The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 138

On a large bulletin board in front of the student square, there was a long announcement about the end-of-semester exam.

The final exams varied between subjects, but they were usually divided into a written and practical exam.

There were also cases where a certain subject would only have a written or only a practical test as well. Either way if you wanted to be a top student, it was important to aim for top grades without being biased towards just the written or practical exams.

However, oftentimes there were students that had overwhelmingly high grades based off of their practical skills alone. There were always going to be exceptional cases like that.

That was because, unlike written grades, practical grades didn’t have a cap on the score. That was related to the school’s tradition of giving preference to students that had exceptional talent.

It was especially true in areas that were highly influenced by one’s innate resonance level and talent.

The combat department focused on things like use of magic weapons, combat sense, practical survival skills—things like that.

The magic department focused on elemental studies, Elementalism, and Monster ecology, while the alchemy department focused on herbology, history, and brewing.

Having a good balance of written and practical grades was important if you wanted to be a mid-upper student. However, there were often cases where the students at the top of their grade were able to claim the title from their overwhelming practical performance alone.

One of those students was the current immovable top third-year student, Yennekar Palerover.

Her practical scores in Spiritual Studies were so overwhelming that it completely overshadowed the written/practical scores of all the other subjects.

However, because she was a hard worker, she also studied hard in other subjects. Frankly speaking, being able to achieve such a level of Elementalism… Even if she scored below average in other subjects, she would still be the top student.

Surprisingly, the second-year top student, Lucy Mayreel, also had excellent grades in the written section.

She could read a book and memorize it in an instant. She wasn’t stupid, just lazy. Rather, she was exceptionally smart.

And that didn’t even touch on her practical skills. In Elemental Studies, none of the other students could even dream of being able to receive a grade in the same realm as her.

The first-year top student, Wade Callamore, also benefited greatly from practical grades.

The fourth-year top student, Daike Elpelan—a senior member of the student council led by Tanya—was also known as a master in the field of practical combat swordsmanship.

“Hmm…”

As I looked at the exam schedule, I chewed on a piece of jerky.

I considered all the points I earned during class time, the grades I got from various practical classes, and my reputation among the professors.

“Ed, the magic department’s Elemental Studies exam was just confirmed yesterday. They said they are going to be testing our magic power resonance… There will also be a mock duel with a faculty member.”

“Not a student… but a faculty member…?”

“Well, that’s what I heard…”

Considering the lineup of professors that taught elemental studies, none of them were going to be an easy opponent.

The senior elemental studies professor Eskin, the veteran professor Dolorna, the recently reinstated Professor Kaleid, and the still-assistant professor Cleoh…

I didn’t know who was going to be doing it, but the only one I had a chance against was probably Cleoh, who had only been in her professorship for less than a year.

Actually… In the first place, it was ridiculous to say that we would be able to defeat a professor.

Professors that studied in academic fields for years weren’t at a level that a student could overcome, even if they weren’t specialized in fields of combat.

However, the test wasn’t designed for us to win. The bigger meaning was to make us try as hard as we could.

I fell into a deep thought, thinking things over, when…

“Ed, what are you thinking so hard about…?”

“Yennekar, it’s a shame, but… for the time being we are enemies.”

Hearing that, Yennekar hiccupped.

We are enemies. Before she could fully ponder on what I meant, her face hardened.

“What…? Why? Why? Why? Why are we enemies?”

“No, you don’t have to take it so seriously… It’s just that this time, I’m thinking of aiming for the position of top student.”

Being the top student within your grade came with enormous benefits.

Among them, the most mouth-watering benefit was the full tuition waiver.

I was somehow able to go to school thanks to the scholarship from the Glockt Scholarship Foundation and my deal with Lortel, which got some money in my hands. However, I was still struggling with the enormous tuition fee. There was a limit to how much we could get from being a member of the school’s scholarship program.

I desperately wanted to take the top student seat and receive those tuition benefits.

