The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 165

“It can’t be helped that there are many spirits who find it difficult to communicate with humans. Since the lifespan of humans is short, to spirits they always look impatient.”

[You’re talking as if you aren’t a human. You’re exactly the same in my eyes, too!]

It was before the Academy was even established on the vast Acken Island.

There was the towering Right Mountain, the vast northern forest, the large plains in the southeast, and the coastline on the west. There were also grasslands to the south.

Opposite of that, while walking towards the edge of the cliffside in the north, passing through the broadleaf trees, climbing over the right mountain, walking up the stream that ran through the forest, you would find a plethora of various spirits.

For Merilda, who had just become a high-ranking spirit, that warm sight left quite the impression.

Because of that, she had stayed on Acken Island for a long time. By the time she realized it, she had already become stuck on the island, unable to leave.

Even Acken Island, located on the southwestern tip of the continent, was not without its own native people.

The farmers who escaped from Zahul’s Frontier Territory to find a new home, or the explorers who came in search of natural resources like magic power stones in the caves on the coast of Acken Island. Such people often came to visit.

A few settlers with their own circumstances settled in, forming a small village that contained about six or seven families.

The human race was such an unpredictable existence… Sometimes, they seemed to harmonize with nature, but other times they threatened nature when deemed necessary. Merilda, who had already fallen in love with the northern forest, had a hard time figuring out how to deal with them.

It went without saying, but there were moments of conflict and also moments of harmony. There were times when they worked together to deal with disasters that came to the island, and there were times when she was angry at the humans who practiced excessive hunting and logging.

“I’m going to build a school.”

If she had to pick the most unique creature among all of those people, it was that girl.

The girl, with her shiny silver hair tied back and dressed in her gold semi-robe and leather tunic, which was often worn by magicians. From the simple multicolored rings on her hands, the dragon tooth-shaped necklace around her neck, and the jewels on the hem of her robe—every single piece was full of magic power.

She was praised as a great sage in the distant northern land, but had been caught using taboo magic, thus being kicked out of the imperial research facility… Rumors were that she was the biggest outcast amongst them all.

She had incredible achievements to her name already, so she didn’t particularly feel any guilt for her actions. Still, for that curious girl who was eager to learn of the world, it must have been quite frightening to have run away to an island that had nothing.

However, the poor environment wasn’t enough to stop that famed magic researcher—Silvenia Robester—or her passion.

When she arrived on Acken Island, she had cut down some trees in the northern forest to make a magic wand to study material transformation magic, causing a major argument with Merilda. Most of the time they spent together was spent fighting.

Suddenly creating a riverbank in an attempt to convert the energy of the water into magic power. Catching spirits by researching sealing magic circles. Trying to engrave a ‘Substitute Magic’—which was a major taboo—on a massive tombstone.

Her unpredictable actions drove Merilda mad, but Silvenia continued to research all kinds of magical power with a smile on her face until the end.

In a place where there wasn’t even a single research institute, Silvenia had managed to write down an abundant amount of research papers that would go down in history.

There was no way that Merilda would be able to stop that girl’s enthusiasm for learning.

Merilda had already mentally prepared herself, as she was used to Silvenia doing completely unpredictable things. But this time, she was now saying that she was going to build a school.

“Well, since it won’t be all that big, it would be better to call it a school building rather than an entire school!”

[Just what kind of nonsense are you talking about now?]

Due to her tendency to start a new project whenever she had spare time, there hadn’t been a single quiet day since Silvenia came to Acken Island.

It was a difficult time for Merilda, who enjoyed spending her time with the wind leisurely at the edge of the lake in the northern forest or on the hills of Right Mountain.

“I need to build a small wooden building in the eastern plains to teach magic and basic combat skills. And if possible, alchemy as well.”

[You seem to have a ton of time.]

“Not really. I always told you. Unlike spirits, humans don’t have a lot of time, so they always have to live busily.”

Silvenia put her hands on her hips as she smiled. Merilda was already nervous.

“There are going to be a few children coming to Acken Island after being sent away by the imperial family or the lawless district. They are all great kids, but I think they have all been kicked aside after being told to not do anything useless in the imperial household. All of them each seem to have their own story.”

