Chapter 197

Chapter 197

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 197: Bigamy (2)

As Aidel stepped out the door, he ran into Rejane. Before she could speak, he bowed his head in greeting.

“Mother, hello.”

“Huh? Oh, uh…”

Mother? The words hung in the air awkwardly – they weren’t even blood-related.

“Sorry, I’m busy with work. I’ll be going first.”

Aidel strode away with the purposeful gait of a junior professor, giving no opportunity to be called back.

“…Mother?”

While Rejane kept staring blankly at his rapidly disappearing figure, she heard Ceti’s voice.

“When did you arrive?”

“I just got here. May I come in?”

“Yes… please do.”

Upon entering the room, Rejane noticed Ceti fidgeting nervously, her head slightly bowed. It was clear she had something to say.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why? What for?”

“I didn’t meet your expectations.”

I’m sorry for not becoming the head of the family.

Rejane remained silent, knowing she had no right to be angry. What was done was done.

In truth, making Ceti the head of the family had been an impossible dream from the start. If she had become head, the Reinhardt could have fallen under Adelwein’s influence. The Council of Elders must have recognized this risk.

Of course, Rejane would never have allowed such manipulation to occur. But she knew that no one would believe her, even if she voiced these thoughts aloud.

“It seems I lacked the ability.”

“No, you did your best.”

Rejane gently patted Ceti’s head, causing her to stiffen in surprise.

“M-Mother.”

“It’s alright. Earning that much money was no simple task. You’ve already done more than enough…”

“…”

“So let’s not dwell on it anymore. We should leave this place.”

Rejane hadn’t come to scold Ceti but rather to flee with her only remaining family member. It was tradition for siblings to quietly depart once a new family head was chosen.

Where could they go?

The east or west would suffice. The south belonged to the Reinhardts, and the north was Adelwein’s territory. They could forget about politics and live peacefully with just the two of them.

With their financial security, survival wouldn’t be difficult.

But Ceti merely tilted her head in confusion.

“Leave, Mother? This is our home. Where else would we go?”

“Hmm?”

“Mother, Aidel appointed me as acting family head.”

Rejane’s eyebrows twitched.

“He said he lacks the skills to manage the household and has entrusted me with all the finances and the family seal. You understand what this means, don’t you, Mother?”

Rejane had heard rumors about Ceti being granted deputy head authority. Still, she’d assumed it was merely Aidel’s ploy to test Ceti.

What family head would ever appoint their eliminated sister as deputy? Such positions were typically reserved for children or wives and only in exceptional circumstances.

“Look at this.”

As Rejane muttered in disbelief, Ceti presented an electronic document bearing the Reinhardt seal.

It was genuine.

Aidel had delegated all practical authority to Ceti.

Rejane staggered, not from physical exhaustion but from the sheer absurdity of the situation. Never had she witnessed a family head relinquishing power immediately after obtaining it. Even the most devoted husband wouldn’t do this for his wife.

Why on earth…

“Actually, I made a deal with Aidel. He wanted to focus on his research, so he suggested I handle the finances. We agreed I’d provide him with a steady research fund. We were supposed to help each other out.”

“Were you?”

“Yes. Though I never expected that bastard would dump everything else on me and run away…”

Ceti smiled bitterly through gritted teeth.

Rejane nodded reluctantly. Though she understood the situation, accepting it was another matter.

“Were you two that close?”

“I consider him family. He can be frustrating, but when he’s impressive, he’s really impressive.”

Ceti rubbed her nose, seemingly recalling Aidel’s paper presentation. Even Rejane had felt goosebumps during that moment.

“He’s far better than our other two brothers, who act like I don’t exist.”

Two brothers – Brian and Cadric.

While Cadric remained largely unknown, Rejane knew Brian from their work together as doctors. Her impression of him was…two-faced. Kind on the surface but fundamentally indifferent to others, with a subtle yet obvious hunger for power and wealth.

Even with Cadric being an unknown factor, Brian was dangerous. Had he become head, Rejane and Ceti would have certainly needed to flee. Their presence would have been a constant threat to him.

But Aidel was different.

“My brother giving me this much authority shows he trusts you too, Mother. So please don’t hate him too much.”

Though he was the child of a man she barely cared for, not even her own flesh and blood…

But did shared blood really determine family?

“Mother.”

That’s what Aidel had called her.

Rejane closed her eyes, lips pressed together. There was no way to know why he had suddenly started using that title. Ceti continued speaking.

“Mother, you are Father’s wife. Even if there’s a separation, it would only involve me. You, as the mistress of the house, have no reason to leave.”

Rejane’s mouth opened and closed, words failing her as complex emotions washed over her.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time to examine the ledgers.”

Ceti began exercising her financial control as if nothing had changed. She verified everything: bank balances, the status of owned planets and satellites, and income from business ventures and stocks.

Nearly twenty monitors filled Ceti’s room. Her eyes darted between screens as Rejane silently observed her daughter performing her duties as deputy family head.

