Chapter 79: Suspiciously Wealthy (5)
“Yandel, how could you… How could you do this to me? You, of all people… you shouldn’t have done this!”
Ah, I made Elisha cry.
As soon as she entered the carriage, tears as big as droplets fell from her eyes, betraying clear anger.
Even the other elves, who had shown disdain since the talk of the elf farm, were momentarily shocked, staring at Elisha blankly.
The former tower master, Iris, rushed to Elisha’s side to comfort her, gently rubbing her back.
“My student, why are you like this? Who on earth made you cry so much? …Wait, if it’s Yandel, could it be…?”
Only then, as if she had realized my identity, did Iris look back and forth between me and Elisha with a devastated expression.
But Elisha, instead of confirming her teacher’s suspicions, continued to pour out words of resentment with eyes full of betrayal.
“How much have I done for you all this time? In the dungeon, I even risked my life, believing only in your words!”
“Um… Elisha? Calm down for a moment…”
“Don’t call me by my first name, as if we’re close!”
“Look, technically, I’m now the master, and you’re the servant, right? Regardless, isn’t it a bit off for me to call you Lady Glenchiel as before?”
“…All of this happened because of you! To defend you… I endured bad rumors, and now look what’s happened!”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I!”
She cried out for a moment, but then her eyes met mine. Emotions of injustice, sadness, and emptiness flashed across her face one after another.
And just like that, as if all the anger were a fa?ade, Elisha collapsed, utterly drained.
“I… I thought you came to rescue me.”
“……”
“I did something for you… So, I thought when I was in trouble, you’d help me too… Hic. I thought so… but an elf farm? Why… why ever… Sob.”
Elisha cried like a child.
Her beautiful face was contorted, and her makeup was smudged by tears.
Amidst all this, her sparkling jewelry and seethrough dress, which left little to the imagination, exuded a strange decadence.
They really dressed her well, just like they did with Carla at the auction.
Suddenly, Elisha began to sob uncontrollably.
I wanted to tell her right away that everything I had said in front of the manager was just for show, but…
For now, this carriage might have been one borrowed from the auction house.
It wouldn’t be surprising if there were surveillance devices installed inside.
Considering that the Boiling Silence Cult might be watching, I couldn’t let a moment of weakness ruin everything.
I grabbed Elisha’s cheeks with my fingers and forced her to look at me.
With a tone of satisfaction, I said,
“Good. I wanted to see this face of yours.”
“…What?”
“I never liked how you always acted superior, bossing everyone around.”
“……”
“You look much better now.”
Upon hearing this, something seemed to break inside Elisha.
Though her eyes were open, her vacant gaze, which illuminated nothing, pierced my conscience.
I was really so damn sorry!!!
But outwardly, I maintained a sarcastic expression.
“However, your crying is a bit annoying. [Stay quiet until we reach our destination.]”
Upon hearing this, Elisha closed her mouth tightly and lowered her head.
…As soon as we reach the next town, I have to return the carriage and tell her everything was a lie.
I had a plan.
I couldn’t bring outsiders to my home, and I’d already achieved my goal of avoiding attention. If I just told her to leave, wouldn’t that be okay?
If the coachman was just a simple worker, he’d happily leave when the job was done. Even if he was someone spying on me, he’d have no choice but to leave without any justification.
In her heart, she cried out for just one more day as she silently apologized to Elisha.
Iris, who had supported Elisha with her short arms for a while, finally spoke.
“You– No, Master.”
“What is it?”
“I have a request.”
Iris sighed and then knelt on the carriage floor.
But she didn’t stop at kneeling.
She slowly bowed her head and placed her forehead on the ground, her hands clasped together in a gesture of politeness.
She made a deep bow inside a moving carriage.
Thanks to spatial distortion magic and balance maintenance magic, the luxurious carriage was both spacious and steady, which made this possible.
Looking down at Iris’s slender back as she prostrated herself before me, the other elves mimicked her action, lying down in the same manner.
Only Elisha, still in shock, looked around in surprise.
“……!”
Elisha tried to speak, but the earlier command had restricted her to making only muffled noises.
