The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 209

Even though I had a lot of little things to take care of, the school year was going by smoothly.

Like always, I needed to maintain the balance between my life in the camp and my life as a student in Silvenia. That was why I was always twice as busy as the others, and it felt as if time passed by twice as fast.

My daily routine was the same as always.

I woke up early in the morning to look around the camp, prepare some food, and chat with the early-bird Lortel.

I woke up quite early in the morning, but Lortel always seemed to be one step ahead of me, as she needed to go to the store early in the morning. She needed to go and review all of the documents for a final check so they could be delivered early in the morning.

After I sat by the campfire and had a cup of tea for a bit, Yennekar would come out wearing her pajamas and tired eyes. She would usually prepare breakfast for the two of us as I finished some of the physical work, such as chopping firewood or repairing tools.

After our short morning, Yennekar and I would head to the education district to take our third year courses. Since we shared many of the same classes, we spent most of our day together. Now that I even participated in Professor Kaleid’s Class A courses, our schedules in the magic department were the same.

However, occasionally classes might change once or twice a week. When other schedules were set and interfered with our regular course schedule, we had to go and do our own thing.

Yennekar was a part of the Elementalism Research Society, and I had to attend meetings for the top students. However, when I went off on my own to the Elte Store to purchase some extra tools or materials to work with to raise my skill proficiencies, she puffed out her cheeks as if she was unhappy. At the sight, I didn’t feel all that great, either.

After the school day ended, there was still a lot of work left for me to do back at the camp.

If the camp was left alone for even a day or two, there were several things that would need to be replaced. Since most of the maintenance required a delicate level of Handicraft, I tended to do it myself.

When it came to checking the fishing nets, the traps scattered around the forest, and organizing our food stock, I took care of it. Yennekar handled preparing dinner, laundry, cleaning the camp, and making sure the campfire didn’t go out.

Lortel usually didn’t return until late to do some paperwork in her villa, but the three of us often ate together. Whenever that happened, the atmosphere wasn’t great.

At night, I took care of my homework, studied by myself, or trained. Lortel took care of her paperwork in her villa and Yennekar used her spiritual resonance on the Guardian Tree of Merilda, read a book, or did her homework as well.

Only when the moon was high in the sky did everyone go to sleep. I usually went to bed rather late.

Sitting alone in the middle of night gave me time to organize my thoughts while looking at the campfire.

Hearing the sound of insects or the rustling of leaves in the wind, I could organize my plans for the next day and the far future quietly before going back to sleep in my cabin.

Repeating that schedule… It went on for about a month. I looked at it as a month that had passed by smoothly, without any incidents. Perhaps those days, where there were no major incidents, were the most precious ones.

Of course, just because there were no major incidents didn’t mean that there weren’t any small ones or changes.

However, even after that long month… There were only three things that especially stood out.

“…The opinion is interesting, but the reasoning is lackluster. They’re just presenting a lackluster claim without any proof or logic behind their reasoning… Anyone could make such a rudimentary argument…”

[Even just presenting an opinion itself can be meaningful. Look, look, this person is simply saying that the path and trend of the circulation of money should not be determined solely by the amount of money within the market. In truth, there is more invisible money than money we actually see. That’s a pretty interesting point. If you look more into it, then something interesting might come about.]

The first was Lucy spending more time hanging out with Merilda.

Merilda was still the same spirit, always gathering books in a corner of the camp, reading them while humming.

However, as she couldn’t flip the pages of the books in the form of a wolf, she usually turned herself into a small girl with white, tied-back hair, smiling in the corner of the camp while reading her books.

Lucy was often found next to Merilda, reading the book with her and acting as if she was trying to increase the amount of knowledge she had.

Merilda was happy that she had another reading companion. So, whenever she had time, she introduced various topics and exchanged stories with Lucy.

I occasionally listened to them from the side, but since the topics they talked about were so difficult, I didn’t bother to intervene.

Well, Lucy still spent most of her day taking a nap. Whenever she could, she would come and find me, sit on my lap or a nearby tree stump, and wiggle her toes.

Human nature was not something that was easily changed.

