The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 148

“A cause comes from a sacrifice and progress comes with a price.”

Her shiny blonde hair suddenly became dry as her bright eyes became cloudy.

However, the girl continued to smile nonchalantly as she sat on the terrace, looking up at the sky.

The scenery of the Rothstaylor’s Estate from Arwen’s room, which was located on the top floor of the mansion, was beautiful. It boasted peaceful scenery that made you wonder how such a paradise even existed.

“Look ahead, father. You don’t need to worry, I will continue to do my part.”

When a dazzling light covered the back of Arwen, who was sitting on the terrace—

At that moment, Krepin woke up.

“……”

Lifting his upper body and looking around, he only saw the most luxurious and large room in the Rothstaylor mansion. It was the bedroom of the head of house, Krepin Rothstaylor.

After meeting Saint Clarice, he remembered going to get some shut eye for a bit before the morning schedule began. Even though he was only able to rest for around thirty minutes, Krepin quickly got up without hesitation.

Every day he carried the feeling of being slightly exhausted. So, fatigue of that level was nothing.

However, it still didn’t feel great.

The dream that crept into his subconscious whenever he forgot about it. As he remembered that scene, it felt as if he was going to dry heave.

He quietly lowered his head as he looked down fiercely.

Although he was someone who didn’t show their true emotions on their face, there was no reason to wear a mask when sitting alone in his private bedroom.

He desperately wanted to rest a little more, feeling exhausted. However, it was already the second day of the social gathering, which meant that the size had increased. It was a time where Krepin had a lot to think of and take care of.

There were two days left until the great alchemist Valvern would arrive, who was nothing but a thorn in his side. Until then, it was necessary to maintain the grand social gathering well.

Still, a brief break wouldn’t be all that much of a luxury.

Krepin sat on the bed for a while as he looked down at the sheets with determined eyes.

* * *

Saint Clarice was considered special even within the Rothstaylor social gathering, where all sorts of influential people gathered.

She was a Saint who was always locked up within the Holy Father Building, never coming out. Thus, opportunities to meet her in person were rare, no matter how high-ranking of a noble you were.

Although she was someone that didn’t have a strong political influence, she held some of the highest authority on the continent as a religious symbol. And that was within the continent as a whole. So, just within the Telos Religious Group, her political influence was enormous. No one could order or control her aside from the Holy Father, Eldane.

Among all of the distinguished guests who had gathered, she was easily among the top three. So, it was inevitable that all sorts of attention would be gathered towards her.

That was why many were interested in what activities she would be doing while spending her time at the Rothstaylor Mansion.

After being assigned to a room as grand as Krepin’s, there was still quite a bit of time before she needed to attend the dinner party.

It was a leisurely afternoon for all of the attendees. So, would Saint Clarice use that time to meet with someone? And what would she be talking about with them?

That period was much more than just leisure time. Depending on who she met with, political implications could be made and the structure of power at the gathering could be rearranged. Her support held much political significance.

So, Selah, who had strong ambitions, had already made a connection to meet with her.

“In terms of flowers, Freesia is purity, innocence, and eternal friendship. There is no better flower suited to give the Saint than this. It also implies that you wish for the growth of an amicable relationship between the two of you.”

“As expected, you have a great sense of giving gifts, Dest.”

“You flatter me.”

Dest, who briefly accepted Selah’s compliment, gave her a bouquet of flowers.

Selah accepted the beautifully decorated bouquet as she smelled it. She didn’t particularly enjoy the scene of flowers, but she needed to check it.

“As I have spoken to Archbishop Samuel in advance, I should be able to have a conversation with Saint Clarice without much difficulty.”

Not all of the distinguished guests had arrived at Rothstaylor Mansion.

No matter how many aristocrats were currently there, the only person who could match Saint Clarice was ultimately the Princess of Frost, Selah.

From the position of the Holy Father Building, they also wanted to use the time to meet with Selah. Regardless of how much power the Holy Father Building currently had, they still needed to become close to the top candidate to become the next emperor.

Since they were in a position where they needed to respect each other, Selah decided to be as polite as possible.

As she walked down the hallway with her servants, the eyes of the nobles around her looked towards her.

Each of them held a status where they would be the center of attention back in their own estates. But in front of Selah, they were nothing but background characters.

Because of the nobility that came from her authority, it was difficult to even say a word to her. So, only those who were confident of their status greeted her with basic phrases such as, Isn’t the weather quite nice?

After taking in all the attention with a graceful smile, Selah continued to walk towards the room where Saint Clarice was staying.

Seeing the direction she was heading towards, the other aristocrats nearby could only nod their heads. No matter what, the first person Saint Clarice should meet with was Selah, the only imperial family member to come to the Rothstaylor Mansion.

