Chapter 24: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (2)
Chapter 24: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (2)
Elisha had pressured me to torment Carla, but… I had no reason to comply.
It wasn't because I relied on the Academy’s rules, or because I believed in my own strength—which would grow significantly before the world faced its destruction in five years.
It was simply because Elisha would bring about her own ruin.
You might wonder what I mean by that, but it’s the truth.
Just as Carla’s Lindelheit family fell under suspicion of being cultists, Elisha’s Sylvan Magic Tower would eventually be branded an enemy of the continent for conducting forbidden research and be destroyed.
For the record, the Sylvan Magic Tower wasn't framed.
The Tower Lord and the high-ranking mages actually were conducting forbidden research, and the fallout eventually leaked outside the tower, leading to their discovery and subsequent subjugation.
If there was any silver lining, it was that unlike cultist charges, guilt by association didn't apply to forbidden research.
Thanks to that, Elisha, who was at the Academy at the time, was cleared of all charges after a rigorous investigation.
However, her backing and everything she owned had already been turned to ash.
In the end, Elisha found herself in a situation where she couldn't even afford her next meal, let alone her tuition.
Helping Elisha in that state was the recruitment route for her in H&A.
It didn't require long-term affinity building or the completion of special achievements.
You could recruit her early on just by buying her a few meals and giving her some encouragement—and her stats were excellent to boot.
She was truly the perfect companion for a newbie!
…However, by now, you’re probably curious.
Just what kind of forbidden magic did the Sylvan Magic Tower practice? What kind of act could cause an entire Magic Tower to be wiped off the map?
Since it was a major event in the game, the answer was easy to find. Surprisingly, the taboo the Sylvan Magic Tower broke was…
Spirit summoning.
“It’s ironic, really. Every single mage in the Sylvan Magic Tower is an elf.”
“Pardon? That’s true. That’s why you must be careful, Master. Elves have a strong sense of camaraderie. If Lady Glenziel asks for help, they won't refuse her—even if it means harming a complete stranger.”
Carla looked at me with a serious, worried face in response to my unconscious mumbling.
Finding her concern endearing, I gently stroked her platinum-blonde hair. Her stiff expression immediately softened.
“Hehe…”
I smirked at Carla, who was beaming with relief, and asked a question.
“Carla.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think about spirit summoning?”
Carla, who had been looking as happy as a rabbit with a carrot just a moment ago, suddenly turned dead serious, as if that carrot had been snatched away.
“It is an absolutely unforgivable taboo.”
Indeed.
That was the general perception of spirit summoning in this world.
“M-Master, surely you haven't become interested in spirits, have you? You mustn't! Absolutely not! I couldn't go on living if you disappeared!”
“Calm down. It’s nothing like that. I was just curious. Besides, look at my ears. Why would I dabble in spirit arts when I have perfectly good magic?”
“Whew… That’s a relief. I’ll teach you everything I know about magic—arcana and all—so please, don't even look at such dangerous things, Master.”
Carla let out a sigh of relief only after I showed her my rounded ears.
The reason she was so easily convinced was simple.
Unless you had elven blood, using magic or Aura was far more efficient than using spirits.
While anyone with a bit of magical aptitude could summon a spirit, communing with one and making it follow your will was an entirely different matter.
In practice, spirit arts were considered the exclusive domain of elves.
…Right. Spirit arts used to be a mainstream skill, so much so that this knowledge was common.
Until three hundred years ago.
The War of the Gods.
The long, desperate struggle between the Good Gods and the Evil Gods that forms the foundation of the H&A world.
However, the Evil Gods didn't exist on the Eurelia continent from the beginning.
Some mad Archmage had been researching other dimensions and accidentally summoned an alien god. Those beings settled in this world and came to be known as Evil Gods.
Once it was revealed that the war, which had brought the world to the brink of destruction, was triggered by beings from the ‘outside,’ all forms of summoning were designated as taboo.
Spirit summoning was no exception.
The spirit realm is another world, after all. Who’s to say it wouldn't unintentionally bring about a disaster like the Evil Gods?
When spirit summoning was banned, all existing spirit mages either terminated their contracts or were killed for refusing to do so.
Since then, elves had devoted themselves solely to archery and magic, and the Sylvan Magic Tower was one of the towers born from that shift.
Though they were destined to go down in flames for being unable to overcome their elven instincts and summoning spirits anyway.
Regardless, in a world that recoils at the mere mention of spirits, what would happen if it were revealed that I came from Earth?
It would be an immediate death sentence.
Even if I claimed I came to kill all the Evil Gods and prevent the world’s end, nothing would change.
They would try to hang me simply for the fact that I came from the outside.
…Perhaps even Carla would.
Feeling a bit bitter, I playfully pinched Carla’s nose.
“Pwaah!”
Carla made a strange sound and blinked her eyes repeatedly in confusion.
Well… it’s understandable to be bewildered when you worry for your master only to get your nose pinched in return.
But I had no intention of telling her why. This was a fact that only I should know, even after I eventually reached the ending of this world.
When I didn't say anything, did she conclude I had pinched her for no reason?
A hint of grievance and sorrow filled Carla’s ruby eyes. But what could she do? Such was the life of a slave.
…Still, I felt a bit bad for only teasing her, so I decided to give her another ‘carrot.’
“Carla.”
“Yeth?”
I pointed ahead as Carla pouted, her voice sounding nasal from the pinch.
