Do you usually go on foot?
Yeah. Well when things get bad, we do a lot of things with alchemy.
What's going on?
Flying off the roof.
'Oh but if they find out about it...'
''The Fee guy already found out. That sermon back then sounded pretty good........


　Looking back, he was good friends with Fee.

　Ars Feela Medis.

　There wouldn't be a single alchemist who didn't know that name. She was also a genius among geniuses, an alchemist who was in her twenties and in charge of the academy.

　The Medis family is famous for producing the most talented alchemists among the three great noble families, and their blood is said to be the most precious.

　Among such a pure-blooded family, Alsphira Medis was touted as the greatest genius in history. Of course, I have met quite a few noblemen, so I have met Fee quite often. She was a personality, even though she was a talented alchemist. She never flaunted her abilities, nor was she a delicacy. She was always humble, and besides, she was a very beautiful woman.

　I've heard her complain about missing her marriage date because she's too good for many alchemists to even approach her.

　Even she hadn't gotten a perfect score when she entered the academy, and it had taken her even longer to become a platinum grade <> alchemist. Nevertheless, her student, Elweed Willis, shattered all of that.


　He is not bound by the duties of nobility and noblesse oblige, nor is he conceited in his abilities. All he has his eyes on is the crops. That's the only thing that drives Elle.


I'm sure you've arrived. My laboratory is this way.
After all this time, can I come in without permission?
'It's fine. The school cafeteria is open to the public and there is no prohibition against it. And there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to invite my friends to my laboratory. But if I have any problems, I can count on Fee to help me out.
Well....


　For now, I believe his words and proceed through the academy.

　The Canovaria Alchemy Academy.

　It is a school where many people who want to master alchemy try to enter it. But while it is difficult to enter the academy, it is even more difficult to graduate. This is because this academy, unlike ordinary schools, does not have a clear standard of how many years you need to be enrolled in this academy to earn credits.


　There is only one requirement for graduation: to submit a graduation thesis.

　The only requirement for graduation is to submit a graduation thesis.

　It seems simple enough at first glance, but it's not. Some alchemists take 10 years just to put together a senior thesis. And there were even some students who couldn't write a thesis and dropped out of school. In such an academy, he stands out from the rest.


''Hm?　What's going on?
No, but it's still a big place, isn't it?
Yeah. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, but we're here.
There you are.
Yeah. Come on in.
Sorry to disturb you.

　When I opened the door and walked in, I found a large number of flasks and a mess of papers scattered about. There was nowhere to put them on the desk. But on the contrary, the rest of the space is neat and tidy.


'Take a seat on the couch over there or something. I'll make you some coffee.
Thank you.


　As he left the place, I looked around the room. The bookshelves were covered with a large number of books, which seemed to include some very old ones. The paper scattered over it had a lot of mathematical equations in some kind of handwritten mess, and a lot of letters on it. I wondered if this was the result of his research.

'I hope it's palatable,'
Oh. Hi.

　I take a mug of coffee and drink it straight from it.


'Hmm!　Delicious!
Okay. Well, that's good to know.
''Eh........I've never drunk anything this good even in the King's City, but where on earth is it from?''
That's just market coffee.
But it can't be...
Alchemy is about using it.
Did you do alchemy to change the flavor?
It's not that great. Oh, come on, man.


　He grinned and seemed somewhat proud of himself.


'Speaking of which, I was wondering, what's this mess of paper?'
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We'll get it done now.
Is it a research paper?
Yeah. I finished it last night.
'What?　Does that mean you've completed your senior thesis?
No, it's still a prototype. But we have a rough idea of what to expect.
So you're only going to be in school for one year?
'Well, it'll be done by the end of the year. Now it's just a matter of approving the fee and seeing if the top brass will let it pass.
''Well you're the greatest genius alchemist of all time... by the way, what's the theme?''
A fully independent artificial intelligence.
"?　What's that?
Well, a homunculus of sorts.
'A homunculus!　Is it feasible?
Theoretically. If my theory is correct, we can create artificial intelligence. And it's going to be as good as a human being.
Eeeeeee.........anything is possible now.
Not really. Alchemy is a profound skill. It's not a universal ability, it's a technical skill based on a solid theory. It is a technical skill that is based on a solid theory. There's still a lot that's impossible.
Okay.
Yeah.


　Then I asked him about his vision.

　We talked about how he wanted to grow these crops in the future, how he wanted to expand his business around the world, how alchemy would be useful in this way for breeding, and so on.

　He seemed like a human being of his age.

　His atmosphere, and his overwhelming alchemy skills, gave me the impression that he was somewhat out of touch with the world... but that was not the case.

　That he was just working hard at his goal. I understood it well.


'Huh?　Isn't that funny?
Yes, very much. If you're going into business, can I help you with that?
Well, if you get a chance.

　I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw him grinning again.

　I hadn't realized it yet at this time.

　That I was attracted to the genius that was Elweed Willis.