How did they find out about the sky island search... The researchers confessed meekly.
"Actually... we've been putting our ears to the wall and eavesdropping on the next room. We're sorry."
They bowed their heads low.
Occasionally...
I doubted whether it was truly just 'occasionally'.
"It started during the last meteor shower observation..."
"Ah. So it was then."
I remembered Doloren getting angry that the next room was being too loud. It seems that was the trigger. A moment later, a burly researcher hesitated, cautiously watching my expression.
"Are you... not angry?"
Pfft.
A laugh escaped me. To think these hulks, who could probably bend my spine backward if they wanted, were acting so timidly. I said to them.
"It doesn't seem like something to get angry over."
In truth, I had no room to talk. I'd often eavesdropped on the Dean’s Telepathy myself. Besides, everything they'd done had ultimately ended up helping me.
'Let's not admire him'...
It was a bit funny, but hey, all's well that ends well.
"You haven't been secretly investing in my projects and profiting from them, or anything like that, have you?"
"We are managing that aspect thoroughly! Our basic policy is to only start investing after an official article has been published in the Upperhills Newspaper."
They had their own principles, and they were realistic ones at that.
"Thank you for looking upon us favorably, Sir Isaac."
"No. It's nothing."
Pushing away people who like you is no easy task. Moreover, in a world with magic, hoping for perfect privacy might be greedy in itself. After all, my location was already being broadcast live to the Dean 24/7 through my Memorizer pendant.
Of course, I could block sound from leaking out of our school’s research lab if I put my mind to it. But I decided against going that far. The floor of our lab would change after the break anyway.
We were on the 10th floor now, but we would be moving up to the 31st floor next semester. In other words, we would naturally be saying goodbye to the School of Ideal Gas Magic. 'Wait a minute...
I talked about that in the lab, too. Don't these people already know?' I studied the researchers’ faces.
A brief silence fell.
Well.
It'll probably sort itself out. The next day. Having been contacted by the researchers, Professor Gedrick returned.
"My apologies, Isaac! I'll take measures to ensure this never happens again..."
Professor Gedrick apologized profusely the moment he entered. He only calmed down after I told him several times that it was fine, and that I was actually grateful.
"But what about your trip? Didn't you still have things scheduled?"
"Ah, that? It was a tour of the other Magic Tower branches, but I canceled it, saying I received an urgent call from the founding school head."
He wasn't joking; it seemed he planned to remain the Acting school head until I officially took over. I had said I would take over briefly after getting my doctorate and then pass it on to the next person, but seeing how things were going, that didn't look easy.
'If I become the official school head... it seems like a lot of annoying things will pile up... I should probably delay getting my doctorate as long as possible.'
Wait.
I just thought about wanting to get my doctorate late?
Me?
An unprecedented sense of self-loathing washed over me. You've gotten complacent, Isaac. Just then, Professor Gedrick spoke with a serious expression.
"In any case, I will do my best regarding the sky island search."
His words barely managed to pull me back to reality. Gedrick decided to cooperate with all the former branches of the School of Ideal Gas Magic across the Magic Tower to thoroughly search any areas where abnormal weather was observed.
"Thank you. Since this is an official request, a contract..."
"Hey, there's no need for that. I won't take any money."
"Hmm? Why not?"
"People from the same school don't write up request forms just for helping each other with some work."
Professor Gedrick waved his hands dismissively. A smile appeared on my face at the sight.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Don't mention it. Isn't it for the same reason that you waived the theory usage fee for the ideal gas equation of state for our school?"
"I didn't think about it that deeply."
Professor Gedrick chuckled at my words.
"You did it instinctively, eh? Sometimes, actions based on intuition can be more moving than those born from deliberation."
Thump, thump.
Professor Gedrick patted my back.
"... It doesn't seem to hurt you anymore. Have you been working out?"
"No. I got used to being hit, thanks to working with the dwarves."
"Oh..."
And with that, the preparations for the sky island search were complete. The musclemen spread throughout the Empire would search for abnormal weather. Then, I just needed to dispatch Head of the Doloren school to the suspicious locations they found.
A fully automated search system. It was complete.
Today, my body felt a bit stiff, so I held a special lecture for the children at the Upperhills boarding school. Seeing the children react so positively even though it was vacation improved my mood a little.
