The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 204

“That was the story of Baron Flanchel.”

Yennekar Palerover, who was sitting across the campfire, didn’t look great. She didn’t know what to say, so she only looked at Bell with tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing her act like that, Bell felt as if she had said something unnecessary.

Although she said it wasn’t anything special, everyone would agree that Bell’s life story was depressing.

For anyone other than Bell, who had a rather strong heart, it wouldn’t be strange if they had lost their will to live after experiencing that.

Even though she was an illegitimate child, Baron Flanchel still sacrificed himself to save his daughter, who was born of his own blood.

In the end, he was able to avoid giving his daughter up to the hands of a greedy noble… but in return, he had to give up his life.

It was a drastic and tragic story. Yennekar couldn’t help but feel depressed upon hearing it.

“I’m sorry, Bell. I didn’t know a thing… yet I asked you to tell me…”

“You don’t have to apologize. The reason I usually avoid telling others my story is because it tends to put them in an uncomfortable spot. And… It really isn’t a major scar that’s left on me.”

“Really? But… if I were in your position, I’m sure I would have been deeply wounded…”

“Well, I was shocked at the time. But… As I said, like when I told Ed the story, there were some things that I deliberately omitted.”

Bell threw a few more pieces of firewood into the campfire to help the flames grow. It was still the middle of the night, so she had to maintain the fire for a while longer.

“Parts you deliberately left out…? Why? Was there something you didn’t want to tell Ed?”

“It was because the message of the story would change.”

Yennekar tilted her head, but Bell didn’t try to explain any further.

The reason Bell told Ed of her past was because she wanted to make sure he would never come to the extreme decision of suicide again.

As long as you were alive, the day you’d see the light would surely come.

That was why you needed to survive. Even if it felt as if there was no pleasure in that grueling world, which held only trials and tribulations up ahead…

Brace yourself, clench your teeth, and stand firm to survive.

“It’s important to survive and continue moving forward with your life. However, that doesn’t apply to everyone in this world.”

“Bell… what are you trying to say?”

“It’s nothing much. It’s just that Baron Flanchel had already been ill for a long time. Had he not taken his own life, he would have passed away soon after.”

Hearing that, Yennekar was at a loss for words.

That was what Bell had not told Ed.

Either way, Baron Flanchel only had a short period left to live.

And at the end of his life, he looked back on his life, ready to accept death.

“Whoever they may be, when a person faces death, they always reflect on the life they have walked.”

“Bell…”

“Baron Flanchel probably wanted to have some meaning to his life.”

By revealing the truth about Baron Flanchel’s health, the message of the story and his sacrificial death completely changed.

Yennekar finally realized why Bell had not told Ed about it.

She could also understand why Bell was able to speak of the tragedy without being depressed or scarred.

For Bell, the story of Baron Flanchel’s death was neither sad nor tragic.

It was the heroic story of a noble who decided to go out on his own terms.

Bell Maya’s room was decorated with a dagger engraved with a wildcat symbol.

It was a dagger of House Flanchel that her father, Balmid Flanchel, had put in her hands as a keepsake with a kind smile on his face the day he was to pass.

After finishing the story, she looked up at the sky, which was filled with stars that looked like specs of salt.

* * *

“Abbess Austin… committed suicide…?”

No one was there to hear it.

Still, someone might have accidentally heard it. If that had happened, it would have been dangerous.

Persica started to become filled with anxiety, though Ed Rothstaylor didn’t seem to care at all.

“How did you find out that Abbess Austin was hiding children from a non-human tribe?”

Ed Rothstaylor, who was praying, suddenly threw a fastball. Princess Persica and Tune had no choice but to hold their breath.

“What are you saying?”

His response was natural. He didn’t stutter, nor show any signs of being flustered.

“Did you happen to somehow have contact with Amputator Zellan? Aside from him, no one else knows the hidden secrets of Cledric Monastery.”

“You’re talking about something you don’t know.”

“You can be honest and tell me. I have already confirmed that no one else is here in the chapel.”

