CH 21

The bell for the 5th period rang, and Class A’s students disappeared like the tide was ebbing, and I was alone.

Gnnghh, is this going to be the same as yesterday?

Just when I thought that a smiling Anthony-sensei came.

“Kimball-san, please go to the magic laboratory. I heard that a high-ranking wizard from the Ministry of Magic will teach you various things. That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Is that so? Understood, I’ll head there,” I said.

“Take care,” Anthony said.

Alright, alright, I don’t know what they’re going to teach me, but for now, it’s a lecture.

The Ministry of Magic is a government office housed in a giant tower to the east of the royal capital.

The tower is so big that it can be seen even from the Academy.

In that tower, mages are researching magic day and night.

Thank you very much for your hard work.

In Japan, it’s like the National Institute of Science.

For the time being, someone came from such a great government office, so I’m sure they’ll teach me something useful.

“Hello, I’m Makoto from House Kimball,” I said as I opened the door.

But, inside the room was Elmer and an older man who looked a lot like Elmer.

“Hello, hello, good day, Makoto-sama, it’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Clayton,” the man said. “Jean-Paul Clayton. I’m the Secretary of the Ministry of Magic. Feel free to call me Jean-oji-san.”

“I, I see, Clayton-kyou, what is this all about?”

“Oh, you’re different from what Elmer told me,” Clayton said. “I was looking forward to seeing you in person, Makoto-sama, considering all the rumors surrounding you.”

“I can’t believe someone can be this rude in this world,” I said.

For the time being, I also keep TPO in mind.

I might be a little off, though.

“It’s a shame, I wish you would have called me casually as Jean-oji-san,” Clayton said.

“Tou-san.. we’re getting off-topic,” Elmer said.

“Oh, that’s right, thank you, Elmer,” Clayton said.

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“Anthony-sensei told me that today I would be having a lecture by a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic,” I said.

“Mhm, the Secretary of the Ministry of Magic is the highest official. Hence, I’m the one who summoned you,” Clayton said.

“Is that so? Then, please give me the lecture,” I said.

Elmer’s father shook his head, I had a feeling he was disappointed.

“What are you talking about, Makoto-sama? Even the Secretary of the Ministry of Magic can’t give a lecture on Light magic, because we can’t use it,” Clayton said.

“Then why did you call me here?” I asked.

“Recently, Elmer has been talking about you a lot, and he seems quite happy to talk about the girls in the same class as him,” Clayton said.

“Tou-san…” Elmer said, looking bitter.

“And, even I, who had been a Water magician for many years, learned you taught him a Water magic spell that had low cost and high output which I could never have imagined,” Clayton said. “You can be certain I’ll be interested. Right?”

“Right?”, is not the thing to say here.

Elmer’s Father.

“I asked about it, I heard that you don’t have a Light magic instructor, so you looked lonely in the afternoon magic practice,” Clayton said. “It’s a waste for such a rare magical attribute, so this is what thought of doing instead.”

“Do you have this much free time, Elmer-no-Otou-san?” I asked.

“I don’t have free time, no free time at all, I’m the Secretary of the Ministry of Magic, so I’m very busy, but I’m interested in Light magic. That’s just it,” Clayton said.

“Right,” I said.

“It’s an experiment,” Clayton continued. “Let’s actually see Light magic being used, collect various data, and study it. That’s the kind of action that’s worthy of a magician’s happiness.”

“To put it bluntly, did you mean to experiment with me as the subject instead of being left with free time, is that what you’re saying?” I asked.

“Together with you, Makoto… we’ll unravel the secrets of Light magic…” Elmer said.

“Elmer, are you okay with your magic practice?” I said.

“There are no more Water magic spells I can learn at the Academy… I’m bored,” he said.

In the end, he can’t teach me, but he can experiment with me.

Mm, well, it’s better than just reading a book in the library.

“Can you help us?” Clayton asked.

“It’s fine, I’m also interested in the research methods of mages, so it’s better than having some free time on my hands,” I said.

“Oh, thank you, Makoto-sama,” Clayton said.

“Thank you… Makoto,” Elmer said.

The magic-brained idiot parent and child eagerly took out the experimental equipment from a shelf and set it up.

There are magic meters, space conduction meters, thermometers, vibration measuring instruments, and various other types of measuring instruments.

“Then, please activate it from the basic Light spell,” Clayton said.

“Right, ‘Light’,” I said.

It shines like an LED lamp in the laboratory.

“Hou-hoh, it shines beautifully, and the amount of magical power consumed is, ooh, so small, I wonder if the conversion rate from raw magic is rather high,” Clayton said.

