Chapter 74

Episode 74: Summer Retreat, and the Symposium (4)

Mint was lying on a sunbed, gazing at the sea. A shimmer lay atop the blue ocean.

The sunlight didn’t seem unbearably bright, but it appeared the empire’s people considered this level of brightness as blinding.

Mint extended her hand toward me.

“Lemonade.”

“Lemonade… What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Bring me more.”

I looked down at Mint.

“Nope.”

“Hmph.”

Mint slowly got up from the sunbed.

She tossed an empty glass beside it. The glass landed softly in the sand with a slight thud, unbroken.

“Teacher, that sunglasses look good on you.”

“Do they?”

Mint wore a black swimsuit covered by a white cardigan. She had a straw hat on her head and handed me her parasol.

I remember Mint joking about holding her parasol last time… Today, she put that joke into action. I took it, tilting it so the shadow fell over Mint.

Sigh, if I keep indulging her, she’ll get spoiled, but at least she seems happy.

The beach was surprisingly peaceful.

“Let’s walk. I thought there’d be more people here, but it’s almost empty?”

“We came to a less crowded side.”

True, this isn’t exactly a modern tourist spot, and transportation isn’t convenient enough for it to become bustling anyway.

In any case,

The wind wasn’t strong, and the waves gently lapped at the shore instead of crashing violently.

“Touch the seawater for the first time.”

“What a shame, the capital isn’t too far from here.”

“I’ve been to the coast before, but wasn’t allowed to touch the water. They said if my body got worse and I caught a cold from the seawater, what would we do?”

“It doesn’t matter much now, right?”

“That’s true.”

A brief trace of melancholy flickered in Mint’s voice while reminiscing, but soon she turned her head toward me.

“Let me try your sunglasses.”

“Sure.”

I slightly bowed my head, allowing Mint to take the sunglasses off my face and wear them.

“Did the symposium go well?”

“I flipped everything upside down.”

“Seems like the reaction was good.”

“Seriously, it got chaotic. People stood up, shouting, and all sorts of commotion broke out.”

“Is that normal?”

“Judging from what I’ve seen, it happens often.”

Reactions were explosive each time I attended a symposium. It always turned into chaos, which was somewhat exhausting.

“I wish the Imperial Palace would fully support my research.”

“Don’t bring up work now.”

“Just saying.”

“Of course you’d think that, Teacher.”

Plop, plop. Mint splashed her bare feet in the seawater, sending small droplets flying around.

“How was the Magic Seminar?”

“Meh, nothing special. It wasn’t better than what we usually do at the Academy. Honestly, there wasn’t much reason for it to be better, was there?”

Still,

“It feels nice to come out and play… Oh yeah, Teacher, can we have dinner together later?”

“Yes.”

“There was a place I spotted earlier…”

Mint linked arms with me and continued talking about something—things we saw on the way, how seagulls could eat crackers, and scouting places for dinner.

I removed the hat from Mint’s head. She looked up at me again.

“Are you thinking of swimming?”

“The weather is too cool for swimming once you’re in the water.”

The sun wasn’t scorching enough to make me want to swim. In fact, it felt like clouds might roll in soon. Not yet though.

Anyway, the sun was already past its peak.

“Not thinking of swimming – Ah!”

Mint tripped my foot, and I face-planted into the seawater. Looking up, Mint’s face was glowing with genuine laughter.

“Hey… Can you help me up?”

Mint happily extended her hand, and I pulled her into the water with me. If I were more forgiving, I might not have done that, but I’m not that generous.

Mint stumbled in the shallow water. Her white cardigan hung heavy with wetness, and her hair was soaked as well.

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to actually pull me in.”

“Wow indeed. Princess started it.”

Mint couldn’t suppress her laughter.

“Sorry.”

She didn’t really mean it.

You silly princess. After shaking off some sand, I offered my hand again. Mint stared at it for a moment.

“Teacher, you won’t pull me under again, will you?”

“No.”

Mint grabbed my hand and stood up. She shrugged on her soggy cardigan, which was now useless. Water dripped from it.

“Teacher was right.”

“About what?”

“It’s cold. This isn’t really swimming weather after all.”

