The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 137

By the time Tanya returned to Ophelis Hall, it was already dark.

The school uniform she was neatly dressed in that the morning was messy all over. Her thick and beautiful blonde hair had also become a mess, with hair sticking out here and there.

Tanya trudged down the hallway with sunken eyes as she handed the maid her outer coat and luggage.

“You look rather tired.”

The maid spoke to her concerned voice.

Tanya looked as if she was going to loudly growl like a zombie at any moment… However, she simply shook her head with her exhausted body slouching.

“No, I’m fine.”

It had been a while since she had last seen Ophelis Hall during the day.

That was because she repeated the same schedule every day. She would leave the dormitory at dawn and wouldn’t return until late at night. However, it was rather rewarding for her, and the work she took care of wasn’t all that difficult.

The gazes of respect and the envy the students had towards Tanya was satisfying. That was because Tanya was the type of person that had a strong desire for honor and respect.

However, in that head of hers there were still a lot of things bothering her.

Her biggest concern was the Elte Company and the power they had, as they had recently been trying to cross the line. Not just the student council, but also the school had been showing great concern towards them.

Recently, they had raised the market price by sweeping up all the textbooks.

It might have seemed like a simple goal of making a profit by buying them when they were cheap and selling them slowly when they were expensive… But considering Elte’s financial power, one could also think that they are going to take things one step further.

For example, if they didn’t sell back the textbooks, school supplies, stationery, and educational magic engineering equipment, then… The start of the school term might end up facing a major setback. That was because many students would be unable to attend any classes without any tools.

The Elte Company was already in charge of all the revenue taking place on Acken Island alone. So, if they gained a larger influence by creating such hostage situations in the market, it would become a major headache for the school.

She hoped that it was all just a coincidence, but things didn’t always end up the way you wanted them to.

It would be great if the Elte Company could remain good business partners with Silvenia in the long term while maintaining good business ethics.

However, with the power balance slowly starting to skew towards one side… The school was starting to tremble nervously.

If they did end up crossing the line, the school would try to secure additional distribution channels outside of the Elte Company.

And that wouldn’t be a very pleasant situation for the Elte Company. That was because the monopoly they currently had would end up being shaken.

“Ah, my head… It hurts…”

As Tanya stumbled through the fancy hallways, she pressed her hands against her temples.

The school revealed that they were thinking of establishing a plan for opening a new distribution channel in advance.

They said they were planning to release an announcement in the commercial city of Oldek, but for now it was still only being discussed internally.

For the school, it was much more beneficial and safer for them to create various distribution channels. Of course, that was not possible without having the Elte Company voice their displeasure.

There was a reason that they alone had been in charge of everything in Acken Island for so long. That was because the Elte Company had calculated the amount of investment that would be returned to them in the distant future.

If Silvenia were to suddenly become larger and find another business partner in an attempt to take away from the Elte Company’s profits as a monopoly, they wouldn’t just stand still.

That was why they needed someone in the middle to coordinate it all. A person that understood Tanya and the school’s situation but could speak up against the Elte Company on their own.

“For now… I should just go into my room and lay down for a bit.”

It had been an incredibly busy day for her. For now, Tanya just wanted to rest.

She walked down the hallway, planning to go back to her room quickly, when—

“……”

She suddenly turned around. Tanya wasn’t the only one staggering along.

She hadn’t sensed anyone else’s presence nearby, so Tanya trembled.

However, it was possible. After all, the girl’s body was quite small compared to the average person. She was also as light as a feather, as she had all sorts of weight-lightening magic applied to her body.

The only reason why her presence was noticeable was because of her large witch hat, which was the size of her upper body. The hat, which was too large for the girl, was this girl’s symbol.

“L-Lucy…?”

Lucy also trembled in surprise. In the first place, she was a girl that wasn’t at all interested in the people around her. However, as soon as she saw Tanya, she was startled. She then swung her body around as she clung onto a window in the hallway, hiding her face.

After making sure that the person talking to her was Tanya, she relaxed her body—as if she were reassured.

Lucy didn’t judge people on their appearance alone. She was sharp when it came to judging a person’s mood and other behavioral characteristics. She might always appear to look like a lazy and disinterested person, but thanks to her senses, she was keenly aware of her surroundings.

