Chapter 110: Fay's Conspiracy (Not in a lewd way) (2)
Chapter 110: Fay's Conspiracy (Not in a lewd way) (2)
Was it just good luck?
Ever since that duel, things have been going swimmingly.
The investigation revealed that Pelop had repeatedly targeted commoners or students from powerless families, just as he had with Fay.
The female student who had dragged Fay into the back alley turned out to be one of those victims.
As a result, Pelop was expelled immediately. Although the female student claimed she acted under duress, she was still an accomplice, so she received a suspension.
As for Frank... or rather, the cultist side of things, that went even better.
Not only did we root out all the cultists inside the Academy, but several outsiders even contacted me, asking me to verify suspicious individuals for them.
Of course, it wasn't for free; they offered all sorts of rewards.
For me, it’s easy work—just a few stabs and I'm done. A total win.
However, since I already have enough gold, I decided to take my compensation in items instead of cash.
Some places even sent elixirs, seemingly hoping to get on my good side.
It really goes to show that you have to prove your worth to get noticed.
Anyway, one day, while I was busy running around tying up loose ends, Fay suddenly sent me a letter.
"...Why bother?"
She could have just told me in person.
Puzzled, I read the contents... but instead of clearing things up, it only deepened the mystery.
She asked me to come to her workshop alone because she had something urgent to discuss.
"Is she short on funding, Carla? Magic equipment materials are expensive, after all."
"Master doesn't know anythiiing... that's why I like him..."
When I showed her the letter and asked, all I got in return was a benevolent look, as if she were looking at a slightly slow child.
How mean.
I never expected to get that kind of look from Carla, so I turned to Elisha with a sulky expression.
"Yandel, are you an idiot? A moron? Why would funding even come up right now?"
I heard something similar from Elisha.
At this point, I wondered if there really was something everyone knew except me. I stood there blinking blankly for a moment.
Carla chuckled and pressed the letter back into my hand.
"It's alright, Master. If our guess is right, it's just about that time. We'll be waiting in the dormitory, so please go see Miss Fay."
"No, seriously, what's going on?"
"It's a bit much for me to say it myself..."
"It's definitely nothing that will harm you, Yandel, so just hurry up and go."
Elisha nudged my back, urging me to leave.
I resisted her push and looked back and forth between the two of them.
"Ah, actually, we can't just send him like this, right, Elisha?"
"Hmm... it would be better if he looked a bit more presentable, wouldn't it? He looks too much like his usual self right now."
"Good. We still have time, so let's make this quick."
Ignoring my grumpy stare, the two of them chatted amongst themselves before sticking close to me and starting to fuss over my appearance.
Even though I wasn't particularly dirty, they cast Clean magic on me, straightened my clothes, and neatly fixed my messy hair.
They handled me with the care of someone wrapping a precious gift.
It felt a bit... something... considering the "content" was me, but Carla and Elisha didn't explain a thing until the very end.
Finally, after a light spritz of perfume, they practically kicked the now-dazzling me out of the dormitory without a shred of hesitation.
Honestly, it was a bit absurd, but...
"There must be a reason."
There was no way Carla and Elisha would do anything to harm me.
The Slave Imprint wouldn't allow it, and they weren't that kind of people anyway.
If it turned out to be nothing, I could just punish them tonight.
...Come to think of it, the "reward" and the "punishment" usually ended up being the same thing, but regardless, it would be a punishment.
I took one last look at the firmly closed dormitory door and headed toward Fay's workshop.
*
Fay's workshop was located in a secluded corner where not a soul could be seen.
Since she had succeeded in synthesizing equipment—even if it was of ordinary quality—she could have used that achievement to move to a better location.
Maybe she’d grown attached to the place. Or maybe she just felt more comfortable where there were no people.
She’d said she would keep using this workshop.
Of course, thanks to various renovations, it was now sparkling on the outside as well as the inside.
I lightly tapped the magical tool installed at the entrance.
It was a doorbell of sorts, but instead of ringing a bell when pressed, it transmitted the sound of knocking to the inside... a rather peculiar device to me.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Senior Fay? I'm here."
......
...
.
"???"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Senior Fay? I said I'm here. Are you there?"
I knocked again, but only silence returned.
What the? She calls me here and then doesn't answer?
Surely she didn't forget and go out.
Is she in the middle of an important experiment, or maybe in the bathroom?
Just as I was about to pull a chair out of my inventory to wait, a voice came through the magical tool.
—Haa... hu... Junior? You're here?
It was Fay's voice, sounding delayed.
Judging by her heavy breathing, it felt like she had come running in a hurry.
I knew something was up.
"Yes. I'm here, so please open the door."
—Right now... mmm. I'll open it now.
Click.
I opened the unlocked gate and stepped inside.
Although the whole place had been remodeled, the structure remained the same—a long, narrow passage that was unavoidable.
Nowadays, most alchemists synthesize according to set recipes, but apparently, it wasn't always like that.
