The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 173

If you take away money and power, what do you have left?

When you lose everything and are thrown into the gutter, with no chance of ever coming back, would you think there might still be a person reaching out to you?

Once the scent of money and power fades from your body, the only thing you will attract are flies.

So, once you are thrown aside… there won’t be anyone left around you.

That ending to a life was something that most wealthy merchants ended up facing.

Among those who made a name for themselves as wealthy merchants in Oldek, there were only a handful who were happy in their final years.

“Do you think you are different?”

“Do you think there is such a thing as a happy ending in a life full of betrayal and lies?”

“Your ending will be the same as most. One that ends depressingly in the dark as you crawl through the mud.”

“Whether you chose this life because you wanted to or were forced to in order to survive… That doesn’t matter.”

“Once you become like that, it’s impossible to leave.”

Elte Kehelland spoke with a mischievous laugh as he yelled out a curse.

Covered in blood inside the convoy, he smiled, showing his teeth with a frightening expression on his face.

Chirp, Chirp.

Lortel opened her eyes.

She felt the fresh air that was unique to the mornings in the North Forest.

Inside her villa, in the morning sunlight, there was neatly designed wooden furniture arranged in an orderly manner.

She slowly lifted the blanket as she sat up. Her expression was rather calm.

She wasn’t panicking or bothered over having such a dream.

After all, it was a daily routine.

* * *

The Holy Blue Dragon, Velbrok.

I tried to think back on that name in my mind.

A mythical holy dragon that couldn’t see the light of the world because Luden McLaure—‘The Primordial Swordsman’—sealed it, and the great sage Silvenia maintained the seal from the moment he did.

The monster known as the ‘God-Eating Dragon’, who tried to burn the world time and time again during the mythic age and tried to devour the world several times again since then.

However, it was stopped by the representative heroes of each era, whose actions eventually became stories for the history books.

The roar of Velbrok that cut through the sky had also become a story in history books as the generation that remembered its majesty had come to pass.

The final boss in the finale of was resurrected without warning.

A calamity that blew up half of the island with a single move, slaughtering thousands of people with its scales and a roar that was filled with magic power.

Even when a famous archmage and warrior came rushing in to stop it, they couldn’t put even a single scratch on the body of Genesis, The Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok.

Even Lucy, who had been treated as a genius of the ages, at most could only intercept its attack. Even for the guardian, Obel Forsyth, it was much too powerful an opponent and he eventually met the end of his life facing it.

As a boss who concluded the entire story, it was an opponent that boasted such a tremendous power that it made one wonder how it was possible to even defeat it.

To put it bluntly, you couldn’t win.

It was written in the tooltips that Velbrok’s scales could only be pierced through a special means.

That special means relied on only one thing: the main character, Taylee McLaure, and his Swordmaster’s Skill.

At least in the game… No matter what other powerful means you threw against it, it was impossible to break through Velbrok’s scales.

No sword, spear, or magic could pierce through Velbrok’s vitals, even if they could still reach them.

Especially when it came to stabbing its heart… Aside from Taylee’s Swordmaster’s Skill, it was impossible.

It went beyond the point of absurdity, to the point of being unnatural. It was as if the world was made to make Taylee a hero.

That was obvious. Taylee had the fate of the protagonist.

It was a Swordmaster’s Skill devised by Luden McLaure, who sealed the Holy Blue Dragon long ago. It was perfectly natural that only Taylee, who inherited that Swordmaster’s Skill, could pierce the scales of Velbrok.

…That’s what they said, anyway. It wasn’t completely convincing, but it couldn’t really be refuted, either.

“I didn’t expect you to call for me…”

“I didn’t want to call for you, either. After all, neither you nor Taylee like me very much.”

“……”

The terrace of a cafe near Mexes Bridge. The business section of the commercial district was formed around the entrance of Mexes Bridge, so there were quite a few people around.

The girl on the other side of the coffee table was someone I had not seen in a long time—Ayla Triss.

