Chapter 26: Chapter 26: This Entrance Exam Is Safe (4)

Unfortunately, my trick in the tutorial was blocked at the 23rd round by the Iron Centipede.

The Iron Centipede was a monster the size of a large dog, covered in metal armor, known for its strong defense.

Wind Cutter, like most wind-based magic, was fast and discreet but lacked raw power.

Even at full charge, I couldn’t completely cut through the Iron Centipede’s armor. I died, unable to defeat the enraged monster, and that was where the test ended.

Ah, there were no ambush attacks during the process.

Pietro must have either postponed or aborted the ambush plan when he died.

“Would this be enough to get into Class A?”

“Uh, yes. Your score is similar to mine when I enrolled. You can go wherever you want.”

Was Professor Meikin uncomfortable because I used a trick, or was there another issue? Although he looked quite nervous…

But since I managed to get as far as the Iron Centipede, he handed me the acceptance papers and the Academy guidebook right then and there.

In the meantime, I put them in my inventory and headed to the restaurant Carla liked, as promised.

Everything was going as planned.

The only issue was…

“So, Carla, why did you avoid my gaze earlier?”

“Uh, well…”

“Were you embarrassed by my perfect strategy?!”

Carla was startled and shook her head quickly as I shouted abruptly.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it was embarrassing! What’s cowardly about taking on a monster? But I was just a little scared, thinking maybe Master enjoys other people’s pain, having twisted tastes…”

“What? If it’s about torturing monsters, what’s the point?”

“Was tormenting me fun?”

“Yes, it was fun for me. But why did you think that way?”

“Well, you were smiling in front of a dying goblin. You did the same when you unexpectedly defeated the bishop of the God of Tainted Unity before…”

“No, that’s not it.”

I had already thwarted the schemers’ plans before even enrolling in the academy and could have skipped the unskippable tutorial.

More than that, I reincarnated three years earlier than the original timeline, finally allowing me to benefit from my hardships despite not being able to make full use of my game knowledge.

Above all, for someone who lived in a world without magic, experiencing a magical duel was overwhelmingly exhilarating.

So I was naturally excited.

However, I couldn’t precisely articulate why I was so thrilled. Maybe that was why my choice of words became a bit odd.

“…The only good schemer is a dead one! The same goes for monsters!”

“Heeek! So you’re not relishing in the suffering but in the killing?! Save me! I’m neither a schemer nor a monster! I’m your faithful pet slave! Woof woof!”

“……”

I felt glances from the surrounding people because of Carla’s screams.

Was she not just panicking but secretly making fun of me?

I sighed deeply and pulled Carla’s cheek strongly.

“Heeeeeek!”

“Shush. If you don’t quiet down, we’re ditching the restaurant and heading straight back to the inn. Got it?”

“…Mm!”

She immediately covered her mouth with her hand and sneaked a glance at me.

It was effective.

“……”

Avoiding Carla’s ‘how much longer do we have to do this’ look, I headed toward the restaurant.

“You can talk now.”

Only after we arrived at the restaurant did I finally let go of Carla’s mouth.

“Puah…!”

And then she spoke while gasping for air,

“Master! Can I eat a lot?!”

“You can eat until your stomach bulges like last time. But if you gain weight, you’ll have to lose it, so control yourself.”

“Don’t worry. People with mana cores or aura cores don’t gain weight!”

“Really?”

“Yes! The principle behind it is…”

According to Carla, mana and aura naturally maintain a healthy body. If too much fat accumulates, it automatically burns off.

“But there are exceptions, of course.”

“Yeah, I get the idea.”

Her chests weren’t Mana Bags, right?

I talked to Carla while following the staff’s guidance into a secluded room.

Since important people often visited this place, there were several rooms where you didn’t have to worry about prying eyes.

After ordering some food at Carla’s suggestion, I pulled out a booklet from my inventory that I’d received earlier.

Then Carla, who had been humming to herself while waiting for the food, suddenly brightened her ruby-colored eyes.

“Ah! Master, are you reading that?”

“Yeah. I’ll be attending the Academy soon, so I might as well take a look.”

Actually, this guidebook also existed in the game.

