Chapter 74: Snowball (7)
Chapter 74: Snowball (7)
The Sylvan Magic Tower attempted a spirit summoning, and Elisha, who happened to be visiting her home, was swept up in the mess.
This was the rumor I overheard on my way back from Fay’s workshop during lunch, having just picked up the elixir I’d commissioned.
Every corner of the Academy was currently buzzing with the news.
While everyone else was busy churning out rumors about whether Elisha was truly involved or not—
“This is driving me crazy.”
I was holed up in my room, doing nothing but letting out deep, heavy sighs.
“Come to think of it, Master, you did say before that Elisha wouldn't be a threat in three months. Did you expect things to turn out like this?”
“I expected something. But I didn't expect the Sylvan Magic Tower to attempt a spirit summoning, nor did I expect Elisha to get dragged into it when only a month and a half has passed.”
I investigated the source of the rumor just in case it was merely hearsay.
Surprisingly, it was an official statement released by the Rising Sprout.
Since the Rising Sprout is a denomination dedicated to the Goddess of Fertile Earth, they often bless fields in exchange for small donations.
Apparently, one of their priests had gone to a village near the Sylvan Magic Tower to perform a blessing and received a report from a whistleblower inside the tower.
They are currently conducting an investigation in cooperation with other churches… but the facts they’ve announced so far are truly absurd.
Elisha had taken a liking to a certain human she met at the Academy and had been adamantly insisting on sponsoring him—or doing whatever it took to establish a connection now.
Because of that, there was a great deal of internal dissatisfaction within the Sylvan Magic Tower.
It ranged from Elven supremacists to those who simply argued for the preservation of tradition.
Some claimed that involving other races would cause them to lose their purity in researching magic to replace the lost spirit arts of the Elves.
On top of that, even those who were simply jealous of Elisha joined in, shouting their fierce opposition.
On the other side were those who believed the Sylvan Magic Tower needed to change with the times.
There were even those who, upon hearing that I was keeping Carla as a slave, thought they might be able to steal the secret techniques of the Lindelheit family—who were a step ahead in elemental magic—if things went well.
The factions for and against Elisha were reportedly at each other's throats.
The Tower Lord was someone who leaned toward the traditionalist opposition, but out of affection for Elisha, he couldn't bring himself to coldly refuse her.
However, that same Tower Lord nearly lost his mind upon hearing that Elisha had almost been killed by Edmerec during the dungeon practice.
He was so shaken that he laid hands on the spirit summoning he had been hesitating over without a moment's delay.
The problem was that because he rushed the process, the plan was discovered by mages from the opposing faction.
The unknown whistleblower was one of those who had learned of the spirit summoning plan.
Rather than staying quiet and going down with the ship, they must have decided to report it themselves to ensure their own survival.
“…This is because of me too, isn't it?”
“Mmm. Most likely?”
In the original story of H&A, Elisha never offered sponsorship to anyone, and the dungeon practice ended without any issues…
But after I took Carla as a slave, Elisha became interested in me and kept trying to pull me under her wing.
And because of Pietro, whom I happened to kill before enrollment, Edmerec ended up attacking the practice dungeon.
In the end, the things I did became a snowball that accelerated the Sylvan Magic Tower’s spirit summoning and, as a bonus, got Elisha captured.
I realized clearly through the Edmerec incident that the moment I intervened for a better outcome, the future I knew would change.
But I truly never imagined something like this would happen at the Sylvan Magic Tower, which had no direct connection to me.
What am I supposed to do about this?
“Sigh…”
Perhaps my constant sighing was pitiful to watch.
Carla, with a worried expression, began to slowly stroke my back.
“Don’t worry too much, Master. After all, Elisha isn't directly involved in the spirit summoning, right? Then she’ll return to the Academy without any major problems.”
“I hope so.”
No matter how much the scenario had warped, Elisha wouldn't have tried to perform the spirit summoning herself.
“Unlike cultists, guilt by association doesn't apply to spirit summoning. So it’ll be fine.”
“…Coming from you, Carla, who became a slave because of guilt by association, that sounds a bit strange.”
“Hehe…”
I absentmindedly stroked the cheek of the awkwardly laughing Carla.
Once, twice, three times.
The soft sensation against my palm washed away my flustered state and the anxiety that came with it.
Right. It’ll work out somehow.
In any case, as Carla said, Elisha will likely be cleared of charges and released.
I’d been helped by Elisha in various ways without even realizing it, so I was actually considering preventing the fall of the Sylvan Magic Tower to put her in my debt. It was still flustering that this incident broke out before I could act.