"Today's lesson was quite substantial..."
Hearing me mutter that, Laura asked.
"What did you teach?"
"Net force. It's a very substantial topic, you know."
Laura's expression turned icy. ... The reaction is not good at all. Still, I had no intention of stopping.
This world, where science jokes don't land, is the one at fault. From now on, I shall continue to walk my path silently, like the non-differentiable horn of a rhinoceros. Laura changed the subject, pretending she hadn't heard.
"More importantly, I have something to report."
"What is it?"
"There has been a sharp increase in inquiries from people wanting to apply as official teachers for the next semester."
Ooh.
This was a very good sign. The more teachers we had, the more children we could accept. Of course, I had no intention of hiring indiscriminately.
A check of their character and skills would be essential.
"Where are the inquiries from?"
"The majority are from people who used to work at private boarding schools attended by nobles."
I nodded.
That made sense. Our salary and benefits were likely the best in the industry.
Laura said.
"It seems that those who didn't apply before because the future was uncertain have changed their minds after seeing the lineup for the special lectures."
Good, very good. It wasn't intentional, but it was a gain nonetheless.
"Could you perhaps handle the selection process again, like last time, Laura?"
"Understood. Please leave it to me."
A few days later, Laura swiftly completed the teacher selection.
However... a minor problem arose from that.
"Why weren't we chosen?!"
"Let us in! Give us a fair chance!"
In front of the foundation, a few boarding school teachers were holding a protest. I looked down at the scene from the window of the foundation's main building conference room.
"We'll work like dogs!"
The shouts were piercing through the window. Laura said to me.
"I apologize for causing this trouble..."
"No. There's nothing to apologize for. Don't worry about it."
A protest of this level was quite civilized. After all, there were people in the world who opposed the construction of data centers because they were afraid of electromagnetic waves. I couldn't understand what was so frightening about a force that weakens with the square of the distance...
I asked Laura.
"Those people are the rejected teacher applicants, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"What was the reason for their rejection? They may seem rude, but they look full of passion."
Laura replied tonelessly as she flipped through some documents.
"We completed a reputation check through a reliable informant. Their usual conduct is below standard."
"Specifically?"
"The one in the front row is suspected of embezzling public funds at his previous school, and the one next to him accepted bribes from parents. The one in the back has a history of assaulting a fellow staff member..."
"Stop. I understand perfectly."
Just hearing it made my head throb. I couldn't let such scoundrels stand before my siblings. Laura added, grinding her teeth.
"They are insisting that since the foundation is overflowing with money, there's no reason not to hire them."
"Hmm..."
In the past, the fact that I had spare money in my pockets wouldn't have become so widely known... It seems the news spread quickly thanks to the paper newspaper.
Laura said.
"Shall I call the Capital Guard?"
"No. Let's just leave them be for now."
"... Understood."
I wanted to do just that, but I held back for the time being. It would be a huge problem if the teachers who were dragged away by force gave an interview to a private newspaper. The Upperhills boarding school was a place I'd established for orphans, so I had to be careful with public opinion.
Not having parents is not a fault, but people use that fact like an insult all too easily. I didn't want to see my siblings get hurt.
'Those people...
Do they know all these circumstances and are still making such a scene...?' So this is the kind of problem that arises when your image is too good.
"The break is almost over anyway. I guess we'll just have to ignore them until the semester starts and they all go back to their original schools."
"Understood. First, I will take measures to ensure the foundation's people avoid encountering them as much as possible."
"Thank you, Laura."
I left the remaining work to Laura and headed out. Not to my lodgings, of course, but to the lab. I was angry, which made me want to write a thesis.
As I entered the empty lab at night during the break... I sensed a presence with a detection spell. A very familiar presence, at that.
"It seems many interesting things have happened while I was away."
The Great Mage who looked most like a Great Mage. It was Valerius. He was fiddling with the paper on the lab desk, looking intrigued.
"I wonder how such talent can be concentrated in one person..."
"Sir Valerius! You must be tired from your trip."
"Have you been well, disciple of Doloren?"
Valerius still exuded a sharp and intellectual aura. We caught up on what had happened. As expected, he said the remnants of the 'Guides of the Lantern' had been completely wiped out.