Before, I couldn’t even dream of trying, since I was so behind in terms of ability… But now, things were different.

I could handle even high-ranking spirits without the help of the ring. I could even use intermediate elemental magic! Plus, other than my skills in actual combat situations, my main specialty had always been in the written section.

“Top student…? Ah… You were talking about a competition for grades…!”

Compared to the fierce competition for the top student position in the other grades, within the third-year students, it was less complicated than one would expect.

That was because everyone was at the same level beneath the undisputed number 1, Yennekar.

Of course, I couldn’t beat Yennekar in Spiritual Studies either.

She was a monster that could summon even an ultimate spirit if she were willing to give up her life. Of course, she wouldn’t do that in an exam.

However, I had pretty good grades in Elemental Studies and Monster Ecology.

In terms of other fields, where most of it was memorization—such as magic history and magic engineering—I had my grades were overwhelmingly higher than Yennekar’s.

Now that I could even use a high-ranking spirit, the gap in our grades in Spiritual Studies should have been greatly reduced.

It was possible to fill that gap with my grades in other fields.

“Uhm… Honestly, I never felt like I might lose my seat before… But if it’s you, Ed, if I’m not careful I might really end up losing it…”

Yennekar shook her head before puffing out her chest, smiling happily.

“I’m not going to just hand over the seat to you easily…! After all, people in my hometown of Pulan are proud and happy to know that I’m the top student…! So, I can’t let them down…!”

A competition in good faith. Even though it sounded nice, the reality of it was cruel.

In the first place, due to the way Silvenia Academy’s grades were calculated, it was unlikely that the top student would change when you move up a school year.

That was because students with overwhelming talent achieved feats at an overwhelming speed, making it hard to catch up.

Clang!

At that moment, a sound that drew everyone’s attention was heard from the podium in the student square.

The student council’s secretary, who had bluish hair, struck the podium’s steel handgrip with a wand. And for a moment, there was complete silence among the students.

She then began speaking without missing a beat.

“Third year student Ed Rothstaylor. Is there an Ed Rothstaylor present here?”

They were looking for me. I raised my hand with a puzzled expression.

“You have been called on by the student council president. Please come directly to Obel Hall.”

* * *

“That is all.”

It was like I was being treated like their boss.

I had such a thought as I entered Obel Hall and was guided to the student council president’s office.

It seemed that Tanya had already instructed the student council members to bring me over respectfully.

From the students guarding the first floor of Obel Hall to the students passing by, they all nodded as they greeted me. It made me feel even more uncomfortable.

Up until the beginning of last year, all my classmates looked at me as if I were a filthy bug. Suddenly, I had a realization that people were looking at me in a new light. A strange feeling filled my heart.

“Father has forgiven you, Ed. He said to slowly bring you back into the House, he wants to have a conversation with you…”

Tanya, who was sitting in the lofty student council president’s office, welcomed me warmly.

However, the words she said weren’t pleasant.

“That is great.”

“Brother, just by looking at your face I can see that you don’t think that way…”

A chance to regain lost power had come to an excommunicated son of a noble family.

It wouldn’t be strange for me to suddenly start dancing and cheering in the air. However, it was a situation where neither Tanya nor I could be happy.

Krepin Rothstaylor had already tried to kill me once.

He carefully tried to hide his actions, not leaving any material evidence behind, but Tanya and I knew the truth all too well.

“Well, I thought I should at least tell you, which is why I called you over as soon as possible. What do you think about it?”

“Well, since things became like this, I should at least answer him…”

I rubbed my chin as I fell into deep thought.

Krepin Rothstaylor’s plans to assassinate me were unsuccessful.

So, wouldn’t he try to assassinate me again? Why was he instead trying to talk with me?

The first thing that came to my mind was the possibility that he had still not yet fully recovered enough of the Evil God’s magic power to use the Cause and Effect Determination.