She had heard a lot of rumors about Ed Rothstaylor.

In any case, she knew well that he was a mysterious and strangely sharp person.

However, she had no idea that her first meeting with him would be like a punch in the stomach… Princess Persica swallowed her breath.

“One thing is for certain. You’ve fallen into a trap, Princess Persica.”

“……”

“You’ve fallen into a trap set by Abbess Austin, and now you are trying to somehow escape, right?”

The reason Lucy Mayreel stayed still even when she was being accused of murder.

Even if she didn’t do anything, Persica was already trapped in a corner. At first, he couldn’t understand what was going on, but after gathering his thoughts… everything started to become clear.

“Wasn’t the real reason you attended the ceremony at Cledric Monastery to persuade Abbess Austin, knowing that she was hiding non-humans? To demand that she formally support you in the upcoming imperial household meeting?”

To Abbess Austin, all of the nuns in Cledric Abbey were like her daughters.

Even with the non-humans… that fact never changed.

“Telling her that you would keep it a secret if she were to formally support you, and once you seized the throne, you would close your eyes to what she was doing… No matter how much Abbess Austin supported Princess Penia, she was bound to be shaken by such an offer.”

“You are saying something rather interesting.”

Princess Persica calmly responded, but on the inside, she was completely confused.

After all, there were no clues for Ed Rothstaylor to be able to infer any of it. So, where did all the information leak from?

At least within the monastery, only Tune knew all of that information. However, it was difficult to believe that Tune would have betrayed her.

She wouldn’t have anything to gain by betraying her. Above all else, she had always escorted Persica as her closest aide.

There was no advantage to treachery, and above all else, it was because she was always escorting Persica.

“It’s definitely a valid reason to travel all the way here. If you could bring Abbess Austin to your side, you would have quite the influential figure within the Telos Religious Group openly supporting you.”

However, the situation did not go as Princess Persica intended.

When Abbess Austin, the target she was trying to persuade, was found dead… All of her plans failed.

It didn’t happen all that long after Princess Persica came to Cledric Monastery.

“Your plans to persuade her didn’t work out as you anticipated.”

“If you speak of blasphemy and insult me any longer, I will not stand still. Although this is not the Imperial Palace… you should know well that my authority is incomparable to that of Duke Rothstaylor.”

“I am not here to undermine your authority. I am here to negotiate.”

Ed Rothstaylor, who was praying, slowly opened his eyes.

He didn’t look flustered, disrespectful, or even mocking.

He was simply speaking calmly and rationally.

Ed Rothstaylor, who she had only heard rumors about, was very different from what Princess Persica had imagined.

He never got flustered, even in front of Princess Persica, who had a level of authority that pierced through the skies.

“Putting all of the circumstances together, it becomes possible to infer that Abbess Austin committed suicide in response to your threats, Princess Persica.”

“That’s a leap in logic.”

“I’m not sure of that. In the long run, even after you seize the throne, Abbess Austin would still be forced to continue being swayed by the imperial household.”

The war against the non-humans who tried to murder the emperor. It still remained a fresh wound in the hearts of those in the empire.

As long as Princess Persica continued to keep the secret that Cledric Monastery was protecting enemies of the empire, they would be forced to listen to her every word until the day she died.

Accepting Zellan’s request was simply the abbess’s personal decision.

That meant that she alone would be the one unable to do anything.

So… she made her decision.

“Princess Persica never thought of such a thing.”

“Tune!”

Shink!

Tune drew her sword as she placed it towards Ed Rothstaylor’s neck.

An atmosphere sharper than the blade near his neck filled the church. Tune’s blade was pointed straight at Ed Rothstaylor’s neck without the slightest tremble, but Ed didn’t move.

“Princess Persica. We don’t want this situation to turn into armed conflict.”

Ed Rothstaylor always spoke the truth calmly.

“I am many times stronger than your guard.”

Looking up from the podium in a respectful manner, not making direct eye contact, Ed Rothstaylor spoke calmly.

