The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 293: Locking The Door After The Horse Is Gone (15)

Chapter 293: Locking The Door After The Horse Is Gone (15)
0% The Iring plains instantly turned into a sea of fire.
The army of 500 000 were surrounded in layers, with no breakthroughs to be found. Wherever they looked, mushroom clouds were rising.
“What the hell–”
The soldiers couldn’t say more than three words.
Their bodies turned transparent like they had drunk a contrast medium, because an enormous number of x-rays passed through their bodies.
The soldiers on the edges died instantly, and the rest began suffering severe burns of third -degree or greater. The sound of terrible cries was heard everywhere.
“Damn it....”
Ifrit, being the Fire Elemental King, was still standing on his feet, but he didn’t know how long he would last.
Being an Elemental didn’t mean they could completely ignore the laws of physics. The radiation was more powerful than they had imagined. His spiritual form was already breaking down.
Secuel, I should have listened to you.”
He regretted it in hindsight, but it changed nothing.
Then there was a second explosion, this time even closer.
“......!!”
And that location was right where Ifrit himself was.
Oxidized ashes burst into the sky in a grand finale.
**
After all the explosions were over.
There was the sound of mirrors cracking with every step on the vitrified field.
It was the Demon King who gently descended onto the cooled earth. He strolled through the devastated plain like he was taking a walk in a park.
Then he discovered something.
The Elemental King of Fire Magic, Ifrit’s body.
“Tough bastard.”
He was dead without a doubt, but unlike the soldiers who vanished without a trace, he was retaining his form as if buried in volcanic ash.
“I buried twenty-five units beneath your feet to kill you.”
He made a hundred bombs, even overworking Jǫrmungandr to do so.
Twenty-five to take down Ifrit. Another twenty-five to surround the area. And another fifty to narrow down the encirclement.
That was how many catastrophes had stained the Iring plains black.
“That could have been a disaster.”
The Demon King gently stepped on Ifrit’s corpse and dropped his head.
“Well, Ifrit.”
The corner of the Demon King’s mouth twisted grotesquely.
“What was the rush?”
A memory of the past twinkled like a star in the night sky, a memory that was now romanticized enough to be washed away with a drink.
In that memory, the Demon King was under Ifrit’s feet. It was right before he was sealed in the seal stone.
“I said at the time, didn’t I. Life is about waiting, and waiting some more....”
The Demon King had waited a thousand years.
Despite having the capability and talent to have the Elemental Realm engulfed in an even greater hellfire, he deliberately let himself go into the Goddess’ Lodestone and went to sleep.
Because he had judged at the time that while he had the ability to kill the Elemental Kings, he didn’t have the skills to kill the Goddess as well.
And so he endured for what seemed like an eternity.
“How sad.”
No matter how strong an entity he was, he was nothing more than a weakling before this weapon called Dark Day.
When he confirmed that the Elemental King was dead, the Demon King no longer doubted Winter Heaven’s ability.
This was her true Innate Magic.
“You shouldn’t have let your guard down like me, shouldn’t you?”
With that, the conversation was over.
The Demon King no longer used his mouth for speaking. He lifted both hands, taking one to his chin, the other to the roof of his mouth.
Then he bent his arms grotesquely and opened his mouth at an obtuse angle. An abyss came up to the surface that was nothingness itself.
Tentacles, and countless teeth.
It was more like a giant mucous membrane of an organism than a human or animal mouth.
Rotating the roof of his bumpy mouth like that of a sevengill shark, the Demon King kept belching as he began absorbing the Elemental King.
Like a boa devouring an elephant, he slowly but relentlessly consumed Ifrit.
“
Buuuuuuuurp
.”
The three-hour meal came to an end...
And nothing was left in the Iring plains.
**
It had been a month and a half of freeloading at Leninya’s place.
Many people came knocking in that time. The Speaker of Parliament dropped by some days ago, and just yesterday the Minister of the Interior asked for a meeting.
Of course, I didn’t go out, using weakened mental capacity as an excuse.
“Miss....”
Leninya, who brought out bread and soup, asked carefully.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go out?”
“I already told you many times. I can’t research anymore because I’m tired.”
Letting out a sigh, I took a bite of the barley bread she gave me. The food was a little better than what I had as a slave.
“You’re doing calligraphy again today. Is it really that good for your inner calm?”
“It really is.”
“Yet you’re writing dozens of papers a day.”
“......Because I’m that anxious.”
Leninya’s eyes narrowed.
“Liar. You’re actually researching aren’t you.”
“.......”
“See, you’re bad at lying, Miss.”
“What, it’s not research.”
Knock, knock.
“Look. They’re back again because you won’t meet with them.”
They were really persistent.
“Send them away.”