However, it seemed that she had changed after the monastery… It seemed that rather than just physical force, she was now trying to gain more fundamental knowledge as well.

When I saw her sitting alone in a tall tree, watching the setting sun alone, I could tell that she must have had a change of heart.

The second was Tanya.

“Hello, brother. I’ll be borrowing your closet.”

Occasionally, Tanya would run away to my closet, hiding inside while holding her knees up to her chest. She would then explain that she had run away from her office because she was overwhelmed by the work in the student council.

She couldn’t hide in her own closet because she would be found easily. Also, she couldn’t hide in a closet belonging to someone she didn’t know or trust. That was why it seemed like she was always coming to hide in mine. I couldn’t help but pity her.

Still, I opened my closet several times a day. After constantly being caught inside, she started to change where she hid. I found her under my bed, a table in the workshop on the second floor, in a corner of the wooden storage, etc… I usually found her in a dark and isolated place.

I told her if she was going to keep running away, she should just sit by the campfire. However, her answer was rather special.

“If I do that, I’ll be caught and dragged back… Anyway, I’m comfortable here. Like… I can organize my thoughts better here?”

“……”

“I told you. Being in a dark and calm space… Your heart… How should I say it…? It feels like a burden is lifted….!”

My one and only little sister was slowly falling into darkness. Was that okay?

Well, she was only briefly running away, so it wasn’t anything to really worry about. Usually, before the sun even set, Ziggs would come by and take Tanya away. It pretty much looked like a kidnapping.

Seeing her calm expression when Ziggs dragged her back, it seemed that she really did just need to cool her head off for a bit.

Ziggs seemed to realize that too, as he continuously came by and dragged Tanya away without any complaints.

The student council… was rather rambunctious. It was a strange realization to have.

And the third one was a visit by an unexpected person.

“For the past few weeks, I’ve been locked into the library looking for information about the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok and the Great Sage Silvenia.”

She arrived late at night.

Yennekar had already gone to bed, and I was alone, sitting by the campfire.

The name of the girl who suddenly appeared was… Ayla Triss.

She was a character that constantly appeared in . The girl who was always by the side of the main character, Taylee McLaure, supporting him.

Later in the story, thanks to their academic knowledge and background, she was able to be a major influence in Velbrok’s subjugation. She ended up taking on the will of the Great Sage Silvenia better than anyone else, becoming a girl who would be remembered in history forever.

“Ed.”

It was the first time we’d met since the incident at the Elte Store. As soon as things settled, I had gone off to Cledric Monastery for some time, so I didn’t have the chance to see her.

Ayla sat across the campfire from me, her hair reflecting the reddish light of the fire.

After looking down at the campfire for a moment, she then asked, “Shall… We talk?”

The conversation I had with Ayla Triss that night was… perhaps the most shocking event that took place over that entire peaceful month.

In the ending cutscene, she was recognized by the school as a great sage who had succeeded in maintaining Silvenia’s seal.

The Great Sage Ayla Triss. I already know that she would receive such a title in the world of academics and make a name for herself one day.

I knew that she wasn’t someone you could look down on in terms of academics, but… What she told me was shocking, to the point that you would think she was joking.

As the campfire swayed in the night wind, our shadows continued to shake.

* * *

Bang!

The school had begun to earnestly prepare for the Grand Crestle Festival that would take place in a month.

Named after the most famous prime minister in the empire’s history, this festival was one of the oldest traditions in the empire. In fact, it was a festival that had been going on since Kroel the First. It was a grand event that had its place in history.

Emperor Kroel would tour the various infrastructures of the empire to observe the various events prepared by each estate or facility and encourage them. As it was a joyous occasion, everywhere started to become noisy.

“This year’s Grand Crestle Festival has a completely different meaning from the one four years ago. Because this time, it is taking place during a battle for the emperor’s throne. Emperor Kroel himself will be personally coming to inspect each estate and various facilities.”

It was a complete coincidence that I, a member of the Magic Department, even came to the training grounds of the Combat Department.

After a relatively normal day, I simply decided to take a different route back to the camp than normal.

My usual route was to walk across the education district, enter the northern road, and follow the path that led straight to the North Forest.

