Chapter 80: I Bought Her, So I Came Again
Chapter 80: I Bought Her, So I Came Again
I pondered how to best explain the situation to Elisha before finally opening my mouth.
"Ta-da! Surprise!"
"..."
I gave an awkward laugh, but Elisha only responded with a chilling stare.
Hey, come on. Don't look at me like that.
I just couldn't think of a better line!
I scratched the back of my head, feeling a bit sheepish, but the levity didn't last long. Elisha bit her lip so hard it looked like it might bleed.
"You... did you really want to toy with me that much?"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head at her unexpectedly sharp reaction. Elisha continued, her voice cold and biting.
"You certainly made it sound like you were acting cruel on purpose because you were worried someone might find out."
"No, I wasn't just 'making it sound' like that. That’s actually what happened."
"...But that smile you wore in the carriage while looking at my face, Yandel—that was genuine. And the words you said to the manager at the auction house were filled with such conviction."
"That was..."
"The greater the hope, the deeper the despair. Did you want to plant a seed of expectation in me just to crush it?"
"It wasn't about expectation; I wanted you to feel relieved."
"Ha! Well, too bad. I won't be fooled by you anymore."
The only ones I was trying to fool were the cultists hiding in my shadow. ...Of course, Elisha ended up getting fooled in the process.
Elisha’s blue eyes sparkled with a fierce resolve, as if her spirit had never been broken in the first place.
"Fine! Do whatever you want! You might be able to do as you please with my body, but you will never have my heart!"
"Excuse me...?"
She’s actually saying that line?
As if to provoke me, Elisha spread her arms wide and made a grand declaration.
"I will never give you the reaction you're looking for!"
"Hup."
Squish.
"Kyaaaaaah! Where do you think you're touching?!"
"Where? Your chest, obviously."
Squish, squish.
Hmm. Are they a bit smaller than Carla's? On the other hand, Elisha seems to have the upper hand when it comes to her thighs.
I found myself repeatedly kneading them, almost subconsciously trying to gauge the difference between her and Carla.
"Ugh... ah..."
"Ah."
The small moan escaping Elisha’s lips snapped me back to reality.
Now is not the time for this.
I hurriedly pulled my hand away, but it was too late. Elisha, completely misunderstanding my intentions, was trembling with shame and helplessness as she glared at me.
"Y-You actually touched them... You massaged them so recklessly... A place I've never allowed anyone to touch, and you just grabbed them so crudely...!"
"It wasn't that crude, was it...?"
"You're planning to ravage me, aren't you?! Like a beast... just like that book I read in the library, [100 Days Until the Lady Becomes a Bitch]!"
You read that too?
What kind of place is the Academy library, making a girl who only had PG-rated sexual knowledge spout lines like that?
"But don't you dare look down on me, Elisha Sylvan Glenziel! Even if a hundred years pass, let alone a hundred days, I will never yield to the likes of—mmph! Mmmph!"
"That's enough, you foolish disciple! Like it or not, we are slaves now. Why do you keep provoking him!"
Iris, who had quickly moved to restrain the spiraling Elisha, bowed her head repeatedly to apologize to me.
"Master. Elisha's faults are my faults as her teacher. So please, instead of this young child, let the punishment fall on me."
"Wait, Elisha and I are the same age, aren't we?"
"Considering the lifespan of a High Elf, she is essentially a five-year-old by human standards."
What kind of nonsense is that? That’s like saying since a platypus lives to be seventeen, a sixteen-year-old platypus is like an eighty-year-old human. No! It’s just a sixteen-year-old platypus!
"Sigh..."
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. Seeing this, Carla leaned in and whispered into my ear.
"Master, Master."
"What?"
"That line Elisha just said was just a slightly modified version of a line from [100 Days Until the Lady Becomes a Bitch]. She must have really enjoyed it."
"..."
"Well, I suppose your first erotic novel—I mean, 'adult romance novel'—can be quite stimulating."
I made a mental note to visit the library as soon as I returned to the Academy. It wasn't because I was curious about fantasy world smut, absolutely not. I was just excited to see what kind of books the continent's top educational facility had to offer.
Anyway, the situation was getting increasingly chaotic. I needed to set things straight.
"[Everyone, be quiet.]"
"..."
The room fell silent instantly. The only sound was the anxious breathing of the slaves, who had been reminded all too clearly who held their leashes.
I looked directly into Elisha’s blue eyes and spoke.
"I'll say it again. That 'Elf Ranch' thing was a lie."
Even though I stated it so clearly, Elisha still looked skeptical. Iris and the other elves were the same.
Well... I suppose even if they knew Elisha had been unfairly enslaved, they couldn't imagine it was a frame-up. It made sense, in a way. There are no corrupt clergy in the Church of the Good God. The moment they become corrupt, they lose their holy power and are expelled—or worse, struck down by divine punishment.
Thus, the common consensus in this world is that the clergy are trustworthy.
...And that was exactly the gap the cultists exploited to infiltrate.
"You think Elisha’s reputation at the Academy was so bad that the investigators made a mistake... right?"
The elves nodded silently, but I firmly denied it.