“The Saint is currently absent.”

But just five minutes later, she was rejected.

“…What?”

Archbishop Samuel spoke, looking down in a shy manner as he muttered his words.

Getting angry would only be rude. However, seeing Samuel look down like that, she wondered if there was more to the story.

Two Knight Templars stood by the Saint’s door in a dignified manner, blocking it. In front of them, Archbishop Samuel played with his glasses awkwardly.

“I tried to secretly tell her that you, Princess Selah, were coming… But she ignored me, running off immediately to meet with someone else.”

“Running off… Does that mean that she didn’t call this person to her room? Rather, the Saint personally went to meet with them?”

That was unusual.

There was no way that someone in Rothstaylor Mansion had the authority to call the Saint to them like that. If anyone, perhaps it was the head of house, Krepin Rothstaylor, who was in charge of the social gathering.

“It’s hard to imagine, but… Was it perhaps Sir Krepin who called her?”

Archbishop Samuel shook his head.

And hearing the name that he said, Selah couldn’t help but scrunch her eyebrows and doubt her ears.

* * *

“A sword made of iron from the Kaldorn Mountain. Putting something like this in the middle of the room creates a rather dreary feeling…”

In Arwen Rothstaylor’s room on the upper floor of the mansion.

It was rather strange that they would leave the room of a person who had passed away a long time ago the same.

Well, seeing as how, even after I was excommunicated, my room was still the same… Maybe they couldn’t take care of all the extra space in such a magnificent mansion.

Still, wasn’t it a waste to leave such a room as-is, despite it being so large and having a beautiful view?

It was probably because Krepin held onto the former owner of this room close to his heart. That was my guess as to why the room was left as-is.

“Saint…”

As soon as Clarice was assigned a room, she stormed into mine, rejecting all the requests of the distinguished guests.

If she wanted to meet, then she could have called me to her room. That was why I was surprised that she showed up personally. She grabbed my hand, holding onto it tightly as I nearly died from the heavy gazes around us.

When I told her that I was planning to tour the structure of the mansion today, Clarice declared that she would come along with me.

As a result, all afternoon the two of us walked around together under the pretext of showing Saint Clarice the Rothstaylor Mansion.

In the process, I had to endure the gazes of all the distinguished guests. Chances were that word of the situation would spread through the mansion before the dinner party even began.

“Saint, everyone is interested in your every move. Aren’t you supposed to be conscious of that fact and act appropriately…?”

“I act as such back in the Holy Father Building when I’m surrounded by followers.”

Clarice stopped walking around Arwen’s room as she turned around to look at me.

“But now… I must have drunk too much of Silvenia’s water.”

After saying that, she smiled widely. She looked much different than a regular aristocrat or a noble messenger of God.

“And… I’m a bit excited. I can’t stay in my room because I’m getting fidgety. To be this excited after only a few hours… It’s quite strange. But did you know, during Easter I had to pray for twelve hours.”

“So, what made you so excited this time?”

“Because this is your hometown.”

She smiled brightly, grabbing my hand.

“You look quite different from back in Silvenia… It feels quite special when I think of this as the place that you spent your childhood.”

“Actually, I didn’t have such a great childhood to be proud of. Rather, I made quite a few enemies back then.”

“That was also something I didn’t know. People say the more you know someone, the closer you become. You would also be surprised when you see how I am when I lead prayer at the Holy Father Building.”

After saying that, she put her hands together as she playfully closed one eye, as if praying. She didn’t look like a messenger of God at all.

Rather, it reminded me of her second identity back in Silvenia. Kylie Eckner.

In front of the public, she acted holy and elegant. However, when it was the two of us alone, she became a girl that acted her age. It was hard to keep up with the constant changes with her.

“Honestly, I was a little worried.”

Clarice sat on Arwen’s old bed as she took a deep breath.

“When I heard that Ed was going to be reinstated, I was overjoyed. But I also worried that you wouldn’t be treated well.”

“Well, in the first place, I wasn’t a person that was thought of highly, so it can’t be helped.”

“So… I was planning to become upset if someone said something offensive or rude towards you… But fortunately, that doesn’t seem to have happened.”

After saying that, she looked up at the high ceiling as she tapped her foot on the ground.

“This is the room that you talked about… The room Arwen Rothstaylor used.”

“Yes. It’s amazing to see that they are preserved as they were.”

“Rumors were that she was a great person.”

“She was the person I admired the most.”

At least, that was the case for the old Ed Rothstaylor. She seemed to be a special and respected person to him.

I had already read almost half of the letters from the desk. Reading through their conversation, it was evident that he respected her.

However, what were his intentions in collecting all of those letters and keeping them hidden in his desk?

It seemed that I hadn’t reached the core point yet, so I wanted to quickly read through the rest and figure out the truth.

