Chapter 17: Chloe

After finally prying Chloe off me as she clung to me, calling me “big brother,” I followed the maid to the dormitory and took Eah’s belongings out of my inventory.

The dormitory, built to house three people, was spacious enough. It was smaller than the Adventurers Guild, but it even had a bathtub.

Since the rest of the day was free and there was still plenty of time until dinner, Eah and I casually settled onto our respective beds.

Maybe because nobles stayed here too, the beds were incredibly soft.

"Sis."

"Hm?"

"Did you come to the academy because you want to get stronger, Sis?"

"I’m not sure..."

Honestly, I don’t particularly want to get stronger.

I only picked up a sword because Mom kept begging me to teach her how to use one. And I became a Sword Master simply because I kept trying to beat Chris, even just once.

The weapon I’d originally liked best was the bow.

But bows didn’t require the kind of training that swordsmanship did.

Even in the army, I hit every target whenever I fired, and my sense of distance was good, so I didn’t really need to practice.

But drawing a bowstring took a surprising amount of strength.

In games, all you needed was high Agility to deal more damage and shoot faster, but a real archer needed considerable strength more than nimbleness.

Since I’d poured all my stats into Stamina to endure Mom’s training, it took me a long time before I could shoot a bow again.

Even then, the only time I used a bow for training was when I tried it briefly alongside spirit magic.

In the end, I’d trained just to land one hit on Chris, and even that seemed impossible now, so I was taking it easy.

Someone at my level wouldn’t get hit easily wherever I went, so I didn’t particularly feel like working hard at it.

I’d only come to Deus because I wanted to avoid Mom’s brutal training.

"Wow, you’re so obnoxious. Is it because you’re an elf? If I were you, I’d work hard until the day I died."

"Didn’t you say you wanted to open an inn someday?"

"That was for when I got hurt adventuring and couldn’t do it anymore."

Ah, so that’s what she meant.

"Then why do you want to get stronger?"

"I want to become a Mithril-rank adventurer like you, Sis, help people suffering because of monsters, earn lots of money, and give my grandpa a life of luxury."

Her reason for wanting to get stronger was so very Eah.

Seeing her so pure-hearted was why I’d so readily agreed when she asked me to be her big sister.

"Goodness, my Eah is such a good girl. You’d better get stronger quickly if you want to spoil your grandpa, huh?"

"Hehe. That’s true, but it’s also my first day at the academy... Maybe I should take a break?"

When I broached the subject of training her, Eah subtly hinted that she wanted to rest today.

One reason I was so serious about training Eah was that she improved so quickly, which made her rewarding to teach.

Another reason was that I was bored. Of course, the biggest reason was that it was for Eah’s sake.

I really mean it.

I’d noticed a student training room over there earlier, so I led Eah, whose face looked like she was being dragged to the slaughterhouse, toward it.

"Huh? Big brother and miss. Hey, are you two here to train too?"

"Big brother and young lady? What’s she talking about?"

Ah, Chloe, whom I’d barely managed to leave behind earlier, happened to be using the training room.

"I was a little sad when you coldly left me behind earlier, but seeing you again like this must mean we’re destined to meet."

I firmly replied to Chloe, who was going on about fate.

"You can’t have Chris."

"Aw, why not?"

"Anyway, no."

There was no way I was handing my precious friend over to a woman who went wild for handsome men. And besides, they were different species.

"Eah, let’s go over there."

"Aha."

Eah, who’d been listening to our conversation, let out an exclamation as if she’d realized something.

After training her as usual, it was getting close to dinner, so Eah and I were about to return to the dormitory to wash up and eat.

But Chloe, who still hadn’t gone back, came over to us.

How am I supposed to get rid of her this time?

"Since we’re done, how about we go to the bathhouse together?"

There were bathhouses in this world too? Or was my translation skill broken?

"What’s a bathhouse?"

"Oh my, don’t elves have bathhouses? A bathhouse is..."

The bathhouses in this world were much like the ones I knew.

The difference was that here, bathhouses were reserved for nobles, and they offered services like massages and skincare.

Honestly, I wanted to soak in a huge bath, but I didn’t want to be naked in front of strangers, so my curiosity quickly faded.

I was just about to refuse and leave, but Eah seemed interested in going and was listening intently to Chloe’s explanation.

"Do you want to go?"

"Ah, well... "

Seeing Eah’s gaze linger on my ears and how she couldn’t quite bring herself to answer, I decided we might as well go to the bathhouse.

"I don’t really want to go."

"Ha! You say you don’t want to go, but let’s just go. You’ve already been walking around with your ears out, so what’s the problem?"

"Really?"

I was a little wary of going with Chloe, but if my Eah wanted to go, then we should.

"They offer massages too. If you get massages regularly after training, you won’t get as tired, so let’s go often."

"Thanks, Sis. Hehe."

"You seemed like you were about to refuse, but you’re a pushover when it comes to that young lady, big brother."

I’d told Chloe she couldn’t have Chris, but she kept calling us “big brother” and “young lady.”

Usually, women brought various things with them when they went to a bathhouse, but Chloe led us straight there.

We entered through an entrance more lavish than I’d expected, and the interior was just as splendid. There were even attendants to help us undress.

Once I got into the bath, I saw maids helping the students wash and understood why bathhouses were reserved for nobles.

I argued with the attendants, insisting I could wash myself, and barely managed to protect my body. After watching Eah blush as she received a massage, we left the bathhouse.

Ignoring the usual reaction people had to seeing an elf, I also casually ignored Chloe, who stared at me and shouted “Monster!” as if she’d seen something, and went to the dining hall where Chris was waiting.