The girl with the most importance among the four major heroines of .

The childhood friend of Taylee McLaure, who supported him whenever he was having a hard time or was exhausted… Anyone who played even for a little bit would have become attached to her.

Her short, chestnut-colored hair fell down cutely to the ends of her shoulders. Her elegant appearance, with that slightly-curled-at-the-ends hair, matched her personality well.

However, every time she saw me, she acted all on guard, as if she were with a monster… So, I didn’t ever bother approaching her.

From time to time, through rumors, I confirmed that she was still next to Taylee as he worked on the main scenario.

Quite some time had passed, and perhaps she had a special relationship with Taylee now… When I walked around campus, I often heard rumors about them dating.

As for me… All I did was applaud them from afar.

After I retired, I could not adjust to a peaceful world, so I stayed in my room for a long time.

When my body was physically hurt and my mind was hurt in more ways than one, seeing the two of them healed me quite a bit.

Both of them were unhappy and aggressive towards me, but as a player, they were quite loveable… So, I didn’t feel any malice towards them… As long as I stuck to watching them from afar.

Still, things had changed a lot.

It had become a situation where I had to seek both of them out.

It was a little too much to meet with Taylee, who was hostile towards me as soon as he saw me, so I thought I should meet with Ayla first to talk.

The break would end in five days. It was time for students to return to school.

Ayla had just returned to Lorail Hall, so I had asked Ziggs, a student inside of Lorail Hall, to call on her personally.

However, I wasn’t expecting much.

After all, it was Ayla, who was always trembling whenever she saw me and who was wary of me. I was just making an offer with the mindset of, ‘if I get rejected, I’ll just have to find another way…’

“No, it’s not that I don’t like you… it’s just… There have been a lot of misunderstandings… I understand that, but…”

However, Ayla, whom I had not seen in a long time… Surprisingly, she was not particularly wary of me. Thinking back, I thought I remembered talking to her before and that we had apologized.

Was there a change of heart back then, or was I jumping to conclusions?

In the end, Ayla came to the cafe without any suspicions.

“So… why did you call on me…?”

“I want to try having a duel with Taylee once.”

I was predicting that Taylee McLaure’s power would be far weaker than it should be. Yeah, it had to be.

The major ordeals that Taylee was destined to overcome, the Lucy Subjugation and the Krepin Subjugation… Both of them had completely disappeared.

In addition to that, various minor events had also disappeared. So, Taylee’s Swordmaster’s Skills must be rather low, without any further growth.

“With Taylee…? If it’s a simple duel… Why don’t you just ask Taylee? Why do you have to go through me?”

“If I do that, I don’t think he will take me seriously.”

“…What?”

There was still plenty of time before the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok’s advent.

However, that didn’t mean I could be careless.

With just a single minor variable, every boss battle had been moved forward by at least a month, or at most, by half a year.

It felt like the tempo was becoming faster than in the original storyline as time passed.

According to the original story, the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok descended the semester before the main character’s generation graduated. However, it was meaningless to make assumptions, since the world was already full of all sorts of variables.

If possible, it would be better to start preparing as soon as possible.

“I don’t know if he will accept the duel in the first place.”

“Hmm… That’s true… Taylee doesn’t seem to trust you that much yet. You have a good reputation and your grades have improved, but it’s still tough for Taylee to fully trust you. The first time you met wasn’t all that great… and you have not particularly reconciled with each other since then, either.”

“Yeah, so I’m planning to take advantage of that.”

Ayla was confused at what I was saying, so I calmly continued to explain it to her.

“I want him to be completely furious with me as he rushes over with all his might.”

The first thing I had to do was check Taylee’s current status.

How far had his specs developed? How much more did he need to grow to successfully complete the Velbrok Subjugation.

Was it the right decision to go and believe that Taylee was going to take care of it, or would it be better to look for a different option?

To judge those things, I needed to face off against Taylee while he tried his hardest.

Taylee was entering the second semester of his second year. Since Taylee’s growth potential was enormous, he should already be considered a strong individual within his school year.

