296: Vanilla Sid Imperial University

"Thank you for having me today, Lady Villigianiola."

"The pleasure is mine, Professor."

Today marks the day when Villigianiola is scheduled to give a lecture at Vanilla Sid Imperial University.

Thus, since the day before, we had entered the district housing Vanilla Sid Imperial University—the university itself, its various experimental facilities, and the well-equipped dormitories and shops for students—slipping into the campus before the majority of students and professors arrived in the morning.

"Then, we’ll just wait a while until it’s time."

"Miss Vee. Please perform the final check on the materials."

"Understood."

We entered early in the morning to avoid causing a commotion.

The actual lecture is scheduled to begin in the mid-afternoon, to be held in a massive lecture hall, and will also be accessible via information terminals for remote viewing.

I can't help but wonder how they'll handle things if thousands, or even tens of thousands, end up tuning in simultaneously—but then again, I suppose Vilijanira's team has good reason to believe people will actually show up.

Then, it's not my concern.

"Looks like we're free today, Satu."

"True. But that's okay, isn't it? Especially since I don't have any work to do—it's peaceful."

"Hmm. That's true."

Now, since Vilijanira and Memokshi are getting ready for their lecture, I can't afford to interfere.

So, I and Joharis casually chat while keeping a general watch on our surroundings, each doing whatever we please.

Thus, I bring a snack—rice that’s been steamed, roasted, and mixed with sugar and other ingredients, then pressed into a block shape, commonly known as "kaminari-okoshi"—to my mouth.

Hmm, light and crisp texture, yet with a satisfying bite, the perfect balance of sugar and rice sweetness makes it truly delicious.

"But just how did Lady Vee manage to prepare for this lecture so thoroughly...?"

"When I asked Memoqui, she said she gradually worked on it during spare moments while handling tasks like articles published through the intelligence unit's front company, reports submitted to the intelligence unit, and her activities as a member of the imperial family. So, in terms of preparation time, the recent warehouse colony inspection was entirely dedicated to preparation, which helped quite a bit..."

I see, I understand now—Vee-sama's mental capacity is truly in a league of its own.

Moreover, the reason neither I nor Johalis is assisting Vrijianira with her lecture preparation is not only because security duties take priority, but also because we simply don't understand the content of her lecture.

Well, I can understand certain parts, but when it comes to grasping the full picture and helping out properly, it's clearly outside my expertise, and it didn't feel like something I could just jump in and handle on the spot... Honestly, I'll admit it! I might be able to say something about the mods, the space monsters, and the artificial humans, but the rest? Impossible!

Joharis, too, was in a similar situation—while she could offer input on matters relating to spaceship operations, from the vessel itself to the colony's structure, she had to raise a white flag when it came to anything beyond that.

Admitting what you don't know isn't shameful or anything of the sort.

So this time, we simply stepped back honestly.

Well, since it might still be of some help later, I'll read through the materials at a later time.

"...People are starting to increase."

"Looks like classes at the university are going ahead as usual today, so that means students are showing up."

"That's right."

The area outside the room grew steadily noisier, with more people appearing.

For some reason, there were even people dressed in fancy outfits like they were heading to a ball, but most people were simply dressed normally, entering the university grounds, chatting with friends, and heading toward their destinations.

Now, though it's a bit late to mention, Vanillasid Imperial University is an extremely large institution.

After all, a single campus block is dedicated solely to Vanillasid Imperial University and its surrounding facilities.

Moreover, the buildings within the campus aren't just two- or three-story structures—several stand so tall they reach the ceiling.

It's said to be so vast that lost individuals and wanderers appear daily.

If you ask why it's so vast, the only answer is that Vanillasid Imperial University is the pinnacle of educational institutions within the Vanillasid Imperial Cosmos.

It's said to be this expansive because it serves as the gathering place for the most talented individuals from across the empire, offering them the highest level of education, and enabling their realization in every field imaginable.

Moreover, depending on the educational content, space itself might be more convenient—apparently, there are a few colonies exclusively for Vanillashido Imperial University orbiting the imperial capital, Vanillashido.

To me, it's already too massive and incomprehensible.

...

In fact, physically speaking, it's even larger than me, yeah.

Unbelievable.

"Sat, I'm just asking—anything suspicious going on?"

"There's no way it'd catch the main body's attention."

"Got it."

Hmm, there are already a few people entering the venue where the Vilijanira lecture is being held.

There are even people in formal attire.

Hmm, I don't see anything suspicious in their movements, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this on a mental level.

Well, I'm just here to listen to the lecture, so it shouldn't be a problem.