Chapter 227

Chapter 227

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 227: From Cosmic Rascal To Graduate School (2)

For a theoretical physicist, the spine is everything, especially given the long hours spent sitting. I recently received a routine diagnosis about my disc: nothing serious, just accumulated fatigue causing stiffness. What a relief.

“Ah, the nostalgic scent of graduate school.”

“Young master, please maintain your dignity…”

It’s been a week since my last visit to the Stellarium. Now it feels like home – my salt, my light. The Stellarium and I have become one.

I’m already thinking ahead: once I become a professor, I should aim for the presidency too. But that’s a distant goal. First, I need to complete graduate school again.

My two wives and I recently parted ways – Rustila returned to her military duties, while Zelnya, a medical student, begins her semester soon. We’re all caught up in our busy lives.

“Where to now?”

“The lab. Care to join?”

“Of course. I am your exclusive, after all.”

Sonia followed, bringing her characteristic cool, understated presence. Then she posed an unexpected question:

“Young master, what exactly is an Incarnate?”

“Incarnate? Why the sudden interest?”

“Well… I think you and your wives will encounter them more frequently now. I have a basic understanding, but the concept still eludes me.”

What is an Incarnate? If I had to distill it to its essence…

“Think of them as the eyes of an Outer God.”

“Eyes?”

I nodded.

“Outer Gods require enormous energy to manifest directly in our world. So they seek out various entities here, offering them power in exchange for becoming their eyes and ears. These entities become extremely powerful monsters.”

The key distinction of an Incarnate is their direct connection to the Outer God’s power. This means there’s no simple A, B, C classification – their abilities vary widely.

“The weaker ones are at least EX-level threats. These aren’t even the ones who received significant power or hold leadership positions. With poor compatibility, even three or four Great Omegas might fail against them.”

“How do you know all this, young master?”

“I have my sources.”

In truth, this was information compiled by Ire, but it aligned well enough with what Outer God experts commonly discussed to pass as educated speculation.

“So, if the young master or I received an offer from an Outer God, could we become Incarnates?”

“Hmm…”

“Is it possible?”

“It does exist. Among the Five Kings, there’s this one guy, a mad scientist in the outskirts.”

“Theoretically, yes. But Outer Gods rarely make such offers to humans.”

“Why is that?”

“Think about it – they’d have to share their power. Why take that risk when they could simply possess or consume the being instead?”

“That makes sense.”

Sonia nodded. By this time, we’d reached the lab. I opened the iron door and stepped inside.

“Everyone! I’m back… huh?”

What the hell?

The lab was completely empty.

“Looks like they all fled.”

“That’s impossible. I treated them so well!”

“You just paid them generously. Didn’t you work them harder than most professors would?”

“I never did that.”

“Get real, young master.”

Sonia headbutted my solar plexus – ouch. With her head being essentially a steel helmet, it actually hurt.

“People these days value work-life balance. Don’t assume high wages alone will ignite their passion.”

“…Really?”

“Oh, young master.”

Sonia pounded her chest in frustration, her silicone parts jiggled in response.

“We’re living in an era where even androids are demanding rights. What about humans? You’ve just returned from your honeymoon – shouldn’t your lab interns also get vacations and proper compensation?”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

I realized I might have been pushing them too hard.

To be precise, there hadn’t been much room for relaxation. Between the incident with Rustila’s Virgin Maiden (Virgo) and the impending Outer Gods’ invasion, time was precious. I’d fallen into the trap of thinking that throwing money at the problem would yield the results I wanted, even though I should have known better.

“Please try to take it easy.”

“Sigh, alright.”

“While we’re on the subject of compensation, perhaps you could pay a certain someone named Sonia?”

“Of course. I’ll pay her well.”

I replied, patting her shoulder. Her surprise was evident.

“…Really?”

“Yes. Treat yourself – good food, new clothes, replacement parts. Oh, and didn’t I promise you a new maid outfit? I’ll set up a personal account for you. Buy whatever you want.”

“Well, in that case…”

Sonia placed her hands on her hips and started swaying happily – her signature move when she’s pleased. I’ve dubbed it the ‘Sonia Happy Dance.’

“We should start cleaning.”

“If I do it alone, will there be extra compensation?”

“50,000 credits per hour.”

“100,000.”

“60,000.”

“90,000.”

This crazy android – the moment I mentioned payment, she turned into a skilled negotiator.

“85,000! That’s my final offer.”

“I’ll get the remaining 15,000 from Miss Ceti.”

“What?”

“Young master, focus on your research. Leave the cleaning, housekeeping, data mining, and visual computing to me, Sonia.”

