The Magic Academy's Physicist-Chapter 299: The Last Lie (2)

Chapter 299: The Last Lie (2)
0% After having a drink with Klais, there was nothing more to feel bothered about.
With this, most of the relationships were sorted out. All that remained was defeating the Demon King and saying goodbye to this world.
Saying goodbye was going to be the hardest part, actually, but that wasn’t an immediate concern.
I arrived at the superconductivity research lab with Klais.
“What’s the progress?”
“We’re testing all possible combinations of materials as you said, Minister.”
It would take a long time to find a material that exhibits superconductivity at around 100 degrees celsius based on theory.
The Demon Army was right at the doorstep. There wasn’t a single second to waste.
And so the method chosen was ‘number of cases’.
Which was literally creating every possible material, then slowly lowering the temperature of the lab environment and seeing at which point they started exhibiting superconductivity.
It was a simple and ignorant way, and a huge waste of resources.
Furthermore, some materials were a pain just to make.
But did you know?
Money made things possible in the world.
As long as you had a shit ton of time and budget, you at least got results. That was what R&D was.
“We’ve currently discovered superconductivity around room temperature from the beryllium, tantalum, and osmium families.”
“The barometric conditions?”
“About 15 000 times the atmospheric pressure of the continent.”
“Not bad. Keep looking for other materials as well.”
Kaurelia was a resource-rich country.
As long as there was money, they could get elements from anywhere.
Except for one–the pitchblende stones that were difficult to acquire outside of Elankaya regions. And that was why I couldn’t make Dark Day the normal way.
In the end, I had to draw a nuclear fusion reaction with magnetic fields and lasers.
“I’ve been thinking about something, Minister.”
“What is it?”
“What you said while we drank last night.......”
Come to think of it, we did have drunken discussions.
I remembered that Klais and I laid out advanced thaumaturgy books and scrap paper and worked out a bunch of formulas.
“Based on what you said then, isn’t lithium deuteride not necessary?”
Amazingly, Klais remembered said conversation.
They say that a person turned into a mess and lost their memories in their drunken antics, but we were a bit different. Although we didn’t remember the exact tone with which we talked, we had a clear recollection of what we talked about.
What I had said at the time was why a superconductor was needed and how to create a nuclear reaction using Flare’s inductive amplification.
“You said at that first meeting we needed three things to make that happen: a superconductor, lithium, and lasers.”
“And?”
“Pitchblende is necessary in order to use lithium as a catalyst. But most pitchblende ores are currently in the Demon Army’s possession.”
It was an astute observation.
After looking around, I whispered.
“...That’s right.”
Klais’ mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Her lost, flustered eyes swept back and forth between me and the surroundings.
“We already have miners mining lithium. And plants are being built with the budget......!”
“Shh. Quiet.”
I brought my finger to my mouth and gestured for her to calm down.
Klais just stared like she still didn’t understand.
She, unlike her father, seemed to have no idea what was going on.
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
“.......”
This would seem like a waste for Klais who wanted to take down the Demon King as soon as possible.
So telling her now wasn’t going to change anything.
“Do you believe me, Miss?”
This was all I could say instead.
“...What are you saying, all of a sudden, like some cult.”
“If you believe me, you’ll be blessed. Perhaps not now, but certainly in the future.”
By the time I disappear from this world, then surely.
**
“Aether, come with me to the hospital.”
When I came home, that was what Lotte said.
I panicked for a moment.
“Are you sick?”
No wonder Lotte wasn’t looking well. She seemed even worse than me who was still feeling the aftereffects of drinking.
“You should’ve told me. I would’ve taken you right away.”
“No, it’s not me.”
“What? Then who is it?”
“You, I’m talking about you.”
Eyes narrowed like a wolf targeting its prey.
As someone who had been around Lotte for a long time, I recognized what this sign was.
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you.”
I stayed calm under that sharp, dagger-like gaze.
No, I was feigning calm, to be exact.
“Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself when you’re actually sick?”
“No, I’m not.”
“What do you mean no!”
Tap
–Lotte’s hands came upon my face.
Then she began rubbing at my eyes both thumbs.
“Look at these bags! How could they have come from a human!”
“Lotte, you know I’m not human.”
“How could you say that?”
Not human.
Although it was true, it would have been heartbreaking for a longtime friend to hear.
It was the result of blurting it out without filtering due to momentary panic.
Frowning hard, Lotte tugged on my hand.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
And so I was dragged to the nearby academy hospital.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.”
What.