At first, when she sensed there was someone there she thought that it was someone other than Tanya.

Ed Rothstaylor.

Naturally, her bright blonde hair was similar to Ed’s. Since they were siblings born of the same house, that was inevitable.

“H-Hello…”

Tanya greeted her awkwardly. It was impossible to not be awkward around her.

At the beginning of the semester, Lucy lost control of herself and became furious, trying to catch and kill Tanya.

However, after all the misunderstandings were cleared up, Ed had brought Lucy to apologize to Tanya… But there was still a strange awkwardness between them.

Although they still maintained an awkward relationship, Lucy did live in the room right next to Tanya’s.

Since they saw each other whenever they came and went from their rooms, it was a bit uncomfortable for the both of them.

Neither Lucy nor Tanya were in a great situation because of that.

“I-I…”

Lucy relaxed her body as she exhaled deeply. Tanya was thinking about what she should say to Lucy when—

“I’m sorry about last time.”

Lucy was the one that apologized first. And she did it in a pretty relaxed manner.

“I misunderstood.”

“I-I’s alright. You already apologized to me, you don’t have to do it again…”

Tanya shook her head, wondering how she should tear down the awkward atmosphere between them.

Suddenly, she noticed that Lucy’s clothes were rather dirty.

“I see that you just came back from taking a nap somewhere. These days, the weather is quite nice to spend your time outdoors. The temperature is also quite good…”

It was just a casual topic to continue their conversation. Although they were just words of courtesy, Lucy listened carefully, nodding her head.

“Do you still go to my brother’s camp often? I heard that the two of you were close.”

“I don’t really go these days.”

“H-Huh…? Is that so…? Wh-Why…?”

Did the two of them fight? Tanya didn’t have the slightest idea.

It seemed like Ed, who was rather diligent, and Lucy, who was lazy, were complete opposites. However, there was still one thing that they had in common that everyone agreed on.

Neither of them were all that interested in the people around them.

Unless they needed to become involved with them, they would never act courteously to try and get close to someone first.

Because of that temperament, Ed and Lucy both didn’t have particularly high expectations of each other.

Maybe it was just a relationship between a man that lived and took care of his cabin and a girl who occasionally came to visit to take a nap.

Tanya had thought of things like that, but became puzzled upon seeing Lucy’s subtly awkward reaction.

“Since I took a nap somewhere else… I look a bit… messy.”

“…What?”

“My skirt is dirty, I’m covered in dust, and my hair is a mess…”

Just hearing the conversation alone, you wouldn’t think there was anything strange about it. However, if you were to think about who was talking… those were some unbelievable words coming out of her mouth.

Tanya was a bit shocked, but the maid next to her, holding onto her luggage and coat, also widened her eyes to the point that they looked like they might pop out.

She wasn’t just anyone. She was Lucy Mayreel, and was caring about her appearance right…

If it weren’t for the maids, Lucy Mayreel wouldn’t even tie her hair back. She would only wear loose fitted clothes… The maids never wanted that unsightly appearance of hers to be shown in front of anyone else.

The maid next to Tanya suddenly started to doubt that the girl was truly Lucy Mayreel.

Was she caring about how other people looked at her? Lucy Mayreel?

Only then did Tanya and the maid realize it. Lucy Mayreel was finally becoming a girl.

It was still just the beginning. She was still only at a level where she didn’t want to show an unsightly appearance of herself to others.

She still had the same old egocentric and lazy temperament. She didn’t have any girly hobbies and she still took a nap in the middle of nowhere as if it were her job.

Wearing a school uniform that didn’t fit her, disappearing like a ghost here and there throughout the school. She hadn’t changed at all. After all, human nature was one that changed quite easily.

However, even massive flames started from weak embers.

Originally, becoming more girly like that wasn’t something that just passed by. Instead, it would slowly start to grow.

Tanya closed her eyes, imagining it.

Lucy Mayreel taking off her witch hat, neatly tidying up her pretty white hair, and smiling in a clean, neat, and cute dress.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She thought that was all a bit too far-fetched.

“Maybe tomorrow I will go to the camp…”

“Ah, is that so…?”

