The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 141

Episode 141

Edwin cupped Rose’s chin in his hand and turned her to face him. 

“Ugh.”

Rose whimpered softly as she forced her gaze to meet Edwin’s. Edwin wore a peculiar, twisted smile.

“Let’s catch up. Do you remember what my name is?”

“I… I don’t remember.”

Edwin’s grip on Rose’s chin tightened. 

“It’s Edwin.”

Edwin continued to gaze into Rose’s eyes, which hadn’t completely lost their spirit. 

“Well, do as you please. If you don’t behave, you’ll be the only one at a loss. Soon, I’ll be someone you won’t even dare to look in the eye.”

In the moment he gained recognition as a member of the Imperial family, everything would change. That is if he managed to build his power to some extent with the CEO’s support.

‘About as high as the duke’s son, I suppose.’

He might even be able to break Jasper Conway. Let alone bending a common woman to his will, that would be easy.

With a quick motion, Edwin released Rose’s face, turned, and left the underground chamber. 

Until now, he hadn’t felt particularly enthusiastic about playing along with the CEO of Dom Industries’ plan. He had doubts about whether this plan would succeed at all.

He had never stood in the position of a person in power before. However, gradually, he felt like he was beginning to understand what it meant to wield power.

‘I can have whatever I want.’

Anything. Edwin smirked and ascended the stairs, gripping his cane.

* * *

Thud! 

As soon as the sound of the underground chamber door closing was heard, Rose quickly got up from her corner and approached the door. 

A little while ago, someone who looked like a mercenary had come, handed her a fountain pen, paper, and a piece of hard bread, and then left. Rose had been crouching, pretending to be submissive, waiting alone in the underground chamber.

Listening carefully near the door, she could hear the voices of the guards in front of it. In addition, there were sounds of people passing by from above.

‘What should I do? I need to get out of here first.’

Rose was still holding her sore wrist, pondering her options. Pretending to cooperate with Edwin had at least freed her hands, which was fortunate.

‘That man called Edwin…’

From the first impression, he gave off a creepy vibe. He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but there was something rotten inside. The information she could gather from their conversation was limited.

‘It’s clear that Dom Industries is behind him. Moreover, he has other mercenaries like Redmark…’

With his forces and resources, and the way others treated Edwin, it seemed like he was trying to initiate some kind of collective action centered around him. She still didn’t know their ultimate goal.

‘Edwin didn’t seem like a noble.’

He didn’t seem to have the qualities of a leader. Unlike the Emperor, she couldn’t find wisdom in him. Instead, he exuded an unpredictable and unstable demeanor.

But regardless of who Edwin was, the most important thing was to escape from this place. After escaping the underground chamber, if she could quickly put some distance between herself and this place…

‘I faintly heard the sound of a car engine earlier.’

Near the building, it seemed like someone had parked a car. Rose distinctly heard the rough exhaust noise and the sound of an engine turning off. Although Rose wasn’t skilled in riding horses, she could drive a car.

‘Is it possible to escape by car?’

Rose mulled over the idea, biting her lips. If she remained still, she would be used and manipulated.

Even if she tried to escape and got caught again, at least she needed to let someone know that she was there. Rose began to search the underground chamber for anything useful, rummaging through it in desperation.

In this dire situation, her senses seemed heightened. Her nerves were on edge, and her mind was racing. She felt no fear, not even of Edwin.

‘Ed… he’s a dangerous man. I need to get out of here.’

A single thought dominated her mind: she had to escape from this place. 

The underground chamber was filled with what seemed like useless junk. It was like a storage area for odds and ends. Even so, Rose thought that maybe she could find something salvageable by searching.

After rummaging through the underground chamber for a few minutes, Rose managed to find a few items. There was a broken lamp, a malfunctioning weed trimmer, a fertilizer sack tucked away in a corner, and a rusty toolbox.

She laid the items on the floor and went deep into thought. 

Upon seeing the fertilizer, a plan sprung to her mind. The primary ingredient for fertilizers commonly used in agriculture is ammonium nitrate. It was a safe substance under normal circumstances, but when combined with a powerful energy source like mana, the situation changed.

