Chapter 26: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (4)
Chapter 26: This Entrance Exam is Safe! (4)
Unfortunately, my tutorial exploit was cut short at the 23rd round by the Iron Centipede.
The Iron Centipede is an armored centipede about the size of a large dog, characterized by its incredibly sturdy defense.
As is typical for wind-attribute magic, Wind Cutter is fast and stealthy, but its raw power is somewhat lacking. Since I couldn't completely slice through the Iron Centipede's armor even with a full charge, I was unable to overcome the frenzied beast and was marked as deceased. That was the end of the exam.
Oh, and there were no ambushes along the way.
Pietro’s death must have caused them to postpone or scrap the attack plan entirely.
“I should be able to get into Class A with this, right?”
“…O-Of course. Your score is similar to what mine was when I first enrolled. You’ll definitely be able to go wherever you want.”
I wasn't sure if she was unhappy with my exploit or if there was some other issue, but Professor Makin, the examiner, wore a very displeased expression…
Still, reaching the Iron Centipede must have been quite an achievement, as she handed me the Academy guidebook along with my passing documents right then and there.
For now, I tucked them into my inventory and headed toward the restaurant Carla liked, just as I had promised.
Everything was going exactly as planned.
However, I did have one complaint.
“So, Carla. Why were you avoiding my eyes earlier?”
“Uuu… well, you see…”
“Was my perfect strategy really that embarrassing?!”
When I suddenly barked the question, Carla flinched and shook her head vigorously.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! But I didn’t think it was embarrassing! There’s no such thing as being ‘cowardly’ against monsters! It’s just… I was a little scared that Master might actually be a twisted sadist who enjoys the pain of others…!”
“What? Why would I bother bullying a monster? Now, if it were you, that’d be a different story.”
“…Was bullying me a productive use of your time?”
“Yeah. It’s fun for me. More importantly, why would you even think that?”
“Well… you were smiling in front of that dying goblin, Master. And it was the same when you accidentally defeated the Bishop of Confused Unity a while back…”
“No, that was…”
I had thwarted a cultist plot before even entering the Academy, and I’d managed to skip a tutorial that was supposed to be unskippable.
On top of that, because I had been possessed three years before the original story began, I hadn't been able to use my game knowledge properly and had been struggling—this was my first time successfully taking a shortcut.
Above all, for someone who had lived in a world without magic, a magical battle was a more heart-pounding experience than I could have imagined.
Naturally, I was excited.
But I couldn't exactly explain the details of why I was so hyped. Perhaps that was why my words came out a bit strange.
“…The only good cultist is a dead cultist! Same goes for monsters!”
“Hieeeek! So you don’t feel joy from their suffering, but from the act of killing?! Please spare me! I’m not a cultist or a monster! I’m Master’s loyal pet slave! Woof woof!”
“…….”
At Carla’s outburst, I felt the gazes of people nearby flickering toward us.
At this point, I wondered if she wasn't just panicking out of fear, but was actually secretly messing with me.
I let out a deep sigh and gave Carla’s cheek a sharp tug.
“Huaaaagh!”
“Zip it. If you don’t stay quiet, we’re scrapping the restaurant and going straight back to the inn. Got it?”
“…Mmph!”
She immediately clamped her hands over her mouth and began peeking at me tentatively.
That worked.
“…….”
Ignoring Carla’s gaze, which seemed to ask how long she had to stay like that, we made our way to the restaurant.
*
“You can talk now.”
Carla, who had kept her mouth covered until we reached the restaurant, finally took her hands away.
“Phew…!”
Then, she spoke up with a bright smile.
“Master! Can I eat a lot?!”
“You can eat until your stomach is bulging like last time. …But if you get fat, I’m going to work you until it’s gone, so pace yourself.”
“It’s okay. People with a Mana Core or an Aura Core don’t get fat!”
“What? Really?”
“It’s true. The principle behind it is…”
According to Carla, mana and aura have a tendency to keep the body healthy, so if fat accumulates beyond a certain point, the body burns it off automatically.
“Of course, there are exceptions.”
“Yeah. I think I know where.”
So breasts are mommy milkers… no, mana tanks, is that it?
I continued to banter with Carla as the waiter led us to a secluded private room.
Apparently, this place was frequented by high-ranking individuals, so they had several rooms where one could dine without worrying about prying eyes.
After ordering a reasonable amount of food based on Carla’s recommendations, I pulled out the guidebook I had received earlier from my inventory.
At that, Carla, who had been humming to herself while waiting for the food, widened her ruby-colored eyes.
“Ah! Master, are you going to read that now?”
“Yeah. I’ll be attending the Academy soon, so I should look through it at least once.”
In fact, this guidebook was an item that existed in the game as well.
