Chapter 43: Chapter 43: How Much!? What’s The Price?! (1)

“Understanding Elements, Fundamentals of Enhancement Magic, and Peculiarities of Life Magic.”

Those were the titles of the remaining classes I attended in the classroom after rejecting Elisha’s offer.

Fortunately, unlike Iona’s class, all three were reasonably common-sense courses.

Well, the content was exceptionally fantastical, but at least they didn’t straight-up tell us to kill each other, as Iona did.

However, considering this was Class A, the professors assumed a baseline level of knowledge, which was problematic.

Anything I didn’t know, I’d have to ask Carla later.

If the other students had been studying from a young age, I, at least, had a constant home tutor in Carla.

Even if I was a bit behind now, I should be able to catch up soon enough.

…I was really fortunate to have Carla.

After school, students either gathered in groups of three or five to head to their clubrooms or went straight to the dormitory.

And there was Carla’s buttocks, leading the way to guide us.

I absentmindedly stared at them for a moment… and stealthily reached out my hand.

Swoosh.

“Huh?!”

Carla was startled by the unexpected physical contact. Ignoring her reaction, I continued to move my hand sneakily while nobody was looking.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Carla was wearing a uniform, just like I was. It had an overall calm and dignified design, but I knew better.

I knew how alluring her figure was beneath those clothes.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Even through the smooth fabric, the contours of her buttocks could be clearly felt. Their ample yet soft curves filled my palm.

“Uh… M-Master?”

“What?”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

She stopped for a moment, then turned around to look at me with a worried face.

Wondering why she came to that conclusion, I tilted my head quizzically.

“Why are you doing this at the academy when there’s no need to…?”

“Ah.”

If I tought about it normally, it was as if I were teasing her in a place full of people.

Lately, I’d been freely touching Carla here and there, and with what happened with Elisha, I suppose I’d become a bit careless in treating Carla.

So, I patted Carla’s buttocks lightly to reassure her.

“It’s not like that. I’m just praising you for doing well.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. What I learned from you was really helpful in Professor Iona’s class.”

“Even if it’s a tactic that only works on lower-level mages, I’m glad it helped you, Master.”

Carla’s face brightened up instantly as if she had never looked gloomy.

Then she subtly stuck her buttocks out again, so I chuckled and gave them another pat.

“Hehe…”

Finally satisfied, Carla quickened her paused steps.

As I followed her, a question suddenly popped into my mind, so I asked her,

“Carla.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Rularalaracarla.”

“Wh-what, Master…?”

She was actually going along with it.

I chuckled and continued with what I wanted to say.

“By the way, what are the benefits if I were to receive sponsorship from the Sylvan Magic Tower? I’m not planning to, though. I’m just curious.”

“Hmm. You know that the Lindelheit family’s and the Sylvan Magic Tower’s territories overlapped, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

I’d been in this world for three years, and in that time, I’d picked up various things.

For instance, Carla’s father, who was executed, was a Grand Mage who had reached the pinnacle of elemental magic.

He was said to be a step ahead of the tower master of the Sylvan Magic Tower, who was also a Grand Mage specializing in elemental magic.

“The Sylvan Magic Tower not only had a matter of pride, but they also considered young mages who were attracted by my father’s reputation and wanted to join the Lindelheit Family a bigger problem.”

“They only accept elves anyway, right?”

“Even those elves wanted to work as mages for the Lindelheit Family.”

“Wow.”

At that level, it wasn’t just a matter of pride but also a practical threat.

Elves might live long lives, but eternal life wasn’t granted to mortals.

So, it was important to choose successors and nurture the next generation to keep the line going… and that path was now blocked.

Who would willingly accept a slow path to extinction?

“That’s why the Sylvan Magic Tower is famous for aggressive scouting. Since they only accept elves, they have more resources to invest in them.”

“I get the gist. They lure them in by offering a lot, right? So, how much exactly?”

“I can’t say for sure since the Lindelheit Family is gone, but what I heard was…”

She whispered.

“That’s insane.”

The offered gold, magic books, and equipment support didn’t matter much.

I had plenty of money, I knew several hidden locations with great magic books, and I’d already planned on acquiring equipment from a specific dungeon.

However…

“They offer a leaf from the World Tree? And if you make contributions, they even give you branches and fruits?”

“Well… Almost all the elves are citizens of the Alfheim Kingdom, except for a few criminals. So, they probably see it as a worthwhile investment that will eventually benefit all elves.”

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my stomach.

I also knew of ways to acquire parts of the World Tree.

However, obtaining those things wasn’t as easy as one might think. They already possessed incredible effects by themselves and were sometimes used as materials for ultimate equipment.

So, if there was an easier and faster way to get them?

“That’s a waste… Such a waste…”

“Don’t be too disappointed, Master! You’re a human, so you won’t be able to receive the stem or the fruit!”

“But I could still get a leaf!”

