Before Helos could even step out to investigate, wisps of acrid, gray smoke began to curl through the cracks of the door.
Helos’s expression turned peculiar.
‘No way… Is this really happening on my very first day?’
She knew that smell all too well — it was the scent that often accompanied her own failed experiments.
While the scale was much smaller than the “grand spectacles” she used to cause, the nature of it was exactly the same.
‘It seems my roommate, Agatha, is quite the handful as well.’
Driven by a subtle curiosity toward a “kindred spirit” and worried that the other girl might have blown herself up, Helos decided to check on her.
She walked to the tightly shut door next to hers, took a deep breath, and raised her hand to knock.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
“Cough, cough… Who is it?”
A heavy coughing fit came from inside, followed by a slightly raspy female voice.
“Um… I’m Helos, your new roommate who just moved in,” Helos said through the door. “I heard a loud noise just now and smelled smoke. Are you alright?”
There was a moment of silence inside the room, followed by the sound of frantic rummaging, as if something had been knocked over.
A moment later, the lock turned with a *click*.
The door slowly creaked open, leaving a small gap. Then, a face so black it looked as if it had just emerged from a chimney appeared before Helos.
The girl sported a head of wild, frizzy hair that looked as though it had been struck by lightning. Her face, neck, and even her exposed arms were covered in black soot.
But those eyes — they were still bright and spirited.
“Cough, cough… Hello, hello!”
As soon as she spoke, she shrank back in embarrassment. She frantically used one hand to fan away the pungent black smoke billowing out of the room while a deeply sheepish smile played on her face.
“So sorry, so sorry! Did I startle you? I was conducting an experiment, and there was a… a slight mishap.”
Helos looked at her “freshly baked” roommate with the explosive hair and soot-covered face, momentarily unsure of how to react.
She suppressed the urge to comment and silently took a half-step back to avoid being choked by the black smoke.
“Um… are you really okay?” she asked tentatively.
“I’m fine, I’m fine! This is nothing!”
The girl waved her hand dismissively. Then, as if she had finally found someone to talk to, a fanatical light flickered in her eyes, and she began to explain incessantly.
“Let me tell you, I’m researching a revolutionary topic! It’s about how to create an explosive effect with liquids without relying on mana at all!”
“Just think about it — if I succeed, those of us who aren’t good at destructive magic will possess incredible power! This is a giant leap for the field of alchemy!”
The more she spoke, the more excited she became. she gestured wildly, completely oblivious to the black ash falling from her body.
“Although I’ve made some progress — for instance, I just successfully got a mixture of potions to produce the intended explosive effect — but…”
Her tone shifted, and a troubled expression crossed her face. “The process still can’t completely get rid of mana as an auxiliary catalyst. It’s quite a headache.”
Helos had originally been listening out of politeness, but as she listened, her expression grew increasingly strange.
Liquids, mixtures, and explosions without mana?
‘Wait.’
The combination of those keywords caused a long-forgotten term to flash through her mind like a bolt of lightning.
‘Is she actually researching that?!’
She finally couldn’t help but interrupt the girl’s rambling monologue.
“Um… this thing you’re researching—” Helos tried to ask cautiously, using a way the other girl might understand. “Its final form… wouldn’t happen to be a stable, portable… liquid explosive?”
The moment those words left her mouth, the crimson pupils on that soot-covered face lit up, bursting with a brilliant light as if she had discovered a new continent.
“Liquid explosives?! Yes, yes, yes! That’s it!”
The girl looked as if she had been struck by an epiphany. She slapped her leg in excitement, ignoring the black soot on her hands.
“How did I not think of such an appropriate name! Liquid explosives! It’s the perfect description!”
She grabbed Helos’s hand and shook it vigorously, her tone filled with the ecstasy of finding a kindred spirit.
“You’re Helos, right? You’re a genius at naming things! That name perfectly summarizes the core of my research! From now on, my great invention will be called ‘liquid explosives’!”
Helos was shaken until she felt dizzy. Looking at the girl’s near-manic fervor, a very subtle feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.
At this moment, she felt she finally understood the way her Father and the maids used to look at her.
She remembered the scenes where she had caused various explosions in her workshop and then excitedly explained the principles to Julius.
It seemed… she wasn’t much different from the person in front of her.
However, she didn’t hate the feeling. On the contrary, looking at this young girl who also took the path less traveled and was obsessed with “dangerous research,” she felt a sense of mutual appreciation.
Perhaps finally realizing that her current appearance was quite rude, the girl looked at her disheveled state and then at Helos’s spotless appearance.
“Oh dear, look at me… how rude of me.” She smiled awkwardly. “Wait a moment.”
She retreated into the room and picked up a crude staff that looked like a fire poke. She chanted a few short syllables.
A gentle stream of water appeared out of thin air, swirling around her and instantly washing away all the soot and stains. Immediately after, a light breeze brushed past, drying her wet hair and clothes.
In just a few seconds, the disheveled girl with the explosive hair and black face vanished without a trace.
‘Magic really is convenient…’ Helos lamented once more with the envy of a Cursed Heiress.
With the smoke and dust cleared, Helos finally saw her roommate’s true appearance.
While not a radiant, world-class beauty like Eleanor, the girl before her was definitely delicate and lovely. She had neat, long black hair, fair skin, and small, exquisite features.
Most notably, those ruby-like crimson eyes were bright and full of life, giving her an aura of unique vitality.
She wore a black research uniform — well, it was likely white before the explosion — which accentuated the intellectual temperament of a scholar.
Agatha straightened her clothes, cleared her throat, and a smile returned to her face. This time, her smile was no longer fanatical but held the poise and politeness of a noble daughter.
She walked up to Helos, lightly lifted her skirt, and performed a standard, elegant curtsy.
“This is our first meeting. I apologize for the unsightly display.” Her voice was clear and pleasant, a far cry from her previous raspy tone.
“I am Agatha Heinrich, a second-year student at the Comprehensive Research Academy.”
She looked up, her crimson eyes shimmering with sincerity as she held out her hand to Helos.
“I look forward to our time together — Miss Olivia~”
Aww, she found a kindred spirit.