The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 103

The average number of items on the agenda to discuss during the school’s academic conference had doubled. Considering the situation, it was inevitable.

Despite the academic calendar progressing normally, there had been a lot of unfortunate incidents that occurred on school grounds and the preparations for the regular annual schedule also needed to be taken care of. Still, the quality of the classes couldn’t be sacrificed, nor could the management of the students be neglected.

With things happening as they had been, the professors and faculty members of the school had to work while losing hours of sleep. From senior professors all the way to the new junior professors.

Academic conferences were also being held once or twice a week, but every time the list of work needed to be done has been suddenly updated. And the situation of the school itself had been changing so frequently that the cycle had been moved up even more.

For the faculty and staff, it felt like hell.

“The investigation of Ed Rothstaylor’s death is being concluded. The investigation into the situation is almost complete, and we are convinced that the vassals of House Rothstaylor were the true culprits behind it. As we here at Silvenia are just an education institution, the punishment should thus be transferred to the imperial family. So, once the facts are confirmed we need to report it.”

Centered around the headmaster Obel Forsyth, all the veteran professors of each department as well as junior professors sat in the conference room.

Headmaster Obel inwardly let out a sigh as he listened to Professor Flubin’s report.

After being the headmaster for decades, you were bound to experience all sorts of incidents and accidents.

In particular, the case of Ed Rothstaylor’s death…the reasoning behind it was obvious.

Even though he was excommunicated, he was a son of Duke Rothstaylor. In addition to that, the culprit behind the incident were vassals of House Rothstaylor. It seemed almost certain that the murder was due to internal circumstances within the family, such as disputes over succession rights or disputes amongst each other.

It was a headache-inducing case.

The incident itself took place on school grounds, but it was difficult to fully grasp the truth of the situation since it was caused by an internal strife between the powerful.

First of all, Rothstaylor Mansion itself was quite far away from Silvenia Academy. Even if they could investigate it, they still didn’t have the right to search and question one of the most powerful houses in the empire.

Even though they desperately want to search for the most likely suspect of the murder, Tanya Rothstaylor… In the current situation, getting the attention of House Rothstaylor wouldn’t be very pleasant.

In the end, the only thing the faculty of Silvenia Academy could do was accurately determine the facts of what had taken place on school grounds, then transfer the case itself to the imperial court. After all, from the judge’s point of view the only ones in a position to evaluate and judge someone from such a powerful house were the imperial family.

Once they transferred the case over, there was no way to know how things would turn out.

The relationship between the imperial family and the Rothstaylor family had always been quite fickle. It was completely unknown how the event would affect the overall political world.

“I have also checked the situation at the crime scene through the use of thoughtography magic. The weather during the incident wasn’t great, so it was impossible to accurately reproduce the scene. However, the testimony of the witness Yennekar Palerover seemed to be correct. We were able to confirm that it was the vassals that stabbed the victim, Ed Rothstaylor, and he did in fact fall off the cliff.”

“Then it’s pretty much safe to say that his death is certain.”

“Falling over the cliff after suffering an attack from a weapon imprinted with a deadly poison… it seems to be certain.”

“Finalize all of the facts and prepare to deliver them to the imperial family. Before that though, make sure to receive the payment.”

Professor Flubin bowed his head as if to say he understood.

The fellow professor continued to look at Professor Flubin with pitiful eyes.

Professor Flubin, a senior professor of monster studies, was already busy with classes because he was quite popular among the students. Unfortunately for him, he just happened to be in charge of the education district the night of the incident, forcing him to take care of all the investigation work.

Even though the workload was large enough that even having two separate bodies wasn’t enough, he still took care of everything without a problem. Except for the fact that he constantly looked exhausted.

“Next is… That’s right. The attack on Ophelis Hall by the top student, Lucy Mayreel. I was too busy to attend the disciplinary committee that day…”

“According to the recommendation of the Ophelis Hall’s head maid, the disciplinary measure that passed was thirty days of probation.”

“It’s a pretty light punishment. Was the investigation behind the incident also completed properly?”

“Yes, I looked through everything carefully.”

