"Well now, Mizuki, that took you a little longer than I was expecting." (Alto)
Alto says this to me as I finally make my way into the library to meet her like we'd previously discussed. I swear that Ilina and I were not in the bedroom that long…Alto is just impatient. Alto gives me an inquisitive smirk.
"Hmm…oh, yeah? I just wanted to give you plenty of time to decide on what you wanted to study today, that's all!" (Mizuki)
"Fufufufu…is that so? Well, did anything else interesting happen while you were generously running late for my sake?" (Alto)
I think I'm having a hard time suppressing the shit-eating grin on my face.
"Maybe. As an academic exercise, completely hypothetical of course, could you think of any way to get Elira and the Elven Kingdom to officially recognize a romantic relationship between their future queen and a human? Bonus points will be awarded if you can formulate a strategy where marriage would be tolerated within a century." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes go wide in shock, and it takes her a minute to respond.
"Okay, Mizuki, we're cutting the jokes for now. Seriously, are you telling me that my favorite princess in the world and my beloved partner in magic research have become a couple, and will get married if possible?" (Alto)
She stares at me with total anticipation, and I smile back at her affectionately.
"Yes, and I'm excited for my best friend to be the first person to know the news." (Mizuki)
I barely get the statement out before Alto squeals excitedly and jumps forward to wrap me in a hug.
"Skreeee…Mizuki! That's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you both!" (Alto)
Alto partially releases me from the hug to look me in the eyes excitedly.
"I won't pretend that it's going to be easy, but with me on your team, the three of us will make it work eventually. There's no chance I'd let this opportunity slip by. Mizuki…with you and Ilina as our leaders…the Elven Kingdom might actually become the driving force for peace and equality that I've always wanted it to be." (Alto)
"I appreciate your confidence, but I hope I can live up to your expectations. Also, if I get swindled into being this country's king, then I'm telling you right now that you're getting drafted for something equally tedious in the elven government. Also, I'll flat refuse anyone who tries to stop you and I from continuing our private research." (Mizuki)
"Fufufu…well, I already knew you were the sort that can't handle anything on your own, so I'm happy to be of help if that's what it takes. We're of the same mind about our research." (Alto)
"I'm glad to hear it, Alto. Speaking of research, are you ready to start for today?" (Mizuki)
Alto nods vigorously with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes, please! Can we start with more about the atoms you told me about?" (Alto)
I can't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. I share her passion for learning about the natural world, too. However, there's something else I should ask her first. Something…that's been nagging at me since the last time I trained her.
"Sure, Alto, but can I ask you something first, about spells and incantations? I noticed something a few days ago, and it's been really bothering me ever since." (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a puzzled expression, but she nods her agreement.
"Thanks. What I noticed was when Ilina demonstrated her item box spell. That incantation seemed to reference the very concept of spacetime that I told you about. There has never been any mortal on this planet before me, even another interplanetary traveler, who should know about that. My people didn't learn about that until long after atoms, and even that doesn't seem to be known on this planet. So, where did that incantation come from? Do you know if new incantations are ever created by people on this planet?" (Mizuki)
Alto looks at me, confused.
"New incantations? No, I don't believe so. I don't exactly know where they come from, just that every one of them has been around an indefinite amount of time in the planet's history. Why do you ask?" (Alto)
So…Azazel's squirrely behavior when I first came here, when I asked him about incantations…could he have planted all the incantations here from the start? I can only assume that he knows they're misleading about the nature of magic, so that must be intentional. I can feel a chill run up my spine. Alto seems to notice the shift in my mood and becomes worried.
"Mizuki…what is it?" (Alto)
"If I tell you, can it stay between us? It's dangerous, Alto, and I can't promise that me saying it out loud to you isn't dangerous. You still want to know?" (Mizuki)
Alto returns my serious expression for a moment, then nods her agreement.
"I think the incantations were created by the god of this world and given to its people. Since there have been several interplanetary travelers over the eons, and the idea of strong incantation-less magic still doesn't exist here, I think that this was probably done on the other worlds as well. Moreover, it's possible that the gods of these worlds may even be actively suppressing the kind of magic theory that I teach you." (Mizuki)
Alto's face goes pale.
