The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 220

It took more effort than I had expected.

Since I already knew just how strong Daike Elpelan was, I also knew that, with my current specs, he wouldn’t be able to defeat me. However, to be absolutely certain, I had perfectly mastered advanced magic through Lucy. Doing so allowed me to consider every possible scenario in the fight.

By memorizing all the aspects I needed to be familiar with—including theory, magic power resonance, and elemental application—I was able to learn advanced magic quickly through repeated practice.Even though I say “quickly,” I did have to risk my life several times during my duels with Lucy… well, it was a necessary process.

Waaaah!

I returned to the waiting room with applause and cheers echoing behind me. Passing through the iron gate, I entered the now-quiet room. The waiting room looked exactly as it had before.

I quickly took off my shirt, which had become completely filthy from falling onto the dirt floor. Opening the simple storage box nearby, I brushed the dirt off my clothes, took out a spare school uniform, and walked back to the table in the silent waiting room.

It was the same uniform that Bell Maya always washed for me, no matter how many times I told her it wasn’t necessary.

Back then, I used to stay up late just to mend the sleeves when they tore. Now, I even had extra uniforms.

From those small details, I could really feel how much things had changed. Because of that sense of reward, I was able to keep moving forward.

“Why did you go easy on him?”

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke without warning.

I wasn’t particularly surprised. I could tell immediately who it was from her usual tired, listless tone.

When I looked over, Lucy was lying comfortably on the sofa on the opposite side of the waiting room. I must have missed her because the back of the sofa blocked my view. When did she even get there?

Was she worried because I’d been overworking myself lately? Or maybe she simply wanted to watch the duel…

Lucy sat on the soft cushion with her head turned away, speaking in an absent-minded manner.

I’d received a few minor scratches during my duel with Daike, but nothing that could be considered even close to fatal.

To be honest, the raw power behind his fists was genuinely threatening. However, it wasn’t something I would realistically be hit by.

Ultimately, it came down to his lack of combat sense. Daike, who was born without that innate instinct, possessed fists with immense destructive power but lacked the flexibility needed to land them.

The power of his strikes could certainly be considered the most destructive within the combat department—but that was all.

In terms of growth potential, he would never be able to catch up to naturally gifted warriors like Ziggs and Clevius.

By the time they became third-years, they would already far surpass Daike. At present, they simply hadn’t yet learned the combat department’s systematic teachings or efficient training methods.

“I didn’t hold back.”

“If you were really giving it your all, you could have ended the duel from the beginning.”

“……”

It was impossible for Daike Elpelan to get past the high-ranking wind spirit, Merilda.

However, I allowed him to engage me in close combat.

To spectators who didn’t know any better, it would have looked as though Daike had broken through everything through sheer willpower, forcing me into close-range combat…

But to Lucy, who knew my specs in precise detail, it must have looked strange.

As though I had deliberately staged a long, fierce battle.

“I don’t know what you were thinking, but if you’d made even one mistake and he landed a clean hit…”

As she spoke, Lucy grabbed the brim of her hat and sat up. The moment she made eye contact with me, however, she abruptly sank back down, burrowing into the sofa.

Watching her sit up only to collapse again felt like watching a video play in reverse.

“…Why are you naked?”

“I’m changing clothes. I can’t go out to the festival dressed like this.”

“Use your words.”

“What?”

“You should have told me you were changing.”

“What… is wrong with you…?”

Considering how Lucy usually behaved, seeing her suddenly act uncomfortable was strange.

Whether I was washing myself in the stream beside the cabin or taking off my clothes to repair them, Lucy was always nearby, napping on a flat rock.

So for her to scold me for not warning her before taking my shirt off… it was oddly out of character. She was now holding her hat down over her eyes, buried into the sofa.

“Well, I had my reasons. I never intended to lose. I just wanted the audience to see what kind of person Daike Elpelan really is.”

“Why?”

“That way, he won’t run into problems with his house. At the very least, he was able to publicly demonstrate his willpower.”

In fact, public opinion among the audience was that Daike Elpelan had “lost, but fought valiantly,” and that he had shown a worthwhile match through sheer grit and spirit.

If he had been defeated helplessly, there would have been no argument against his excommunication—for Daike, who bore the heavy expectations of his house.

“Besides, politically speaking, it was also necessary.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

As I buttoned my shirt and swung my robe behind me, Lucy finally stood up, shaking the loose ends of her sleeves.

