The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 177

In order to defeat the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok, we needed Taylee McLaure’s Swordmaster’s Skill.

That was a problem that had been bothering me chronically. The best solution would be to just have Taylee McLaure be strong enough to defeat Velbrok.

However, ’s story had already become so twisted that we couldn’t rely on the original timeline anymore.

It was clear that Taylee’s growth would be much slower than I was hoping for.

The subjugation of the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok was the final ordeal that I needed to overcome after coming to this world.

If Taylee couldn’t handle Velbrok, then I had to take over. That was because the catastrophe that would occur if Velbrok wasn’t dealt with at that moment… It wasn’t just one person’s problem.

If Velbrok completely finished its resurrection on Acken Island, then it would begin to affect the entire continent… It was impossible to even guess just how much damage it would cause to the entire continent and empire. Naturally, it would also have a significant impact on my future, as well.

I planned to quietly get my diploma and leave everything to Taylee, but those plans had been ruined a long time ago… However, Velbrok wasn’t an enemy that I could deal with alone, either.

So, I had no choice but to pray.

I prayed that Taylee McLaure’s specs were a little bit better than normal.

* * *

Surrounded by a large iron fence, the branch’s backyard was completely covered in darkness at night. No one could see anything.

After knocking on the back door of the Elte Company’s Silvenia Branch, the workers inside opened the door.

Behind the quietly opened door was Dune Grex, who was now completely supervising the Elte Company’s Silvenia Branch.

Behind him was Secretary Lienna and some other employees of the store.

Among them, there were quite a few employees who had previously pledged their allegiance to Lortel. It was quite strange to see them there.

“You’re more intense than I thought, Ed.”

What Dune was looking at shouldn’t have been a sight that was easy to accept.

Me violently dragging Ayla, who was tied up with a rope, inside as Yennekar stood behind me.

Since Dune wasn’t behind anyone when it came to intelligence, he didn’t need to question why Yennekar was with me.

Yennekar was always a part of whatever I did. Though, as if he didn’t think that she would even be so blatantly involved with kidnapping another person with me… Dune got rid of his surprised expression with a subtle smile.

“Hmm…! Hmmm…!”

Ayla, whose mouth was covered with a cloth, tried to scream and shout. However, it was impossible to make out what she was trying to say.

“Tie her up.”

The other employees standing behind Dune grabbed Ayla’s arms as they dragged her around. Ayla, who had completely lost her will to resist, was dragged further inside by the employees.

“I didn’t expect you to personally go and do something like this. Is there something special about that girl?”

“She’s capable of various advanced magic powers… In particular, she is someone born with a special resonance with Celestial Magic Power.”

“Celestial Magic Power?”

As we walked down the hallway with Dune, we continued our conversation.

Behind us, Yennekar and Secretary Lienna followed us down the hallway.

I raised my hand as I gently added some strength to it.

The recoil of the Phoenix Ring had been somewhat alleviated after resting for a long period, but its energy was still there, making it difficult for me to draw out my magic power.

However, I could still bring out a very small amount of magic power if I focused on doing so.

Whoosh.

Dune narrowed his eyes at a small amount of dark red magic power that slowly started to rise.

The employees who were following behind Dune also swallowed their dry saliva. At a glance, it was clear even to people who weren’t familiar with magic… That it was Celestial Magic Power.

“Do you know how to use Celestial Magic?”

“Yeah. However, I can’t research a higher level of Celestial Magic on my own. In other words… Even though it might be unethical, I need a sacrifice that has a good level of resonance to it.”

Actually, that was not the reason I kidnapped Ayla. In actuality, it was to anger Taylee McLaure and see his full strength.

However, I couldn’t tell them the truth. So, that was the reason I had come up with for them instead. Just like Professor Glast did, my ‘reason’ for kidnapping her was because Ayla’s resonance towards Celestial Magic was good.

“The condition of my body isn’t great at the moment, so it is difficult for me to conduct my research properly… So, I needed to get a hold of Ayla before the break was over. If I abducted her during the semester, her sudden absence would stand out even more.”

Saying that, I glanced at Dune.

“It goes without saying, but this isn’t something I can say to just anyone. To abduct a person and use them for my research… If that becomes public, the aftermath will be severe.”

“The school wouldn’t sit still about this either. If a regular student of theirs had suddenly been kidnapped…”

“Yeah. So, I hope news of this does not spread outside. Ayla was alone in her room before she suddenly disappeared. We can just say she ran away or something.”