Did she notice I had calmed down? Carla, who had been quietly offering her face, gave a beaming smile and began to rub her face against my hand.
“I may have become a slave… but it’s not all bad. After all, you dote on me like this, Master.”
“Hah… is that enough for you?”
“Of course not. This isn't nearly enough.”
Saying that, Carla crept closer and buried her nose in the crook of my neck, whispering in a suggestive voice.
“Until Master’s worries are completely gone. And until my anxiety is completely gone, too.”
Carla’s lips slowly brushed upward. The hot breath escaping with every word tickled me.
“Anywhere is fine. Please touch me more, Master.”
Finally, she spoke while licking my earlobe.
“Carla is a pet slave starved for Master’s affection, you know?”
“……”
It was a perfect temptation that anyone would have fallen for.
The urge to fall for it and start fondling Carla’s entire body welled up… but there was something I had to do first.
I gave Carla a light kiss on the forehead and slowly pushed her back.
“Let’s do this first.”
When I pulled out the elixir I’d received from Fay from my inventory, Carla’s eyes went wide and she nodded.
“Oh, right. We had this. Shall I help you absorb it?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Sitting in the center of the personal training room, I focused my mind on the elixir before me.
======================
【Demonic Blood Pill】
Vast mana and pure vitality are harmonized, creating a synergistic effect.
It is an elixir perfectly refined by a highly skilled alchemist. It appears safe to consume as is.
======================
The name sounded intimidating, but there wouldn't be any issues like mana backflow from taking this.
That’s what the description meant by saying it was safe to consume as is.
While I was reading the information on the Demonic Blood Pill, Carla, who had placed her hand on my chest, spoke with an expectant look.
“I’m all ready, Master!”
“You seem more excited than I am, Carla.”
“What’s good for Master is good for me too!”
“And your real reason?”
“I heard that ingredients rich in vitality also increase stamina in bed!”
“Okay. Let’s see if that’s true or not.”
She was being a bit blatant, but I decided to go along with Carla’s trick to distract me.
After all, there was nothing I could do about Elisha at this point anyway.
Unless I was going to storm the church that took her away.
With a smirk, I swallowed the Demonic Blood Pill in one gulp.
It melted the moment it touched my tongue, turning into a cream-like state that slid smoothly down my throat.
The moment I swallowed the pill—
Ding!
【You have consumed the elixir: Demonic Blood Pill.】
【Due to the trait: Medicinal Constitution, absorption becomes much easier.】
【Strength, Endurance, and Magic stats increase by one tier.】
Along with the sound of a bell, a concise notification window appeared before my eyes.
And that was it.
“……?”
“???”
Carla and I tilted our heads as we looked at each other.
Usually, when you consume an elixir, you have to go through a process of absorbing its energy.
Even in H&A, there was a mini-game to determine absorption efficiency, and now that it was reality, I should have had to manually settle the elixir’s energy into my mana core.
But now, without any of that, my body automatically accepted the energy of the Demonic Blood Pill the moment I swallowed it.
I checked my status window to see if this was really the end.
======================
Name: Yandel
Title: Clumsy Treasure Hunter
Basic Stats
Strength: 12 -> 13
Endurance: 12 -> 13
Agility: 13
Dexterity: 15
Magic: 19 -> 20
======================
I was greeted by my Magic stat, which had risen by another point despite having just increased recently, and my Strength and Endurance stats, which were now equal to my Agility.
Good heavens, it’s true.
I stared blankly at the status window for a moment.
Actually, the cause was clear. Hadn't the notification just said it was because of my Medicinal Constitution?
But the Medicinal Constitution trait was only supposed to increase the absorption efficiency of medicine by 10%…
“Ah.”
Does this mean it fixes the absorption rate at 110%?
In other words, it assumes I’ve cleared the mini-game at the highest rank as a baseline.
That’s why it was naturally absorbed into my body before I could even try to do anything.
It sounded impossible, but then again, so was the status window itself.
Just as I received system corrections from the status window when using magic, I could assume I’d receive them for elixir absorption from now on.
“Jackpot.”
Yeah. Life is about having something good happen when things are stressful.
I helped the still-bewildered Carla to her feet, a grin spreading across my face.
Next, it was time to verify the correlation between vitality and stamina that Carla had mentioned.
And so, I made an effort to turn my eyes away from Elisha’s problem for a while.
Ten days after lectures resumed without Elisha.
A sentence of slavery was decided for all the primary suspects in the Sylvan Magic Tower spirit summoning incident for attempted extra-dimensional contact.
Elisha was included among them.
…I could no longer just sit still.
“Carla. Get ready.”
It looked like I’d have to visit Gepp City again after a long time.