The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 189

A red butterfly hairpin shone softly under the moonlight that passed through the stained glass window.

It was not a magic item, but Saint Clarice’s hairpin made her look more esteemed and noble.

Her white hair fell across her shoulders as she sat in the seats prepared for members of the church.

Both her hair and her elegant Saint’s robes were pure white, symbolizing innocence and purity.

“Ahhh… Saint Clarice. I-I had heard you had returned to school, but I was unaware you would be coming to the school’s cathedral… I-I apologize… If I was informed in advance…”

It was early in the morning, before the sun had even risen.

The diligent choir attendant who opened the chapel doors at an early hour nearly had a heart attack.

For believers of the Telos Religious Group, the noble saint was someone you would live your entire life in gratitude after seeing her face just once… And yet, there she was, sitting alone in the chapel.

“Oh. I’m sorry for coming here without telling you in advance.”

Unlike when she acted as Kylie Eckner, the immature daughter of a noble, when she was the saint, she was both honorable and esteemed.

The gap between the two was so drastic, it was hard to believe they were truly the same person.

“Y-You didn’t attend the prayers of the Cledric Monastery this summer?”

“The Holy Father was understanding and allowed me to prioritize my school life first.”

“I see… Then, excuse me. I apologize for disturbing your prayers.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m the one who came in without telling you in advance.”

In fact, Clarice was also flustered.

She was planning to temporarily release the camouflage magic that was imprinted on her necklace to pray comfortably while no one else was around.

She didn’t think that someone else would come in… So, she responded according to the situation.

“Suddenly coming in to pray at this hour, is there something weighing on your heart? Or… Did something happen…?”

The student on duty asked her, before he suddenly screamed out, biting his tongue.

“Ahhhh… I apologize. I asked an off-topic question. P-Please forget what I said… I-I was just so surprised, I ended up saying something stupid…”

“There’s no need for you to be so troubled. It’s just… the start of a new semester. That’s all.”

Clarice calmed the student down as she then clasped her hands together, gently closing her eyes.

“It’s just a strange feeling… Not attending the Cledric Monastery as a representative of the Telos Religious Group, but instead coming back to Silvenia Academy, which is far from the Holy Father Building.”

“I-I see…”

“So, I just wanted to pray to Telos. To ask him to let me pass this semester without any major problems.”

After saying that, Clarice quietly lowered her head.

She quickly became the spitting image of the Saint, who received the utmost respect from the Telos Religious Group. The student on duty quickly took a step back, holding their breath.

The saint sat alone in the chapel, praying to Telos. As it felt as if time had stopped, the student on duty decided not to bother her.

The sound of the student leaving the chapel echoed, but Clarice, who was quietly in prayer, didn’t hear it.

The words spoken during prayer were always different.

Depending on whether it was day or night, at the Holy Emperor Building or at a regular church, alongside a group of believers or a group mixed with non-believers, during moments of joy or silence… It was always a different phrase that needed to be spoken. But from a young age, Clarice had memorized them all.

However, the words spoken in her private prayers were always as she saw fit. Despite being a saint representing the Telos Religious Group, wasn’t it fine for her to at least be comfortable when praying privately?

There were many incidents and painful experiences that she had gone through as she attended Silvenia Academy, but Clarice was still as excited as ever for the return of her school life.

It was like a dream, one she wondered whether she would ever be able to return to and live again. She was able to experience a variety of different things, and for the first time in her life, there was someone she wanted to get closer to.

However, her school wasn’t always going to be joyful and enjoyable. The same was true for the experiences she had gathered.

Saint Clarice was the only person who had witnessed the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok with Ed.

In regard to Velbrok, Ed was the only person that would fully believe in her without any sense of doubt. He was the one who was able to quickly understand what was happening.

She was well aware of just how much Ed meant to her… Thus, she prayed that everything would work out well for him.

However, there wouldn’t only be good times. There were going to be difficult times as well.

Even if there were many trials ahead of him, she prayed that he would be able to find the strength and courage to overcome them all…

Clarice whispered quietly.

“O God, who looks down on us from the sky and cares for us with his kindness.”

“I ask that you please give him a strong will and the courage to overcome the many trials that lie ahead of him.”

“Give him the sense of reason to calmly deal with any unexpected situations that come his way.”

* * *

The rain fell.

As soon as she saw Ed lying there, bleeding, Princess Penia threw aside her umbrella and ran out into the rain.

The startled servants chased after her with their umbrellas, but Penia didn’t care as she held up Ed’s injured body, which was covered in blood.

Blood was oozing from his wound. The blood was already starting to pool on the ground from the pouring rain.

The startled servants ran towards her in panic, but Penia didn’t pay any mind to them. Her expensive dress was drenched in mud and his blood.

