Chapter 371: Fra?med (3)
Chapter 371: Fra?med (3)
After that, we shared some light small talk and said our goodbyes to Cyclic Life before parting ways.
Next, as planned, I stood before the people Chancellor Milone had gathered and announced the results of the investigation: the charges of spirit summoning were false.
Of course, the claim that it was "false" was itself a lie, but... I didn't even need to present much evidence. Once I said it was a scheme by Boiling Silence, everyone just accepted it.
Well, it makes sense. The Cult of Boiling Silence already had a spectacular track record.
They had brought about the downfall of the Lindelheit family, which consistently produced Archmages; they had infiltrated the position of Imperial Consort in a massive empire; they had planted a spy as the Queen’s personal knight; and they had even conspired with Ugly Prosperity to try and bring down Yggdrasil.
It wasn't strange at all to think they would frame Elisha and Iris out of fear of their achievements. In fact, the two had shown enough power during the war to justify such fear.
I mean... it was really just a result of them clearing dungeons to unlock their potential, gaining experience through real combat, and me supplying them with massive research funds and rare materials!
But the truth didn't matter. Everyone was convinced simply by their shared animosity toward Boiling Silence and the extraordinary talent Elisha and Iris had displayed.
Of course, there were more than a few people tilting their heads in doubt... but since it was an undeniable fact that Iris had taken the lead in protecting Yggdrasil, no one spoke up.
Milone had shot a cold glare at anyone who looked like they were about to twitch. Everyone was likely just reading the room and staying quiet.
At any rate, Elisha and Iris didn't just have their Slave Imprints removed; their social status was also fully restored.
Though the two were once again treated as royalty-adjacent High Elves, they flatly rejected the offer to return to the Sylvan Magic Tower.
It wasn't that they held a particular grudge against the Sylvan Magic Tower. From the tower's perspective, they truly believed a spirit summoning had been attempted (which was true), and they had simply followed disciplinary procedures.
In a way, it could be seen as a fair attitude, showing no exceptions even for a Tower Lord.
However, the two simply saw no reason to go back.
"Where would we go, leaving you behind?"
"Indeed. To begin with, the reason mages like magic towers is because of the environment suited for research. If you produce results, the research funds roll in steadily, you can gather with other mages to debate, and it's easy to obtain rare books and materials."
"But you can provide all of that much more easily. Do you realize that the amount you've spent on us so far is roughly equivalent to three years of the tower's entire operating budget?"
"Furthermore, things like dragon materials and Fafnir's magical compendium can't be bought with money. If their existence became known, magic towers would come charging at us with their eyes rolling back, even in the middle of this war against the Evil Gods."
"Well... those conditions are one thing, but the biggest reason is that, right?"
"Mhm. There's no reason to leave our partner's side when we don't have to. Besides, our Master is constantly seeking out dangerous battlefields; we ought to be there to help."
"Hmph."
We were aboard Nidhogg after finishing all our business in Yggdrasil. The answer I received to my idle question while waiting was enough to make my heart tickle a bit.
Feeling a sudden wave of bashfulness, I pulled Iris, who was nearby, onto my lap and began kneading her cheeks.
"Gueeeeh. Kieeeeh..."
Despite the strange noises she made, Iris clung to me quite readily. I was enjoying the slight weight and warmth on my thighs when a thought occurred to me.
"Oh, right."
"Hmm? What is it, Master?"
Iris looked up at me with a slightly disappointed tone. I gently tickled her neck as I asked.
"You don't really need to call me 'Master' anymore, do you? You're not a slave."
"That is true, but..."
Iris pondered for a moment, then her lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
"But Master, don't you like it when I call you that?"
"Uh...?"
"I already know your tastes. You're obsessed with women who have fallen from a noble status to the lowest of the low... yes, those so-called 'Fallen Ladies.'"
"...I wouldn't say 'obsessed.'"
"Then how do you explain the people here? Lady Carla goes without saying, and Nana and Elisha were slaves. Even Lady Fay's Yarnshard family was a prominent high noble house."
"I was an illegitimate child and a mixed-blood, so I never really benefited from my family..."
Fay gave a timid, awkward laugh. Iris patted her shoulder comfortingly and continued.
"Iona isn't much different. It's a bit of a sensitive topic, but..."
"It's fine! It's fine! Thanks to Yandel, I've already gotten my revenge, so speak freely!"
"Ahem. Thank you. Anyway, isn't Iona also the successor who survived alone after her once-thriving great clan collapsed?"