Tune was a well-known person even among the Imperial Knight Templars. A master of swordsmanship who had been walking a path of talent since early childhood.

However, there was a sense of certainty in Ed Rothstaylor’s words. He didn’t have an expression of confidence or pride. He was simply stating the facts as they were.

“If that’s not the case, why are you so obsessed with arresting Lucy Mayreel?”

Princess Persica’s eyes trembled slightly.

“The other nuns here may not know, but since you saw her in the Rose Palace, you should know well, Princess Persica. Lucy Mayreel isn’t the kind of person that can be simply arrested like this. She is a magician who can easily destroy this entire monastery with a single gesture.”

Nevertheless, Princess Persica proudly ordered the arrest of Lucy Mayreel.

Even though she knew just how futile it was.

“Did you already know that Lucy Mayreel wouldn’t try and resist?”

Lucy, who strangely refrained from defending herself.

Persica had no hesitation in her actions… As if she expected Lucy to react as such to some extent.

“When Lucy pleads her innocence and reveals the truth, the abbess’ plans will go to waste.”

The abbess’ plan was simple.

By taking her own life, she could stop Persica’s plan of taking control over the monastery by keeping the secret of the non-human children.

However, if she disappeared, Persica’s purpose also disappeared.

It didn’t end there.

Austin, a respected elder of Telos Religious Group, had taken her own life in order to avoid yielding to the political pressure of Princess Persica.

That fact had an unbelievable level of political pressure aimed towards Persica.

If it was revealed that the death of an elder everyone highly respected occurred because of Persica’s actions… it was hard to imagine just how severe the political backlash would be.

At the very least, the entirety of the Telos Religious Group would become her enemy. All members of the Telos Religious Group within the imperial household would turn their backs on her, and all of the noble families who were baptized by the Telos Religious Group would do the same.

Even though she was a simple abbess, Austin was someone who could not be messed with. Princess Persica had said that herself, with her own mouth.

Those words had come back to bite her.

Abbess Austin was already dead. An elder who was no longer in this world.

However, her wrinkled and lifeless hands were wrapped around the shoulders of Princess Persica.

The feeling of being embraced from behind… Her skin crawled at the feeling of a skeleton in a nun’s robe pressing against her back.

“Abbess Austin wouldn’t want all of this to be revealed to the world. If the entire truth comes to light, the truth regarding the non-humans protected by the monastery will be revealed as well.”

No one knew just what kind of conversation Lucy had with Abbess Austin while she was still alive.

However, Lucy knew the truth. That was why she kept her mouth shut.

In the end, there was only one thing Abbess Austin wanted.

‘Maintaining the status quo.’

To stop Princess Persica from controlling the monastery politically, so that the non-human children could continue living as they had been.

And to achieve it, she sacrificed her life. It was a surefire and clean way to achieve it.

The truth of Abbess Austin’s death should never be revealed to the world.

That was beneficial for both Persica and the deceased Abbess Austin. Persica may not have wanted that at first, but after realizing she had been wrapped up in something beyond her, she had no choice.

By the time she realized she had fallen into a trap set by the deceased, her body was already halfway submerged.

Princess Persica was struggling to get out of the situation she had been placed in.

That was why… she was keeping her mouth shut.

“I will pretend not to know any of this. Only God, who listened to our prayers, will know. That is, if there truly is a God.”

From the very start, he said that he came to negotiate.

“From what I know, you are in control of the Imperial Knights. So, if I ever ask, please send a certain number of Imperial Knights to Acken Island. You only need to do it once. That is my requirement…”

The Imperial Knight Commander had taken Princess Persica’s side.

That was why it was possible to say that Princess Persica herself was indirectly wielding control of the Knight Templars.

When the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok would descend, the Knight Templars needed to be on Acken Island—no matter what.

“Also, as hard as it may be, please ensure that Lucy Mayreel is acquitted. I only have those two requirements. If you can guarantee me those two things, then what we spoke of today… Only God will know of it.”