However, that day I had to stop by Trix Hall to renew my scholarship. That was why I took a different route back.

Looking around the road I was walking down, I saw the private outdoor training grounds for the Combat Department’s Class A students.

“Since I am participating in a duel under such important circumstances, I have no intention of going easy on you.”

The fourth year’s combat department’s top student, Daike Elpelan.

His hair was cut so short it made him look nearly bald.

However, just looking at his well-built, muscular torso and large frame that reminded one of a beast, he was extremely intimidating. The copper-colored skin tone looked like steel compared to the weak flesh of a regular person.

Daike, who constantly trained at the private training grounds every day, had long since transcended the realm of a human being.

The bandages wrapped around his hand were already torn. Seeing torn pieces of bandages spread all across the training ground, I was sure that he had already changed them over and over again.

The scarecrows used as sandbags were also completely destroyed, rolling around on the floor. Their destroyed forms were scattered across the floor.

They were made extremely durable by adding several layers of protective magic on them to negate the student’s attacks. It wasn’t something that should have been so easy to rip apart, like a doll made from cloth.

The air vibrated with a single blow of his fist at full strength, and the ground shook with a single kick as he shouted.

Even the other students of the combat department, who had also trained quite a bit, trembled when facing the fourth year top student Daike Elpelan.

It felt like I was going to duel against a giant beast rather than a human. Only those who had seen him fight could fully understand.

“I’ve heard a lot about how incredible you are. I also saw it with my own two eyes during your final exam last time. You’re someone who has risen to the top through blood, sweat, and tears, and a burning willpower. I sincerely salute your steadfast spirit and determined will.”

The meeting was a complete coincidence.

I was simply walking from Trix Hall when I ran into Daike, who was clenching his fists while training in the private training grounds of the Combat Department.

However, Daike Elpelan greeted me as if we had promised to meet beforehand.

He was shirtless and his body was covered in sweat.

Standing still and with his arms crossed, Daike Elpelan lowered her head and spoke.

“I have my own circumstances, and I’m sure you do, too. So, when we come face-to-face in a duel, let’s not insult each other and fight with everything we’ve got. A duel is a noble act.”

“Of course, Daike.”

The top student among the fourth years, who were soon to graduate. He was widely recognized for his ability.

Not only that, he was well respected among all of the fourth years.

Trayciana Bloomriver, the top student of the magic department who could use advanced magic, and Dorothy Whitefeld, the top student of the Alchemy Department who was the first to create a ‘Cutting Reagent’… Even they faltered in the face of Daike Elpelan. That was just how famous he was.

As we stood still, facing each other in the corner of the training grounds, Daike Elpelan lowered his shoulder and burst into laughter.

“Haha! There’s no need to be so serious. Since you’re Student Council President Tanya’s older brother, I thought it would be rude not to say hi. Sorry for suddenly talking to you, Ed Rothstaylor. Well, there’s nothing wrong with being polite and greeting each other, right?”

“Of course. I am rather grateful to you. I’ve heard that my younger sister is quite indebted to you in the student council.”

“I don’t know about that. Since I’m just a regular member of the student council, I’m actually indebted to your sister much more. I am well aware of how much she contributes as the student council president. And even though she is always complaining, talking about how she’s going to die of overworking, she still manages to finish all of her work. As a member of the student council working under her, I am grateful for everything she does.”

Daike Elpelan, a senior executive member of the Student Council.

Someone who was said to break through stone walls with a single punch and crush human bones with a single kick… But at the end of the day, he was still a student council member under the control of Tanya Rothstaylor.

Even though she always ran away whenever she could, with an expression that looked as if her soul had been ripped out of her, Tanya was still a force to be reckoned with.

“However, it is true that I am somewhat worried about President Tanya.”

“Is that so?”

“She was already under a lot of stress, but now with the preparations for the festival, the amount of work the student council has is doubled. To be honest, I don’t think she will be able to handle the workload alone.”

“Isn’t there quite a lot of manpower in the student council?”

“Still, there are quite a lot of things that the student council president has to personally review and approve… That means there’s no way for us to reduce the number of reports she will need to review. But in my opinion, the fundamental issue is a little different.”

I tilted my head as I looked at Daike, asking what he meant by that.

