[Third POV]
Just as the dust began to settle, with Herta's group openly chatting and Ruan Ling leaving, a feminine individual approached—disheveled, bleary-eyed, and completely unbothered by the debate's aftermath.
She introduced herself as Patavia Adler Sommerville, the main proponent who suggested the Solitary Particle Theory. After delivering her introduction, the group went silent for a moment before Benjamin made the first response.
"I don't want to be rude or anything, but why do you look like you crawled out of a laboratory explosion?" he asked, trying so hard not to chuckle.
Patavia, unbothered by his remark, pushed up her round glasses. "I just woke up five minutes ago and didn't have the time to fix myself before coming here."
"Why precisely five minutes, Miss Sommerville?" Bellum probed, rationally tilting his head. "It seems like an unusual time to show up right after the conflict had ended. Were you watching us before that exact moment?"
"Sir, please calm yourself," Patavia reasoned, her brows knitted together. "I had a very sloppy sleeping schedule, so the timing of my arrival here was coincidental."
"Coincidental or not, you were known as Rubert's associate," Albrecht pointed out, cautiously narrowing his eyes. "He informed us that you both discussed the Scepter System, claiming it shared the same principle as the Hertascope."
"I did discuss those sorts of stuff with Rubert," she admitted, lowering her gaze. "However, I never fully agreed with everything he says because, to be honest, I can't stand him."
Hearing her response, the three men exchanged uncertain glances. But then Albrecht turned to his daughter, who remained silent throughout the exchange, carefully watching Patavia.
"What do you think of this person, dear?" he asked. "Do you trust her?"
Herta, without taking her eyes off the messy woman, nodded lightly. "Judging from her facial expression and tone of voice, she can be trusted."
Patavia sighed in relief before offering a tired yet genuine smile.
"Thank you for believing in me," she expressed openly. "In all honesty, that's why I came here—I heard gossip regarding the Director's verdict against Rubert. I never liked that person, but I never dared to resist him either. So, I'm grateful for everything you do that I never could."
The group went silent again, this time more receptive to her statement. Bellum monitored her more intently, Benjamin hummed attentively, and Albrecht sighed, easing the tension slightly.
Breaking the momentary calm, Patavia brushed her green, unkempt hair, each strand frizzing further from the motion of her finger. "Since I have your attention, I figured now's a good time to take action. If you're keen to solve the Solitary Particle theory, then I'll lend my laboratory."
Surprised, Benjamin widened his eyes. "Just like that?"
"Yes, just like that," she confirmed. "It's been a mess in there since Rubert started hogging all the equipment for his experiment, but now he's stripped of his authority, it's ours to use."
Bellum folded his arms, thinking. "You mean to say you're finally willing to collaborate?"
"Of course," Patavia nodded. "I'd like to revisit the theory I once had faith in—and maybe give it the justice it deserves. Besides, if this young lady has already developed a device capable of viewing a realm beyond our current comprehension, then it's time we put it to the test."
Albrecht turned to his daughter once more. "What do you think? Would you accept this?"
Herta looked at the lady, then at the group, and finally nodded confidently. "Let's do it. I want to see what lies beyond."
"Perfect, then follow me," Patavia urged, adjusting her glasses. "We'll head to the workshop's lower wing, where my lab and the theory's origin were found."
Without waiting, she turned around and started treading towards the hallway that led deeper into the research facility, her lab coat fluttering behind.
Before her were Herta and the group, following Patavia with the Hertascope in hand.
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After several minutes of walking through a winding corridor, Patavia led the group to a heavy iron door at the end of the hallway. With a practiced twist, she turned the latch, revealing her laboratory when she pulled it open.
The room was far from orderly. Textbooks and parchments were scattered across the tables and the floor. Several blackboards lined the walls, layered with overlapping equations. Lastly, strange devices filled the corner—some were dismantled, while others were covered in rust.
"Please come in," Patavia urged, motioning the group to enter.
While Herta and the group followed, Benjamin murmured something sarcastic. "This lab looks like it survived a couple of thesis rewrites and one massive meltdown."
"That's exactly how progress is made." Patavia retorted, grinning shamelessly.
Bellum scrutinized the room, nodding in agreement. "Chaotic, yes—but I've seen worse. A lab like this usually means the gears of a brilliant mind don't stop turning."
Once inside, Albrecht made his way to a nearby long table and put the Hertascope down. Its cylindrical steel frame and convex lenses seemed to shimmer, as if it were ready to be used.
Patavia, seeing the device, moved towards a blackboard and began erasing old marks. "Now, let's talk about—"
Just as she finished her sentence, the air of the room shifted slightly. Herta turned her head first, prompting the others to do the same.
There, a person stood, unannounced, yet unmistakable.
"Rubert..." Patavia murmured, furrowing her brows. "What are you doing here?"
The demoted elite fixed his gaze on his former associate, then turned towards the group and finally focused on Herta, glaring at her with a venomous gaze.
