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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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From the edge of the deep green forest, the academy greeted us with the cold face of a towering wall.
Setting foot in the academy for the first time in my life, I, like a country bumpkin, was completely engrossed in taking in the sights, my eyes sparkling with wonder.
“What, you’ve never been to the academy before? You were a slave. I thought you would have come here at least once. There’s a surprising amount of traffic around this area.”
“Where would a slave find the time to sightsee out the window? My daily routine was looking down at the dirt, praying to meet a good master.”
“…Sorry.”
Alice apologized, looking awkward.
Where would a slave have gone, anyway?
Even if I worked in a busy area, all I could see was the dirt ground, and if I carelessly looked up, I’d likely get beaten by a passing noble.
Just sitting in a carriage like this, leisurely looking out the window, was a luxury slaves couldn’t even dream of.
Alice said,
“But, you’re a freedman now.”
“That’s right. A freedman.”
The rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels filled the gaps in our conversation.
Alice smoothed her red hair and asked me a question.
At that moment, I was trying to maintain a neutral expression while stealing glances at Alice’s thighs and fingers.
“Do you really want to marry my mother?”
As she asked, Alice slightly pressed down on her skirt and spread her legs.
The tantalizing sound of her thighs brushing against the fabric was arousing, even with just a glimpse of exposed skin.
I nodded and said,
“Yeah.”
“You’re a freedman now. Isn’t that enough? There’s nothing to gain from marrying my mother.”
“Hey.”
“Wh-what?”
Alice flinched at my sudden call and moved away from me. I asked,
“Why do you hate the idea of Isabelle and me getting married so much?”
Alice’s eyes widened at my question, then she turned away.
Since the carriage had to pass through a checkpoint, the scenery outside was also at a standstill.
I waited for Alice’s answer, thinking that the shape of the mountain looked like the teeth of a beast.
“Why do you need to know? I just don’t like it.”
Of course, I didn’t get a proper answer.
She glanced at me, then added,
“And I didn’t say I completely opposed it. I said I’d allow it if Mom’s feelings don’t change in six months.”
The carriage passed through the checkpoint and started moving again.
The blue sky and forest that had filled my vision were replaced by stuffy white brick walls and bland signs.
Alice said,
“Look over there. Those are the commercial buildings. You’ll be frequenting them, so take a look at where they are.”
“Aren’t there any shops inside the academy?”
“You’re not a student, so you can’t use them. You have to show your student ID to enter the commercial area.”
“That’s a pain.”
Even if I didn’t plan on leaving the academy grounds, it was frustrating that I couldn’t use the shops.
I needed something to do while I adapted to life at the academy, and if I couldn’t even browse the shops, what was I supposed to do?
“So what am I supposed to do? I’m technically your attendant, so I can’t just wander around outside all the time.”
Alice shrugged at my question, shook her head, and said,
“I don’t know. Just take a walk in the park or something. Oh, no, wait. Don’t do that. If you get into trouble with nobles in the park, it’ll be a big problem. Just stay in your room.”
So, she was telling me to just stay put in my room.
I stared at Alice in disbelief and said,
“That’s just prison. Just give me some work to do, then.”
“No, how can I give you work? What am I supposed to tell Mom? That I’m making my potential stepfather do chores?”
“Ah, this is driving me crazy. Isn’t there any place I can read?”
“You can read?”
Alice seemed surprised that I could read.
Slaves who could read were rare.
Of course, that meant being an elite among “slaves,” and since servants were generally expected to be literate, there weren’t many people who specifically sought out literate slaves.
Slave owners usually preferred stupid and thoughtless slaves over clever and quick-witted ones.
“My previous master was kind, so he taught me how to read. My friends and I, the three of us, learned to read, worked on the farm, and had a lot of fun.”
A smile naturally spread across my face.
Alice stared at me blankly, then asked,
“Um… then why were you sold to ‘that’ person?”
“My master was falsely accused of being a demon worshipper and burned at the stake. I had nowhere to go. Everyone was scattered, and I don’t know where they went. They’re probably all dead except for me.”
It was ironic.
After my master was unjustly killed for being a demon worshipper, I actually became a demon.
What would my master think if he saw me now?
Alice closed her mouth and turned away.
Just then, the carriage stopped in front of the academy.
Alice gathered her belongings and said,
“Let’s go. I’ll show you to your room. You carry the luggage.”
“Okay.”
I only had a few days’ worth of belongings, so the luggage was light.
I picked up a travel bag and followed Alice.
In front of the large main gate stood a pillar with a round orb on top.
Complex characters were inscribed at the base of the pillar, which I couldn’t read.
“What? Never seen a purification device before?”
“Purification device?”
“Yeah, it’s a device that sets off an alarm if a demon with strong demonic energy or an evil object tries to enter. The orb turns redder the stronger the demonic energy.”
Since I was concealing my demonic energy, the orb showed no change.
I released a small amount of demonic energy as a test.
The orb’s color remained unchanged, as if it couldn’t detect such a small fluctuation.