It wasn’t time yet.
For the Golden-Eyed to become equal with them, the leader of the administration needed to come. Only then would there be room for compromise.
Until then, I had no intention of talking with them even if a knife was held to my throat.
- His Excellency the President wishes to see Miss Aether!
“...Is what they’re saying.
“.......”
What, why was he actually here.
Even if I sent back everyone else, I couldn’t turn away the head of a country. If I did, then I really would have no side.
“Are you going to go out?”
“...Yeah.”
“I’ll go open it.”
While Leninya went to the front door, I loosened my hair and just tied it up roughly at the back.
As I grabbed three shabby chairs and waited, a neatly-dressed elf appeared.
“I am the spokesperson of the Democratic Republic of Kaurelia, Dwight Eisen. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He nodded slightly and offered a handshake. I paused for an adequate moment and returned the handshake.
“...I’m Aether.”
I ran through a bunch of calculations while we shook hands.
The country’s spokesperson rather than the President, eh. He sure was humbling himself.
For what....
“I apologize for the sudden visit. Here, I will introduce everyone in order starting with this side. First, we have the Minister of Economy.......”
Then followed a short exchange of greetings with the high-ranking government officials. I didn’t know what was happening, but it seemed he brought all the ministers with him.
“And lastly, this is the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. So with this, 41 ministers and 27 senior officials have come to meet you.”
“...What brings you to this lowly place?”
I first asked to feel them out.
But as soon as I did, the officials began going down on their knees one by one.
And the President was no exception. He knelt on the cold floor which wasn’t appropriate for his rank and bowed his head deeply.
“...Please help us, Miss!”
They just began bowing like that, and it wasn’t Kaurelia’s unique etiquette.
It looked to be from the Empire.
They learned the etiquette of the Philiut Empire and were using it on me. It seemed they were recognizing me as an Imperial.
Having received the Empire’s version of dogeza from all the leaders of the country, I was rendered speechless from bewilderment.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
The President especially. He hadn’t shown his face even once all this time and here he was now, begging.
“Miss, we’ve been ignorant fools this whole time, and now Kaurelia will be doomed without your help. We’ll pay the price, so please have mercy on us......!”
“Mercy? I don’t have the ability to help you, as you can see with the way I am.”
These last few days, I slept sparsely with the excuse that I had anxiety.
Thanks to that, I had deep shadows beneath my eyes. My hair was also oily from not having washed it for a while. I basically looked like a zombie.
“I heard about it. If you aren’t doing well.... If you’re having trouble sleeping, then we’ll see to it that you have free access to our health care services.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I really can’t.”
“Miss...!”
Bam, bam, baaam.
The officials including the President all banged their heads on the ground. Leninya shut her mouth in shock, and I also was at a loss for words.
To think that I’d get to see this world’s version of a kowtow ritual.
And from the race who were supposed to be the most elitist!
“I’ll say it again, but the future of our nation rests on you. So we’ll give you as much power as possible!”
“Then wouldn’t that be against the country’s laws? Aren’t you the boss of this country, Your Excellency?”
“How could the President be the boss of a democracy? Don’t say such things! The country belongs to the people, and as long as you’re in Kaurelia, you are also a citizen and entitled to your rights!!”
It sounded fallacious, but it was pretty good.
“But what you just showed me was Imperial etiquette.”
“We were giving respect in that manner as you are from the Empire. If you wish, we’ll change to Kaurelian etiquette and.......”
“No, that’s fine.”
“Then will you help us...?”
“Am I the only person? There’s sure to be those who will object to me helping you.”
For example, the ones currently in the opposition party, or the elves who supported th드.
“If that’s the case, it has already been resolved.”
Then the Minister of Administration held out an article.
It was a survey I had already seen a few times before.
[Q. What do you think about former Winter Heaven Aether?]
[1. She is not a Beast and is a decent person : 64%]
[2. Although she is a Beast, I think she is decent : 33%]
[3. Although she is an evil Beast, we need to cooperate with her for the sake of the current war situation : 2%]
[4. She is evil and must be executed or banished immediately : 0%]
“As you can see, you can count the number of people who are opposed to you on one hand. The people are welcoming you with arms wide open!”
I let out a sigh after reading the statistics.
There was no way the survey would change like this in two weeks. They must have taken the sample wrong or manipulated the statistics to their advantage.
“...You may think it was manipulated, but it wasn’t.”
“Miss Aether, Lord Ifrit was killed by the Demon King last night─!!”
My eyes widened into 500-won coins.
What, the Fire Elemental King died?
“I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“We placed an embargo. Because it could be a disaster if this got out to the people....”
“Wait, even so....”
“Please help us, Miss!!”
“......Huuuh.”
What a conundrum.