“Remember when you used to be surprised to see me clean?”

“That was then.”

Sonia sprang into action, opening windows and dusting surfaces while I organized papers on the desk. The desk was surprisingly clean.

“Has someone been here?”

I opened the door to the separate room and found my answer – a woman lay sound asleep on the makeshift bed, wearing an eye mask.

She lay there, black hair cut at shoulder length, wearing just a white shirt and black sweatpants, using a cardigan as a makeshift blanket. Papers were scattered around her, and a tablet lay switched off nearby. Even with her eyes masked, her decadent beauty was unmistakable.

“Well, well.”

The quintessential science and engineering graduate student.

I quietly pulled up a chair and sat down, picking up a fallen paper to examine it. The worn edges and creases told a story of dedication.

Outside, birds chirped as a gentle breeze wafted through. Sonia’s methodical dusting created a soothing backdrop. I leaned back, continuing to review the paper.

Time passed quietly until…

“Mmm, mmm…”

The woman stirred and stretched.

She yawned, removed her eye mask, and sat up. I set down the paper as our eyes met. She widened in surprise.

“Re-Reinhardt! Aidel…!”

“Sleep well? Ire junior.”

“When did you… Ah!”

Ire stumbled as she tried to stand suddenly. I jumped up to catch her – a moment later, and she might have hurt her face.

“You okay?”

“Ah, ugh, wait!”

Right – I’d forgotten Ire’s discomfort around men after spending time with my wives.

She quickly dropped her arms and rubbed her shoulders, her full lips pressing together nervously.

“I’m- I’m sorry. I meant to come greet you.”

“Have you been living here?”

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“You’ve spent the entire week in the lab?”

“…Is that a problem?”

I pressed my hand to my forehead, unable to suppress a smile.

“Too hasty. You might as well have married this girl from the start.”

Shut up, Cartesia. Don’t give Ire false hope.

Besides, Ire’s dedication isn’t about personal feelings – it’s about preventing destruction. Only we two know that the greater threats are coming.

Ire quickly collected herself and turned on the computer to report her progress.

“I’ve created and organized all the data into cells and extracted clean images. The editing team is handling proofreading – if all goes well, all three papers should be accepted soon.”

“What about the research on controlling Constellation properties with crystals?”

“That’s done too, but I wanted your input before proceeding with publication.”

I couldn’t help but be amazed. This level of work was beyond what you’d expect from an undergraduate physics student.

This performance… it was at least equivalent to a fifth-year Ph.D. student.

Then again, Ire did have administrative experience. Her adaptability was remarkable.

“Thank you. You’ve taken a significant burden off my shoulders.”

“Of course. We’re colleagues, after all.”

Ire extended her fist. I chuckled and returned the fist bump. While she remained generally wary of men, this level of contact had become comfortable between us.

I hoped she would continue to develop as a valuable research colleague.

“Zelnya’s been properly welcomed as a wife. Is Aurore next on the agenda?”

“…Yes. We need to handle this carefully from here on.”

Ire’s expression darkened. I furrowed my brow, contemplating the situation.

Aurore, the Queen of the Elegant Finale.

The highest-ranking Outer God in the Darwin Legion.

The timing varied slightly across iterations, but typically, Aurore appeared around when Rustila graduated from the military academy.

She would launch the Southern Great Invasion, fully exposing the devastating nature of the ‘Outer God Slayer.’ In this scenario, Reinhardt is annihilated, Whiritia is extinguished, and both Merlin and Rustila perish.

Furthermore, Ceti, manipulated by Brian, attempts a business revival but fails catastrophically, leading to bankruptcy. Ultimately, she’s driven to make an irreversible decision.

“It could happen anytime. Maybe even next year. We-we have to prevent it…”

Ire’s voice quivered. Recalling the previous iteration must be traumatic for her, especially this part that had involved so many failures.

I nodded solemnly.

“You look exhausted.”

“Yes, the journey was demanding in many ways.”

“I might be able to help a little with a blessing.”

Ire materialized a golden gun from thin air.

19th Bullet: Gauge of Vigor

Snap!

An invisible bullet pierced my head, making me stagger momentarily.

“How does that feel?”

“Oh…”

The tension in my back melted away significantly.

“This is one of the more expensive Holy Spirit Bullets. I can’t use it very often.”

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

“That’s what comrades are for.”

We exchanged another fist bump as Ire smiled gently.

Just then, an email arrived from Professor Feynman:

Aidel, please come to the 5th-floor colloquium room as soon as you’re back at the college. We need to urgently discuss something with the other professors.