The discourse was between the Headmaster Obel and the Deputy Headmistress Rachel.

While the top two members of Silveria Academy discussed, the rest of the faculty members in the conference room fell silent. There was no one that had the authority to intervene in a conversation between the two.

“It was an individual act taken by Lucy after being deeply shocked by the death of Ed Rothstaylor. There were no casualties, with only a small amount of property damage. In addition, there was a commotion as the students were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night. Though everything ended well when Lucy, who was the cause of the ruckus, was eventually stopped. She then sat down in the rose garden waiting for our arrival”

“She had been stopped?”

Headmaster Obel Forsyth knew well of Lucy’s abilities in magic.

She acted like a veteran in terms of practical experience, and she also was well versed academically as well. She was one that he considered to be comparable to the legendary archmage Glockt.

Lucy Mayreel. The top student that even Obel himself felt nervous about going up against. A genius of the generation and the pride of Silvenia.

None of the students residing in Ophelis Hall nor any of the staff working there would be able to stop such a girl. If there was such a person, Obel was unaware of them.

“Yes. The second year’s combat department’s top student, Clevius Nortondale, had defended the entrance to Ophelis Hall up until the end. We are preparing a commendation for him from the school.”

“Was he really a student with such capabilities?”

“In terms of his capabilities, it seemed that it was a situation in which he was overwhelmingly pushed back. Though, it seemed that he was barely able to bear through it til the end with his mental strength.”

“Is that so? That’s quite impressive.”

The current second years had many outstanding individuals when compared to the other grades.

Lucy Mayreel, Ziggs Eiffelstein, Taylee McLaure, Lortel Kehelland, Ayla Triss, Elvira Aniston, Adele Cerise… There were quite a few of them, from those that stood in the spotlight from the start and those that slowly proved their achievement as time passed.

Among all of them, Clevius Nortondale had a cowardly temperament that was too disruptive for his position as the head of the combat department. It made it difficult to fit his name in such a line up, but… Looking at the incident, he was definitely impressive enough to get recognition.

“Certainly, there have been quite a lot of incidents lately… But I believe these are all just small branches that stemmed from one main incident. Above all else… The ramifications of Ed Rothstaylor’s death went beyond our imagination. I haven’t figured it out yet… but he must have been a student that had a strong influence over many people.”

Obel sat down in a proper position as he organized the situation. In the end, the big incident that caused it all was the sudden death of Ed Rothstaylor.

“The case of Ed Rothstaylor’s death has been entrusted to Professor Flubin. Professor Altman has confirmed the details behind Lucy Mayreel’s rampage. And Deputy Headmistress Rachel will be in charge of the student Clevius’ award.

Certainly… It seems to be events that all sprouted from a single incident, but since the work is being handled by several different professors, the efficiency of work isn’t going to be all that great.”

“Yes, that is certainly true.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be much more efficient for a single professor to take care of all of it? Is there someone that could be recommended as a suitable person to take responsibility…?”

Silence among the faculty.

Even just listening to the explanation was a major pain. There were a ridiculous number of things to be in charge of, and the handling of all of it was complicated as well. It was something that no one would willingly or hastily say, ‘I’ll take care of it.’

“Hmm… Someone who knows a little bit about Ed Rothstaylor, and is in contact with Clevius as well as Lucy… Were there any professors like that in the magic department?”

All of a sudden… The professors’ eyes all moved to one side. Obel also shifted his gaze towards the direction following the atmosphere of the room.

A person sitting in one corner of the conference room, quietly blackening a corner of a document with a quill, frowned as she raised her head.

Her fluttering blonde hair went past her shoulders and all the way to the base of her shoulder blades. Looking around the conference room, half dazed, she suddenly became startled upon realizing they were talking about her.

“Uh… Uhmm…”

“Assistant Professor Cleoh…?”

Was it really appropriate to say that she was someone blessed with the power of good relations from the gods? She was someone already famous among all the professors.

In the first place, there was no one else like her.

