Chapter 94: Mis?understanding (2)
Chapter 94: Mis?understanding (2)
Even if her underlying logic was that anything goes as long as she gets to crush some cultists in the process.
The fact that Iona had granted me a week-long leave of absence for the absurd reason of "buying Elisha" was a clear sign of her favor.
And kindness should be repaid in kind.
Rather than putting it off until tomorrow, I decided to report to her before heading back to the dormitory, even if I was a bit exhausted.
That was how we ended up at Iona’s laboratory.
“You’re here, you’re here! You got back sooner than I thought!”
Iona, dressed in pajamas, greeted us warmly while lounging around.
Specifically, she was lounging inside a massive coffin.
“…You look remarkably comfortable.”
“Does it bother you? Hmm? Does seeing this professor in such a defenseless state bother you that much?”
“Defenseless? Where?”
She was wearing clothes so baggy they could hide even a vampire’s characteristically explosive curves, yet she still said things like that…
To me, she just looked cute overall.
She was probably trying to diffuse her racial trait of charm as much as possible.
“More importantly, wasn’t this a laboratory? Do you actually live here?”
“No way, no way. I have a house, so I usually stay there. It’s just that a very special item arrived today. Yes, yes.”
Iona nodded to herself, beaming.
A special item?
Only after hearing that did I take a closer look at the coffin she was sitting in.
It wasn't a normal casket; various wires and cables were connected to it from all directions.
Given the faint glow of mana emanating from it, it looked like she was conducting some kind of experiment with the thing.
Perhaps those pajamas were also necessary for the experiment?
…Or maybe she just wore them because they were comfortable.
Since her behavior was usually so far from ordinary, I found myself considering both possibilities.
While I was lost in thought for a moment—
“Hup!”
Without using her hands, Iona used her core strength to snap her upper body upright. She grinned at me and then at Elisha, who was standing stiffly behind me.
“You really did buy Elisha? Wasn’t she expensive?”
“It was a manageable amount.”
I shrugged nonchalantly, and Iona clapped her hands in delight.
“That’s a relief! Truly! By the way, Elisha?”
“Ye-yes?”
Elisha, perhaps feeling awkward facing Iona as a slave rather than a student, shrank back, her hand instinctively going to the slave imprint on her neck.
However, Iona ignored Elisha’s reaction and continued speaking in her usual tone.
“Unlike Carla, you still have a lot to learn at this Academy, don’t you? I don’t know about the other professors, but I don’t care about your status, so feel free to visit me whenever you have questions!”
“Professor…!”
Elisha’s eyes sparkled with a hint of touched emotion.
After that, we shared some brief small talk. By the time we were ready to leave, Iona even handed me a summary of the lecture materials from the past week.
Good grief.
Even with Carla and Elisha around, I had braced myself for the struggle of catching up on a week's worth of missed classes.
“To think you’d prepare something like this…”
“Hehe. I’m the best, right? Of course, of course. And Yandel-student, you know what you have to do, right?”
“Of course. I’ll slaughter every cultist I lay eyes on!”
“Good, good! That’s the spirit! I’m a professor who’s always ready to play favorites with my students!”
Iona chuckled, making it clear she was willing to grant me any convenience as long as I continued to achieve results.
Mm-hmm. A true educator, indeed.
After exchanging suspicious smiles, we parted ways.
I was finally heading to the dormitory to get some real rest when—
“Gasp…!”
I suddenly ran into a female student I didn’t recognize.
Judging by the sandwich in her hand, she must have been out buying a snack after class.
She froze, looking back and forth between me, Carla, and Elisha. I waited to see if she had something to say, but then—
Thud.
She dropped her sandwich—which she’d only taken one bite of—and bolted away.
What was that about?
*
The next morning.
I woke up feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep and prepared for school.
Elisha hesitated a bit, but we still managed to leave the dormitory on time.
Whisper, whisper.
“Look over there. I guess the rumor about Lady Elisha returning to the Academy was true.”
“Hey, don’t call her ‘Lady.’ She’s just a slave now.”
“I know, but… is there some kind of curse on the Magic Department’s top spot? How has it happened to two of them already…?”
The students were all whispering while looking our way.
This feeling of being the center of attention wherever I go… it’s been a while.
I expected it, but the reaction was more intense than I thought.
The rumors must have spread quickly, likely thanks to that female student I ran into yesterday.
“Elisha. Everyone seems very interested in you.”
“Please… please be quiet, Yandel! I know!”
The vivid slave imprint on her neck and the maid uniform she wore instead of her usual school uniform made Elisha’s face turn beet red.
Well, it made sense. Elisha had always been looked up to by those around her.