“The four major magic attributes…” Elmer said, “basic projectile magic… takes four to five steps of generation, conversion, maintenance, and projection… but in the case of Light magic, the number of steps to activate may be smaller.”

“That’s right, but ‘Light’ has almost no attack power, so it might not be a basic projectile magic,” Clayton said.

“The Light ball… its magic is lost, or undeveloped… maybe,” Elmer said.

Yeah, these guys are magic otakus.

After that, the magic otakus never run out of interest, such as throwing out a lot of Light spells, collapsing it into a flash, and trying to heal and cure poison.

“Fascinating, fascinating,” Clayton said, “after all, Light magic is quite different from the four major attributes of magic, I would like to find out what they have in common with Dark magic, another rare magic attribute.”

“Tomorrow… I’ll bring Dark magic materials for a comparative experiment…” Elmer said.

“Indeed, Elmer,” Clayton said.

The 5th-period chime rang.

“Hmm, the time limit is over, but we’ll continue…” Elmer said.

“Let’s have some tea and rest,” I said.

“No, I’d rather not,” Clayton said.

“Let’s have some tea,” I insisted.

“Ye-Yes,” Clayton said.

If you hurry an otaku, they won’t have time to rest, and they’ll get a nosebleed and collapse.

I know from firsthand experience.

I used the magic laboratory stove to make tea.

I arrange the Hiyoko-Do cookies on a plate.

“Ah, how nostalgic, Hiyoko-Do cookies,” Clayton said.

“Is Clayton-kyou a graduate of the school too?” I asked.

“That’s right, all the magicians in the Tower are from here,” Clayton said. “Hmm, as delicious as ever.”

Well, it’s the Royal Academy of Magic, so the only people in the Magic Tower are graduates.

“What does the Ministry of Magic’s research facilities look like?” I asked.

“I don’t mind if you come to visit, you can just go there instead of the Great Temple and come over to our home,” Clayton said.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

It sounds like it would be interesting to advance to a magic researcher position.

By the way, magical spells are divided into components, so you can create new magic spells by combining the formulas for existing ones.

However, an advanced and highly efficient spell cannot be completed without a skilled magician.

“Hahaha, more than 1,000 mages are happily researching magic in that tower,” Clayton said. “From wide-area attack magic, Life magic, sewage flood control magic, Healing magic, all 300 years of the Appleton Kingdom’s research is packed in that tower.”

“Then, the Light magic materials left by Holy Bianca-sama and Holy Maria-sama are also there, right?” I said.

“Ah, no, it’s a pity that the temple guarded the saints and didn’t let them get involved with the Ministry of Magic, I suppose you’ll just have to go to them, it was rather a terrible shame.”

Huh, I can’t use the Ministry of Magic.

I have no choice but to expect a position in the Temple of the Sacred Heart’s headquarters in the Republic of Vitali.

The bell for the 6th period rang, so the experiment resumed.

We put a barrier and Elmer tried to break it with a hammer.

The experiment continued with that momentum, covering all the Light magic I happened to know then.

“Yes, it was a worthwhile experiment,” Clayton said. “From now on until the weekend. I’ll have you come by every afternoon.”

“Well, I’m free in the afternoon, so it doesn’t matter,” I said.

“So many things… I understand now,” Elmer said.

I don’t know what exactly he understood from all these tests.

“Also, about the Saint’s Faction, please leave it to me to organize the adults in the faction,” Clayton said.

“Huh, I’m sorry, but is it okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, recently, Elmer seems to be having fun,” Clayton said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him so lively, and as a parent, I’m happy, and I can’t thank you enough, Makoto-sama, for being so kind to him.”

“Thank you very much,” I said, “Elmer has been a great friend to me, too.”

“My thanks as well, Elmer is a researcher and not very social, so please continue to take care of him,” Clayton said.

“I wish you all the best in the future…” I said.

Elmer, are you a magical monster?

While everyone was putting away the lab equipment, the bell for the end of the 6th period rang.

“Well then, Makoto-sama, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow, Jean-oji-san,” I said.

“Fufufu, how nice, how nice of you,” Clayton said, leaving with a chuckle.

Despite being the Secretary of the Ministry of Magic, he was a friendly person.

I wonder if Elmer will be able to speak fluently like that when he grows up.

“Now then, let’s go back to Class A,” I said.

“Agreed……” Elmer said.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“For an acquaintance…, to be able to see my parents like this… is this embarrassing…” Elmer said.

“Ahaha, what are you saying, he was a good otou-san,” I said.

“I suppose so……” Elmer said.

Elmer smiles with relief, and we both walk toward Class A.