Mia’s eyes widened as Felix murmured beside her.
Yeah, that’s a good question.
In humans, Angel Tears infection is caused when too much magical power is transferred from another human.
Mia was getting a terrible feeling about all of this, her chest prickling with alarm.
They continued further into the secret lab. They soon happened across a glass case with a rabbit inside.
The rabbit was extremely skinny and looked weak. It had food and water, but otherwise, it didn’t seem to have been cared for at all.
The case had a label that read Supply Source on it. There were also three Donation Dates listed underneath. As the implications of this dawned on Mia, she felt her anger growing.
In other words, the scientist was removing magical power from this rabbit and giving it to the others. In this way, they could create a lab full of rabbits with either Angel Tears or Demon Claw conditions.
Mia was shaking with rage.
“I can’t…I can’t let them get away with this!”
“I should have known it was you kids.”
A cold voice rang out from near the entrance. Mia stiffened and turned around. She’d been so distracted, she’d never even sensed anyone approaching.
The individual sauntered into the room while glaring at Mia and the others with a severe expression.
“I knew it was you, Professor Bralle.”
Henrik took a step forward, meeting Bralle’s eye with a cold glare of his own.
Yes, it was Professor Bralle. Feeling sorry that her own suspicions had been confirmed, Mia took a step forward in line with Henrik. Felix and Mathias followed suit.
They were all stood in a line, facing off against Bralle.
“I knew something was up with you kids sniffing around about animal trials and acting out of turn. Still, I never thought you’d go this far. Clearly, I underestimated you.”
Bralle was speaking in tones of disgust.
“We never thought you’d do something as despicable as this either, Professor.”
Henrik’s words were laced with sarcasm.
“What? You know, kids, I appreciate your drive to heal disease. But undertaking unauthorized animal trials, that’s grounds for immediate expulsion.”
“Unauthorized animal trials?”
Mia blinked. She didn’t know what Bralle was saying.
“It’s terrible how you kids don’t understand the value of life. You’re second years, aren’t you? Why, two of you are a future doctor and pharmacist, even.”
Shaking his head, Bralle turned a sympathetic eye on the rabbit in the glass case. The look on his face, the things he was saying…Mia couldn’t follow at all.
“You little brats!”
From the dark shadows of the corridor, another voice rang out. Bralle’s eyes widened in surprise as he whirled around. Then he looked back over his shoulder at Mia and the others, frowning deeply.
“What’s going on here? …I see. So, it seems I didn’t underestimate you kids after all. Or at least, you weren’t the ones I was underestimating.” Muttering to himself, Bralle smiled coldly.
“Professor Bralle?! What are you doing in here?! Did you break down the door and come in with these kids? You can’t possibly…”
“…Professor Trout?” Mathias mumbled in shock.
It was Assistant Professor Trout who had just emerged from the shadows.
The rest of the group exchanged glances, utterly surprised by the man’s unexpected appearance.
“What? Is it really such a strange thing for me to be here?” Bralle had stopped scowling and seemed to have regained some of his usual composure.
“How did you get in here? I locked that door using the strongest magic! Even young Weiss there wouldn’t have been able to dissolve my spell!”
Trout was glaring at Mathias, his eyes hard and flinty with suspicion. But Bralle just shrugged.
“You know your weak point? Actually, all mages share it…an over-reliance on magic. A door with an enchanted lock can still be broken down by physical force. As long as you’ve got someone with the crazy strength needed to bust it off its hinges, that is.”
Mia glanced at Felix. He was smiling a little, as if drinking in the unexpected praise.
“A rabbit got loose on campus, and I knew it wasn’t one of our rabbits, so I did some investigating. What are you doing here with these rabbits? You didn’t submit written permission for any experiments, now, did you?”
“…”
Trout was silent.
“Also, I’ve never heard of anyone doing animal trials using magic before.”
“…”
“Not going to talk, hmm? You certainly went to extreme lengths to conceal this. Casting magic to keep people out.”
Trout licked his lips, ignoring the question.
“This area is under magic department jurisdiction. I don’t think you have any right to question me.”
“Don’t I? I’m in charge of ethics screening for all animal trials. Or had you forgotten? A doctor who wastes the life of even a single rabbit…that’s not acceptable.”
