Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Misunderstanding (5)

Faye hurriedly pressed down on my head as I attempted to get up.

“Ah! It’s a joke, just a joke! You can stay as comfortable as you want! Yes! So, don’t get up. Just stay there, Junior! Oh, right! Look at this!”

Then she lifted a knife that she had brought on the tray, smiling broadly.

…What? Was she threatening me with a knife to stay down?

Just as I reflexively reached for the protective magic artifact in my pocket.

Faye continued with a voice filled with pride.

“Ahem, ahem. Junior, do you know what this knife is?”

“Don’t tell me, it’s like an anti-magic dagger that ignores shields? Are you saying if I don’t want to get stabbed, I should stay put…?”

“What?! Why would I… Ah.”

Realizing how she appeared, Faye hastily hid the knife behind her back with an embarrassed expression.

“It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Really. So, my trust in Senior Faye was a misunderstanding? I understand.”

“No, nooo… I wasn’t threatening. Okay? I mean, that’s not what it is…”

Faye’s voice trailed off, sounding like a mix of whining and complaining.

Seeing her look so innocent, it seemed she really wasn’t threatening me with the knife.

Finally, I got up from Elisha’s thighs and shrugged my shoulders.

“If it’s not a threat, then why did you suddenly take out a knife?”

“Of course, to show off and report!”

“Show off? Report?”

It looked like just a simple kitchen knife. This one?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Faye chuckled darkly and cautiously offered me the knife.

“Puhaha… This. It’s made with alchemy.”

“…Really?”

“Really, really. Want to test it? It’s made of alchemic steel.”

Alchemic steel was an alloy made through alchemy.

Of course, not all alchemic steel was the same, but there was one common feature they all had–they conducted mana well.

A special process could make them almost mana-impermeable, but that’s not the point right now.

I slowly ran mana through the knife Faye handed me.

The mana seamlessly integrated.

It might not compare to rare metals like mithril, but it had several times the conductivity of ordinary iron.

When I infused mana, I realized the handle was integral to the blade.

It wasn’t a typical design with a wooden handle and a blade inserted into a groove. The blade and handle were one continuous piece.

As if it had always been that way.

Thanks to this, mana was uniformly infused, even into the handle.

“Wow, this is really something.”

“Told you, right? How about it, Junior? Doesn’t this make you want to sponsor even more? Huh? Huh?”

Faye’s shoulders lifted with pride, as if boasting about her achievement.

Well, she had every right to be proud, having produced results so quickly.

Carla, who knew the purpose of Faye’s research, also admired the knife briefly.

Elisha, unaware of the situation, tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s going on? Is a knife made of alchemic steel that special? It might be a bit expensive, but it’s not worth such a fuss…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It’s not about the alchemic steel being special. It’s amazing that she created it solely through alchemy without additional processes.”

“What? So, you mean… she shaped the knife through alchemy? But the handle looks wooden?”

“The wood was probably an alchemic material as well.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

“But voilà! It actually happened!”

“…….”

Elisha, who had been staring blankly at the knife, also ran mana through it and nodded in understanding.

“This is… definitely impressive. Using only alchemy to replace a blacksmith’s work. The efficiency of mass production through simplification of processes and reduction of labor costs…”

“Ah, but this isn’t the goal, just a step in the process.”

“Huh?”

I kindly explained to Elisha, who was slightly off the mark.

“Think about the process used to make this knife, not the knife itself.”

The process of melting iron, hammering it, and sharpening the blade was replicated through alchemy as a form of transformation.

What couldn’t be done in other fields?

In fact, different methods might enable the realization of otherwise impossible production techniques.

Elisha’s face lit up with admiration as she grasped this concept.

“So, you were looking beyond this level?”

“In the future, I plan to entrust all the equipment and consumables my party uses to Senior Faye.”

“Ah-ha? So, you’re planning to have an all-purpose creator exclusively for your use?”

As Elisha shifted her gaze, Faye shyly twisted her body.

“Um… But this is still somewhat lacking. If you look closely, the blade isn’t very sharp, and the weight balance is off.”

