Chapter 43: How Much! Just Tell Me How Much!
Chapter 43: How Much! Just Tell Me How Much!
Understanding of Elements, Introduction to Enhancement Magic, and Peculiarities of Lifestyle Magic.
Those were the names of the remaining classes I attended after returning to the lecture hall, having turned down Elisha’s proposal.
Fortunately, unlike Iona’s class, all three were perfectly sensible.
Well… the content was certainly "fantasy," but at least the professors didn't start the session by telling us to kill each other.
The only problem was that, perhaps because this was Class A, the professors all lectured under the assumption that we already possessed a baseline of fundamental knowledge.
I’ll have to ask Carla about the things I didn't understand later.
While the other students might have been studying since they were children, I essentially had a live-in tutor constantly by my side.
Even if I was lacking now, I’d be able to catch up in no time.
…I’m really glad I have Carla.
After school. Students gathered in small groups, some heading to their club rooms and others leaving straight for the dormitories.
I watched Carla’s hips as she walked ahead of me, acting as my guide.
After staring blankly for a moment… I reached out.
Slide.
“H-huh?!”
Carla flinched at the unexpected touch. Ignoring her reaction, I continued to move my hand, keeping it hidden from the passing students.
Stroke, stroke.
Just as I wore a school uniform, Carla wore her attendant’s outfit. Overall, the design was calm and modest… but I knew.
I knew just how lewd the body beneath these clothes was.
Stroke, stroke, stroke.
I could clearly feel the contour of her buttocks even through the smooth fabric. The voluptuous yet soft curves filled my entire palm.
“Ugh… M-Master?”
“What?”
“Did I do something wrong…?”
She stopped in her tracks and looked back with an anxious face.
I tilted my head, wondering how on earth she had reached that conclusion.
“You don’t have to do this at the Academy anymore, so why…?”
“Ah.”
Thinking about it normally, this was just harassment in a crowded place.
Between kneading Carla however I wanted lately and pretending to openly bully her because of the situation with Elisha, it seemed my internal brakes had worn down a bit.
I gave her rear a light pat to reassure her.
“It’s nothing like that. I’m just praising you for a job well done.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. What you taught me was a huge help during Professor Iona’s class.”
“It was just a countermeasure that only works against lower-tier mages… but I’m glad it helped you, Master.”
Carla’s face brightened instantly, as if she had never been on the verge of tears.
She then subtly pushed her hips back toward me, so I chuckled and gave them another pat.
“Hehe….”
Only then did Carla smile contentedly and quicken her pace again.
Following behind her, a question suddenly occurred to me.
“Carla.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Carla-Carla-Carla.”
“Uh… Mas-Mas-Master…?”
She actually played along.
I chuckled and continued with what I wanted to say.
“By the way, what kind of benefits do you get if you’re sponsored by the Sylvan Magic Tower? I still have no intention of accepting, but I’m just curious.”
“Hmm. You know that the Lindelheit family and the Sylvan Magic Tower’s domains used to overlap, right?”
“Right.”
I have ears, too; I’ve picked up various bits of information during the three years since I dropped into this world.
Like how Carla’s father, who has since been executed, was an Archmage who had reached the pinnacle of elemental magic.
And how his level was said to be a step ahead of the Tower Lord of the Sylvan Magic Tower, who was also an Archmage specializing in elemental magic.
“The Sylvan Magic Tower has its pride, of course, but they considered it a bigger problem that young mages were flocking to the Lindelheit family, drawn by my father’s reputation.”
“Don’t they only accept Elves anyway?”
“Even those Elves wanted to work as mages for the Lindelheit family.”
“Wow.”
At that point, it wasn't just a matter of pride; it was a practical threat.
No matter how long an Elf’s lifespan is, eternal life is not granted to mortals.
Therefore, they must appoint successors and nurture the next generation to prosper even further… but that path had been blocked.
Who would naturally accept a path that leads to a slow death?
“That’s why the Sylvan Magic Tower was famous for its aggressive scouting. Since they only accept Elves, their investment capacity was probably more concentrated.”
“I basically get it. You’re saying they give away a ton of stuff to bring people in? So, specifically, how much are we talking about?”
“I’m not sure if it’s still the same now that the Lindelheit family is gone, but from what I heard….”
Whisper, whisper.
“That’s insane.”
I didn't care much about the monthly gold, magic books, or equipment support.
I had plenty of money, I had memorized a long list of locations where good magic books were hidden, and I already had a specific dungeon in mind for equipment.
However.
“They give out Leaves of the World Tree? And they even shower you with branches or fruit if you achieve something great?”
“Well… except for a few criminals, all Elves belong to the Alfheim Kingdom. I suppose they consider it a viable investment since it ultimately returns to the glory of the Elves.”
My stomach suddenly started to ache.
I knew how to obtain parts of the World Tree myself.
However, since they possess incredible effects on their own and are used as materials for end-game equipment in some cases, the difficulty of obtaining them is beyond imagination.
And they were saying I could get them more easily and quickly?
“What a waste… such a waste….”
“D-Don’t be too disappointed, Master! You’re a human, so you probably wouldn't have received branches or fruit anyway!”
“But that means I could have still gotten the leaves!”