The reason I was saying all of that was simple.

It’s to express that… ‘I showed you my weakness.’

Though, in reality, it was not my weakness. Even Ayla knew that I didn’t kidnap her seriously.

However, a true relationship of trust could only be created when both sides were aware of the other’s weaknesses.

If the other person had a change of heart, your plans could go awry. So, you needed to be certain of your partner in order to make sure that everything went as planned.

“For a group like the Elte Company… This shouldn’t be the first time they’ve had to hide a girl.”

Saying that, Dune laughed softly.

“There are more than twenty empty rooms in the basement of the store. Most of them are used as shelters for the employees or storage for goods, but… If you lock the door, it’s like a prison cell.”

“I’ll have to look at it with my own two eyes.”

“Of course.”

So, I went down to the basement with Dune.

The Elte Company’s Silvenia Branch was a four-story building on a golden piece of land right in front of Mexes Bridge.

The space and building were both quite large… It wouldn’t be easy for someone to search the entirety of the building to find Ayla.

As we went down the stairs to the basement, I could see the entirety of the large underground space. There were rows of rooms in the basement crammed with various inventory items.

The door in the middle, all the way inside, was open. The employees pushed Ayla inside.

“Hmm!”

Ayla rolled on the floor as she let out a moan, looking up at the employees. It must have been scary, since there were so many burly looking men gathered around and staring down at her… Her entire body was trembling.

“The room’s condition is pretty good.”

“We don’t have a space to accommodate just a single person, and the sound won’t leak outside, so it’ll be difficult for anyone to figure it out.”

I went to Ayla, who was rolling on the floor, and I crouched down.

“I’m sorry, you must be very startled by this.”

Speaking slyly, I checked Ayla’s condition.

Making sure the workers standing behind me weren’t looking, I gently nodded my head to her. Ayla, who was captured, nodded her head subtly at the same time.

I had already warned her in advance that things would end up like that, but she might have been startled since the atmosphere was more violent and cruel than I was expecting.

So, I wanted to check how she was doing, but… Surprisingly, she looked fine.

Having a talent for being kidnapped… I guess Ayla really did have a knack for it…?

Then, I thought to myself,

Since I made you go through much more than I expected, I’ll help you with anything you need next time…

“So, how are you going to bring down Lortel?”

“We’ll have to use the classic method. There is a perfect method for pulling people all the way down, and that’s to blame them.”

Just like when Lortel brought down Elte.

However, back then, it was actually partially Elte’s fault. This time, though, Lortel was being treated completely unfairly.

“Everything is moving steadily and according to plan. When the next semester at Silvenia starts, control over the Elte Company will have already been passed on to us.”

Dune never revealed his entire plan. It was as if he had revealed his own weakness, but he only spoke about the overall plan, and never the specifics of it.

“Fine… You all have your own plans.”

I closed my eyes as I said that. If I tried to dig any further, he would only become suspicious of me.

“Then, I should take a look at Lortel.”

* * *

There was silence inside the majestic imperial carriage.

Lucy and Princess Penia weren’t all that close. Although they were in the same grade, for Princess Penia—who was always being heavily escorted—and Lucy, who was usually taking a nap in a remote location… The number of times they ran into each other were close to none.

Only the sound of the carriage’s wheels could be heard in the awkward silence.

With Lucy Mayreel’s soft breathing as a background noise, Princess Penia continued to look out the window as if she were uncomfortable.

The movements of the escort soldiers were certainly unusual.

Penia, who had been escorted by soldiers since she was a child, had developed a keen eye to recognize something like that.

It seemed that there weren’t only the normal soldiers who escorted her, but other soldiers as well that were assigned to help.

It was as if escorting Princess Penia wasn’t their only purpose.

In the princess escort group, there shouldn’t be anyone who can do something, though?

Not just anyone could become an escort for the princess. Most of them were people she was already familiar with.

Most of the escorts had quite the career and were quite a bit older than other soldiers.

Half of them were close acquaintances with Princess Penia, but the other half were faces that the Princess had trouble recognizing.

It was strange that the Imperial Knights had sent so many soldiers to escort Princess Penia. However, the fact that there were also people she didn’t normally see made her a bit confused.

However, since they were all soldiers of the imperial family, they wouldn’t try to do any harm to Princess Penia.

So, why were they in the escort group that was following Princess Penia?

