Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"what!!"

Bang!

"Lieutenant General, what happened!?"

Hearing the noise coming from the study, Violet quickly opened the door to check what was going on.

What she saw was Isaac sitting blankly at his desk, with manuscript papers scattered all over the floor.

"Lieutenant General?"

"I'm fine..."

Isaac then realized what was happening and rubbed his temples.

Picking up the scattered manuscript papers, he still didn't know what he had just seen.

"...Maybe I was just too tired from all the work."

Chapter 955: Leave Yourself a Way Out

After calming myself down a bit, I finished organizing the manuscript and placed it on my desk.

"Am I really too tired? I'm having those kinds of hallucinations," Isaac said with a wry smile.

If you haven't even opened the door to truth yourself, how could you possibly go to another world? And even if you did, you wouldn't be able to see Hohenheim; that centenarian is still living the life of a recluse in Risenberg.

Having finished three chapters of the textbook, and with plenty of time before the deadline, Isaac, believing he was hallucinating from overwork, decided to put the matter aside for now.

Dealing with the affairs of Paradis Island did take some effort, so for now, I'll just treat this time in the Kingdom of Albion as a vacation.

With that in mind, Isaac promptly washed up, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.

……

the next morning.

"Yesterday, we received orders from above. They told us that Anjie and I would follow Your Excellency's instructions during this period. Regarding our mission... were you listening to them?"

"Huh... Ah? Of course I'm listening."

"You look like you haven't woken up yet, it's not like you're listening to me at all."

Located in the activity room of Queen Mayfair Academy, the secret hideout of these spy girls, Isaac is currently sitting inside yawning.

Besides Isaac, Angela and Dorothy, as well as the princess and her attendant Beatrice, were also present.

The princess gracefully took a sip of her black tea and glanced at Isaac with a hint of concern.

"Were you tired yesterday, Lieutenant General?"

"I would say I'm tired every single day," Isaac said, slumped over the table. "Don't be fooled by the fact that I haven't done much since I came to the Kingdom of Albion; I'm actually working every single day."

"Oh dear, that must have been very tiring."

“Yes, I’m working very hard,” Isaac said. “So please give me any information you have willingly, and don’t make me go through the trouble of asking you for it.”

"He actually puts all the work on us girls?" Dorothy teased. "What an outrageous man."

"You're nothing, a girl. You're already twenty and still pretending to be a student."

"There's nothing we can do about it! That's just how the mission is structured!"

“In short, I am now your superior.” Isaac raised his head and said, “Your superiors have given me permission to give you direct orders, so please cooperate.”

"Should we issue the order directly?"

Dorothy grinned mischievously upon hearing this.

She moved behind Isaac, her full breasts pressed tightly against his back.

"Hey~ Now that you're the boss of a group of us girls, are you thinking about giving us some... orders?"

"Alas!!?"

Beatrice, being the youngest among them, instinctively hid behind the princess after hearing Dorothy's shocking words.

Dorothy continued with a laugh, "The lieutenant general is so young and capable, I wouldn't refuse him even if he did anything to me!"

Isaac, with his lifeless eyes, silently stretched out his hand behind him, his fingers slightly curled.

Snapped!

"Ah! It hurts!"

Dorothy slumped to the ground, clutching her forehead; she had been caught off guard and flicked on the forehead by Isaac.

"You've become much more mischievous since my adjutant isn't here."

"Tch, your adjutant has been keeping a close eye on you the whole time. He'll pull you away if he gets even a little too close."

Dorothy rubbed her aching forehead, muttered "boring man" with a pout, and sat down to the side.

"Speaking of which, Princess, you seem to be a member of a spy organization as well."

“Yes, I made contact with the western countries through Ange and Dorothy,” the princess said with a smile. “I helped them deal with the kingdom, and in exchange, I became queen.”

“You’re quite ruthless in betraying your country, but with your princess status as cover, the next arrangements will be easier,” Isaac said. “What does the Republic need you to do next?”

"Nothing special happened."

Ange glanced at the princess beside her.

"When there are no tasks assigned from above, we attend classes and rest as usual."