The Cause and Effect Determination he used last time he tried to assassinate me was a difficult power to wield, which made it quite effective.

So, he might have been frustrated at having to leave me alone in Silvenia until his next opportunity to assassinate me arrived.

There was a high chance that was why he was calling me back to the mansion.

If that were the case, then accepting his offer without thinking things through would just be suicide. It would be the same as willingly walking into an enemy’s mouth.

Nevertheless, I spoke sternly.

“Then, let’s go back to the mansion together over this break.”

“……”

Tanya looked at me with concerned eyes.

“Brother, if what is written in the letter is true then that would be great, but…”

“I have an idea, Tanya. For now… Let’s just go back and try to figure out Father’s intentions.”

* * *

When I came back to the front of Obel Hall, Yennekar was waiting for me.

She looked rather peaceful, her head drooping as she sat on a bench under the shade of a tree in the midday sun.

When I sat next to her, patting her shoulder to wake her up, she woke up smiling in an embarrassed manner.

She really was a girl with an energy that made the people around her feel strangely comfortable.

Since it was time for exams, she should have been busy. Even though I told her that I would steal the position of top student from her, she still waited around for me to come back.

I knew she had a good personality, but I was rather worried about her seeing it to such an extent.

“I have business to take care of at Ophelis Hall, so I’ll get going first.”

“Ophelis Hall? Why there? In the first place, you can’t even enter there, Ed?”

“Well… I’m going to ask Miss Bell for a favor. Well, I should be able to sneak in through the back door. However, having two people break in might be a burden to her, so you can head back to the camp first, Yennekar.”

“Well, alright… Don’t forget to eat, though. Will you be back by evening?”

I nodded my head as I said goodbye to Yennekar and headed towards Ophelis Hall.

Suddenly, there was a lot of work to take care of.

First, I needed to prepare for the exams as I had originally planned.

Even if I couldn’t take the top student seat that semester, I could always just work harder to try and take it next semester… But it would be rather heartbreaking having to pay twenty gold coins just for a semester’s tuition. That was why I really wanted to win that semester.

So, while I thoroughly prepared for the exams, I also needed to make preparations for after the test when I went to the mansion.

“Hello. By chance, is the Head Maid here?”

After asking the maid that was standing guard by the main entrance of Ophelis Hall about Bell Maya, I sat down in the nearby garden, waiting quietly.

The maid that was standing guard knew I was quite close with Bell Maya, so she immediately went to call on her.

Going back to the Rothstaylor Mansion was an extremely risky decision.

That was the absolute territory of Krepin Rothstaylor, a place where everyone and everything revolved around him, so there was no way to know where or how you would end up screaming in pain.

I wanted to do everything I could to defeat him right away, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right.

If I hastily subdued Krepin, who had the full support of the Imperial Family, I would become a traitor to the empire. Since his position in the empire was still strong, I needed to wait until it was torn down.

However, the biggest variable that would end up pushing him into a corner was none other than Princess Penia. But she wasn’t showing any signs of movement.

In the first place, she didn’t even become the student council president. However, she was still in a position where she could act hostile towards him, so I wanted her to take action, but… Strangely enough, she remained silent.

It seemed that she wanted to maintain a quiet lifestyle more than I thought she did. Had her heart really changed that much?

If that were the case, I would have no choice but to take down Krepin myself.

Sacrificing humans to make a contract with an Evil God. That truth about him, as well as his forbidden research being revealed to the world… I needed such a reason and justification to be able to defeat him.

And in order to secure that physical evidence, there was no surer way than to directly go into Rothstaylor Mansion and investigate it myself.

Whether it was the location of his secret lab or the testimonies of the people there, I needed to collect it all to undermine Krepin’s prestige.

“What brings you here, Young Master Ed?”

“I’m sorry. You must be busy, Miss Bell.”

“No, the things I need to check over today are already nearly finished. However, it’s strange to see someone that doesn’t come by here very often.”

