Chapter 25

The large lecture hall was filled with people who had come to listen to the lecture. Seeing grown adults after looking at boys and girls felt different.

‘Is the professor not here yet?’

She noticed a large box of materials next to the blackboard. It contained rolled-up papers labeled ‘Map Materials,’ ‘Yearly Summary Materials,’ and so on.

She reviewed the materials before the professor arrived. Before she knew it, it was exactly 3 o’clock. She glanced at the people who were tired of waiting.

Knock, knock.

“Ah, is this room 2-3?”

A middle-aged man entered.

“Yes. Are you Professor Wecker?”

“That’s right. I got a bit lost.”

The professor quickly removed his coat and hat and handed them to her. Taken aback, she took his clothes and neatly hung them on the wall to prevent wrinkles.

“We’ll start the lecture soon, so could you put up ‘Material 1’ on the board?”

“Yes, yes.”

The professor climbed onto the podium. After briefly apologizing to the people who had been waiting, he immediately began his lecture. She took out ‘Material 1’ and fixed it to the board.

“What do you think about ‘peace’?”

While the professor lectured, she sat on a chair below the podium. Being close, she could hear the professor’s voice well.

“There’s always a structure of conflict behind peace. This conflict leads to war. Let’s first look at the ‘Yearly Chart,’ shall we?”

At the professor’s words, she quickly stood up and took out the materials. She climbed onto the podium, removed the other materials from the board, and attached the new chart materials.

“Ahem.”

The professor didn’t say anything until she stepped down from the podium.

“This chart summarizes the major wars that have occurred. Let’s examine the reasons for each war.”

Vivi didn’t know when she’d need to change the materials, so she focused on the professor’s words more than anyone else.

The professor’s words were persuasive and powerful. She understood why her senior had gone through great lengths to invite him. The people listened to the professor as if entranced.

“The destructive weapon, NOK One, is the same. This weapon protects the peace and safety of the Empire while simultaneously causing war. Is the existence of this weapon truly for ‘genuine peace’?”

“Then, are you saying that the developers of the weapons are also responsible, Professor?”

“Of course. Especially Nergal Galinne, the chief researcher of the ‘NOK One Project.’ He used peace as an excuse to create weapons and tried to profit by selling these weapons to other countries.”

The professor’s voice gradually rose. His pronunciation pierced her ears sharply. From the moment Galinne’s name came out of the professor’s mouth, she felt uncomfortable in this place.

“Did Galinne try to pass the NOK One’s weapon to the Kingdom of Rando?”

“Yes. Many people already know this fact.”

“But that’s just what the radical faction claims…”

“The research lab where Galinne was located suddenly exploded. As a result, Galinne and all the researchers died. But the NOK One lab was equipped with tremendous security and alarm systems. Yet, there was an explosion… It means someone inside deliberately tried to assassinate Galinne. What do you think the reason was?”

Explosion…

Vivi closed her eyes and tried to think of something else.

<Vivi, stay here for a moment. I’ll be back from the lab with some things.>

<Yes.>

Even thoughts of Sir Costance would be fine, anything to think of something else…

But..

Bang! Boom!

With a loud noise, a fire broke out. The fire spread quickly, and the loud alarm sounded as if it would never end.

“They say Galinne tried to pass the NOK One weapon to the Kingdom of Rando!?

Debris from the explosion flew toward her.

She needed to avoid it, but strangely, her legs wouldn’t move. At that moment, Olive, who had been in her arms, jumped out to the left. Unexpectedly, her body also fell to the side.

Thud!

<Ugh.>

Debris fell where she had been. Although small, the burning debris was very threatening.

<…Rene, Tiago.>

And her father.

Both the debris and the lab were engulfed in flames. When she reached out her hand, the hot heat obstructed her path. She heard the loud siren from beneath the barbed wire. In the distance, several black cars, including fire trucks, were speeding toward her.

<Run, run, Vivi!>

“So, for ‘true peace,’ scientists must also feel a grave responsibility for these war-related weapons. If these weapons have a significant impact on humanity, they must be severely punished. Galinne should have been too… If you consider it, he died too comfortably.”

The professor’s words continued. She reached for the water bottle next to the chair.

“…Oh.”

The bottle slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. The half-filled water soaked the floor. The floor was already slippery, so if she didn’t clean it up properly, someone might slip. She straightened up to find a mop.

Where was it… Where…

“Let’s take a look at ‘Material 4’ this time.”

She felt the professor’s gaze on her. Her hand, which had been searching for the mop, stopped.

“Librarian. Please prepare ‘Material 4.'”

“…Ah, yes. I’m sorry!”

Finding the mop would have to wait.

She searched the box in front of her for the necessary materials. She had memorized the location of the materials earlier, but her hand strangely moved elsewhere. Frustrated, she slapped her trembling hand.

‘Please stop trembling!’

She had to erase it from her memory.

Not everything the professor said was correct, but it wasn’t all wrong either. Her father had responsibilities too. He had responsibilities, but…

<…Benny. What should I have done?>

Her father had no freedom. Thinking back, her father was just a thirty-two-year-old man, a powerless, naive man.

“Hey.”

She found ‘Material 4.’ The professor, whose lecture had been delayed, openly glared at her.

“I’m sorry…!”

Holding the materials, she climbed onto the stage. Her wet shoes were slippery. She spread out the material paper and fixed it to the board, quickly attaching magnets one by one.

“It’s crooked.”

“…What? I’m sorry.”

“Sigh. Really.”

A sigh escaped the professor’s lips. Her hand trembled. She removed the magnets she had attached and repositioned the materials. Because the material paper was large, it wasn’t easy to align the center or attach the magnets.

She stood on her tiptoes with all her might. This time, she lost her balance. Her wet shoes slipped.

“Ah…!”

As she fell, the materials in her hand fell to the floor as well. The end of ‘Material 4’ was severely crumpled.

“It’s crumpled!”

“I’m sorry…”

“What are you doing?”

The professor didn’t help her up but checked ‘Material 4’ first. There was no time to look at her scraped knees. She moved her hands to smooth out the crumpled materials.

“Damn, you ruined the lecture.”

She heard a small voice that only she could hear. Her heart sank.

“Professor.”

“…?”

Although the lecture was interrupted because of her, someone raised their hand in front.

The professor immediately turned his head to the incoming question.

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“May I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

The professor forced a smile.

“You said a world without conflict is ‘true peace.’ Then isn’t the military a threat to ‘true peace’?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then do you view the military negatively, Professor?”

“That’s not it. But perhaps we should change the role of the military…”

The man who requested the question persistently asked the professor. Thanks to him, she had time to calm down and attach the materials to the board. She took a breath.

“Professor, I have one more question.”

The man’s words weren’t over yet. Then she realized the man’s voice was very familiar. With a feeling of disbelief, she turned her gaze to where the man was.

“….”

The man was wearing baggy clothes and had a hat pulled down tightly. He wore large horn-rimmed glasses, making it hard to see his eyes. However, he couldn’t hide the extraordinary aura emanating from him.

“….”

“….”

Sir Costance flinched when their eyes met. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop speaking to the professor. As the tension between the professor and Sir Costance continued, the audience also focused their attention on him.

The professor seemed to have forgotten about the materials. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she came down from the podium and found a mop to clean the floor. She also organized the materials.

“…Ahem, let’s resume the lecture.”

The professor cleared his throat after finishing his conversation with Sir Costance. The lecture resumed.

Fortunately, the remaining time passed without any major issues.