The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 122

The only thing they could do was run away. It had already been several hours since they made the decision to flee.

Ed and Clarice entered into the Great Forest of Kranfell without any delay.

If they could just arrive in Zahul’s Frontier Territory and ask for help, the two of them just might be able to save some lives.

Grasping onto that hope, they continued their way through the forest.

Ed was already bleeding heavily. Since he was stumbling quite a bit, it was difficult for her to walk as well.

Still, Clarice clenched her teeth as she mustered the little strength she had to support him.

Boom! BooomBoooooom!

The sound of destruction reverberated from Acken Island.

It had to have already been several kilometers from them already, but the sound was still clearly heard. Compared to the image of the dragon that covered the entire sky above Acken Island, seeing it on the horizon at a distance, she had a new appreciation of just how massive it was.

“At least… we are out of its range… So… if we can just bear with it for a few days, we can make it to Zahul’s Frontier Territory… Hang it there a bit more… Ed…”

Even as she shed tears, Clarice didn’t let go of the strength in her body.

However, as the Saint she had lived her entire life inside of the Holy Father’s Building. When it came to muscles and physical strength, she was much weaker than other girls her age.

With her slender and pale arms, there was no way that she could support Ed’s sturdy body the entire journey. With her trembling body, she continued to move forward… But Ed’s body, which was slowly starting to feel heavier, slowed Clarice down.

“Keu… Ugh… Heuk…”

Clarice shed tears and clenched her teeth as she helped Ed, who was slowly losing his balance. She gathered a bit of magic power to cast Sacred Magic on Ed’s wounds, but she wasn’t able to cover his entire body by herself.

As she clenched her teeth, walking through the forest while covered in blood, she kept repeating the same words as if she were possessed by a ghost.

“It’s alright. It’s alright. Just a bit more. Zahul’s Frontier Territory is right in front of us. So… Just hold on for a little longer…”

Ed’s wounds were quite serious, despite him pretending they weren’t. The excruciating pain from the wounds had to be hard for him to bear.

However, Ed only clenched his teeth tightly as he tried to endure the pain, trying not to make a single noise to express his discomfort. That mental strength alone was enough to leave someone in complete awe.

Clarice constantly gathered magic power to press down on his wounds, trying to minimize the bleeding… but the physical wound itself was something she couldn’t heal. Removing the entirety of the wound was something that only high-ranking Sacred Magic Magicians of the Holy Father’s Building could do.

She could imitate it somewhat, but it was obvious that in doing so, her magic efficiency would be awful. Unable to take care of even half of the fatal wound across Ed’s body, she would only end up exhausting herself. It was as difficult as saving the life of a person on the brink of death.

“Why…? Why can’t I do anything…? Why can’t I do anything…? Ugh… Ha…”

Clenching her teeth, trying while holding back her tears, Clarice led Ed through the forest. The Holy Blue Dragon’s roar was still echoing through the sky.

As the Saint, her Holy Power and corresponding magic power was excellent, but she couldn’t use it properly. In the first place, the reason she had come to Silvenia was to learn how to use the magic power that flowed through her body.

In the end, the only thing she had was the Holy Blessing that wrapped itself around her body. It was only a blessing that protected her death in nearly all circumstances.

However, it wasn’t enough to protect Ed.

“This blessing… Wasted on me… If it was someone else… Anyone…”

She looked at Ed as she had such thoughts, the words repeating ing her head over and over. However, as a blessing that was already engraved on her body, it was impossible to pass on to someone else.

Watching Ed’s blood flow out, little by little… Clarice clenched her teeth as she continued to move forward.

“This isn’t the time… This time… We can survive this time… I have to…”

Roooooooooooooooooooooor!

The Holy Blue Dragon’s roar echoed through the sky once more. The moment she heard it, Clarice had a gut feeling.

It was coming.

Those scales that rained down, covering the entire sky. The terrifying attack that evenly pierced anyone within its range. It was going to cover the entire area once again.

They had already traveled quite far away from it, but with just one or two attacks, Ed would end up losing his life.

“No… Never… It can’t happen…”

Clarice put Ed down on the floor as tears streamed down her cheek. Even if they were to hide behind some form of cover to minimize the attack, it still wasn’t possible to completely block it. If that was the case, she had no choice but to protect Ed using the Holy Blessing that surrounded her.

Then, an attack of scales came rushing down once more.

Clarice tried to block Ed’s body in whatever way she could with her small frame, but she wasn’t able to completely cover his body in such a short amount of time.

She wept while hugging onto Ed’s body, trying to cover him as much as possible as he lay on the floor. Still, a mass attack of scales pierced his body without mercy.

“Keheuk!”

Was it a fatal blow that pierced his collarbone? Ed spewed out red blood… As he looked up at Clarice with haggard eyes.

“No… Ed… Just a little… just a little further, and…”

There, in the forest where only the leaves rustled from the strong wind.

Behind Ed’s body, which lay on the dirt floor…. A puddle of blood began to pool. Seeing the bright red blood on her own hands, Clarice trembled.

“Ed… Ed…”

It was the second time she saw his face as he lost his life.