After school, I never came near Ophelis Hall unless there was a particular reason. I’d just been too busy dealing with the issues that had been piling up in the camp.

“Well… Is it okay if I enter Ophelis Hall for a bit?”

“Inside Ophelis Hall…? Well, on principle, I shouldn’t allow it. However, since you’re a trustworthy person, I don’t really mind. You can spend some time inside at my discretion.”

“I see. Thank you…”

“Still, I would like for you to tell me what’s the matter. At least out of courtesy…”

There was no reason to hide it.

I nodded my head, telling her my business as if it wasn’t a big deal.

However, Bell scratched her chin for a moment, thinking things over. She then spoke to someone else, as if asking me to wait for a moment.

She said something to the nearby maid, who acted startled, before she quickly ran up the stairs of Ophelis Hall.

It really wasn’t a big deal, but it felt like they were making a fuss.

“Since it’s an unauthorized visit, I would rather you enter through the back door. There are a lot of people that are looking at the front door.”

“I’m in no position to complain.”

“I also need you to stay next to me. Since it’s an entrance for the maids, if you enter alone, you’ll gather some unnecessary attention.”

Nodding my head, I followed Bell Maya to the back door of Ophelis Hall.

After walking around the massive building for some time, we finally reached the back door. The shape of the door looked rather familiar.

Thinking of it, I remembered escaping through that door when Lortel took over Ophelis Hall and made a commotion. Only then did I realize that it was made for the maids.

An entrance where only women in neat maid uniforms came and went. I was the only man.

“Isn’t exam season soon? Is your studying coming along well?”

“Ah, yes. This time I’m feeling a bit greedier than usual, so I’m going to put in more effort than usual.”

“I see. Since you are famous for the speed at which you achieve things, I’m sure you will get good results. Though, recently there have been some changes within the faculty for the Elemental Studies course. Wouldn’t that be an issue?”

Just like that, we continued to talk about the upcoming exams.

She was normally so quiet that she would never bring up such a topic first. So, to the people that knew her, it had to be an unusual sight to see.

However, after thinking about it for a bit, I was able to infer her intentions without much difficulty.

Before, the eyes of all the other maids were fixed on me. Even from my point of view, the fact that I was in a place like that felt completely unnatural.

That was why Bell had been purposely talking to me.

As long as I continued to walk while speaking naturally with the Head Maid of Ophelis Hall, no one would be suspicious of me—no matter how out of place I looked.

“If we head out this way, we will be in the main hall, in the hallway that the regular students take.”

“I owe you for this.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Even though we went out to the main hall, where the other students walked through, I could still feel all the maids around us being cautious of Bell Maya and me. Well, she was the top manager in charge of the facility, after all.

I trudged up the stairs as Bell Maya quietly followed behind me. Reaching the third floor and turning the corner, I could see the long corridor stretching all the way down at a glance.

“Young Master Ed. There is something I need to tell you.”

“Yes?”

“When the exam schedule starts, will you be taking a break from your camp-related work?”

“Well, at least the basics.”

“I see.”

I wondered why she would ask such a question. However, I didn’t ask any further, as I figured she had a good reason for the question.

As we walked down the hallway again, she called on me once more.

“Then… Are there any disruptions with your school schedule?”

“I’ve been getting used to it all, so there’s no issues.”

“I see… Well… I guess…”

And just like that, every time I tried to walk across the hallway she would bring up an unimportant topic and drag the conversation around.

It felt as if she were stalling time to keep me from crossing the hallway.

“If I stay here for a while, I’ll only end up interfering with your work, Miss Bell. So, I’m going to go and quickly take care of my business and leave.”

“No, please wait. This one is a very important question.”

“What is it now?”

“Hmm… It’s difficult to put into words. Can you give me a minute to think?”

Why on earth was she thinking so hard about coming up with a topic to talk about?

Still, I waited, as I figured there was a reason for everything Bell was saying. But then, I heard a door close from a room in the distance.