“Well, I’ll just wait and see how things play out. But why are you here?”

“I came because I was worried. Helping you practice advanced magic put a lot of strain on your body.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be attending a concert with Deputy Headmistress Rachel right now? Since you’re the top student, I thought it was decided you’d sit in the front row… I remember Bell mentioning that…”

“……”

After that, Lucy began sweating profusely, making no effort to hide the truth.

“…Did you run away?”

“I don’t understand music.”

“I’m sure Deputy Headmistress Rachel knew that. She probably just wanted you there for formality’s sake.”

“I don’t do formalities…”

I was certain Bell Maya was already scouring the academy grounds.

Lucy glanced nervously at my shoes, sweat pouring down her face as if silently begging me not to hand her over.

“Haah… Lucy. I don’t want to lecture you about this either, but if you have a responsibility, you need to fulfill it. Right?”

“……”

“Sometimes it’s something you don’t want to do. But when you’re in a position of power, that responsibility comes with the role.”

As I buttoned my cuffs and tapped my shoes against the floor to put them on, I gave my appearance one last look. Then I turned toward the cabinet holding my old clothes.

Bell Maya couldn’t discipline Lucy herself.

So, even though I didn’t want to be the one saying it, I had no choice. There were very few people at the academy whom Lucy would even listen to.

“People with influence and power are forced to live with responsibilities. Those who reach such heights can’t simply run away because they dislike them… they’re unable to.”

Creak.

As I finished my lecture and opened the cabinet door, I found Tanya Rothstaylor curled up inside, sitting at the bottom.

“Ah. Hello, brother. The festival committee added 191 new agenda items, so I panicked and ran away for a bit…”

Watching her greet me so casually while explaining herself, I covered my face with my hand.

***

Everyone passing through the hallway near the arena glanced toward us, murmuring quietly.

That was because they couldn’t believe the combination of people they were seeing—three individuals sitting side by side on the hallway chairs after exiting the waiting room.

Lucy Mayreel, Silvenia Academy’s top student, and Tanya Rothstaylor, the student council president.

In any student gathering, they were figures one might call the protagonists.

Seeing them together, blankly staring into space, must have given passersby an indescribable sense of pressure.

Even though they recognized us, no one dared approach.

Seeing the three of us—including myself—sitting motionless, they likely thought it best not to disturb us.

Watching from afar was the safest choice, though an odd atmosphere lingered.

I was there to meet the emperor once the remaining events concluded.

But why were Lucy Mayreel and Tanya Rothstaylor there as well?

Pressing my fingers to my temples, I sighed as I sat in the middle of the bench. The two girls on either side glanced toward me.

Lucy Mayreel had run away from a concert.Tanya Rothstaylor had run away from the festival committee.

…They were both fugitives.

The only thing they had in common was where they fled. They always seemed to hide near me.

That was fortunate for Ziggs Eiffelstein and Bell Maya, who were pursuing them. If they vanished, all they had to do was look around me.

Eventually, both of them would be caught.

“It’s… been a while, Lucy…”

“……”

Lucy raised her head and met Tanya’s gaze, then leaned back against the bench.

Recently, Lucy had been talking more, but she was still timid and uninterested in most people.

Since I’d grown close to her, I sometimes wondered how she interacted with others.

Her relationship with Tanya, in particular, was complicated.

Once, Lucy had strongly supported Tanya. Later, she had tried to murder her. Eventually, she apologized for the misunderstanding. At this point, there was no bad blood—but no closeness, either.

They hadn’t met face-to-face in a long time.

I expected Lucy to be warmer, but instead she hid behind me, clinging tightly.

“Did you run away from Ziggs again…?”

“I know I shouldn’t, but every time I see stacks of documents reaching the ceiling, I panic…”

“……”

“Is it a phobia? I suddenly can’t breathe and think, ‘I need to get out.’ Before I realize it, I’ve run across the entire education district…”

“You’re going to make me cry…”

“Even if I run away, I still have to deal with it later… maybe I’ve grown addicted to that refreshing feeling afterward…”

“But didn’t the student council’s efficiency improve after Anise joined?”

“It did, but now there’s the festival…”

That explained it.

The student council’s workload must have been overwhelming lately.

“When I run away… there’s this strange pleasure that tickles my heart…”

“……”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I stayed silent. Lucy, hiding on my other side, nodded vigorously.