Daike was a member of the student council who was able to see the state of things up close. Since he was slightly older than the other students, he had a rather calm disposition, despite his appearance… It seemed like he had the insight to intuitively recognize the cause of the problem.

“There is no proper administrative staff within the student council. Regardless of the position, none of the students have any real skill or experience. So, most of the time everyone only does the work they are told to do as directed.”

Daike continued to talk as he cleaned up the scarecrows he had smashed.

“Even though the student council has a reporting system that follows a chain of command, there is a lack of administrative staff to help guide the students through their tasks. This has been a major problem for the student council since it was first created.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. After all, due to the nature of the student council, unless you are a student you cannot join. That means that the student council is unable to gather real administrative staff with the right qualifications. I try to do my best, but it’s difficult to maintain a unified reporting system when students who lack the basic qualifications are put into administrative seats.”

Well, it couldn’t be helped. You couldn’t expect too much from a student, after all.

After saying that, Daike smiled bitterly.

“All of the work that has piled up on her desk is ultimately the result of a disorganized structure. If we had a stronger administrative committee that was properly structured, the burden would be greatly reduced. Ziggs is also trying his best, but there’s a limit to how much he can do.”

“Aren’t there some sons and daughters of high-ranking government officials at Silvenia? Have you ever tried asking them?”

“Do you know how precious the students who are capable of such management work are? Ultimately, the professors take them all for themselves. They wouldn’t ever let the student council recruit them.”

Those who had learned to handle management from their families were under tight control. The professors would never give them up so they could join the student council.

That had always been a problem for the student council, as they recruited members rather late.

“Hmm…”

As I suddenly scratched my chin in thought, Daike looked at me as if I were amusing, asking, “Why? Are you willing to introduce us to a decent person?”

“There are a few that come to mind, but…”

“Forget about it. The student council has already tried approaching everyone we could.”

“Hmm…”

I continued to think about it for a while longer.

It didn’t take all that long before I took action.

* * *

“Hey, what is all this… Ed…?”

A renowned student assistant in Cleoh’s laboratory.

Because of her light gray hair and pristine appearance, students often mistook her for a noble… But in truth, she was just a commoner.

Since she couldn’t pay her tuition, she was working as a scholarship student. Living a miserable life eating the skin of vegetables, unable to afford any decent meals… In any case, she was someone who took good care of her appearance and acted with a level of class.

“It’s as you see…”

“These are all… reports…?”

Tanya, who was sitting in the meeting room with a sullen expression on her face, and Ziggs, who was wiping his longsword in the corner of the office.

Anise Haylan stared at a mountain of reports in front of her… she was at a loss for words with her mouth wide open.

“Anise. When I was first forming the cabinet, I asked you countless times, but you kept on refusing. I never imagined you would come to Obel Hall like this.”

“Th-That’s not it… President Tanya… I… actually… I’m here to properly refuse your offer one more time…”

I had just brought Anise over to Dex Hall.

She was calculating her living expenses while chewing on grass in the student cafeteria… When I suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her along, saying that I had a request. She only blushed, looking rather flustered.

The student council had already tried to recruit her several times, but she couldn’t give up on being a scholarship student.

It seemed as if they only exchanged thoughts in writing, so I thought if I personally brought her over to talk, she might change her mind.

I knew it better than anyone, because I’d been working alongside her as a scholarship student for a long time.

Anise Haylan… was weak to peer pressure! So, maybe, if we tried to push her one last time…!

“By the way, why didn’t you… categorize the reports…? President.”

“What…?”

“What I’m trying to say is that… Rather than having a system where everything is delivered to you in a large pile, wouldn’t it be more efficient to categorize each report and set them aside to be processed on certain days of the week? For example, customs can be on Monday, protocols can be on Tuesday, student welfare on Wednesday… Something like that…?”

“……”

“That way, it’ll be easier for you to look through and process the reports. Knowing what you have to take care of each day will also speed up the process, so wouldn’t that be more efficient…?”

“……”

Tanya looked down, trying to avoid her gaze. In fact, it wasn’t Tanya’s role to figure such things out. She was just the driver of a car, deciding which direction to go, not one of the engineers who put each piece of the car together.