[That’s true. After all, you also caused all sorts of incidents, which is why you were exiled to Acken Island. It seemed that the imperial family was having a hard time dealing with all of them, so they sent them to you.]

“Well, I felt a little bad because I thought they were making me deal with some little kids, but… Surprisingly, they’re all kind and hardworking? Besides, they all came from a rather high background, so I thought there must have been a reason why I was entrusted with them while being called the great sage!”

After saying that, Silvenia recited each of the children who would soon enter Acken Island.

Teslin McLaure, a descendant of the Primordial Swordsman Luden. A magician who received the blessings of the stars, Glockt Elderbane. Philona Bloomriver, an alchemist who made a ‘lethal reagent’ even before her coming-of-age ceremony.

For those three children, who excelled in combat, magic, and alchemy, the future where they ruled the continent as the first disciples of the great sage Silvenia was a long way away.

“Regardless, when I start building the school on the eastern plains, I’m sure you’ll get all upset again, so I’m here to tell you in advance. I will never bother the area around the northern forest, so that will be left as is. So, I hope you will not bother me about this as well!”

The scenery of Acken Island, which was still a land closer to nature than school.

Ignoring human affairs, she sat still on the top of the mountain as she watched the trees sway.

The great sage, who was enjoying the passing wind that hit her face, always hummed as if she were in a good mood. It was revolting to see her act like that before, but perhaps because Merilda got used to it, she was somewhat happy seeing her like that.

Adapting was really scary.

Just like a drop of water falling and seeping into a rock, by the time she came to her senses, the girl had already rubbed off on her… and it became natural to always be by her side.

Merilda, who had such an experience, unexpectedly thought that it might not be all that bad to get closer to humans.

Unlike what she thought before, she was now starting to think it wouldn’t be all that bad to communicate with humans. It was only annoying to do so.

Having such a thought, that wolf looked down at the scenery of Acken Island for a while.

The passage of time for spirits was vastly different from the passing of time for humans.

The sun rose in the eastern sea and lowered quietly in the western sea. As it repeated, the landscape of the island changed quite a bit.

The cherry blossoms bloomed, the vegetation grew thick, the leaves fell, and the snow piled up. You could say that every moment on Acken Island was a beautiful sight, but it was not always the same.

The small Silvenia School, which was built on the eastern side of the island, was gradually growing in size. The number of students coming and going had increased, and at some point, large, magnificent buildings started to be erected. What started as a mere building was now a school called Silvenia Academy. A suitable name that honored the achievements of the girl who was no longer in this world.

As the years went by, the eastern school buildings became known as ‘the education district.’

The village of humans, which was located in the west and consisted of only a few households, gradually increased alongside the size of the school… One day, a business district formed as various people started to come to the island in search of an opportunity.

The village to the west was now called ‘the commercial district’, and a dormitory managed by the academy began to be built.

As much more time passed, the landscape of Acken Island changed a lot.

The sight of Acken Island, where only wild animals used to roam, was now a thing of the past.

She could feel the passage of time as she looked at the buildings that were erected from time to time to the scenery of the students wandering around the school.

A lot of weapons were developed, and a lot of research in regard to combat techniques and tactics was conducted. Thus, the curriculum of the combat department was eventually divided into dozens of classes. Now, the school’s Combat Department produced not only warriors, but also famous generals and strategists as well.

The same went for the magic department. In the distant past, there was a time when she could hear the sound of an elite magician who could only cast a singular mid-ranking spell. But recently, there was now even a magician who could use ultimate magic that appeared in the school. Though, she was an extraordinarily strong human at an unusually high level.

The alchemy department developed in a completely different direction. Not stopping with reagent formulation or mineralogy, but now also dealing with all aspects of magic power, from magic engineering, herbal medicine, workmanship, and magic biology. It seemed as if every field was now being researched in the alchemy department.

The flow of time, alongside the development of science, was so quick and grand.

[Again, time is passing by and leaving me like this.]

On Right Mountain, Merilda—in her human form—was sitting on a particularly tall tree.

Looking out over Silvenia Academy, Merilda muttered in a low voice.

[And it’ll always be like that.]

* * *

[I’m trying to run away.]