She tried to stop the bleeding by tearing a piece of her clothes, but the bleeding was too severe. Princess Penia shouted at the soldiers, ordering them to bring a medic immediately. She furiously yelled out at them, ordering them to notify the school as well.

* * *

“Give him the character to keep a cool head, even when an unbearable anger rises.”

* * *

Magic power surged from the hand that grabbed Taylee by the collar.

Looking towards Taylee, who could no longer move, Lucy felt an indescribable anger.

Rain continued to fall.

She remembered the day her teacher, Glockt, left her.

She had overcome much of the weight left on her that day, and the longing that was left in her heart had been replaced with a new relationship. There were no empty spaces left in her heart.

That void was filled long ago. So, she promised to not lose her temper and go wild, nor would she commit any acts out of anger.

However, that did not mean the anger rising inside her would just disappear.

Those cold eyes glared at Taylee, making him shiver.

Behind Lucy were a handful of ice spears that were floating in the air.

Ice Spear was intermediate magic, one that the top students in the magic department who were proficient in the spell would often use.

However, the scale and magnitude of her magic power was on a completely different level.

Even just casting one of those spears should have been quite exhausting for a student to accomplish. However, Lucy had cast dozens of them, enough to fill the entire area.

As Taylee looked up at Lucy… he couldn’t even see the sky behind her.

She didn’t even have to chant her spell, either. There was no sign of her even gathering her magic power.

Magic of that size could only be cast as a reflexive movement, done out of anger. It was clear just how drastic the gap between Lucy Mayreel and Taylee McLaure was.

Even if he had been in perfect condition, Taylee still couldn’t stand up against Lucy.

There was not even a single sign of mercy on Lucy’s angry face.

It was a cold anger rather than hot. There were no tears, no cursing, and no evil.

The chill that filled the atmosphere around them… It gradually turned into a great fear.

* * *

“Give him the wisdom to always look at the situation rationally first, no matter how urgent the situation may be.”

* * *

Secretary Lienna ran across the corridor of the destroyed store as she closed her eyes tightly, clenching her teeth.

Dune was nowhere near the store. The employees who witnessed the complete destruction of the store were missing their leader… Thus, they were thrown into complete chaos.

There was no order to be found. The only thing to do was to run away. The Elte Store was already past the point of return.

She couldn’t tell exactly what was going on, but she had a feeling. It was impossible for Dune to completely win against Lortel Kehelland.

They thought they had completely imprisoned that foxlike girl, but she still had an escape route left.

Secretary Lienna suddenly remembered the face of Yennekar, who she saw in the VIP waiting room.

The girl who was guarding the room had filled the entire space with manifested spirits. That girl was the definition of fear for Lienna.

In the first place, Secretary Lienna was timid by nature. As her teeth chattered and she ran down the hallway, she felt as if she had reached her limit.

However, the wall on the side of the hallway suddenly exploded, sending debris flying all over.

Secretary Lienna held herself tightly as she was sent flying across the floor. The one that broke the wall… was the one that she had just escaped from.

Rain started to fall inside the destroyed store.

“There you are.”

Yennekar Palerover, who walked out of the broken wall, looked at Secretary Lienna as she spoke.

* * *

“Even if he is in trouble, let him come up with a solution to overcome it.”

* * *

Assistant Professor Cleoh led Lortel Kehelland to the deputy headmaster’s office in Trix Hall.

It didn’t seem like a good idea to let Lortel and Rachel meet at that moment.

The relationship between the Elte Company and the school had already gone awry. At that point, it seemed as if it would only get worse.

Not only that, but Lortel, who pretended as if it wasn’t a major crisis… still wanted to meet with Deputy Headmaster Rachel to negotiate a deal.

At Lortel’s stubborn request, they contacted Deputy Headmaster Rachel’s office.

Unexpectedly, her request to meet was quickly accepted. Assistant Professor Cleoh was completely stunned.

In the end, the untrustworthy Professor Kaleid was left alone in the watch office as Assistant Professor Cleoh and Lortel entered Trix Hall side by side.

They walked down the hallway, opening the door to the deputy headmaster’s office. Inside was an elderly woman with dark red hair, sitting at her desk.

Silvenia’s vice principal’s outfit wasn’t lavish, but it wasn’t modest, either.

A bluish cloak over her neat attire.

The wrinkles on her hands showed the many years of life that she went through… She definitely was not a young woman.

She was someone who was at odds with Headmaster Obel Forsyth and had consistently built up a negative relationship with the Elte Company.

When Rachel saw Lortel following behind Assistant Professor Cleoh, she had an unexpected expression on her face.

Although the school participated in Dune’s plans to take over the Elte Company, they didn’t do much aside from closing their eyes to what was going on.