But sitting in the corner of my room and reading through old letters would only raise suspicions. So, I had to do at least some activities to shake off the suspicions Krepin might have towards me.

Well, it was good news that in the process, I got tangled up with Clarice. At least rumors of what I was doing should have spread.

“…I see. I’m sure you have mixed feelings. I’m sorry I couldn’t read the atmosphere.”

“No, there was no need to feel like that. That’s all in the past.”

After saying that, I looked around Arwen Rothstaylor’s room for a bit. There was nothing there that was worth any information.

The only thing I could see among all the luxurious furniture were girly items, like combs, hairpins, and a makeup mirror.

On one side of the wall, there was a large glass door that led to the terrace. If you looked through it, you could see one side of the Rothstaylor Estate.

I suddenly started to admire the view. It was not an exaggeration to say that the room had the best view in the entire mansion.

Clarice also stood up from the bed as she walked out to the terrace, standing next to me. Her eyes were wide, surprised by the scenery.

“It’s a great place. Growing up in a place like this, you would surely become a good-hearted and wonderful person.”

“……”

“I’m sure that Arwen must have been such a person.”

Clarice spoke softly as she suddenly grabbed my hands again.

“Saint?”

“Ed, do you feel overwhelmed after being reinstated? There isn’t any reason to bring up your personality. So, you must have felt a bit upset from all the strange gazes towards you. All because the disgrace of having been excommunicated is so great. Even now, there are still those who look at you as if you are worth nothing.”

“I can’t do anything about that. It’s something I will just have to deal with.”

“Don’t try to deal with it alone.”

Clarice put her hands on my chest as she spoke, as if whispering.

“We can deal with it together.”

“…What are you saying?”

As I looked quite perplexed, Clarice also seemed to be a bit shaken… She spoke in a strangely flustered manner.

“Uhm. I mean… Using my authority. If you are by my side at the dinner party tonight, no one can carelessly look down on you…”

“If you’re going to tell me to use you so bluntly, it would make me a strange person to willingly accept it…”

“N-No, that’s not it… I didn’t mean that. What is good is good. So, if we can, wouldn’t it be better to do something that can benefit you, right? And during it all, for me too… Uhm…”

Clarice didn’t want to say any more as she took a deep breath.

“Phew… Trying to use this and that for justification is only confusing. Right. I won’t give some useless reasoning.”

“……”

“I need a partner tonight. Would you like to share a dance with me at the dinner party?”

Clarice spoke quickly as she lowered her gaze.

“It would be good for your status to show our relationship like that. And, well… from my point of view, there could also be a few positives…? Or maybe not, but either way, doesn’t there seem to be a higher possibility that there would be positives to it…?”

“Did you just say that you didn’t want to come up with some strange reasoning…?”

“You don’t need to be so sharp when it comes to these things, Ed.”

She then let go of my hands as she grabbed my shoulders and stood on her tiptoes. She then spoke, as if whispering in my ear.

“Anyway, at the dinner party tonight I’m going to reject all dance requests, no matter who asks me.”

She didn’t forget to finish things with a smile.

“Except for one person.”

The terrace in the afternoon. A sense of dread that someone might be watching. In front of Arwen’s door, the Knight Templars stood guard.

Rather, perhaps enjoying this subtle sense of danger, Clarice laughed as she took a step back.

“I will get going now. I have to meet with other distinguished guests as well. I’m sure there are some who are upset that I have run off to meet with you first.”

“That wouldn’t be good.”

“Well, it’s not all that bad.”

Responding coolly, Clarice quickly turned around.

Suddenly, looking towards the entrance of the terrace, Tanya stood there with a face dyed blue.

“……”

“……”

“Uhmmmmmm. H-Hello, S-Saint. I was asked to check… The outfit my older brother will be wearing this evening, so… I came here to see him… and… I heard something…. N-No, I didn’t mean to see anything.”

Normally, Clarice would have been surprised, making a fuss.

But she only swallowed her breath as she put on a smile.

After a while, that smile also calmed her heart.

“Oh, there you are, Miss Tanya.”

“Y-You remembered my name. Th-Thank you…”

“Of course. Let’s talk a lot at dinner tonight.”

Clarice had already become quite close with Tanya.

Of course, Tanya, who was ignorant of that fact, bowed her head awkwardly. She would have fainted if she knew the fact that the girl in front of her was the same person as Kylie Eckner.

Clarice lightly gave her greetings as such before quickly leaving the room.

“…Older brother…!”

What she had seen at Silvenia Academy, what she had seen on the carriage on the way here, and what she had just seen on the terrace.

Tanya could only tremble seeing each one. But the reason for trembling was different for each incident.