If you often listened to useless words, you would develop immunity towards them.

“…What are you saying now?”

[Everyone seems to take me for granted these days, so I’m thinking of disappearing. You can think of it as the price for my actions.]

The camp’s flames were racing against the warmth from the sun in broad daylight.

Although it was late summer, the weather was quite cool. So, it was rather easy to think that fall was quickly approaching. It was also a period where you could easily catch a cold if you wore thin clothes.

But for me, I wasn’t in a state to worry about catching a cold. That was because the condition of my body was already a complete mess.

Bell Maya was slicing onions on the side of the workbench while I sat by the fire, staring blankly at the crackling flames.

For a while, it was a peaceful atmosphere where all that was heard was the sound of the kitchen knife hitting the cutting board.

“…Did you call on me?”

“No. Merilda… I mean, the spirit that I made a contract with was talking nonsense.”

“I see.”

Because my magic power was exhausted, I couldn’t even manifest Merilda in her human form.

That was why Bell, who doesn’t have any spiritual resonance, couldn’t see Merilda.

After I responded to her, Bell began to chop the other various ingredients in the basket.

As it was vacation season, it seemed like the work she had to do at Ophelis Hall wasn’t all that much.

Whenever she had free time, she would come to take care of me, as I wasn’t in great condition. Whenever she came over, she even took care of the chores necessary to maintain the camp, so I was incredibly grateful.

Thanks to her, all I had to do was rest my body and recover over the rest of the break. When I got better, I planned to give her something in return.

[This isn’t nonsense. Do you know how much I’ve gone through?]

Merilda stood up from the tree stump on the other side of the campfire as her pure white skirt fluttered, kicking her bare feet lightly in the air. Naturally, she started to float in the air as she came over, sitting on the tree stump next to me.

Stretching her bare legs towards the campfire, she let out an evil smile.

[What should I say? I feel like I want to run away. But if I suddenly disappear and there is no one left to manage the northern forest, then the mid-ranking spirits and low-ranking spirits who have settled here will be startled, right? ]

“You have a bad personality.”

[Periodically, I need to do this type of thing. Since I’m always taking care of them out of goodwill, isn’t this a right I deserve? If not, then I’m no more than a pushover. I need to periodically let them know how much I go through, and that without me there would be so much trouble. Yeah.]

Merilda smiled as she pulled the hem of her dress down with a smile.

[Aren’t you just going to just rest for the rest of your break anyway? I’m just going to manifest a bit and wander around the school. I plan on leaving the northern forest alone for a few days.]

“Simply put, you want to take a break. Alright, that’s fine… but Lucy is in the Imperial Household right now, so from whose help do you plan to manifest?”

Usually, Merilda consumed magic power through me and Lucy equally. But right now, there wasn’t anyone on Acken Island with enough magic power to do so.

Consuming all of the magic power that I normally would have accumulated by now, it was impossible for me to maintain her manifestation. In my last fight with Krepin, I must have consumed nearly all of the magic power I had. I was completely dry.

[Your wand. Even without magic power, you can still cast spiritual skills just fine with it. So, through the wand’s innate abilities, I should also be able to manifest my human form without any issues. I don’t need to be capable of combat or anything, so it’s no big deal.]

“…That’s why you were saying such nonsense to me? To borrow the power of my wand.”

[I’m a good kid who always asks for permission before I run away from home.]

Where in the world is there such a psychopath who got permission to run away?

That was what I wanted to say, but I guess it couldn’t be helped since she had a special status with me, being a subordinate spirit of mine under contract.

[It’s been a while since I’ve looked around the school, so unless there’s something urgent that comes up, I’ll just leave you alone.]

“Alright. You also have a lot you deal with normally, so you should rest when you have a chance as well.”

I couldn’t control my body yet, so I asked Bell to bring me the wand.

Bell boiled water in a pot next to the campfire as she nodded slowly. She then went into the cabin.

[Yennekar and Lucy said that they’d be back around the end of vacation, right? Until then, you need to continue to rest and recover. You got hurt severely after all, Ed.]

“Is that something that a spirit who is leaving their injured human contractor in a camp alone to wander off should say?”

