Chapter 94: Misunderstanding (2)
Even if there existed a mindset that anything was good as long as it could deal with the cultists.
The reason Elisha could take a week off with such an absurd excuse was clearly due to Iona’s favor.
And one must properly repay a favor.
Rather than postponing it until tomorrow, I decided to report to her before going to the dormitory, even if I was a bit tired.
That’s why I arrived at Iona’s laboratory.
“Did you come? You came sooner than I thought!”
Iona, lounging around in pajamas, warmly welcomed me.
And she was inside a large coffin.
“…You look very comfortable.”
“Are you concerned? Huh? Are you bothered by this professor’s defenseless appearance?”
“Defenseless? Where exactly?”
Even though she wore baggy clothes that more than concealed her vampiric, explosive figure…
She seemed cute overall.
Probably trying to disperse the effects of her inherent charm as much as possible.
“But isn’t this a laboratory? Do you live here?”
“No way, no way. I have a house, so I live there. I was just here today because of a special item that came in. Yes, yes.”
Iona laughed cheerfully and nodded to herself.
A special item?
It was then that I took a closer look at the coffin Iona was in.
It wasn’t an ordinary coffin, with various wires connected in all directions.
Given the faint magical light, it seemed like she was conducting an experiment with that coffin.
Maybe she was wearing those pajamas out of necessity?
…But it could also just be because they were comfortable.
Considering her unusual behavior, I couldn’t help but think that might be the case.
While I pondered,
“Yap!”
Iona lifted her upper body without using her hands and looked at Elisha, who was stiff behind me, and chuckled.
“Did you really buy Elisha? Wasn’t she very expensive?”
“Manageable amount.”
I shrugged nonchalantly, and Iona clapped her hands with joy.
“That’s good! That’s good! But Elisha?”
“Yes, yes?”
Elisha, upon meeting Iona not as a student but as a slave, seemed awkward, shrinking at the sight of her marked neck.
But Iona continued as usual, seemingly unconcerned about Elisha’s reaction.
“Unlike Carla, you still have a lot to learn at this Academy, right? I don’t know about other professors, but I don’t mind, so feel free to come to me anytime if you have questions!”
“Professor…!”
Elisha’s eyes sparkled slightly, evidently touched.
After our brief chat, and when it was time to part, she even gave me a summary of the week’s lessons.
Incredible.
Even with Carla and Elisha, I braced myself for the challenge of catching up after a week’s gap.
“Preparing all this…”
“Hehe. Who else but me, right? Then, Yandel knows what he has to do, right?”
“Of course. I’ll continue to destroy cultists wherever I find them!”
“Good, good! That’s exactly it! I’m a professor ready to favor my students!”
Iona giggled, her laugh revealing her willingness to provide convenience as long as I kept achieving.
Hmm, a true professor indeed.
After exchanging such dubious smiles, we parted ways.
Now, truly heading to the dormitory to rest…
“Huh…!”
I unexpectedly ran into a female student I had never seen before.
Holding a sandwich, she seemed to have stepped out for a snack after school.
She froze, her gaze shifting between Carla, Elisha, and me. I waited, thinking she might say something, but then…
Thud.
She dropped her barely touched sandwich and scurried away.
What was that about?
The next morning.
After a good night’s sleep, I prepared for class, feeling refreshed for the first time in a while.
Elisha was a bit flustered, but we still managed to leave the dormitory without being late.
Buzzing whispers filled the air.
“Do you see? The rumor that Miss Elisha returned to the Academy must be true.”
“Ah, Miss Elisha? She’s just a slave now.”
“But still… isn’t there some curse on the top position in the Magic Department? How could two already…”
Students buzzed, all eyes on us.
This feeling of being the center of attention… it had been a while.
I had expected it, but the reaction was more intense than I had thought.
It seemed the rumor had spread quickly, probably through the female student I briefly encountered yesterday.
“Elisha, it seems you’re the center of attention.”
“Please… please keep it down, Yandel! I know.”
Elisha’s face turned bright red, wearing a servant’s dress instead of the usual uniform, with the clear Slave Mark on her neck.
After all, Elisha had always been admired by those around her.
It must have been a bit overwhelming to receive such stares for the first time.