An opponent that could not be defeated through force.

Ed Rothstaylor was a man who could handle high-ranking spirits, and even conditionally summon the power of an ultimate spirit.

At that moment, within the closed-off Cledric Monastery, there was no one that could defeat him.

However, Ed Rothstaylor wasn’t the type of person to solve every situation through force alone.

Force was only one of his many means to accomplish his goals. Even though the difference in status with Princess Persica was massive, the only reason he could negotiate on equal footing was because of the force he had on his side.

After all, the negotiation table was reserved for the powerful.

Ed Rothstaylor was a person who understood that fact well.

“Ed… Rothstaylor…”

He never said anything more than necessary. He simply sat there in the prayer room, looking up at the stained glass above the podium.

Without even the slightest change in emotion… The insides of that man were as deep as the darkest parts of the sea.

Princess Persica slowly closed her eyes before opening them, slowly expressing her intention to surrender. Suddenly, the sound of grinding teeth was heard.

“Alright… you have won this time.”

Princess Persica had a feeling about it already.

In the battle for the throne, she needed to remain especially vigilant against that man.

* * *

I was contacted and told that the investigation team had arrived at the shore. It was later than originally planned, as the sun had already completely set.

The low tide was later than expected, so even though the moon was already high in the sky, they still had to wait because of the high tide. It seemed that it would take a while longer before the investigation team could enter. If there was ever a chance to see Lucy, that was the last time.

Since Princess Persica herself guaranteed Lucy Mayreel’s innocence, I was certain that she would be released after a minor investigation. Princess Persica also had a large influence over the imperial investigation team.

It would be best for the both of us if the death of Abbess Austin remained an unsolved case.

I climbed up the steeple of the monastery that stretched high into the sky. Even after passing Saint Clarice’s room, I still had quite a long way to go.

The width of the stairs gradually became narrower. When I eventually reached the end of the staircase that led to the attic, there was only a small space that a single person could pass through.

I opened the wooden door as I entered the dusty attic.

“……”

Lucy Mayreel was not present. There was only a hole in the wall that seemed to have been made through magic.

Whooosh!

There was only the sound of a draft coming in. Slowly looking out of the hole, it led directly to the roof of the monastery. She must have used that to escape.

Though, in reality, she had no intention of actually escaping. It was nothing more than her going out for a walk.

I climbed down onto the roof as I made my way across the top of the monastery. My clothes were filthy from the dirt and dust, but I didn’t care.

I carefully traversed across the outer roof of the monastery. It was a confusing and slippery landscape to walk across. Past the coastline, I could even see the road that led to Zahul Mansion.

On the opposite end, the night sea continued to stretch out. Since it was already dark, everything was eerie. Though, I could see the coastline lit up with campfires, as the investigation team was stationed there.

Once the low tide came in, those investigators would slowly enter the monastery.

The sky was full of stars.

Under the chilly sea breeze, I jumped down onto another section of the roof that stretched out.

Thud!

After landing, I turned around… to find something unexpected. She didn’t look flustered, but she didn’t immediately say anything, either.

“…You came.”

Lucy Mayreel was holding her knees to her chest as she looked at the stars, enjoying the sea breeze.

Underneath the roof of the spire, there were several swords made of light that were lined up like a cage.

The advanced light magic, Dazzling Swords. A spell used to seal or block access to a specific space.

And beneath the roof, trapped in Dazzling Swords… There was a girl, crying on her knees.

Her uniform was ruined, her hands covered in blood. Her sharp nails looked exactly the same as the non-humans that ran wild under the full moon.

She also had the ears of a beast on the sides of her head. It looked as if she were crying.

It was Eileen, the non-human girl who escaped—the one that Assistant Bishop Melinir mentioned. It was obvious just by looking at her bountiful blonde hair and thin, pale wrists.

“You were protecting her.”

“She won’t say anything. It looks like she was hurt, and since she occasionally turns into a beast that tries to attack, I had to lock her up.”

A face full of tears and blood on her hands.