"Never mind then, if you guys are resting, I'll rest too. I've really been exhausted lately."

After Isaac finished speaking, he stood up, walked to a place in the activity room where miscellaneous items were piled up, cleared away the items, and then opened a hidden door on the floor.

This is the secret passage that Isaac dug out, leading directly from the villa's basement to this activity room.

"...Alchemy is really convenient. Can I go directly to your house through this passage?" Ange asked.

"Yes."

“I see,” Dorothy nodded. “It seems we have a decent refuge.”

"Hey, you guys are here to help me, not for me to help you. Don't come looking for me if anything goes wrong, or I won't protect you."

Dorothy: "That's so heartless."

"Have some self-awareness. You're spies. If you're discovered, you'll be heading to hell with your secrets."

After saying that, Isaac jumped down the secret passage without looking back, leaving the four girls in the activity room behind.

Dorothy: "...This lieutenant general is really..."

Anjie: "He's not wrong. If a spy is discovered, it's best not to implicate the organization."

--------

Even late at night, the study in the villa was still lit.

Although he planned to take a break from writing the textbook during this period, Isaac still did a general review of the three chapters he had originally written.

"Putting aside the difference in talent, we should make sure that everyone who studies alchemy can become an alchemist... It would be best to explain this in more detail."

Isaac had roughly considered that most of the technological products at Amestris were now made by him and the Fifth Research Institute, and that the country's talent pool was currently too small.

If things continue like this, we will definitely suffer greatly in the future. We must lower the barriers to education and cultivate a large number of technical talents so that the country can develop in the long term.

"Ok?"

While Isaac was organizing the teaching materials, he suddenly felt a familiar aura.

He walked to the door of the study and quickly opened it the instant the aura approached.

Standing at the door was Anjie, who had changed into a black outfit. Her short, ruffled skirt exposed her long legs to the air. It was just a mystery why a spy would wear a full suit.

Anjie stood at the door, her hand still poised to knock.

What are you doing here?

Ange lowered her hand and said to Isaac, "I'm sorry to bother you so late. It's too crowded in the morning, so I can't talk to you. I have a favor to ask."

"So you sneaked over through the secret passage I dug?"

Isaac frowned.

What are you trying to say?

"I want to leave myself and the princess a way out."

Chapter 956: Two Completely Opposite Types of People

"Leave yourself an escape route?"

“Yes,” Ange nodded. “The princess’s current behavior is still too dangerous. If she wants to become queen, she has to cooperate with our spies. If she fails, the sanctions she will face will be very severe.”

"Indeed, your princess's actions can be classified as treason. Once discovered, the Albion royal family will do everything they can to deal with her in order to save face. Her status as a princess cannot save her."

"That's why I came to you, I wanted to have a backup plan," Anjie said.

"You seem to be much more cautious than that princess."

Isaac pulled out a chair in front of the desk, sat down, and smiled at Ange in front of him.

"So what kind of escape route do you want? Let's make it clear beforehand: the job of your Republic's spies is to provide me with intelligence, and I will provide you with assistance, but if anything goes wrong, I won't protect you."

"So, if a mission fails even once, we'll be discarded?"

“Yes, you see it very clearly.” Isaac clapped his hands. “My cooperation with you is also a huge risk. If the kingdom finds out, Amestoris’ investment here will be completely wasted.”

“I understand that perfectly well. I only hope that if the princess’s identity is ever discovered, you can protect her. As for the others, you don’t need to worry about them.”

“Did you even understand what I meant? I won’t be responsible for anything that happens to you,” Isaac emphasized again. “Besides, she’s a princess. The only way to protect her is for Amestoris and the Kingdom of Albion to completely break ties.”

"extraterritorial."

"what?"

"According to intelligence from the organization, the arms sales agreement you signed with the Kingdom of Albion contains a clause on extraterritoriality, which means that the Kingdom's laws have no jurisdiction to try citizens of Amestoris."

“There is such a thing, but you don’t mean to make the princess a citizen of Amestris, do you?” Isaac chuckled. “That’s a member of the royal family, that’s not realistic.”

"It is not that the princess joined Amestris."

Anjie patted her chest.