Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

The Frauzen Federal University of Magic is an educational institution admired by all, and, at the same time, it’s a student’s utopia with landscaping that rivals even a decent park.

That’s how it appears on the outside.

Even if it’s decorated with flowery words, in reality, it’s just a school.

In the first place, schools are the primary enemy of students.

As soon as the semester ended, students left the campus as if they had a vendetta against the school. That explains why the campus scenery today, the day right after the end of the semester, was extremely quiet.

“――♬”

And there was someone breaking that silence.

“The weather is nice. Isn’t it?”

It was Julia Müller.

She started humming a thin tune again without even waiting for my answer.

Of course, I was the one pushing her wheelchair.

Somehow, we ended up spending the night in the infirmary. In that situation, far from being flustered, Julia suggested we go for a morning walk since there wouldn’t be people around.

I refused, saying she needed to rest, but Julia managed to dig out an old wheelchair from a corner of the infirmary and forcibly dragged me outside.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Although the contract period had ended, so this was technically overtime work, but well.

Still.

“It is.”

The early morning air of the University of Magic was quite agreeable.

I slightly raised the corners of my mouth and slowed down the wheelchair a bit.

Even though it was summer, the morning air was slightly cold. We strolled slowly around the campus with little conversation, under an implicit agreement.

Still, there was fun in tossing out a word or two here and there.

When we arrived at the Gate of Knowledge:

“This is overwhelming no matter how many times I see it.”

“I always passed through in a carriage, so this is my first time seeing it up close.”

When crossing the bridge over a small stream on the campus:

“It’s refreshing. I liked the bridge; how about you, Eugene?”

“…”

“Eugene?”

When we stood in front of the statue of Jean-Pierre Auchlimé, the father of magic studies:

“It’s big.”

“It is big. But what’s that broken trace on the side?”

“Well. It looks like there was supposed to be another statue, but it wasn’t completed.”

“…The name of the former chancellor is written on the base.”

“I wonder what that’s about.”

“I wonder, too.”

In this way, we wandered around the campus for nearly 30 minutes, exchanging just a few meaningless words.

In fact, I was only thinking of one thing throughout.

How should I broach the subject of the contract?

At first, it was a relationship that started purely calculatedly. It should have been a relationship that could be concluded as businesslike as doing an inventory of the items of a store.

Somehow, I ended up being involved in Julia’s somewhat deep circumstances.

“♬♪―― Oh, a nightingale. Look over there, Eugene.”

Now, she was even humming tunes right in front of me.

It was strangely difficult to bring up the topic.

I thought I had mastered how to deal with people, including the opposite sex, after coming of age and mingling with various people, but it seems that was my misconception.

Come to think of it, that’s right.

What do I know about dealing with women? I’ve only met a bunch of new family members. Moreover, excluding the still-young Ellie and Sally twins, there aren’t even that many of them.

Even counting women I’m acquainted with outside of family, there’s only the chain-smoking Director Lily Lovelace.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Julia was my first and only friend of the opposite sex at the University of Magic.

“…”

I scratched my cheek slightly.

Well. There’s still more than half of the walking course left.

Just as I was putting the wheelchair on the path leading to the research building, Julia quietly opened her mouth.

“By the way, Eugene. There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Hmm?”

“You know, yesterday. You’re the one who moved me to the infirmary, right?”

“Yes, and?”

“Why did you help me?”

She spoke in quite a serious tone.

Because of that, instead of answering carelessly, I pondered the answer for a moment.

Why did I help?

The answer came quickly. ‘I don’t know either.’

I had a feeling that no matter how much I thought about it, no better answer than this would come out. And if I were to add detailed reasons, it would be like lying.

So, I thought about it the other way around.

What kind of help have I received in my life?

What intentions did they have?

The first thing that came to mind was the shilling coin thrown by an unnamed officer’s wife when I was living under the bridge. What was her reason?

The next thing that came to mind was Benjamin’s outstretched hand. He offered me, a mere vagrant, to become his disciple. His reason was, well. What was it?

Next. 

Next. 

Next.

As I retraced the help I had received one by one, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

I see.

I had now become someone who could offer help.

I felt a slight elation. I gripped the wheelchair handles tightly and pushed it forward slightly more cheerfully.

At the same time, I answered honestly.

“Is the reason that important?”

“…Pfft, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It would be stranger to leave someone collapsed in front of you. If you ask why I did it, I’m not sure.”

“Is that so?”

A gentle breeze ruffles Julia’s brown hair on the wheelchair.

