The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 242

Two one-eyed giants stood tall like mountains of muscle, their eyes level with the top floor of the royal residence.

They tore the royal residence apart with their slow but brutal movements, causing the outer walls to collapse. Soldiers on the roof fired arrows toward them, but the giants showed no signs of stopping.

While the two one-eyed giants were wreaking havoc in the central garden, Princess Penia ran down the first-floor hallway with Emperor Kroel.

Her body was already covered in cuts and bruises. The hem of her dress was torn, and after throwing aside the shoes that were uncomfortable to run in, her soft white feet were covered in bleeding cuts.

Princess Penia winced in pain as she continued to run. Suddenly, three giant bats began chasing them down the hallway.

Soldiers continued to jump out occasionally, sacrificing themselves to block the path. However, they were only able to buy a little time and were never able to completely gain distance from the monsters.

She began to wonder if there was even any point in running in the first place. The entire garden of the royal residence was filled with countless monsters. No matter where she went, she could hear soldiers swinging their swords.

There was no escape route, and her body was in agony.

When she had been trapped in a room with Emperor Kroel earlier, she had used most of her magic power just to escape from a giant bat that attacked them. In the process, she injured her forearm and suffered a deep cut to her right shoulder. However, she wasn’t in any position to complain about the pain.

“Your Majesty! Please go out the back door! There is a carriage waiting!”

A brave knight stood in front of the giant bats, shouting.

“Please escape to a safer place. We Imperial Guards will do our best to stop them.”

Even if they made it to the back door and boarded the carriage, they had no idea where to go.

The entirety of Acken Island was already overrun by monsters.

Still, it was better than staying there. Emperor Kroel nodded as he grabbed Princess Penia’s arm and quickly dragged her along.

“Kaaaaaah!”

As they ran down the hallway, they heard the soldier scream behind them. In the end, it was far too reckless for him to try to block the monsters alone. Even so, the two of them managed to survive by sacrificing their loyal knights.

Emperor Kroel let out a sigh, his expression grave. Princess Penia closed her eyes tightly.

They escaped through the back door without even having time to catch their breath. The moment they stepped outside, the night air filled their lungs. However, when they saw the countless monsters filling the sky, they were immediately reminded of their dire situation.

Princess Penia steeled herself and quickly took the lead. They might be caught by the monsters flying overhead, but it was still far better than standing still and waiting for death.

Emperor Kroel struggled to find his courage as he ran after her, taking heavy breaths.

The monsters flying in the sky happened to glance down at the two of them. At a glance, it was obvious that they weren’t fighters, only prey desperately trying to survive. They were the perfect targets. However, the moment those grotesque griffins spread their wings—

The sky disappeared.

Thousands of elemental magic circles covered the heavens, coloring the world in a blinding flash of light.

It was pure luck. There was no other explanation.

The moment Lucy cast the magic circles that filled the sky, every monster flying above turned its gaze toward them. Humans and monsters alike had never seen such an enormous number of magic circles before.

It was a scale of magic no one believed Lucy Mayreel could possibly control. The sight stunned everyone on Acken Island.

The countless magic circles enveloped the world in blinding light.

Booooom!

An explosion unlike anything before engulfed the world. Light faster than sound tore through the sky, followed by a deafening roar that made everyone’s eardrums throb in pain.

Not only the countless monsters in the sky, but even Velbrok—still bound by chains—thrashed in agony.

In an instant, the monsters that had filled the heavens vanished completely.

Chunks of flesh rained down from above. Dismembered corpses covered Acken Island. From lush green forests to gray-white buildings, everything was dyed crimson.

Crash!

Fwoosh!

Blood coated everything, turning the island into a living hell. Even as Penia’s skin crawled, she continued running behind the garden.

Nearly every monster that had been in the sky had been killed by the explosion.

Of course, since Velbrok possessed the power to continually summon more, it was only a matter of time before the island was filled with monsters again. Still, this brief moment created the perfect opportunity to escape to a safer area.

They needed to avoid the monsters already on the ground and reach somewhere secure. What Penia needed to do was protect Emperor Kroel’s life.

Having made up her mind, she ran straight toward the exit. There, she spotted the large carriage the knight had mentioned. Penia clenched her teeth and rushed over, helping Emperor Kroel into the carriage.

After closing the door, she clung to the side of the carriage and shouted urgently toward the driver’s window.

“Let’s go! Right away! Quickly!”

After shouting, she looked toward the driver’s seat—and suddenly held her breath.

Sitting there was the corpse of an old coachman.

While waiting for the emperor and princess, he had been attacked and killed by gremlins. A large sword was lodged in his shoulder.

A gremlin gnawing on the corpse suddenly made eye contact with Princess Penia. Goosebumps ran from her toes to her scalp as her entire body began to tremble.

The gremlin drew its sword and lunged toward Penia, who was clinging to the side of the carriage, letting out a shrill roar.