He also said he had either eliminated all the subversive elements in the north or handed them over to the Imperial Palace. Isn't he basically a human butcher? What a terrifying man.
"What happened with the Black Heart? You were curious about that."
"That... seems to be something I need to discuss more with the Dean."
Valerius was being reserved. It seemed there were some complicated circumstances involved.
"Oh, right. I had to change my alias a few times for the operation, so I used the name you used. That's all right, isn't it?"
"Howard?"
"Yes. That one."
"Well, I don't mind."
He has no real substance anyway, so anyone can use the name for all I care. Afterward, Valerius asked about the things I'd been up to. I recounted everything in order, from the story of flying in the sky to the metric system, the airship construction, and the recent currency reform.
Valerius said.
"I thought the rumors about the floating stone were exaggerated, but they were true."
"That was really difficult."
"How on earth did you do it?"
"I don't know either."
I could say it with confidence. The path of learning begins with admitting what you do not know.
"On the other hand, I thought the story about you subduing dozens of spies at once was true..."
"Dozens? All I did was subdue one person with Telepathy."
"... No one believes you when you say it like that."
Valerius continued.
"Telepathy is a mental-type magic. Ordinary humans cannot objectively analyze and utilize their own minds like that."
"Is that so?"
"You look like you don't understand what's strange... Disciple of Doloren, can you accurately imagine your own face in a world without mirrors?"
"Aha."
I think I get what he meant now. Metacognition is a pretty tough task.
"Clearly structuring and using even mental-type magic is something only paranoid people like you or I would even attempt. Of course, whether you can raise the output enough to knock someone out is another matter entirely."
"As I said last time, it's better to hide your talent for mental magic."
"... I'll be careful from now on."
Now that I think about it, he did say that mages who use mental magic have many enemies. I didn't realize it wasn't just about analyzing Telepathy, but that manipulating its output was also part of it. I'll have to save it as a secret technique from now on.
"By the way, it seems things are going well with the foundation."
"That's a relief. But..."
"But?"
"There's been a bit of a problem lately."
I explained the situation with the protesters to Valerius. After hearing the story, Valerius said casually.
"I was thinking of going over there as a special lecturer anyway, so how about using the excuse that your budget ran out because you hired me?"
"... Were you that desperate for money?"
Valerius furrowed his brow at my joke.
"I was just suggesting we say that. I'm not so destitute that I need to take money from my disciple."
"Then you should have said so. Hahaha."
"You've been thoroughly corrupted by Doloren while I was away... I should have known when you said your dream was to write a thesis while having an affair."
"When did I ever say that!"
Of course, the person I respected most was Erwin Schrödinger, and it was true that he wrote his papers while committing adultery.
"I just said I wanted to emulate his passion!"
Pfft.
Valerius looked at me and laughed.
He continued.
"Anyway. Teaching your siblings seems far more rewarding than teaching those pointlessly stubborn kids at the Magic Tower. I'll take it."
"What subject would you like to teach?"
"I heard the Dean is teaching magic. I'll take mathematics."
"Ooh."
Valerius was the man who had devised calculus without me. As a math teacher, one could say his aptitude was more than sufficient.
The next day. The market street in front of the Bell Tower.
"Extra, extra!"
The front page of the [Upperhills Newspaper] featured the news of Valerius's recruitment in a massive headline.
[Great Mage Sir Valerius joins Upperhills boarding school as a special lecturer! Subject: Mathematics] Citizens who read the article murmured among themselves.
"Somehow, it feels like all the Great Mages end up going there at some point."
"... Those snooty boarding school types are going to be mad again."
The [Upperhills Newspaper], maintaining a relatively official tone, stopped there, but other private newspapers took it a step further. Among the latecomers, there were some that even covered sensational rumors that the [Upperhills Newspaper] wouldn't dare to touch.
"Happiness in your boring daily life! This is the Daily Sun! We're fun today, too!"
"Let me see!"
"Give me one over here, too!"
The [Daily Sun], the front-runner among them, covered the whereabouts of the protesters in front of the Upperhills Foundation.
[Exclusive Report. Madmen Who Mistake Themselves for Great Mages. -A strange aspect to the protesters' pasts?]
That day, the Daily Sun was said to have broken its record for the highest daily circulation.