For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 25: This Entrance Exam Is Safe (3)

Yandel casually shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the stage.

Meikin, who had been glaring at Yandel’s unfazed demeanor for a moment, soon approached Carla, who was sitting absent-mindedly.

“Professor Meikin! You surprised me! You’re the proctor for the exam?”

Carla’s face lit up as if all the awkwardness from their first eye contact had vanished, and she smiled as she used to back in the Academy days.

However, even as she smiled, her body didn’t move. She merely turned her head, resembling a dog waiting for a command.

The more Meikin thought about it, the more she realized something seemed off about her once familiar pupil.

Feeling a bit heartbroken, Meikin cautiously asked Carla,

“Is everything… okay?”

Seeing her former pupil again after so long, Meikin feels a pang of sorrow.

Before allegations were raised against the Lindelheit family, Carla was the star of the Magic Department, and the pride of her professors.

Meikin had always believed that Carla would one day surpass high-level mages and reach the realm of Archmage.

She still vividly remembered how radiant Carla was back then.

… And she was sure she would never forget what she saw just a moment ago.

Carla’s once noble grace and poise had disappeared. Now, she looked like a nervous rabbit, constantly looking around anxiously.

Her eyes, once shining with intelligence, had lost their luster.

And around her neck was the thorny vine symbol that was the characteristic of slave engravings, etched like a chain.

What was worse was how Yandel, Carla’s master, had been treating her.

Not only did he spank her out of nowhere, but he also treated her like a pet.

Meikin could understand it to some extent. After all, Carla was now a slave.

But recalling how Carla was desperately trying to please her master, Meikin felt as if her heart was crumbling.

Unaware of Meikin’s emotional turmoil, Carla simply smiled brightly and shook her head.

“I’m fine! I’m not struggling, Professor!”

“You can’t possibly be fine. You don’t have to lie to me, Carla.”

In reality, there was nothing Meikin could do for Carla.

However, simply confiding that she was struggling could be a comfort in itself.

Meikin resolved that, even if only for a moment, she would willingly shoulder Carla’s pain.

But then,

“Um… I’m really okay?”

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Carla tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what Meikin was talking about.

Meikin’s sense of unease was also brief. Carla continued, smiling brightly.

“Look at this! My master bought me all these clothes and accessories!”

The attire could be kindly described as ‘functional,’ but more bluntly, it clung to Carla, revealing her figure in a glaring way.

As for the accessories…

They were garishly golden, creating the overall impression of expensive trinkets heaped on without regard for harmony.

It was the epitome of vulgar, nouveau riche taste.

Yet Carla seemed genuinely pleased as she continued,

“My master is really a good person! He might be a little cruel at times, but he doesn’t hit me or starve me. Even when he punishes me, he doesn’t do anything too harsh.”

“……”

Carla praised Yandel as a good person for doing what should be the most basic acts of decency.

And Meikin was momentarily at a loss for words.

If Carla had been a slave from birth, maybe it would be a different story. But it was hard to believe this was coming from Carla, who had grown up so privileged.

At this point, Meikin couldn’t help but realize that the sweet young lady of the mage family Meikin once knew had disappeared somewhere, and in her place was a slave who found joy even in her master’s smallest whims.

She could have been brainwashed, or perhaps she had found herself in a situation where there was no other way to cope.

The only thing that was certain was that Carla had been exploited.

What could she have gone through?

For Meikin, who grew up in a loving home and ascended to a professorial position at the academy without any significant hurdles, it was unimaginable.

Meikin glared at the perpetrator, who had ruined the eyes of the girl, who was like a daughter to her.

Black hair and purple eyes. It was an uncommon combination, but when paired with his handsome appearance, he exuded a noble elegance.

Officially, he was listed as a commoner, but in reality, he was likely the illegitimate child of some high-ranking noble.

After all, who else but a wealthy individual could afford the price set on Carla’s life?

Though she didn’t know the exact amount, it was certainly not something a commoner could typically afford.

While Meikin was pondering Yandel’s identity, the test began.

“Screeeeech!”