“Yeah. Since I haven’t gone in a while… I kind of want to go…”

Like a stray cat, she pressed down on her hat tightly, acting shy. It seemed as if that appearance of hers was a fatal blow to the maid.

She clutched her heart as she jumped forward, grabbing Lucy’s hand.

“D-Don’t worry, Lady Lucy. Tomorrow I’ll use all the knowledge I gained while working as a Senior Maid to make sure to dress you up beautifully. You’re already beautiful in the first place, so don’t you worry one bit…!”

“……”

Seeing the maid suddenly cheer on Lucy with all her heart was a very strange and abrupt thing to witness.

Lucy nodded, looking a little nervous.

Tanya went into her room after saying goodbye to Lucy. The private rooms of Ophelis Hall, which were as magnificent as one would expect, looked more like the interior of a palace than a regular student dorm.

She took off her school uniform before she changed into comfortable clothes. She then went over to the table, sitting down. She looked down, seeing that there was a letter on the table for some reason.

After the maids finished cleaning, they sometimes left letters addressed to the students out on the table in their private rooms. It was quite convenient to not need to go out and personally pick up their mail.

However, ever since she became the student council president, most of the letters she received came through the student council.

Most of them were about public affairs, as she didn’t want to look through work-related documents when she was in the dormitory.

So, what was the purpose of the letter sent through the dormitory…? It was a letter sent from home.

“This is father’s… wax seal…”

It’s been a while since she has exchanged letters with Krepin Rothstaylor. She had already warned him about it in advance.

When she became the student council president, she would become so busy that she wouldn’t have the time to update him on her life. So, she told him to be understanding of her situation.

Krepin was really proud of his daughter, who had become the student council president. And it didn’t seem as if he was all that interested in whether or not she was adapting well to her school life.

In the first place, Krepin Rothstaylor already has his hands full taking care of the affairs of the Imperial Family. There was no room to pay any attention to the affairs of Acken Island, which was located at the southernmost tip of the continent.

That was why she thought there weren’t going to be any letters from him any time soon. Tanya herself was really busy.

“This is the first letter in such a long time…”

Tanya opened it up as she flipped through the various words of courtesy written by Krepin Rothstaylor.

What was it like to become the student council president, whether or not she was adjusting to her school life, if she had made any friends, what kind of people were the children of the noble and influential families, and whether the plan to purchase the Sage’s Seal was starting to come together.

Reading through similar questions, Tanya relaxed herself as she finished reading through it all.

However, what was written at the end made Tanya’s eyes widen.

It was completely unbelievable. Tanya had to quietly read it aloud once more.

“Since it’s right before your first break… I’ve come to want to see your face again. I heard that many students go home and rest over the break, so Tanya, please come back home and rest for a bit before returning to Silvenia. If possible…”

Tanya put the letter down leaning against the back of her chair.

“If possible… With Ed, too…”

What was written at the end was shocking.

I know that Ed Rothstaylor is still alive.

However, if his reputation within the school is good, his magic skill have improved, and he’s sincere about things… Then, as the head of house, I want to accept Ed back into House Rothstaylor.

I will no longer bring up his crime of insulting the princess. No matter how bad of a crime he committed, I want to give him one last chance—as both the head of house, and his father.

So, pass on this message to Ed.

After losing Arwen, I don’t want history to repeat itself again.

So, if you wish, the doors of House Rothstaylor are still open for you.

I don’t want you to end your life as someone excommunicated from a noble family.

Please come back to the house this break, share with me the stories you have, and let’s seriously discuss the direction your life is taking.

Sender

Krepin Rothstaylor

***

[ Thousand-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning.

—

A wand made from a tree that has lived for more than a thousand years, which has been struck by lightning and treated with various magic powers to effectively increase Spiritual Resonance.

Amplifies Resonance with all elemental spirits. Greatly increases magic power efficiency with Spirit-type magic.

Regardless of affinity with spirit, if you’ve made a contract with them, you can use all of their Spiritual Skills.

—

Grade: Very Rare

Production Difficulty Level: ●●●◐○

*This item is made with a special material. (The Guardian Tree of Merilda)

[How is it…?]

“There’s no burden. It’s definitely effective.”

The girl was in a white dress with her long hair tied up.

