Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Exam

In the softened atmosphere, Iona began to speak.

“Well then. I should be going soon, but… is it okay if I talk about something briefly before that?”

“It’s okay, but… what is it?”

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. It’s good news.”

Iona giggled, curling her middle finger and thumb to form a circle.

“This is going to be interesting.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Ah, I heard it from Carla. I prefer to receive payment in goods rather than money, if possible.”

“Hey… you’ve heard already? And what do you mean goods? Like an elixir?”

“Elixirs are good, and equipment too. Rare materials are fine as well.”

“Yep, yep. It seems Yandel isn’t struggling with money, so that’s probably better. Anyway… even if I run out of money, I have some saved up, so don’t worry!”

“Ahaha… that’s reassuring.”

Well, my inventory of gold was far from empty… but still, I was grateful for Iona’s willingness to share her wallet.

As the corners of my mouth slightly lifted, Iona, sitting on the bed, continued speaking while swinging her legs.

“After hearing about the rewards, you must know that points will be coming in. What will you do? Ask for a special privilege again, or just take the points?”

“Uh…?”

I had only thought about the bounty and merits from outside, completely forgetting about the points.

“Wait a moment, Professor. How many points am I receiving this time?”

“Huh? Oh? It seems like you didn’t hear!”

Getting first in one subject gives you 10 points. If you’re first in all subjects, you get an additional 100 points.

Normally, you receive points in the tens… or hundreds. That’s why even top students often don’t gather even 2,000 points by graduation.

That’s usually the case.

A high priest alone was worth 1,000 points.

Well… It’s rare to get all of them.

A high priest was at least as strong as an average senior magician. If it were a combat-focused order, then they would be even stronger.

Naturally, it wasn’t something a student could handle alone, and even if you defeated one, it usually required cooperation.

So, they calculate the contribution to the campaign and deduct that percentage from 1,000 points as payment.

If you contributed 10%, you’d receive 100 points, for example.

However, I alone defeated Melonia, and before that, I had brought down Sophia with Carla and Elisha.

The slaves would be treated as my possessions, effectively making it as if I had single-handedly defeated two high priests.

Adding to that, the vast number of monsters I’ve killed, helping Iona by feeding her blood during a slow death, and thwarting other high priests and the Cardinal Ayla…

I wasn’t sure how much of the contribution would be recognized, but it should be several thousand. Plus the 2,000, and the points I already had…

Could I possibly afford a fragment of a Dragon Heart before the first year ends? Those were worth 10,000 points.

It was too small to use as crafting material, so it had to be consumed as an elixir… But still, it was a Dragon Heart.

The effects were more than worth it.

My heart was thumping, and Iona made a V-sign with both hands and giggled.

“Believe it or not. The Director and I have agreed on giving you 8,000 points!”

“8,000?!”

More than half of the contribution had been recognized?!

“Yep, yep. The information Yandel brought in helped us raid the cult branch, and the information from there allowed us to ambush the meeting place, not to mention all the monsters we defeated and the combination of attacks from other high priests we thwarted. I appealed all that to the Director, and that’s what happened!”

“Even so, 8,000… Is that really okay?”

Thinking it over, this incident reduced each order’s high priests by one and even captured a cardinal.

It wasn’t yet time for an apostle appointment or the descent of an Evil God, so effectively, the cardinal was the maximum force.

Considering that the high priests represent the public’s strength, it was a considerable achievement.

Especially in the case of the Church of Intolerance, losing both an undead storage and a cardinal at once could be seen as losing half of their force.

Originally, this would’ve earned the blessing of a saint and the title of nemesis by about the third year.

Considering I could buy a Dragon Heart by the third year at the earliest, this reward seemed reasonable.

Since I had about 700 points left over, I only needed about 1,300 more to buy a fragment of a Dragon Heart.

Could I really buy it before the end of my first year?

While I was daydreaming happily, Iona suddenly popped up right in front of me.

Then she smiled broadly in what’s commonly called a ‘flower cup’ pose, her palm under her chin.

“How about that? Isn’t Professor Iona the best?”

“That’s… right?”

As her shining crimson eyes became too intense, I instinctively pulled my head back, but Iona’s face followed just as much.

I leaned back. She came closer. I leaned back again. She approached again.