If you were to wrap a leaf around any old staff, not only would the staff’s rank increase by one tier, but chewing the leaf would also boost your magic stat significantly.

On top of that, if you were lucky, your elemental affinity traits could even be enhanced…!

I was tempted to really commit for three months and then bail.

“Ah, but that would be tough.”

The World Tree leaf was undoubtedly attractive, but it wasn’t like there weren’t other ways to obtain it right now.

It would be better to focus on my pre-planned tasks rather than regret what I couldn’t get.

Still, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Ah…”

Maybe I looked too down because Carla frantically tried to change the subject.

“Um, Master, may I ask you a question?”

“Huh? About what?”

“I understand that you’re going to the Workshop of the Production Department before heading back to the dormitory. You’ll need new equipment, and you must also replenish the potions you’ve used.”

“That’s right. I’m currently heading towards the workshop area of the Production Department under your guidance, not the dormitory. I can’t rely on the staff I hastily bought for you during the ranking match forever.”

“But why specifically the 4th district? You could easily afford workshops in the 1st district.”

“That’s true.”

The workshop area of the Production Department was divided into four districts, from 1st to 4th.

The 1st district had workshops run by professors who were short on funds. The 2nd to 4th districts had workshops run by students from Classes A, B, and C, respectively.

The workshops in the Production Department weren’t just for selling your own creations but also for regularly inviting external experts to showcase your skills.

If the Knight School and the Magic School receive sponsorships based on excellent grades or achievements, then the Production Department gains sponsorships by promoting themselves through their workshops.

However, professors were the exception. They only sold products, as receiving sponsorships could jeopardize their position.

In any case, that was the situation. The eye-catching 1st district attracted the better workshops, and the secluded 4th district naturally attracted the less impressive ones.

Of course, this wasn’t mandated by school rules, so there were exceptions.

And where I was headed was one of those exceptions.

“Well, you’ll see when we get there. You’ll be quite surprised, Carla. It’s not at the level you’d expect to find in the 4th district.”

“I don’t know how you know something even I don’t, Master. But if you’re certain, I’ll just follow you.”

Carla didn’t stop walking even though she seemed puzzled, indicating she would follow my lead.

I patted her bottom once more as a compliment.

“Hehe…Ah, but Master?”

“Yes? What else do you want to ask?”

“No, I don’t have any other questions…”

Carla hesitated for a moment and then cautiously proceeded.

“Have you heard? There’s a strange rumor going around about you and Elisha after Professor Iona’s class.”

“Again?”

Just yesterday, there was a rumor that Elisha had ordered me to harass Carla, and in the cafeteria, the rumor was that I had been brought to my knees like a dog.

What now?

“Yes. It seems the rumor came from a comment Elisha made during the duel, stating she would defeat you, and due to your combat style…”

“Get straight to the point.”

“The rumor is that Elisha not only threatened you but also promised to leave you in second place as a price for humiliating me.”

“What?”

“Several students are whispering that the only reason you were left until the end was to ensure that you got second place. Otherwise, how could a person of such low birth beat their master?”

“……”

If the students who were always with their masters thought that way, the masters must be thinking the same.

Of course, neither Elisha nor I would say it directly in front of each other.

In some ways, it was expected.

These were people who had spent their lives dominating others and were called geniuses in their hometowns and among their peers.

After a few more dueling classes and getting used to the meritocratic methods of the academy, things might change…

But for freshmen who had just enrolled, such a change in mindset would be too much to ask.

They couldn’t possibly lose to a wizard who was scraping by as a mercenary. Therefore, it was all Elisha’s fault.

To resolve her feelings of inferiority, Elisha brought along that commoner, and that’s why we lost.

Yandel would have been eliminated early on if things had gone as usual.

I assume they were thinking along those lines.

“Don’t worry too much, Master! The freshmen always go through this. Professor Iona’s tough classes are also part of the reason.”

“I know. With time, they’ll stop making such pointless rationalizations and focus on their own affairs.”

Those who couldn’t would either fall to the lower ranks or be expelled from the academy.

In fact, while playing H&A, I noticed that the first-year students frequently made comments about commoners.

By the second semester, let alone the second year, the naiveté of the freshmen would begin to fade. It wasn’t really a concern.

What’s more, the direction of the arrows wasn’t aimed at me but at Elisha.

What bothered me was that Elisha’s reputation seemed to be getting worse than I expected.

I only intended to deflect a little of the blame I was going to take, but it was like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting bigger.

“Well, it should be fine, right?”

I couldn’t imagine anything serious happening.

The ones who couldn’t do anything while the Sylvan Magic Tower was intact wouldn’t be a problem, and if the Sylvan Magic Tower collapsed, I would step in.

Brushing aside a slight feeling of unease, I continued walking behind Carla for some time.

Eventually, the bustling atmosphere typical of after-school hours could no longer be felt.

We arrived at the workshop district.