#44. Scholar

The guards were storming in. It seemed Duke Ward’s shouts had reached them.

“Stand down.”

But Duke Ward sent the guards back.

The reason was self-evident.

The Duke understood that there would be no benefit in trying to subdue me by force.

Revealing my name from the start must have been a good choice.

“But Your Grace…”

“Did I not command you to stand down!”

“Yes, yess!!”

As the guards retreated, the atmosphere grew even heavier.

Fine by me. Easier to have a conversation like this.

“…So, you’re asking me to hand over my son?”

Duke Ward’s expression had hardened into ice.

Well, it was already pretty stiff, but if I had to say, he looked like he was chewing on something even fouler.

“Yes, I’m requesting permission to conduct some experiments using your son.”

Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t exactly a pleasant request.

Offering your child up as a test subject… if it were me, I’d have slapped someone senseless already.

But Duke Ward couldn’t do that.

Unlike his son, he wasn’t a fool. He knew very well how important this private audience with me was to the ‘future of his house’.

So this is the taste of power.

Not an entirely unpleasant feeling.

Duke Ward spoke, his voice trembling. Trembling not with fear, but with rage.

“Ivan may have his shortcomings, but he is my precious son.”

He was a father.

“So… may I inquire about the safety of these experiments?”

He was also the head of his household.

“I’m glad we can be reasonable.”

Time to start assessing myself objectively.

How am I seen by others, objectively speaking?

I’ll exclude my unrevealed achievements like circuit inventions and problem-solving; this is about ‘objectivity’, after all.

So, what’s left of Rain Ortiz?

On the surface, nothing much. Ordinary, unremarkable. Just plain normal.

But there’s one thing.

A piece of information about Rain Ortiz that was revealed thanks to the Ivan Ward incident.

‘Connection to the Imperial Family.’

The Imperial Family directly intervened in the disciplinary proceedings, and the resulting judgment was remarkably biased. Excessively in favor of the Lunia Academy.

Even if Ivan Ward started it, Professor Cecil’s response was undeniably excessive. Because of that, everyone must have questioned the Imperial Family’s decision.

The Imperial Family, of course, remained dignified.

The Ward family… couldn’t raise a single objection.

This showed the Imperial Family’s strength, and also implied something else.

「Rain Ortiz is someone the Imperial Family is directly protecting.」

The Imperial Family is not an entity that moves lightly. As the representative of the Empire, they don’t bother getting involved unless absolutely necessary.

And *that* Imperial Family is going to protect one student, even at the expense of damaging a noble house?

At that point, I was no longer an ordinary person.

As I mentioned earlier, Duke Ward isn’t a fool.

He’s already finished all the calculations and won’t try to antagonize me any further. Dismissing the arriving guards was proof of that.

So, how should I act?

Simple. I’ll just play the part he expects me to play.

Though my true self is but an ordinary figure, there is no need to correct a harmless misconception.

I began to act, deliberately, as if I possessed ‘something more.’

“With but a word from me, I can restore the Ward family’s standing.”

I know not if His Imperial Majesty will grant my unreasonable request.

Thus, it is, strictly speaking, a falsehood.

“You are aggrieved, are you not? The foolish actions of your son have crumbled much of what you have built.”

This, at least, is true.

Had it not been for Ivan Ward, this family would never have fallen to such straits.

“Your son is a man grown. He should remedy the deeds he himself has wrought.”

This, too, is true.

In reality, I am offering Duke Ward an opportunity.

To either become a fallen noble, or to secure a chance to recover and rebound from what has transpired.

“This is an offer, not a demand. All rests upon the Duke’s choice.”

Ah.

This is a lie.

An offer one cannot refuse is akin to a demand.

“Ah, but that was not your query.”

I said, offering a bright smile.

“Your son’s life is assured. If you desire, I will even pen a contract to that effect.”

“Only his life will be assured?”

“Surely not. I pledge that his mind, his body, all shall remain intact.”

“…”

Duke Ward was lost in contemplation.

I waited. For you will accept.

“…Grant me a little more time to consider.”

“Then may I trouble you to offer me the guest chamber? I would wish to hear your answer before the day is out.”

“So be it.”

