Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Freshman Hides A Slave (1)

Ever since falling for Carla’s provocation or temptation, we’d spent meaningful time locked up in an inn room.

By day, I learned magic from Carla. And by night, I was intimate with Carla. Occasionally, we talked about life at the Academy.

All the way until today, the day of the entrance ceremony.

…Come to think of it, Carla had really been working hard.

And this was the result.

【Status Window】

Name: Yandel

Title: Lost Foreigner

Basic Abilities

Strength: 11

Endurance: 10

Agility: 12

Talent: 14

Mana: 18

Traits

Endless Mana (A)

Elemental Affinity (B)

Excellent Memory (B)

Clumsy Weapon Skills (E)

Lintblum Mana Core (C)

Low-level Mage (D)

Blessing of the Sun God (C)

My mastery of basic magic increased, the types of lower-level magic I learned expanded, and my mage traits grew by one level.

Now, when I use magic, I can expect to receive a bit more help from the status window.

If I further improved my mastery of lower-level magic, I could raise my mage traits to a C-grade. But to reach the next level, a B-grade, I would need to learn intermediate magic.

I’d only casually heard about the theories of intermediate magic from Carla, and honestly, I didn’t understand a bit of it.

Trying to gain hands-on experience with lower-level magic with Carla’s help would also be difficult.

Intermediate magic was something that Carla could only perform by giving it her all. There was hardly any room left for core resonance and mana guidance.

It was more peculiar that I was currently breezing through basic magic. This was at a far quicker pace than in any game.

That meant that from now on, I would have to learn magic by directly practicing it myself.

Once I succeeded in casting it, it would get registered in the ‘Status Window,’ and I could use it as freely as other magic.

So far, I haven’t learned magic from Carla through firsthand experience. It was more like one-on-one tutoring. The more I really thought about it, the more I realized how hard Carla worked.

Even at this very moment, Carla was diligently performing morning oral activities between my legs. Then, I gently stroked her head.

“…Hm?”

Carla looked up at me, somewhat puzzled by the unexpected touch, but soon resumed her task with a sly smile.

Not long after, I tightly held the back of Carla’s head, overwhelmed by the rising sensation.

“Ah…!”

Carla looked surprised for a moment but complied, taking me deep into her mouth. After allowing a small amount to flow into Carla’s throat, I finally let her go.

“Phew… How do you feel, Master? Refreshed?”

“Yes, thanks to you. Good job, Carla.”

“Hehe…”

I pulled a handkerchief from my inventory and wiped her mouth. She closed her eyes, appearing to enjoy my touch. How cute.

Only after meticulously cleaning Carla’s face did I get out of bed to change my clothes.

Since today was the entrance ceremony, I was in casual clothes, but from tomorrow on, I would have to wear the Academy’s designated uniform.

It was a strange feeling, considering I never thought I’d wear a uniform again after graduating from high school.

Finally, Carla and I helped each other straighten our outfits.

“Ah, right. I haven’t said anything about it because I thought you’d understand, but don’t treat anyone you meet at the Academy the same way you used to, okay?”

“Yes. The rule that you can’t give or receive unfair treatment based on rank applies only to students, after all.”

Carla responded, seemingly waiting for the moment to say that, and continued,

“I’ll be attending as a servant, so I’ll make sure not to cause you any inconvenience, Master.”

“Good, I trust you with that. However…”

“Is there something bothering you, Master?”

“Are you sure you don’t need to drink a potion?”

Carla appeared worn out in every possible way, from the kiss mark on her nape to the dark circles under her eyes and her weary gait.

To anyone, she would look like a woman who had been through various hardships.

“You could even say there’s a sense of decadence.”

Of course, this could be resolved with recovery and vitality potions. We’d have to use intermediate-level potions, but I could surely provide that for Carla.

However, Carla was the one who refused.

“It’s fine, Master. If I’m going to do this, I should do it properly, right?”

“Don’t you think you’re taking it too far? This is just for show. You don’t actually need to go through all this hardship by refusing even potions.”

I was the one who initially suggested this idea, and now I find myself hesitating. However, Carla resolutely shook her head.

“No, Master. You don’t know what kind of person Elisha is.”

“I do know. How many times did I recruit her as a companion in the game? The bigger issue is not showing that I know her.”

“Do you know how much Elisha is fixated on me?”

“Well, she said she would keep an eye on us, so I figure she might even put some pressure on me. That’s why we’re putting on this troublesome act, relying on the academy rules for the next three months.”

“The problem is that a half-baked act won’t get past Elisha.”