But hadn’t she already braced herself for this?
Soon, Elisha’s posture began to change.
She straightened her bent back and walked beside me with dignity, her head held high.
In an instant, her innate nobility shone through, unable to be concealed by the servant’s dress and Slave Mark.
Even as a slave, she seemed to declare with her entire being that she was still Elisha Sylvan Glenchiel.
As a result, the surrounding murmurs began to die down, and everyone just stared at Elisha in silence.
Carla also occasionally revealed an inborn dignity that couldn’t be hidden.
Watching her, a question crossed my mind, so I whispered to Carla.
“Carla, Carla.”
“Yes, Master. What can your Carla do for you?”
“Come to think of it, you’re more accustomed to that sort of bearing, aren’t you?”
“Um… I suppose so? I’ve lived my whole life as a noble.”
Of course, most of that had been erased through slave training. But still…
“I won’t scold you for holding your head high, so feel free to act comfortably.”
“Hehe… Thank you for your consideration, Master. But I’m not uncomfortable with my current state anymore. Besides…”
“Besides?”
Carla, tilting her head at my curious look, playfully raised the corners of her mouth.
“The way I was before overlaps with Elisha, right? I want to be an irreplaceable slave for you, Master.”
“……”
So mischievous.
I suppressed the urge to pat and stroke Carla all over when Elisha’s incredulous voice reached us.
“Carla, do you really have no shame?”
“After doing much more with Master, shame now would be… uh-uh!”
“Why bring that up here?! Be quiet!”
Elisha hurriedly covered Carla’s mouth, her earlier poise and composure long gone.
Perhaps they were closer than expected.
As we approached the Class A classroom, the surrounding stares grew more indifferent.
I hadn’t intended it, but it was fortunate.
A moment of relief washed over me internally.
Was it just human nature to always create something interesting?
The attention that was on Elisha now started shifting towards me.
“Who is that guy? Wasn’t he a commoner?”
“Fool! That’s Yandel! The first-year who defeated Edmerek!”
“Ah, right? But still, regardless of his abilities, he’s a commoner. How did he afford an elf? They’re expensive.”
“…This is a secret, but my uncle went to the Gef auction house and heard this…”
Eventually, stories heard from relatives who visited the auction house began to circulate.
Sweeping the auction house. Buying a set of elf slaves. 100,000 gold in cash transactions, and so on.
Was it more interesting than Elisha’s unexpectedly ordinary appearance?
The crowd, which had quieted down, was ablaze again with stories about me.
“I’ve always wondered why the Academy students love rumors so much?”
“There’s not much else to enjoy. Excluding weekends, everyone lives in the dormitories, right? Naturally, they focus on rumors within the Academy.”
“Sigh…”
That did make sense.
“Come to think of it, Elisha, you must have been like this too.”
“Oh? Do you finally understand what bad things I’ve endured for you? It’s led to me becoming a slave.”
“I bought you to take responsibility, right? Anyway, do you have any advice for handling this situation?”
I never thought I’d be the subject of rumors, although I knew Elisha might be.
I was willing to bear a worsening reputation if necessary, but this situation was different.
“Hmm… In such cases, it’s best to overpower them with skill.”
“Elisha’s right. Think about it, Master; you haven’t attended class since the dungeon practice, right?”
“In other words, people have heard of your achievements, but unless they’re Class A students who fought alongside you, they don’t really know your actual abilities.”
“If you look, those gossiping over there are all unfamiliar faces, aren’t they? And if you listen closely, their stories are just based on simple curiosity.”
“If you show them how great a magician you are and how high you can rise, everyone will naturally quiet down.”
“It was the same when Elisha was in her prime, right? People gossiped behind her back, but nobody dared say anything openly.”
“Of course, if anyone openly insults you, don’t tolerate it. That’s a matter of honor.”
Carla and Elisha took turns in the conversation.
Both seemed experienced in such matters, with solutions readily flowing from them.
To summarize, since there appeared to be no immediate response, let it naturally die down.
But for those who crossed the line, confront them head-on.
That seemed to be the gist of it.
Just do your best in the present moment—a simple solution.
…And yet, I hadn’t anticipated this.
I didn’t predict how intense and widespread the rumors would become before they naturally died down.
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