She looked at Tanya with a sparkle in her eyes. A strange sense of camaraderie formed between them.

“…Is it really okay for the two of you to bond over this?”

“L-Lucy, are you also running away from something?”

“She runs away most of the time. She barely attends classes unless they’re required for graduation.”

Lucy, currently fleeing from Bell Maya, remained silent.

“Y-Yet she still has the highest grades?”

“Her practical scores are absurdly high. You knew that, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but she’s accumulated tons of penalty points from Ophelis Hall…”

“Her practical scores more than make up for them…”

Lucy Mayreel was the only student magician capable of wielding ultimate magic.

In fact, there were fewer than five people in the entire empire who could handle ultimate magic at all. Aside from Lucy, they were all elderly, their bodies wrinkled with age.

She had surpassed the level of a student long ago, to the point that many found it strange she still attended Silvenia. Most were unaware of Glockt’s will.

“By the way… you did great in the duel, brother. Every time I see you, you’ve grown frighteningly stronger. Honestly, even as your younger sister, it’s scary.”

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“Is that so? After becoming student council president, every day has been hardship and shock… maybe I’ve gone numb.”

Tanya shook her head with a sigh, then lowered her voice.

“Was it Princess Penia’s idea to give credit to Princess Selah?”

“Didn’t she tell you?”

“Well… I haven’t been able to visit the royal residence much lately. I knew she was planning something, but not this.”

Tanya’s reaction surprised me.

Given how openly opposed they were to Princess Selah, I assumed she would have asked about Penia’s plan.

However, since becoming student council president, Tanya had changed.

Above all, she seemed to have been strongly influenced by Lortel. She could now make rational decisions even in chaotic situations.

She complained and cried often, but when it came to political judgment, she always acted carefully.

“There’s no reason to fracture Princess Selah’s support by provoking unnecessary conflict. We can rely on House Elpelan’s long-standing symbiotic relationship with her.”

House Elpelan and Princess Selah had supported one another for years.

In particular, the current head, Balveron Elpelan, knew many of Selah’s deepest secrets due to that trust.

To dismantle such loyalty, one would need to carefully wedge themselves between the two.

In other words, we needed to make House Elpelan dissatisfied with Princess Selah—something that wouldn’t happen easily.

That was why we had to move slowly.

House Elpelan supported Selah because they believed that if she ascended the throne, they would rise with her.

So we had to shatter that certainty.

To do that, someone more valuable than House Elpelan had to appear.

A house with greater talent, deeper authority, the rank of a duke rather than a mere count, and a far more capable successor—one that would fall under Princess Selah’s care.

That alone would shake House Elpelan’s standing.

Even they would have to admit it was more advantageous for Selah to side with House Rothstaylor.

Seeds of doubt—fear of being discarded for greater power—would quietly, steadily spread.

And that would be the beginning of House Elpelan abandoning their allegiance.

***

“Selah will want you, because you come from a powerful house led by a duke.”

On the royal residence terrace, Princess Penia whispered softly.

“Until now, the two of you have been openly hostile. But if you bow first, acknowledge her authority, and slowly draw closer… she will never reject someone like you, Ed Rothstaylor. You possess everything Selah desires.”

“If I suddenly act accommodating, won’t she become wary?”

“At first, yes. Still… Selah will take the bait.”

Setting down her teacup and gazing at the blue sky, the princess spoke with firm resolve.

“If an opportunity arises to claim someone like you, Ed Rothstaylor, she will seize it—by any means necessary. However… your very existence is also poison to Selah.”

***

In the hallway leading to the waiting room, the large gate opened as several soldiers bearing the imperial crest marched forward.

There was still time before the emperor himself descended, but the guards were already mobilizing.

This wasn’t part of the official schedule.

It seemed Princess Selah had moved them on her own authority. The duels had yet to conclude, after all.

Once all duels ended, the emperor would appear—but before that…

It seemed she had come to meet me herself.

Princess Selah, alone.

A princess with sharp eyes and a commanding presence stepped through the formation.

Selah, the Princess of Frost, stopped in front of me.

Lucy, as usual, buried her face into my shoulder, exhaling slowly with unfocused eyes. Tanya swallowed hard beside me.

It was rare for royalty to visit someone personally. Normally, one would be summoned to a designated waiting room.

Yet Selah had come all the way to the waiting room hallway herself.

Her expression remained tense, filled with vigilance.