Carla mentioned that Elisha would be sensitive to any changes in her behavior.

“If I don’t show signs of struggling or feeling humiliated while behaving as a submissive servant to you, she’ll start to get suspicious and investigate us.”

“Wait a minute. What you’re describing doesn’t sound easy or unshameful.”

Having to eat from the floor while on all fours and excessively flattering me when I seemed dissatisfied—it wasn’t like it was easy or something to feel relaxed about.

I had planned to let Carla be as free as possible within the dorms to make up for the hardships she would face in the Academy.

Even if she were to roll around in bed all day, I wouldn’t have interfered with her rest. I would just lay next to her and lazily munch here and there.

Because of that, what Carla said next really caught me off guard.

“Um… this happened after you reassured me by putting your seal here last time…”

“What is it? Is there a problem?”

Carla, who had been caressing her lower belly, blushed as if she felt embarrassed.

“I’ve been finding it very enjoyable to serve you since that day.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I feel happy when you smile at my flattery.”

“Hold on, just a second.”

“Even if you pat my head as a form of praise… Uh… It’s a bit crude to say, but it gets me a bit wet.”

“……”

Silently, I patted Carla’s head a couple of times.

Swoosh, swoosh.

“Heh…”

Then I slipped my hand under Carla’s skirt and lightly brushed my fingers against her.

“Eek.”

When I pulled my hand out, there was a sticky liquid between my index and middle fingers, forming a silver thread.

After staring at it for a moment, I nodded.

“Okay. Let’s just go with this. If it gets tough, ask for a potion.”

“Yes!”

Carla was beaming as we left the room together.

…I really hadn’t expected her to blossom in this sort of way.

The entrance ceremony was uneventful.

Originally, at H&A, the event was brief, with a video being played along with the opening song. Anything more would have been a problem.

The Academy headmaster gave a welcoming speech, mentioned the purpose of the establishment, and warned that one shouldn’t oppress others based on social status.

And so, the dull entrance ceremony didn’t last long, perhaps around 30 minutes at most.

The important part starts now.

“Did the list for Class A come out?”

“Don’t worry too much, Master. You’ll surely be placed in Class A without any issues.”

Carla said in a soulless and awkward tone.

I had noticed when she tried to quote lines from some nighttime tale last time, but Carla was really bad at acting. This time, too. She tried to act pitiful and ended up awkward, but in this case, her awkward acting worked in her favor. In a way that could be misunderstood.

Naturally, taking Carla around near the class placement board drew attention. Most people here brought servants, not slaves, so Carla stood out even more.

Listening to the murmurs around us with one ear and letting them pass through the other, I looked at the board from the front.

Originally, in H&A, the board would close up right after the opening video, letting me know immediately which class I was in. But that game-like feature didn’t exist in reality.

Normally, servants handle such tedious tasks, but because class placement was involved, many students came in person. Especially since commoners who passed the entrance exam would also gather.

Due to this, I had to sift through a large crowd to find out for myself.

Thankfully, the atmosphere seems much brighter than when I saw it in the game. In the game, a somewhat gloomy and solemn atmosphere pervaded the Academy due to dead students and faculty.

Anyway, after scanning the crowded board for a while, I was finally able to find my name.

“I made it into Class A!”

“Congratulations, Master!”

Upon seeing that I had been assigned to the desired upper class, Class A, I raised both arms in excitement. Carla clapped her hands enthusiastically next to me. Amidst the chaos of people discovering their respective classes, I heard a familiar voice.

“Oh my?”

A woman with light blue buns and elongated ears, her voice clearer than most musical instruments—Elisha. She flashed a sly smile upon recognizing me.

“It seems like you also passed. Your name is…”

“It’s Yandel, Glenchiel.”

“Hmm. So, you’re a commoner, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t have the liberty to disclose it before, but yes, I am.”

“Well, the mistake of not checking properly was on my part, so I’ll let that go. But about the favor I asked…”

Suddenly, Elisha’s eyes darted to Carla, and she froze. Carla was awkwardly hunched over as if frightened (because of her back pain). Her dark circles made her look like she hadn’t slept in days (due to staying up all night). Unique thorn-shaped slave markings were on her neck, intermingled with vivid kiss marks (no room for excuses here). Furthermore, her unsteady gait and unfocused eyes were evident (due to her awkward acting).

To anyone looking, Carla seemed like a slave tormented by her master all night. Seeing this, Elisha opened her sky-blue eyes wide and stuttered,

“I didn’t mean for you to go this far with it…”

“???”