“They’re supposedly members of a convoy.”

Suddenly, Lucy—who she thought was asleep—spoke with her head flat on the table.

She spoke suddenly, without any warning. Princess Penia looked at Lucy with a puzzled expression on her face, but… Lucy spoke as if she didn’t really care.

“They are traveling along because they are going to arrest a criminal on Acken Island.”

“Pardon?”

Lucy had good ears.

It was not simply having good hearing. If she really tried, she could spread her magic power out to hear at a range that surpassed a regular human’s even when she was asleep.

Of course, if it were someone she trusted completely or someone who didn’t pose a threat, Lucy wouldn’t even bother reacting even if you got close to her.

However, Lucy had to live in the midst of somewhat hostile people for the past few days… So, she had completely heightened all of her senses.

Although she looked lazy and tired, Lucy was always well aware of her surroundings.

Princess Penia swallowed her dry saliva upon witnessing Lucy’s sharp senses. Even though she was able to listen to everything… it was impossible to notice just by looking at her.

However, she was currently Penia’s ally. So, she felt reassured by that fact.

Overwhelming strength, sharp senses, somewhat knowledgeable, and even possessing the ability to judge a situation accurately.

Having her as an ally was enough to give one the feeling of having an entire army behind you. However, if she were an enemy, one couldn’t help but think it would be impossible to win.

In short, she was someone that you should never make your enemy.

“A convoy…? Criminal…?”

“Are there criminals on Acken Island?”

“No way…”

Ed Rothstaylor?

Saying that, Lucy slowly raised her head.

Even though she thought she was just asleep, her eyes were surprisingly clear.

“……”

“Don’t be too quick to judge, Lucy Mayreel.”

Lucy Mayreel quietly sat up.

It was as if a massive bomb was ready to light its own wick at any moment.

Princess Penia, having an ominous feeling, decided to calm the disaster that was right in front of her.

“Getting ahold of Ed Rothstaylor is a sensitive matter that can’t be easily decided, even within the imperial central meeting. No one within the imperial household would hastily try to get ahold of Ed Rothstaylor.”

It would be a political misstep. It was obvious that they would be blamed if things went downhill.

Perhaps Lucy Mayreel knew that fact as well, as she quietly listened to Penia.

“Besides, they know that you are with me… So, they wouldn’t be ignorant enough to send a convoy to arrest Ed Rothstaylor with us.”

“Then, who is the criminal?”

“I’m not sure… We’ll… Just have to wait and see. For now, let’s pretend we don’t know anything and keep our eyes on the convoy.”

There weren’t many people who were influential enough to add members of their own convoy into Princess Penia’s escort team.

A person who had the authority to organize personnel or who held an equivalent level of influence.

It would require a person at the level of the commander of the imperial knights, at least the level of prime minister, or one of the three aides that were close to Emperor Kroel… Or one of the three princesses.

One of them… Penia’s heart had suddenly hardened to some extent.

“Sister Persica.”

The commander of the Imperial Knights, who had the authority to organize personnel, was on the side of Princess Persica.

So, it was most likely Princess Persica who had exercised her influence to do it.

When Princess Penia mentioned Persica’s name, Lucy Mayreel’s gaze became sharp.

Princess Persica was an ambiguous person who was neither friendly nor hostile towards Ed Rothstaylor.

Unlike Princess Selah, who was openly hostile, or Princess Penia, who was openly friendly, it was difficult to judge what she was.

Lucy wasn’t sure what to think of her, but if she really was planning to use a convoy to capture Ed Rothstaylor, her opinion of her would completely change.

However, she couldn’t hastily come to any conclusions yet.

They were crossing over the territory of a peaceful empire. Outside the window, a glorious field of beautiful vegetation spread out… But the two inside the carriage weren’t in a situation where they could enjoy such scenery.

Inside, only the sound of the carriage’s wheels could be heard. The two of them maintained a nervous tension.

It seemed that when they arrived at Acken Island, something unexpected was going to happen.

Princess Penia shouldn’t want to provoke Lucy in any way. So, to make sure of that, she shouldn’t be trying to get her hands on Ed Rothstaylor either.

Thinking about that fact, the tension continued.

The carriage had already passed the Zahul border. Once they crossed over the estate and reached the southwestern coast, they would come into view of Mexes Bridge, which connected to Acken Island.

They would soon arrive at Acken Island.

The cold air of the early morning had disappeared, and the vitality of morning was slowly starting to rise.

