Phlogiston Theory

What came from Professor Claire was doubt; what came from Charlotte was surprise.

"Headmaster Ian Gray, are you serious?"

Professor Claire was the first to speak. In her mind, this useless headmaster could barely use magic, had never cared about academic matters, and paid even less attention to students' studies. Now that he had suddenly said something like this, was he making fun of her?

To be honest, Professor Claire did not think Rainer could read a single word on that test paper, so she was clearly impatient. She had not dealt with Rainer many times and could not tell that the soul of the headmaster before her had long since become someone else.

"Professor Claire, I think we should be more tolerant of students. We shouldn't dismiss her ideas with such a harsh attitude. At the very least, she thought about it, didn't she?"

Rainer's gaze swept over the other test papers on the desk. On quite a few of them, the answer to that question was exactly the same. Clearly, they had memorized the description from the textbook.

To be honest, he was still in a daze from having transmigrated, but his sense of responsibility as a teacher would not let him crush a special student's desire for knowledge like this. Rainer himself was also deeply curious about the magic of this world, so for all these reasons, he decided to find out whether Charlotte's claim was correct and how much of his knowledge from Earth could be applied in this world.

"But her reasoning is completely wrong. The Fire Element Theory was a great theory discovered by Master Hohenheim three hundred years ago. It is the cornerstone of modern Alchemy. I do not believe a mage apprentice could so easily overturn it."

Taken aback by Rainer's words, Professor Claire paused before retorting, though her attitude had softened somewhat. Perhaps she felt there was the slightest bit of sense in what he said.

"If religion arose from faith, then magic began with doubt."

Rainer altered a saying he had heard in his previous life before continuing.

"Before we reject Charlotte's claim, why don't we first hear how she reached that conclusion?"

Charlotte's eyes lit up at Rainer's words, and she immediately gained a new opinion of this seemingly unreliable headmaster.

Although Headmaster Ian Gray had a terrible reputation, at least he was willing to listen to her explanation instead of blindly rejecting it as Professor Claire had. On that point alone, Rainer's reputation with Charlotte had risen by at least ten points.

Of course, the full score was one hundred.

"All right, then, Charlotte, explain."

Professor Claire shrugged helplessly, signaling Charlotte to continue.

"Well, I first discovered this possibility because of an experimental mistake."

Charlotte thought for a moment and organized her words before speaking.

"Originally, I wanted to heat Limestone at high temperatures to obtain Quicklime. Normally, this experiment should be carried out in an open container, but I made a mistake at the time and used a sealed flask."

Rainer did not understand what Limestone or Quicklime was. Seeing his puzzled expression, Professor Claire sighed softly and explained.

"Limestone is the sort of rock found everywhere, while Quicklime is a special kind of stone that can dissolve in water."

As she spoke, she lamented why she was seriously sitting here with this headmaster, listening to Charlotte's explanation. Professor Claire felt that she was truly being made a fool of.

Once Rainer heard that explanation, he quickly understood. So-called Limestone and Quicklime were probably limestone and quicklime. The reaction was a basic middle-school chemistry experiment, and the reaction between the carbon dioxide produced and clear limewater was also one of the most classic introductory experiments.

"After heating it, I found that some kind of gas seemed to have appeared inside the flask. When I directed it out through a tube, it actually extinguished the flame of the alcohol lamp."

Charlotte explained concisely, glancing at Rainer and Claire from time to time to watch their expressions.

"According to the Fire Element Theory, that should be impossible."

Rainer immediately opened an Alchemy book beside the desk and followed the table of contents to the chapter concerning the Fire Element.

"Fire Element exists within all things. When matter burns, Fire Element is released and produces flame. When matter loses Fire Element, it becomes dead ash. When ash gains Fire Element, matter is revived. The specific process of combustion can be simply described as: matter (combustion) = Fire Element + ash.

—Introduction to Alchemy, Chapter Three, Section One, by R.V. Hohenheim, Third Edition, Azure Moon Calendar Year 06"

Nowhere in that description did it mention that gas would be produced during combustion. So what exactly was this gas that could extinguish flames, and where had it come from?

Of course, Rainer could tell Charlotte that the gas was carbon dioxide, a compound formed when the carbon in limestone—calcium carbonate—reacted with oxygen in the air. But if he said that outright, they certainly would not believe him. Rainer also needed more evidence to prove that the carbon dioxide in this world was the same substance as the one on Earth.

"Why don't we recreate the experiment in the laboratory?"

Rainer's suggestion made Charlotte's eyes widen slightly. She had originally thought he merely wanted to oppose Professor Claire, but she had not expected the headmaster to actually believe her. The girl found it rather unbelievable.

"An experiment?"

Professor Claire was obviously even more surprised. She looked Rainer up and down as though he were a madman before asking for confirmation.

"By experiment, you mean an Alchemy experiment?"

She was not even sure whether Rainer knew what the word "experiment" meant. Ever since she was young, Professor Claire had believed nobles to be ignorant fools. Especially after she had been bullied to tears several times by some unknown noble when she was five, that impression had taken deep root and could never be changed.

"Of course, Professor Claire. What did you think I meant?"

Rainer's matter-of-fact attitude made Professor Claire feel a trace of displeasure, as though she were the uneducated one.

"We'll recreate Charlotte's experiment in full. If we get the same result, then doesn't that show her conclusion has some merit?"

"Impossible. If the Fire Element Combustion Theory is wrong, then every Alchemy paper from the past three hundred years would have to be rewritten. Yet we have accomplished so many great feats on that foundation. Are you going to deny the contributions of those great mages?"

Professor Claire's forceful attitude gave Rainer a headache.

This woman was far too stubborn.

Rainer thought it over. Facing a hardheaded person like this directly probably would not work. He had to take a roundabout approach.

"Professor Claire, are you afraid that Charlotte will prove her conclusion is correct?"

He used a provocation, and Professor Claire immediately sprang to her feet.

"Who said that? I'm not afraid at all! Behind me stand three hundred years of Alchemy masters!"

The effect was outstanding.

The moment the words left her mouth, Professor Claire knew Rainer had tricked her. But on second thought, she felt this was a good opportunity to punish the unreliable headmaster, so she said,

"But if we prove later that the Fire Element Theory is correct, you will have to pay a price."

"Uh, of course. What do you want me to do?"

Rainer had not expected this woman to be so straightforward. He paused before asking in return.

"Hmm, how about wearing a dress and running around the plaza ten times at next week's morning assembly?"

Professor Claire thought for a moment before continuing, and what she proposed left Rainer utterly dumbfounded.