Bralle’s tone was hard and unwavering.
“There will have to be a faculty meeting about this. And in light of the disturbing use you’ve put this place to, I think a re-investigation of the events that led to this building being abandoned is in order too. You had better prepare your defense.”
That’s when Trout suddenly became pompous and started aggressively talking back.
“You know who I’ve got behind me in all this, don’t you?”
Bralle nodded, looking around the lab.
“Yes, it’s obvious. You’re a little man acting out under the protection of a higher authority. There’s no way one man—let alone a lowly assistant professor like you—could amass all this high-tech equipment. And there’s only one organization with enough money to fund an operation like this.”
Bralle’s droll sarcasm made Trout’s eyes blaze with fury. He raised his fists, and Mia took an anxious step back. Both Felix and Mathias raised their fists as well. Bralle, however, didn’t even flinch.
“At any rate, your little agreement with the army needs to end. This is a school, not the army’s testing grounds. This school was set up to save patients from Angel Tears, the terrible disease that affects only mages. The Academy exists for researchers in the fields of medicine and pharmacology to conduct research to help patients. It is not a lab for creating artificial mages. Now you’ve gone and created more patients! You’ve strayed so far from the goals of this academic organization. I have no doubt the other professors will agree with me that you should be held accountable for your crimes.”
Cowed into submission by Bralle’s logic, Trout fell silent. A moment later, though, he smirked.
“Be that as it may, as a scientist, as a doctor, you want these rabbits too. Don’t you?”
Bralle didn’t bother to deny it.
“That goes for you kids as well. You talk so high and mighty, blithering about animal rights, but you want to get your hands on these rabbits so bad you can barely stand it. Tell me I’m wrong. Go on!”
Trout pointed directly at Mia. She couldn’t deny it either. Her heart felt like a heavy, cold stone in her chest.
For Mia’s future trials…she needed test subjects. Just like these rabbits.
“And you want to know how the transference process takes place, right, Mia Baumann? If you ever want to save mother dearest…then you need that knowledge.”
Mia leaned forward, eyes round and shiny like marbles. She knew it was inhumane, but it was the only way…the only way to save her mom…
“Yes, tell me, please! How did you manage to transfer the magical energy?!”
Henrik suddenly leaped for the notebook on the table.
Yes, of course! It should all be written down in there!
But at that exact moment, Trout whipped out his wand from his inner jacket pocket.
Reflexively, Felix leaped at Trout. They struggled together, Trout grimly trying to force the tip of his wand towards Felix.
“Felix! Watch out! Vocale, sceptos, forium, ventos, flume!”
Mathias yelled out, and the room was suddenly filled with what felt like a small tornado. Trout’s wand went flying. But there was only time for a second of relief.
Grinning, Trout pulled a second wand out of his pocket.
He had a spare?!
Then, waving the wand in the air, he began to chant. “Vocale, flamra, elputio!” It sounded like a dark curse. With a bang, the notebook Henrik was clutching to his chest suddenly exploded.
“Henrik! Are you okay?!”
The force of the explosion had knocked Henrik flat on his back. Mia ran over to him. He was white-faced, staring at the ceiling.
“I’m…all right. But the notebook…”
Henrik’s hands were clutching nothing but a disintegrating clump of ash. Mia whirled around, looking wildly up at Trout.
That didn’t just happen, did it?!
A scientist’s research data is as precious as his own life. As Mia gazed at him, white-faced, Trout tapped his forehead smugly.
It’s all up here, he seemed to be indicating, a high-pitched laugh spilling from his thin lips.
“You want me to tell you? Aren’t you cute? I’m not going to tell you, you stupid child. Don’t you realize what it’s cost me, getting all that data together? I wasn’t born privileged like you spoiled brats. I’ve had to grovel through the dirt and debase myself just to get to where I am today. And here I am, poised to obtain more power than I could have ever dreamed of! If you kids want to get out of this alive, you’ll have to make sacrifices, too.”
“Power? What power?!”
Mia couldn’t understand what this madman was raving about. All she knew was that they couldn’t let him get away.
“It’s right here, can’t you see it? Within my grasp. I can reach the sky!”
With a high-pitched laugh, Trout charged one of the covered windows, and with a crash of shattering glass, he leaped out the window and into the air from the second-floor classroom.