Chapter 17 - Free Eclara

Right now, I was sitting high up in the sky, drinking a cup of tea. Behind me stood Emilia, her expression solemn. A year had passed since we developed this new magic element I called the ‘Null Element.’ At first, we thought it was elementless. But through persistent experimentation, we managed to overcome this hurdle. By applying molecular theory, we were able to reproduce two elements with it.

Using mana as a catalyst to excite molecules in an enclosed space, we could produce fire. This fire wouldn't extinguish as long as we continued exciting the molecules. Conversely, by depressing the molecules, we could turn things to ice. This was the same process I used to make ice cubes, and when I tried it with the Null Element, it yielded the same results as my water magic. However, there were some differences. Water element magic only freezes water molecules, while Null Element magic freezes anything— which is rather terrifying.

“Is what you said true, Emilia?” I asked.

“Yes. The old principal has retired, and the person replacing him is a 23-year-old man.”

“… And what about the other thing?”

“It’s true as well, Lumina-sama. Some of my classmates reported seeing someone in strange clothing walking around the school.”

“…”

These two things seemed oddly familiar. I could hear warning bells going off in my mind. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t remember what it was.

“Lumina-sama?”

“Hmm… Emilia, I think it’s a good time for us to teach this magic to our classmates.”

“Why?”

Emilia tilted her head to the side as she asked. Though I planned to teach my friends this magic, being a loner meant I didn’t have many people to teach. There were Mark and Andrew, but when we became sixth graders, the two of them suddenly disappeared without a trace. So far, there’s been no news about them.

“I can’t really explain it, but I feel like there’s going to be a huge disaster that’ll burn this school to the ground in the future.”

“Eh?”

Emilia blinked rapidly, digesting what I had just said.

“I know this is quite unreasonable, but I just have a feeling that something will definitely happen. Besides…”

I paused, finding it hard to accept the truth. Most of the teachers had suddenly disappeared and never returned, leaving me free to drink tea when there should have been morning classes.

“The number of teachers has been dwindling lately, and now, Sir George is the only one who still teaches us diligently.”

“… But—”

“Just gather anyone who’s willing to follow me. I don’t care if there are only a few.”

“The problem is that it’s you who’s ordering it, Lumina-sama.”

“Yes?”

“Nothing… Then, when will you start teaching them?”

“Now, if possible.”

Emilia made a complicated expression before she bowed to me.

“Then I’ll be off, Lumina-sama. Please wait a while. I’ll gather them near the school fields.”

“Why the fields?”

I tilted my head in curiosity.

“You’ll see.”

Emilia then began to descend. Each step she took created bluish ripples beneath her feet.

“I wonder how Eclara-sama is doing right now,” I mused.

---

[Interlude]

“Eclara, are you really going to relinquish this contract?”

“Yes.”

I knelt down before my master, Pax-sama.

“May I know the reason?”

I bit my lower lip at his question. It was both insulting and degrading to him, and I didn’t want to answer if I could avoid it. But because he wouldn’t let me relinquish my contract otherwise, I swallowed my pride and raised my head to respond.

“It was my mistake to have chosen you as my master, Pax-sama. Though you are a prodigy and quite powerful for your age, the elitist attitude you nurture is something I can’t endure any longer.”

“…”

“Please, do not worry about me. I have already chosen a new master to serve.”

Pax-sama’s face turned red as he clenched his fist in front of me. Beside him, I could see most of the students looking shocked at my declaration. Since there were people around us, he couldn’t become violent, so he did his best to appear calm.

“Hoo, then please enlighten me as to who this new master is.”

“She is a very noble person whose talents equal yours. Right now, she’s studying here as a General Studies student.”

Since I feared that revealing her name might endanger her, I made my statement as vague as possible.

“Hah!? Have you gone mad, Eclara!? You’ve decided to become one of those trash students that leech off us?”

“…”

“If you wish to become trash, then so be it. I don’t collect junk, after all. <Dismiss>!”

He uttered the keyword that canceled my contract as his servant. The ring on my right index finger dispersed into golden dust and diffused into the atmosphere. It was my symbol of loyalty to him, and now that it had vanished, I was a vagrant, without a last name.

I was no longer known as Eclara Dien Rot. I was now simply Eclara, a masterless wanderer.

“Go away and never show your face in front of me again, trash!”

“Thank you very much.”

I left the classroom as quickly as possible. Now that I was no longer under him, those who bore grudges against me could openly show their hostility. Dealing with them was a waste of time, and I wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

The reason I decided to leave Pax-sama was because of my conversation with the ‘Anomaly.’ This Anomaly was a being summoned by a male student during the familiar summoning ceremony. He possessed exceptional talent and magic that was immeasurable. But despite having all that power, he still had a kind heart, and his bond with his summoner was very strong.