A maid had come out in a complete sweat. It was the maid that Bell had sent off earlier.

With a strangely refreshed expression on her face, she smiled as she disappeared to the other side of the hallway with light footsteps.

“Nevermind. We can talk about it later. Take care of your business first.”

And then, Bell ended up pushing me along.

When I glared at her in suspicion, Bell closed her eyes. Then, like always, she returned to being an elegant and well-behaved maid.

Well, I wanted to take care of the things I had planned to do, so I started walking down the hallway again. I passed by Tanya’s room before reaching the room next door.

Either way, if I was planning to go to the Rothstaylor Mansion, I would need some insurance. After all, that was somewhere my life really was at risk.

And that was also what I wrote down in my reply to Krepin.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity after being excommunicated. I can’t stop myself from shedding tears from your grace.

Since being excommunicated, I have continued to reflect on my sins to become a better person. As evidence of this, my magic skills have improved quite a bit, as has my body. I have also built up a wide network of connections suited as a member of House Rothstaylor.

I am thankful to you for forgiving me, and I want to show you how much I’ve grown.

I want to prove my skills in front of you and introduce a colleague of mine that has become a special friend.

Using that as an excuse, I was thinking of bringing along someone that would fight alongside me in case of an emergency.

And when I thought of the most reliable person I could bring, I didn’t even need to explain who it was.

Knock, Knock.

I knocked on the door. I looked at the nameplate on the room, which was clearly written as “Lucy Mayreel.’

After waiting for a minute, the door opened. Lucy looked more timid than I expected as she stuck her head out of the gap in the open door… It was completely different than what I was expecting.

“…Hi.”

Her cleanly combed white hair shone.

Her pure white, ruffled pajamas showed off her innocence to the max. It matched perfectly with her petite physique as well.

I didn’t see that usual uncaring appearance of hers. Rather, I instead thought she looked more like a girl.

The only part that was the same was the hat she held onto tightly, as if she were acting strangely embarrassed.

“Pardon us, you were in your room dressed up as usual. Sorry to bother you. Like usual… you were sleeping…”

It was strange to hear Bell Maya keep emphasizing the word ‘usual.’

“I’m sorry for bothering you while you were resting, Lucy. You haven’t been coming to the camp much these days. Have you been busy…?”

“Hm? No…”

She had a strangely shy voice. It felt as if I was being rather rude to her or something.

Though, I suppose it was rude of me to visit her in her room while she was resting.

However, it wasn’t like we didn’t usually get along well. She would randomly show up at my house, and occasionally I would throw her aside. Neither of us really minded it at all.

That was why I tried to talk to her in a friendly way as usual, but I felt really uncomfortable hearing her strangely quiet and shy voice.

I guess coming to see her in her room was crossing the line. However, since she came to my camp on her own, wasn’t that a bit unfair?

However, since I was making a request of her, shouldn’t I at least have some courtesy?

“You look completely different than at the camp. I guess this is how you usually look when you sleep. I’m surprised, Lucy.”

“Uhm… Well…”

“You look really good. I was really surprised.”

I was trying to lighten the mood by throwing out compliments to hopefully get to the main point.

She then put that big witch hat over her face to cover it before stepping backwards. She seemed a bit shy, so I waited for her.

“So… You said you had some business to take care of… What is it, Young Master Ed?”

Bell Maya appropriately intervened to speak on behalf of Lucy.

I opened the door a bit more, looking down at Lucy before speaking in a straight-forward manner.

“Lucy, after the exams are over and break starts, come to my hometown with me.”

“…What?”

“And let’s greet my father together.”

“……”

“……”

It wasn’t just Lucy—even Bell Maya was left speechless as a moment of silence filled the area.

Lucy put her hat on tightly as her breath caught. Bell checked her ears over and over to see if she had heard it wrong.

…Only after seeing their expressions did I realize that the way I said it was a bit wrong.