Chapter 53: Dungeon Practice (3)
Chapter 53: Dungeon Practice (3)
When I asked Iona if I could take Carla into the dungeon, I wondered what on earth the others were imagining.
The surrounding students sent looks my way that were a mix of horror and contempt.
That was fine. The arrows of blame would eventually fly toward Elisha anyway.
However...
“…….”
Elisha was staring at me with suspicious eyes.
This was a bit problematic. It seemed a conversation was necessary.
I was debating when to bring it up, but only for a moment.
As if she couldn't stand it any longer, Elisha moved the moment Iona left the classroom after announcing the practice schedule.
The way she brushed off her followers and approached me was quite overbearing.
“Yandel. Let’s have a word.”
“Pardon? Ah… I appreciate the offer, Lady Glenziel, but I have a prior engagement with a friend today….”
“I know perfectly well you don’t have any friends. Stop talking and follow me.”
“Tsk….”
Elisha grabbed my wrist and pulled.
It wouldn't be hard to shake off this slender hand, but doing so would be an open declaration of war.
Since I didn't intend to set myself in direct opposition to her, I let myself be dragged along for a moment.
“What are you just standing there for? You follow us too.”
“Ah… yes….”
Elisha said this as she snatched up Carla, who had been hovering indecisively, with her remaining hand.
As Elisha strode down the hallway clutching both Carla and me in each hand, the surrounding crowd began to buzz again.
“Oh my? What is it this time?”
“Didn't that commoner ask in class this morning if he could take his slave to the dungeon? Isn't it because of that?”
“Aha? That Yandel fellow is quite inflexible. In times like this, he should have taken a hint and acted with some tact to save Lady Elisha’s face.”
“Well… maybe that commoner has a grudge against Lady Elisha too.”
Just as I thought. It seemed they interpreted my attempt to take Carla to the dungeon as an order from Elisha.
And my behavior just now was seen as a small act of rebellion.
To be honest, while this flow of misunderstanding was convenient for me, it was also worrying.
The rumors had already begun to spiral based on entertainment value rather than truth, which meant they had long since escaped my control.
But above all, the biggest problem was… Elisha was right next to me.
I had heard the conversation. A High Elf with sensitive senses would have heard it even better.
However, Elisha only gave a light snort and didn't snap back at them.
Instead, she grumbled at us a little.
“Hmph! They really chatter as they please just because I’m staying quiet.”
“Indeed. I wonder where such groundless stories even come from.”
“Oh? Where else? They are the whispers of the dark inner thoughts of foolish people who cannot accept their own inadequacies.”
That was a rather cynical reaction.
She herself probably hadn't escaped her inferiority complex toward Carla yet.
No, perhaps that was why she was acting even more cynical.
I nodded with a bitter smile.
“I suppose so. Then how about you give them a sharp scolding, Lady Glenziel? Everyone is starting to take these false rumors as fact.”
“Really? Do you really think I should do that?”
“……?”
What was she talking about?
Elisha wouldn't be asking for my permission, so there must be another meaning.
As I blinked, unable to grasp her intent, Elisha eventually let out a deep sigh and provided an explanation.
“I was asking if it’s really okay for me to stop acting as the shield for the jealous rumors directed at you.”
“…You knew?”
“Hmph? Who do you think I am? Maybe for the first few times, but did you really think you could pull the wool over the eyes of Elisha Sylvan Glenziel for over a month?”
“…….”
Well, true.
In fact, it would have been stranger if Elisha hadn't known by now.
I just didn't realize she was feigning ignorance while knowing everything.
“You have a look in your eyes like you don't understand.”
“Yes. It’s true that at first, I passed it off to you, thinking these rumors wouldn't be a big deal for someone of your stature… but it’s gone beyond that level now. Now, the rumor that you’re dying to tear Carla apart is being accepted as the established truth.”
“Yes. But what if I deny these false rumors? What do you think would happen then, Yandel?”
“…You would be cleared of the malicious slander?”
“Instead, you would have to face all that jealousy with your own body.”
“…….”
What was that?
It was as if… she was trying to protect me while knowing everything.
“Fufu. I like that expression. To think you, who always acted so obedient in front of me, would show your true thoughts like this.”
Elisha chuckled for a moment before continuing.
“Yandel. An ordinary commoner cannot act as confidently as you do. No matter how great their talent, the Academy doesn't protect them after graduation.”
“I don't think there's a need to act servile just because of that, though….”
“Isn't the very fact that you can think that way proof that you have something to believe in? Based on the personality I’ve seen so far, it doesn't seem to be someone else… Is it yourself after graduation, then?”
“…….”
She caught me.
Well, I was just an ordinary college student, aside from the fact that I had delved quite deeply into H&A.
On the other hand, Elisha was someone who had lived in high society since childhood and had seen all sorts of things, both good and bad.
Mages might not be politicians, but politics itself isn't that grand of a thing.
Isn't politics just what happens whenever people gather and interests align?