Still, she couldn’t ever get used to seeing it.

No matter how many times she witnessed the death of someone special to her, she could never get used to it.

Like a curse, it imprinted itself in her chest like a wound, constantly bringing her pain.

Was it right to let him go like that?

Ed had tried to help Clarice up to the moment he died. This time, Clarice was the one that tried to save Ed, but… as if her fate were cursed, things didn’t work out.

“Ed… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

As she hugged the dying Ed, Clarice burst into tears.

“I’m… Really sorry… I couldn’t help you… I couldn’t do anything… Even though you helped me… I just keep letting you die… But… I haven’t done anything for you… I just rely on you… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Ugh… Ughhh…”

And like that… Ed had to meet his death.

However, it wasn’t immediate.

Wipe.

At the touch of his hand wiping away her tears, Clarice listened carefully as she got a grip on herself.

Ed, whose hand was covered in blood, was wiping away Clarcie’s tears with his last bit of strength.

“There’s no need… To be sorry… Don’t cry over nothing…”

Hearing those words from Ed made tears flow endlessly from Clarice’s eyes.

“It’s okay… Don’t be sad, and don’t be frustrated…”

“…Ed…”

“And… I’ll help you… I will definitely… help you, so… don’t cry… and… don’t get… frustrated…”

Thud.

In the end…. Ed’s hand fell onto the floor as he ran out of strength. Without even closing his eyes, he looked up at the sky with that empty gaze of his.

Clarice held Ed in her arms for a while as she cried. A massive light started to shine behind her as she burst into tears.

Eventually, when she looked up at the sky, she saw the same magic circle that she had seen back at Ophelis Hall.

Unlike when she saw it from inside, she could now see its enormous shape at a glance. Inside the magic circle there seemed to be the shape of stars giving off a bluish Holy Power that beautifully filled the sky.

Soon after, a pure white light enveloped the entire world. And with that, Clarice lost consciousness.

***

“Saint. You said you had something to talk about… What is this about…?”

The light began to shine on the world.

There was no longer the sound of the roar of the Holy Blue Dragon cutting through the sky. And Ed was no longer completely covered in blood.

With his book closed and placed on the table, he sat looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

She had seen his death twice.

Holding the debris of Ophelis Hall as he protected her, he ended up dying in her arms.

Despite doing whatever she could to protect him, in the end he was attacked by the Holy Blue Dragon and died.

Either way, the image of him being covered in blood remained vivid in her memory. And looking at his completely fine face now, that image overlapped.

Grasp!

“Eh… Uhmm…?! S-Saint… Wh-What are you doing…?!”

Ignoring Yennekar’s reaction—the girl’s cheeks turning red in surprise—the Saint hugged Ed tightly at once.

After holding him in her arms, that feeling of reliability and safety that she felt back in the carriage filled her heart.

“Saint…?”

When Ed called out to her with a puzzled look on his face, Clarice didn’t answer. Instead, she stood there with her face buried in his arms. Tears were pouring down her cheeks, but she didn’t care.

The sound of gossip filled the area around them. That couldn’t be helped. However, Clarice didn’t seem to mind it one bit.

After that, things passed by in a flash.

Clarice grasped Ed’s wrist tightly as she put Ed inside the carriage, once again fleeing the island. This time, the escape route was different. Instead of heading to the plains, where there was no cover, she decided to head along the Eastern Rocky Mountains, even if it meant it was a bit out of the way.

However, despite the seasoned horseman’s crazy speed, they were unable to reach the rocky mountains before they were attacked by the Holy Blue Dragon once more.

Thanks to Clarice’s protection, Ed wasn’t fatally wounded that time—instead, he ended up slowly dying of excessive bleeding before they reached the mountains. It was excessively traumatic for her to watch as the light faded from his eyes as he died.

***

“Saint. You said you had something to talk about… What is this about…?”

When she came back again, she held Ed’s hand as she went towards the beach. Rather than being hit by the scales while crossing the plains, she decided it might be much safer to flee underground.

Ed knew of two places they could escape to. One was the coastal cave on the west coast of the island, and the other was the secret laboratory used by Professor Glast.

Of the two, they chose to take cover in the cave out on the west coast, but the cave ended up collapsing from an earthquake that took place when the Holy Blue Dragon descended. Clarice was nearly crushed to death by a falling rock, but Ed had rushed in to protect her, taking the brunt of the rocks himself. Ed had his entire lower half crushed as he clenched his teeth, screaming in pain. In the end, however, he only wiped away her tears and never blamed Clarice as he passed away.

***

“One, Five… Five, Zero, Zero, One, Six, Zero… One, Five. Five, Zero, Zero, One, Six, Zero…!”

The Saint’s goal had now changed. She had to save Ed’s life. No matter what happened, she was determined to save Ed Rothstaylor, the man that stood by her side until the very end.

The next time, they took cover in Glast’s Soul Library. Blocking the top in case the ceiling collapsed, they cast several layers of supporting magic. They were able to survive the earthquake caused by the Holy Blue Dragon’s arrival and were even able to survive the scale attack. Clarice wept in tears of joy.