"Mizuki…I know better than to take your ideas lightly…but that's still hard to believe. Azazel, by all accounts, wants this world to prosper. Your magic theory is nothing short of an extraordinary step forward in our understanding, that could drastically improve our lives. Why would someone like Azazel limit its spread?" (Alto)
Fair question, but I don't think it's hard to believe at all if you know what I do.
"That's actually surprisingly simple in my mind. Do you know what a god's job is?" (Mizuki)
"Is it not to help people and promote good in the world?" (Alto)
"I don't think so, not strictly speaking anyway. It's just to make sure that life flourishes on the planet for as long as it reasonably can. Gods don't have other ethical imperatives. When I came here, Azazel told me that I could do anything I want, so long as it didn't threaten the very existence of life on this planet. If I wanted to wipe out only half of every life form and rule this world, I think he'd still stand aside." (Mizuki)
Alto's face becomes troubled, but then it returns to confusion.
"Okay, still, isn't that even more of a reason for him to let your understanding of magic flourish in the world? Not doing so is a kind of interference." (Alto)
I shake my head solemnly.
"I don't think so. As I've suggested before, if someone were to understand the natural world as people on my planet do, and they had access to the magic power that you do, they could wipe out a country with one or two spells. If as much as a tenth of this planet's people could wipe out whole countries in under an hour, don't you think that qualifies as an existential threat to life on the planet?" (Mizuki)
"I…guess I see your point. What does giving us incantations have to do with that, though? Also, why were your people allowed to have this knowledge if the gods are suppressing it? Why would Azazel even allow you to come here? Most importantly, now that you could actively do what you described at any time, why hasn't he intervened? Those things don't make sense." (Alto)
She always asks the right questions, but I think I have answers to them. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes.
"I think incantations were a way to guide you away from the eventuality I described. If you knew from the start how important natural theory was to magic theory, or knew nothing at all, you'd necessarily study both as diligently as my people did until it was dangerous. By giving you all those incantations from the start, magic provided everything you needed, so people were not forced to study natural theory." (Mizuki)
"Okay, the elves' complacency may signal some truth to that. Then, if this level of knowledge of the natural world is so dangerous, and the gods are actively preventing it from wreaking havoc, then why were your people allowed to acquire it?" (Alto)
"I think because we had no magic, and we didn't even know that it existed. We had ways to recreate the effects of those country-destroying spells I mentioned without using any magic at all. However, doing it takes lots of preparation, rare resources, and very talented people working together for a long time. It's not the same as a tenth of the population being able to do it singlehandedly whenever they want." (Mizuki)
"Fine, that explains letting it happen on your home world. Still, why would Azazel bring you here, and in so doing, knowingly combine the two things that you just said were problematic?" (Alto)
"Yeah…that one I'm least sure about. I have two ideas, which could both be true. First, he never expected me to deduce this much. My planet had zero magic theory, so he thought I'd just accept Azura's magic theory like other travelers. If I did, I wouldn't spread or utilize natural theory, since you haven't advanced enough to use it non-magically. Second, he was just curious enough about me to risk it. Like you, he's a researcher at heart, and he wanted to know how powerful I'd be in such a different environment." (Mizuki)
"If he'd already brought others here from planets with greater knowledge of natural theory, without incident, that seems reasonable for him to think you wouldn't be an issue. However, even if you're right about all these other things, why would he not intervene now? It's crystal clear that you embody exactly what he's allegedly tried to avoid?" (Alto)
"I think if I acted on it too much, he absolutely would intervene. He probably wants to uphold his promise about my only limiter being to not threaten the basis of life on this planet. To date, despite having this knowledge and tremendous magic, I've refused to aimlessly spread it or use it for large scale destruction. So, he's leaving me alone out of respect for our agreement. However, I'm concerned about where we stand with each other now. So…I need to try and visit him soon to discuss it." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes go wide in shock, like I just said the sun doesn't exist.