Chapter 190

Chapter 190

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 190: The Battle For The Head Of The Family (5)

The laboratory walls were covered in stark white wallpaper.

Throughout the spacious room, research equipment was meticulously arranged, each piece eerily reminiscent of artifacts created by the Outer Gods. Six or seven undergraduates moved purposefully between the stations, conducting experiments or creating something unknown.

The scene before her resembled an organized workshop rather than the entertainment facility Erica had expected. She couldn’t help but be surprised by its professional atmosphere.

It wasn’t chaotic.

And yet, something decadent lurked beneath the surface.

“Welcome to Young Master Aidel’s personal laboratory.”

“…An undergraduate with a personal lab?”

“That’s correct.”

A chill ran down Erica’s spine.

She couldn’t explain why, but every instinct screamed that she shouldn’t be here.

Acting on impulse, she shoved Sonia aside and lunged for the door, grabbing the handle.

Click, click.

It wouldn’t budge.

“W-why won’t this open?”

“Because it’s locked from the inside.”

Only then did Erica notice the door’s locking mechanism.

“Are you insane? Who puts a lock on the inside of a door? If you forget the password, you’ll be trapped!”

“That’s standard practice in graduate schools.”

Step.

Sonia advanced forward. Erica retreated.

But she couldn’t go far. The space was limited, and no android could match Sonia’s grappling skills she’d developed through years of sparring with Aidel.

“Help me! Help me!”

In an instant, Sonia subdued Erica and forced her to kneel before Aidel, who was busy training new recruits.

“Welton and Matus, familiarize yourselves with this equipment. Edward, verify these formulas… What’s this?”

“Young master, I found her lurking outside and brought her in.”

“You’re an android, aren’t you? Which organization sent you?”

“Don’t be alarmed. She’s a complimentary graphics card from the family.”

Erica’s pupils constricted in shock.

Graphics card? How dare they reduce her to a mere matrix computation device?

She was a fifth-generation android, practically indistinguishable from humans save for her metal-based composition!

“Ah, a free graphics card.”

“No! I’m neither free nor a graphics card!”

“Indeed, she’s a super graphics card capable of algorithm optimization. Young Master, since the family provided her, there are no rental fees to worry about.”

“Noooo!”

“Please remain still. Now, where’s the power port?”

Sonia produced a long electric cord and plugged it into a small socket on Erica’s neck.

Unfortunately, their incompatible manufacturers meant the connection wouldn’t work.

“I-I survived! Thank you, Precious Young Master! You haven’t abandoned me!”

“Where’s the adapter? Ah, here it is.”

Erica’s brief moment of relief ended with a small “Ah.”

And so, Erica was transformed into a graphics processing unit. Once connected to the terminal, she had no choice but to execute the injected commands. Such was the fate of a computer—the fundamental reason androids could never truly be human.

“Kyaaah!”

Peace returned to Aidel’s laboratory that day.

Brian set down his pen with a sharp motion and looked up from his report.

“What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, Young Master. I have nothing to say to you…”

Brian let out a hollow laugh.

It had been almost two weeks since Erica (Unit 2) failed to return. What should have been a three-day task at most had clearly been delayed by some complication.

“Creating unnecessary trouble.”

“I apologize, Young Master. But we truly cannot contact her. It’s peculiar – there’s no reason the signal should be lost at the college…”

“Are you making excuses now?”

Brian growled softly, resting his chin in his hand as he contemplated the situation.

Androids belonging to specific groups always wore identifying tags – company logos for corporate units and family emblems for those owned by noble houses.

No space pirate in this region would dare steal an android bearing the Reinhardt family emblem.

This narrowed the possibilities to one conclusion.

“This must be Aidel’s doing.”

“Do we have any evidence that Young Master Aidel is responsible?”

“Usually, we’d need some. But consider the timing.”

“Ah… It’s during the family head selection when all the children are competing.”

Money, fame, power – everything in the Reinhardt family hung in the balance during this period. Every action had to be viewed through this lens, even if it seemed unrelated.

“It hardly matters if Aidel is actually responsible. If he isn’t, we’ll frame him and extract information anyway.”

“Yes, absolutely right!”

Having wrapped up his duties on the frontier planet, Brian donned his doctor’s coat and stood.

He was on duty starting tomorrow at the Stellarium.

To impress his father and professors, it was best to take the initiative.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

They soon arrived at the Stellarium star system.

As Brian disembarked from the shuttle, he gazed upward. The college-affiliated hospital building dominated the skyline before him.