However, I had a rough idea of what she wanted to say since I felt the same way.
“What does this mean?”
“As I mentioned before, I adopted this posture to make a fitting request.”
Iris replied calmly, her head bowed even deeper.
“While the others and I might have tried to summon spirits and deserve this treatment, Elisha is different.”
“Go on.”
“As you may have noticed, Elisha was not meant to be a slave originally.”
“What does that have to do with anything? She’s my slave now, anyway.”
“You’re correct. Hence, this humble slave begs you earnestly.”
Approaching on her knees, Iris gently kissed the top of my foot.
“I’ll do whatever you ask—not just me, but all of us. If you ask us to spread our legs, we will; if you request a vision, we will provide it; if you wish for us to bear a child, we will… So please, could you exclude Elisha from your plans?”
“Hmm.”
So that was why she had wanted me to buy both her and Elisha.
She truly cared about Elisha. That was unexpected.
As I switched my gaze between Iris and Elisha, finding the whole situation somewhat fascinating, Iris hurriedly added,
“But… but if you exclude Elisha, the gender ratio will be perfect! Moreover, we two are a married couple! The remaining one is our son!”
“Huh? So, your entire family will become slaves?”
“Yes. So, wouldn’t they adjust better to the farm you’re creating?”
“And what about you?”
“I am a High Elf with an unusually strong vitality. I’m quite sturdy… Even if you’re a bit rough with me, I won’t easily break, so don’t worry.”
Iris said this with a calm face.
Elisha, taken aback, tried to lift her mentor by the shoulder, but Iris gently kissed the top of my foot again.
Then Elisha clung to my other leg.
“……!!”
She cast aside her previous desolation, tears shimmering in her eyes as she shook her head frantically.
It was good that she was regaining her energy… I guess?
I nodded, shrugging my shoulders.
“It’s a bit presumptuous for a slave to ask something of their master… Well, alright. I’ll think about it. Either way, you’ll be punished for today’s incident.”
“That’s enough for me, Master.”
“Alright then. I’ll rest now, so keep it down. [And don’t cause any trouble; just sit and rest.]”
“I will obey your orders.”
Only after issuing the command through the slave mark did I tap Carla’s thigh; she had been watching with great interest.
“Pillow.”
“Ah, yes!”
Carla quickly shifted, making room, and then laughed, playfully patting her soft thighs.
“Over here!”
“Well done. Wake me up when we arrive.”
“Yes!”
She wanted to continue the conversation but decided against it, as it would likely lead to teasing Elisha.
The next evening, around the time they stopped in a moderately quiet and decent-sized village, she told the coachman to go on his way.
Fortunately, he seemed like just a regular worker. After receiving a generous tip, he happily departed.
First, she found the best inn nearby and rented two rooms. Then she summoned everyone to the room she intended to use.
“Carla.”
“Yes, Master.”
At the mere mention of her name, Carla, as though she had been anticipating the call, began using her detection magic.
Everyone except Elisha was stunned by the sight of Carla’s magic scanning the reasonably spacious room.
After all, they probably expected me to command the destruction of her mana core in a certain order, but the fact that the slave accompanying me could use magic quite well was surprising.
“I checked the next room as well, Master. It seems alright. I don’t think anyone has set up any magical devices to monitor this side.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief. Just to be safe, let’s use a silence spell to ensure our conversation isn’t overheard.”
“Hehe. I’ve already taken care of that. You can speak freely now, Master.”
Reassured by Carla’s confirmation, she cleared her throat and addressed the bewildered elves.
“Ahem. Let me start with the most important thing. Most of what you’ve heard from me up to this point has been a lie.”
“……! …!!”
“[It’s okay to speak now, Elisha.]”
“What, what is this? What do you mean all of a sudden? It sounds like you were deliberately being deceitful for fear of someone discovering something!”
In just one day, it seemed like all her trust in me had shattered. Her voice was filled with anxiety and distrust.
This was too much.
After pondering how to convey the situation to Elisha, she opened her mouth.
“Ta-da! Surprise!”
“……”
Ah, why? Don’t look at me like that.
I just couldn’t think of anything better to say.
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