Even if you were to just look at the assistants belonging to her lab… The head teacher’s assistant, Anise. The victim of the case, Ed Rothstaylor. The Blade Demon of House Nortondale, Clevius Nortondale. And a master of flying magic, Onyx.

And she was even a professor of the magic department. Plus, since she is the youngest professor, there was no one else that they were more comfortable throwing work at.

“I… Uhm… Uh…”

About to burst into tears, Cleoh scourged her head to the utmost, trying to look for an excuse. But the escape route had already been blocked.

Cold sweat poured out of her like a flood.

“I-I’ll work hard on it, immediately…!”

It was a death sentence.

***

“Why are you only doing this to me? I was just about to finish all the work that had been pushed on me throughout the break! All I wanted to do was be in charge of the class I was assigned and think of ways to spend my life here at the school in more relaxed manner…!”

A tall tower of papers piled up on Assistant Professor Cleoh’s desk. All of which had been transferred from Professor Flubin and Professor Altman.

It looked as if it would take an entire month just to read.

“This… How am I supposed to take care of all of this…!”

Assistant Professor Cleoh buried her face in her desk, crying. It had already become an everyday occurrence to see.

“The days when I was a student were great… I want to live the entirety of my life as a student… I hate this kind of heavy workload…”

Fortunately, all of the assistants in her lab were ones that were quick yet did a good job with their work.

In particular, Anise, who was the head assistant. Clevius was a bit inexperienced in paperwork, but he was still very good when it came to practical or physical work. Onyx was also a top student that was able to handle the majority of things well, which made it a much easier environment compared to other labs.

Still, Ed Rothstaylor wasn’t there. It was sad.

Even though he didn’t look it, he was a student that was quite pleasant to have around and who always properly took care of their work. It had been quite some time since he had been plagued with those awful rumors about him, but it didn’t seem like he ever struggled or paid much attention to them.

“Haah…”

As things had gotten quite complicated, Assistant Professor Cleoh let out a deep sigh.

With both arms supporting her chin, she looked into the air as she lamented.

“I guess it’s true that you never know how a person’s life will end up. Even in our own lives, we really have no idea how things will pan out… so we should always try to live each day to its fullest worth.”

“Th-That’s nice to hear, but… A-Are you really the one who should say that, Assistant Professor Cleoh…?”

The one that responded was Clevius, with bandages wrapped around his body.

Although he was injured quite a bit, by his nature he was born with fast recovery. His body, which had been completely injured in an intense battle with Lucy, had already recovered as he came back to work as a teaching assistant.

After all, there were very few opportunities that could fund his tuition as efficiently as being a teaching assistant.

“Oh, Clevius. What makes you say that? I’m living a life to my fullest, you know. Now, here. Just look at all this work…”

“Ah, yes…”

While exchanging useless words, suddenly Assistant Professor Cleoh’s eyes turned to the other side of the worktable.

In the middle of a large square table, the assistants were all arranging the piles of papers in front of them.

Assistant Professor Cleoh felt a great sense of incongruity seeing Anise Haylan, the head assistant, quietly sipping tea in the corner and looking over the documents.

“Anise… It seems like you don’t have much energy these days.”

“Hm? Me?”

“Yeah. Did you not realize? These days you don’t speak all that much.”

Anise brushed aside her light gray hair as she brought the teacup to her mouth. The elegance in her appearance still remained.

When people described Anise’s appearance while she was walking with Clara, everyone said the same thing.

A commoner-like aristocrat and an aristocratic commoner.

Unlike Clara, who was always bright and easygoing, Anise always maintained an elegant and proper appearance in each and every action she takes. She was more aristocratic than an aristocrat.

However, when working as a teacher assistant she would proudly roll up her sleeves as she actively worked on every little thing. And the results of her actions were clear… It became natural that every single professor wanted her to join their own lab.

“Definitely, without Ed here it feels rather empty…”

“Th-That’s…”

Anise, who was drinking tea with her eyes half open, suddenly made a slip of the tongue.

The emptiness that Assistant Professor Cleoh had mentioned was in regard to the emptiness of losing a colleague that worked as a teaching assistant in the same lab.