“Notice how the medical school, natural sciences, and engineering departments are all clustered together? Do you know why?”

“Well, I hadn’t given it much thought.”

“Think about it.”

“Is it because medicine is categorized with natural sciences? It allows for interdisciplinary research with departments like biology and Constellation Biotechnology…”

“That’s part of it, but it’s also because many people from the natural sciences and engineering departments frequently collapse.”

“Due to what?”

“Graduate studies.”

“…Ah.”

Brian pressed his fingers beneath his eyes, massaging them as he sighed.

“Life as a fellow is grueling. I empathize with those students because I’m in the same situation. Graduate studies – it’s really not something humans should endure.”

“But, Young Master, your future is assured. This is your final challenge. Once you become a clinical professor, you’ll have it made!”

“Do they still promote people just because of their royal blood? They shouldn’t do that.”

Brian chuckled. Despite his words, his appointment was assured – after all, every professor at the university hospital bore the Reinhardt name.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, we’ve arrived.”

They stood before the Stellarium College of Natural Sciences building.

The two headed to the physics department in search of the missing Unit 2.

Locating Aidel proved simple – an electronic board displayed each lab’s occupants.

Third floor, Room 304: Undergraduate Research Lab.

Since undergraduate students rarely received their own labs, this was likely where they’d find Aidel. Brian’s father had even confirmed the location.

“Very thorough.”

While Erica (Unit 1) still believed Aidel was putting on an act, Brian had his doubts.

His father’s increased protection of Aidel, combined with his brother’s confident demeanor and use of professional terminology during the last presentation, suggested another possibility.

Room of Truth

“This must be it.”

Brian cleared his throat.

After his knock, an android wearing a maid’s headband appeared and bowed.

“Hello, First Young Master.”

It was Sonia, Aidel’s personal android.

“What brings you here?”

“Nothing special – I’m on duty today. I thought I’d check on how the third one is doing while passing by.”

Sonia nodded.

“The Young Master is doing well. Thank you for your concern.”

“Since I’m here, I’d like to see my brother.”

“I apologize, but the Young Master is away on business.”

Brian’s eyebrows twitched.

“Business trip?”

“Yes. He’s meeting a professor in the Callisto region.”

He nearly snorted in disbelief.

“May I wait inside for my brother’s return?”

“Weren’t you saying you had duties to attend to?”

“I have some time before then.”

“Aidel won’t return until tomorrow. I, Sonia, strongly suggest the First Young Master tends to his duties first.”

“Then please inform me when my brother returns.”

“Understood.”

Brian departed without a backward glance. As soon as they rounded the corner, Erica burst out with the laughter she’d been containing.

“Young Master, I detected my clone’s signal when the door was open! The room’s metal interior was blocking it!”

“Yes, I thought as much.”

This confirmed their suspicions.

Unit 2 was definitely inside.

Upon this verification, a vein pulsed on Brian’s forehead.

“Arrogant bastard. He’s been hiding his true nature all along.”

“The business trip must be a lie, too. He’s just a sophomore – what achievements could he possibly have? When he couldn’t deceive you, he resorted to complete concealment!”

“You mentioned detecting a signal. What did your clone say?”

“Well…”

Erica had received the signal just before the door closed. Her expression suddenly shifted to shock.

“Save me, please…”

“What is that guy doing in there?”

“The transmission cut off after that. There seems to be a limit to how much information we can exchange.”

Erica pleaded.

“Young Master, let’s go back and raid the lab. The Third Young Master is deceiving the Master and the elders – Young Master Brian can expose him! Then you’ll become the family head!”

“No.”

Brian raised his hand to silence her.

“Now that we know Aidel is cunning, we must proceed more diplomatically. Barging in would be crude. There’s no advantage in getting caught empty-handed.”

Brian chose to employ the strategy of the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage that Liu Bei once employed to get Zhuge Liang as his strategist.

The day after his duty, he made time to visit Aidel’s lab again.

“Young Master Aidel has gone to Eruyel Academy.”

The second visit proved equally futile.

“He’s traveling between west and east.”

“Does he think he’s the sun?”

“But I’ll be the one standing in the south.”

“Absolutely right!”

On the third day, he tried once more.

“Looking for Aidel? He went out to buy engagement jewelry.”

This time, they were greeted by a petite girl with dark green hair, barely 150cm tall. Apparently, Aidel has gone out with Sonia this time.

“He left this morning, so he should return soon. Would you like to wait inside?”