Chapter 189: The Exam
Chapter 189: The Exam
In the softened atmosphere, Iona spoke up.
“Well, then. I should probably get going soon… but before I do, can we talk for a moment?”
“That’s fine, but… is something else going on?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s good news.”
Iona giggled, forming a circle with her thumb and middle finger.
“You’ve got a nice sum coming your way.”
“Ah, I heard about that from Carla. I’m planning to take it in goods rather than cash if possible.”
“Aww… you heard already? Anyway, goods? Like elixirs?”
“Elixirs would be good. Equipment, too. Even rare materials are fine.”
“Mm-hmm. Since Student Yandel doesn’t seem to be hurting for money, that’s probably better. Well… even if you do run out of gold, I’ve saved up quite a bit over the years, so don’t you worry!”
“Ahaha… that’s reassuring.”
Well, it would be a long time before the gold in my inventory ran out… but I appreciated Iona’s willingness to share her wallet.
As my lips curled into a slight smile, Iona, perched on the edge of the bed, swung her legs back and forth as she continued.
“Anyway, if you’ve heard about the rewards, you must know you’ll be receiving Points as well. What do you want to do? Do you want to request a special privilege again? Or just take the Points?”
“Wait…?”
I had only been thinking about the bounties and merit points I’d receive from the outside; I’d completely forgotten about the Academy Points.
“H-hold on a second, Professor. How many Points am I getting this time?”
“Oh? Oh ho? I guess you haven’t heard about this yet!”
Taking first place in a single subject nets you 10 Points. Taking first place in every subject grants an additional 100 Points.
Usually, Points are earned in tens… or hundreds. Because of this, it’s common for even honor students to fail to accumulate even 2,000 Points by graduation.
Yes. Usually.
But the Academy grants a staggering 1,000 Points just for taking down a single Archbishop of a cult.
Well… it’s rare for anyone to claim the full amount.
An Archbishop is, at the very least, equivalent to an average Intermediate Magician. If they belong to a combat-oriented sect, their fighting power is even higher.
Naturally, a student shouldn't be able to catch one, and even if they did, it would likely require cooperation.
Therefore, the Academy calculates the contribution percentage and deducts from the 1,000 Points accordingly. If you contributed 10%, you get 100 Points.
However, I had defeated Melonia alone, and before that, I had taken down Sophia alongside Carla and Elisha.
Since slaves are treated as my property, I had essentially defeated two Archbishops single-handedly.
On top of that, I had slaughtered a massive number of monsters and assisted Iona in taking down the remaining five Archbishops and the Cardinal, Ayla.
I didn't know what percentage of contribution would be recognized, but it had to be at least several thousand. If I added that to my existing Points and the 2,000 I was already aiming for….
Wait, if things go well, couldn't I buy a Dragon Heart Fragment before my first year is even over? That costs 10,000 Points.
It was too small to be used as a crafting material, so I’d have to consume it like an elixir… but even so, a Dragon Heart was a Dragon Heart. Its effects would be more than enough.
As I looked at her with a pounding heart, Iona flashed a double peace sign and smirked.
“Drumroll, please. I finished talking with the Chairman, and we’ve decided to give you 8,000 Points!”
“8,000?!”
That meant they’d recognized more than half of the total contribution!
“Yep, yep! Raiding the cult branch with the information you brought, hitting the meeting place based on the intel found there, the massive number of monsters you killed, feeding me your blood when I was slowly dying to create a chance for a turnaround, and even breaking the combined attack of the other Archbishops. I appealed all of it to the Chairman, and that’s how it turned out!”
“Even so, 8,000 is… no, is it actually reasonable?”
Thinking about it carefully, this incident involved eliminating one Archbishop from each sect and even capturing a Cardinal.
Since the time wasn't right for the appointment of Apostles or the descent of Evil Gods, a Cardinal was essentially the maximum power level.
Considering that Archbishops are the main force shown to the outside world, this was a monumental achievement.
In the case of Narrow-minded Usurpation, which lost its undead storehouse and a Cardinal simultaneously, it was safe to say half of their strength had vanished.
In the first place, this incident was significant enough that I had obtained the Blessing of All Gods and the Adversary title—things usually acquired around the third year.
Similarly, considering one could usually only buy a Dragon Heart in their third year at the earliest, this could be considered a fair reward.
Since I had about 700 Points left, I only needed about 1,300 more to buy the Dragon Heart Fragment.
I really might be able to buy it before the first year ends.
While I was lost in a daze of happy calculations, Iona suddenly thrust her face right in front of mine.
She rested her chin on her palms—the classic "flower" pose—and beamed at me.
“Well? Well? There’s really no one like Professor Iona, right?”
“I… suppose so?”
Feeling pressured by her glittering crimson eyes, I leaned my head back, but Iona’s face followed me just as far.