“There’s some wasteful spending here.”

Ceti’s capability was remarkable. Having experienced the burden of health insurance premiums firsthand, she had developed a thorough understanding of tax laws.

She efficiently eliminated unnecessary expenses, including avoidable tax payments.

Her skill was almost supernatural, like a well-programmed robot managing everything with precision.

“Mother, look at this entry.”

Ceti kept Rejane engaged by explaining various aspects of the family’s finances.

“This is our family’s list of owned asteroids. As you can see, they constitute a significant portion of our tangible assets. They’re easily transportable and rich in precious metals – each worth trillions.”

Ceti clicked her tongue before continuing.

“My brother specifically told me not to touch these.”

“Why?”

“He said we’ll need to build something like an accelerator later.”

Rejane learned one crucial thing that day:

Aidel von Reinhardt was someone who had no interest in power or fame beyond his research.

I dream of building a particle accelerator – one that spans the entire solar system. Running it year-round, we could finally detect gravitons. But for now, it remains just that – a distant dream.

While becoming the head of the Reinhardt family has brought me considerable prestige, we still lack effective countermeasures against the Outer Gods. A graviton bomb might be the answer we need.

“So, if we do this, you’ll definitely let us go, right?”

“I promise. I really, really promise!”

Welton and Matus stood before me, pleading earnestly. After conducting their research, they’re now desperate to present at the conference.

Their abilities are truly exceptional – it would be foolish to refuse them. They’re outliers compared to their peers, possessing skills that would qualify them as teacher’s assistants without question. After brief consideration, I nodded.

“Alright, you can go.”

“Seriously?”

“You promised! You just promised right here! No taking it back later!”

“Yes, yes, I know.”

Look at these kids, so happy.

Seeing them so happy filled me with contentment as I reassured them both. Their enthusiasm translated into even greater dedication during the remaining time.

Our next phase involved verifying various theoretical research through testing. We needed to complete all the experiments and equipment development that had been delayed due to time constraints. Only then would the thesis receive official approval, securing funding for future research.

I contemplated our starting points:

Enhancing the Plasma sword

Developing traps to contain Darwin-type Outer Gods

Researching methods to manipulate the Constellation’s neural network

“Aidel.”

A soft voice interrupted my thoughts. Rustila, who had been lightly dozing, lifted her head at the sound of the experimental equipment.

“Oh, you’re here? You should have woken me up…”

“You were sleeping so peacefully. Besides, it’s a holiday today. You’ve been working so hard; you deserve some rest.”

“No, haha.”

Her laugh was both languid and eerily hollow.

“Aidel. I worked hard…”

“Yes, I know. You did wonderfully, Rustila.”

She truly had given it her all, handling most of the necessary processes. Balancing military science classes with research must have been overwhelming, yet she managed everything without complaint. Her stamina was remarkable.

“Your contribution to the experimental phase of this research was invaluable. That’s why you’re listed as second author on all the papers, Rustila.”

“… Who’s the first author?”

“Merlin will be credited for the sword improvement research. The remaining papers will be published under my name alone.”

“Couldn’t we be listed as co-first authors…?”

I shook my head firmly.

“To qualify as first author, you need to contribute significant ideas during the writing phase and draft the paper yourself. I’m sorry, but I can’t compromise on this.”

“I-I understand.”

Rustila looked crestfallen, biting her lip in disappointment.

“Don’t be discouraged. Being the second author in these flagship papers is already a remarkable achievement, especially for someone without prior academic experience… Oh, by the way, Rustila, would you like to see this?”

I extended the papers toward her.

I pointed to the author listings – every paper bore both our names. We had written them all together, and this time was no different.

“See? Apart from my first paper with Professor Feynman, your name appears on everything I’ve published.”

“Really? How many is that now?”

“Six.”

I smiled, gently brushing her hair aside.

‘Shard of Purity’ disapproves of your actions.

So what? Your disapproval means nothing.

I plan to write many more papers with Rustila. We aim to establish ourselves as pillars in the journal. Ten papers won’t even scratch the surface.

I picked up one of the papers, scanning the author list:

1st Author – Aidel von Reinhardt

2nd Author – Rustila Kersil / Ire Hazlen / (……)

Ire deserved credit, too – she performed admirably for her first research experience. As a fellow physicist, she shows great promise. I made sure to thank her separately.

“I’ve worked hard, so I think I deserve a reward.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“You know. Something precious that money can’t buy.”

Rustila smiled mischievously and gestured to Erica, who retrieved a blueprint from the private room. It detailed an intricate, complex device.

“This is my personal design for the ‘Constellation Confinement Equipment.’ I hope you’ll use it when you begin manufacturing.”

“…Constellation Confinement?”

The ‘Shard of Purity’ is aghast.

“Of course. I’ll start right away.”

Rustila’s face lit up with joy.

This would be my final research project before graduate school.

“Wait, what are you two planning…!! “

What do you think?

We’re preparing for a wedding.

—— Brother ——

“Money.”

“What a crazy bastard.”