Chapter 91: Back to the Academy (3)
Chapter 91: Back to the Academy (3)
They say one lie leads to another.
The lies I’d told to hide the fact that I came from another world were piling up, growing into something massive.
…The problem was that it all sounded surprisingly plausible.
An unnervingly large amount of gold, a blind hostility toward cultists, and secret information that an ordinary person shouldn't know.
Add to that Carla’s testimony that I seemed to have inherited a Dragon Heart through atavism.
Isn't this a total lock?
If I were in their shoes, I would’ve been convinced of the ‘Yandel, the Sole Survivor of an Unknown Organization’ theory too.
I tried to deny it, for form's sake.
“Mhm. It’s okay. If that’s what you say, Master, then that’s how it is. Yes.”
“I did suspect there was something about you that wasn't quite like a commoner… Ah, but if you don't wish to reveal it, I shall respect your privacy.”
“Hooo… So that is why, despite Elisha’s request for a background check, you appeared so suddenly, as if you’d dropped straight from the heavens.”
They weren't buying my denials one bit.
The women were looking at me with strangely softened eyes, as if they’d just discovered a tragic past they never expected.
As I sat there, feeling complicated under their gaze, a thought suddenly struck me.
Wait. This… isn't actually bad, is it?
Things were moving in a different direction from the scenario I knew, but it was certain that many more events were yet to come.
Whenever those happened, I would act based on my knowledge of the H&A walkthroughs.
The people here were my slaves, so I could just force them to follow orders with Absolute Command.
However, there was a massive difference in efficiency between someone following orders while harboring doubts and someone moving because they were personally convinced.
Plus, having a backstory like this would be helpful when I needed aid from people who weren't my slaves.
Of course, real dragons would see through the lie instantly.
But by then, the war against the Evil God would be in full swing. Who would complain about me borrowing their name for a good cause?
By the time I finished that train of thought, the meal we’d ordered arrived. I shifted the subject with a deliberately awkward voice.
“Let’s eat first and talk more later.”
My conscience pricked me a little, but maintaining this misunderstanding seemed like a pretty good option.
*
Inside the carriage heading back to the Academy after the meal.
“Ahem. Now that we’ve finished the important talk, shall we discuss something else?”
“Something else? Do you have something to say?”
“Naturally, it is about the basics of Element Combination that you decided to learn, Master. I believe I promised to teach you later.”
“Ah.”
Right. I did say that.
“…What is with that look, Master? Don't tell me you forgot?”
“Maybe a little?”
“How cruel. This is a secret technique containing the very essence of the Sylvan Magic Tower.”
Iris looked a bit dejected. Seeing this, Elisha shot me a look that practically screamed for me to do something about it.
She really does love her master.
I stood up briefly and scooped up the grumbling Iris.
I sat her on my lap, facing me like a small child, and patted her back.
“I just had a lot on my mind and forgot for a second. Of course I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“…Master. Do you know how old I am?”
“Iris, do you know what this pattern on your neck means?”
Iris went quiet as I gently stroked the vine pattern engraved on her slender neck—the Slave Imprint.
You really shouldn't have dabbled in spirit summoning, then.
As I chuckled to myself, I felt an intense gaze coming from Carla’s direction.
“I’m jealous… I know how to sit on Master’s lap too…”
“Ahem. Master. I believe it is unbecoming of a superior to ignore the earnest desires of his most faithful slave.”
“Don't think you can use this as a chance to swap places with Carla. Your place for today is right here.”
“How could you…!”
After giving Iris’s bottom a light pat—much to her embarrassment—I turned my head toward Carla.
“Instead, Carla, you can lean your head on my shoulder while I learn from Iris. I’ll even let you play with my hair if you get bored.”
“Gasp… Really?!”
Carla’s ruby eyes widened, and she immediately clung to my side.
She seemed to be in a hurry, as if afraid I might take it back.
With a look of pure bliss, she began to gently stroke my head and fiddle with my ears through my hair.
“Hehehe…”
“…….”
It feels weird whenever Carla treats me like I’m cute.
I get it, though.
From Carla’s perspective, I probably look four years younger than her.
I wasn't the only one feeling it; the expressions of the others began to turn peculiar.
It was like reading a paper saying a platypus sleeps for an average of 14 hours, followed by another paper saying they spend 12 hours scouring riverbanks to hunt.
If you add those together, a day becomes 26 hours long.
Is this right…?
Anyway, at this rate, my dignity as a master was going to hit rock bottom.
I reached out my other arm and beckoned to Elisha.
“You come here too.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s your master’s lesson. Are you just going to watch? You should listen in.”
“…Even if Element Combination is a secret of the Sylvan Magic Tower, it’s a bit different from my specialty.”
I knew that.
Even if you leveled Elisha to the max in H&A, she never gained the Element Combination trait.
“Sit down anyway. It won't hurt to know.”
“No, I really…”
“Ahem.”