She stormed up to the terrace, grabbing the ends of my collar. Her complexion looked even more blue now.

“Tanya…”

“Wh-What are you going to do…?! There’s Yennekar and Lucy… And now there is even Saint Clarice… How are you supposed to deal with all three of them…?”

Was her imagination running wild as my younger sister? It seemed that she has imagined all sorts of different futures, taking into account all the possible cases… From my point of view, there wasn’t much I could say.

“Things just… ended up like that…”

Tanya suddenly felt dizzy as she lifted her head, taking a step back.

* * *

Clarice seemed to be blushing as she walked down the hallway at a brisk pace.

She lowered her head in fear that her escorts might see her expression and see that she had lost her usual composure. Though, she wasn’t sure if there was a point.

E-Either way… I have the highest authority of those here in Rothstaylor Mansion right now…!

Clarice repeatedly spoke to herself, saying such. Of course, there are a few people who could rival her authority, but it was obvious that they would all respect her actions.

So, if she wanted, she really could monopolize Ed Rothstaylor.

She heard that Lucy Mayreel and Yennekar Palerover were also in the mansion… But since there were so many eyes around, they couldn’t take sudden action and ignore the Saint’s authority.

They weren’t at Silvenia Academy, where the virtue of learning took precedence over everything else. Here, their school year was nothing more than a number.

At least during the dinner party tonight… No one can hold me back…!

* * *

“You don’t have to ride in this carriage.”

The commercial city of Oldek. The place where all materials that went to the empire’s capital Kroelon had to pass through.

In the city of merchants, where only money flows, a silver-haired middle-aged man stood in front of a carriage.

“What did you say?”

The wagon was marked with a large symbol of the Elte Company. Even in the commercial city of Oldek, where many massive trading businesses were located, the Elte Company was still one of the three major ones that held tremendous value.

“You are Roland Bellatrax, an investor that belongs to the Elte Company’s central branch, correct?”

The driver confirmed the man’s identity once more like that.

From a young age, he had been involved with the Elte Company. He was a close aide that directly managed the majority of their funds.

He was a person who rose to a high enough level that he could represent most of the decision-making authority that the head held.

“The boss has canceled the order of your business trip. You can go back to the main office and focus on your bookkeeping once more.”

“What? How can my business trip be canceled in just a day? Who is so important that they can do that? Are you sure there wasn’t a misunderstanding?”

“Please check the order yourself. Here.”

It was an embarrassing situation for Roland.

Roland was going to meet with Princess Selah at the Rothstaylor Mansion and talk about distribution of rights and such. He was the only person inside the Elte Company that was on Selah’s side.

Roland checked the orders that were given to him by the driver. The contents of the letter were exactly what the driver had said.

Those who had the power to make such an important decision… There were only a few people.

The moment he saw the seal of the head deputy director at the bottom of the document, Roland swallowed his breath.

“Are they going personally? She must have been at Acken Island during the semester, so she probably hasn’t dealt with the main office’s work…”

“She’s a busy person. I also know that as well, but if she made the decision herself, what can we do?”

“Then let me meet and talk with her in person. If I don’t check with her, I won’t feel comfortable.”

“Then let’s talk now.”

“What?”

The driver shook his head as he pointed inside the carriage. It sounded like the voice came from inside.

Roland stuck his head inside the carriage.

There, inside the luxurious carriage, a girl in a robe sat by herself.

It was hard to see her face, but seeing her with her arms and legs crossed made him feel uncomfortable. Her stretched-out leg tapped the edge of the simple desk.

The head deputy director of the Elte Company. Someone that even Roland couldn’t speak easily to.

A massive book, the Sage’s Seal, was spread out on the simple desk… But the girl didn’t seem to be reading the book.

“…I’m not going to talk for no reason though.”

As soon as Roland saw her, he immediately stepped back in fear. The driver nodded his head.

From Roland’s point of view, his entire life could crumble if he hastily spoke to her.

Things had gone awry. Roland had a bad feeling and right now, there was no way for him to do anything about it.

Only those who knew, understood the situation… Right now, the Rothstaylor Mansion was rather brutal.

High ranking nobles and heads of famous families. Famous people who came from power, such as the first princess of the imperial family.

Plus, there was a high-ranking elementalist and a legendary genius magician who had gotten involved as well. Plus, even the Saint of the Telos Religious Group was on her way. Now, if the head deputy director joined the party as well, who knows just what kind of chaos would ensue… It was difficult to even imagine.

From Ed Rothstaylor’s point of view, the social gathering was nothing more than a war of nerves against Krepin. A battle of searching for evidence…

But whether he liked it or not, it was certain that the situation would end up completely contrary to his intentions.

You could consider it pandemonium.

Sadly, it was all Krepin Rothstaylor’s responsibility to deal with.