In the past, they had to create new items that could be used in the specific environment of a dungeon.
Because of that, accidents were constant in alchemists' workshops... the most fatal being the leakage of toxic substances.
To minimize such damage, structural regulations were placed on alchemists' workshops.
Those regulations have vanished now thanks to the development of magic and materials, but traces remained in old workshop buildings like this one.
This long, narrow passage I was walking through was a prime example.
It was designed with a slight slope to prevent gas from leaking out in an emergency.
Most gases are heavier than air and tend to settle at the bottom, and this design exploited that property.
Well, with someone of Fay's skill, there was no need to worry.
Surely a future Great Alchemist wouldn't make such a rookie mistake as letting vaporized gas linger because she got distracted while making a potion? Especially when there are air circulation magical tools.
I chuckled to myself and opened the workshop door at the end of the passage. And then...
"...Huh?"
A pink mist came billowing out.
Wait. Seriously?
Startled, I reflexively raised my sleeve to cover my nose and mouth.
Come to think of it, Fay's condition over the magical tool had been strangely off.
I thought it was just because she was a gloomy person, but maybe I shouldn't have brushed it off.
I rushed into the workshop.
The interior was pitch black, as if the lights hadn't been turned on. The only light sources were the glows emitted by some of the operating equipment.
Still, I could manage to make out objects.
The problem was the mist, which grew thicker the deeper I went.
A sweet scent pierced through my sleeve, making my head spin for a moment.
Even my lower half began to twitch, independent of my will.
It wasn't exactly a part of me that always followed orders, but right now, it was reacting for no apparent reason.
With a sinking feeling, I reached the center of the workshop.
Fay was there.
"Hehe... it's Junior."
Needless to say, she was not in a normal state.
Her eyes were unfocused and rolling, her body trembled intermittently, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and perhaps because of the heat, several buttons on her chest were undone.
To anyone's eyes, she looked like someone high on drugs.
"Senior Fay, are you crazy?!"
"Crazy? No... haa... my legs just... don't have much strength..."
Fay giggled to herself as if something was hilarious. Even in this situation, my eyes kept drifting to her breasts, which bounced every time she laughed.
"Junior, you really do love my chest."
"...Hey! Now is not the time for that! How do we fix this?!"
I snapped at Fay, whose focus was clearly wavering.
She couldn't have called me here just to have a drug-fueled orgy, so this had to be some kind of accident.
Fay tilted her head, her face flushed deep red.
"First, that cauldron..."
Following Fay's instructions, I turned off the fire under the bubbling cauldron and covered the suspicious pink contents with a lid.
Finally, I restarted the air circulation magical tool, which had shut down due to an overload, and the mist inside began to dissipate rapidly.
I thought I could finally catch my breath, but then...
Grab.
"Senior Fay?"
"Ju... Junior..."
Before I knew it, Fay had crawled over and grabbed my leg.
The floor was wet in a straight line, marking her trail.
Just as I gulped, deducing the identity of that liquid...
Fay, who had been restless for a while, spoke up cautiously.
"...Are you mad?"
"A little. You know that was pretty dangerous, right?"
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean for it to turn out like this... hngh!"
Was it because she had been exposed to the mist much longer than I had? Fay trembled all over even though I hadn't done anything.
"It's my fault... so don't be too mad... okay? I won't do it again... please don't be disgusted by me..."
Seeing as her eyes still couldn't focus, she clearly wasn't in her right mind.
I sighed and gently pried off the overly clingy Fay.
"I'm not going to be disgusted by you over something like this. It was an accident."
"Right. An accident. Yes. It was an accident, Junior."
"...What's with that suspicious reaction? What were you originally trying to do, Senior? This is an aphrodisiac. What were you planning to do with something like this?"
"Ugh... that's..."
"Be honest. Otherwise, I think I really might get mad at you..."
"I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you, so just wait a second!"
After taking a deep breath, Fay hung her head low as if she had resigned herself to everything.
"I... I was going to give it to you, Junior..."
"...An aphrodisiac?"
"Yes."
"......"
As the truth came out, a sense of betrayal welled up from deep within my chest.
This time, it was my turn to tremble.
"I trusted you! I trusted you, Senior Fay!"
"Hieee! I'm sorry, Junior! I'm so sorry!"
"After everything I've done for you! How could you do this to me! How!"
"I'll do anything...! I'll do anything until you feel better! So please, just stop being mad...!"
"......"
Was it because of Fay's clearly visible cleavage? Or was it because of the aphrodisiac I had inhaled earlier?
For a moment, I was tempted and reflexively asked back.
"Will you really do anything?"
"Yes, yes! I mean it! If it's for you, Junior, it's okay!"
"Then prove it."
"Prove it?"
After a moment of thought, Fay looked up at me and slowly opened her mouth.
However, it wasn't to say the next words. It was literally to open her mouth.
"Would... my mouth be enough proof?"
I stared at Fay's crimson tongue and nodded blankly.
"...That's plenty."
I could forgive her for this much.