Chapter 167

Chapter 167

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 167: Second Year (2).

I found Merlin Whiritia without having to search far. She had enrolled in the biology department, which shared a building with physics.

“……Reinhardt?”

From day one of the semester, Merlin had been hiding away in the biology lounge. That explained her absence at the entrance ceremony.

“Hello?”

“Oh, hi……. What brings you here?”

“I have something to tell you.”

I glanced at her desk, where she was studying from a textbook thicker than her forearm. Impressive.

[Merlin Whiritia]

405 / 1000

She was clearly under significant stress, though not from academic difficulties. As I suspected, it was related to that situation.

“Are you struggling with your parents’ situation? I have some good news. Take a look at this.”

I retrieved a tablet from my bag and handed it to her. On it was a confidential contract from Adelwein Bionics, obtained through Zelnya. The document detailed the unfair demands their affiliate had made to Director Whiritia.

Merlin snatched the tablet with cat-like reflexes. As she read, her eyes grew wide.

“This is…!”

“It’s crucial evidence that the prosecution hasn’t uncovered yet. Your mother isn’t responsible – Adelwein Bionics is.”

Her lips trembled as she spoke.

“But their CEO committed suicide, and the company collapsed. I heard the investigation was closed…”

A reasonable concern.

I explained patiently.

“Who said it’s concluded? Even if Bionics is gone, Adelwein Corporation still stands strong. We can investigate that angle. Just wait – someone will be held accountable.”

I knew the names of the inspectors handling the Polyhedron case. For Ire and me, knowing their names was equivalent to understanding their personalities. And understanding their personalities meant we could predict their behavior patterns.

I might not know much about federal law, but one thing was certain.

“I’ll be submitting all the evidence at once, including this.”

Checkmate.

“It should take about two months, so try to stay calm until then. There’s no need to worry.”

“Are you really going through with this? What if they strike back?”

“Merlin, remember who I am – a Reinhardt.”

I replied with a smirk.

“We’re one of the ten families on par with the Adelwein. The entire southern galaxy is under our control. They’d sooner try to appease us than dare to raise their swords against me.”

“That… does make sense.”

“Of course it does. They know there’s nothing to gain from opposing us.”

A sponsor – something the protagonist had lacked, but someone like Aidel possessed.

With an antimatter spoon in hand, there was nothing to fear.

Furthermore, now that the protagonist was here and we had secured Zelnya’s cooperation, this was shaping up to be the most promising cycle from Ire’s perspective.

“Listen, Merlin. Just trust Christine and me. If things go well, your mother’s sentence could be significantly reduced. In the best-case scenario, the President might even grant her a pardon.”

“Aidel…”

Merlin grabbed my lapel, refusing to let go.

“Thank you… thank you so much…!”

As she sobbed, I repeatedly tried to calm her down. I also handed her some credits.

“Buy yourself something nice with this. Even if things get tough, keep pursuing your biology studies. It’s always been your passion, right?”

“Reinhardt, you really do sound like a professor.”

“Haha…”

For a moment, I almost burst out laughing.

No, I must maintain my composure. This is a serious matter.

I shifted the topic with the kindest smile I could manage.

“I’ve recently become interested in Darwinian Outer God research. I’d love to discuss it with you.”

Merlin perked up immediately. As expected, blood runs true – she had inherited her parents’ scholarly nature.

“Darwinian Outer Gods have one major drawback: they can’t be captured in a resonator…”

“Yes, I’m familiar with that.”

“Then this should be a straightforward discussion.”

We delved into theories about trapping Darwin-class Outer Gods.

After just a few exchanges, one thing became crystal clear: Merlin is a genius.

She was truly exceptional, far surpassing even Director Angela Whiritia. She grasped and followed my explanations with remarkable ease.

“Of course. These creatures can synthesize organic matter as long as they have access to nutrients.”

She even identified potential problems I hadn’t considered.

“The mirror material is also crucial. Using just any material could cause precipitation! Without properly containing the surroundings with ether, the legion would multiply endlessly within the resonator.”

“Is that so?”

“Based on my calculations, regardless of the device used, it would eventually… boom! Complete catastrophe!”

I had narrowly avoided disaster thanks to her insight.

To show my appreciation for Merlin’s valuable advice, I shared additional credits with her. While at it, I demonstrated how to access and search for academic journals.

“See here? The college pays a monthly subscription fee. When you access it through the school’s IP, you can download everything free of charge.”

“Wow, wow, wow…!”

Merlin’s face lit up with pure joy, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

‘Merlin Whiritia’s’ Pron level has decreased by 50.

She had been feeling down about her parents, so it was gratifying to see her spirits lifted.