"So this is how you repay me for what I've done for you," he hissed, returning his gaze toward his original target. "Crawling towards the people who humiliated me? How pathetic."
"Me, pathetic?" Patavia scoffed. "Says the man who kept demanding to upgrade his obsolete device, as if I were his private repairwoman."
Rubert clenched his fist, visibly frustrated. "I trusted you!"
"Trusted me? Bastard, you used me!" she exclaimed, her voice raised. "You pushed me into a corner and paraded your opinion while denying mine. I devoted my life to the Solitary Particle Theory, but you twisted it for your own satisfaction!"
With that confession, Albrecht, Bellum, and Benjamin were moderately surprised, while Herta remained quiet, observing the conversation curiously.
Rubert, however, gritted his teeth, looking more furious. "Listen here, you bitch!"
He charged forward, but Benjamin stepped between them, spreading his arms wide.
"Hey, leave her alone!"
Ruburt halted momentarily, but stared at Benjamin straight in the eye.
"Or else what? You don't have any authority over me."
The young man was stunned by the statement, unable to retort. But then...
"Or else we'll report you to the Founder."
Herta's voice cut through the room, calm and resolute. Rubert turned slowly to shoot a glare, yet her gaze remained unmoved.
"What did you say, brat?" he snarled, trying to be intimidating.
"You heard me. Keep this up, and the Founder will hear about this," Herta clarified. "You don't have authority over us, and now you're trespassing in someone's lab."
"She's right," Albrecht supported. "If this continues, the consequence will be worse."
Bellum stepped forward, his gaze surprisingly calm.
"You should leave while you still can," he warned, "pride won't save you from the law."
Driven into an awkward position, Rubert glared at the group one last time before shifting his focus towards Patavia.
"You're going to regret this, traitor."
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the lab, slamming the door behind him.
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Once Rubert left, the tension in the laboratory eased, and a sense of peace returned.
Patavia, sighing with relief, turned back to the group and lowered her head.
"I apologize for what just happened. It must be uncomfortable to deal with Rubert."
Bellum shook his head and folded his arms.
"It's alright, Miss Sommerville. You held your ground quite well, which is commendable."
Benjamin stepped closer with a lopsided grin playing at his lips.
"Honestly, you looked brave—and oddly beautiful—when you shouted at that old bastard."
Patavia raised an eyebrow but didn't respond, though the corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. Meanwhile, Albrecht let out a sigh, scratching the back of his neck.
"It appears I misjudged you earlier, Miss Patavia. I thought you would side with Rubert, but I was mistaken."
"I understand your sentiment, Sir Albrecht."
With the problem resolved, Patavia tidied her coat and adjusted her glasses before returning to the blackboard she had cleared out.
"Now then, let's resume our discussion," she declared, grabbing a chalk. "For several years, I have been working on the Solitary Particle Theory, coming up with a couple of concepts, and correcting a few speculations."
While speaking, Patavia began scribbling a set of equations and graphs on the board. Herta, who had been silently observing, raised her eyebrow in curiosity.
"These equations were ideal for proving the research," she pointed out, "but why haven't you been able to finish it to the point that others, like my father, were tasked with solving it?"
"That's a good question, young lady," Patavia acknowledged, halting her writing to look back at Herta. "You see, I hit a roadblock."
"A roadblock, you say?" Bellum repeated, stroking his chin. "Could you elaborate a bit further, Miss Sommerville?"
"Well, I was so desperate to finish the research that I sought assistance from the higher-ups," she explained. "That is when Rubert showed up and persuaded me into utilizing the Scepter Optics, which led to many failures that I couldn't take back."
Hearing her past struggles, the three men expressed their resentment towards the demoted elite once again.
"Tch, just as expected," Benjamin groaned, folding his arms. "That bastard's device is more of a liability than an asset for this kind of research."
"Which explains why we couldn't proceed back then," Albrecht added. "Even I had difficulties when I used the same equipment."
Bellum sighed before glancing at the vacant table. "At least we have the young lady's device, ready to be used."
Patavia focused on the Hertascope and walked towards it, marveling at its intricate design.
"Ah, yes... I believe I could pick up where I left off with this," she affirmed, gently brushing her finger on its surface. "However, I no longer have any variable samples to use because I spent every resource I had on the Scepter Optics."
"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Benjamin exclaimed, clenching his fist. "That old bastard can't keep getting away with this!"
"Benjamin, please calm down," Bellum urged, trying to pacify his emotions. "We can get some from the workshop's inventory if we get the Director's permission."
"If we don't, there's no way we could continue this experiment for a while," Benjamin argued.
While two men debated about samples, Albrecht turned to his daughter and noticed that she was contemplating intensely. Unbeknownst to him, Herta secretly used her unique skill, High Intelligence. Just a couple of seconds later, a solution occurred.
Without saying a word, she reached up and removed her beret.
Confused, Albrecht tilted his head. "Why did you take off your hat, dear?"
Herta glanced down at the soft, fresh fabric in her hands, then carefully unpinned the flower fastened to it—a single Clematis bloom, preserved and glowing faintly with residual energy.
