Chapter 34: The Freshman Doesn't Hide His Slave (4)
Chapter 34: The Freshman Doesn't Hide His Slave (4)
Elisha Sylvan Glenziel squeezed her eyes shut at the weight of the gazes focusing on her.
But closing one's eyes cannot erase memory.
Even in the darkness, her brilliant mind began to replay the scene from moments ago.
It had all started when one of the students she was chatting with mentioned a part they didn't understand while reading the Lower Elemental Magic Compendium Revised Edition, recently published by the Sylvan Magic Tower.
As the future Tower Lord, Elisha offered to explain and asked which part was confusing. The student then tried to have their attendant bring the book from a subspace pocket.
…That was when they discovered the woman kneeling on the floor, staring down with a despondent expression.
Had they not seen her at all, it might have been different, but once seen, her beauty was impossible to ignore.
The way she trembled while looking around like a frightened rabbit was the very picture of piteousness.
The faint traces of abuse visible on her neck only amplified that sentiment.
She was a woman who forced anyone watching to feel a surge of sympathy.
Carla Lindelheit.
From the moment one of the students spotted Carla, it was only natural for everyone’s attention to shift toward her.
It was natural for rumors about Carla’s identity to circulate, for sharp glares to be directed at her master, Yandel, and for Yandel—overwhelmed by the cold reception—to look at Elisha with trembling eyes.
And it was only natural for the surrounding shock to then concentrate on Elisha.
Everything was following a natural progression.
"Whew…"
Taking a light breath, Elisha opened her eyes and walked toward Yandel.
Click. Click.
In a silence thick with a strange tension, only the sound of Elisha’s heels echoed clearly. And then—
"Yandel."
"Yes, Lady Glenziel."
"Did I not clearly tell you to show mercy as a master?"
Yandel, who had been gauging Elisha’s reaction, protested as if he were being wronged.
"B-but, Lady Glenziel. You also said a slave should act like a slave…"
"Are you implying that I ordered this?"
"No! Not at all! Carla! Get up and sit in the chair! That’s an order!"
As Elisha’s gaze sharpened slightly, Yandel panicked and immediately pulled Carla up.
At a glance, his behavior seemed almost groveling, but no one questioned it.
After all, Elisha was a High Elf worshipped by all elves and the successor to the Sylvan Magic Tower, the greatest magic tower of the elves.
No matter how talented a commoner Yandel was to be placed in Class A, he wouldn't dare defy Elisha’s word.
Therefore, it was only logical for those around them to assume that Carla’s current state was exactly what Elisha had intended.
The onlookers couldn't hide their bewilderment.
The fact that Elisha and Carla were on bad terms—or more accurately, that Carla tried to be friendly while Elisha one-sidedly burned with jealousy and inferiority—was quite famous in the wizarding community.
But still, this is a bit…
…Isn't this too much?
Naturally, Elisha couldn't fail to notice the "disenchanted" reactions of those around her.
Elves have senses several times sharper than humans, and High Elves possess sensitivities that far surpass even regular elves.
With her five senses and even her sixth sense at a level incomparable to others, Elisha felt the negative reactions more vividly than anyone.
However, she did not offer a pathetic excuse. Her towering pride would not allow it.
Was it not Elisha herself who had told him to teach Carla her place as a slave in the first place?
Not shifting one's responsibility onto others—this was surely a mark of Elisha’s nobility.
So, instead of explaining herself, Elisha held her head high and returned to her seat.
…Unaware of how that attitude appeared to everyone else.
*
I successfully managed to ping-pong the aggro over to Elisha.
To be honest, I did feel a bit guilty, but if you think about it, the root cause was Elisha telling me to make Carla realize her place, wasn't it?
Of course, there was a slight misunderstanding involved… but even so, what I have to do remains the same.
It’s not just because I’m bitter about being anxious and pushed around lately. Well, okay, maybe that’s part of it…
Anyway, even if we both get criticized, I would just become an involuntary outcast, whereas Elisha would simply lose a few friends.
That’s the extent of the influence Elisha wields before her fall.
Even if rumors spread that she used a commoner to humiliate her former rival, people looking for scraps would still flock to her.
To put it another way, it means she’ll be completely isolated after she falls.
I’m messing with her a bit now, but since I’ll be the one who stays and helps her when she’s at her lowest, isn't this much acceptable?