One day, as I was wrestling with whether to swallow my pride and leave Pax-sama or continue serving him, the Anomaly appeared out of nowhere and started a conversation with me. That conversation convinced me to leave Pax-sama and serve her, the person I felt was the most suitable.

As I headed toward the farthest and most neglected part of the school, my heart and body felt lighter. My walk was almost a run, and my impatience grew with each step. When I finally arrived at the school building, I suddenly heard her voice.

“Are you all really sure? Though I already have Emilia as a servant, you should know that this contract can never be revoked. The two of us have already tested it and discovered it to be so.”

(Irrevocable contract?)

Normally, such a contract would be made inside the magic cathedral, where hundreds of people would witness the oath. Once the oath was taken, the person would receive a ring that would never disappear. The only way to free a servant from such a contract was for the master to die naturally or be murdered.

“I represent everyone who has gathered, Lumina-sama. All of us wish to become your sword for the coming disaster you’ve prophesied. Serving you has always been our cherished dream since you became a fourth-grader.”

(Disaster? What are they talking about?)

I slowed my steps, and as I approached the school field, I saw more than two hundred students lined up in front of her.

“Did you expect this?” she asked.

“Yes,” Emilia replied.

“Haaa~ I wonder what they see in me. Do you know?”

“It’s because you are the most respectable person in this school. There’s no one else like you. And by teaching them magic, you’ve made them wish to serve you, just like me.”

Beside her stood her temporary servant. However, unlike before, her former red eyes had turned black, and the edges of her twin tails had darkened.

“I’m getting a headache… but as a noble, I need to honor their wishes. It’s that, right? Noblesse oblige.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t know? Ummm… you know I’m a noble, right?”

“Yes.”

“Noblesse oblige is the obligation of us nobles to act with generosity towards those less privileged…. Ummm, aren’t I one of the less privileged?”

“No, you are not.”

“Why!?”

“Have you ever experienced any hardships since you came to this school?”

“… No.”

“Do you know why?”

“… No.”

“Do you want to know?”

“… Maybe?”

The servant walked in front of her, and with the students standing behind her, she declared,

“It’s because all of us have been doing our best so that you would never feel underprivileged.”

“Since when!?”

“The representative just said it. Ever since we were in fourth grade.”

“I don’t really think I’m worthy to be served, though.”

“Yes, you are, Lumina-sama!”

“The dignity you possess, the intelligence you have, and the things you’re about to give them are enough for us to serve you till death!”

“Till death… that’s just exaggerating.”

“No, it’s not, Lumina-sama. Aren’t you about to teach them magic?”

“Yeah, as a countermeasure.”

The servant girl spread her arms wide and declared,

“Did you know that almost all of them had given up on learning magic? But now you’re about to give them a chance to learn the magic we made! You’ve given them new hope, and you’ve revived their ambition—the ambition that was killed when they were told they couldn’t learn magic! Do you still think you’re unworthy to be served?”

“… You’re being overdramatic, you know, Emilia.”

“It’s the only way to convince you.”

The servant girl relaxed her

arms and made a wry smile. She then stood in front of all the students and asked,

“Are all of you really resolved to serve Lumina-sama until you die?”

“““ Yes!”””

Their answer was a resounding shout from all the students.

“Then kneel before me.”

Her presence suddenly changed when she spoke those words. Even I, who was hidden far away, fell to my knees when I heard her.

She placed a finger on her mouth, creating a small wound. I could feel her pouring mana into it. As her blood fell to the ground, I suddenly felt a large amount of mana swirl around the students.

“Once you’ve taken this oath, my words and safety will forever take priority over anything else.”

Her words were met with silence, but the atmosphere of acceptance was palpable.

“From this day forth, you shall become part of Emilia Sluga Chem’s family and will now carry the surname of Sluga Chem.”

“““ Yes!”””

As they accepted her words, a change occurred in all of the students. Their eyes turned black, and the edges of their hair darkened. The ceremony they had performed was very different from the norm. Moreover, the amount of mana she used was equivalent to an intermediate spell—an impossible feat for someone of her level.

This unexplainable phenomenon piqued my curiosity. Quickly standing up from my spot, I stepped forward and accidentally stepped on a branch. In the silence that followed their transformation, the sound seemed very loud.

“Who’s there!?”

She suddenly turned in my direction, her eyes widening when she saw me.

“It’s been a while, Lumina-sama.”

“Eclara-sama?”