Chapter 3 – The Teachers and the Bar

Saegusa Mamiko-sensei, 29 years old, her passion is teaching, her current occupation is being a hero and researcher. “This time, it has to work...”

With two of her students, Furuda Akira-kun and Matsuzawa Hideko-san, acting as her assistants. “Don't worry, Sensei,” Akira-kun reassures: “Just be sure to put up some distance... [Ignite]!”

A little spark is seen in the mixture, ready to ignite it. In the end, it doesn't.

Gunpowder experiment #23 is another failure.

“Don't worry,” Saegusa smiles: “We'll get it next time.” But deep down, she feels really insecure. 23 tries, no success.

Sulfur, charcoal, saltpeter. The sulfur and charcoal are the fuels, saltpeter the oxidizer. While Saegusa knows what gunpowder is made of, she couldn't grasp the ratio. The best she could do so far was some sparks, but nothing that could begin an age of guns.

Same goes for her tries for nitroglycerin or TNT.

Is it because of her lack of knowledge, or because of something of this fantasy world that makes it impossible to use those explosives? Is it magic? Does magic destroy everything that she knows about chemistry?

Nonetheless, she needs to be strong for her students. “Let's give those fire-bombs another try.”

There are explosives in this world, but while their ingredients are known, their chemical composition is still unclear. Fire-bombs, for example, explode with flames, which would suggest it's like some explosive napalm. As Saegusa has more learned about the teaching aspects of chemistry instead of warfare, she doesn't even know if something like that exists in her homeworld.

Inside the fire-bombs are only two types of powders. So something like a gas-explosion is improbable, there isn't enough pressure there. Has one of the powders the necessary oxygen for this chemical reaction?

For a while, she thought that alkali metals may be the key ingredients to those fire-bombs, but no reaction when dropped in water, and all determination procedures she tried proved her wrong. For now, she's almost given up on declaring any of those substances as an oxidizer as well.

Still, the mixture explodes if there is a strong shock or an ignition, so it's similar to nitroglycerin, but it can stand the heat of a campfire inside a container, as long as it prevents the flame of reaching it. Isn't there enough oxygen inside the container for the explosion? Even for a small one?

Deciphering the working of the fire-bombs may give her hints how to make explosives on larger scales with less risks. In addition to controlled explosions to make guns. This would benefit the Feuerberg-kingdom and ensure the safety of her students, as firearms are working well with everyone, so actual soldiers can equip them and shoot those demons, while bombs could be dropped on them to end this war.

Being a chemistry teacher should have some worth in a fantasy world.

Hideko-san prepares a fire-bomb, these are made by the alchemists. The girl with glasses was once part of the chemistry club that Saegusa was the adviser of.

Furuda-kun, on the other hand, has participated in the shogi-club, but his grades are exceptional, the best in class. So his bright mind is used to help Saegusa in her work, especially as he has already studied far ahead classes at his cram school, so he's able to proofread Saegusa's formulas as well.

Saegusa thinks that her two assistants are dating, but being summoned into this world certainly has an effect on people, and she also believes, that's their private matter. Saegusa is not a teacher anymore, and even the school would have blessed them, as long as it doesn't reflect negatively on their grades.

“Be careful, you two. As I already told you, working with explosives is tricky, as many tests you try with them to discern their make-up can make them explode.” It's about their chemical make-up, not what they're made of. Saegusa already knows, attrium and grounded pepperlung, she just had to ask the alchemist who created them.

The real question is, what is the chemical formula and how does the chemical reaction work. If she knows it, she can use this and her knowledge from Japan to create better explosives. There are only 118 elements, most of them won't even matter to determine what kind of salts are used in these fire-bombs.

A knock on the door makes Saegusa jumps, as she's about to lay hands on the firebomb. She steps back before calling: “What is it?”

“Saegusa Mamiko-dono!” It's a voice she hasn't heard before, “A message for you.”

“*Sigh* I'll come.” She points at her assistants: “Keep an eye on the explosive.” As unlikely it is that it'll suddenly ignite, it's better to have it observed. Then she opens the door.

