Led by Rita, walking down the base’s hallway, scenes of the experiment earlier and the investigation team members facing the instruments with undivided attention played in my mind.
Somehow, I seemed to feel a sort of delight at seeing them. There was intense empathy.
Maybe it was just unilateral camaraderie but still.
I entered the conference room excitedly wondering how they talked.
“You bastard! Don’t fuck with me!”
“Oh yeah!? You think you can smooth-talk your way out of anything with approximate symbolic chants!? Redo it from the derivation, trash!”
…Well, I did have some idea after last time but still.
The documents were strewn about haphazardly, with the occasional scuffle breaking out, while others ignored the commotion by scribbling equations on the walls or floor, or muttering to themselves in the corners.
“Ha ha, looks like everyone’s getting into it!”
This seemed a bit too intense to be called lighthearted banter.
Looking at Rita, it didn’t seem like an abnormal situation.
She pulled a bundle of papers from the envelope she was holding and began slapping them vigorously onto the blackboard which already had a large amount posted.
“These are the pictures from the crack earlier! I was able to extract seven of them!”
The research team members who had been scattered before gradually gathered around.
“It’s clearly evident the transfer array patterns on the second and third pictures match those of a transference ritual! Come on, share your opinions!”
As she energetically said this, hands began raising one after another in response.
“Isn’t this a case of replication magic, similar to healing?”
“No way! It’s a transfer array, isn’t it?! [Denial], right?!”
Theoretical magic debates far beyond my basic comprehension had begun in the air.
The chaotic discussion on the brink of bloodshed sharply divided into two opposing hypotheses and grew increasingly extreme.
“That’s why! That explanation doesn’t account for repair work!”
“I’m saying they’re patching it back up, dumbass!”
“The magical lines are continuous! The replicated barrier is entirely identical!”
“They’re patching the same damn thing!”
The main point of contention was whether the magical implements forming the barrier used priestly healing magic or mage combat magic.
If it was combat magic, it would mean continuously generating barriers like a “[Flame Screen]”. If it was healing magic, it would operate on the same principle as healing the human body, continuously regenerating ready-made barriers.
“Hmm, for now I think Vanessa has the better argument over Kevin.”
“Objection! She is still evading the issue of the source of the barriers!”
“That’s right! Come on Vanessa, rebut them!”
Rita was playing neutral referee, stoking the conflict between sides.
The ones on the opposing side were the man and woman from the initial presentation – Kevin, a priest, and Vanessa, a mage.
“Someone dropped out of the magic academy wouldn’t understand, would they Vanessa?!”
“Says the damn dropout causing trouble!”
…It seemed more like personal fighting, but…
Also present was a sizeable third party quietly muttering in corners while furiously scribbling something on the floor or walls, not participating in debates.
I thought it’d be a bloody battle, yet the discussion was progressing properly despite the fierce crossfire of abuse. Seeking each other’s flaws, the hypotheses rapidly became more advanced in the blink of an eye.
At first I planned to ask some questions but quickly gave up.
“What do you think, Sir Strauss?”
While desperately trying to follow the argument, I was spoken to from the side.
“Um, sorry, what was…”
“Petrus. I presented on the rain tiger last time.”
Oh, that person.
“Oh, uh, yes, sorry. Ah, the presentation last time, it was good.”
“Nevermind the presentation. Do you understand the content of the current discussion?”
“Ah…no, just the general idea…”
“You understand the general idea?”
“No, really, everyone speaks so clearly…” Haha.
“I see.”
I couldn’t read Petrus’ expression.
Unsure if he was praising me or just saying that.
“I want to hear your opinion. As an enhancement magician, you’d take neither the mage nor priest side I’d think.”
“Ah, well…I don’t really understand so…”
“Impressions are fine. Tell me.”
Without any confusing back and forth, he pushed closer insistently.
Should I speak frankly?
I looked at Petrus’ face.
Not saying anything felt ruder.
“It’s not very convincing to me…”
“I see. Me too. Dividing it in the first place shows a total lack of sense.”
He agreed immediately.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Ah, but it’s really interesting. That you can construct such advanced hypotheses while still in the hypothetical stage. For me, it’s absolutely…”
I ended up criticizing the investigation team a little, so I tried to supplement.
In fact, it was tremendously promising. Discussions at this level of advancement were probably not even seen at the academy.
“If you say that…your spirit of adventure has been muddied.”