Ammonium nitrate and mana energy would react intensely, leading to an explosion. Fertilizer was used as an oxidizer in this context.

‘I just need to create a detonator…’

Disassembling the broken weed trimmer and lamp should provide the necessary materials. 

Of course, she wouldn’t be able to create a massive explosive, but it should be enough to blow out the door of the underground chamber. If she did it right, maybe even one side of the chamber’s wall could crumble.

‘After blowing the door, what’s next?’

Rose continued to pace in the same spot, envisioning the scenario in her mind. 

Was it even possible to escape in a car amidst the chaos caused by an explosion? Frankly, the likelihood of it going as planned seemed slim. The plan was reckless and dangerous.

‘But maybe someone will report the explosion to the authorities.’

If this place was truly Brittel, there would likely be a fair number of guards on duty. Explosions within the city were not common, and it would surely attract attention.

‘What if they harm me before the authorities arrive?’

The situation was completely uncertain. Rose stood still for a moment, lost in thought.

‘No, they need me.’

Rose recalled the circumstances of her kidnapping and Edwin’s words. 

Edwin knew that Rose Bell was essential to successfully developing the new explosive. He had invested a considerable amount of effort into the research, so he wouldn’t easily give up.

‘He won’t kill me easily as long as I’m useful.’

Rose decided to take a chance with her risky plan. She didn’t want to be confined here, and she didn’t want to aid Edwin’s research, especially when it involved creating a more powerful explosive using mana. 

While magic engineering had led to remarkable technological advancements, there was still great potential for misuse. Rose wanted no part in furthering knowledge that could harm people.

No one could predict what kind of weapon might emerge from this research. The energy harnessed by mana was boundless, and there were still many unexplored aspects.

‘Why did Senior Theo get involved in this research?’

Was this the reason for his recent busyness and apparent fatigue?

Rose didn’t think poorly of Theo’s nature. She suspected he had his reasons for getting involved, but it was clear that he had strayed down the wrong path.

Rose sighed heavily and shivered slightly, as the air inside the underground chamber grew colder. It seemed like the sun was setting. 

She had expected to spend the evening with Jasper. Thoughts of a dress she hadn’t even worn crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed them.

‘I just need to survive here. When I get out… later, at another ball, with Jasper…’

Rose pressed her fingertips to her eyelids to suppress her emotions. A bit of moisture escaped, but it quickly dried.

Rose examined the items laid out in a row on the floor. 

Now was not the time to cry; it was the time to create something new by combining the various odds and ends.

‘Stay calm. Pretend this is a laboratory.’

As Rose began to dismantle the broken lamp, her eyes hardened, and her determination grew.

* * *

Edwin sat stiffly, black circles under his eyes. 

Across the room, the CEO of Dom Industries and a stern-looking old man exchanged words. The subject was the proposed amendments to the Nobility Act.

‘Boring.’

Edwin fought to keep from dozing off. He couldn’t wait for the time to pass so he could get to the end of this retro party or whatever it was and get some rest.

He knew exactly who the old man across from him was: Earl Hendricks. 

He was one of the staunchly conservative forces and had been a member of the council since the previous emperor’s time. He used to be a powerful figure in the conservative camp, second only to Duke Conway. However, his influence had waned.

In a time of generational change, the Conway family naturally relied on their eldest son, Ethan Conway, to steady the ship, but the old earl’s successor was rumored to be an idiot. He was also a member of the former emperor’s inner circle, which put him at odds with the current emperor, who wanted to create a new power base.

Just as he was about to retire to the back of the room, Edwin appeared before him. A grown man, a son of the Imperial family, with an appearance far beyond that of the Emperor’s children. A face that resembles the former Emperor.

He could be the signal for the resurgence of old powers. Whether Edwin had the qualities of a ruler wasn’t the most important concern.

The Industrial Revolution had ushered in a new era, but with every change, there were bound to be pros and cons. Many had been swept away by the tidal waves of change.

They wanted to reclaim their former glory. 

Resurrect the dead prince. Abolish the Nobility Law and revive tradition. 

This was the argument of those gathered in Brittel today.