* * *

Knock!

The office of the deputy director, Lortel Kehelland.

When I opened the door and entered, Lortel had her head completely lowered.

The hood of her brown robe, which she always wore around her, was completely snug on her head. Her hands were tied behind her back and to the chair, so she didn’t move a bit.

A simple meal was prepared on her work desk. There was bread and dried fish, which could be eaten even with her hands tied.

However, Lortel didn’t put even a single piece in her mouth… She was completely quiet.

“……”

It looked as if her wrath was coming out.

An employee of the store, who used to be one of Lortel’s closest aides, was completely nervous as he guided me to the office.

It was absurd to go in front of one’s previous boss, who they had backstabbed themselves, but she continued to have a cold aura around her as she didn’t say a word about being captured.

It was as if, should he blink, the blade of her revenge would pierce his throat right away… Perhaps he felt such a threat?

Lortel’s cold appearance, which was usually more like a snake or a fox, gave the employees—who had gone through it all with her—a chill down their spines.

Rather, because it was Lortel who was acting like that, that difference from her normal behavior felt that much more terrifying.

Just by breathing in the same space as her, it felt as if thick mud was flowing down your throat.

It felt as if you were walking with a sword pointed at you.

The feeling that if they didn’t successfully subdue her in time, Lortel wouldn’t sit still and would come back in a furious rage.

“Can you wait outside?”

“O-Okay.”

I wouldn’t call it consideration, but when I asked him to wait outside, the employee quickly accepted.

“I will be waiting in front of the door. Come out when you’re done.”

Saying that, the employee quickly opened the door and left.

The door closed with a bang. In front of me was Lortel Kehelland, tied up behind her desk.

Contrary to the way she always sat proudly while leading the store in a relaxed manner, she now looked like a queen on the verge of being imprisoned.

I walked further in as I sat down across the desk from her.

Lortel didn’t raise her head.

“You haven’t eaten anything.”

I tried to start a small conversation like that, but Lortel didn’t move at all.

I wondered if she had passed out, but seeing her occasionally act as if she could sense I was there, it seemed she was still fine.

“Why are you here?”

Eventually, the long silence was broken as Lortel spoke clearly.

“To make fun of me?”

Her voice had an edge to it. It was like the voice of someone who was right in front of their enemy.

There were all sorts of emotions in those short words. However, she didn’t cry or raise her voice… She only spoke quietly towards me.

“I thought things over while sitting here by myself. However, no matter how much I think about it, there is no benefit for you to take my side, Ed.”

Lortel Kehelland had sat there, thinking about that.

Was there any benefit for Ed Rothstaylor if he sided with Lortel Kehelland?

If there was anything he could gain by being on Lortel’s side rather than Dune’s… then maybe Ed Rothstaylor could really be supporting her.

However, Lortel Kehelland was a smart person and would have quickly realized it.

Looking at profit and loss, there was absolutely nothing Ed Rothstaylor could gain by standing at Lortel Kehelland’s side.

“Congratulations. Being friendly with me was great for you.”

However, it would be a lie if she said she didn’t feel bad.

Over the past two years, the various places where they were next to each other and comforted each other… Everyone became meaningless in the face of reason and profit.

“It seems that, thanks to me, you can make a profit.”

She was really a merchant, down to her bones.

In particular, Lortel Kehelland had never been so affectionate towards anyone else before.

Because she was always on her own, without family, friends, or trusted colleagues… She was a girl who longed for such a relationship.

Perhaps because it was her first time, she felt such a great pain of loss…

That feeling of betrayal must have felt unbearable, even though she knew the decision was logical.

For the first time in her life, Lortel Kehelland understood the horror and pain of losing a relationship.

For a girl who only lived a life with calculated relationships, it must have been the first pain she experienced.

I felt a strange sense of guilt from that fact, but there weren’t many other choices I could have made at the moment.

So, what I could do for her was… be straightforward with her.

“Right now… What’s the deal with you?”

And like that, I made an unexpected remark.

Lortel, with her head still lowered beneath her hood, didn’t move at all.

“Aren’t you the deputy director of the Elte Company? Aren’t you an honor student in the Magic Department at Silvenia Academy?”

I asked her simple questions, but she still didn’t answer them.

However, I didn’t stop.

“Or are you someone who became a wealthy merchant on your own from a young age? Aren’t you my business partner, who supplies me with my magic engineering equipment?”