“So, when you said the fruit has yet to come, you meant it’s about to come soon.”

“Right. This is just a prototype. But once the current issues are improved, I should be able to make ordinary-level equipment.”

“But we are mages. Instead of ordinary weapons, we need staffs or wands.”

“Ugh… I have the theory in my head, but it will take some time to make it a reality. And I’ll need more expensive materials.”

Well, that’s to be expected. Being a mage was an expensive profession.

“So, you need more research funds?”

“Hehe…”

Faye giggled awkwardly, and I patted her shoulder gently.

“Since you’ve shown results, I won’t say no outright. I’ll add extra investment to the next sponsorship. But… you know, right?”

“Yay! Got it! I’ll focus on magical equipment for my next research!”

Faye jumped around excitedly, her ample chest bouncing with each leap.

A truly powerful display.

Overwhelmed by this sight, both Carla and Elisha momentarily paused, their expressions frozen. I chuckled and changed the subject.

“By the way, Senior Faye.”

“Huh? What is it, Junior?”

“Now tell me, what exactly did you hear that led you to shut me out at the door?”

“Ah… that… um…”

Faye hesitated before speaking in a cautious tone.

“There was a rumor that Junior likes to turn high-status women into slaves and torment them, and your tastes are so extreme that the women can’t withstand it and end up broken, and so you’re always looking for new slaves…”

“You believed that?”

“But… but it sounded so convincing!”

According to Faye’s explanation.

It was along the lines of: “My uncle saw it… Someone’s father heard about it… My cousin’s sister mentioned it…”

Mentioning their relatives to add credibility, they painted a convincing narrative.

Given that many students from high-ranking families attend the academy, such rumors could seem realistic.

The problem was that the rumors weren’t directly about me but about circumstantial evidence.

It wasn’t “Yandel enjoys having slaves in his mansion!” but more like:

“Yandel bought a house too big for one person.”

“And everyone coming and going from that house has a slave mark on their neck.”

The rumors were spreading in such a way that each piece by itself seemed trivial, but when combined, they formed a plausible story.

No wonder the rumors distorted so quickly and sensationally.

After hearing Faye’s story, Carla nodded in understanding.

“I can see why Faye would misunderstand. People tend to doubt what they hear from others, but they often believe their own deductions to be correct.”

“Ah…!”

Startled by the sudden mention of herself, Faye scrambled to gather her words, her gaze wandering in search of an excuse.

“You see, pigs are raised to be eaten, right? And fruits are grown to be picked and eaten… So, if you’re sponsoring me, maybe when I become a great alchemist…”

“How can I even turn Senior Faye, a great alchemist, into a slave?”

“Uh… maybe by finding some fault and demanding all the sponsorship money back? Unable to find another patron and free to conduct my research, I’ll have no choice but to obey you.”

“But a great alchemist would be sought after by the alchemist guild…”

However, Faye continued as if she didn’t hear my objection.

“At first, you won’t make me do anything too harsh. To avoid resistance, you’d start with something slightly embarrassing. Like asking me to take off my gown or speak formally, for instance.”

“Huh.”

“But it would gradually get worse. Eventually, I wouldn’t be allowed to wear proper clothes or even stand on two feet!”

“Really?”

Why not just order that from the start?

“Ah… by then, I’ll see obeying you as natural! Maybe even enjoy following your orders! Completely reduced to a slave in body and mind!”

“…….”

“And eventually, like the slaves you have now… Huh?”

Carla and Elisha, looking at her in their normal attire, seemed to be judging her.

Feeling something off, Faye hesitated.

Seizing the moment, I lowered my voice.

“Senior Faye.”

“Uh…?”

I then put on the most disdainful expression I could muster.

“You have quite the imagination.”

“Eh?!”

Realizing she might have gone too far with her fantasies, Faye flinched as if stung by a needle.

Delivering the final blow, I said,

“At this point, it seems you might actually want to be my slave.”

“No, no! It’s not that… I mean… I…”

“So, you like this kind of thing.”

“…Waaahhh!!”