I wanted to have an opportunity to check his growth in detail.

Not just a duel based on school rules, but a full-fledged battle. If I was going to do it… In the end, I had no choice but to provoke Taylee.

“So, I am going to kidnap you, Ayla. It’s rather classic, but a sure way to do it.”

“…What?”

“Well… it’s a bit strange to say this, but… when the time comes, will you quietly be kidnapped by me…?”

“…Is there anyone who gives permission to get kidnapped…?”

“It would be good if there was.”

In the end, I had to get Ayla to forgive me. The problem was that I needed to give her a good reason.

“Well, you know… Taylee is the type of person who gets stronger when it’s an actual trial. You should know that, Ayla.”

Taylee McLaure and trials were words that could not be separated. In fact, he was a person who represented the core message of more than anyone else.

Wasn’t the game just the story of Taylee’s life? Someone who endured endless trials and was reborn as a swordsman?

So, for Ayla, who had seen Taylee up close since childhood, she would understand.

“For Taylee to keep growing stronger, in the end he needs to be pushed to the extreme.”

“Regardless of that… I don’t want to make Taylee worry about me.”

“Then it can’t be helped. I’ll just have to try another way. Though, I’m not sure what it will be.”

It might sound like I was somewhat threatening her, but I couldn’t help it.

From my position, I needed to properly check on Taylee’s stats. If I left him alone, I didn’t know what would happen. Acken Island might be blown away entirely.

“No, but… Why do you care so much about Taylee’s growth…? Even to the point that you are willing to get your hands dirty…?”

“……”

“It’s the same as back at the entrance exam… There are so many stories going around about how honest and hardworking you are, so why are you going to such extremes…?”

That was because if Taylee didn’t do his job, we would all die.

And if I didn’t think he could do his part, then I needed to quickly come up with another plan.

However, I couldn’t honestly say all of that to convince her. In the end, I had no choice but to come up with a plausible reason that could convince Ayla.

“He and I are fundamentally alike.”

“…What?”

“My life is also full of trials and tribulations. Life in House Rothstaylor… It wasn’t easy. So, it’s hard for me to just look at him and leave him alone.”

Was that reason too lame?

However, the more I spoke, the more suspicious it became. That way, my reasoning sounded clear and should make enough sense.

“So… That’s why you helped Taylee in that way, and then pushed him away from you? Even while ruining your reputation…?”

“Aren’t I your upperclassman, after all?”

“……”

“Regardless, it was hard to just leave him alone. That’s all it was. It’s not that big a deal. My reasoning is much simpler than you would think.”

After saying that, I fell silent.

Ayla looked at me for a long time. She continued to look straight at me without moving an inch.

A street where many people passed by. We sat still together for a while on the terrace seats, where we could hear the noise of passersby.

Ayla finally broke the silence.

“…Ed. Looking back, I don’t think I ever properly apologized for the misunderstanding I had about you.”

“What?”

“…I’m really sorry for the harsh treatment I gave you in the past. Our judgements were… very narrow…”

Because of her unexpected reaction, I tried to hold back my own. I sat there without showing her that I was flustered.

“Ah, there’s no need to say all of that now.”

“No. I think we judged you too quickly. I know you said I already apologized to you somewhat before, but… I really wanted to properly apologize to you when I had the chance.”

“Well, if you really wanted to, I got it.”

Saying that, Ayla looked at me quietly and spoke.

“If you need me, I will cooperate with you.”

“Then, that means….”

“Actually, I’m rather good at being kidnapped.”

Ayla, who was a passive and studious girl, seemed far removed from doing anything combat related.

Rather, she was like a princess waiting for a hero. A girl locked up at the top of a castle, waiting to be rescued. That seemed more appropriate.

However…

“Actually, my specialty is being kidnapped… Although, it’s embarrassing to say…”

Was it really alright…?

All of a sudden, I started to have second thoughts…

* * *

“I plan on approving the latest version of the price list later today. I’ll look over it quickly and post them.”