"Why are you so late?"

"There’s a bathhouse here too, so I got held up there. Sorry. Were you waiting long?"

"You went to a bathhouse? Are you okay?"

Realizing he wasn’t asking about the bathhouse but whether I was okay, I shrugged.

"I’ve already been walking around with my ears out, so what’s the big deal?"

Chris chuckled at how calm I seemed.

"Looks like you’re okay with both of those things now. I won’t ask you about them anymore. Tell me if you’re having a hard time, Karin."

He was probably talking about what had happened before and what had happened sixty years ago. I’d gotten over it quite a bit by now, so it didn’t bother me anymore.

I’d been unnecessarily tense and frightened.

I was grateful to Chris for worrying about me, and I liked that he did.

I was used to talking to people I’d just met now, too.

The proof was standing right beside us: Chloe, blushing as she stared at Chris.

"Hello. I’m Chloe, a friend of Miss Katrina’s."

Chloe said that as she held out her hand to Chris.

When had we become friends? She’d spoken casually to me at first, but was using polite speech with Chris.

And Chris, pleased by the word “friend,” took her offered hand.

"Ah, I’m Chris."

"I’ve heard a lot about you from my older sister. I look forward to getting along with you."

"Older sister?"

"Let’s hurry up and eat."

I took Eah’s hand and hurried into the dining hall.

"Wow, she’s really an elf. They say they’re a beautiful race, and she really is pretty."

The next day, when we entered Class A, some of the people whispering about us were simply admiring us, while others talked about my figure in ways that were uncomfortable to hear.

They probably thought they were being quiet, but as an elf and a Master with sensitive hearing, I could hear them clearly.

I felt unpleasant, but they weren’t saying it directly to my face, so I did my best to put up with it and sat in an empty seat with Chris.

Chris, on the other hand, looked at them with undisguised displeasure.

Unaware of Chris’s glare, they kept talking, and their remarks gradually turned into increasingly vulgar jokes.

"That’s disgusting to listen to. Can you stop?"

Chloe stood up and glared at them.

"Ah, sorry..."

"My ears nearly rotted just from listening, but you shouldn’t be apologizing to me. Shouldn’t you apologize to Katrina?"

Leaving them behind, struck dumb, Chloe moved to the seat beside me.

"Noblemen are so nasty."

"Thank you for getting angry on my behalf."

"If you’re grateful, then you should do me a favor too. I told you I just want to live comfortably here."

Seeing Chloe get angry for my sake made me think I could be friends with her.

She’d said she wanted to get to know me on the first day, before she’d even noticed Chris, so she was probably sincere.

I wasn’t ready to let my guard down completely, but I decided to do as Chloe asked, speak casually, and thank her.

"Thanks, Chloe."

"That’s nothing. If anyone gives you trouble again, just tell me. I’ll take care of it all for you, little sis."

The way she thumped her chest and told me to leave everything to her was quite reassuring.

Would she be my second friend? No, Eah was my little sister, so was she my first friend?

"Thank you."

Chris also expressed his gratitude.

"Oh, it’s nothing. It’s only natural for a friend to do that, isn’t it?"

Chloe answered, blushing.

Rattle.

As I watched Chloe, whose true feelings were obvious, the classroom door rattled open and a red-haired man entered.

The noisy classroom fell quiet, and the students looked at the newcomer.

He set the file he’d brought on the lectern, took attendance, and introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Professor Ruad, and I’ll be in charge of Class A."

Having introduced himself as Ruad, he continued, looking at the students focused on him.

"As you heard yesterday, Class A is made up of the best. But anyone who falls behind will be moved to another class right away, so work hard and keep up."

I remembered being told that Eah would make it into Class A.

"At Deus, each class has a different curriculum and level, so keep that in mind as well."

We’d attend our major subject classes until three in the afternoon, and for the next two hours, we’d take our other two chosen classes, alternating between them every other day.

"Because of the nature of our department, you’ll do more sparring and training than theory, so you’ll be wearing gym clothes often. Make use of your own locker in the changing room."

After offering several other pieces of advice, the professor wrapped up and left the classroom, telling us that class would continue outside shortly and to change before coming.

After changing in the dormitory, I left my uniform in the locker room the professor had mentioned and headed for the outdoor training grounds.

It was still early, so I saw only a few students chatting with one another at the training grounds.

Chris and Chloe hadn’t arrived yet, so I leaned against the wall and looked around at the scenery.

Just then, two male students who’d noticed me alone came over.

They were the students Chloe had scolded earlier.

"Already flirting with Lady Chloe? I thought elves were ignorant of how the world works, but you’re a crafty one."

"What do you want?"

"I’d like you to make it up to us for the insult we suffered earlier."

I was dumbfounded by the ridiculous nonsense he was spewing.

"I’m more generous than you’d think, so if you get down on your knees and beg here, I’ll forgive you."

Why did guys like this always spout the same old lines?

"I don’t see why I should do that. And weren’t you the ones who insulted me first with those filthy mouths?"

The guy’s smug grin vanished, his face turning cold.

"Even if this is Deus, it only lasts six years. Do you really think we’ll be treated as equals forever? We’re being considerate of you for now, but before long, even Lady Chloe won’t care about a nonhuman like you."

"Do you think I’m acting up because I trust Chloe? I thought that stinking mouth of yours was your only problem, but now I see you’ve got no sense of judgment either."

"How dare you, you bitch! Do you know who I am?"

"Why should I know you, asshole?"

Clang.

"I’ll teach you some manners, then make you squeal beneath me."

So that was his filthy intention all along. You won’t die peacefully.