Mint re-linked her arm with mine. I briefly pondered whether pulling her into the water was wrong… but she started it.

“Let’s head back. I brought a shower gown, so you can change into that.”

“Okay.”

Mint sneezed a few times nearby. Sorry about that. We slowly walked back toward the sunbeds we left earlier.

Anyway,

An hour later, Mint changed clothes and rejoined me. She no longer seemed cold, but her energy level had dropped a bit compared to earlier.

“Oh, Teacher, you’re here.”

“Isn’t it too late for dinner?”

“I thought we might see stars appearing.”

Hmm, it’s summer, and the latitude here is higher than expected, so sunset comes later.

We wouldn’t be eating dinner for hours.

“We can wait until they appear.”

“Ah… You’re right. No need to worry unnecessarily.”

The sun still hadn’t set.

“Didn’t you say you found a place?”

“Yeah, it was nearby…”

The streets were more pleasant than expected. Since we hadn’t wandered long, we reached the place Mint mentioned earlier. It was just an ordinary restaurant.

One unique feature—it allowed dining on the rooftop. We settled into a comfortable spot. Mint looked up at the sky.

“Hmm… Is it okay to stay here until sunset? The restaurant staff might not like that.”

“Oh…”

Just a few weeks ago, I paid extra tips to the staff because I kept them working late due to Mint. Looks like she’s grown since then.

Or maybe it’s just emotional fluctuation. Either way, it’s definitely an improvement from back then.

“Tip generously, and they probably won’t mind us staying until sunset.”

“Likely.”

Mint rested her chin on her hand.

This time, looking toward the sea.

“It’s peaceful and nice here on vacation.”

“The stars will be worth watching when they appear later.”

***

Meanwhile, in Professor Wolfram’s research lab.

“Ah, I’m dying.”

Professor will be back soon, so I’ll ask him when he arrives. Luciana closed the book she was reading.

After a few days’ absence, Professor Wolfram finally returned to his lab. Luciana was excited to show off the assignment she had retrieved.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Nothing unusual happened while I was gone, right?”

Luciana shook her head.

“There was something. A professor from the Healing Department visited and asked if alchemy could extract a specific substance from this solution.”

Wolfram dismissed it casually.

“You’ll figure it out as you work. Extracting one material isn’t that hard… Alchemy isn’t easy, is it?”

“That’s true.”

“What are you trying to extract?”

“Some kind of bacteria-killing medicine, though I didn’t hear the exact details. They said boiling it isn’t allowed.”

Luciana carefully retrieved the vial in question and placed it on the professor’s desk. The professor inspected the dark green liquid inside.

“How much are they offering?”

“If successful, the Imperial Palace will fund our research. Though I should confirm that.”

“Funding from the Imperial Palace? Really?”

“Professor Asterisk used to be an Imperial Healer, so I thought it might be possible.”

The usually gentle expression on Professor Wolfram’s face shifted slightly upon learning who assigned the task. Luciana hesitated mid-explanation.

“Ah, it’s him.”

“Do you know him?”

“Isn’t he the guy who invented the centrifuge? I heard his personality is a bit strange…”

“Is that so?”

Wolfram nodded.

“Sometimes professors like that exist. They grew up being pampered, lack common sense, rarely met anyone smarter than themselves, and their talent outweighs experience, making teaching others difficult.”

Talent comes with its price. At least, that’s what Wolfram believed.

“Uh, I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“He’s caused several symposiums to collapse. That’s why I’m saying this. Do you have a plan?”

Luciana cleared her throat and referenced her notes.

“According to the plan Professor Asterisk set up, we adjust the solution to a mild acidity, use the centrifuge to separate the layers, check which layer contains the target component, and repeat this process.”

“Something else is needed.”

“Since the target compound is secreted by fungi, using centrifugation to remove insoluble materials and fungal structures will leave only the desired drug component, sugar, and other substances in the remaining liquid. Solidifying this alone counts as success, according to him.”

“Hmm… That could work too. Try it. Did he promise to include you as a co-author on the paper?”

“Of course, I should demand that.”

“You’ll get hit from behind. Quickly secure the promise.”

Luciana nodded. Why hadn’t she considered getting hit from behind? It didn’t seem likely, but human behavior is unpredictable.

---