my eyes closed, Julia appeared as if she were right in front of me. I looked at that face and…

I could face Julia’s ordinarily sulky expression.

I opened my eyes.

COME HOME.

Was my choice wrong?

Do they want me to return somehow?

I want to do that too.

But that’s the result exchanged for providing medicine to Benjamin.

Aside from the fact that it’s difficult to reverse the decision now that we’ve almost reached the laboratory, if I choose house arrest, Benjamin will…

Benjamin will……… [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Benjamin.

My father is…

“Ah.”

I stood up abruptly from the bench.

“W-what is it?”

Lieutenant Zeller asked me in surprise.

He must have been startled by someone who had been like a living corpse for days suddenly standing up.

Regardless, I asked the lieutenant.

“When did Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich say he’d come?”

“The Lieutenant Colonel? He only said he’d be coming ‘soon’…”

It must mean there’s not much time left.

I sat back down on the bench, rested my chin on my hand, and started to agonize frantically.

“Think.”

Benjamin.

Julia.

Lena. 

My family and Professor Müller, why did they send me that message? 

Just to lament?

Not at all. 

They’re all people with genius.

There’s only one reason why they would say that.

Because there’s a way.

There’s a way to satisfy both returning to Frauzen and Benjamin’s treatment.

“Think!”

“W-what’s with the sudden outburst―”

Thump, thump.

With heavy footsteps, someone walked into the station.

There was no need to turn around to know who those footsteps belonged to.

Lieutenant Colonel Odilo Dietrich approached me.

“There’s life back in your eyes. Did something happen?”

“Lieutenant Colonel.”

“The train delay seems to have been due to some mistake. I was just resolving it. If nothing’s wrong, get ready. The train should arrive soon.”

“Lieutenant Colonel. I have one question.”

“A question?”

The wind blows. The cloudy sky brought fierce night winds sweeping across the ground.

The railway station is not free from that wind.

Amidst hundreds of wind streams swirling and resonating inside the station, Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich turned towards me. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“What question?”

“You gave me choices, didn’t you? I know that was the maximum kindness you could offer as a soldier.”

“I’m grateful you understand. But hurry and prepare—”

“But you’re also aware, aren’t you? That both choices were cruel.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I want to ask.”

While fiddling with the grimoire in my bosom, I took a step closer to the Lieutenant Colonel.

“You told me to choose between the greater good and family, right? Either not helping the war but abandoning my family to illness, or saving my family but contributing to the war. I chose family. Now, it’s my turn to ask.”

I asked while extending my fingers one by one.

“How about you, Lieutenant Colonel? Between the greater good and family. Which is right to choose?”

“…Are you asking the Federal Army Lieutenant Colonel, or Odilo Dietrich?”

“Either.”

The Lieutenant Colonel answered without hesitation.

“I would choose the greater good.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s a soldier’s duty, and the path to maintain the sense of mission I have as a human being.”

The Lieutenant Colonel tilted his chin. It probably meant ‘I’ve answered, so is that enough?’

Then, as he was about to move his feet…

Thud―

They didn’t leave the ground.

After several attempts, the Lieutenant Colonel looked at me again with flashing eyes.

“Dr. Oslo, you.”

I gripped the grimoire in my left hand more tightly.

“You’re wrong.”

“What?”

I showed my trembling right hand to the Lieutenant Colonel.

Index and middle finger.

A hand with only two fingers extended.

Simultaneously…

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO―

A thunderous sound shook the earth.

Rumble, rumble. 

The train that suddenly emerged from the darkness proved itself to be a steel monster 500 feet long with a loud whistle and emitting grand smoke.

A strong wind blew.

Sand-colored coattails and gray hair. As everything in sight fluttered, the light source floating far away in the sky also began to slowly disperse.

Eventually, the stopped train opened its mouth wide.

The boarding gate opened, revealing the compartment inside.

If I step up onto the stairs and sleep for a while, I could quickly approach the Leslie National Laboratory, the final destination of the past journey.

However.

No one here intended to board the train.

Because I remained still, and Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich and Lieutenant Zeller were in a state where they couldn’t move.

Confirming that scene, I painfully extended my thumb.

I said.

“It’s right to choose both the greater good and family.”

“…Dr. Oslo. That wasn’t in your options.”

“Let’s create it here and now.”

“What?”

“That’s what I learned life is.”

#October 21st. Rain.

On a day with unusually heavy rain…

On the day when the train invariably stopped at Orris Station in Frauzen…

In the corner of the front page of the newspaper published that day, there was an article that wasn’t very important but was quite interesting.

[ Magic scholar Eugene Oslo, who stirred up the academic world after a year, confesses Imperial origin… ‘Will dedicate myself to the development of Federal Magic Studies, Reactionary Government should not use the academe as an excuse for war’ ]

It’s unfortunate for the newspaper reporter who carefully crafted the headline, but newspapers get wet in the rain. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Due to the pouring rain, newspaper sales that day were poor. Therefore, the news written in the corner of the front page didn’t cause a stir.

However, steel doesn’t get wet in the rain.

The train that dared to depart despite the heavy rain arrived smoothly in Frauzen.

Thanks to that… 

“…”

I could see the glimpses of Frauzen’s scenery outside the window.