Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Dungeon Practice (3)

When I asked if I could bring Carla into the dungeon, what exactly did she imagine?

The surrounding students sent expressions mixed with shock and contempt.

It was fine. The arrows would be aimed at Elisha anyway.

“……”

But Elisha was looking this way with eyes full of suspicion. This was a bit tricky. It seemed like I had to talk to her.

I was contemplating when to bring it up, but Elisha moved as if she couldn’t wait any longer, leaving the classroom right after Iona announced the practicum schedule. She pushed aside her followers and approached me. Her demeanor was quite intimidating.

“Yandel, can we talk for a moment?”

“Huh? Ah… I appreciate the offer, Lady Glenchiel, but I have a prior appointment with a friend today…”

“Everyone knows you don’t have friends. Stop beating around the bush and come with me.”

“Tsk…”

Elisha grabbed my wrist and pulled it. It wouldn’t be difficult to shake off her delicate grip, but that would probably escalate things into a fight.

I didn’t want to create an oppositional stance to that extent, so I let myself be led by Elisha for the moment.

“Why are you standing there, dumbfounded? You come along, too.”

“Ah… Okay…”

Saying so, Elisha caught hold of Carla, who was just there looking at us.

And thus, as Elisha crossed the corridor, clutching Carla and me in each of her hands, the surroundings began to buzz again.

“Oh my, what’s happening this time?”

“Remember, this guy Yandel asked in the classroom this morning if he could take his slave to the dungeon. Isn’t it because of that?”

“Ah, that Yandel really lacks flexibility. In situations like this, he should act wisely and preserve Lady Elisha’s dignity.”

“Who knows… Maybe that commoner is discontent with Lady Elisha as well.”

It turns out they interpreted my wish to bring Carla to the dungeon as something ordered by Elisha.

That was my tiny act of defiance.

Honestly, this misunderstanding worked in my favor, but it also worried me. Rumors had already started rolling, focused more on generating interest than verifying facts. It was already out of my control.

But the biggest issue was that Elisha was right next to me.

Considering that I heard their conversation, her high-elf senses must have caught them more clearly.

However, Elisha just chuckled and didn’t shoot back at them.

She was a bit sulky toward us, though.

“Hmph! They’re talking nonsense just because I’m quiet.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I wonder where such baseless stories are coming from.”

“Oh, it’s from the whispers of discontent people who can’t accept their shortcomings.”

That was a rather sarcastic response.

She herself hadn’t yet overcome her feelings of inferiority toward Carla.

Or maybe that was why she was being even more sarcastic.

I chuckled and nodded.

“Exactly. How about you teach them a lesson, Lady Glenchiel? The rumors are getting out of hand.”

“Really? Are you sure I can do that?”

“…?”

What did she mean by that?

She wasn’t asking for my permission. There must be another meaning.

Unable to grasp her meaning, my eyes blinked for a moment.

Finally, Elisha sighed deeply and elaborated.

“I was asking if it’s really okay for me not to overturn these childish rumors on your behalf.”

“You knew?”

“Huh? What do you take me for? Did you think you could deceive the eyes of Elisha Silvan Glenchiel for over a month?”

“…”

Well, it would be more surprising if Elisha didn’t know.

I didn’t expect her to know and pretend otherwise.

“You looked like you didn’t know, though.”

“True. Initially, I thought such rumors about Lady Elisha would be trivial, so I shrugged them off. But now, it’s getting out of hand. People are starting to think that Lady Elisha can’t handle Carla and is frustrated about it.”

“Ah, yes. But what if I deny those rumors? What do you think will happen then, Yandel?”

“… Lady Elisha could break free from the malevolent perceptions?”

“Instead, you’ll have to bear all the jealousy directed at you.”

“…”

What was that supposed to mean?

It was like… she knew it all along but still wanted to protect me.

“Haha. I like that expression. You, who always seemed so obedient in front of me, are now revealing your true thoughts.”

Elisha nudged me with a chuckle and then spoke.

“Yandel, ordinary commoners can’t act as boldly as you do. No matter how talented they are, the academy doesn’t protect them after graduation.”

“I don’t think I necessarily need to act submissively either.”

“The fact that you can say that means you have something to believe in, doesn’t it? Given what I know about you, it seems you’re confident about your life after graduation.”

“…”

She had caught on.

Well, I was just an average college student who dug into H&A a bit more intensively.

Whereas Elisha had lived in the upper echelons since childhood and had seen all sorts of things.

Magicians weren’t politicians, but politics itself wasn’t all that grand to begin with.

It’s just what happens when people and interests converge. There was no need to shrink back just because my shallow intentions had been exposed.

