Chapter 30: Cafeteria

The Academy's cafeteria is a crowded and noisy place, filled with students chatting and laughing as they enjoy their meals. It's where I find myself in the company of Luysia Camclair, the former A-rank paladin whom I mentally and physically broke before enslaving her. However, this process had an unintended outcome. Tortured for several days, I inflicted unbearable pain upon her to the point where she started to worship the pain itself. Luysia is now unstable, partly resisting my control, and she could rebel. The collar-shaped tattoo on her neck that only I can see constantly reminds me of this, as it flashes. Until I find a way to completely tame her, I want to keep her close.

Fortunately, Rero Sansanti is no longer an issue, thanks to the [LIBIDO CONTROL] ability I acquired by leveling up the Master-Servant contract. I can now regulate her sexual urges like adjusting a radio's volume. Currently, I've set the ability to 'mute,' which means Rero's sexual desire is only temporarily suppressed, not nullified. Her sexual hunger could explode at any moment if I don't take care of it. Nevertheless, this setting has the advantage of preventing her from constantly seeking a "dose" of pleasure from me. Of course, I can also maximize the level of her libido, controlling it with the ability. This way, I can make her experience the utmost pleasure, causing her to enjoy much more and, consequently, further corrupting her.

For this reason, increasing the contract level with Luysia should also be a priority for me.

As I try to figure out how to handle the situation with Luysia, a voice calls my name. It's Welze Juble, my classmate. She hurries over, wearing a concerned expression.

She's very worried because she sees me close to Luysia Camclair. "Strauss, move away from her immediately! I'll call the professors!" she urgently exclaims. "Welze is al—" I begin to say, but I'm interrupted. "Camclair, stop harassing Strauss!" Welze yells with determination, not caring that we are in a crowded cafeteria. Welze's reaction surprises me; I didn't expect her to be so decisive. Who would have expected such courage from her? I try to calm her and clarify the situation. "Listen to me, Welze! Luysia has no ill intentions." "Strauss, is she bothering you again?" Welze asks me, still worried, as she observes the icy Luysia. "No, don't worry, Welze, we've sorted things out. Isn't that right, Luysia?" "Yes, I no longer have any issues with Wagner," she replies without much emphasis.

Welze seems shaken by our words. "Wow, it seemed like you really hated him, and there was no way to resolve the issue." "Sometimes, what's needed is to speak openly from the heart. If we make an effort towards each other, it's not impossible to understand one another," I tell her a sugary tale, trying to be convincing.

The blue-haired girl smiles playfully at these words. "You remind me of a character from a book I read some time ago, a hero who renounced conflict and sought to resolve conflicts through dialogue." "An interesting concept, though I don't believe I can be compared to that hero. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind reading it," I reply, trying to improve our relationship, even though I'm far from that character. "I'll gladly lend it to you!" she smiles, offering me the book. "Thank you, Welze. By the way, I think it's time for introductions. This is Luysia Camclair." Luysia steps forward, extending her hand to the girl. "I hope we can get along." Welze shakes her hand with a smile. "Of course, I'm Welze Juble. You can call me Welze." Luysia nods, with a faint smile. She's not very expressive. "So, you've reconciled with Strauss, and that's why you didn't participate in the duel?" she asks Luysia with a curious tone. "Yes, you could say that. I wasn't able to fight," the blonde replies vaguely. "Besides, I can't defeat Wagner."

"Wagner?! But he's only a rank F!" protests Franz Dadref, who has approached our group, clearly drawn by the fact that Welze Juble is talking to us and unable to resist butting into our conversation.

"It's impossible for a Chand paladin not to be able to defeat such a low-ranked cleric," the hunk says loudly.

"Is it true that you've been excommunicated by the church?" Franz Dadref asks.

Luysia nods. "I'm no longer a paladin. I don't identify with the creed of the righteous gods' church."

Franz Dadref promptly responds with a tone of censure, "In Hallemagner, that's heresy."

"So? Does that cause you any problems?" Luysia responds firmly, unafraid.

Dadref seems taken aback for a moment, his reaction a mix of surprise and anger, then he turns his attention to me.

"There's something strange about this situation, and you're the cause."

His observation annoys me, and I reply curtly, "I think you'd better mind your own business."

My words seem to further infuriate him, and he glares at me as if I were a cockroach.

Then he turns back to the blonde.

"I used to admire you, Camclair! You were the symbol of purity and the power of the church," the man tells Luysia, sounding disappointed.

"Franz, you're going overboard! You have no right to preach to Luysia," protests Welze, trying to reason with him.