When I frowned slightly, Elisha flinched.
“…Are you asserting your authority just because you’re a little embarrassed right now, Yandel?”
“No? I just want to touch your thighs.”
“I’ll go, so just touch them moderately. There are other people here, you know.”
Elisha let out a deep sigh and pressed close to my side.
With Carla and Elisha flanking me and Iris sitting on my lap.
The faces of the Elf family, who had been watching this silently, twisted into bizarre expressions.
…Yeah. Looking at it now, it is a bit much.
But it would be pathetic to back out now.
“Master. Are you really going to continue like this?”
“Yeah. This much won't interfere with using magic. Besides, it’s my first time learning, so we’re just doing the basics, right?”
“Well… if you are fine with it, Master, then so be it.”
Iris nodded and cleared her throat a couple of times before continuing.
“Ahem. First, I shall explain the uniqueness of the Sylvan Magic Tower. As you know, Master, the tower was established for the purpose of researching elemental magic to replace the discarded art of spirit summoning.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, is there a reason you have to stick to elemental magic? If it’s just about making up for lost military power, there are plenty of other ways.”
“There are several reasons. First, spirit summoning is an elven instinct. Our innate elemental affinity is so high that we are unconsciously drawn to it… This can be somewhat satisfied through elemental magic, making it essential for modern elves.”
Coming from someone who became a slave while trying to summon a spirit, that carried some weight.
“Second, as I mentioned, elves have such high elemental affinity that they can reach great heights through elemental magic. It is only natural to utilize one’s aptitude.”
“That’s true.”
“The last reason is a bit more practical… Before the Great War, elves relied heavily on spirits.”
“I’ve heard.”
“It was likely much more extreme than you imagine, Master. I know because I lived through that era. Identification, currency, urban infrastructure, and so on. The entirety of elven society was rooted in spirit summoning.”
In such a situation, if spirit summoning suddenly vanished, it was obvious that society would be paralyzed.
With the entire Great Forest having been scorched once by the Great War already, the paralysis of their social systems would have been fatal for the elves.
“So, it was decided to replace spirit summoning with elemental magic. It is less efficient since someone has to cast the magic directly, but at least things would function as they did before.”
If I were to use an Earth example, it would be like oil suddenly being banned and having to be replaced with liquefied coal.
I wasn't sure if it was a perfect analogy, but I got the gist of it.
“For that reason, everything in the Sylvan Magic Tower is focused on elemental magic.”
“I know from sparring with Elisha a few times at the Academy. Those elemental forms near her head are part of that, right?”
“Correct. They are called the Shadow of Elements, a unique ability of the Elementus Core, a secret of the Sylvan Magic Tower. By imprinting a specific attribute onto the core, it assists with the power and speed of magic of that attribute.”
I already knew this, but Iris kept explaining fluently as I prompted her.
“All secrets of the Sylvan Magic Tower are predicated on the Elementus Core. Therefore, you likely won't be able to learn most of them, Master.”
“Because I won't have the assistance of the Shadow of Elements?”
“Exactly. However, there are a few things where elemental affinity itself is more important than the Shadow of Elements. One of those is…”
“Element Combination.”
“You remembered correctly.”
“Well, yeah. I’m the one learning it.”
More than anything, I was curious because it was a type of magic that never appeared in H&A.
Iris nodded with a satisfied expression at my answer.
“A good attitude. Now, to explain what Element Combination is… simply put, it is magic that combines desired properties and concepts from two or more attributes.”
“…You call that 'simply put'?”
“Hmm. It would be better to just show you once. Watch closely.”
As Iris extended her index finger, a small spark flickered to life.
It was Tinder, a basic magic I was familiar with.
However, as Iris circled her finger, the burning flame froze in place and hardened like a crystal.
“I’ve adjusted it so it isn't hot, so try touching it.”
I gripped the hardened Tinder as Iris instructed.
“Huh?”
As expected, it was hard. It felt like holding a pebble.
At the same time, I could tell instinctively.
This was still Tinder, a basic fire-attribute spell.
“I combined it with Terra, a basic earth-attribute spell. There is meaning in it simply being 'hard fire'… but it can also be used like this.”
Iris flicked her finger, sending the fire crystal out the window.
Then, she lightly snapped her fingers.
Clang!
Suddenly, the fire crystal exploded, scattering shards of flame in every direction.
The crystallization quickly wore off, and they turned back into ordinary sparks before vanishing into the air… but that wasn't the important part.
The important part was that almost no mana had been used for that explosion.
What did that mean? It meant you could produce much greater power with less mana.
Good god. What is this?
Seeing my stunned expression, Iris’s lips curled into a smirk.
“What do you think? Seems quite useful, doesn't it?”
“Yeah… that’s amazing.”
As a compliment, I stroked Iris’s ear.
“Hiee?! W-what so suddenly… Ahhh… You can't… not in front of my student and subordinate… Hiyang!”