Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Impure Service (1)

In the end, despite a minor hiccup, I was able to secure an exclusive contract with Faye.

After that, well… there wasn’t much else to do, so I headed straight for the dormitory.

Thud.

As soon as I opened the door, I flopped down onto the bed with a sluggish movement.

The mattress enveloped my body in a soft embrace, my muscles naturally relaxed, and a sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.

“Ugh…”

The delayed wave of exhaustion began to take over my body.

“I’m so tired…”

It was strange. A lot had happened today, but ever since the ranking battle in the morning, I had been sipping on vitality potions. Intermediate-grade ones, no less.

During class, if I moved around too much, I felt like I could fall asleep. It would be embarrassing to do that on the first day.

For the record, the effect of vitality potions varied depending on the grade, but they were basically the fantasy version of energy drinks.

Unless you were addicted, there were no significant side effects, so I’d been drinking the low- to mid-grade ones regularly. This was the first time something like this happened.

I never experienced this kind of sudden fatigue before.

“Ah.”

Was it mental fatigue?

My body still felt energetic.

Originally, I had planned to learn some magic from Carla as soon as I got to the dorm, have dinner, and then go to sleep.

I guess I’d have to postpone the magic lessons for a bit.

Right now, I’d rather lay here, staring blankly at the ceiling, and rest.

As I was rolling around silently on the bed, Carla, noticing my condition, smiled as if she had no choice.

“Master, if you lie down immediately like this, you’ll be more uncomfortable. You should at least change your clothes.”

“Ah… I don’t know. I can’t be bothered…”

“Hmm. No choice, then. Should I help you undress?”

“Then that’s good.”

Carla delicately sat beside me as I sprawled out, waiting.

Creak.

There was a small creaking sound from inside the bed. Carla’s scent filled the air. A dark shadow was cast by her chest, which partially covered her face.

Carla, who until now had been following me in her role as my servant, suddenly felt overwhelmingly present.

Come to think of it, Carla had also been dashing about everywhere, following me.

But why did she still seem perfectly fine?

Reading the confusion in my eyes, Carla smiled as she started to unbutton my outer clothing.

“Are you very tired?”

“It’ll get better after some rest.”

“Don’t worry about it. On my first day at the academy, I came straight back to the dorm, skipped dinner, and just slept. How about you?”

Carla’s voice had a nostalgic undertone.

I lifted my shoulders to make it easier for her to remove my outer clothing, then inquired,

“Really?”

“Yes. Master, you might have delayed the after-effects by having vitality potions, but this is your first time using magic this much, fighting directly with it, and attacking people. Naturally, you’d be mentally exhausted.”

“…I suppose so.”

Thinking about it, it made sense that I’d be tired. Perhaps my sudden fatigue was because I had relaxed after returning to the dorm.

Carla neatly folded my removed clothing, placed it beside me, and proceeded to unbuckle my belt with a determined voice.

“Don’t worry! I’ll take care of everything, so Master can just stay still!”

“Huh… Do you know what I want?”

At that, Carla smirked, raising the corners of her mouth with a confident expression.

“Ahem! I’ve been serving you for nearly a month now, haven’t I? I might not know everything, but I can guess most of it!”

“Such a cheeky servant. Okay, tell me what you think I want right now. If you guess right, you’ll get a reward.”

Seeing me also chuckle in response, Carla eagerly grabbed my hand and led it to her chest.

Carla’s touch went beyond the fabric, and I could feel her bare skin.

Thump.

Her soft flesh filled the palm of my hand. The sensation of her nipple in the center was a bit ticklish.

Carla opened her mouth as if asking me what I thought.

“Master, you want to caress my chest right now, don’t you?”

“…This isn’t you reading my mind, is it? It’s more like you are leading me on?”

Who wouldn’t want to caress a chest once they touched it?

Squeeze, squeeze.

“Hah…”

I end up caressing it vigorously.

For a moment, I found myself smiling, lost in the comforting sensation.

