Rosalia put down her empty cup and left the secret room.
There was no answer, but Gerhard knew it was silent affirmation.
"Brother! Did I hear correctly? Is there really a demon seed among Professor Rosalia’s laboratory personnel?"
"No way, senior?"
"Correct."
"My goodness..."
"Weren’t all the demon seeds in the academy caught after that incident?"
"That incident? Ah, you mean when demon seeds attacked senior and others."
Jayce quickly grasped the situation.
"What exactly is happening?"
"There’s a demon seed in the laboratory, and that demon seed dared to tamper with the research I invested in."
"That’s really a gutsy guy. To dare touch brother’s money... Well, that’s why they’re a demon seed?"
"Wait. That research, isn’t it being submitted to the Continental Academic Conference, senior?"
The fact that Professor Rosalia was conducting research aiming for an academic conference presentation wasn’t much of a secret within the academy.
"If what senior says is true and that exploded at the academic conference...?"
"It’s extremely fortunate we discovered it beforehand. The problem is we don’t know exactly what went wrong. As you saw, even Professor Rosalia had no idea anything was strange."
"I don’t understand."
"What?"
"You noticed it first when the professor, who lives with her research, didn’t notice? Did His Majesty Dwarleo perhaps provide advice...?"
"I can’t tell you that."
It would be more accurate to say he couldn’t explain. It was more convenient than lying to the Order’s Saint with falsehoods that would eventually be exposed.
"Well, I understand. Brother isn’t someone who would lie about money. So what should I do?"
"I intend to do to everyone related to the laboratory what I did to Professor Rosalia."
"What about me?"
"This is interference that even Professor Rosalia couldn’t find. Hyde Armian, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made an issue of it."
At least he wouldn’t have chosen such a frontal assault.
Nothing was more foolish than shooting oneself in the foot by making issues without being able to prove them.
"...So I have to find traces of demonic energy that even the professor couldn’t find?"
Hyde asked haltingly again.
’Is it possible?’
<If demonic energy is involved even slightly, it’s definitely not impossible.>
Fortunately, the answer was yes.
==
"..."
When she first received the letter, and when the Order’s artifact was placed before her eyes. Rosalia Wienderk was angry.
But after returning to her office and exhaling a puff of smoke, she became calm as always.
Just as Gerhard had known her for a long time, the reverse was also true.
Would Gerhard talk nonsense about money?
No.
Would Gerhard try to pull out of research he had made massive investments in without reason?
No.
Would Gerhard talk nonsense about demon seeds?
No.
Would Gerhard call one of his important connections, Jayce Biance, and herself to talk nonsense?
That too was no.
Gerhard would...
All no.
And she reached a conclusion.
She extinguished the shortened cigarette and entered the laboratory.
"You’re here, Professor?"
"Are you finished with work?"
Rosalia roughly nodded and sat at her table.
A position where she could see the entire laboratory at a glance.
’There really is a demon seed among these.’
Five assistants.
There were more indirectly involved, but if someone were to directly interfere with her research, it would be none other than these five.
"Let’s stop here for today."
At her sudden words, everyone’s movements stopped and attention focused on her.
"But don’t we not have much leeway?"
"It doesn’t matter. It’s the final stage anyway. We haven’t slept properly for days, so having a day for reorganization would be better."
"If you say so..."
"Everyone go home and come tomorrow."
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Professor!"
The assistants disappeared with joy at the rare early dismissal.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing at all."
"Professor, you should rest too. You’re not going to tell us to rest and then research alone again, are you?"
Their eyes met. Aron smiled his usual kind smile.
Two women had become laboratory members caught by that face, with one more planned. That’s why he thought he was well-received...
"I’ll rest."
"Yes, then I’ll see you tomorrow morning."
Aron Praine.
She hadn’t suspected him at all, but if asked to pick the most suspicious person after hearing there was a demon seed, it would definitely be Aron.
The most outstanding person in the laboratory excluding Rosalia.
The person with the most authority in the laboratory excluding Rosalia.
’Was he hiding his abilities?’
Enough to deceive her completely?
’Did Gerhard really not lie?’
Honestly, she still couldn’t believe it. If it weren’t Gerhard, she would have made them pay for daring to insult her.
At least from her perspective, with her sensitivity, she couldn’t reveal anything.
Would Armian be different, as Gerhard said?
"It will be revealed soon."
Water droplets formed on her fingers.
Drip drip-
The droplets that fell onto the desk one by one didn’t soak in but maintained their form.
As they accumulated one by one, two, taking the form of a small bird.
Splash-
When she whispered softly to the bird, imbuing it with language, it froze with pure white coldness.
Eventually, the ice bird went outside through the window.
Rosalia stood up and approached her research.
Ice with a 5-meter diameter. The dense engravings and magic circles carved on its surface were the crystallization of research.
When she injected magical power to activate it, the engravings emitted light with gentle coldness.
"My research is wrong..."
This wasn’t simple research. It was her life’s work.
Hers, and furthermore, her family’s.
Something that could never go wrong, and must not go wrong.
The ice crystal, and another sphere too.
She examined and examined again.
As time passed and night fell.
Knock knock-
Visitors arrived.
"It’s open."
"You seem to have been checking continuously."
The door opened. The culprit who had confused Rosalia entered with a nonchalant face.
"Yes."
She caressed her research. Pleasant coldness and magical power brushed her skin.
"I checked and rechecked for hours."
Nevertheless.
"I found no abnormalities. Are your words really correct?"
"Well. May I take a look?"
She nodded.
Gerhard, Hyde, and Jayce examined the complexly intertwined engravings and magic circles.
"I still can’t tell no matter how I look."
"So?"
"But I never said I would find it in the first place, did I?"
"Right, you didn’t."
Everyone’s gaze turned to one place. Hyde, receiving the attention, let out an awkward laugh.
"Uh... What happens if I can’t find it?"
"I become a fool who told lies to the professor. In compensation, I’d have to double the research funding."
"...Aren’t you trusting me too much, senior?"
"I trust you."
"No..."
"I said I trust you."
Hyde lost words at Gerhard’s firmness. He stood before the giant ice crystal.
<Insert me. Then we can check more certainly.>
’Yes.’
Hyde grasped the necklace-shaped sword and tried to insert it.
"...Stop! What are you trying to do!"
At that moment, cold air grabbed Hyde’s upper body.
The aura that instinctively arose resisted, preventing complete freezing, but even that stopped his movement.
"I, I was going to insert this and use it as a medium to examine more certainly...!"
"Hundreds, thousands of formulas and magical powers are engraved as advanced magical circuits on the surface. If even the slightest damage occurs to that, this becomes trash. Then I’ll expel you no matter what happens."
Even staking the Wienderk name on it.
Hyde flinched at Rosalia’s growling.
"...Uh."
Flustered Hyde looked at Gerhard, and with a small nod, he had no choice but to stop at the level of bringing it close instead of inserting it.
"...I’ll begin."
Hyde closed his eyes.