“Here for you.” The messenger looks young, he may be even younger than her students, Saegusa has still trouble to guess ages with all these westerner people around here.

She takes the sealed letter from his outstretched hand. “You may leave.”

“No, his Highness ordered me to wait until you read it.” Now that he mentions it, there is the crest of Feuerberg on the seal, a mountain surrounded by flames. So it has to do with her duties as the head of the heroes of the research facility.

“Something important?”

“I don't know, ma'am. I'm just a messenger.”

“*Sigh*” Better than having your postman read your letters. To let that boy leave as soon as possible, she opens the message, only to blink a few times at what she instantly saw. It looks like some sort of list.

―○●○―

Taniguchi Minoru, 25 years old. A young teacher, who studied at Hokkaido University, someone who excels in mathematics and teaching.

Taniguchi Minoru, 25 years old. A hero summoned from another world, with a head filled with knowledge, while he lacks skills necessary for this profession.

Both are true.

Nobody asked him to be transported into a fantasy world, he was just the assistant homeroom teacher, but in the end, he was summoned like the rest of the class.

Currently, he's in the village Funkenpflug. It's about two days away from the capital and houses a research facility, which Taniguchi and the others use to bring knowledge about modern Japanese into this fantasy world.

His feet carry him to the only pub in Funkenpflug, as he needs a drink badly. He just had a meeting with some scholars, who have laughed at his knowledge once more. …not exactly laughed, but teaching mathematics at such a high level, without anything to practically back it up immediately, is tricky.

Too bad that those scholars will decide how much funds he will get, including his livelihood. Taniguchi tried to speak to architects and builders, but they are doing fine with the formulas they used for centuries.

He really should have learned for what reasons he studied all that stuff in university, other than teaching math. What he taught his students is too simple, what he learned in university lacks the use for the real life in this fantasy world.

That's how great mathematicians must have felt in their time. He's sure that they also drowned their sorrows with alcohol.

Surprisingly, he sees someone he knows sitting at the counter, Saegusa Mamiko-sensei. Or more like, she's babbling while her head rests on the tabletop: “Oooohhhh! Guchi-sensei!”

“How did you come to that nickname?” He sits next to her, planning to get as drunk as she is. To even find her here, means that she had an unfortunate setback, so if she can be so happy by drinking, Taniguchi wants to follow her suit.

“Ishn't it cute?”

“Well, Guchi-sensei it is then. For this evening.”

“Huh? Allreedy even'ng?”

“When did you start?”

“Noooo ideaaa.”

Saegusa-sensei is usually a more stiff person, but that image has crumbled apart step by step during her stay in Feuerberg. Taniguchi can't help but think if it'd be a good chance to make an advance, as she's quite a sexy woman underneath her usual strict manner.

Better to get some liquid courage first. “What she had.”

The barkeep also knows the two of them as they're regulars here, he just shrugs his shoulders and gives him some white liquid. “Nachbrenner. You'll never forget this evening.”

Taniguchi takes a sip, only to feel how his lips start to bites, what kind of drink is this? Like a vodka? Not like he has drunk vodka ever before.

Well, better drink it in one gulp... ah... ah... “...uah, ah! Ah! Uhhh!” He doesn't cough, it just burns from within, it's like his throat is on fire, setting everything up to his toes in flames. The liquid itself is spicy but doesn't prickle anywhere.

“Good stuff.”

“So you heard?” Saegusa-sensei inquires.

“Heard about what?”

“...ah, I still have it with me... here.”

She hands him a letter, which already has some dark spots. It's written in this world's alphabet, but he learned to decipher them... “This list...”

“Read!” Saegusa-sensei snaps at him, her intense glare gives him shivers.

“Casualties... 20th Lightdrop... MIA: Hoshibashi Takashi, Yoshimura Rentaro, Shinohara Mari, Endo Naomi, Kumagai Yuria... KIA: Tetsukawa Nobuo...” Five are missing, one is dead.

