For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.
Chapter 110: Faye’s Conspiracy (Not In That Sense) (2)

Was it luck?

Things have been going smoothly since the duel.

The investigation revealed that Felop, besides targeting Faye, had repeatedly done similar things to commoners and students from powerless families.

The girl student who dragged Faye into the back alley was also one of such victims.

As a result, Felop was expelled, and the girl student, although she acted under threat, was suspended for being an accomplice.

And with Frank’s fellow cultists, it turned out much better.

Not only were all the cultists within the academy filtered out, but some people from outside even contacted me, wanting me to vet suspicious individuals.

Of course, they didn’t come empty-handed, offering various rewards.

It was an easy job for me. Just a few stabs and it was done.

Though I had enough gold, I chose to receive other items as compensation.

Some even sent me elixirs, probably trying to get on my good side. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ N0vᴇlFire(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

People indeed show their true colors when you offer something valuable.

Anyway, during one of those busy days running around and dealing with the aftermaths, Faye sent me a letter out of the blue.

“…Really?”

Couldn’t she just talk to me in person?

Reading the letter only deepened my confusion.

She asked me to come to the workshop alone, saying she had something important to discuss.

“Could it be that Faye is running short on sponsorship funds? Magic equipment is expensive, starting with the materials.”

“Master is so clueless… That’s why I like him…”

Carla gave me a look of affection like one would give to a slightly lacking child when I showed her the letter.

How unfair.

Not expecting such a look from Carla, I turned to Elisha with a sulky expression.

“Yandel, are you a fool? An idiot? Why are you talking about sponsorship funds?”

Elisha’s words were similar.

At this point, I felt like there was something I was missing, just blinking blankly for a moment.

Carla, giggling, took the letter from my hand and returned it to me.

“It’s okay, Master. If our guess is right, it’s just about time. We’ll wait in the dormitory, so you go see Miss Faye.”

“But what is it about?”

“It’s a bit hard to say with my own mouth…”

“Just go and come back quickly. It’s nothing harmful.”

Elisha urged, pushing my back.

I resisted Elisha’s push and looked back and forth at them.

“Ah, maybe it’s not right to send him like this, Elisha?”

“Maybe it would be better to groom him a bit more? He looks too ordinary now.”

“Alright. Let’s get it done quickly. We still have time.”

Ignoring my dumbfounded gaze, they started grooming me, touching me here and there.

Despite not being dirty, they applied cleaning magic, straightened my clothes, and tidied my hair.

They treated me like a gift to be wrapped with meticulous care.

Although it was weird that the content was me… Carla and Elisha didn’t tell me anything till the end.

After a light spray of perfume, they sent me out of the dormitory without giving me a second thought.

Honestly, it was a bit absurd…

“There must be a reason.”

Carla and Elisha wouldn’t harm me.

There were restrictions due to the slave marks, and they were not that type of people.

If it was just nothing, I could just punish them tonight.

…Come to think of it, rewards and punishments seemed the same, but anyway, it was a punishment.

After one last look at the firmly closed dormitory door, I headed towards Faye’s workshop.

Faye’s workshop was located in a secluded corner where no signs of life were felt.

It was a modest place but successful in synthesizing equipment, so it could have been relocated to a better spot.

Had she grown attached to it, or did she simply prefer the solitude?

She decided to keep using this workshop.

Thanks to various modifications, it not only functions well but also looks impressive now.

I lightly tapped on the magical device installed at the workshop’s entrance.

It was like a doorbell, but instead of pressing a button to ring a bell, it transmitted the sound of a knock inside… a somewhat odd magical device to me.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Faye Senior? I’m here.”

Silence.

“???”

Knock, knock, knock.

“Faye Senior? I said I’m here. Are you there?”

I knocked again, but only silence answered.

What’s this? She called me here, and now there’s no response.

She couldn’t have forgotten and gone out, could she?

Maybe she was in the middle of an important experiment or in the bathroom and couldn’t respond?

Just as I was about to take out a chair from my inventory to wait, I heard Faye’s voice through the magical device.

-Huff… Junior, you’re here?

Her voice sounded breathless, as if she had just rushed over.

There must be something wrong.

“Yes. I’m here. Please open the door.”

-Now… Uh, I’m opening it now.

Click.

I opened the unlocked door and stepped inside.

Though remodeled, the layout remained the same, with a long, narrow corridor that must be passed through.

Alchemy was once not as formulaic as it is now, especially in dungeons with special environments where new items had to be created.

There were many incidents in alchemists’ workshops… the most dangerous being the leakage of toxic substances.