What that meant… I didn’t bother saying it.

Looking inside the cage made of Dazzling Swords, there were some things laid out. It seemed that Lucy had stolen a few things from the cafeteria on the first floor of the main building and brought them to Eileen. She probably did it all at night. That also explained the rumors of the ghost.

Rumors of a ghost wandering around the main building… Half of it was Eileen, and the other half was Lucy.

Lucy had been protecting Eileen after capturing her. She knew the entire truth from the beginning.

I looked up at the starry sky for a moment, then I went over to Lucy and sat down next to her.

I could see the coast where the investigation team was stationed. Alongside the stars up in the sky, the light that came from their campfires resembled floating stars.

“Still, you should have told me.”

“There was no time for that. I was busy trying to think things through as well.”

“What were you thinking?”

“Just that… the granny… she knew Grandpa Glockt… So, I couldn’t help but think about things.”

An old acquaintance of Archmage Glockt.

That was why Lucy had sat down with Abbess Austin the night before, talking with her.

The truth of her death was slightly different from what I had told Princess Persica.

Abbess Austin’s cause of death was murder.

I only explained things to Princess Persica in a way that would cause her to misunderstand the situation in order to gain political advantage. It was all for the sake of subjugating Velbrok.

“So, can you explain what happened now?”

Lucy hugged her knees tightly with a strangely depressed and exhausted expression on her face.

She stared blankly out at the night sea and the sky full of stars.

A cool sea breeze passed by as Lucy’s hair fluttered in the wind.

The lights of the campfires along the coastline… I wondered if her heart was softening from the peaceful scene.

Lucy slowly opened her mouth.

“I met with the granny here yesterday.”

* * *

Lucy Mayreel found Abbess Austin lying down, bleeding on the roof of the monastery, under the starry night sky.

“Ohhh… an uninvited guest, at this time… and an interesting one, as well.”

Lucy, who was jumping around the roof of the monastery like a stray cat roaming the city at night, trembled.

The abbess was leaning against the roof, covered in blood.

It wasn’t an amount that an elderly woman would be able to handle. Even if it was too late, she still tried to gather magic power to stop her bleeding. However, Abbess Austin stopped Lucy’s treatment.

“It’s already too late to treat me. I know my body better than anyone else. Cough…”

“……”

“When you live in the same body for over 100 years, you are able to recognize when things aren’t looking good. So, don’t be so bothered.”

No matter what she said, Lucy couldn’t stand still.

Lucy clutched her hat tightly as she jumped and landed in front of Abbess Austin, who was lying down.

Checking her wounds, Lucy couldn’t help but frown.

By her lower abdomen, there was a small hole—as if she was attacked by something like an animal’s claw. It wasn’t as big as she had thought, but it was severely deep.

If she were a strong, healthy man, it might not have been a fatal wound. However, for an elderly woman who was already over 100 years old, that type of wound and the amount she was bleeding meant that her life was in danger.

Moreover, her condition was even more dire, as she had been left on the roof for a long time.

No matter how talented she was with magic, it wasn’t possible for her to move blood that had already bled out back into her body.

Abbess Austin’s face, which was becoming pale, was difficult for Lucy to handle.

However, the most surprising thing was her following words.

“I didn’t believe it when that old man Glockt said he had a disciple… But you look just like him, even at a glance.”

Austin recognized Lucy.

Even though she was a living history book, it wouldn’t have been easy to recognize Lucy Mayreel at a glance.

She recently made a name for herself in the imperial household. She was also famous as being the top student in all of Silvenia, but… Recognizing Lucy while her consciousness was fading was an incredible feat.

An acquaintance of the Archmage Glockt Elderbane.

That alone made Lucy’s eyes tremble.

“That old man… he probably didn’t have much talent at teaching magic… My poor child, you must have gone through a lot.”

It seemed that she was close friends with him.

Lucy tried to save Austin by gathering magic power to close her wounds, but her 109-year-old elderly body had already suffered too much.

