Chapter 26
“Huff, huff, huff.”
The forest at dawn was no joke.
It wasn’t just that my vision was limited due to the darkness, but my fundamentally terrible stamina made it even worse.
Seriously, I was about to drop dead from exhaustion.
I even felt the urge to curse out the black-haired bastard climbing the forest at this ungodly hour.
That guy was also a magi-engineer, but maybe because he came from a martial family, his stamina seemed disgustingly good.
But then again, I was also from a martial family—so why was there such a huge difference?
[That’s because Master has seriously terrible stamina.]
The AI only chose moments like these to stop spouting nonsense and start hitting me with harsh truths.
Ugh, this thing was utterly useless outside of combat.
[Huh? Me? That’s too much, considering how much you rely on me all the time. Boohoo.]
Ignoring that.
I was already exhausted, and listening to this thing’s nonsense only made it worse.
Anyway, this exhausting chase was finally coming to an end.
The black-haired guy suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Then, out of nowhere, he crouched down and started ripping something from the ground.
It was a bizarre sight that I couldn’t make sense of.
‘What the hell is he doing?’
[He’s pulling something from the ground and putting it in his mouth.]
‘He’s eating it? What the hell is he even eating?!’
[According to my sensors, it’s a type of fungus.]
Wait, what?
This guy came into the forest at dawn just to start picking up and eating random stuff?
It was so ridiculous that I didn’t even think to keep myself hidden.
I immediately approached the black-haired guy.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Whoa! Damn it, you scared me!!”
The guy practically jumped out of his skin when I spoke to him.
Why was he the one freaking out?
Then, when I locked eyes with him, I noticed something.
Why was his mouth bright red...?
“HOLY SHIT!!”
“AHH! What the hell?! Why are you suddenly screaming?!”
“Y-Your… your mouth…!”
“Oh.”
The guy wiped his mouth with his sleeve and—
“So, you saw it?”
—awkwardly laughed.
But with his blood-red mouth, it looked less like an awkward smile and more like the grin of a murderer caught at the scene of the crime.
At that moment, my body moved on instinct.
“You son of a bitch!”
I pulled a metal bat out of my dimensional storage and swung it at the back of his head.
CLANG!
Unfortunately, since it wasn’t a sneak attack and I swung it right in front of him, the bastard managed to roll out of the way.
“AHH! WHAT THE HELL?! Why are you suddenly swinging that thing at me?!”
“You’re the one acting insane! What the hell are you even doing this early in the morning?! And what the hell is that all over your mouth?!”
“This? It’s just a mushroom.”
“A mushroom?”
“I—I was just hungry, so I picked and ate some mushrooms…”
What the hell was he talking about?
Looking around, I did see some mushrooms scattered nearby.
But the mushroom juice was bright red—was that even safe to eat?
“Are you sure those are edible?”
“These? Yeah, they’re fine. When I was a kid, I nearly died eating mushrooms that grew in my room, so now I can tell which ones are safe.”
That was… unexpectedly dark.
How starving did he have to be to—wait, hold on.
Did he just say mushrooms grew in his room?
Wasn’t this guy a noble from a count’s family?
“Was your estate built on a swamp or something?”
“Nah, it’s just that the place I stayed in was kind of run-down. The environment wasn’t great.”
…Right.
Now that I thought about it, this guy really didn’t seem like he was treated well.
I never expected that he lived in such a terrible environment that mushrooms could actually grow there.
Why do I feel like crying?
I wasn’t particularly close to the black-haired guy, but after hearing such a pitiful story, I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Come with me. At the very least, I’ll get you something to eat.”
I had enough resources to spare at least a meal, so I decided to feed him.
If I hadn’t known, it would have been one thing, but now that I did, I couldn’t just sit back and watch him eat wild mushrooms that oozed blood-like juice, even if they were technically edible.
“W-Wait, really? You’re giving me food?”
“Have you been tricked your whole life? Hurry up and follow me.”
“A-Are you sure? You’re not lying, right?”
“If you keep dawdling, you’ll get nothing.”
“I-I’m coming! Raniel, you’re an angel!!”
---
After taking the black-haired guy out of the forest, I bought some simple food from a convenience store. Then, I sat him down at a table in front of the store and made sure he ate.
He devoured the food with an endless stream of gratitude.
“Eat slower. You’ll choke at this rate.”
“Thangk you! This ish sho gooth!”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
After wolfing down the food in an instant, he patted his now bulging stomach and sighed in relief.