[Either way, that maid is always taking care of you. I’m sure you have inappropriate thoughts inside of you, but are unable to show any of it since I’m always stuck beside you, right?]

As Merilda spoke with a smirk, I glared right back at her, sitting still.

[I guess you can’t take a joke.]

“If not now, then I’ll never have a time to rest.”

[l guess so. Before the vacation, news about the remnants of your house will come out. And once the semester starts, you will be busy with the curriculum. Yeah, yeah. It must be so difficult because you are so busy.]

With a playful expression, Merilda lifted her bare feet up as she kicked a few nearby stones. A few small stones rolled onto the grass before settling near the campfire.

After sitting there absent-mindedly for a while, Bell finally came out of the cabin with the wand.

“Here it is. Are you thinking of using magic power? It would be best for you to not overdo it.”

“No, I don’t have any magic power I can use anyway. I just need to use the abilities of the wand.”

As I held the wand and focused for a bit, the wand’s power began to manifest little by little.

Although she couldn’t use any of her combat abilities at all, Merilda succeeded in manifesting herself as a human girl.

There really was nothing else besides being manifested. I couldn’t feel any magic power from her, so she was simply just a pretty girl with white hair.

Seeing such a girl appear on a tree stump, Bell looked toward her curiously for a moment. From Merilda’s point of view, Bell was an acquaintance, so she naturally gave her a bright smile as she jumped down from the tree stump.

[Aha, I really liked the feeling of stepping on grass when I manifested.]

Her feet were frail enough that I worried she might get scratched. However, Merilda lightly lifted the hem of her skirt as if she didn’t care, moving her legs around happily as if she was dancing.

[Then, until you hear news from your house, get some rest. I’m also going to be going around getting some rest on my own!]

After saying that, Merilda waved her hand at me as she walked away with a cheerful gait.

Wouldn’t it hurt to walk around barefoot like that?

Even though I was curious, I thought she would be fine, so I left her alone.

I poked the campfire a few times with poker as I sighed, relaxing my body.

I had no sense of taste. Every time I ate, it just tasted like I was chewing on sand. I still couldn’t hear well out of one of my ears, and my left leg was struggling to move.

I alternated between a low-grade and high-grade fever. Occasionally, I also had nausea and chills as well.

Not a single drop of magical power remained.

I didn’t even fully summon an ultimate spirit. I only summoned its head and made it breathe flames once.

Even that brief manifestation was enough to destroy my physical condition. So, just how much spiritual resonance did Yennekar, who had manifested an entire ultimate water spirit over a long period of time, have?

Of course, Yennekar also had to lay down for a long time with medical care after summoning it. Even considering that, it was still an extraordinary level of resonance.

“……”

When I thought of Yennekar, I pictured her worried expression as she rode a train to Pulan. The same went for Lortel and Clarice, as well.

However, I would recover as long as I was able to rest in moderation. So, I couldn’t have them postpone their long-awaited return home or their busy business schedules.

The best way for me to repay them was to get as much rest as possible over the break and show them a much healthier appearance.

The person who worried me the most was Tanya.

Tanya, who had pushed for me to return to Acken Island, was wearing a cloak engraved with a picture of an eagle, symbolizing the head of the house.

When I gently closed my eyes, I could see Tanya’s back with her hair tied up as she looked at the collapsed Rothstaylor mansion.

I was worried about her, but it was hard for me to do anything with my hazy mental state and ruined body. I would most likely be a burden instead of a help.

Right now, a quick recovery was the most important task I had.

Knowing that fact, I relaxed my body as much as I could… and forcibly shoved the tasteless rice into my mouth.

* * *

When Magnus Callamore, commander of the corps in the northern territory, arrived at Rothstaylor mansion, everything was already over.

He was originally scheduled to visit at the end of the social gathering. However, the military meeting had suddenly been rescheduled, thus he was unable to arrive on time.

He couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the sight of the completely destroyed Rothstaylor mansion and the tents that had been temporarily set up in front of it.

“Commander Magnus. I’m sorry that I couldn’t welcome you.”

And at the center table of the tallest tent, there sat a girl who was taking care of the entire current situation.

It was Tanya Rothstaylor, the student council president of Silvenia Academy and the current head of House Rothstaylor.