It was a kind of document item that contained the Academy’s rules and features of different departments.

I remembered everything thanks to my exceptional memory, but I should double-check in case something had changed.

As I was flipping through the pages, Carla cautiously spoke up.

“Um…Master? Did you know? I was the top student at the Academy before becoming your slave.”

“Huh?”

Confused by her sudden statement, I looked up to see Carla proudly pointing at herself with her thumb.

“If you have any questions or anything you don’t know about the Academy, just ask me! I can even tell you all the answers to the exam! What do you think? Aren’t I much more useful than that booklet?”

“……”

She was jealous of a booklet? Really?

Although it was a bit odd, she wasn’t wrong. So, I put the booklet back into my inventory.

A quick scan showed me that the contents hadn’t changed significantly from my memories.

Did she want me to ask her various questions?

Carla pounded her chest and said,

“Ask me anything, Master!”

She was trying to look reliable, but her shaking chest was more distracting than reassuring.

I briefly admired Carla’s bouncing chest before slowly opening my mouth,

“Let’s start with the immediate issue at hand.”

“Ah! Yes! Is it about choosing a major? Don’t worry about that. In the first year, you only have department divisions, not specialized courses. Then you can take various classes and choose a major that suits you best in your second year…”

“How should I go about tormenting you, as Elisha Sylvan Glenchiel instructed me to do?”

“……”

Carla, who had been enthusiastically talking, abruptly closed her mouth.

She then started to scrutinize my expression while trembling.

“Ah, as expected, I should, right? If you get targeted by Glenchiel, you will have a hard time, Master… It’s okay. If it’s for Master’s sake… But could you be a little gentle in inflicting the pain, Master…?”

Upon saying that, Carla’s shoulders drooped, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She looked as pitiable as a stray kitten who was not only abandoned but also caught in the rain.

After silently observing her for a moment…

“Tsk.”

Thump!

“Yelp!”

I lightly flicked Carla’s nose.

Carla, not knowing why she was flicked, covered her nose with a bewildered look.

A sigh naturally escaped my lips as I looked at her.

“Sigh… You don’t really have to go through with it, you know.”

“What…?”

“Just pretend you’ve been through some rough stuff at night, that’s all.”

“???”

I realized only after seeing Carla blink in confusion that the concept of deceiving someone was utterly foreign to her. She was truly naive.

“Think about it. If Elisha doesn’t snoop around my room, she would have no idea what I order you to do at night.”

“Well, yes, but she might deduce from my usual reactions or lingering injuries… and she could have other servants spy on you.”

“True. But that also means we just have to pay attention to your reactions, injuries, and what she can find in my room.”

“…Huh?”

Carla’s eyes widened, as if this idea had never occurred to her. Deceiving Elisha wouldn’t be easy, since she wasn’t a fool. However, there shouldn’t be any issue, even if we get caught.

“As a student of the Academy, there’s a limit to what Elisha can do to me directly. Even more so if I refuse her immoral command to torment you.”

“Still, Master, that only means she can opt to use indirect methods, you know?”

“I’m aware. If Elisha begins to exert her influence seriously, it will be a hassle. That’s why I plan on deceiving her just enough.”

“And?”

“If she starts pressuring us, we only need to hold out for three months.”

“What? Three months? What happens after that?”

“I can’t say it now, but by then, Elisha won’t have the time or ability to concern herself with us.”

Elisha might still be a high elf by lineage, but in the elf society, the high elves were only revered for religious reasons. They didn’t hold a distinct social rank. Moreover, religions tend to become strict once they lose their innocence. The elves would abandon Elisha just for being involved in taboo research.

“In other words, even if the worst comes to the worst, we’ll manage if we can hold out for three months. So, how about it?”

Carla, who was about to say something, seemed convinced and nodded her head.

“Okay, I will follow your guidance, Master. So, what should I do specifically?”

“Easy. Remember the slave training you underwent before being sold to me?”

“Yes? How could I forget that?”

As Carla trembled at the memory, I gently grasped her shaking hand and offered the softest smile I could muster.

“Let’s act according to that training for just three months. I guarantee that if you behave like you did when I first bought you, no one will suspect a thing.”