“Phew, I feel alive again. Seriously, thanks, Raniel!”
As I quietly watched him, I took a bite of bread and asked,
“Come to think of it, you work part-time at a restaurant, right? Don’t they give you meals there?”
“They let me take leftovers if there are any, but today, there weren’t any left.”
At least on normal days, it seemed like he could eat at his workplace.
But still, for someone who’s supposedly the child of a noble household to be struggling so much that he can’t even afford a meal while working part-time…
“I know you’re not on great terms with your family, but they don’t care even if you’re going hungry?”
“They treat me like I don’t exist, so… yeah, they don’t really care.”
“Both of your parents?”
“My mother passed away a long time ago….”
Ah, I put my foot in my mouth.
I was momentarily at a loss for words and shut my mouth.
“What about your maternal relatives?”
“My mother didn’t have any family….”
Hmm, this guy’s life is even more tragic than I thought.
Why is every topic I bring up a landmine?
‘How am I supposed to save this poor soul?’
[Are you planning to save him?]
‘No.’
Feeling sorry for the black-haired guy was one thing, but I was a rational person who knew how to separate business from emotions.
I had no time to waste on something as inefficient, unproductive, and pointless as saving people.
[But what if it’s not your money?]
‘What do you mean?’
[You’ll be promoted to associate professor soon, right? That means you’ll be able to hire a research assistant.]
Now that I thought about it—
Research assistant salaries were paid by the academy, not out of my own pocket.
[The problem was that no sane person would willingly become a graduate student, so you had no one to hire. But someone that poor? He’d probably jump at the chance for just a little bit of money.]
For the first time since arriving in this world, my AI actually said something useful.
[Excuse me! I’ve always been useful?!]
Anyway—
‘That’s not a bad idea.’
Now that I thought about it, this black-haired guy—while pitiful and a little dense—was part of the A-Class in the Department of Magic Engineering.
‘He seems to have a knack for engineering, and if I bring him in as a research assistant, he’ll probably follow instructions without complaint.’
[But Master, you’re not an associate professor yet. That means you’ll have to pay him yourself for now.]
That was a problem, but nothing major.
‘That’s easy enough—I’ll just call it a three-month probation period and pay him minimum wage.’
[…Is he a demon?]
Ignoring the nonsense-spouting AI, I asked the black-haired guy,
“How much do you earn from your restaurant part-time job?”
“Uh, not much, really…”
“Then how about quitting that and helping with my research instead? I’ll pay you enough to cover your meals, unlike these mushrooms.”
“But I also have tuition fees to worry about….”
Ah, right.
If his family didn’t even provide money for food, they definitely wouldn’t have covered his tuition.
‘If I include the academy tuition, my budget calculations get a little messy…’
[Master, research assistants get a tuition waiver.]
‘Seriously?!’
[After reviewing the Imperial Academy’s regulations and policies, I found that research assistants receive both a stipend and a tuition waiver!]
‘…Can’t I be a research assistant instead?’
[Master, you’re an associate professor. You can’t be a research assistant.]
While I was briefly conversing with the AI, the black-haired guy seemed to take my silence as a rejection. His face fell slightly in disappointment.
“Raniel, I really appreciate it. But I’ll just take your kindness.
The only reason I’m like this right now is because I spend all my part-time earnings on tuition. If I can find some academy-sponsored financial aid or a simple office job, I should be able to manage my meals somehow….”
“I’ll cover your tuition too! So, become my research assistant!”
“!”
The black-haired guy widened his eyes in shock.
“You’re saying you’ll not only pay me but also cover my tuition?!”
“Of course.”
[Um, Master? Research assistants already get a tuition waiver.]
‘Showing generosity with other people’s money is the best way to do it.’
Easily dismissing the AI’s logic, I confidently made my offer again.
“What do you say? If you become my research assistant, you can earn a living while working with me on cutting-edge magical engineering research!”
“But why would you go that far for me…?”
“Don’t feel pressured. You’d just be helping with my work, and I’d just be giving a little support to your financial struggles.”
Moved by my words, the black-haired guy’s eyes glistened with emotion.
“Raniel, you’re the best! I love you, man!!”
“Yeah, no. Don’t cling to me. That’s disgusting.”
Since I had no interest in hugging another guy, I gently pushed him away and extended my hand.
“So, I’ll take that as a yes. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Same here!”