Until my head hit the wall, and Iona almost climbed on top of me before finally letting out a long sigh.

“…You’ve worked hard. Is there anything you want?”

“Ah, ah. It’s not like I’m expecting something~ As a professor? As a senior? And now, as a lover? I just want proper treatment~”

Iona, deliberately dragging out her speech, finally removed her hand from her chin and placed it on my chest.

“All I want is nothing big. Just… now that I’m inseparably linked with Yandel, I want to share deeper stories.”

“Deeper stories, you mean?”

“About Yandel’s goals, those reinforcements in robes, or those past details that even the Academy can’t uncover.”

“…That’s certainly something we need to discuss at some point.”

When would be a good time? Next weekend… no, that’s just the first day of the vacation.

Unlike me, who could just leave when the vacation starts, Iona, being a professor, might have some work left.

But there was still some leeway on the date I promised Helena, so maybe we could meet in between.

I was organizing my thoughts internally, about to answer, when suddenly…

Bang!

“Ohohohoho! I heard you came to your senses, Yandel! I’ve prepared a lunchbox for breakfast, so let’s eat together! Of course, the Academy’s food might taste better, but you don’t have a choice! I’ve already packed it…!”

For some reason, Elisha, bursting with energy, forcefully opened the door and appeared.

“Eh…”

Upon discovering Iona and me, her eyes went blank.

“Huh? Eh? That? Over there? Yandel? Professor Iona? You’re not even in combat, right? Why? Huh?”

Like a malfunctioning machine, she sputtered, then dropped her ever-present fan…

“Aaah! Force Grab!”

I caught it with telekinesis before it fell, and even brought Elisha over to sit beside me.

Iona, reading the situation quickly, scurried away, making space for Elisha to sit.

“…Ah! I was so surprised I made a mistake.”

Elisha, regaining her composure, straightened up and spoke in an elegant tone.

“You’ve come to visit the patient first, Professor. On behalf of Yandel’s slaves, I thank you.”

“Right. Right. Now that I think about it, I haven’t really talked to Elisha since she became a slave! I’m glad to see you’re doing well!”

“Oh? Do I look that way? Oh, dear, I tried not to show it because it’s something for later.”

While she said this, the twitching of her lips seemed slightly happy.

Whatever the future held, she was subtly making it clear that ours wasn’t just an ordinary master-slave relationship.

Iona’s eyes twinkled like a cat spotting a rolling ball, clearly intrigued.

Meanwhile, Elisha, unaware of Iona’s gaze, cautiously continued.

“But about earlier, there must have been some reason for it, right? Surely, there isn’t a professor who would pounce on a student within the Academy. It wasn’t an emergency like before…”

“Ah? Ah? That’s right. There’s a reason here! Yep. A very hot and intense reason.”

Iona smiled faintly, rubbing her lower abdomen, causing Elisha to tremble again, seemingly rebooting after her initial shock.

With a smirk, Iona spoke to Elisha in a calm voice.

“Listen, Elisha. Here’s what happened…”

“Reason… Reason… Reason…”

Elisha muttered to herself, even as Iona spoke to her. Iona had accidentally chosen the wrong words.

Iona tried to redirect her attention quickly, but Elisha’s outburst was quicker.

“…Waaaah!!”

What was she thinking? Like a platypus awkwardly wandering on land and then getting snatched by an eagle, Elisha let out a pitiful scream.

“Waaah! Waaah! Waa…!”

I couldn’t understand her, but her sorrow was palpable.

I hurriedly hugged her and patted her back, but even then, Elisha’s panic did not easily subside.

And the actual instigator of this situation, Iona, said,

“Sorry! Sorry! Something urgent came up, so I have to go first! I’ll bring the necessary documents tonight, so see you then!”

Waving her hand, she made a swift escape.

“I’ll see about that later… really…!”

“Haha! Also, although you couldn’t take the exam due to receiving treatment, I’ve marked you as having full marks for your performance! Now, really, goodbye!”

Iona disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving me to sigh deeply.

And Elisha, pressing her forehead against my chest, wailed.

“Waaaah!!”

Oh.

This is driving me crazy.

Only after I promised Elisha that no matter how many women there were, I wouldn’t neglect her, did she finally regain her ability to speak.