Hmm, this seemed like a good place to wrap up for today.

With my class approaching, I bid farewell and left the lounge.

“…So, I will be teaching ‘Constellation and Plasma Physics’ this semester.”

As class began, I activated my parallel thinking capability.

While one part of my mind focused on the lecture, another contemplated ways to remove Rustila’s penalty. The most straightforward solution that came to mind was creating a complete form. I wondered if collecting the three Shards – ‘Sacrifice,’ ‘Devotion,’ and ‘Love’ – would make any difference.

“As you all know, the Constellation is a thought entity created by the PS combination of plasma and ether. Its structure exists in a higher dimension, similar to the Outer Gods. Through experimental observations, we’ve confirmed that they possess neural networks. Let’s examine the next image.”

I looked up as the professor advanced to the next slide. The image displayed a structure remarkably similar to human nerve cells, glowing in deep, brilliant blue.

“Fascinating. I hadn’t realized the Constellations had a structure similar to mine.”

Cartesia admired, seemingly unaware of the Constellations thought structure.

The professor elaborated.

“These neural networks vary in shape across different constellations and clusters. Just as human brains exhibit plasticity, Constellation thought forms demonstrate flexibility in ion manipulation.”

Though I was familiar with this information from my previous research, hearing it presented in this context sparked new considerations. This knowledge could potentially aid in developing the ‘trap’ research for containing Darwinian Outer Gods or perhaps even help resolve Rustila’s situation.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ sparkles with interest.

Cartesia seems to have formulated some ideas.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ requests an extended conversation with you.

The message suddenly popped up in my mind.

To be frank… the Outer Gods aren’t truly my allies.

Yet, hadn’t I already established a temporary alliance with her? We had an implicit agreement to assist each other until the Graviton Bomb’s completion.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ grows increasingly insistent.

I’m well aware of the dangers of requesting favors from an Outer God. That’s precisely why I won’t ask for anything.

If I must engage with her, it will be purely for intellectual discourse and academic discussion. From my experience, Cartesia shows unusual leniency for an Outer God when it comes to scholarly matters.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ eagerly awaits your discussion.

The class was coming to an end.

“For next time’s homework, please submit a report analyzing the neural network differences between Constellations and Outer Gods from a physicist’s perspective. Class dismissed.”

The mutual agreement was established.

For the first time in a while, I stepped into the monster’s domain.

Abyss.

Philosophers often describe the mental realm of Outer Gods in such terms. In reality, it’s an imaginary space defined by quaternions – a higher dimension inaccessible to ordinary humans.

Yet here I was, proving I was anything but “ordinary.”

“Ah, youngster. It’s been quite a while. Truly, it has.”

A female figure with long hair melodiously laughed while stroking her dark blue tendrils. Her voice, though unsettling, held an irresistible allure – like a siren’s song.

With a gentle swish of her frilled skirt, Cartesia, the God of Wisdom and Curiosity, approached. No – more accurately, she was drawing me in. Space itself contracted, and suddenly, her face was inches from mine, its features black and blurred like running ink.

I feigned nonchalance as I opened my mouth.

“Still such a gloomy place.”

“This place is as gloomy as ever.”

“And you’re as arrogant as ever, brat.”

Cartesia sharpened her voice.

“Last time, you pitted me against Safaul and reduced me to tatters. You seemed so ‘human’ then. Thanks to you, my recovery took ages. But you’re still adorable. So very adorable.”

A tentacle at her feet reached up to pat my head. I swallowed hard. No matter what, an Outer God was still an Outer God. Their mere presence was overwhelming.

Clap!

At Cartesia’s signal, tentacles writhed up from the floor. Female Outer Gods in maid outfits emerged, floating like lifeless frogs.

“M-Master…”

Outer God Populus and other lower-tier Outer Gods – Cartesia’s captives. They rose unsteadily.

“Bring that here.”

“Ah, that thing? Right away, Master!”

What am I even witnessing right now…

They seemed far more obedient than before. Was it an act? No – even maid cafe employees couldn’t fake such enthusiasm.

“We’ve nearly mastered the Outer Gods’ neural network. Fascinating, isn’t it? Once you understand it, manipulation becomes child’s play.”

I remained vigilant, newly aware of how devastating the Descartes Legion Outer Gods’ mental attacks could be.

Kugugung!

“……What is that?”

The void at the back began to split open.

Tung, tung, tung.

Lights flickered on, revealing an enormous blackboard, a table, and two chairs. A sofa decorated with blue tentacles stood nearby, flanked by various incomprehensible devices.

“Welcome to my laboratory, rookie.”

Cartesia spread her arms with a twisted smile.