A translucent goblin screeched.

Goblins might be the weakest of the lot, but that was only in one-on-one situations.

Well aware of their own weaknesses, goblins always moved in packs and preferred ambushes or traps rather than a direct confrontation.

This made them more challenging to deal with for those who were inexperienced, compared to moderately strong monsters.

Of course, to me, they were just simple cannon fodder.

“Hee hee!”

“Keeee!”

As if the first goblin’s screech was some sort of signal, two other goblins that were spread out to the sides started rushing in simultaneously.

Though small, their physical strength matched that of an adult male. The daggers in their hands might be crude, but they were sharp enough to tear through human flesh.

But it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t hit their target.

Launching myself forward, I pulled out a shining lion dagger from my inventory.

Gripping the weapon, I managed to dodge the coordinated attacks coming from both sides, perhaps due to my crude weapon skills becoming slightly more refined.

But there was another goblin, waiting right in front of me, as if he’d been expecting it.

He smirked malevolently and lifted his dagger.

Then he jumped.

“Kekeke!”

Just as expected.

While the strength of goblins may be comparable to mine, their arms and legs were short, like a child’s.

Therefore, they always attempted to close the gap by leaping, especially at moments that seemed like an opportunity for a finishing blow.

Capitalizing on this pattern was the key to dealing with goblins.

As the goblin floated in the air, aiming his dagger at my neck, I quickly traced a circle with my finger.

“Shock.”

Zap.

“Gah?!”

The basic magic ‘Shock’ wasn’t particularly powerful.

However, it was a decent electric magic spell, so its paralyzing effect was certain. Then, the goblin in the air stiffened up.

He tried to regain his posture as the electric shock effect wore off quickly, but it was already too late.

I had already closed the gap and plunged my dagger right into his neck.

Thunk.

“Gurgh….”

Foaming at the mouth, the twitching goblin was flung towards the other approaching goblins.

Thanks to their small stature and lightweight nature, it was doable.

The goblins, running side by side, couldn’t dodge their airborne comrade and collided.

Crash.

“Keeek!”

“Kyaak!”

Three goblins lay tangled in a heap.

They tried to push off the one that had fallen on top of them and stand up, but I was faster.

“Wind, become a blade and cut down the enemy. Wind Cutter!”

Invisible blades of wind elongated and flew. Then…

Slice.

I severed the heads of two goblins who were just trying to stand up.

All that remained was the one slowly dying from the initial dagger stabbed to the neck.

Instead of delivering a killing blow, I began chanting the Wind Cutter spell again.

“Wind, sharpen your blade. Stay in my hand and grow even fiercer.”

The chant was slightly different this time. It was a spell mainly used for charging up magical energy instead of immediate release.

Taking advantage of the entrance exam system, where the next monster only appeared after all the current ones were killed, was kind of a trick.

While the last goblin was slowly dying, I continued to channel magic, maintaining the charge.

Next up was a single orc.

It was clearly more powerful than me, so I had to subdue it quickly.

After a little time passed, whether completely dead or not, the goblins turned into dust and scattered into the air.

Then, a giant 2-meter figure materialized in the center of the testing area.

Confirming it was an orc, as I remembered, I unleashed all the stored-up magic.

“Wind Cutter!”

Before it could even scream, the orc was cleaved in half.

True to its hardy nature, it would probably hang on to life for another minute.

In the meantime, I began charging the Wind Cutter spell again.

The reason I chose Wind Cutter as my first spell was to use it in this very manner.

I completely incapacitated it and killed it slowly.

Since all the monsters except the goblins appeared one at a time, as long as my magical energy and focus remained intact, this setup would continue.

Even if it were a relatively weak wind magic spell, a full charge would kill any small monster without a chance.

This was the trick in the tutorial that I figured out, which was commonly known as ‘Winbakkom’!

Then, I turned my head toward Carla outside the testing area with a triumphant smile.

I was planning to show off this perfect spell, but…

“…”

For some reason, Carla avoided my gaze with a look of disapproval.

…Ah, why! Even if it was cowardly, winning was what mattered, right?!