“For the disciple of that old man to appear like this at the end of my life… It seems that my lord Telos has listened to my prayers.”

“Don’t talk too much. Blood… keeps coming out…”

“Can you consider my old friendship with Glockt and grant the final two wishes of this old lady?”

She had already completely ruled out the possibility of her surviving. Even in such a state, she continued to speak calmly and benevolently. It was definitely thanks to her age.

“The child who gave me this wound is still running around on the roof of the monastery. I somehow managed to hide her with rumors of a ‘ghost’, but… it won’t last long. Can you catch her before then and help her?”

Lucy, who had always had a blank expression on her face, frowned as if anxious. It was rare for Lucy to show such emotions.

“…That’s easy.”

“Thank you. And…I want to sit in my chair when I close my eyes. Could you move me to my room…?”

“You have to go to the hospital, not your room.”

“I’m asking this of you. I have something I need to take care of in my room.”

“If you tell me, I’ll do it for you.”

“Unfortunately, this is something this old lady has to do herself.”

Arguing in such a place was time wasted. Austin’s eyes were slowly losing their vitality.

Lucy clenched her teeth as she gathered magic power and cast spatial-magic to carry Abbess Austin’s body to her room.

A shabby and frugal room. Abbess Austin’s body was placed inside, where there was nothing special aside from the beautiful moonlight that shone in.

Sitting down on the wooden chair she often sat in while praying, she started to cough heavily when trying to laugh out loud.

“Keuk… Kakakk.”

Abbess Austin, who smiled as if everything was alright, struggled to breathe.

The desk in her room was full of letters from Princess Persica. They were about the non-humans she kept in the monastery, asking her if she was going to support her in the battle for the throne.

Lucy skimmed through the contents, then looked back at Austin.

Sitting in the chair, Austin struggled to speak.

“Now… you should leave. There’s nothing good about staying here any longer.”

“What are you going to do here…?”

Hearing that, Austin smiled and said, “I have to protect my daughters.”

At that point, Lucy knew what Austin was thinking.

It was obvious what would happen to the monastery if her corpse was found with the traces of a beast attacking her. It was impossible for a wild beast to be in the monastery, as it was built on a rocky island, isolated from the world. It wouldn’t take long before the investigations led to the truth of the non-humans.

And there was an isolated penance room in the basement of the monastery. If the imperial army fully searched the place, they would surely find out about it—or the fact that some of the nuns had the ears of beasts.

That was why it was important that she didn’t make it a big deal. If she had to come up with a plan to deal with it, it would be best if she could also restrain Princess Persica from exerting her influence on the monastery.

And the method to do so… was obvious.

Struggling to reach the desk, Austin burned all of the letters from Princess Persica with a large candlestick nearby.

“Alright, get going. I want to be alone now.”

Lucy watched silently. She bit her lower lip as she nodded her head. Austin didn’t want to show Lucy what was going to happen.

The moment Lucy was about to head out from the window…

“You must also be having the same troubles that old man Glockt did when he was young.”

Although she spoke slowly, in a hoarse voice that was losing its vitality, her words were a punch in the stomach to Lucy.

“You’re afraid of that empty void that will soon consume your life. Living a life that has no meaning. For those who reach such a high stage, they start to become afraid of the emptiness that is left behind.”

Lucy stared at Austin, who was coughing as she slowly spoke, with eyes filled with astonishment.

“That being said, don’t try to artificially create meaning in your life or wander around looking for it… the meaning of your life can’t be found. You have to give it meaning. Yeah. You have to give your life meaning.”

“…What are you saying…?”

“If you came in from the carriage that came from Silvenia, then you must have followed that young boy…?”

From the start, was she somewhat aware that Lucy had been hiding in the carriage? Thinking back on it, after arriving at the shore, Austin didn’t move far from Ed’s carriage.

She must have been monitoring the interior of the carriage. However, after judging Ed’s personality, she must have concluded that it wouldn’t be a problem.

She was truly an amazing and wise woman.

The wisdom she accumulated over the years was as sharp as a sword.

