Chapter 35: The Freshman Hides A Slave (5)
Meals at the Academy were basically provided free of charge, but if you paid extra, you could order more delicious food.
The Academy didn’t deny social status; it just didn’t acknowledge unfair oppression based on it. This small concession was probably meant to mollify the nobles while maintaining a gap with commoners.
In the game, this feature was merely used for building affinity with characters, especially those with the ‘Poverty’ attribute who would be extremely pleased if treated well.
“Yandel, you mentioned you’re a commoner, right? …Though you don’t seem like an ordinary one. Still, since I asked you to come, let me pay.”
“I would be grateful. Thanks to you, Glenchiel, I can have a delicious meal.”
Although I probably had more money, free food always tasted better. And it was a general rule to be somewhat grateful to the person who was buying.
After briefly expressing my gratitude, I waited for the food I ordered.
Despite sitting in a quiet corner, Elisha seemed bothered by the noisy surroundings filled with other students. She muttered something as she waved her hand lightly.
“Veil of secrecy, shield our whispers. Silence.”
Then, a small semi-spherical wave of magical energy emanated from Elisha. As Carla and I entered it, the ambient noise around us abruptly reduced.
Satisfied with the effect of the ‘Silence’ spell, Elisha finally moved on to the main topic.
“Just to make it clear, I never wished for anything this severe, I swear to the World Tree.”
“Are you talking about Carla’s situation?”
“What else could it be?”
Perhaps it was the magic of the ‘Silence’ spell, but her voice, while still dignified, revealed a sharpened emotional tone.
I forced myself to suppress a smirk in response to Elisha’s grumbling. Elisha sighed deeply before continuing.
“Well, to be honest, I intended to give you a hard time. You know about the issue between Carla and me, right?”
“I learned about it recently from Carla.”
“…You just found out? Yandel, how long have you been practicing magic?”
Covering her lips, Elisha expressed her surprise. However, the emotion didn’t last long. From the moment we entered the restaurant, she kept sneaking glances at Carla, who stood silently behind me, and then returned to the original topic of the conversation.
“So, since you’re aware of the situation, this should make things easier. To be clear, I never wanted to ruin Carla to this extent. Neither did I want to humiliate her publicly.”
“Understood. I get that part.”
“Of course, I can’t say I bear no responsibility. When one instructs another, one must clearly communicate their intentions. I was negligent in that regard.”
Elisha sighed again, admitting her shortcomings. She must truly believe that she made an error in judgment. Or perhaps her conscience was doing its work. Who knows?
I wonder if she’s caught on to me shirking the blame on purpose.
“It’s only the first day, and we’ve already caused quite the commotion. However, it’s not too late to put an end to all this.”
“So, you’re saying to treat Carla better from now on?”
“Yes, indeed. She shouldn’t continue to look as pitiful as she does now. Treat her more like a servant rather than a slave.”
It wasn’t a difficult task. In fact, it worked better for me. My initial intention to torment Carla at the academy was solely because of Elisha. Now that the misunderstanding was cleared, there was no reason to continue making Carla appear pitiable.
More than concerns about my own image, I’d grown fond of Carla and wanted to treat her better. How could I not when she fawned over me, referring to me as her master?
As I contemplated over Carla, Elisha also seemed lost in thought about her. She gazed behind me for a moment, and her expression turned slightly melancholic.
“The Carla Lindelheit I knew was different. She was more confident, far more beautiful, and shone brilliantly. She was like a star one couldn’t reach, no matter how much one tried.”
I remained silent, absorbing her words.
Carla stood silently behind me, saying nothing. Her demeanor felt as if she was trying to hide behind my back.
“You were my life’s goal. I wanted to be like you. I even hoped to surpass you someday.”
“……”
“How on earth did you end up like this, Carla?”
“……”
“I don’t want to become like you now.”
“……”
At Elisha’s words, Carla had no choice but to hang her head as if she had committed a crime.
It might be said they were close when they were young, but Elisha had started feeling inferior and competitive towards her one day. Hearing these words from Elisha—comparing her brilliant past to her present state as a mere slave—Carla couldn’t help but feel diminished.
…But why was I getting irritated?
Just as I was about to react, Carla grabbed hold of my back and stopped me in my tracks.
As I turned to look, Carla finally lifted her head with her lips slightly protruding.
“That’s not true.”
“What are you saying, Carla?”
“I’m not as pitiful as Elisha–or rather, Glenchiel–makes me out to be. My master treats me very well.”