"It just happened to turn out this way! It's not like I have a 'Fallen Lady' fetish! And what about Helena and Lady Solari? Neither of them fell; if anything, they've become more successful since meeting me, haven't they?"
I made a desperate plea. But for some reason, Helena's expression only darkened.
"I see... So Brother likes those who have fallen... Should I fall as well?"
"I-I'm a goddess, but I'm being bred by my human husband every day, so in a sense, haven't I fallen?!"
"......"
I didn't expect them to get depressed over this. It was honestly a bit absurd.
With a hollow laugh, I grabbed Helena's braid and gave it a gentle shake.
"Don't worry, Helena. The moment a Saintess asks to have her butt slapped every night, she's already fallen to her lust. The same goes for Lady Solari."
"Phew. I'm glad to hear that."
"Is this also a fall from grace...?"
Helena let out a sigh of relief, while Solari tilted her head in thought.
At that moment, the medallion on my chest flashed briefly, and Clara's translucent face popped out.
"Wait, is that the first thing you have to say after not seeing you for a while?"
"Ah, Lady Clara. It's too early to be relieved. Brother Yandel is the type of person who would like it even more because you don't have a body."
"So it's best to stay hidden from Brother Yandel's sight as much as possible."
"I'm already doing that, but I'll keep it in mind once more."
Helena was naturally keeping Clara in check while maintaining a friendly atmosphere.
Seriously, what do they take me for...?
I let out a deep sigh, rubbed my cheek against the crown of Iris's head, and returned to the main point.
"So? You're saying you're going to keep the title as it is?"
"Exactly. Of course, only if it doesn't make Master uncomfortable..."
"Why would I be uncomfortable? I only asked because I thought you might be. Then, let's consider that matter settled... and shall we talk about what happens after we get off Nidhogg?"
In the Great Forest, where teleportation is impossible, there is no means of transport as effective as Nidhogg.
However, as a result of the guerrilla warfare we waged to slow down the advance of Ugly Prosperity's army, Nidhogg's existence had been discovered. We had been forced to twist or collapse the tracks.
Consequently, the Nidhogg lines that should have connected to various parts of the Great Forest were cut off, meaning we could only go halfway.
"But that's not a problem for us. The situation has changed, so we need to re-evaluate our plans at this point."
"By 'the situation has changed,' you mean receiving Mystiltainn from Lord Cyclic Life, right, Master?"
I nodded at Carla's words as she refilled the drink I was having.
"Right. The Chairman is currently in a position where it's difficult for him to use his power, so I was planning to contact the Empire, call Sir Havel, and clear a dungeon in the meantime. But now that we have a way to defeat Boiling Silence on our own, we have to choose."
Between the annihilation of Boiling Silence and clearing the dungeon—which one to do first.
"Is there even a need to think about it, Master? Boiling Silence comes first, obviously."
"Yes. I agree with Carla. He's not the type to stay still just because he lacks power, is he? We should strike while the iron is hot and take him down before he pulls anything else."
Carla answered instantly, and Elisha chimed in. The others seemed to share the same opinion, all throwing their weight behind going to crush Boiling Silence.
Actually, I felt the same way. Dungeons aren't going anywhere, but Boiling Silence might run away.
"Good. Once we get off Nidhogg, we'll take the fastest route out of the Great Forest and teleport straight to where the seal is."
"...Hey, hey. I'm asking this now, but is it dangerous there?"
"It will be dangerous. But if you're asking if it's enough to threaten us, the answer is probably no."
Traps installed around the seal are a given, and there will likely be a fair number of Boiling Silence's remaining followers gathered there.
But so what? Fiona was the only Cardinal Boiling Silence had.
And you have to be at least Cardinal-level to hold your own against a High Magician.
How dangerous could a bunch of Archbishop-class cultists be, when they're at most only slightly stronger than an Intermediate Magician?
They'll be cleaned up by Carla and Elisha, who have already surpassed the level of Intermediate Magicians and are standing at the threshold of the next stage.
Besides, isn't Boiling Silence's Authority weak in direct combat? It's tricky, sure... but as long as I have the Cultist Detection Trait, an ambush won't work.
"What about traps? Are those okay?"
"That's the part you really don't need to worry about, Professor."
Why do you think I know where Boiling Silence's seal is? It's because in H&A, we fought all the way to his sealing site.
In other words, I know the traps around the seal inside out.
"Just trust me and follow my lead."
"...I'm always the most anxious when Student Yandel says things like that."
Hey now. Don't go jinxing it!