The Sylvan Magic Tower attempted to summon a spirit, and coincidentally, Elisha, who had been visiting her hometown, was taken into custody.
The rumor had spread during my visit to Faye’s workshop to pick up the Elixir I had commissioned.
The academy was abuzz with this news everywhere.
In the midst of this, various rumors were circulating about Elisha’s involvement.
“It’s madness.”
All I could do was seclude myself in my room, letting out deep sighs.
“Come to think of it, Master, you did mention that Elisha wouldn’t pose a threat in about three months. Did you anticipate this?”
“I did anticipate some changes, but I didn’t expect the Sylvan Magic Tower to try to summon a spirit so soon, let alone for Elisha to get caught up in it.”
I had initially thought it might be baseless gossip, so I investigated the source of the rumor.
Surprisingly, it was an official statement announced by the Budding Sprout Church.
The Budding Sprout God was associated with prosperity, often blessing lands in exchange for a modest tribute.
Reportedly, one of the priests from the Budding Sprout Church was bestowing blessings in a village near the Sylvan Magic Tower when they received a tip-off from an internal whistleblower.
The church, in collaboration with other sects, is now investigating the matter. The information they released was quite shocking.
Elisha had passionately argued for establishing ties with a certain human from the academy. This caused a lot of internal dissatisfaction in the tower.
From elven supremacists to traditionalists who believed that involving other races would dilute the purity of the elves’ magical research, many were vehemently opposed. On the other hand, there were those who believed in Elisha’s vision.
The tower’s master was somewhere in between, favoring tradition but unable to decline Elisha’s requests outright.
Upon hearing of Elisha’s near-death experience with Edmerek during the dungeon exercise, the tower’s master was horrified, hastily pushing forward with the spirit summoning.
However, the hasty plan was exposed by mages from opposing factions. One of the whistleblowers likely exposed the plan to save themselves.
“…All of this is because of me, isn’t it?”
“Hmm. It seems so.”
In the original H&A story, Elisha didn’t offer sponsorship to anyone, and the dungeon exercise went off without a hitch.
My involvement with Carla and the killing of Pietro led Edmerek to ambush the dungeon, setting off a chain reaction that culminated in the Sylvan Magic Tower’s hasty spirit summoning and, inadvertently, Elisha’s arrest.
I knew the story would deviate from what I knew, especially after the incident with Edmerek. But I never imagined something like this would happen in the Sylvan Magic Tower, which had no direct relation to me.
What should I do now?
“Sigh…”
Seeing my state, Carla gently stroked my back, saying,
“Don’t worry too much, Master. Elisha isn’t directly involved in the spirit summoning, right? She should return to the academy without any major issues.”
“I hope so.”
No matter how twisted the story became, Elisha wouldn’t have directly attempted to summon a spirit.
“The Seat Law doesn’t apply to spirit summoning like it does with social magic. So, everything should be fine.”
“Coming from Carla, who became a slave due to the Seat Law, it sounds somewhat comforting.”
“Hehe…”
I gently stroked Carla’s awkwardly smiling cheek.
Once, twice, three times.
The soft sensation beneath my palm washed away my panic and the anxiety that stemmed from it.
Yes, everything would work out.
Carla was right. Elisha would likely be released without any charges.
Though I’d been unintentionally receiving Elisha’s assistance, it was still shocking that all this happened while I was pondering how to repay her favors and prevent the fall of the Sylvan Magic Tower.
Perhaps sensing my newfound calm, Carla gently rubbed her face against my hand, her bright smile and mischievous glint evident.
“Although I became a slave… it’s not all bad, right? Especially when you treat me so affectionately like this?”
“Hmm… is that all it takes?”
“Certainly not. That’s just the beginning.”
With that, Carla edged closer, nuzzling my neck, and whispered sultrily.
“Until all of your worries completely vanish and until my own anxieties are fully dispelled…”
Her lips slowly approached. With every word, her warm breath tantalized my skin.