However, Petrus lowered his voice.
“The act of placing a ladder against a preposterously lofty peak always looks extraordinarily absurd and incomprehensible. What lies there is neither reason nor logic, but a groundless egoism bordering on faith.”
His expressionless eyes captured me.
“Isn’t that how you defeated the floor master?”
He concluded.
I tried to think, suddenly told something like that, I don’t really understand.
But in his tone, I sensed something foundational about the investigation team.
It reminded me of the essence of Labyrinth Maniac, the magazine that captivated me, the scent of the preface I read while hospitalized.
“That’s why they clash too.”
My gaze went to the two arguing.
“Hahaha…maybe they fight because they’re so close.”
“No, unfortunately, it just didn’t culminate.”
…Didn’t culminate in what.
In any case, if they really disliked each other I should have been even more shocked.
Despite fiercely opposing, they were in the same investigation team. On top of that, their clash led to a productive discussion.
These human relationships were beyond my common sense.
“…Um, I respect you both.”
“Hah? You’d best avoid that. Kevin and Vanessa are just idiots.”
However, Petrus returned a fed up face.
Eh…I thought for sure he was praising them.
The conference room quieted a little just as Petrus took the ladder out from under me with his words.
His low, carrying voice reached the ears of the two having the battle of words.
Hearing their own names followed by simple abuse, the two who had been facing off turned their faces towards Petrus.
In this heated situation, that was already a sign of declaring war.
After a while, the argument calmed down.
Rather than making progress on elucidating it, it hit a wall and stopped. While several hypotheses stood, the core didn’t seem to have been reached at all.
The team members looked to Rita. Apparently this meeting had some regular flow.
“Actually everyone, the numerical analysis results are out.”
She took a stack of papers from her breast pocket.
Before the team members could cheer oh!, she denied that by throwing the bundle to the floor.
“Awful. Exactly the same as last time. The ‘sky’s’ principles don’t change at all between floors. If anything, it proves the accuracy of our measurements. But that correctness is truly useless here.”
Only now did Rita make a gloomy expression.
It seemed she had been hiding this fact, hoping someone would propose a breakthrough.
“I thought we couldn’t derive a trend due to errors. But if we can’t derive a trend without errors either, that’s as good as inanalyzable. We have to doubt the axioms of magic.”
Sighs filled the conference room.
“Can’t call the experiment a success like this. Let’s rebuild hypotheses from the ground up. Good work everyone.”
Scattered clapping of resignation sounded.
The team members gathered the papers scattered around, some trying to leave the conference room without tidying anything.
Huh? It’s over?
“Ms. Rita!”
At that thought, I had reflexively called out to Rita.
“…Yes? What is it Mr. Strauss?”
My momentum in suddenly standing and shouting made my voice loud, gathering gazes.
I didn’t have anything I wanted to say, actually.
But it was lonely. Yes, lonely, I wanted to keep talking more.
No way such an incredible experiment was a failure.
I have things to say too. If there’s the mage and priest perspectives, the enhancer perspective should be fine too right?
The team members who had tried to leave the conference room paused and started turning this way. In the end, I had gathered attention again.
“Um…my impressions today and, a report, kind of…”
Unable to state it boldly as an amateur, I decided to approach Rita and hand her my memo instead.
But…
“Let me see.”
The gathered gazes scattered, and I was relieved.
I had written hypothetical calculations of reproducing that barrier with enhancement magic. If I could alter the properties of a fixed air range somehow through enhancement, phenomena similar to the barrier might be producible.
“Hmm…?”
Rita placed the hand not holding the paper on her chin.
“Little hard to understand, maybe. The results don’t match right? And you’re avoiding the dot product…”
Oh no. Because I just used my habitual formulas without thinking deeply, I hadn’t written in an understandable way for others.
“Oh. Um, that’s…”
“…Hm? No wait, are these different rules?”
Yet she instantly grasped the crux of the dissonance.
I was amazed. This person is no small fry.
“Is it a calculation unique to enhancement? Could you explain it to me?”
While we talked, the team members who had tried to leave the conference room were stopping in place, starting to turn this way. In the end I had gathered attention after all.
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Petrus sounded like he was trying to warn Vim about something… Based on occasion, maybe, forbidden knowledge? You know, if you obtain something powerful, without understanding it’s principles, you can self-destruct. Like caveman clubbing a bomb.