“Before the third bell, if you would.”

Subjects for experimentation will be gathered even after Ivan Ward.

Who they shall be, I know not. They may be recruited, or I may select them myself.

As I have only recently resolved to conduct these experiments in earnest, no concrete plans have yet been formed.

After a time, Duke Ward entered the guest chamber.

“Has your deliberation concluded?”

“It has.”

Duke Ward spoke in a heavy voice.

“I accept.”

As expected.

“The contract is prepared. Read it, and affix your signature.”

I handed him the paper I had written beforehand.

Duke Ward carefully read the contract, then, with a sigh, signed it.

“You’ve thought well. You won’t regret this.”

I rose and exited the guest chamber.

“I’ll take your son now.”

“What? You mean you’re taking him now?”

“When else would I take him? I’m leaving for Lunia soon.”

Ivan Ward is currently holed up in his room.

He seems to be struggling with the fact that his family is collapsing due to his own mistakes.

But it’s all right now! Kind me is here to solve it.

“W-wait! Stop!”

“Why, what’s wrong? The contract states it’s effective from today.”

“There was no such clause!”

“It was on the back.”

“To do such a thing…!”

Ignoring Duke Ward’s words, I proceeded onward.

With the System’s help, I located the room where Ivan was hiding and opened the door.

“W-who is it…”

“Don’t you remember me?”

Ivan’s eyes widened. I placed a hand on Ivan’s shoulder and immediately activated the teleportation device.

And so, we arrived at the carriage. Kevin, Charlotte, and Professor Cecil were already inside.

“Uh, ugh…”

A bewildered Ivan.

I sat down across from him, staring at Ivan as I spoke.

“You’ve been kidnapped.”

*

“I expected you to do something…”

Professor Cecil looked at Ivan, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Is it okay to just bring him like this?”

“Legally, there’s no problem. I wrote up a contract and he signed.”

The atmosphere inside the carriage wasn’t great.

Charlotte and Professor Cecil continued to glare at Ivan, and Kevin couldn’t shake off his discomfort.

Ivan, completely intimidated, kept his gaze fixed downward.

Hmm.

It’s my fault for not giving prior notice.

No choice, then.

The only option is to send the source of the problem to a different location…

“Ivan.”

“W-what is it?”

“Go to the luggage compartment.”

Thanks to Ivan’s sacrifice, we were able to travel comfortably.

While we were in the carriage, I explained everything to Ivan.

At first, of course, I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t a matter of simply being discarded by the family–it was something far more. To put it bluntly, it was a rather depressing tale of being ‘sold off’.

But I held the contract. Two copies were made, so Duke Ward would have one as well.

The moment Ivan Ward saw the signature written in Father’s hand, he was rendered speechless.

“This can’t be….”

Just a short while ago, Ivan Ward had accused me of being abandoned by my family.

Now he would understand.

The true abandonment was happening now.

“This is, this is too much.”

“What is?”

“What do you mean, ‘what is’? Using someone like a lab rat…!”

“Cutting off people’s arms isn’t too much?”

To add to that, I don’t particularly care for selfishness.

Especially the kind of hypocrisy Ivan Ward was exhibiting. He was the worst of the worst.

And what I could bestow upon such individuals was the pain of reciprocation.

Having treated others as less than human, truly becoming less than human would be a valuable experience for Ivan.

“It’ll be quite challenging, I imagine. My academic thirst has risen a bit recently.”

There was so much I wanted to know.

No, more accurately, there were things I wanted to prove.

There wasn’t a problem I couldn’t solve. Because when I questioned my internal system, any truth was derived immediately.

But just because I could write down the answer didn’t guarantee I understood it.

If the answer written on the test was merely copied from the answer key, I couldn’t truly say I had solved the problem.

There are limits to copying.

The tasks that lay ahead for me were not something I could accomplish by merely copying.

“Besides strange weapons, there are other things I want to create.”

The sense of accomplishment I felt after first completing penicillin was indescribable.

And the process of proving and discovering various other things was enjoyable.

I felt like I was becoming a scholar.

Huh?

Am I screwed?

“……Surely not.”

Familiar scenery began to appear outside the window.

We were returning to Lunea.