And just like that, I had unofficially recruited my first loyal servant.
“So, does this research assistant thing start tomorrow?”
“What are you talking about? Research starts now.”
Seeing the slight stiffening of his expression, I smiled with deep satisfaction.
---
Having an assistant again reignited my passion for research, so I worked straight through the night.
Since I already had all the theories in my head, I repeatedly built prototypes, tested them, revised and refined them, and finally completed the finished product.
By the time the sun rose, I had burned myself out completely and skipped the morning assembly to catch up on sleep.
(Apparently, each class has a homeroom professor, making the academy feel more like high school.)
The assembly itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but—
“You were sleeping quite openly, weren’t you?”
—right after it ended, my homeroom professor called me over.
They didn’t seem too angry, but there was a hint of sulkiness in their expression.
Awkwardly smiling, I made an excuse.
“Ahaha, I was so engrossed in my research last night that I lost track of time….”
“Research? Are you working on something new?!”
Why are their eyes suddenly sparkling?
“I am, but… I’ll show you once it’s complete.”
“Patience is a virtue for an engineer. Hmm.”
Nodding to themselves in satisfaction, the professor handed me a stack of documents.
“Anyway, this is information about the field trip happening the day after tomorrow.
The academy has finalized the travel arrangements to the Clishe estate, as well as discussions with the local corperation team….”
The dungeon we’ll be experiencing has already been cleared, leaving only weak remnants behind, so it’s not particularly dangerous.
Our job is to guide the students while conducting a lesson on monsters—so we just need to prepare by reviewing this monster guidebook."
"This book is pretty thick."
"It doesn’t seem as easy as I thought."
"Looks like we won’t be completely idle."
Since I had already dealt with monsters back on Earth, my knowledge of them was sufficient. But explaining everything clearly to the students was an entirely different matter.
"There’s not much research on monsters or dungeons, so a lot of the information comes from ancient texts. That means there are plenty of inaccuracies.
As long as you don’t say anything too absurd, they won’t judge you based on your teaching method or content.
The most important thing is the students' safety and guidance."
The homeroom teacher emphasized safety once again.
"Even though a sweep has been done, there could still be monsters lurking somewhere.
Dungeons are inherently dangerous places, and a small mistake could lead to serious risks.
What really matters is how well you can guide the students and keep them safe in such an environment."
"I understand."
After giving me some additional instructions, the homeroom teacher left to conduct his own class.
I returned to the classroom, flipping through the guidebook I had been given.
"An outdoor lesson where we experience a dungeon firsthand, huh…"
---
"Ohh!! O Great God of Magitech!"
Inside a secluded building, a woman in a suspicious-looking robe was bowing to a light bulb.
Watching this bizarre scene, a man dressed in the same attire frowned and spoke.
"Our god is someone else."
At his cold remark, the woman, who had been bowing repeatedly, stood up and playfully responded.
"That’s one thing, and this is another."
"If others were here, they would cut out your tongue and gouge out your eyes for blasphemy."
"But they aren’t here, are they? There’s no one else here, right?"
"I'm not a lifeless object, you know."
"So, are you going to kill me over this so-called blasphemy?"
The woman stared at him intently, causing the man to awkwardly avert his gaze.
He let out a small sigh.
"Hah… There may be more than one god, but why of all things are you worshiping a light bulb?"
"Why, you ask? A light bulb? Don’t tell me you don’t recognize this?"
"It’s just a light bulb."
"It’s not just a light bulb! This is an artifact that surpasses mere magical tools, incorporating technology years ahead of its time!"
The man looked exasperated.
"It’s still just a light bulb…"
"This is why I hate talking to martial artists whose brains have been overtaken by aura."
"Better than a tech-obsessed lunatic who gets excited over metal!"
The two bickered for a while.
After a long argument, they finally calmed down.
Catching his breath, the man adopted a serious expression.
"So, is the plan progressing well?"
"I’m maintaining regular contact with our informant inside the academy, and everything has been set up in the Clishet territory.
Now, we just need to carefully select the personnel for the operation."
"Any potential risks that could disrupt the plan?"
"There is some intel from above…"
The woman handed a few documents to the man.
Flipping through the papers, his expression darkened.
"Hmm, but isn’t this information too scarce?"
"That’s all we have."
"I suppose we have no choice."
At her response, the man reluctantly nodded.
Then, they locked eyes.
"For the future of the continent."
"For the future."