But Anise’s grief was in a higher realm than that.

Certainly, Anise Haylan had strong feelings towards Ed Rothstaylor.

Unlike the rumors that claimed he was a good-for-nothing troublemaker, in actuality he was a man that was hardworking and capable. After all they had been through, she was sure of that fact.

However, Anise didn’t show her emotions even by biting her lower lip.

That was because she wasn’t someone that should be feeling such grief and emptiness from his loss.

Perhaps the person that suffered the most from the incident was her best friend, Yennekar Palerover.

The painful feeling that beat on her chest and filled her must have been completely insignificant compared to the pain that she must have been feeling.

Anise somehow managed to withstand the moisture that rose to the tip of her nose.

The image of him sitting next to her, shuffling through the papers, seemed to glimmer in her eyes. However, it was time to accept his absence.

Either way, it was a short relationship. There must surely be a better person out there in the wide, wide world.

As she comforted herself, she pushed down the sad emotions that suddenly rose in her chest along with the sip of her tea.

It was not the time to show feelings of grief. To put it simply, it was the time for her to comfort Yennekar, who had to be in great despair.

Regardless, she was planning to visit Yennekar later in the day. She could imagine just how depressed and struggling emotionally she would be during such a time… but a true friend wouldn’t avoid her and would instead stand by her side.

Taking care of the emotions that were rising inside of her, Anise then started to complete her work step by step.

***

“Today I want to try curry…!”

“……”

Sitting on the outsider terrace of Laplace Bakery, Yennekar, who had been carrying a bunch of ingredients she bought over in the commercial district, put them down one by one. She continued to talk to Anise with a brightly lit up face.

“Anise, you’re a good cook, right? What do you think? It’s a little bit difficult for me to control the fire, so I was thinking of trying a dish that simmers over medium heat for a long period of time… I’m good at doing up ingredients, but I’m afraid to try a dish that I haven’t made before…!”

“……”

“Hm, maybe not then? Have I been eating too many hot dishes recently? Still, people say that it’s not good for the body to reduce one’s intake of vegetables… How about something like a salad then?”

“Y-Yennekar…”

In front of Yennekar, who was lively like a flower that bloomed fully, talking about this and that, Anise stuttered.

“Th-These days, it seems like you’re having a lot of fun cooking.”

“Hm? I guess so…!”

The image that Anise had in her mind before coming to the bakery.

The image of Yennekar being in grief, sitting down with tears filling her eyes as she reminisced about her past with Ed, it all fell apart.

Yennekar’s bright and lively appearance… rather than a girl in complete grief, she looked like a wife that had just begun her married life. Wondering if she was maybe imagining Yennekar smiling so brightly, acting all happy, Yennekar really did seem more energetic than usual.

Was this an appropriate reaction?

Wondering what was so great, Yennekar explained the great quality of ingredients that she had bought for a low price at the commercial district… Anise was left rather confused.

“Yennekar, Uhm… Did you hear the news…? You heard it, right?”

“Hm? News? What news? Ah…, Ack…”

There was no way that she hadn’t heard of the news.

It was the most unsettling piece of news that was going around the school these days. And thinking back to the reports she had just compiled, it was Yennekar herself who had testified about the culprit behind Ed’s murder.

Yennekar Palerover surely knows about Ed’s death.

So, what was with her lively attitude?

Ed’s death would never have such a light impact on Yennekar.

So why did Yennekar look like that now…?

Suddenly, goosebumps appeared all over Anise’s body.

Yennekar was good at cooking since she had good dexterity, but she wasn’t the type to enjoy cooking to that extent.

And considering Yennekar’s recent behavior… It doesn’t seem like much had changed from before Ed’s death.

And it seemed that, whenever she got the chance, she disappeared off towards the north of the island. Before Ed died, one would think that she was going off to meet him… But there shouldn’t have been a reason for Yennekar to go to the North Forest so often anymore.

That, along with the overlapping observation of her recent and sudden interest in cooking, made awful images start to bloom in Anise’s head.

An empty cabin.

A figure of Yennekar sitting alone in the camp, cutting up the ingredients with a kitchen knife.