Her tone was defiant, like a stubborn child. Elisha seemed taken aback, alternating her gaze between Carla and me, her lips twitching slightly.
Seizing this opportunity to brag about me, Carla spotted a waiter approaching us from a distance and nodded.
“I’ll prove it.”
Considering we were seated in a quiet corner and a silence spell was active, the waiter would have no way of knowing the context of our conversation.
He placed the dishes on the table with a polite gesture and left.
But, of course, there was no portion for Carla.
It wasn’t because she was a slave. It was a universal principle that a servant should not share a meal with their master.
Carla, who looked at the meal set for two, opened her mouth with a meaningful smile.
“Do you know, Glenchiel?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Slaves don’t get fed. Especially young and beautiful slaves like me, who you’d hesitate to hit recklessly.”
“Then don’t they starve to death?”
“No, they don’t die because they’re given pills instead. Master, please take it out.”
Carla nudged my shoulder, urging me.
What was she trying to do? Since she kept poking me, I eventually pulled out the emergency food substitute pills from my inventory.
“Hmm! It’s medicine made for emergency rations. It’s filled with sufficient nutrients, so you can just feed them pills instead of food. It could also serve as a leash that has no taste.”
“It’s a bit different. These don’t have a spell to make you feel full.”
“Then…”
“Yes, it’s not taste, but hunger that serves as the leash.”
“Isn’t that too cruel?!”
Elisha glared at me with eyes that seemed to say, ‘How can a person do such a cruel thing?’
I didn’t do it…
Just as I was about to lower my head in unease, Carla nodded faster than I did.
“That’s right! It’s really too much, you know? Do you know what happens when a person gets hungry? It feels like there’s a hole in my stomach that I want to tear off my arm to eat, and I feel so miserable that if someone gives me a piece of bread, I feel like I could do anything!”
Carla continued her passionate speech, her ruby eyes sparkling.
“But! My master is different! At least I get to eat, you know? How merciful is that…?”
“Huh… Come to think of it, you said you’d prove it. Is this what you’re trying to prove here? That you, Carla, eat properly?”
Elisha tilted her head with a ‘go ahead and show me’ attitude.
In a world where even sharing a meal with a master wasn’t permitted for servants, would I go as far as giving her food to eat?
This was sure to be a subject of discussion.
It seemed like Elisha never thought I’d go so far as to give Carla a meal.
At this, Carla nodded her head proudly.
“Watch closely!”
Carla naturally stood beside me, but for some reason, her lips were suspiciously curling up.
It was clear she was up to something, but I decided to go along with it and pretended not to notice.
Suddenly, Carla knelt in front of me and stretched one leg back.
Screech.
The sound of the chair being dragged across the floor stopped, probably because it had moved out of the range of Elisha’s ‘Silence’ spell.
Gasp!
A few people who had heard the noise glanced over, then widened their eyes in surprise.
It was natural for anyone to be surprised to see a person kneeling at the corner of a restaurant under a Silence spell.
Elisha also seemed stunned that Carla would kneel so easily.
Carla, on the other hand, bowed her head graciously.
“Master, will you kindly allow this humble slave a delightful meal?”
“Um, okay, will this do?”
I passed her a plate with a large piece of meat.
Carla received it politely and set it on the floor, clasping her hands in an emotional gesture.
It started to feel somewhat awkward from this point, but never mind that.
“Ah… Thank you, Master.”
Slowly, she lowered her head and kissed my foot.
I hadn’t expected this and paused for a moment.
While Elisha and I stood there stunned, Carla was the only one moving, albeit awkwardly.
Carla, still on her knees, bowed her upper body down and dipped her face into the plate.
It was like watching a dog eat its food.
I could see the shocked face of an unknown student looking at us.
I quickly put my hand under Carla’s armpits, hoisting her up, but it was too late.
Everyone in the restaurant was looking at us with expressions of astonishment.
Elisha’s words couldn’t be heard because of her Silence spell, but neither could theirs.
Glances of disdain were now directed at Elisha, who had acted as if she were daring me to do it.
Meanwhile, Carla was nose-deep in a dish that was once part of the Academy’s paid menu.
Elisha quickly shook her head, her face pale.
“No, no! It’s a misunderstanding! I never ordered such a thing!”
But her words wouldn’t reach them due to the Silence spell.
To them, it would just seem like Elisha was suddenly losing her temper.
Elisha, who had become trash in a matter of seconds, was now in my arms.
And Carla, who was watching her, gave a small laugh.
“Hehe.”
Did she plan this…?
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