Julia was looking ahead, but for some reason, I could feel that she was smiling.

In the more relaxed atmosphere, I brought up the topic I had been putting off.

“The contract ends here. The summer semester is over, and you’ve regained your interest in magic. Moreover, since you can walk now, you don’t need an aide anymore.”

“Hmm, Eugene. What do you think you’re pushing right now?”

“A wheelchair.”

“Right?”

Finally, Julia looked this way.

Her scarlet lips were slightly curved downwards. It meant she was troubled.

“I still can’t use my unique magic instinctively, so I’ll have to rely on the wheelchair until I build up my magic skills and stamina.”

“…So?”

“Yes. I think we might need to extend the contract.”

Julia dropped her troubled act and smiled brightly.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t need money, so a contract isn’t necessary. I can help push the wheelchair anytime. Because we’re friends.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Julia’s eyes widened.

Then, she quickly returned her expression to normal.

“No, that’s not it. Don’t underestimate the Müller family’s assets. I am, after all, the sole direct descendant of the head family. And.”

“And…?”

“Anyway, let’s extend the contract. It’s full-time employment. Not for presumptuous reasons like using you or anything. I told you before, didn’t I? I like it when you push my wheelchair.”

Her words kept trailing off.

Watching her even resort to unnecessary gestures, for some reason, laughter escaped me.

“Pfft.”

“W-Why are you laughing?”

“No. Alright, I get it. Let’s extend the contract.”

“…I’ll send the contract by mail by next weekend, so please sign it, stamp it, and send it back.”

“You’re thorough.”

I shrugged my shoulders and pushed the wheelchair even more cheerfully.

The wind is cool, and the sunlight is warm.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

This isn’t a bad way to end a semester, is it?

“What courses are you planning to take in the winter semester? It would be good to align our schedules, so let’s share our timetables later.”

The research building is right in front of us.

Just as I was choosing appropriate words for my answer…

“Oh.”

“…!”

I had to abruptly stop walking.

Someone blocked the wheelchair.

No, rather than a pronoun like ‘someone,’ ‘something’ might be more fitting. It was a wall. A wall that was a head taller than me.

At the top of the wall was a human head. Only then did I recognize it as a person.

It was a stranger to me, but Julia seemed to recognize the man’s identity.

“…Father.”

“Julia. I heard the news. Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thanks to the person behind me who took action early.”

“I see.”

The man’s gaze fell on me, who was stiff as a board.

“I express my gratitude, student.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Even as I answered reflexively, my heart was shouting one name.

Klaus Müller!

Does he know? Does he know that the reason I firmly decided to head to the Federation was because of the letter he sent to Benjamin?

Suddenly, my heart started racing.

How should I continue the conversation?

As I was furiously rotating my brain more than when taking the final exams, I saw Professor Müller instantly turn his attention away from me.

He was looking only at Julia.

It was too cold and condescending for a gaze towards his daughter.

He opened his mouth again.

“If you’re healthy, that’s fine. Then, I’ll be going.”

And then he really started to turn back towards the research building.

It was a firmness that felt heartless.

Given that he had said such words, he must have heard the news that Julia had collapsed.

Is that all?

Julia muttered softly.

“…It’s been weeks since we’ve seen each other’s faces.”

Immediately after, she recited the activation phrase. [Walk Assistance].

Before I could stop her, Julia rose from the wheelchair and approached Professor Müller with staggering steps, tapping his back as if knocking.

“Um, Father.”

“…Julia?”

“Ta-da.”

Julia spread both of her arms to show her father what she could now do.

The height difference between them was enormous, so Professor Müller was still looking down at her, but it was still better than when she was sitting in the wheelchair.

“Look, I can walk now.”

To this, Klaus Müller…

Thud—

…placed a hand on Julia’s shoulder and uttered one sentence.

“That’s good.”

Then Professor Müller seemed about to turn his back again to go on his way.

Before Julia could even protest.

I couldn’t let it end like this.

I took big strides to stand beside Julia, supporting her back.

It had an effect.

“Do you have some business?”

He gave me a glance.

I didn’t speak in detail.

Instead, I returned the words I had heard from Benjamin a few years ago.

“…Family isn’t anything special. Just express your love. Don’t treat them like glass artwork.”

Only then did Professor Müller’s eyes widen.

He replied.

“You speak the same words as my friend. Your name?”

“Eugene Oslo.”

“…I see. Another one of those geniuses, is it?”

Professor Müller took the monocle off his eye and put it in his suit’s front pocket.

