For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used. - Chapter 121: The Urban Legend… Was True (3)

As soon as I returned to the dormitory, I dove onto the bed.

I laid on the soft bed, groaning even though I wasn’t particularly tired.

Elisha sighed and gently poked my cheek with her index finger.

Poke, poke.

“Yandel? I’m grateful for the mana shower, but don’t you still have something to tell us?”

“Huh? Ah, right. Carla? Come over here, too.”

“Ah! Yes, Master! Just a moment!”

Carla, who had neatly arranged the stuff I had carelessly thrown in the corner, trotted over and sat beside me.

Her hips were on the edge of the bed, but her upper body was turned sideways, staring intently at me.

After watching her for a moment, I turned my gaze to Elisha.

“Elisha? Aren’t you going to help clean up? Are you just dumping everything on Carla? That’s a bit… too much, isn’t it?”

“Eh? Whaaat?! No, it’s not like that! It’s Carla’s turn this week, so I was just watching! Besides, we both know enough basic life magic, so there’s no need for both of us to focus on menial tasks?!”

Elisha, who jumped up and denied it half-jokingly, then pointed her index finger at Carla and continued.

“Besides, even earlier, you could’ve easily cleaned up with psychokinesis magic, but you chose to do it manually, didn’t you, Carla?”

“Ah! You noticed? Hehe…”

“Why on earth would you do that?!”

“Well, because Master likes seeing me serve him, right? I could use magic, but cleaning manually means he’ll definitely hug me later for my hard work!”

“…Really?”

Elisha’s temper, which was like that of an angry cat, softened.

Pretending not to care but sneakily glancing at me, she seemed quite intrigued.

I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

Flipping my body over to lie properly, I patted the bed on either side of me and said,.

“Come lie down for a bit.”

“Okay!”

“Hmm. If you say so.”

Carla quickly nestled into one side of me while Elisha, slightly embarrassed, coughed a couple of times before lying down.

Pulling both their shoulders into my embrace, I felt different textures from each side.

Of course, there was a slight difference, but either way, both were soft and squishy, which felt nice.

“From now on, we’ll be like this often, so no need to go out of your way, Carla.”

“Gasp! Does that mean no more surprise events where you sneak up on me while I’m cleaning?”

“…If you like it, Carla, there’s no need to stop.”

“Then I’ll keep doing it from time to time, Master!”

Carla, smiling brightly, rubbed her nose against my neck.

Was I starting to feel like I was being eaten by Carla instead?

With a strange feeling, I moved my hand down and playfully squeezed Carla’s chest.

“Elisha, you don’t have to complicate things by thinking about how to act cute with me. Just honestly ask for a hug.”

“That… that’s… Isn’t it a bit embarrassing? For a girl to directly ask for a hug… It doesn’t seem very modest.”

“Oh.”

Carla, unlike Elisha, still retained her normal sensitivity, having been trained as a slave.

Indeed, the values of this era were a bit old-fashioned. Elves, in particular, were a conservative race. But still…

“What does it matter? You forgot? Elisha, you’re my slave.”

“That’s right! Elisha, you only need to look good for the Master!”

“Eek…!”

Elisha, who momentarily looked flustered at Carla’s teasing, soon blushed and pulled my hand towards her chest as a response.

Squish, squish.

Holding both of them by my side and fiddling with their chests, I felt a surge of happiness.

If Faye had been here, I might have been completely blissful.

As I was grinning foolishly to myself, Elisha poked my cheek again and asked.

“Things went off track, but can you quickly explain why the last ghost story is a book?”

“Ah, right. I completely forgot about that.”

It was all because of these seductive, mischievous chests. Anyway, it wasn’t my fault!

I sneakily slipped my hand inside my clothes and carefully organized my thoughts.

“Let’s see. Where to start and how to explain…? The last ghost story is not one that shouldn’t be known, but one that shouldn’t be told. That’s why I’m only telling it now.”