However, the ground that took the attacks of the Holy Blue Dragon’s magic power roared over and over again… Ultimately, it was unable to withstand it with support magic alone and collapsed.

In the pouring dirt, Ed covered Clarice’s body with his own and gathered as much magic power as he could to support the ground as much as possible, all so that Clarice wouldn’t be injured. He did that until the moment he died.

Amidst the crumbling earth, Ed once again died while protecting Clarice.

Even though everything was restored when time rewound, the scars left on Clarice’s body remained. The reason for that was unknown.

That was why, above all else, protecting Clarice was Ed’s top priority—resulting in Ed dying over and over again.

Clarice could never get used to his death.

Every time he died, she had to suffer from a pain that felt like her heart was tearing into pieces. As it kept repeating over and over again, Clarice never got frustrated, clenching her teeth as she continued to try again.

If she got frustrated and gave up… There would be no one to save Ed, the one that died over and over again to protect her.

Ed continued to help Clarice over and over again, without even knowing the full story behind it all. At some point, Clarice could no longer give up on his life.

***

“Saint. You said you had something to talk about… What is this about…?”

The blood on her face was gone and her eyes started to clear up… Still looking at his face, she was somehow able to clench her teeth and gather her strength. As he closed the book and stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, she went over to hug him tightly … Only then was she able to catch her breath.

She couldn’t even remember how many times it’d been.

Clarice stood on the roof of Trix Hall as she left Ed behind to watch the moment the Holy Blue Dragon descended.

This time, she tried to observe the magic circle up in the sky. However, she couldn’t really pinpoint where the source of it originated. After confirming that fact, she looked down at the ruined Acken Island, which was completely stained in blood.

***

“Saint. You said you had something to talk about… What is this about…?”

After that, she then tried to look for any kind of escape route or place to hide. She tried dozens of times, but there wasn’t a single place on Acken Island where they would be safe from the Holy Blue Dragon, Velbrok. Every time she failed, Ed died for Clarice.

That was why Clarice couldn’t give up.

“One, Five… Five, Zero, Zero, One, Six, Zero…”

Suddenly, after saying that… Clarice had nothing more to say.

Upon hearing Clarice recite his military number accurately, Ed’s eyes widened. Looking at his face, the countless memories Clarice had of him dying for her started to corrode her body like cancerous cells.

The images of Ed dying for her countless times, over and over again, continued to overlap endlessly… Not once was she able to save Ed.

She tried everything she could, but against the Blue Dragon Velbrok, who wielded incredible strength… It was impossible to escape… or hide… She couldn’t figure out a way to overcome this situation at all.

She also hadn’t been able to figure out why time kept reverting.

A high-ranking clergyman was supposed to be involved, but no matter how many times she wandered around the school in that short period of time, she could never find the Holy Father or the Archbishop.

Their majestic carriage was parked in a carriage storage next to Mexes Bridge. The only testimony she was able to gather from their horseman was that he had led their closest aides into the education district.

The massive magic circle that appeared every time she went back in time… It was so large that it was impossible to pinpoint exactly where it was cast. Surely it was somewhere in the education district… But she couldn’t pinpoint the exact spot.

The day of the Joint Combat Practice… Constantly repeating, again and again… It was starting to corrode her mind ferociously.

In the first place, after doing so much, shouldn’t she just stop relying on Ed?

Since it was so painful to watch his death and it was reaching a point where she couldn’t bear it any longer, maybe it would be better to leave him alone and find her own way.

Even though she thought as such, losing the only person in the entire world that could understand her situation… that was more terrifying.

Could she really stay sane with that fear of being left alone? Another type of fear started to eat away at Clarice’s heart.

Clarice, who had become completely exhausted… was unable to say anything else after reciting Ed’s military number.

“Saint…?”

Ed just sat there, staring at her.

“Saint… People from the other side of Mexes Bridge came to do an inspection. They said that right now, trade goods from the Elte Company are currently crossing over the bridge. Things are quite chaotic because of the wagons holding merchandise, as well as all of the mercenary escorts, so they’re asking you to wait for a while.”

Suddenly, she heard the horseman’s words. Only then did Clarice understand her current situation.

So… After dragging Ed along and putting him in the carriage, she had ordered the horseman to take them to Mexes Bridge.

As Clarice sat still with sunken eyes, Ed got up to instruct the horseman to do his best to break through the crowd.

The horseman nodded as he drove through the wagons from the Elte Company that filled Mexes Bridge.

Ed held on tightly to Clarice’s body, which was swaying back and forth inside the carriage.

Looking at Clarice’s body closely… There were all sorts of small scratches on her. Although time returned back, for some reason the wounds on Clarice’s body didn’t go away.

At first, it was only Ed’s handprint on her wrist. However, the more she repeated it, the more the number of scratches across her body started to climb.

Looking at that… Ed suddenly instructed the horseman to stop the carriage.

“……?”

Clarice looked up at Ed with empty eyes.

“Let’s get off, Saint.”

“…What?”

“Please take a break.”

Wasn’t the situation dire?

The meaning behind Ed’s words… Clarice couldn’t understand it.

“…I… I know a few people we can turn to for help.”