"This wasn't a mistake; it was a frame-up. A frame-up orchestrated by a cultist who infiltrated the Church Alliance."
"!!!"
Elisha and Iris were so shocked their mouths hung open, revealing their bright pink tongues. I barely suppressed the urge to tease them and was about to explain further when...
Tug, tug.
A faint touch pulled at my sleeve. Carla was looking up at me with an expectant expression.
"You want a kiss? I'm in the middle of something important. Just wait a—"
"Mmph! Mmm-mmph!"
Carla shook her head violently.
"Sigh... just for a second, okay?"
I tickled her under the chin, and her sharp, tense eyes melted into a languid gaze. For a moment, she looked like she was about to throw herself at me, but then she snapped out of it, grabbed her own chin, and shook her head again.
"Not that either? Then what is it? Why aren't you speaking... Ah, you were included in the command, weren't you?"
"Mmph mmph!"
"[Carla, you may speak now.]"
"Phew! Everyone, did you see that? This is the kind of person Master is, so don't be too scared! It’s not like what Elisha said—he’s not the type to give you hope just to stab you in the back."
"...Is that why you wanted me to release you? You're a bit late to the party."
"No? Since I was the one who suggested the acting at the auction house, I thought it would be better if I explained. Besides, Master, your image is a bit... unstable right now, no matter what you say."
"And whose fault is that...? Fine, whatever. If you're going to explain, it saves me the breath. I'll leave it to you."
"Yes! Leave it to me!"
Carla began with a bright smile.
"Let's see... First, I should tell you about the goals of the Boiling Silence cult..."
Carla’s clear voice filled the room.
*
"And that’s how it happened."
Carla finished her explanation with a beaming smile. The content itself was accurate... though she had beautified my actions to an absurd degree.
Asking Iona for the leave of absence was framed as my resolve to turn my back on the Academy, and my blatant spending at the auction house was portrayed as me sacrificing my post-graduation safety.
As for the "Elf Ranch" madness, she described it as a case of me "becoming a monster to hunt monsters"... or something like that.
Being glorified to such an extent made my face feel hot with embarrassment. As I fanned myself to cool down, I saw Elisha hesitating.
"[You can speak again now.] What is it, Elisha?"
"Um... Yandel? So... you really..."
I waited for her to finish, but she just fidgeted with a red face, unable to get to the point. Iris, seemingly frustrated by the delay, stepped in.
"First, my greetings are a bit late, but it has been a long time, Lady Lindelheit. I did not expect to meet you like this."
"Please just call me Carla for now."
"I understand, Carla. Thank you for the explanation. I am truly glad the Lindelheit magic has not been extinguished."
Then, she bowed politely toward me.
"Master. I understand now that we were gravely mistaken. However, the fact remains that I am a slave and you are the master. Therefore, I must ask again... why did you buy us?"
"There are several reasons, but basically, you were a bonus that came with Elisha."
"A bonus?"
"Elisha is a talent so great that the Boiling Silence cult would go out of their way to break her wings. The fact that she’s been good to me until now is another reason."
"...You paid 100,000 gold for such reasons? You could have just bought Elisha alone."
"What do you mean 'just'? These are major matters to me. And while I called you a bonus, having one high-ranking mage and three intermediate mages will be useful in many ways."
"Now that I think about it, Carla was using magic. Could it be...?"
"Yeah. I plan to leave your mana cores intact. You said it yourself earlier, didn't you? That you'd give up all your secrets and everything else. My elemental affinity is quite high, though not as high as an elf's. I'm going to scrape every bit of knowledge out of you, so be prepared."
"O-On the contrary, that is what I hoped for. Since I disappeared so suddenly, several secret arts of the Sylvan Magic Tower were at risk of being lost. It is good that they can be passed on this way."
I chuckled and waved my hand at Iris, who was nodding with a dazed expression.
"Don't get too happy. Primarily, I'll be using you as research shuttles and bodyguards... but regardless, I'm going to work you like slaves. You know the deal, right? You are Elisha’s hostages, but at the same time, Elisha is your hostage."
"Do not worry. I have already accepted that."
Iris nodded calmly. Looking behind her, the other three elves had similarly composed expressions. Since they had actually tried to summon spirits, I suppose they were ready to accept the consequences. A good attitude.
"I sent the coachman back for now, but until we return to the Academy, we move under the assumption that the Boiling Silence is watching us from somewhere. Keep that in mind."
"I will remember. We shall refrain from any conspicuous behavior."
"Good, good. That’s all I wanted to say! Now, you three, go to the next room and have a family reunion or whatever."
Though they looked puzzled, the three bowed slightly and headed to the adjacent room as ordered. Sensing something, Elisha, who had been hesitating all this time, asked in an anxious voice.
"Yandel...? Why did you only leave me and my Master behind?"
"Ah, I'm not really into NTR."
"???"
She didn't seem to understand, so I decided to be more explicit.
"I might be giving you some slack... but at the end of the day, you're the slaves and I'm the master."
"That... is true."
"And you were very expensive slaves, weren't you?"
"W-Wait. Surely...?"
I smirked at Elisha, who instinctively covered her chest as she finally caught on.
"I bought you, so I have to let it out."