There wasn’t anyone there to eat the food, yet with dead empty eyes she continued to serve it… And with no one there to listen, she continued to say kind words.

Sitting alone at the empty table, smiling without a soul around… she continued to repeat to herself all in vain.

“Get a hold of yourself, Yennekar.”

Anise suddenly burst into tears as she clasped Yennekar’s hands tightly.

“He’s… He’s already gone…! He’s dead…!”

Finally letting out those words from her mouth, no one was more hurt than herself.

Her heart started to well up as strength went to her hands, which were clasping Yennekar’s tightly.

“Now… You have to come and accept it…!”

“A-Anise…?”

After saying that, Anise hugged Yennekar tightly… And only then did she realize. The one who wanted to be comforted more than anyone else was herself.

“Even if you pretend to be okay… the dead will never come back…!”

“…A-Anise…”

Only then did Yennekar realize… as she began to pat Anise on the back while embracing her.

“……”

[ Miss Yennekar. Right now, is this okay? ]

“Sh… Shhhh…!”

Only then did Yennekar finally realize that the way she was acting was wrong… She began to break out in a cold sweat as she sat, ignoring the strange gazes from the spirits.

***

“The investigation from the school has also been completed to some degree.”

They were in the reception room of the Royal Residence.

To be able to meet with Princess Penia on the spot, you would have to be a person of clear standing within Silvenia. Of course, she wouldn’t just meet anyone.

You would have to be at least the level of Lortel Kehelland, who held power within the Elte Company, to be able to ask for a personal meeting with Princess Penia.

“It’s quite unfortunate that Ed has died, but still… We have to take care of our academic schedule. Isn’t that right, Princess Penia?”

“So, why have you come to talk to me?”

“I’m here to ask why you are hiding Tanya?”

Lortel’s way of speaking with a smile on her face as she stabbed you right on the mark was quite tiring to deal with for anyone.

Penia miraculously managed to maintain her gentle expression, but Lortel still frankly stated that she knew it all.

“Did you know that everything that goes on here in Acken Island’s commercial district is in the palm of my hand?”

The entire business district of the commercial district was under the control of the Elte Company. It was already clear that all the money that circulated there would leave Elte, only to come back to them.

Having been the one to put the money in the hands of the people, it was no different than them owning the people themselves.

Lortel’s eyes and ears were spread out everywhere within the commercial district.

It wasn’t difficult to guess Tanya’s movements by asking eyewitness information. Even though there wasn’t any physical proof, there were still personal statements she could go off of.

The best place for Tanya to personally reach out and ask for help from was almost certainly the Royal Residence. A place that even the school itself couldn’t touch hastily.

Therefore, by collecting information from the people around the road leading to the royal residence, the outline was clear.

The fellow merchants, as well as the other aristocratic students that Tanya could ask for help from, all played a decisive role in giving personal statements about her whereabouts.

Tanya was being hidden by Princess Penia. Even now, it seemed that the school had not yet been able to determine her whereabouts.

Lortel had come to that conclusion from the beginning, but didn’t tell anyone else about it. She didn’t even tell Ed Rothstaylor, who she loved so dearly.

“You’re talking nonsense, Lortel Kehelland.”

“Isn’t the atmosphere within the school quite chaotic? The election for the student council president is also coming up soon, so we should take care of these noisy things early on.”

“Why is Miss Lortel looking for Miss Tanya in the first place?”

“To put it bluntly, personally I still have some pent-up emotions about her.”

Lortel smiled gracefully as she held the teacup that Penia’s attendant had brought over up to her mouth.

“As you the Princess know quite well, I am an opportunistic and petty person… I am rather weak in front of those that I cannot be tough with, but when it comes to those weaker than me, I am much, much harder on them than anyone else.”

“That’s… not something to say so proudly.”

“It’s only natural to live by weighing your profits. It may seem rather mean that I am docile in front of the strong and harsh in front of the weak, but taking a step back and thinking about it, isn’t that only natural?”

Seeing her smile so brightly, Princess Penia felt rather uncomfortable.