As she swung her magic power around, the wind swept around us. Still, it didn’t affect my magic power significantly.

“It would be great to use this wand when I use you in the future. The downside is that it’s rather bulky and not easy to store. However, it’s tolerable when you consider the fact I can handle you in your human form without being burdened. I’m sure it’ll also be much easier to use you when you’re in your wolf form as well.”

I sat on a rock near the river by my camp as I tried out the magically engineered equipment I had finished the day before.

Yennekar, who was in a better condition, sat down next to me.

“Wow… it’s the first time I’ve seen a wand made with magic engineering… It’s definitely powerful. I’ve received lots of wands from friends and family before, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a wand that’s as effective as that.”

The oak wand that Yennekar always carried with her wasn’t all that bad either.

However, it couldn’t be compared to an item that systematically amplified mana efficiency through magic engineering.

“Do you want to try it?”

I handed the large wand I was holding in my hand to Yennekar.

“Y-Yeah… I’m not feeling all that great now, but… Since I’ve gotten a lot better…”

Even though she spoke without any confidence, the moment she closed her eyes and focused, dozens of spirits appeared in an instant.

The fact that she was able to do that much while still in an unstable state made watching it happen completely breathtaking.

“W-Wow… The magic power efficiency is beyond good. I can hardly feel it at all. It just feels like the magic power is naturally flowing through my body.”

“Maybe it feels that way because your resonance is much better than mine, Yennekar.”

“Yeah…! Ed, if you use this wand then you can improve your Elementalism even faster. This is amazing. This is the power of magic engineering.”

After saying that, Yennekar offered the wand back to me. However, I shook my head, refusing to accept it.

“Hm?”

“It’s yours.”

After I said that, I washed my hands in the flowing river.

“What? Mine?”

“I made it for you. After all, I owe you a lot.”

“N-No… I can’t… This time you were the one taking care of me when I was sick.”

“The reason you became sick in the first place was because you pushed yourself too far helping me. There’s no need for you to do something so reckless for my sake.”

I wiped my hands dry as I sat back down on the rock.

“I’m always thankful for you.”

Yennekar looked up at the wand as her eyes trembled.

“I’m sorry that I always have to thank you.”

“…Still, isn’t it more effective for you, who is still working on their spiritual resonance, to be using it rather than me…?”

“I’m going to make another one the same way. So, you don’t have to worry so much.”

“T-The same wand…! That’s like a set…! I see…Hehe…”

I wondered if there was a need to be so excited as Yennekar smiled, hugging her wand tightly.

Seeing that she liked it so much made me feel more embarrassed than proud.

“Thank you, Ed… I will cherish this so much…”

Merilda had a sly grin on her face. Yennekar continued to hold onto the wand tightly for some time. Seeing her react that way was rather rewarding. That was what I was thinking.

“Now, it’s time for the end of the semester exams. Ed, since you’re always getting perfect scores on the written tests, this time you just need to do well on the practical.”

“Yeah, that’s right. And then it will finally break.”

“Do you have any plans for this break?”

“Well… First off, I plan to improve the conditions of this camp a bit more. I want to make the warehouse a little bigger and renovate the cabin some more. I think it would be nicer if I could live in a larger area. I also want to start growing some herbs, vegetables, or even just some small seasonal plants. And a fence that goes around the camp… Anyway, there’s a bunch of things that I want to do. I just need to tidy some things up first.”

“I see… If you’re having a hard time, I’ll help. Now that I live here too, it’s also a part of my business.”

“Alright, thanks. But the important thing is taking care of your health first.”

I ate dinner with Yennekar, continuing the conversation in the same manner.

My cabin was in the northern part of the camp, while Yennekar’s was in the southeast. We were pretty much neighbors, and most of the area we lived in was shared. So, in a way, I guess you could say that we really were living together.

And on the southwest side of the campfire… There were logs that looked to be of pretty high quality stacked up.

Living alone in a luxurious house would seem out of place. That was why it seemed that she had built hers in a similar size and fashion as much as possible to fit her own needs. However, the quality of the inner facilities and the building materials were definitely great.

Watching Lortel’s house come together, Yennekar puffed up her cheeks.

