Chapter 102: Aftermath (1)


    The Sage Time training method was more effective than I thought.


    I’d have to use it more often.


    …Though it seemed a bit too much for Elisha.


    “Ugh… It’s already morning… Eek! Are you doing it again? The sun is already up! Stop this and go to ss!”


    “No, I just wanted to cast Clean on you.”


    “Ah.”


    “That’s too much…”


    Elisha whimpered and iled at the mere extension of my hand.


    On the other hand, how about Ca?


    Her face shone as if she had eaten something delightful, smiling brightly whenever our eyes met.


    Did her jealousy show?


    Elisha, already dressed and humming a tune, forced a smile when she saw Ca and me.


    A forced smile that seemed like it was made under duress. Moreover, she was still naked, bearing the remnants ofst night.


    “Wow. A smile that makes me want to tease you more.”


    “Aren’t you the real problem?!”


    Elisha protested in an aggrieved tone.


    Well… It was a natural consequence.


    Elisha was not yet ustomed to the nightly activities. Besides, her weaknesses included being an Ero Elf, and trying to catch up with Ca by using self-destructive techniques.


    Elisha had no choice but to struggle more.


    Giggling, I cast Clean on Elisha.


    “I’m kidding. Get dressed quickly. It seems like we have to rush out because we overslept.”


    “Right now?”


    “You looked too tired, so I didn’t wake you up. Ah, want a vitality potion?”


    “…Just a low-grade one, please.”


    “Okay.”


    Handing a potion to a somewhat sheepish Elisha, I turned to Ca.


    “Ca.”


    “Yes, Master.”


    “  Ca!”


    “Yes, yes! Master!”


    “Help me get dressed.”


    “Okay.”


    Ca dressed me in my uniform with natural movements.


    She did sneak in some touches here and there… but that was why I asked her to dress me.


    It felt ticklish in a good way.


    Enjoying Ca’s touch while getting ready for school was brief.


    I finally picked up my staff and left the training room, and the dorm.


    <hr>


    A day passed, and the rumors had intensified.


    But I had some responsibility for that.


    “Look at Elisha… I mean, her face. Until yesterday, she was confident like before…”


    “Her expression really changed overnight.”


    “How can she look so haggard, even as a ve? What must have happened?”


    “What do you mean? If you have an elf ve, you’d know what happens all night.”


    “But the ve next to her, Ca, looks rather well.”


    “…If you’re that familiar, why don’t you just call her casually? Don’t you get it? I thought you’d know since you often go to the library. Haven’t you dug deep enough?”


    “What’s the library got to do with it?”


    “I’ll tell youter. I have to return a book today anyway. Let’s go together. It’s natural that only one side looks good.”


    “Familiar with it?”


    “No, it’smon sense that the one trained first bes the instructor, right?”


    “!!!”


    I overheard the conversation of two senior girls from afar. ncing at Elisha, I understood their point.


    Her face was haggard, as if she had stayed up all night, her legs trembling like a newborn fawn, and her back was oddly bent.


    Anyone would misinterpret this sight.


    Compared to yesterday, when she walked with her shoulders and chest proudly outstretched, today’s posture definitely sparked the imagination.


    Elisha, realizing this, tried to straighten her posture forcibly. But then…


    <em>“Pyang!”</em>


    Something went wrong, and Elisha crumpled again with a strange sound.


    “Still having muscle pain? Want another vitality potion?”


    “I’m fine… Really. Just a slight strain in my back. Don’t worry about me.”


    “That worries me more.”


    After giving her another recovery and vitality potion, Ca gently tugged at my sleeve as we slowed down.


    “Master, Master.”


    “Hmm? What is it?”


    “By the way, yesterday you said you’d reward me if I did well, remember?”


    “Right, I did say that. Do you want something?”


    “Hehe… Well…”


    She sneaked closer, nced at Elisha, then whispered.


    “I know you’re busy learning various things, Master… but how about starting to learn the secrets of the Lindelheit soon?”


    “Ah.”


    I realized that I had inadvertently learned the secrets of the Sylvan Magic Tower before the Lindelheit.


    Ca, my ve but also my teacher, must have felt a bit neglected.


    She had been quite serious when teaching me magic.


    I smiled and nodded.


    Most of my current training involves learning new magic and how to apply it effectively… but now that I’m somewhat on track, it’s okay to focus on something else.


    “Got it. But am I ready to learn it? Don’t I need to improve my core proficiency first?”


    “Maybe? I thought it was too early for you until I saw you learning elementalbinations from Lady Iris. You might manage.”


    “Great. Let’s give it a try. But this seems like just advancing our original n. Isn’t it a bit much for a reward? Anything else you want?”


    “Umm… Not really.”


    “I’ll be going to the market after school to buy a fan for Elisha. If you think of anything, tell me then.”


    With a shrug, I entered the ssroom that we had arrived at.


    Unlike the buzzing outside, the students of ss A didn’t say much but did flinch at our arrival.


    The reasons could be many, but the biggest was probably the daily magicbat lessons with Iona.


    Now that Elisha was absent from ss, there was no one who could match me here.


    Nobody wanted to get knocked out after a single hit, let alone several.


    Also, the students of 1st year ss A had amon perception that they owed their lives to Elisha and me.


    The previous disdain formoners like us had significantly decreased.


    Helena and Vincent, who teamed up with us during dungeon practice, greeted me warmly every time we met.


    It was interesting when I thought about it. Even if they were chosen for beingpatible with me, why were two characters who appeared asrades in H&A put together?


    In H&A, there was one male and one femalepanion character in each ss.


    Although it seemed like only two characters, considering other departments and grades up to the fourth year, some professors could be recruited, and there were characters outside the academy, so there were quite a few choices.


    But leaving them alone wouldn’t make them Sword Masters or Grand Magicians.


    They needed to be properly leveled in dungeons, and provided with various elixirs and equipment, and their individual story obstacles must be ovee to awaken them.


    Even after leveling them up to the max, facing a fully descended Evil God was insane, so I had to continuously interfere with their social standings and thwart their ns.


    Before the ss started, I closed my eyes for a moment to organize my thoughts.


    It was possible for rumors to spread throughout the academy at an unbelievable pace.


    As Ca mentioned, it was a time when the whole academy was abuzz.


    However, as Elisha said, someone might be maliciously distorting the rumors.


    If there was such a person…


    It was likely a follower of the Church of Boiling Silence.


    They had infiltrated both the divine churches and the Levantin royal family.


    There was no reason they couldn’t have infiltrated the academy.


    Though it happened in thetter half of the game, there was an episode where I was falsely used and branded a criminal.


    Thanks to that, I learned a lot about the spies of the Boiling Silence hiding in the academy.


    They were also aware that I had be popr among the cultists after defeating Edmerek.


    But was this really their doing, and was capturing them at this point just going to raise unnecessary suspicion?


    On the contrary, how beneficial would it be to publicly expose the spies of Boiling Silence and awaken people’s vignce?


    I weighed my options, but still, no clear answer emerged.


    Given that I was supposedly a descendant of a secret organization, would it be better to discuss this with Ca and Elisha?


    No, Iris might be a better choice in this matter.


    With her 500 years of experience and wisdom as a Tower Master.


    Being cautious not to reveal my origins in another world, I waste in thinking of sharing my knowledge about the game.


    I should share what needs to be shared in the future.


    However, it was regrettable that I couldn’t bring Iris to the academy.


    It seemed like I’d have to wait until this weekend.


    Thankfully, although my reputation had suffered a bit, and I sometimes heard whispers as I walked, there weren’t any further damages.


    Leaving it be for three days shouldn’t cause any major issues.