Her face still looked young and also exhausted. Nevertheless, Tanya appropriately spoke to the commander, who was several times older than her.

“As you can see, the current state of Rothstaylor mansion is like this…”

“What happened?”

After clearing the air, Magnus spoke politely to Tanya. He quickly noticed that her status had been upgraded.

Tanya lowered her eyes from the irony of the situation as she forced a smile.

Several distinguished guests that remained around Tanya explained the situation of the mansion. Most of the nobles had returned to their own estates, but some key figures still remained at the scene to help manage the situation.

One of them was the head of House Bloomriver, Sinir Bloomriver.

Sinir was an elderly woman with a few wrinkles on her face. She recognized Magnus and bowed her head slightly to greet him.

Magnus also greeted her with a bow, then sat down in front of Tanya.

Sinir and Magnus were both parents who had children of their own that were attending school at Silvenia.

Magnus’ son, Wade Callamore, was the overall top student among the first years. The second of Sinir’s twin daughters, Trayciana Bloomriver, was the current top student among the fourth years in the magic department.

As both of them were parents of top students within the school, they knew Silvenia’s student council president Tanya Rothstaylor quite well.

However, they had never actually met her in person before. They could only guess as to what kind of a person she was.

The position of the student council president in charge of all students that attended the famous Silvenia Academy. In addition, she inherited the position of the head of house to take responsibility for her now ruined house.

The girl carrying the heavy burden of that seat was smaller than expected. Thus, the two of them had no choice but to look at her with worried eyes.

However, Tanya spoke first, as if she weren’t bothered.

“I’m going to be straightforward. I’m in a tough spot. So, I don’t have time to worry about every issue.”

From the perspective of Magnus, who had yet to hear of the situation at Rothstaylor’s mansion, it must have sounded as if she was speaking nonsense.

Still, Tanya spoke without hesitation.

“I will bring Princess Selah down.”

Selah, Persica, Penia.

The battle for the throne was a three-way battle. So, which path would Tanya take to survive?

“Are you willing to cooperate with me?”

Magnus, born with the blood of a warrior, ascended to the ranks of a commander in charge of the entire northern border.

Sinir, the head of House Bloomriver, who led that famous witch house.

If she wanted to convince those two to be on her side, she would need to have a valid reason or power to do so.

However, right now Tanya was the head of a house that was on the verge of extinction. There’s no such fool in the world that would follow a person that was in such a situation.

Even though she knew that fact, Tanya spoke confidently, nonetheless. Asking them to take her side.

As if it was the right answer… there wasn’t even a moment of hesitation.

* * *

“Young master Ed.”

“…Good morning, Bell.”

“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting, but… a letter has arrived.”

“…a letter?”

It was the next morning.

As I was recuperating by the campfire, I looked at Bell, who had come since early morning with a confused expression on her face.

“…For me?”

“Yes. It arrived under your address at Ophelis Hall. So, I retrieved it and brought it over.”

“…But it’s already been so long since I’ve been kicked out of Ophelis Hall. Why only now have I received a letter from there?”

“I’m curious about that, too…”

I took the letter from Bell, opening it right away.

It was in a shabby envelope, but the ink was clean as if it were recently written.

The letter wasn’t very long, so I took a quick glance through it.

[Notice to the worst kidnapper in custody, Ed Rothstaylor.]

“?”

Bell, who was reading the letter from behind me, made eye contact with me as she tilted her head.

[I know of the terrible deeds you committed against that frail girl. I can’t ever forgive you, as you harassed a pitiful mute girl who couldn’t even resist, let alone say a word back.

Personally, I would like to immediately report all your evil deeds to the academic council. However, at the mercy of your kind-hearted victim who stopped me, I will postpone your punishment if you personally come forth and apologize.

As soon as you read this letter, show up at Glockt Hall.

Sent by Patriciana Bloomriver, a student of the magic department.]

“……?”

“??”

Me and Bell looked at each other for a while as we continued to exchange glances, as if we were both puzzled.

“Have you kidnapped and imprisoned a girl recently?”

“……”

“…Excuse what I said.”

Indeed, just looking at the speed of her apologizing for her actions, she was definitely worthy of being called a first-class maid.