It was a document-type item that contained explanations of the Academy’s rules and the characteristics of each department.
I already had the contents memorized thanks to my Excellent Memory trait, but I needed to check if anything had changed.
As I flipped through the pages one by one, Carla spoke up in a cautious voice.
“Um… Master? Did you know? Before I became Master’s slave, I was in the highest grade at the Academy.”
“Huh?”
Wondering where this was coming from so suddenly, I looked up. Carla pointed to herself with her thumb, looking triumphant.
“If there’s anything you’re curious about or don’t know regarding the Academy, you can just ask me! I can even give you all the past exam papers! See? I’m much more useful than that book, right?”
“…….”
Is she seriously jealous of a book?
It was a bit absurd, but she wasn't wrong, so I tucked the guidebook back into my inventory for now.
I’d skimmed through it, and nothing seemed significantly different from my memory.
Taking this as a sign that I was about to ask her all sorts of things, Carla puffed out her chest and thumped it.
“Ask me anything, Master!”
She seemed to be trying to look reliable, but with her breasts bouncing like that, it was just erotic.
I admired Carla’s swaying chest for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Well, first, about the problem right in front of us.”
“Ah! Yes! Is it about choosing a major? Don’t worry about that. In the first year, there are only departments, not specific majors. You can take various classes and then choose the major that suits you best in the second year…”
“What should I do about Elisha Sylvan Glenziel’s order to torment you?”
“…….”
Carla, who had been rambling excitedly, clamped her mouth shut.
Then, trembling, she began to study my expression.
“I-I guess it has to be done, right? If you get on Elisha… I mean, Lady Glenziel’s bad side, things will be very hard for you, Master… Yes. It’s okay. If it’s for Master… but if possible, could you go a little easy on the painful parts…?”
As she spoke, Carla’s shoulders slumped, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She looked so pitiful, like a kitten that had not only been abandoned but was also soaked to the bone by the rain.
I watched her in silence for a moment.
“Hup.”
Flick!
“Hyak!”
I gave Carla a light flick on the tip of her nose.
Carla clutched her nose, looking at me with confused eyes as if she didn't understand why she’d been hit.
A sigh escaped me automatically.
“Haaa… I said we don't actually have to do it for real.”
“Huh…?”
“We just have to make it look like you’ve been treated horribly at night.”
“???”
Seeing Carla just blink blankly, I realized something.
The idea of deceiving someone simply didn't exist in her mind.
How naive.
“Think about it. Unless Elisha is literally spying on my room, she’ll have no idea what I’m actually making you do under the guise of ‘night service.’”
“Well, that’s true… but couldn't she infer it from my usual reactions or the scars left on my body…? Plus, she could use other attendants to keep track of your movements, Master.”
That might be true. However…
“To put it another way, that means we only need to worry about your reactions, the scars, and what can be seen through my room.”
“…Oh?”
Carla’s eyes went wide, as if this hadn't occurred to her at all.
Of course, Elisha wasn't a fool, so deceiving her wouldn't be easy. However, even if we were caught, it wouldn't be a problem.
“As long as I’m a student at the Academy, Elisha can’t directly do anything to me. Especially not for the reason that I refused a sinister order to torment you.”
“B-But Master. That only means she can’t apply direct, unfair pressure. There are plenty of indirect ways.”
I knew that. If Elisha started using her influence in earnest, it would become very annoying.
That was why I had decided to try and trick her for the time being.
But…
“That doesn't matter either. Even if Elisha makes up her mind to pressure us, we only need to hold out for exactly three months.”
“Huh? Three months? Is something happening after that?”
“Yeah. I can’t tell you right now, but when that time comes, Elisha won't have the energy or the ability to care about us anymore.”
Even if the Sylvan Magic Tower fell, the High Elf bloodline would remain… but in elven society, High Elves were strictly sacred beings.
In other words, they were treated well for religious reasons, not because they held actual secular rank.
And religions tend to be harsh toward those who have lost their purity.
Even if she hadn't personally participated in the spirit summoning, the mere fact that she was involved in taboo research would cause the elves to turn their backs on Elisha.
Even if the worst came to pass, if we could just hold out for three months, everything would work out.
“Well? Think you can do it?”
Carla’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something in response to my confident attitude.
But soon, she nodded as if deciding to trust me.
“I understand. I’ll follow your lead, Master. So, what specifically do I need to do?”
“It’s simple. You remember the slave education you received before you were sold to me, right?”
“Huh? Yes… how could I ever forget that?”
Carla trembled as she recalled those memories.
I gently took her shaking hand and gave her the softest smile I could muster.
“Let’s just act exactly like you were taught back then for three months.”
I could guarantee it—if she showed the same state she was in when I first bought her, no one would suspect a thing.