“With a guy like him, that’s a pretty good meaning to your life.”

It was truly an Austin-like farewell as she smiled, bleeding from her lips.

And like that, the old woman sent the girl away.

Closing the window with her trembling hands, she managed to open the bottom drawer despite her blurry vision.

Inside was a ceremonial dagger. She gripped the handle of the dagger with her wrinkled hands.

The target was her injured lower abdomen.

Fortunately, since the girl who attacked her had small hands, the area of the wound was also small. The issue was that it was deep.

By putting a dagger into it, she could cover the traces of being ‘attacked by a beast’. By doing so, she would leave only the traces of being ‘stabbed by a dagger’.

The suspect would then broaden into anyone who could hold a dagger.

Suddenly, the moonlight outside her window caught her eye.

Abbess Austin opened her eyes, seeing the same sight she always saw when she prayed alone in her room. That night, it was all the more special.

She looked at the frail and skinny wrist that held the dagger. There was a time when her skin was beautiful and smooth, but that was all in the past.

Nevertheless, now that her life was coming to an end, she could proudly declare that she was able to respect her daughters.

She truly lived a meaningful life.

It had already been a long time since her closest acquaintances had left for heaven first due to their age.

She was a little late, but she lived a satisfying life. She laughed out loud, shouting out about just how incredible the life she lived was.

It was a great feeling.

Then, Austin tightened her grip on the dagger.

* * *

“I couldn’t do anything.”

Lucy held her knees as she looked down at the night sea. Her hair fluttered in the wind, hitting her cheeks.

With her head on her knees and an absent-minded expression on her face… Lucy opened her mouth again.

“You know, I could destroy this entire monastery if I wanted to.”

“I know.”

“When I gather my magic power… I can travel a long distance that would take hours in a carriage, all in an instant. I can even cast dozens of advanced spells all at once.”

“Yeah, you’re quite amazing.”

“Yet… I couldn’t do anything.”

Lucy Mayreel couldn’t do anything. Even though she had an enormous amount of magic power and was incredibly strong, she could only stand still and watch.

All of Austin’s hard work, effort, and sacrifice would go in vain if the matter was publicized. If news of her efforts to hide non-humans in the monastery were revealed, her death would become something shameful.

That was why, even when she was labeled as the main suspect, Lucy kept her mouth shut.

She didn’t know how her actions would be interpreted or how they would change the situation. She had no idea of what would happen.

But with things going the way Austin wanted them to, the only thing she could do was stand still and follow along.

“She was the first acquaintance of that old man Glockt I have ever met… yet we didn’t talk much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“…I wanted to save her.”

“You tried, but it couldn’t be helped.”

As we spoke back and forth, I continued to sit next to Lucy as we looked out at the night sea.

It was finally time for the low tide. The soldiers on the coastline were preparing to move to the monastery, clearing the campfires one or two at a time.

From a distance, the sight of the soldiers raising their torches one by one was magnificent. Seeing a group of torches along the sandy beach, reflecting off the surface of the water—it looked as if a fire was spreading over the sea.

We sat side by side for a long time as we watched.

“Sniff.”

Drip, drip.

Not long after, tears started to drip from Lucy’s eyes.

Her tears clumped together as they fell down. I wasn’t surprised to see her like that.

“In this world… There are many things that can’t be resolved through force alone.”

In a world where politics were intertwined, ideologies clashed, and good and evil were mixed, there were many things that could not be resolved through force alone. That was because humans were complex, and the human mind was difficult.

For a girl who had just started to finally traverse the world, such complicated truths of life were too difficult to understand.

The process of her becoming an adult.

Even though it was a process everyone went through, it doesn’t make it any less difficult.

I pressed down and stroked Lucy’s hair as her tears continued to fall.

I wrapped my arm around Lucy’s shoulders as we looked out at the night sea together for a long time.

The night scenery was quite spectacular, fitting for the top of the spire of the magnificent monastery.

There were quite a few shooting stars in the sky that left behind long streaks of light.