Chapter 5 …

The Graduate Student Is the Final Boss?

“Adel, huh. I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

Every time his shimmering light-pink hair fluttered, it created the illusion of a gentle spring breeze drifting through the air.

Combined with skin so pale it almost seemed white and elegant, refined features—

Whether it was his face or his status, he had clearly been blessed by his parents in ways completely unlike me.

“Brother, what brings you here?”

Adolf spoke in a dazed voice. Then, realizing something, he quickly turned toward me.

“Ah, Adel. This is my older brother.”

I recognized him immediately as well.

After all, there was only one person in the Empire who could call Adolf his younger brother.

‘Kienne Winterton di Douglas.’

The Crown Prince was actually a fairly important figure in the original story.

For starters, his face was far too handsome for him to be some random extra.

Moreover, unlike many nobles, he wasn’t an idiot who only had a prestigious title.

Displaying exceptional intelligence from a young age, Kienne had taken over state affairs early after the Emperor fell ill from the shock of losing the Empress.

And from that point onward, the Douglas Empire began growing at an astonishing pace.

While the nobles endlessly droned on about dignity and bloodlines, Kienne fearlessly joined hands with the Mage Tower.

He laid railroads throughout the Empire, established magical tool factories, and built the foundation of the nation’s industry.

As a result, in just seven years, the Empire entered an unprecedented golden age.

‘Which is why I can live somewhat like a modern person here.’

While my thoughts grew complicated, he naturally took a step closer.

His blue eyes carefully examined me.

“How strange. It’s our first time meeting, but somehow you feel familiar.”

…Pretty sharp.

Did he really sense something the moment he saw me?

In truth, in the original story, we were destined to meet as researcher and patron and happily destroy the world together.

That was because he developed a deep interest in my research on “space-time distortion” and began sponsoring it in earnest.

Of course, the original protagonist, Heon, eventually realized the danger of the research and went to warn the Crown Prince—

But the Crown Prince completely ignored him.

At his core, he was someone who pursued dopamine.

In fact, hearing that the research might destroy the world only made him more interested.

…And unlike the Crown Prince, the person who actively tried to stop it was Adolf.

Even to the point of throwing away his own life.

Though he looked simple-minded, Adolf was someone who clearly understood the boundary between good and evil.

Therefore, Adolf was the number one person I needed to keep close if I wanted to prevent the apocalypse.

And Kienne was the number one person I needed to stay away from.

‘So there’s no reason to have a long conversation with the Crown Prince.’

Having reached that conclusion, I calmly replied,

“I think it’s because I have a very common-looking face.”

“…Hmm, is that so?”

He looked at my face and accepted the explanation surprisingly quickly.

At least pretend to think about it a little longer.

The Crown Prince stroked his chin and continued.

“Come to think of it, I believe Adolf mentioned that someone named Adel works as a researcher at the Mage Tower.”

“…”

“As you probably know, I’m quite interested in that field myself. So tell me, what kind of research do you do, Mage Tower researcher?”

His voice brimmed with curiosity.

I hesitated for a moment.

If I answered in detail, it was obvious where his interest would lead.

It would be better to keep things vague.

“Well, it’s a fairly complicated research topic to explain right here.”

I continued calmly.

“As you know, most research conducted at the Mage Tower is confidential… and I recently left my research position, so I have to be careful about discussing it.”

“…What?”

The one who reacted with shock wasn’t Kienne, but Adolf.

“Y-You left the Mage Tower?”

I immediately nodded.

“Yeah. Just a few days ago.”

I’d been wondering how to bring it up anyway, so this actually worked out nicely.

I just needed to get the Crown Prince to leave and then talk business with Adolf.

“Why?”

…The problem was that Kienne’s interest in a former Mage Tower researcher showed no signs of fading.

“What made you leave the Mage Tower? You must have studied for a long time to become a researcher.”

His tone implied:

Why would you leave a difficult-to-enter, well-paying job?

To be fair, while I often complained that it was practically slavery, the salary of a Mage Tower researcher was comparable to what one might earn at a major corporation.

‘In modern terms, it would be like quitting a coveted corporate job to suddenly start your own business.’

“Brother. Why are you interrogating my friend about her personal life like this? I haven’t even had a chance to talk with her yet.”

As Adolf quickly jumped into the conversation, a brief silence followed.

Only then did Kienne shift his gaze away from me and toward his younger brother.

“Really?”

He lightly shrugged.

“My apologies.”

The Crown Prince continued speaking with a face that didn’t look apologetic in the slightest.

“If the opportunity arises, I’d like to have a longer conversation with you someday.”

“Yes, if that’s what you wish.”

I raised the corners of my mouth and responded with the polished manners of a proper professional.

After all, formal pleasantries like this rarely became reality.

The Crown Prince smiled deeply and offered his hand.

Caught off guard, I reached out.

The moment our hands met, I felt a strange pressure.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Unlike his gracefully curved smile, his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

Fortunately, at that moment, the chief steward standing behind him stepped forward and quietly reported,

“A representative from the Miters family has arrived. They are requesting an audience immediately.”

“Mm. Shall we go, then?”

After answering, Kienne looked back at the two of us.

More specifically, he looked at me.

“Then I’ll see you again.”

That was just a formality too, right?

Leaving behind an unreadable smile, Crown Prince Kienne leisurely departed.

Only then did I relax my slightly stiff shoulders.

As the tension left my body, a sigh escaped me first.

“Haa…”

“That was a little overwhelming, wasn’t it? Haha. My brother’s a bit unusual.”

Adolf laughed awkwardly.

Yet for some reason, his expression looked somewhat stiff.

He quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, what do you mean you left the Mage Tower?”

“Oh, I handed my resignation letter directly to my professor’s face—”

“…That sounds like a long story. Let’s go to the reception room first.”

Adolf guided me to his residence.

The moment we entered the reception room, maids brought out expensive refreshments.

As I sipped the warm tea, I finally felt like I was recovering the composure I had nearly lost.

“Alright, now tell me. Why exactly did you quit the Mage Tower?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major. I guess I’ve just been feeling disillusioned with my life lately.”

“Suddenly? You’ve been there for five years.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to become a sixth-year slave. No matter how much research I produce, I get far less than the professor, don’t I?”

I shrugged as I spoke.

Dragging things out and talking in circles simply wasn’t my style.

“So I decided to try something new. The reason I came today is because I have a favor to ask of you.”

Adolf tilted his head.

“A favor?”

I pulled out the new business development proposal I had spent so much time preparing and placed it on the table.

“What’s this?”

“My future business.”

Adolf’s eyes widened slightly.

“A business?”

“It’s a blueprint. There’s no prototype yet, but I plan to manufacture magical tools myself and sell them.”

I slid one page of the report toward Adolf.

Inside were detailed explanations of the principles behind the magical tool’s development, prototype model designs, and estimated development timelines.

As someone who specialized in swordsmanship rather than magic, there was no way Adolf could understand any of it.

Still, looking prepared was important.

To help him understand, I added a more straightforward explanation.

“Simply put, it’s a subspace pouch.”

“A subspace what…?”

“Hmm, think of it as a practical product created by distorting space-time. It looks like a small pouch on the outside, but…”

I continued, enthusiastically gesturing with my hands.

“It could store anything from a single table to an entire house. Though I haven’t figured out how to fit a house inside yet.”