“Ah, isn’t it a little cold?”
“Really?”
Alice, who was standing right next to me, shivered and rubbed her arms.
She urged me to hurry inside and turned towards the dormitories.
“Are the male and female dorms separate?”
“They are, but attendants can enter both.”
“How do they distinguish between attendants and others? Suspicious people could get in.”
“Wait a minute.”
Alice went inside without me.
Female students in uniform glanced at me or whispered to each other as they passed by, and I felt a strange sense of anxiety each time their eyes swept over me.
I felt like someone would suddenly point at me and say,
– Why is a lowly person like you here?
“Did you wait long?”
Of course, my anxiety was just anxiety.
Alice walked towards me, holding a badge in her hand.
As I took the badge, Alice pointed to her flat chest and said,
“Attach it around here. Wear this, and if anyone asks whose attendant you are, say you’re Alice’s attendant.”
“Oh, so that’s how it works.”
“If you lose it, stay in your room for the day, and wait here in the morning. I’ll get you a new one from the administrator.”
“Got it.”
“Then follow me. You have to carry my luggage.”
It would be ridiculous for Alice to carry her own luggage when she had hired an attendant.
I picked up the bag and followed her.
Alice pointed to a room number and said,
“My room is 203. Got it? If anyone asks, say Alice from room 203, or Lady Alice from room 203. You know my family name, right?”
“Family name?”
I vaguely remembered it.
Ever since I came to the mansion as a slave, I hadn’t used the family name for anything, and Carlson never mentioned it either.
Alice said,
“Plancia.”
Alice looked straight at me and repeated,
“My mother is Isabelle Plancia. I’m Alice Plancia. Now, let’s say I’m a student in this dormitory, and I find you suspicious, so I ask whose attendant you are. What should you answer?”
“Lady Isabelle Plancia from room 203…”
“No, Isabelle is my mother. Say my name.”
“Anyway…”
“Yeah, whatever… put the bag down here. Sit down and rest for a bit. You’ve come a long way.”
As she instructed, I placed the bag next to the bed.
I had imagined the academy’s noble dormitory to be extravagant, but surprisingly, the room was simple and neat.
There was no ornate furniture, just a small reception table with a few chairs, a comfortable bed, and a desk.
However, the colorful teacups in the kitchen cabinet reminded me that this was indeed a noble academy.
A warm-colored carpet covered the floor, and there were a few other doors in the corner of the room, which probably led to the bathroom and dressing room.
Alice didn’t seem to mind me looking around the room.
She sat down and said,
“There’s tea in the cabinet, so help yourself if you want some.”
“No thanks. I don’t really like tea.”
I shook my head.
Then, I carefully sat down on a chair and asked,
“Should I make you a cup of tea?”
“No. I don’t really like tea.”
For someone who didn’t like tea, her cabinet was filled with all sorts of tea.
Even I, who knew nothing about tea, could tell they were high-quality, so I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.
There was a small picture frame on her desk.
It was a picture of Alice smiling, embraced by a beautiful silver-haired woman with large breasts and a voluptuous figure.
I asked,
“Is that Sylvia?”
“Huh?”
Alice, who had been reading a book, looked up at my question and then at the picture frame.
“Oh, right. That’s Sylvia. My friend.”
As she said this, she gently touched the picture with her fingertip.
The natural smile that graced her lips held a special kind of emotion that she hadn’t shown me before.
I sat on the chair, massaging my shoulders, then abruptly stood up.
There was nothing for me to do here.
It would be better to go to the servants’ quarters early and get some rest.
There was nothing to gain from lingering around a woman who was clearly drawing a line between us.
Alice was keeping her distance, and it was better for me to leave before she expressed her discomfort.
When I stood up, Alice said,
“See you later. The servants’ quarters are down the hall and to the right. Tell the administrator you’re the attendant for Alice Plancia… no, Alice Plancia’s attendant, who arrived today, and they’ll assign you a room.”
“Attendants get their own rooms?”
This was a new world to me.
Alice smiled and said,
“There was a murder when the attendants used shared rooms. They got into a fight.”
Since it wasn’t pleasant news, I just shrugged and opened the door.
“Oh…”
I blinked, frozen in the doorway.
The silver-haired beauty I had seen in the picture was standing right there.
Her breasts were so large they couldn’t be contained by her uniform, and her hips were indecently wide, contrasting with her narrow waist.
“Sylvia!”
Alice gently pushed me aside and hugged Sylvia tightly.
Sylvia hugged Alice back and said,
“Alice, did you have a good trip home?”
“Yes, Sylvia. I missed you.”
“Um, who is this…?”
“He’s my attendant. Come in quickly. I bought that tea you like.”
She pulled Sylvia into the room without even introducing me.
Then she opened her bag and took out a small glass bottle.
It contained tea leaves, a specialty product from our village.
Sylvia stammered with an apologetic look,
“I-I’m so sorry, I always receive things from you…”
Alice said with a smile,
“Don’t worry about it. You know I like tea.”
Oh, really?
I smiled and closed the door.
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