“Touch me wherever you want, Master.”
Finally, she nibbled on my ear, whispering,
“Carla is a pet slave, starved of her master’s affection, you know?”
“……”
It was a temptation anyone would have fallen for.
Although a surge of desire rose within me to hold Carla close, there was something else that needed attention first. I softly kissed her forehead and gently pushed her away.
“Let’s take this first.”
I pulled out the elixir I received from Faye from my inventory, and Carla, with wide eyes, nodded in agreement.
“Right, we have that. Do you need some help absorbing it?”
“Yes.”
Sitting at the center of the personal training room, I focused on the Elixir in front of me.
Blood Elixir
A harmonious blend of vast mana and pure life force that provides enhancement effects.
Perfectly refined by a skilled alchemist. Looks safe for consumption
Both physical and magical stats will drastically increase.
Despite its intimidating name, consuming this wouldn’t cause any hallucinations or side effects.
Carla, with a hand over my chest and an anticipatory look, chimed in,
“All set, Master!”
“Why do you seem more excited about this than I am, Carla?”
“Because what’s good for the master is also good for me!”
“What’s your real motive?”
“I heard ingredients rich in life force also enhance… vitality.”
“Okay. Let’s see if that’s true.”
She has been quite bold since earlier, but I decided to play along with Carla’s antics.
For now, there wasn’t much I could do about Elisha. Unless I decided to confront the sect that captured her directly.
Chuckling, I drank the Blood Elixir in one gulp.
The moment it touched my tongue, it melted swiftly, soon turning into a cream-like consistency, making its way smoothly down my throat.
As soon as I swallowed the Blood Elixir…
Ding!
You have consumed the Blood Elixir.
Trait: Due to your sensitive physique, absorption is facilitated.
Physical strength, endurance, and magical power stats have increased by one level.
With the sound of a notification chime, a brief alert popped up before my eyes.
That was the end of it.
“…?”
“???”
Both Carla and I tilted our heads in confusion, looking at each other.
That was because, typically, after consuming an elixir, there was a process of absorbing its energy.
Even in H&A, this absorption was achieved through a mini-game. Now, in reality, I had to manually settle the elixir’s energy into my mana core.
However, this time, the moment I swallowed it, my body automatically accepted the Blood Elixir’s energy.
Wondering if that was really all, I checked my status.
Name: Yandel
Title: Average Treasure Hunter
Basic Abilities:
Physical strength: 12 -> 13
Endurance: 12 -> 13
Agility: 13
Talent: 15
Mana: 19 -> 20
It hadn’t been long, but my magical power, strength, and endurance stats greeted me with an additional point each.
This was real.
I stared blankly at the status window for a moment.
The reason was clear—didn’t the notification mention my sensitive physique?
But a sensitive physique should only increase the efficiency of drug absorption by 10%…
“Ah.”
Does this mean it sets the absorption rate at 110%?
In other words, it assumed I’d cleared the mini-game with the highest grade as a default.
Because of this, it got absorbed naturally before I could even attempt anything.
It sounded ridiculous, but wasn’t the status window also somewhat absurd?
When casting spells, I received a correction from the status window, so I suppose in the future, when absorbing elixirs, I’d get a correction from it as well.
“Sweet.”
That’s right. With every troubling event in life, there’s always a silver lining.
I pulled Carla, who was still looking puzzled, to her feet, grinning slyly.
Next, it was time to verify the relationship between the life force and vitality that Carla mentioned.
With that thought, I temporarily shifted my focus from Elisha’s matter.
It had been ten days since classes resumed without Elisha.
All the main suspects in the Sylvan Magic Tower spirit summoning incident were convicted of attempted interdimensional contact, resulting in them becoming slaves.
And Elisha was among them.
… I couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Carla, get ready.”
It seemed like I needed to revisit Gef City after a long time.