“And… Why is the student council president the only one who has authority to approve these documents?”

“What…? Uhm… Because I have the authority for the final approval regarding all student council affairs…”

“The student council’s president’s signature is essential for important matters such as budgeting and policy, but… wouldn’t it be better to have someone else look through the smaller reports first instead? Everyday matters like the minor purchasing of equipment or the costs of activities…? Otherwise, you won’t be able to handle the workload…”

“Huh…”

“It is much better to have someone in the middle categorize all of the documents and process them in groups. It’s much more efficient to process similar items on the same day rather than throughout the week. That way, you will be able to take care of any other urgent matters that appear.”

Even after just looking at a few papers in that large pile, Anise was able to quickly figure things out.

Since everything she said was the harsh truth, Tanya could only swallow her breath and sit quietly.

Leading an organization and managing its system were two completely different things.

“Oh my… Why did I…? Suddenly say all of that… This stupid habit of mine…”

“Anise. Where have you been all this time?! Why are you only coming here now?!”

Tanya clasped Anise’s hands as tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing the dignified and well respected student council president act like that, Anise broke into a cold sweat, completely bewildered.

“N-No. President Tanya. I am a scholarship student…”

“I will send a letter of recommendation to the Glockt Scholarship Foundation under my name as the student council president!”

“Still, considering my daily expenses, I think it’ll be better if I stay as a scholarship student…”

“I will personally use money from House Rothstaylor to support your living expenses!”

“You can’t use your own private funds for something like this…!”

Anise was correct. However, Tanya didn’t care. She quickly picked up a quill and scribbled on a piece of paper.

“How about… this much?”

“……”

“……”

Anise suddenly looked at me as she whispered, “This… This isn’t an amount I can refuse…! What is going on, Ed?!”

“Are you unhappy that you were offered a job?”

“N-No… But…”

The number Tanya wrote down was extraordinary. Anise was looking at that large, large number with mixed feelings.

* * *

The next morning, Tanya’s face was shining as she stood on the podium of the student council.

She looked much happier than before. She whistled brightly, as if everything was perfect. The sun was out, the flowers were in bloom, and the world was perfect.

What happened to Student Council President Tanya? She no longer looked like a corpse.

Did she start dating?

The female students started to spread such rumors, but…

The truth was… A bit more realistic.

* * *

Handing his overcoat to a maid of Ophelis Hall, Daike Elpelan entered his private room before sitting down.

As Ophelis Hall was a grand and luxurious dormitory, his room was large and well decorated.

Antique furniture was spread around, and landscape paintings hung on the walls. He walked past them as he sat down at the table, letting out a long, deep sigh.

In his dark, private room, he let out a heavy sigh. The day’s training was intense, but he couldn’t lazily stay like that.

He suddenly raised his head.

On the wall was a portrait of Princess Selah. It was sent from his home, House Elpelan, and he was forced to hang it in his room.

The student council, the imperial household, and his house.

In the midst of a tangled conflict of beliefs, there was only one thing that Daike Elpelan was interested in. Endless training.

However, he couldn’t live like a fool who knew nothing but training forever.

Daike leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the ceiling.

The current fourth year class at the Silvenia Academy had a reputation for being the worst generation ever.

As the other years were full of geniuses and talents, the majority evaluation of Daike’s generation was ‘hard-working duds.’

A bunch of hard-working duds.

Remembering how people thought of them, which was partially a bit of praise and partially an insult, he couldn’t stop laughing.

Because it wasn’t wrong.

He was only somehow able to make it as far as he had by grinding his teeth and training harder than anyone else.

All of the fourth years knew just how hard and painful his efforts were. That was why everyone had great respect for Daike Elpelan.

At some point, people started to call Daike ‘the King of Duds’ as he rose to the top out of pure training and dedication, rather than innate talent.

Even though they said ‘King’, it wasn’t all that great. Yet, Daike didn’t act upset in the slightest.

As if sitting on a throne, he leaned back on a wooden chair in the corner of his room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Princess Selah was coming.

The noble princess that House Elpelan served…

Selah Einer Kroel was coming to Silvenia.