“……”

“At this moment… You’re nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

The only thing she could say with confidence was probably… Only one thing.

“You are simply Lortel Kehelland.”

I sat hunched over on the wooden chair as I told her something seemingly insignificant, yet very important.

“Unfortunately, that’s the only reason why I’m here now.”

“Reason for what?”

“The reason why I should save you.”

I pulled a dagger from my waist.

Before Lortel could say anything, I slashed the rope that tied her wrists.

The rope was easily cut by the sharp-edged dagger.

Lortel’s hands were now completely free. As I had the thought that I only had to cut the rope that tied her feet together—Lortel quickly looked up.

Lortel, who raised her head… smiled triumphantly.

“Oh my goodness.”

“Hey, you…”

“I was waiting for you to say that.”

In the first place, Lortel felt neither heartache nor agony….

She was just sitting there, waiting for me to come to her.

However, it was ridiculous for her to be that shy, regardless of who she was… In the end, she had waited all that time with her head lowered, as if she were heartbroken and waiting for me to say something.

“What is it? Did you think I ever doubted you?”

‘There is no other reason. I’m saving you because you’re Lortel.’

Did she want to hear that?

Laughing sly like a fox, Lortel slowly lifted up her hood with her now-free arms.

The corners of her lips raised as if she was extremely happy.

“I almost died waiting for you.”

“……”

“My legs are tied too tightly, and it hurts. Please cut the rope quickly.”

I bent down as I raised my dagger. I carefully cut the rope with the dagger, making sure that Lortel’s ankle wouldn’t get hurt.

“Ever since you first came in, I had something of a hunch. After reading the negotiation contract, I knew right away. If you were really going to be on Dune’s side, there was no reason for you to show up in front of me in the first place.”

“That’s too bad. I thought I was going to see you acting heartbroken.”

“Ahah! Because you secretly felt bad as well. To a girl who was heartbroken because she thought she was betrayed… Did you want to show up and give me hope, saying that there was no reason to worry because you never betrayed me in the first place? Was that what you wanted to do?”

Lortel let out a gasp as she smiled casually.

“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. From the first time I saw you, I thought you had a plan.”

“Haah, whatever. What’s there to even say at this point? Let me just cut the rope and let’s think of how to escape. I think Taylee will arrive soon.”

“It seems you’ve been scheming something up again. I got it. Let me calmly organize my thoughts first.”

Saying that, I slowly cut the rope that bound Lortel’s ankles.

Well, I supposed that was how things always were. Just how dramatic would it actually be?

As was always the case in the world of merchants, even if it seemed like a major ordeal, there was always a way out.

Because Lortel knew that fact… she didn’t worry one bit.

As expected, she really was the embodiment of reason. Someone who always maintained their composure. Lortel acted exactly as I thought she would.

There was no need to settle our emotions. I just had to quickly brief her on the next step of the plan.

Thankfully, because of that, we saved quite a bit of time.

Clang.

Thud!

The moment I had that thought, I was attacked.

My body was pushed from behind as my head hit the floor. There was a slight pain, but what surprised me more was seeing Lortel jump into my arms.

The moment my body was free, Lortel put her face on my chest as she hugged me tightly.

In the aftermath of that, I rolled over on the wooden floor. By the time I got ahold of myself, Lortel, who had been stuck in my arms, was rubbing her face across my chest.

“……”

“……”

I scratched the back of my head, feeling the chill of the cold wooden floor against my back.

“I thought you already knew everything.”

“Just because I know doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t feel bad.”

I didn’t even have to ask what that meant.

Betraying Lortel Kehelland, staying on Dune’s side, selling her off for my own profit… A future where I had completely abandoned her.

If you thought about it, that future wasn’t completely impossible.

Feeling that fact deep down, Lortel might have been feeling shivers run down her spine.

“One thing is for sure…”

It was my first time seeing Lortel like that, buried in my arms as she was.

She, always so cold-hearted, was acting so weak… It was probably something that would be difficult to see in the future.

“This… Wasn’t all that great of an experience.”

Without saying anything else, I gently stroked Lortel’s hair.

“…I’m sorry.”

I also had my own reasons. However, I didn’t go and explain it all to her.

And like that, for a while… We stayed together on the office floor.

Boom! Bang!

Crash! Crash!

Then, a massive explosion was heard at the front of the store.

A massive vibration that even shook the ground could be felt on the floor of her office.