Elisha was more friendly than I expected, but that didn’t change my plans.

Did she catch on to that, too? Then Elisha slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“That composed demeanor of yours is impressive. But it wouldn’t hurt to let you in on what you don’t know.”

Elisha said. She finally released my and Carla’s wrists, then opened a fan from her pocket and tapped it against her chin.

“You probably think you can handle it even if all of the first-year Class A students turn against you,” she continued.

“Well, yes…”

“What about the entire Magic Department?”

“???”

“Some professors might hold grudges over trivial matters, and upperclassmen could seek you out to pick a fight under the guise of training.”

“According to the academy’s rules…”

“Right, within the boundaries of the academy’s rules.”

“…”

I hadn’t thought that far.

“Carla has always been quite special within the Magic Department. Don’t you find it strange that nothing has happened in the past month since you started parading her around like a trophy?”

At this point, Carla, who had been silent, tilted her head.

“Uh, I don’t think I’m all that special.”

“Carla, you’ve always been like this. You’re so used to being loved that you don’t realize just how much you are cherished.”

Carla’s face twisted suddenly.

“Then why, when I was socially ostracized and expelled from the academy–”

“That’s different. One wrong move in social circles can bring down not just you but your whole family. Who would go to such lengths for just one woman?”

“Ah…”

Only then did Carla’s furrowed brows smooth over, as if she finally understood.

Seeing this, Elisha spoke to me in a much softer tone.

“The important thing is, there are still many people who think highly of Carla, and some might harbor misguided desires towards a woman who went from being ‘a flower on a cliff’ to a mere slave. But have any of them ever approached you?”

“No, they haven’t.”

A slave wasn’t considered a human being. Hence, if someone killed a slave, it wasn’t considered homicide but rather the destruction of property.

If stabbing with a knife was at that level, then what about ‘borrowing’ a commoner’s slave without their knowledge?

It wouldn’t be surprising if people thought they might as well just pay a little compensation.

Of course, unbeknownst to such individuals, Carla’s mana core was intact. Therefore, they’d end up in hot water, but the fact that nothing had happened was indeed peculiar.

And this was probably due to Elisha.

Messing with something owned by a commoner like me was entirely different from messing with something owned by Elisha, a High Elf and the heir to the Sylvan Magic Tower.

She was the one who tormented her, so others better not lay a hand on her.

That was the general feeling they got.

Elisha’s protection had been far more effective than I’d anticipated.

That was why I had to ask her again.

“Why are you doing so much for me, Lady Glenchiel?”

“It’s simple. Right now, the disdain and desires for Carla could become significant obstacles for you. But for me, it’s just a minor constraint that I’d always dealt with.”

“But you don’t have to take the blame for me.”

“Oh, but I have a reason.”

“You do?”

At my awkward question, Elisha stopped walking. Covering her mouth with her fan, she flashed a smug smile.

“Of course. You’d owe me a favor, wouldn’t you? You can think of it as an unofficial sponsorship.”

Elisha laughed heartily, her blue rolled-up hair fluttering as she went, “Ohohoho!”

…It was kind of cool.

“Yes, this is an investment to make Carla kneel under no one but me…!”

Ah, cancel that.

It wasn’t cool at all.

Elisha was filled with ulterior motives all along!

My momentary cynical chuckle was cut short. Elisha regained her serious composure and continued speaking.

“So, Yandel, I must ask about your intentions for taking Carla into the dungeon.”

“…What?”

“It’s important to me. Why exactly are you planning to take Carla into the dungeon? Without a mana core, she wouldn’t be of much use, would she?”

“Well… you see–”

“Don’t tell me you were planning to use her as bait? That would be problematic. Yes, really problematic. She could inadvertently be put into danger, you know.”

“No way.”

“Right. I knew you wouldn’t be that cold-blooded.”

“Thank you?”

“Also, contrary to random speculation, you’re not planning to do this and that with Carla in the dungeon, right? You have some degree of discernment, after all.”

“Uh…”

In truth, something had already happened in the dungeon of Gef City, so my response was understandably vague.

Did she notice?

Elisha, having said that much, narrowed her eyes and brought her face closer to my ear, as if she was about to whisper something.

Maybe my earlier reaction was too blatant?

Even if she had a general idea, Elisha, who only had basic-level knowledge of the details, might say something unexpected…

With a mix of worry and anticipation, I lent her my ear.

But the whisper that followed was something I didn’t expect at all.

“Did you leave Carla’s mana core intact, Yandel?”

“…..”

Uh, well.

I didn’t see that coming.