“Ah? It sounds similar but slightly different. But is it really life-threatening to reveal it? If it’s such a powerful curse, the other ghost stories we encountered must be quite strong too.”

Carla, tilting her head in wonder, made me shake mine.

“That’s true. It won’t kill you. But…”

“But?”

“We’ll become part of the ghost story and get trapped in the parallel world. We’ll only be discovered and escape during the next stabilization operation by the professors.”

“If we get trapped without any preparation… we might starve to death.”

“Ah, we won’t die. I always keep several years’ worth of food in a subspace. Still, there’s no need to waste time. It’s not just a day or two.”

For reference, the magical maintenance of the academy was conducted every three months.

If unlucky, it might take up to three months to escape.

At least, that was how it was in the game.

I didn’t have the courage to experiment in reality, but it probably wouldn’t be much different.

“Anyway, that’s why I couldn’t tell it. Now, about the last ghost story’s true nature… Why do you think the residue of stagnant mana took the form of a ghost story?”

“That’s probably because of the first observer, right? It was originally just a shapeless bundle of power, you said.”

“Right. It’s like residual mana accumulated through spatial distortion magic.”

“Adams Gilbert, no, Gilbert Adams, a senior who unintentionally entered the gap space, probably thought of the 13th step ghost story, and that’s how the ghost story got its form.”

Mana was influenced and changed by will.

Mana untouched by anyone, was greatly influenced by the first observer.

If there was only one observer, even if it were not their own mana, it could be greatly distorted according to their perception.

This wasn’t in the game, but I clearly remember learning it during academy lessons.

Elisha probably answered quickly for the same reason.

“But actually, that’s not it. We were the first ones to enter there.”

“…What?”

“You’ve experienced it yourself, right? It’s a bit strange there, but there aren’t any strong enemies. Anyone but the Crafting Department could probably break through it with some difficulty, right?”

Elisha looked as bewildered as a European zoologist, seeing a platypus specimen for the first time.

“Then what about that book you found in the corner of the bookshelf, Yandel? Who could have written something like that?”

“I initially thought it was definitely written by a senior named Gilbert Adams, as per the signature.”

It wasn’t just me. Many early users, including those who found the hidden piece, thought so.

But it was a while later that a certain fact came to light.

“But did you know? There’s no record of anyone named Gilbert Adams ever existing in this academy.”

“…What?”

Students, graduates, staff, and even external merchants.

The academy, which operated for 300 years, received expectations from the entire continent and was meticulously planned, so all records were perfectly preserved.

When I later entered the record room for another quest, many people were puzzled by the overly detailed registries.

Someone had read through them and discovered there was no name like Gilbert Adams.

Of course, I can’t elaborate, but now I’m mistaken for the last descendant of a suspicious secret organization.

Perhaps they thought if it were an organization aimed at eradication, they would naturally have informants in the academy.

Carla and Elisha didn’t question or doubt. They were just surprised and asked.

“Then who wrote that book, Master?!”

“The book is the last ghost story, right? Could it be…?”

Seeing the two of them at a loss for words, I chuckled and nodded.

“That’s right. If you’re interested in ghost stories, everyone knows vaguely about them.”

An old man handing out suspicious amulets, a friend telling an interesting rumor, an eerie but eye-catching specter.

There was always an entity in ghost stories that foretold the existence of the ghost story and an ominous ending.

“The entity that arouses curiosity in the victim and ultimately draws them into the ghost story. That’s the book titled [Unexplainable Phenomena by Magic], and it’s the true nature of the last ghost story.”

“Then, why did the lost mana take the form of a ghost story?!”

“Well… Could it be the will of something non-human? …Like the real ghosts in the ghost stories, for example.”

“……”

“……”

Both of them were speechless.

I remember feeling quite stunned when I first heard this fact.

I had been sure that the hidden piece in the library was just a parody of fantasy world ghost stories.

But in reality, it turned out to be a genuinely eerie and roundabout real ghost story.

Enjoying the sensation of Carla and Elisha shivering and snuggling into my embrace, I picked up the alarm clock I had set aside.