Carla, who quietly yielded to my touch, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“So, I guessed it right. Will you give me a reward?”

“Well… What should I do…?”

Do I count it as a correct guess if she had led me on?

Carla puffed her cheeks, perhaps disappointed with my indecisiveness.

“Then let’s try again. Right now, Master is thinking of wanting to see my chest, aren’t you?”

Carla said this while gripping the hem of her top, as if she were just awaiting my confirmation to take it off.

…How provocative.

I let out a deep sigh and nodded.

“Yes, I do want to see your chest react under my touch.”

“Hehe.”

Only then did Carla remove her top with a hesitant smile.

Flop.

As Carla removed her underwear in one swift motion, one side of her chest jiggled violently.

In my hand, one breast was squished between my fingers while the other jiggled freely.

Instinctively, I found myself gasping at the overpowering sight.

Wow.

But then it hit me. How would Faye compare to this?

I couldn’t dare to squeeze them, but for a moment, I found myself comparing Carla’s breast to the one time I held Faye’s.

Carla, who had been glowing just a moment ago, suddenly looked downcast.

“…Master, you’re comparing my breasts to Faye’s right now, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

She caught on to that? How?

“Your eyes looked as if you were seeing someone else. You’re so transparent with your desires, Master. It shows on your face.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, because I’ve only ever looked at you, I could tell right away.”

“……”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not jealous or anything. I’m your slave, remember? I have no right to interfere with your relationships.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words, given the unexpected heaviness in Carla’s voice.

Despite my silence, Carla forced a smile.

“It’s fine! You’ve already promised me before, haven’t you? That you would never abandon me. So I’m okay. Really, I am. But…”

Carla hesitated for a moment.

Unable to find the right words, I reached up, softly stroked her cheek, and lightly touched her lips with my thumb. Only then did Carla speak with a resolved expression.

“But I can’t help but be greedy. I want more than just not to be abandoned by you, Master. I want to be cherished.”

“……?”

“What’s the difference?”

Seeming to realize that I didn’t understand her, Carla elaborated further.

“I realized something today while watching you and Faye. Even if you have a lover, a wife, and children and create a family someday… I would still want you to desire me, to need me.”

“What? Wait a minute. I just met Faye today. Why is this conversation progressing this far?”

Surprised, my previously stiff tongue let loose a barrage of questions.

“I may have seen similar things in games, but that’s not the same as truly knowing her. I mean, it’s strange to jump from accidentally touching her chest to talking about marriage.”

In response to my confusion, Carla simply shook her head with a bitter expression.

“It doesn’t have to be Faye. It’s inevitable that someone better than me will someday take a place beside you. You’re a good person, very talented.”

Perhaps in Carla’s mind, I was destined to establish a noble family like Lindelheit someday. Hence, her remarks.

“I want to be beside you and receive your full affection, even then. Haha… Is that too greedy?”

Carla grinned awkwardly.

I was well aware that Carla’s dependency on me stemmed from her warped values due to her slave training.

But to think she had these thoughts…

This wasn’t merely a need driven by circumstance. It was something more.

As I pondered, Carla began to nuzzle her face against my hand.

“S-So I want to make it so you can only treasure me. Do you understand? What I said earlier was not flattery or a joke. You really are my entire world.”

She then crawled on all fours between my legs. With only her top removed, her chest looked even bigger than usual.

“Master, you said you’d reward me if I guessed what you were thinking, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Amidst this, Carla caressed the erection straining against my pants.

“So, may I offer you my impure service? The chance to be cherished by you is the greatest reward I could receive right now.”

“….”

After a brief silence, I nodded.

“Thank you, Master! I’ll make you feel really good! So, please just lie down!”

“…?”

Her tone suddenly brightened.

And a short-lived smile, as if she were muttering ‘just as planned,’ formed at the corners of her mouth.

“Huh?”

Hold on.

Could it be… Was I being manipulated here?

And to think the ‘service’ she was excited to offer, after tricking her master, was an intimate one?