“House Rothstaylor is a group that is of quite high standing, to the point that even the imperial family that I’m a part of isn’t in a spot that we can deal with them carelessly. So, whether the successor, Miss Tanya, is weaker than Miss Lortel or not…”

“Who can say? I’m only a person that judges everything based on interests.”

Lortel didn’t lose a single word to the Princess.

“I’m only a merchant doing business here on Acken Island, right?”

No matter what family of royalty you came from, going against the deputy head of the Elte Company was by no means an easy feat.

If it were a matter that involved the entire empire, then of course it was more important to carry the glory of House Rothstaylor on their backs, but… It wasn’t a matter that took place on the empire’s territory. They were on Acken Island, which was far off and secluded.

High status and great power were widespread and prevalent in Silveria Academy. Princess Penia and Saint Clarice were just unusually high and noble amongst them all.

In Silveria, a land of learning, the public order was completely different from the empire’s capital. And no matter what happened, it would take two or three days at least for the news of what took place on Acken Island to reach the capital.

In two or three days… It was an amount of time that wasn’t unusual for a person’s entire fate to shift in another direction.

“I am a person that lives and dies for money.”

The fox laughed.

“And the entire commercial district here on Acken Island is completely under my control.”

Princess Penia could clearly see the inside of Lortel.

From the outside, Silvenia was a land of learning where the virtue of learning took precedence. However, digging a little underneath the water, the flow of gold coins that came from that place all ended up leading to that girl’s wallet.

“So, unless you’re a person capable of overturning the power structure here on Acken Island… Who should you look out for? Of course, if Princess Penia or Saint Clarice were to think otherwise, then it would be different. How could I ever go against your opinions?”

She said that with a bright smile on her face, but Princess Penia knew. Those words she spouted were just to show respect to the imperial family.

If she really wanted to, she could use all kinds of trickery to twist, break, and even ignore the opinions of Princess Penia.

If she were to gather the central power of the imperial family, then she could easily suppress Lortel. However, being the third princess, Penia didn’t have that kind of influence. Unfortunately, they were in outlying territory, where the influence of the central power was relatively weak. If they were in the empire’s capital, their positions would have been the opposite, but that was a meaningless premise to think about.

What was the point of all the power that she received from her noble lineage and the various ceremonies and ceremonial power she wielded? Princess Penia furrowed her brow.

“So, I need to find Miss Tanya… And then, my ‘personal business’ will be finished.”

“There isn’t a reason for me to care about Miss Lortel’s personal business.”

Penia drew a line at once. She wasn’t trying to dig the hole any deeper or imply that she was personally involved with hiding Tanya.

In fact, Lortel had risen to the point of being nothing more than a black curtain of the commercial district. If she wanted to stop her somehow… Ultimately, she would need internal power that could definitely put pressure on her vested interests.

Only then would Lortel have to be wary of something, and she would have a weapon to use against her. For example… the power of the student council president.

The student council president had the authority to suggest creating various new facilities in the commercial district, removing the operating guidelines, and even receiving the customs rule that coordinates the flow of goods.

Even though it was only the authority to suggest something, in reality, even the school couldn’t completely ignore the opinions of the student council president. After all, the student council president was supported by the students. In other words, it was the same as getting the support of all the various aristocrats and their power.

“……”

Lortel talked up now but didn’t say any more.

Tanya’s life was being threatened by Lortel. At least, that was what she would think.

It was unknown when House Rothstaylor’s support would arrive. That was because, unless Kadek and Nox were released, the house wouldn’t be able to receive an accurate report of the situation.

She couldn’t run away easily, either. All routes out of Acken Island were within Lortel’s grasp.

In the end, to save Tanya from Lortel… the only choice was to become the student council president.

At that moment, that fact became clear.

***

Lortel finished her work as she left the royal residence and got into the carriage.

As the coachman wielded his whip, the carriage slowly moved forward.

Underneath the robe that covered her, she had a wide smile. A soft light gleamed from her amber eyes.

The political situation of the school had become chaotic.

And it was only Lortel that fully grasped the entire picture.