However, there was no need to feel intimidated just because my shallow inner thoughts were exposed.
It was surprising that Elisha was more favorable toward me than I imagined… but that didn't change my plans.
Did she sense even that? Elisha’s lips curled into a smirk.
“That resolute attitude. It’s impressive. But it might be good for me to tell you a few things you don't know.”
Saying so, Elisha finally let go of Carla’s and my wrists. She pulled a fan from her pocket, unfolded it, and tapped it against her chin.
“You probably think that even if the entire 1st Year Class A turns against you, you’ll be fine.”
“Yes. Well….”
“But what about the entire Magic Department?”
“???”
“Some professors might pick on you for trivial reasons, and seniors might come looking for you every day to start trouble under the guise of ‘instructional sparring.’”
“According to the Academy rules….”
“Yes. Within the limits of those Academy rules.”
“…….”
I hadn't thought that far.
“Carla un—ahem. Carla was a very special existence even within the Magic Department. Don't you think it’s strange that nothing has happened for the past month, even though you’ve been parading such a person around as a slave?”
At those words, Carla, who had been silent, tilted her head.
“Uh… I don't think I was that important?”
“Carla. You were always like that. Perhaps because it was so natural for you to be loved, you don't realize just how much you were loved.”
Carla’s face contorted sharply.
“Then… then why, when I was framed as a cultist and kicked out of the Academy…!”
“That’s because it was a cultist, of all things. If you slip up, it’s not just you, but your entire family that collapses. Who would go that far for one woman?”
“Ah….”
As if she finally understood, the furrow in Carla’s brow smoothed out.
Seeing this, Elisha spoke to me in a much softer voice.
“Anyway, the important thing is that there are still many who view Carla favorably, and there are those who harbor twisted desires for a woman who fell from being a flower on a cliff to a mere slave. But has even one of them ever approached you?”
“…No, they haven't.”
A slave is not a human. Therefore, even if someone stabs a slave to death, it is not murder, but destruction of property.
If stabbing is treated like that, what about ‘borrowing’ her for a bit behind the commoner owner’s back?
It wouldn't be strange if there were people who thought they could just pay some compensation and be done with it.
Of course, contrary to what those bastards might think, Carla’s mana core was perfectly fine, so they might end up being roasted golden-brown instead… but the fact that there hadn't been a single incident was certainly unusual.
And this was likely thanks to Elisha.
Touching the property of a commoner like me was a completely different matter from touching the property of Elisha, a High Elf and the successor of the Sylvan Magic Tower.
If anyone is going to torment him, it’ll be me. So the rest of you, keep your hands off.
It was probably something like that.
The performance of the ‘Elisha Shield’ was much greater than I had thought.
That was why I had to ask once more.
“Why are you going so far for me, Lady Glenziel…?”
“It’s simple. To the current you, the jealousy of those around you and the desire for Carla would be significant obstacles. But to me, this level of pressure is just the usual, trivial maneuvering I’ve always dealt with.”
“Even so, there’s no reason for you to endure criticism on my behalf, Lady Glenziel.”
“No. I do have a reason.”
“Pardon? You do?”
At my dumbfounded question, Elisha stopped walking for a moment. She covered her mouth with her fan and gave a boastful smile.
“Of course. This way, you’ll owe me a debt of gratitude, won't you? You can think of it as informal sponsorship.”
Elisha laughed, her blue ringlet hair fluttering. “Ohohoho!”
…She’s actually a bit cool.
“Yes. This is an investment to eventually bring Carla to her knees before me and no one else…!”
Ah, never mind.
Not cool at all.
As expected, Elisha was also full of ulterior motives!
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, but only for a moment. Elisha’s expression turned serious again as she continued.
“So, I must ask your true intention for trying to take Carla into the dungeon.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s important to me. Why on earth are you trying to take Carla to the dungeon, Yandel? Carla, who has no mana core, won't be of any help in a fight….”
“Uh… well, you see.”
“Don't tell me you’re planning to use her as bait in an emergency? That would be problematic. Yes. Truly problematic. Carla could accidentally end up in danger that way.”
“No, of course not.”
“Right. Of course not. The version of you I’ve seen isn't that cold-blooded.”
“Thank you?”
“And surely you aren't planning to do… those kinds of things with Carla in the dungeon, like everyone else is guessing. You’re a person with at least a minimum level of discernment.”
“Ummm….”
Actually, since we had already done it once in the Gepp City dungeon, I couldn't help but give an ambiguous reaction.
Did she notice?
Having said that much, Elisha narrowed her eyes and began to bring her face close to my ear.
As if she were about to whisper something.
Was my reaction just now too obvious?
Even if she knew the general idea, Elisha only had a G-rated level of knowledge regarding the details, so I wondered how she would react….
With a mix of worry and anticipation, I quietly offered my ear.
However, the whisper that followed contained content I hadn't expected at all.
“Yandel, did you perhaps leave Carla’s mana core intact?”
“…….”
Uh, well.
I didn't expect her to hit me with that one.