They simply made a promise to have the Elte Company release the monopoly they held over certain items.

As soon as Rachel saw Lortel, she was able to figure out the current situation to some extent.

However, the conversation held between Lortel and Rachel was different than normal. Negotiations between someone who was at the top of the school and the one who was at the top of the Elte Company… They wouldn’t come to a conclusion by just appealing to their emotions.

The two looked at each other across the negotiation table.

Even in such a predicament, Lortel continued to smile cunningly.

* * *

“Even if things don’t go as planned, give him the wisdom to try something else to get things done.”

* * *

The Celestial Magic Power that surrounded Ayla’s body disappeared.

After Ed Rothstaylor was wounded, losing control of his magic power… Ayla came back to her senses.

Inside the closed wooden shelter.

Once used as a nap spot for Lucy Mayreel, it was a simple shelter made of wood with thick fur across the floor.

Since the entrance was completely blocked off, it was pitch-dark.

Ayla opened her eyes, shaking her head as she looked up. She could barely hear the sounds outside, as the sound of the falling rain was so loud, but it seemed like there was some type of commotion.

It was pitch-dark, making her unable to find the exit. Still, Ayla dragged her body along the walls of the shelter.

The noise of people yelling outside. After walking across the wall and listening to them yell, she finally found the door, pushing it open.

It was a struggle to push on the handle in the dark, and the door wasn’t moving easily. Still, it seemed to be opening up slightly, so Ayla continued to push against it.

* * *

“And…”

“……”

Then, Clarice paused in her prayer for a moment.

She wanted to ask for God’s help to overcome every possible crisis he could face, but there were so many ordeals in the world, it was impossible to think of them all.

An ordeal was an ordeal because they were unpredictable. Clarice was well aware of that fact, so as she opened her eyes, she spoke quietly, with her hands clasped tightly together.

“Please give him the courage to deal with any ordeal too great to overcome… I ask of you, God.”

* * *

“Keuheuk…!”

Taylee overcame his fear.

There were those that would never give up, no matter what ordeal stood in their way. Even when there was no hope of overcoming them.

Captains of a sinking ship.

Soldiers who continued to protect the capital, even though they knew defeat was inevitable.

Workers who repaired a dam without running away, even after seeing the flood.

Fathers who hid their children behind their backs, even in front of a murderer with a weapon.

They all had something in common. It was neither some incredible philosophical mindset nor courage that would leave others in admiration.

It was that they all had something they needed to protect.

That one simple fact was enough to make someone overcome their unbearable fear. It was what let them fight to the bitter end.

Taylee grabbed Lucy’s tiny hand with his own blood-covered one.

Even though she was only half the size and weight of him, he couldn’t push her back despite using all of the strength in his body.

Nevertheless, Taylee clenched his teeth as he fought back through sheer willpower.

* * *

“Lortel Kehelland’s villa is over there… The convoy is ready to enter…!”

“Like the information we received, search the underground area! If we don’t move quickly, who knows what kind of trick she will use…!”

Meanwhile, Princess Penia, who was pressing down on Ed’s wounds, was suspicious of what she was hearing.

Tune, a senior trainer dispatched with her escort team under Persica’s orders. While that was all happening, she was thinking of raiding Lortel’s villa with her convoy team.

There was a limit to the number of people on the convoy.

As they entered Silvenia, they left behind personnel to take care of procedure as well as people to watch the carriage. Since the forest itself was rather difficult to traverse, it wasn’t possible for the entire force to move at once.

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be good to disperse the number of people even further.

“What do you think you are saying? Can’t you see that people are bleeding out?”

Not just Ed, but Taylee was also seriously injured.

Taylee was covered in blood and serious injuries, and the amount of blood coming from Ed wasn’t normal either. The smell of blood that filled the area was overwhelming.

No one knew what would happen if they just left Ed alone.

“This is an imperial order. Get out of the way right now.”

“Princess Penia.”

“Right now, people’s lives are at grave risk. Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

Princess Penia, who stood up from her spot, looked straight at Tune.

The knight had her red hair falling past her shoulders, as her helmet was off. Although she was dignified and reliable, her loyalty wasn’t towards Princess Penia.

She was one of Persica’s closest aides among the knights.

Although she was dispatched under the title of Princess Penia’s escort, her true purpose was to fulfill Princess Persica’s orders.

However, disobeying an imperial order would result in extreme punishment.

The knight, who was trapped between the orders of Princess Persica and Princess Penia… Closed her eyes as she spoke.

“Princess Penia.”

“Senior Training Officer Tune. Don’t make me remember that name.”

“If we don’t move, the criminal will…”

Tune didn’t finish. That was because her face was pushed to the side. Her eyes grew wide.