If I just wrapped one around any old staff, the staff’s grade would jump up by one tier. Not to mention, if I just munched on it, my Magic stat would skyrocket.
And if I were lucky, my Elemental Affinity trait could even be strengthened…!
Part of me wanted to just play along for three months, take the loot, and run.
“Phew… but that would be difficult, wouldn't it?”
The Leaf of the World Tree was certainly attractive… but it was just something I couldn't get right now. There were plenty of other ways to obtain them.
It was better to focus on the plans I had already made rather than regretting what had passed.
Still, I couldn't help the sigh that escaped me.
“Sigh….”
Did I look too depressed? Carla flusteredly and desperately tried to change the subject.
“B-By the way, Master. May I ask you a question as well?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I understand stopping by the Production Department workshops before returning to the dormitory. You’ll need equipment, and we need to restock the potions we’ve used.”
That was right. The place Carla was currently guiding me to wasn't the dormitory, but the Workshop Street, where the Production Department’s workshops were clustered.
I had used the staff I bought for Carla during the Ranking Battle because it was an emergency, but I couldn't keep doing that forever.
“But why Zone 4, of all places? Someone like you wouldn't find the workshops in Zone 1 a burden, Master.”
“That’s true.”
The Production Department’s Workshop Street is divided into four zones, from Zone 1 to Zone 4.
Zone 1 contains the workshops of professors who are short on funds. Zones 2 through 4 contain the workshops of students from Class A, B, and C, respectively.
The Production Department’s workshops aren't just for selling things they’ve made; they are also places where they periodically invite outside dignitaries to showcase their skills.
If the Knight Department or Magic Department receives sponsorship through excellent grades or achievements, the Production Department promotes itself through its workshops to gain sponsors.
Professors are an exception, though. They say that receiving sponsorship could interfere with their professorship, so they just sell goods.
Anyway, because of that situation, good workshops cluster in the highly visible Zone 1, while relatively inferior workshops cluster in the secluded Zone 4—a natural phenomenon.
Of course, it’s not a rule set by school regulations, so while that’s generally the case, there are some exceptions.
The place I was going was one of those exceptions.
“Well, you’ll see when we get there. I’m sure even you’ll be surprised, Carla. It’s not at a level that belongs in Zone 4.”
“How do you know things that even I don’t… ahem. If your mind is made up, Master, I shall simply follow.”
Though she seemed unconvinced, Carla didn't stop walking, signaling her intent to follow my lead.
I gave Carla’s rear another pat as a sign of praise.
“Hehehe… Ah, but Master.”
“Hmm? Something else you want to ask?”
“No, it’s not a question….”
Carla hesitated for a moment before continuing in a cautious tone.
“Have you heard? It seems strange rumors have been circulating about you and Elisha since Professor Iona’s duel.”
“Again?”
Yesterday, there were rumors that Elisha had ordered me to bully Carla and even made her kneel like a dog in the cafeteria.
And now there was more?
“Yes. It’s a rumor sparked by Elisha’s comment during the duel about how she would be the one to take you down, and because of your fighting style….”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Just tell me.”
“The rumor is that Elisha didn't just threaten you, but also promised you the second-place spot in exchange for humiliating me.”
“Huh?”
“The attendants were whispering that the only reason she left you until the end was to give you that second-place seat. They said there’s no way someone of lowly blood could defeat their own master otherwise….”
“…….”
If the attendants, who are always with their masters, thought that way, then their masters likely thought the same.
Of course, they wouldn't have said it out loud in front of me or Elisha.
In a way, it was only natural.
They were likely people who had reigned over others their entire lives, geniuses who had no rivals among their peers in their own hometowns.
It might be a different story once they’ve had a few more dueling classes and gotten used to the Academy’s meritocratic ways, but….
It was too much to expect freshmen who had just enrolled to change in an instant.
There’s no way we could lose to a mage who used to roll around as a mercenary. Therefore, this is all Elisha’s fault.
Elisha is coddling that commoner to soothe her own inferiority complex, and that’s why we lost.
Under normal circumstances, Yandel is someone who would have been eliminated early on.
They were probably thinking something along those lines.
“Don’t worry too much, Master! Everyone is like that when they’re freshmen. That’s also why Professor Iona conducts such violent classes.”
“I know. As time passes, they’ll stop with the pointless rationalizations and focus on their own work.”
Those who can’t do that will fall behind into the lower classes or be expelled because they can’t keep up with the Academy’s curriculum.
In fact, while playing H&A, I noticed that first-year students especially said things like, "How dare a commoner!" quite often.
By the second year… no, even by the second semester, the freshmen’s "outsider" attitude starts to fade, so it’s really nothing to worry about.
Most importantly, wasn't the arrow pointed at Elisha, not me?
The only thing that bothered me was… Elisha’s reputation was worsening more than I had expected.
I had only redirected a bit of the criticism I was supposed to endure, but it was snowballing and growing in size.
“…Well, it’ll be fine, right?”
Surely nothing major would happen.
While the Sylvan Magic Tower is still intact, they’re the type who won’t be able to say a word in the end, and after the Sylvan Magic Tower falls, I’ll be the one to step forward.
Shaking off a sliver of anxiety, I continued following Carla for a while.
Before I knew it, the typical after-school bustle I had felt around me was gone.
We had arrived at the Workshop Street.