Tetsukawa Nobuo, Taniguchi barely knew him, he was that kind of boy, who fits in easily with others, who don't do well or bad at school, just that kind of guy who you see and spend no thought about, what that person is really like. Now he's dead so Taniguchi won't know.

Ice is running down Taniguchi's spine, he can't breathe properly, the only thing that keeps his mind going is the drink he just had. A sense of guilt hits the former teacher, one of his students died. Another thought crosses his mind: Taniguchi wasn't there so he couldn't help it.

Yes, it's not his fault.

“What... the list continues? … Rogue... Katsuragi Kenta, Momokawa Kyou... what?”

“...ah, here...” Saegusa-sensei hands him another few sheets, in a better condition than the one before. One about the known circumstances about Tetsukawa's death, the second about what is known about the two parties that went MIA.

The last one about... “He did what!?” Kidnapping, and possible mind-control. For some reason, high-treason isn't listed there, but that he wounded Inoue Masahiko badly, and lured their party into traps!

Taniguchi always hated Katsuragi's guts, but now he is enraged. That little bastard, what has he done? Everything around them fell apart when they were summoned, but instead of sticking with them, he just vanished, was treated MIA for a long time, then he resurfaced, claimed to be cursed, then heading to the Heißquellen-shrine, which was attacked... coincidence? Or was this whole story to lure Momokawa Kyou into a trap?

Katsuragi brought news to the king, concerning a possible uprising of lizardpeople. Then he happened to know about the princess-situation... Regarding to the report, he couldn't have known, but he could have seized this chance.

Taniguchi has another suspicion. Seeing how Inoue was almost killed... revenge? Is Katsuragi Kenta after the other heroes? Why? Because of things that happened in Japan?

If he has mind-controlling powers, it makes sense. First, he gets the one single person, who was alone, Momokawa-san, who has the knowledge about the other Japanese and might be the one person he wants to make suffer most.

He then seized control over the princess, having a hostage against the kingdom... is he planning his next steps? Maybe he's even here?

No... Funkenpflug is well-guarded, as there are the research facilities here. So he won't have a chance for now...

Still, it's hard for Taniguchi to not feel endangered. He remembers the times when he was talking with Katsuragi because of incidents concerning his behavior, the contempt he felt from this boy, the sheer arrogance. Someone like that might become crazy with all the power he might attain by being a hero.

Oh god, there was a monster in their midst. Taniguchi feels like something like a chunk of ice tries to build up inside his stomach, but the flames of the Nachbrenner melt it away effortlessly. Taniguchi had a good guess, why Saegusa-sensei started to drink. Not only because of guilt and sorrow, but out of fear as well.

“Buy the waaaay,” Saegusa-sensei's voice becomes hollow despite the slurring: “Every'ne will read them tomorrowwww.”

Taniguchi doesn't understand what she implies: “By 'everyone' you mean the students?”

“Yep, all of them.”

Trying to keep a curse in, he asks the next question: “Why... did you give your consent?” Saegusa-sensei is the head of this facility, that's why everything should go through her.

“Cause the king ordered it... no consent here, see? Right here, right above the seal.” Another letter comes, the final one, or rather the first. It's written by the king's chancellor, explaining what the lists are and what they're supposed to do with them. Not exactly an order, but a rather direct request.

“You won't, right?”

“I won't?”

“You won't!” Taniguchi is furious. What does this kingdom thinks, telling teenage students about which of their classmates are missing, who was killed, and who is a traitor? He could understand it from the ones who decided to join the combat-group, but the research-group shouldn't be disheartened by knowing these kinds of things.

They're still children!

There is another passage there as well, explaining that the kings intend to make the research-group undergo combat training and monster-hunting! These are the children, who chose not to fight, so why is that king enforcing this right now!? Is it because neither Saegusa-sensei nor Taniguchi produced any results!?

“I'll talk with the king! Right now, I get the next coach!” He'll use the budget he was given to pay for a coach ride, if the kingdom thinks they could just decide what Taniguchi and the others do, he's wrong and can cover the costs for Taniguchi-sensei to tell him!