Was the doctor a quack.
“What do you mean, you’re not sure....”
“I’ve treated humans before, but never a Beast. Um.... I don’t mean to sound rude, Minister, but we all have different body structures, don’t we?”
Lotte shot daggers at the doctor, but I stepped in between the two and chuckled.
“It isn’t rude at all; it’s a specialist’s opinion.”
“I appreciate it.”
When sick, humans went to the hospital, and machines went to the mechanic. But where was someone both machine and human supposed to go?
I was curious about that, actually. I did have biological properties considering I also caught colds, but how much would this world’s medicine work?
“Personally, I think you should discuss this with the Elemental Kings. There’s a good chance that it’s a curse.”
“...Is that, so.”
Lotte’s shoulders slumped.
The doctor wrote a note and gave it to the nurse, and that was it. We left the hospital without an answer.
Lotte, who pondered for a while in front of the emergency room, spoke up like she had decided.
“We should go see the Elemental King.”
What.
“...Now?”
“When else would we go?”
And so, I was dragged to where the Water Elemental King resided.
Holy shit. This was tons harder than when we went shopping together.
“...Oh my. What brings you here?”
Secuel, the Water Elemental King, had been breaking down seawater at a hydrogen treatment facility. She stopped what she was doing and came over to us.
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
“You are.... a friend of the minister. Alright, a moment is fine.”
Normally, an entity like the Elemental King didn’t just meet with anyone, but this was quite the urgent situation.
Plus my sister was the next Elemental King of Elec Magic, so even Secuel had to spare us time.
“...Bleeding dark red blood. I see, so that’s what happened.”
After hearing the story, Secuel glanced over and gave me a look.
“Could it be a curse from the Demon King?”
“If it’s a life-threatening curse, I don’t really sense one.”
Then added that if there was, the ‘Curse of Ironization’ was about it.
“You said you went to hospital. Didn’t the doctor say something along these lines? Or that there’s a problem with the lungs.......”
“He said that there was a possibility, but didn’t know the exact cause.”
“We Elementals aren’t all-powerful, either. All we can detect is evil energy and good intentions. If it’s just an illness and not a curse, there isn’t much I can tell you either.”
“Is that so....”
Lotte’s shoulders slumped once again.
Her gaze dropped helplessly to the ground. Secuel took the opportunity to warn me with a disapproving sound.
- Why did you go and get caught?
–was what she seemed to be saying.
In fact, Secuel and I both knew the cause of my bleeding.
This was a sign of death and reconstruction–the process of erasing this world’s body and sending it to another world.
It was basically the ‘file’ making up my body disappearing bit by bit. And so the person deleting might not be aware, but it was painful for the one being deleted.
It was only summer so there were still a few more months to go. Maybe I’d be able to hold out until next spring, at least.
My wish was to finish Dark Day by autumn, then after defeating the Demon King in winter, tell the truth and disappear in Lotte’s arms in spring.
Of course, Lotte would beat the hell out of me when the time came.
But now wasn’t the time to tell her, at least.
“I think you were mistaken, Lotte. I’m completely fine.”
She was devoted to the point of throwing herself in front of Ectoplasm’s shadow. How would she react if she learned that I became terminal because of her?
She’d bawl like crazy for sure. Then she’d go to the Elemental Spring, and get my life back in exchange for hers.
That could never happen.
And so I lie.
“I’m fine.”
‘The bags are just from being tired. I have a lot going on nowadays, right?’ Although I was feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep yesterday, that was the excuse I gave.
“......Okay.”
She seemed to have given up, thankfully.
Just in case. I felt a need to change the subject before she mentioned it again.
Ifrit was dead, and the Water King Secuel and Earth King Gnome had pulled all the way to the back, putting their all into hastening the completion of Dark Day.
Then where did the Wind Elemental King go?
“Do you know where that wanton.... I mean, Lady Aeriel went?”
“Mm, do you mean the Wind King?”
Arms crossed under her chest, Secuel pondered.
“Do you absolutely need Aerial?”
“We need high-pressure settings when making superconductors. If she could help, things will progress quickly.”
“Well, hmm.... She’s a free spirit. She’s literally like the wind so it’s hard to keep her in one place.”
The first and last time I met Aerial was during the Leviathan takedown.
Now that I think about it, that pervert had shown interest in Vermel.
And Vermel was dragged off to the frontlines not long ago.
“......No way.”
For a moment, a sense of foreboding came over me.
At this rate, another Elemental King was going to die.