“It could be burdensome to you if I suddenly live here, so I made a few conditions of my own. While I stay here, Miss Bell—who is the best and most skilled maid in Ophelis Hall—will come by regularly to take care of the camp’s facilities. It must have been hard for you to manage everything by yourself, Ed. So, it shouldn’t be all that bad for you to have another person with excellent skills come by and help.”

That was certainly… an offer that was hard to refuse.

There was nothing particularly inconvenient for me when it came to having Lortel come and live at the camp. In the first place, she took care of most of her problems through money, so there’s nothing wrong with being close to her.

Rather, since it was none other than Bell Maya that she had hired to help take care of the camp, I could focus more on extracurricular activities and training instead.

It didn’t feel all that great, as it felt like I was making Bell Maya take care of things for no good reason. However, whenever she volunteered and helped me out, she ended up in a good mood for some reason.

In particular, while she was taking care of Yennekar, I could see just how much work she did to help with the housework… But for some reason, she seemed to be really happy about it. Well, it would be through a contract with Lortel now, and I was told that she was going to be given money for it as well, so it wasn’t anything for me to get involved in.

I picked out the bones of the grilled fish and put some of the flesh in my mouth. I gave some to Yennekar as well.

Yennekar, who was cutting some fruit, took a bite of the grilled fish with a satisfied smile on her face.

Feeling at peace, I looked up at the sky like usual.

The night sky over Acken Island was as beautiful as always. Looking up at it again, it really did feel amazing.

***

“Professor Kaleid, the end-of-semester tests will be in three days…! Soon, you are going to need to create and submit the guidelines for the practical test…! No, actually, the submission deadline has already passed…! What I’m saying is that the extended deadline had to be forcibly extended…!”

Assistant Professor Cleoh begged with tears in her eyes in Professor Kaleid’s private lab.

The longtime friend of Professor Glast, Kaleid Roxster. He was a veteran magician that was adept in various elemental magics.

Originally, he was a middle-aged man who was a magician that gave up on professorship, living a life wandering around the lawless region of Kohelton. However, he had been persuaded to come back and fill the vacancy that was left by Professor Glast.

He had a ponytail with a thick beard and sunken eyes. Rather than looking like a professor, he looked more like a homeless beggar.

Although he was talented enough in magic to be considered a rival to Professor Glast, his natural temperament was the exact opposite of Glast’s.

The moment you entered his lab, the smell of tobacco would hit your nose. If a window weren’t open to ventilate the room, it would be completely filled with thick smoke.

In the corner of his desk was a bottle of wine rolling around. He was sleeping with his head down, snoring.

He was the complete opposite of Professor Glast, who was strict but sincere and did his job well.

No one knows how such a person and Professor Glast were able to stay friends.

Assistant Professor Cleoh tried to wake him up, asking him to do his job. However, he only shook his head, swallowed his spit, and said something ridiculous.

“Well, for that… You can just make up whatever and submit it…”

“This is the end-of-semester evaluations…! The one all the students participate in and that we have to be responsible for …! You know, the end-of-semester evaluations?!”

“Well, whatever… You can come up with it in your own lab and submit it… Well, it would be more convenient for me to have an assistant professor take care of this and that anyways…”

After saying that, his head fell back on the desk.

Assistant Professor Cleoh wiped her face before slowly stepping back and leaving the lab.

Thud!

She gently closed the door, leaning her forehead against it.

That was very different from the rumors about Professor Kaleid’s personality that she had heard.

Professor Kaleid used to work at Silvenia Academy a long time ago. So, hearing about what people thought of him back then… They said that he was the second crazy bastard of Silvenia, who was as strict as Professor Glast and often got angry.

So, she figured that he would be like Professor Glast, with a hardworking and strict personality. But for some reason, the Professor Kaleid that was reinstated didn’t do anything. He just rolled around on the floor of the lab like a pathetic old man all day.

He was nothing like the descriptions she had heard.

However, naturally, the large workload she had remained the same.

“Save me…”

The gift of being blessed by the people around her.

Assistant Professor Cleoh, who endured a life with such a blessing, lived a life of suffering.

“Please save me…!”

In the end, all she was left with were the teacher assistants in her lab, who were considered to be the most competent in all of Silvenia.