The Princess of Benevolence, Penia Elias Kroel.

Her disposition led her to embrace and acknowledge even the humblest of people and gave her that nickname. When she was in the Rose Palace, she judged people solely by their abilities and characters.

From the cleaning staff who cleaned the floors, to the assistant chefs, to the newly hired maids…

How could there be such a person within the imperial family?

Rumors and opinions of her among the servants were of that same thought.

That same girl had just slapped the cheek of someone below her, in a place where so many people were watching.

It was an unbelievable sight to witness.

Not only Tune, but the other soldiers who were watching the situation as well all swallowed their breath.

Since she was slapping the cheek of a knight who had trained for years, there was no way it would have any real force behind it.

Rather, the girl’s pristine hand was redder than Tune’s cheek.

However, the eyes that glared at Tune under the falling rain were still determined.

Schwaaa!

Raindrops fell across her face. Princess Penia then opened her mouth.

“Please… don’t overstep.”

“……”

“A person… a person has collapsed from a sword wound.”

Princess Penia also knew Ed’s history well. Someone who was always on the verge of death, over and over again.

The hardest truth for her to bear was that Princess Penia herself was Ed’s biggest burden and obstacle.

“There are people who are struggling to survive… So, is that something you should be saying right now?”

The words Penia spoke hurt Penia herself.

She was the first to expel him, and she was the one who stood in opposition at every important turning point.

Criticism and reproach, suspicion and contempt, hardships and pain. If we looked for the source of them all, most were pointing right back at Princess Penia.

The darkness of the Rothstaylor family. Suffering to survive on his own in the wild. A school life where he was ridiculed by everyone, everywhere he went.

A man who clenched his teeth, refusing to give up, even though everything in his life was painful. And the person who was always on the other side of that man was none other than Princess Penia.

However, there was one fact that no one could deny.

Ed Rothstaylor never once resented Princess Penia.

Although there may have been times when he was frustrated or indifferent, he was never pessimistic about his life, and he never blamed others for his circumstances.

Tune suddenly looked at Princess Penia again as she swallowed her breath.

Rain wasn’t the only thing running down her face.

She sniffed, trying to maintain her firm expression. However, if you looked closely, you could see a young and weak girl starting to come out.

“If we leave him alone like this… He will die… How could I live my life like that…?”

Because of her blood and authority, there was a fact that was easily forgotten.

Even if she was born of the most noble lineage, was able to wear dazzling dresses in the magnificent Rose Palace, and attended various splendid dinner parties…

Even though she was a part of the imperial family, who could ride a carriage that was the size of a commoner’s house, or could wield an army of hundreds with a single gesture…

Behind that princess, there was only a regular young girl who was still growing up.

That truth pierced through Tune’s head like a spear.

She realized that she had completely disrespected and gone against the prestige of the imperial family that she had been serving as a member of the Imperial Knight Templars for many years.

The members of the imperial family were also human. That obvious fact that she had forgotten had completely caught her off guard.

“…We will gather members of the convoy to head towards the school.”

Slowly, with a trembling voice, Tune spoke.

“Training Officer Tune! If we don’t do it now…!”

When the person next to her was about to say something, Tune raised her hand to stop them.

Seeing Princess Penia run towards Ed, pressing on his wound, Tune hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“For now, we will follow the orders of Princess Penia.”

“I-If we do that, then…!”

“We can also catch Lortel Kehelland. However, we must prioritize dealing with the situation in front of us.”

Having said that, Tune gathered the soldiers.

Gathering medical personnel would be difficult. However, the problem was Lucy Mayreel, who was holding onto Taylee’s neck.

She was a girl with tremendous power that could end anything.

Because of that single hand holding onto him, treating Taylee was impossible.

And the only person who could stop her was currently unconscious and bleeding.

And like that… her magic power covered the sky.

* * *

“That is what I ask of you, God.”

“Amen.”

After finishing her prayer, Clarice raised her head.

Behind the stained glass, the darkness of the night had gradually gone away. Now, the atmosphere of an early morning was starting to rise.

The dark red clouds had also subsided quite a bit, a breeze blowing by outside the window.

It was still too dark to be morning, but a little too bright to be night… A time that was in between the two.

Clarice shook her head, enjoying the morning air. She stretched her body as she slowly stood up. Leaving the chapel, she accidentally stubbed her foot against the chairs.

As she let out a groan, she nodded her head around. She then grabbed her necklace as she walked away.

Her toe hurt so much that she wanted to burst into tears. Even so, she somehow endured it as she left the building, looking like she always did—a holy and noble saint.

She took a short, deep breath.

The midnight air that entered her lungs was refreshing.

Though, at that point, it felt like it could be called the morning air.