“It’s almost my turn. Shall we go get something delicious after the exam?”
“…Pardon?”
Carla let go of her nose, her eyes widening.
“You know. You taught me magic on the way here, and even though it got messy because of the guard’s questioning, you helped me make a great core. I promised to buy you something tasty.”
“…….”
“You know the area around the Academy better than I do, right? So, start thinking about what you want to eat and where. Don't worry about the price.”
Carla stared at me blankly for a moment before breaking into a wide grin and clinging to me.
“Master!”
As if that wasn't enough, she even started rubbing her face against the crook of my neck.
“Master! Master! Master!”
Her voice was overflowing with affection.
Elisha’s visit had already drawn a lot of eyes to us, and her clinging only intensified the attention.
Most of them would fail the entrance exam anyway, so I didn't really care.
“Master, you’re such a shy person!”
“Me?”
What was she talking about now?
“It’s true! You could have just said not to worry about Lady Glenziel and that you weren't going to punish me, but instead, you’re giving me a reward in such a roundabout way!”
“……?”
I didn't mean it like that at all.
Just what kind of person was I in Carla’s head?
“Hehe… My merciful Master. You have no idea how lucky I feel that you are my master.”
Carla giggled as if she were the happiest person in the world.
Watching her, my mischievous streak flared up again, and I slowly pushed her away.
I looked down at Carla, who was gazing up at me with sparkling eyes, and let my lips curl into a smirk.
“That’s not it.”
“…Eh?”
“A reward is a reward, and a punishment is a punishment. Brace yourself for tonight.”
“……!”
Carla’s pupils shook violently, as if an earthquake were happening inside them.
She looked like she’d been betrayed by the person she trusted most. I was about to chuckle and tell her it was a joke, but then—
“Next applicant! Yandel, please come up to the testing grounds!”
“Ah, yes!”
It was my turn, so I had to focus on the exam first.
*
I headed toward the testing grounds with Carla, who for some reason looked as devastated as if she’d lost her country.
A proctor holding a stack of papers was scribbling something down, perhaps having been waiting for me.
“The exam takes place up there, so attendants must wait here… Miss Carla?”
“Ah… Professor Makin… It’s been a long time….”
“How is Miss Carla back at the Academy…? More importantly, why do your eyes look so… Ah, I see how it is.”
The middle-aged woman nodded as she looked back and forth between the slave imprint on Carla’s neck and me.
I never imagined the professor acting as a proctor would be an old acquaintance of Carla’s.
“Carla? You know her?”
“Yes, Master. When I was a student at the Academy, she was a professor in the Enchantment Department, which I took as a minor.”
“Aha.”
No wonder.
Judging by the atmosphere, they weren't just passing acquaintances; they seemed to have a fairly deep connection.
So, she was a former teacher.
By the way, I’d never heard the name Makin before.
Unless she was an unnamed extra, it was strange that there was a named professor I didn't know.
Ah, was it that?
If she had died or been seriously injured and retired during the tutorial—specifically, the ‘Confused Unity’ attack on the testing grounds that was supposed to happen—it would make sense why I didn't know her.
As I nodded, thinking this was much more likely than me simply forgetting a professor, an awkward silence still hung between Carla and Makin.
“…….”
“…….”
Makin stared at Carla with a complex expression for a long time.
Carla kept her head bowed low, as if she had done something wrong.
…I didn't like this.
Even though I told her not to care about other people’s reactions, she was still acting like this.
In Elisha’s case, the other party had picked the fight, so it couldn't be helped, but that wasn't the case here.
So, I gave Carla’s butt a light swat.
Spank!
“Hyak!”
“Don't just stand there dazed. They said I have to go to the testing grounds alone, so sit over there, Carla.”
“Ah, y-yes! Understood, Master.”
“And don't follow any strangers even if they say they’ll buy you something delicious.”
“I only eat food that you permit, Master. My body and soul both belong to you.”
“What if someone says they’re my friend and tells you to follow them because I’m looking for you?”
“Master, you don't have any friends. Since that would clearly be a lie, I will wait for you right here as ordered.”
“Good. Well said.”
“Hehe…”
When I tickled her chin as a sign of praise, Carla beamed brightly, her previous gloom vanishing instantly.
Ever since she said she wanted to get on my good side, her flattery had really improved.
Only after confirming that Carla had returned to her usual self and sat down on a nearby chair did I turn my head.
“Professor? Do I just go up there?”
When I pointed to the small stage-like area in front of us, Makin nodded.
Then, with a gaze that suggested she was looking at unredeemable trash, she explained the exam process.
“…Correct. The exam will begin as soon as you step up. You are to defeat as many monster illusions as possible. We judge an applicant’s talent from various angles, so it is fine even if you cannot defeat them. Of course, bonus points are awarded if you do.”
Her tone seemed to place a strange emphasis on the word ‘trash.’
How harsh. I’m actually a pretty good master.
Well, I suppose it was a misunderstanding easy to make given the scene just now.
Since I couldn't exactly give her a long-winded explanation, I just shrugged and stepped onto the testing grounds.
The opponent wasn't a real monster, but this was my first combat experience since learning magic.
It might be the tutorial, but this was officially the start of the H&A story.
Because of that damn unskippable intro, I’d played through this tutorial countless times… Surely I wouldn't fail on the first try?
“Let’s do this.”
The higher the class I was assigned to, the better.