"There's nothing to admire in all of that. They are just empty illusions," the blonde replies coldly.

Franz Dadref clenches his fists, anger consuming him. "Have you truly renounced Chand?"

"Chand renounced me," she answers with a sad tone.

"Heresy!" His statement triggers an explosion of rage in Dadref.

"Franz, that's enough! You shouldn't—" Welze Juble tries to stop him, pulling at his jacket.

"I shouldn't what?! This heretic has renounced the teachings of the church. She didn't even show up at the Chand festival."

I start to feel a growing sense of irritation and can no longer tolerate insults directed at Luysia.

"Dadref, I'll say this only once more. Luysia is precious to me, and I won't tolerate any more insults," I threaten seriously.

My threat seems to have little effect on Dadref, who responds with a sarcastic chuckle. "Otherwise, what would you do, Wagner?"

I move closer to him and whisper in his ear, "Do you want to end up like Vonner?"

I step away from him, wearing a devilish smile on my face. His expression is priceless, it's wonderful; Franz Dadref appears shocked and confused. He has always tried to figure out how I managed to subdue Vonner, but evidently, he has never found an answer.

"I challenge you to a duel!" the braggart exclaims, trying to regain his composure after my provocation.

"Franz, no! Why?" Welze Juble asks, fear evident in her voice.

"Why should I accept? Dadref, you're of rank A, and I'm just a rank F cleric. Those are your words. It would be an uneven duel."I mock him in front of his peers.

"Before facing Strauss, you should go through me," Luysia interjects. "You called me a heretic. So why don't you give substance to your words by facing me?"

Franz Dadref startles. He is aware of Luysia's strength.

"Show me that the gods are on your side," Luysia continues with her cold tone.

"Come on, come on, what's all this commotion?" with a falsely pleased tone, a man with silver hair approaches us. Franz Dadref seems disturbed by Luysia's words, but his reaction quickly fades when a classmate joins us. Gallo Schrecken, with his short silver hair, is an ally of Dadref and part of our class. He is known to be one of the strongest students at the Academy and ranks in the top ten of our class. With an indifferent gesture, he places a hand on Franz's shoulder and tries to calm the situation.

"My friend, I see you're too agitated. You shouldn't waste your time with a heretic and a rank F," he says, looking at us with disdain. Alongside Gallo, there's also his twin sister, Bicrista Schrecken. She smiles at us with a kind expression. Her face appears gentle, but her eyes send shivers down my spine. Both of them are at the top of our class, along with Franz Dadref. The Schrecken twins are both of rank B.

"You're right, Gallo, but..." Dadref tries to voice his thoughts. "Don't worry, my friend. I'll take care of it," he interrupts, then winks at me, which doesn't bode well. "You don't need to get your hands dirty with the scum. Leave it to me." He smiles mischievously. "Brother, they might misinterpret you with that tone!" Bicrista chuckles. Franz Dadref seems to have regained his composure after hearing Gallo's words. "You're right, it's not worth it." "Exactly, Franz. Let the good old Gallo handle it." He winks at me again. I might think he has questionable taste, but he's probably just another bully.

Luysia appears indifferent to all of this, but I can sense she's ready to act at any moment. Welze is torn, unsure of how to react.

I smile at the foolishness of those who believe themselves to be strong. They don't know that by now, I can crush them like flies. But I want to savor things slowly.

Bicrista approaches me and whispers, "I actually quite like you, Wagner," confessing with a mischievous tone. "I wonder how you scream when you're in pain!" she whispers to me in a childish tone.

"I can't wait!" She smiles with a feigned kind expression. "Come on, Bicrista!" Gallo calls her. Dadref's group walks away, finally leaving us in peace.

The tension in the cafeteria seems to decrease, but the situation has left behind an atmosphere filled with unease. Luysia and I remain at the center of attention, which can only worsen her reputation. However, Luysia appears indifferently impassive in the face of others' reactions.

Welze approaches us with a concerned expression. "Guys, I'm sorry about Franz... He's very devout." "Welze, you're not to blame for your friend's intolerance," I reassure her. "This is the true face of the church. Blind intolerance," Luysia states in her usual cold tone. Welze Juble would like to nod but she she prefers to change the subject. "The Schrecken twins don't bode well. I've never liked them... they've taken over Franz," she tells us, then continues, "Since he started hanging out with those two, he's gotten worse." "They're bullies who wear the facade of model students," I comment. "Are you sure all of this won't lead to further problems?" Welze asks with a downcast look. "Don't worry, Welze." I smile warmly at her. "There are no problems that can't be solved."