Patavia's eyes widened as she saw the flower and came closer to inspect it. Her expression shifted from mild confusion to a profound sense of recognition.
"Hold on... Is that a Clematis Nascaticus, one of the rarest flowers in Nasca?" she murmured. "I have never seen such a healthy blossom before. Urm, young lady, where did you get this?"
Herta turned to the woman and smiled. "I got it from my mother, Theresia Wissenschaft."
"Madam Theresia?!" Patavia exclaimed. "You mean, the most well-known Floriculturist of the genius society?!"
"Yup, that's right," Herta confirmed, proudly placing both hands on her hips.
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The room fell into a moment of reverent silence before Patavia nodded in understanding.
"I see..." she murmured solemnly. "I never thought Madam Theresia would have a daughter. I only knew she had retired and hadn't been seen since."
Albrecht chuckled softly. "Don't worry, she was doing fine and was spending her retirement days in her garden, tending to her beloved flowers."
"I'm glad to hear that," Patavia acknowledged before looking down at the Clematis with a mix of awe and longing. "Young lady, would it be okay if I use this flower as a sample?"
"Of course," Herta agreed without hesitation, placing the bloom on the messy lady's palm.
With gentle care, Patavia carried the sample over the table and placed it on the Hertascope's stage. Her fingers adjusted the delicate clamps as she leaned over to peer into the eyepiece.
"Gasp—"
A quiet gasp escaped the green-haired woman's lips.
"—Incredible... the clarity of this device is leagues above everything I've used before."
Hearing her statement, Bellum smiled satisfyingly.
"That response confirmed everything I expected from the young lady's design."
Benjamin, seeing Patavia's positive reaction, immediately approached her and pointed at the knob on the Hertascope's side.
"Hey, try turning that dial a little."
"What does it do?"
"It should sharpen the device's magnification."
Patavia followed the instructions, and as the knob clicked, she gasped once more.
"There it is... the solitary particle—its movement, its fluctuation... I can see it!"
With that confirmation, the three men glanced at Herta and smiled at her proudly.
"We did it, little missy!" Benjamin praised, chuckling enthusiastically. "Your device worked."
"Indeed," Bellum approved. "You have proven yourself as a genius once again."
"Of course, she did," Albrecht concurred. "She's my daughter after all."
Herta didn't say anything—she just returned the smile instead.
While they were celebrating the young lady's accomplishment, Patavia kept her sight on the lens of the Hertascope, still admiring the new particles.
"This surpassed all of my expectations," she remarked deeply. "Yet, there is something else I wanted to witness."
"What is it, Miss Sommerville?" Bellum asked, folding his arms.
Patavia glanced back, her eyebrows knitted awkwardly. "I was wondering if the new particles would react to magical phenomena and cause more fluctuations."
Listening to her supposition, Herta quietly pondered and activated her unique skill once more to create a solution. After a fraction of a second, she approached the table and climbed onto a chair before leaning towards the Clematis bloom.
Using her other unique skill, Achiever, she whispered gently.
"Oh, spirit of the garden, reveal thyself to us."
As those words were uttered, the flower started to shine, and several specks of delicate dust began to float upwards, swirling with gentle motion.
"Are those... lesser elementals?" Patavia asked, stunned. "But how—?"
"Ah, her mother taught her how to summon them," Albrecht explained calmly.
Bellum leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Theresia taught her this? How fascinating."
"As expected from a little genius," Benjamin added, chuckling enthusiastically. "So cool."
The glowing motes hovered near the Hertascope, reacting to the residual magicules. Patavia kept staring, mesmerized—until she felt a gentle tug at her sleeve.
She glanced down to see Herta looking up at her.
Try looking at the lens again."
Patavia nodded and then turned back to the device, peering into it.
"Oh my..."
Her breath caught in her throat at what she witnessed.
"I can see it... the solitary particles are reacting with the elementals. And just expected, they lack any attributes and merely fill a position until something spiritual infuses them with one."
Bellum, listening to her explanation, narrowed his eyes.
"So, you're saying that the new particles are a kind of inert framework that needs an external force to become active?"
"Precisely," Patavia confirmed, her voice laced with euphoria. "They are like dormant vessels ready to be filled with purpose, which is something I couldn't figure out before. But now, with this device, I can finally complete the theory."
Benjamin, surprised by her assertion, blinked in surprise.
"Wait, so that means you—"
"—Have everything needed to publish a full theoretical model? Absolutely," she finished the sentence for him. "No more speculations or relying on Rubert's flawed equipment. Just truth—supported by irrefutable proof."
The revelation hung heavy in the air, potent yet undeniable.
Albrecht nodded solemnly, recognizing the gravity of the moment.
"This means... the Solitary Particle Theory can step into the light of day—all thanks to Herta."
Patavia turned towards the little girl and lowered herself to meet her eyes.
"Thank you for helping me, young lady."
Herta nodded in quiet acknowledgment.
"You're welcome. We're simply geniuses who exist to solve the unknown."