To minimize harm, structural regulations were imposed on alchemists’ workshops.

Nowadays, such regulations have disappeared due to advancements in magic and materials, but traces remain in old workshop buildings.

Like this long, narrow corridor I was passing through, designed with a slight incline to prevent gas leakage.

Most gases, being heavier than air, tend to settle at the bottom, exploiting this property.

But with Faye’s skills, there was no need to worry.

Surely a future grand alchemist wouldn’t make a rookie mistake like getting distracted while making potions and leaving vaporized gas unattended, especially with air circulation magical devices around.

I chuckled to myself and opened the door at the end of the corridor. And then…

“…Huh?”

A pink mist flowed out.

Wait. Really?

Startled, I reflexively covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve.

Thinking back, Faye’s voice through the magical device sounded oddly strained.

I thought it was nothing serious since she was usually a bit gloomy… but maybe it wasn’t something to overlook.

I hurried into the workshop.

The room was dark, not having the lights turned on, with only a few pieces of equipment emitting light.

Despite the darkness, I could still make out objects around me.

The real problem was the fog that thickened the deeper I went in.

A sweet scent pierced through my sleeve, making my head dizzy for a moment.

Even my lower body twitched involuntarily.

While it was not always under my control, it reacted without any reason this time.

Arriving at the center of the workshop, there was Faye.

“Hehe… it’s Junior.”

Clearly, she wasn’t in her right mind.

Her eyes were spinning, her body was trembling intermittently, her clothes were drenched in sweat, and several buttons were undone on her chest.

To anyone, she looked like someone intoxicated.

“Senior Faye, have you lost your mind?!”

“Lost my mind? Just… ugh… my legs are a bit weak…”

Faye giggled alone, even in this situation, and my gaze involuntarily drifted to her chest whenever it moved.

“Junior really likes my chest.”

“…Ah! Now’s not the time for this. How do we solve this?!”

I pressed Faye, who seemed to be losing focus, for an answer.

She wouldn’t have called me here for a drug-fueled party, so it must have been some sort of accident.

Faye nodded with a flushed face.

“First, that cauldron over there…”

Following her instructions, I turned off the boiling cauldron’s fire and covered the suspicious pink contents.

Finally, after restarting the overloaded air circulation magical device, the fog inside began to dissipate quickly.

Just when I thought I could take a breath.

Thud.

“Faye Senior?”

“Ju-Junior…”

Faye had crawled over and was clinging to my legs.

The floor was wet in a straight line, indicating her path.

I swallowed hard, guessing the nature of the liquid, when Faye, who had been restless, cautiously spoke.

“…Are you angry?”

“A bit. You do realize it was quite dangerous just now?”

“So-sorry… I didn’t mean for this to happen… Heh!”

Perhaps due to longer exposure to the fog, Faye trembled without any apparent reason.

“I was wrong… so don’t be too angry, okay? I won’t do it again… Don’t fall out of favor with me…”

She didn’t seem to be in her right mind, judging by her unfocused eyes.

I sighed deeply and gently pushed the overly clingy Faye away.

“I won’t hold a grudge over something like this. It was an accident, right?”

“Right. Accident. Yeah, an accident, Junior.”

“…What’s with that suspicious reaction? What were you really trying to do, Senior Faye? This is a love potion, right? What were you planning to do with this?”

“Uh… well…”

“Be honest. Otherwise, I might get a little angry with you, Senior Faye.”

“I’ll tell you! Just give me a moment!”

Taking a deep breath, Faye finally bowed her head as if resigning to her fate.

“I… was going to give it to you, Junior…”

“…The love potion?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Learning the truth brought a deep sense of betrayal welling up inside me.

Now it was my turn to tremble.

“I trusted you! I trusted Senior Faye!”

“Hic! I’m sorry, Junior! I’m really sorry!”

“I’ve done so much for Senior Faye! How could you do this to me? How!”

“I’ll do anything…! Until Junior’s anger subsides, I’ll do anything! So please forgive me…!”

“……”

Was it because of Faye’s clearly visible cleavage, or was it the effect of the love potion I had inadvertently inhaled?

In a moment of temptation, I asked without realizing it.

“Will you really do anything?”

“Yes, yes! I mean it! It’s okay if it’s for Junior!”

“Then prove it.”

“Prove it?”

After a moment of contemplation, Faye looked up at me and slowly opened her mouth.

But not to speak. Literally just to open her mouth.

“Is a kiss… enough for proof?”

I stared blankly at Faye’s crimson tongue and nodded.

“…That’s enough.”

With this, I could forgive her.

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