Lortel, who went back to work at the Silvenia branch of the Elte Company after a long time, took a look at the work that had piled up in her personal office.

She was so busy at Oldek that she hardly paid attention to Silvenia. As time passed… Lortel’s office slowly became piled high with all sorts of documents that needed to be checked.

Even after returning to Silvenia, she couldn’t escape from her work.

With that thought in mind, Lortel took a deep breath as she rolled up her sleeves. First, she had to check all of the things that happened while she was away, as well as the books.

While doing so, she remembered what Bell had told her. That was when she gave Dune an order.

She asked him to bring the most up-to-date price list for ingredients.

However, Dune only told her that the price list hadn’t been updated yet.

“However, while I was expecting an increase in inflation, I did not know that it would be this much. I’ll have to check it out myself tomorrow. Are there still any documents that were left over from the store?”

“It was dealt with yesterday and today, so it will probably still be there.”

According to Bell, the latest price list for ingredients was decided on by Dune.

And yet, he reported that the price list had not yet been updated.

At that moment, Lortel had a strange feeling.

Looking at Dune… Lortel hardened her expression.

“Dune.”

“Yes, Deputy Director.”

Lortel spoke using both honorifics and an informal tone towards her employers. The way she spoke, which freely changed depending on what she needed, was a means to establish the atmosphere with her employees.

“Bring the updated price list.”

He just mentioned that the price list hadn’t been updated yet. Nevertheless, Lortel ordered him to do the same thing again.

Dune stood still for a while. Standing upright across from her desk… he pondered Lortel’s instructions.

Lortel knew that Dune was not an honest employee.

She knew that he often used loopholes within the ledger to carry out minor embezzlement, but she turned a blind eye towards it.

Dune himself knew that to some extent. However, what Lortel had an issue with was making sure that ‘he did it in moderation’.

However, if he crossed that line, she felt that she would need to discipline him.

In any case, if she were to raise the issue formally, Dune would end up being in trouble. Since the dynamic between them was like that, Dune was always in a position where he had to back down to her.

If Dune had really changed the price list to embezzle the excess money, then he had far exceeded ‘moderation’.

However, she did feel that something was strange.

Even if Lortel had been neglecting the Silvenia branch to focus on the situation in Oldek recently, Dune wasn’t a person who would dare embezzle so much.

At most, he collected expensive foreign liquors with a relatively small amount of money… He was just a regular employee that stole a little bit of money.

In the world of cold-blooded merchants, that level of corruption was frankly not even considered corrupt.

For Lortel, who had watched all sorts of ruthless actions before, it shouldn’t have been a big deal.

However… his behavior clearly crossed the line… she felt as if there was some sort of external variable at play.

Was it not Dune’s own judgment, but rather because someone encouraged him? Or did he really have a change of heart for some reason?

In any case, it was an issue that could not be ignored.

Lortel stared intently at Dune with a cold expression on her face.

However, Dune continued to face Lortel without moving.

He didn’t even think about quickly bringing the adjusted price list or asking for forgiveness.

At the very least, shouldn’t he be thinking about giving some sort of excuse…?

However, Dune continued to look at Lortel, which made her skin crawl for some reason.

* * *

“E-Elte Company, Deputy Director L-Lortel’s secretary, my name is Lienna Clemson…”

As I was in the middle of talking with Ayla for some time, a slender woman with red hair and a short stature approached the table we were sitting at.

“Eh… Huh…? The Elte Company?”

Ayla was caught off guard for a moment, as she didn’t expect the girl to come and speak to us.

However, the secretary Lienna didn’t care about her reaction. She looked straight at me and spoke.

“Y-You are E-Ed Rothstaylor, correct…?”

“…That’s right.”

Putting down the stack of papers she was holding in her arms, Secretary Lienna spoke slowly.

“I came here because the Elte Company has something to offer you…”

For me, it was completely sudden.

It felt as if a major situation or change would be happening.