Then he looked at me again. He shot an even sharper gaze.

“Benjamin Oslo was a genius but disqualified as a magic scholar.”

“…!”

“He couldn’t sit in one place for more than three hours. He doodled on the blackboard instead of calculating formulas and spoke instead of writing papers. Despite throwing out plenty of ideas that laid the foundation for extreme magic studies, he was an unprecedented scholar who didn’t write a single paper other than his dissertation. Are you that kind of subpar genius, too?”

He asked.

I sensed it. This question would determine my direction.

Werner will someday become an experimental magic scholar leading the most dangerous experiments.

Louise will engrave her surname, ‘Ehrlich,’ in the history of the development of magic studies.

And I…

“…No, I’m not.”

“Then.”

“As a theoretical magic scholar, I will complete the still imperfect extreme magic theory that you and Benjamin made. And.”

The veiled nature of light. The contradiction I heard at the debate. A theory to integrate classical magic studies and extreme magic studies.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

I will solve all of those.

“I will surpass you. I will make everyone in the future generations know that ‘Oslo,’ inherited from my father, has overturned the landscape of magic studies.”

The completion of the theory Benjamin advocated.

The establishment of an eternal theory.

This is the direction I will walk.

“…Is that so.”

Klaus Müller turned back towards the research building without hesitation.

“Come to my research lab after graduation.”

He left with just those words.

I let out a meaningless laugh. What reason would I have to refuse?

The direction has been set.

Now, it’s time to start walking, even if with immature steps.

The first day of the winter semester approached quickly.

Many things had changed.

First, the fact that Klaus Müller had moved.

The frictional force on an object that has started moving is less than the maximum static friction of a stationary object *1. It’s difficult at first, but once it starts moving, it moves well.

When Professor Müller ordered a purge, many of the school’s malpractices disappeared at once.

The Black Shield faction was completely disbanded within the school.

It was an organization that made enemies everywhere, after all. With Professor Müller’s influence added, the faction collapsed helplessly, and their secret “name erasure” maneuvers with publishers were exposed and thwarted.

Consequently, the Silver Arrow, having achieved its purpose, voluntarily disbanded.

This brought about a small but significant change, namely that the gazes directed at me had turned 180 degrees.

Where before there were looks of caution and suspicion, now there was some inexplicable admiration.

There were rumors about what happened on the day of the mock duel, but I wasn’t sure about the details.

I decided to think it was mostly thanks to the disbandment of the Black Shield faction, which had been the main axis of discrimination.

Werner and I enrolled in additional subjects for extra units and focused on studying as if our feet were on fire.

We did so for an early graduation. Four years was too long until the start of full-fledged research.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Julia also joined in, picking up her pen with the reason of flattening her father’s high nose.

Even after getting used to the walking assistance magic, she sometimes came pulling a wheelchair, which was also something I didn’t quite understand.

Ah, the contract with Julia was extended, as she said.

Because of that, money piled up on my desk to a frightening degree. I didn’t even dare to spend it carelessly, so I deposited half and invested half with Lena.

Interesting news also came.

The will and hidden legacy of Henry Yorath Russell, the magic scholar who committed suicide, were discovered, and according to his wishes, a foundation was established to award a prize each year to someone who had greatly contributed to humanity *2.

There had been news that Klaus Müller and Louise Ehrlich, among others, were being mentioned as candidates for the first Russell Magic Award.

Even while hearing such news, I turned the pages of my book.

And.

#December 31st. Snow.

Once again, it’s snowing.

T/N

The formula to compute the frictional force on stationary objects vs. moving objects is the same as they both rely on the normal force on that object (N) but only differ in the constant μ. F(static friction) = μ_s N for stationary objects, where μs is a dimensionless constant, i.e., the coefficient of static friction, while F(kinetic friction) = μ_k N for objects in motion, where μk is instead the coefficient of kinetic friction. Although the two values for μ vary from object to object, empirically, it has been observed that the coefficient of kinetic friction is less than the coefficient of static friction for most materials, i.e., μ_k < μ_s. Consequently, “the frictional force on an object that has started moving is less than the maximum static friction of a stationary object.”
Although the parallel of the proponent of the award in reality did not commit suicide, the history behind the Nobel Prize is not too far off from what was mentioned. Alfred Nobel, in his will, had stated that 94% of his fortune be used to create a series of prizes for those who had greatly contributed to humanity in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Nobel himself is known for inventing dynamite and, consequently, patenting it among his several hundred other patents.