As I finished my internal self-justification and continued acting like I was walking on eggshells around Elisha—
Slide.
With dark red hair and eyes, pale skin, a body that exuded an oddly seductive aura, and slightly protruding fangs.
A woman who looked like she was screaming "I am a vampire" to anyone who saw her came rolling into the classroom.
"Iona has arrived!"
She shouted, striking an incredibly bizarre pose.
It was a look that made it seem like she had just popped out of a stone pillar.
It looked like a very uncomfortable position, but it was also one that emphasized Iona’s curvaceous figure.
The students, who until a moment ago had been glancing between me, Carla, and Elisha, all turned their eyes toward Iona.
Well, of course. How could anyone look away from that strange pose where she was twisting her body and half-covering her face?
They were probably wondering what kind of nutcase she was.
Ah, in H&A, vampires aren't a hostile race. I heard there was a time when vampires were public enemies…
But the setting is that they formed an alliance long ago after getting beaten up by the Evil God together.
Thanks to a steady supply of blood from criminals or volunteers, they supposedly live well among others without direct blood-sucking.
Their numbers are small, but because each one has lived a long time practicing martial arts and magic, they are treated as a powerful force.
As for why such a vampire would come to the Academy…
"Hello! Hello! I’m Iona Francesca, the professor in charge of Class A! Nice to meet you all!"
She must have come as a professor, not a student. Actually, I already knew Iona was the Class A professor, so it wasn't much of a surprise.
…Though everyone except me had a blank look on their face.
"You can call me Professor Iona, or you can just comfortably call me Big Sister! First, shall we check the attendance? Shall we?!"
"““……””"
The students were speechless at the brazenness of someone who was likely among the five oldest people in the entire Academy.
Elisha and Carla were no longer in their minds.
All that remained was the eccentric behavior of a professor with an estimated age of 400… acting like a teenage girl.
While Iona, who had captured everyone's attention with just a few words, was giggling and checking attendance—
"Oh…? Wow! Carla! I didn't expect to see you at the Academy again! Good to see you! Good to see you!"
Iona waved her arms vigorously toward Carla, who was sitting in the back.
There was a brief moment where Carla bowed her head with an awkward smile, but other than that, attendance finished without any issues.
"Since today is the first day, I’ll just give a brief lecture overview and some guidance before we finish! It’s already lunchtime because of the entrance ceremony, right? Plus, you probably haven't even unpacked in the dorms yet."
Thanks to that bouncy voice and way of speaking, some people back in the game days argued that Iona’s presence was the biggest merit of Class A.
Not that it mattered, since she was a non-romanceable character, which left many players in tears.
Anyway, Iona’s subsequent explanation was familiar to me.
How the classes would be conducted, what subjects are taught in the first year before choosing a major, how cooperation with other departments or dungeon practice would work, and so on.
It was content that could be called a short orientation, but the most important part was, of course—
"Ah, and tomorrow, we’ll be picking a class representative. In case of emergencies, they’ll have to lead Class A on behalf of me or other professors, so we’ll decide through duels… This also doubles as a skill test, so fight with everything you’ve got!"
It was about the duels happening tomorrow.
Commonly known as the Ranking Battle, it’s quite a lucrative event.
If you become the class representative, you can earn a new title, and even if you don't, achieving good results makes Academy life easier in small ways.
The Academy is fundamentally a practical-oriented place that treats students based on their abilities.
After finishing her explanation with the announcement of the Ranking Battle, Iona smiled brightly and clapped her hands lightly.
Clap!
"Now! Any more questions? Or anything you don't understand? …None? Then that’s it for today! Good job! Everyone, go eat and get some rest at the dorms! See you tomorrow. Bye!"
Iona left the classroom, waving her arms wildly.
Everyone started getting up one by one, looking a bit awkward as if they hadn't adjusted to Iona yet.
I was also packing up the things I had taken out and was about to stand up when—
"Could you give me a moment of your time, Yandel?"
Elisha stopped me.
"May I ask what this is about, Lady Glenziel?"
"It is nothing much. I simply thought we might have a meal together. …Along with your slave, of course."
I see.
Even if she doesn't think I intentionally shifted the aggro to her, she probably intends to settle things properly this time.
I nodded with a polite but seemingly anxious expression.
"How could I refuse Lady Glenziel’s proposal? I will call Carla over immediately."
Three-way confrontation… ON!