Being subjected to these kinds of stares was bound to be flustering.
However, she had said she was prepared for this.
Before long, Elisha’s posture began to change.
She straightened her back, lifted her chin high, and walked beside me with an air of elegance.
In an instant, a sense of nobility radiated from her—something that couldn't be hidden by a servant’s outfit or a slave brand.
It was as if her entire body was proclaiming that even if she had become a slave, she was still Elisha Sylvan Glenziel.
At this point, the whispering around us died down slightly, and everyone just stared at her in a daze.
It was that innate dignity that Carla also occasionally displayed.
Watching her, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I whispered softly to Carla.
“Carla, Carla.”
“Yes, Master. Your Carla is here. What is it?”
“Come to think of it, aren't you more used to acting like that too?”
“Hmm… I suppose so? I lived as a noble my whole life, after all.”
Of course, most of those traces had likely been erased through slave education. But still.
“I don’t mind if you hold your head a little high, so feel free to act however you’re comfortable.”
“Hehe… thank you for your consideration, Master. But I’m not really uncomfortable with how I am now. And besides…”
“Besides?”
Carla looked at me, tilting her head, and curled the corners of her mouth into a playful smirk.
“If I acted like that, I’d overlap with Elisha, wouldn’t I? I want to be an irreplaceable slave to you, Master.”
“…….”
You sly little fox.
As I suppressed the urge to reach out and pet her right then and there, I heard Elisha’s exasperated voice from beside me.
“Carla, you… do you really have no shame?”
“You’ve done much worse things with Master, so why act shy now—mph!”
“Why are you bringing that up here?! Be quiet!”
Elisha hurriedly covered Carla’s mouth. Her previous air of dignity and composure had long since vanished.
Perhaps the crowd lost interest seeing them act so friendly.
As we approached the Class A lecture hall, the stares from the surrounding students began to lose their intensity.
I hadn't intended for that, but it was a relief.
But just as I was breathing a sigh of relief inwardly…
I realized that humans are creatures that will find something to gossip about no matter what.
The attention that had been focused on Elisha began to shift toward me.
“By the way, who is that guy? Wasn’t he a commoner?”
“Idiot! That’s Yandel! The freshman who took down Edmerec!”
“Aha? But regardless of his ability, he’s still a commoner. How on earth did he buy her? Elves are expensive.”
“…This is a secret, but my uncle went to the Gepp Auction House recently and heard some things.”
Eventually, stories from relatives who had visited the auction house began to circulate.
Sweeping the auction. Buying a set of elf slaves. An immediate cash transaction of 100,000 gold, and so on.
Perhaps this was more exciting than Elisha’s unexpectedly plain appearance.
The crowd, which had quieted down, began to buzz with excitement again, this time about me.
“I’ve been thinking this for a while, but why do Academy students love rumors so much?”
“It’s because there isn’t much else to do. Everyone lives in the dorms except on weekends, right? Naturally, they focus on the gossip inside the Academy.”
“Hmm…”
When she put it that way, it made sense.
“Come to think of it, Elisha, you must have gone through this too.”
“Oh? Are you finally understanding what kind of bad reputation I endured for your sake? And I even became a slave because of it.”
“That’s why I took responsibility and bought you, didn’t I? More importantly, do you have any advice on how to handle this?”
I had expected Elisha to be the subject of gossip, but I never imagined I would be the target.
I could endure a hit to my reputation if necessary, but this wasn't exactly that kind of situation.
“Hmm… I suppose the best way is to suppress them with sheer skill.”
“It’s just as Elisha says. If you think about it, Master, this is your first class since the dungeon practice, isn't it?”
“In other words, while people may have heard of your achievements, no one really knows your actual strength unless they’re Class A students who fought alongside you.”
“If you look closely, the people talking over there are all faces we’ve never seen before, right? And if you listen to what they’re saying, it’s all just idle curiosity.”
“If you clearly show them what an incredible mage you are and what heights you’ll reach in the future, they’ll all shut up on their own.”
“It was the same when Elisha was at her peak, wasn't it? People might have whispered behind her back, but no one dared to say anything to her face.”
“Of course, if someone insults you openly, do not tolerate it. That is a matter of honor.”
Carla and Elisha took turns speaking, continuing the conversation seamlessly.
It seemed they were both used to this kind of thing; the solutions just kept pouring out.
To summarize: there’s no need to respond immediately, just make them shut up naturally.
However, if anyone crosses the line, crush them.
That was about it.
Give your best to the task at hand. What a simple way to solve things.
…That was why I failed to anticipate it.
Just how wild and how far the rumors would spread before people finally learned to mind their own business.