I leaned. She approached. I leaned further. She approached further.
It was only when the back of my head hit the wall and Iona was practically hovering over me in a pouncing position that I let out a long sigh and asked.
“…You worked hard. Is there something you want?”
“Aww, come on. I didn't do it because I wanted something~ As your professor? As your elder? And now as your lover? I just wanted you to be treated fairly~”
Iona, who was clearly dragging out her words on purpose, finally took her hands off her chin and placed them on my chest.
“What I want isn't much. It’s just… since you and I are now in an inseparable relationship, I want to have some deeper conversations.”
“Deeper conversations?”
“Like your goals, Student Yandel. Or those robed reinforcements we saw at the end. Or your past, which doesn't show up even when the Academy investigates.”
“…That is certainly something we need to talk about at least once.”
When would be good? Next weekend… no, that’s the first day of vacation.
Unlike me, who could just leave as soon as the bell rang, Iona would have some work left as a professor.
Still, there was some time before the date I’d promised Helena, so maybe we could meet in between.
Just as I was organizing my thoughts to answer.
BAM!
“Ohohohoho! I heard you’ve regained consciousness, Yandel! I’ve personally prepared a lunchbox for breakfast, so let us eat together! Of course, the Academy food might be tastier, but you have no choice! Because I’ve already packed it…!”
For some reason, a very excited Elisha appeared, throwing the door open with vigor.
“Eh….”
Then, spotting the position Iona and I were in, her eyes turned into tiny dots as if she’d lost her mind.
“Huh? Wh-? The? Over there? Yandel? Professor Iona? You aren't even in battle right now? Why? Uh…?”
She sputtered like a broken machine, and the fan she never let leave her side slipped from her hand….
“Whoa! Force Grab!”
I caught it with telekinesis before it hit the floor. As a bonus, I lifted Elisha up and brought her over as well.
Thanks to Iona quickly reading the room and scurrying away, I sat Elisha down in the empty spot.
“…Hmph! I was so startled that I made a mistake.”
Regaining her composure, Elisha straightened her posture and continued in an elegant tone.
“You’ve come to visit him first, Professor. On behalf of Yandel’s slaves, I thank you.”
“Right, right. Come to think of it, I haven't had a proper conversation with you since you became a slave, Elisha! I’m glad to see you’re doing well!”
“Oh my? Do I look that way? Goodness, I wasn't trying to make it obvious since it’s something for later.”
Despite her words, the twitching of her lips suggested she was quite pleased.
Whatever that "later" was, she was definitely making a subtle point that her relationship with me wasn't just a normal master-servant one.
Iona’s eyes sparkled like a cat that had spotted a rolling ball. It seemed her interest was piqued.
Elisha, seemingly unaware of Iona’s gaze, continued cautiously.
“Anyway, what happened just now must have been due to some circumstance, right? Surely there isn't a professor who would pounce on a student inside the Academy. It’s not like there’s an emergency like last time….”
“Aha? Aha? You’re exactly right. There’s a circumstance! …Yes. A very hot and deep circumstance.”
Iona gave a faint smile and stroked her own lower abdomen.
At that sight, Elisha, who had only just rebooted, began to tremble violently as if she’d broken down again.
I gave the satisfyingly giggling Iona a glare and spoke to Elisha in a calm voice.
“Listen for a second, Elisha. The circumstances behind this are…”
“Circumstances… circumstances… circumstances….”
Even though I spoke to her, Elisha just muttered to herself. I’d accidentally made a poor choice of words.
I tried to quickly divert her attention elsewhere… but Elisha’s explosion was one step faster.
“…Ppyaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!”
What on earth was she thinking? Elisha let out a pitiful scream, sounding like a platypus that had been waddling on land only to be snatched up by an eagle.
“Ppyak! Ppi-ppyak! Ppyak…!”
I couldn't understand what she was saying, but the sheer sorrow was palpable.
I hurriedly pulled her into an embrace and patted her back, but Elisha’s panic didn't subside easily.
And as for Iona, the culprit behind this mess.
“Sorry! Sorry! Something urgent suddenly came up, so I’ll be going now! I’ll come back tonight with the necessary documents, so see you then!”
She waved her hand and made a break for it.
“Just you wait later, seriously…!”
“Ahahaha! Oh, right! Even though you couldn't take the exams because of your treatment, I’ve marked them as perfect scores because of what you showed us! Bye for real now!”
I let out a deep sigh as Iona vanished in the blink of an eye.
And Elisha wailed, thumping her forehead against my chest.
“Ppi-kyaaaaak!”
Sigh.
This is driving me crazy.
Later, only after I promised her that I wouldn't neglect her no matter how many women joined the group, was Elisha able to regain the power of human speech.