“Kyaaaaa!”

Penia twisted her body aside, but fell as the gremlin’s arm burst through the carriage door and reached for her.

She rolled across the muddy ground just as the gremlin raised its sword to stab her. Barely managing to dodge, she found her entire body caked in mud.

Princess Penia paid it no mind. She stood up at once and gathered magic power. Water magic was her specialty, and she quickly cast Water Ball, hurling it at the gremlin.

The attack struck directly, sending the gremlin stumbling backward with a scream of pain. Steadying her trembling body, Penia cast another Water Ball, aiming straight for its eyes.

As the gremlin clutched its face, she followed up with the intermediate water magic,Drowning.

A pool of water enveloped the gremlin’s head, cutting off its breathing.

The gremlin struggled against the spell, but Princess Penia never lost focus despite her bleeding wounds. After maintaining the magic for some time, the gremlin finally lost consciousness and collapsed.

It wasn’t a strong monster, yet it had taken far too long to deal with. Worse, it felt as though she had used nearly all of her remaining magic power.

Still, she clenched her teeth and staggered back to the carriage. Seeing the coachman’s body—his intestines spilled onto the ground—nearly made her lose consciousness.

Even so, she somehow managed to drag the body from the carriage, despite being on the verge of collapse.

The coachman’s corpse hit the ground like discarded refuse. Princess Penia felt a pang of guilt that she couldn’t properly pay her respects. She offered a brief prayer before grabbing the whip. Thankfully, the horses were still unharmed. Escape was still possible.

Her body was drenched in blood and mud, a far cry from her usual dignified appearance.

Suddenly, both horses were crushed beneath the foot of a one-eyed giant.

It happened in an instant.

Crush.

Blood splattered across the giant’s feet.

Her eyes met the giant’s single eye as it looked down at the carriage. It seemed it had misstepped, killing the horses instead of crushing her. The giant grinned grotesquely, as if promising it wouldn’t miss next time. Its massive foot rose into the air once more.

Death.

Crushed beneath its foot.

There was no way to fight it.

She had struggled just to defeat a weak gremlin. There was no way she could defeat a monster like that.

As the giant prepared to deliver the final blow—

Crash! Slam!

A blond man landed atop the carriage, crashing awkwardly into its side as if he had misjudged the landing. He rolled, recovered instantly, and grabbed Penia’s arm, yanking her free.

The man who tumbled to the ground with her, holding her tightly—

Was Ed Rothstaylor.

“Heub…!”

At the same moment, a lioness made of water burst from the carriage, carrying Emperor Kroel away.

One second later, the carriage was crushed beneath the giant’s foot, exploding into fragments.

Crash!

Dust billowed through the air. Penia, barely able to steady herself, stared at the man embracing her.

Her breath caught.

His injuries were far worse than hers. Blood soaked his clothes, and though the bleeding had slowed, his body was riddled with wounds that looked as if he had been pierced repeatedly by sharp spikes.

Despite barely being able to breathe, he had still saved her.

“Ed… Rothstaylor…! You…!”

Before he could respond, the one-eyed giant turned toward them once more. Penia snapped back to her senses. They were still in danger.

But the giant never raised its foot again.

Whoosh!

An enormous fire lizard—larger even than the giant—crashed into it. Monsters clashed violently.

Takan’s fire magic proved fatal. Lacking any magic resistance, the giant was instantly engulfed in flames spewing from the lizard’s jaws.

Riding atop the lizard’s head were Yennekar Palerover and her sister, Princess Selah.

“Wh—What…?”

“Princess Penia.”

Enduring the agony, Ed forced himself upright and met Penia’s gaze.

“I’m so glad… you’re still alive.”

Covered in blood, he had risked everything to ensure her safety. Penia was speechless. It was clear he had fought his way through chaos to reach the royal residence just for her.

Blood dripped from Ed onto Penia’s cheek. Her eyes trembled as she stared at him.

“Treatment… Shouldn’t we get you treated? Right now, we need to—!”

Whoosh!

After defeating the giant, Takan lowered its head, and Yennekar and Princess Selah jumped down.

Selah rushed to Emperor Kroel. Yennekar ran straight to Ed.

“Father! You’re safe!”

“My daughter Selah! You’re safe as well! Thank the heavens!”

“I’m relieved you’re unharmed…”

Selah exhaled deeply, her tension finally breaking.

Meanwhile, Ed released Penia and managed to stand with Yennekar’s support.

“Ed! You’re already hurt! How can you jump in like that?! With this much bleeding, you could collapse at any moment!” Yennekar cried.

Ed lifted his head.

“There’s no time to explain. Princess Penia, you must go to where Taylee is right now.”

“What…?”

“We need to kill that dragon. If we don’t, this disaster will spread across the empire.”

Emperor Kroel, supported by Selah, spoke up.

“You’re… Ed Rothstaylor…”

“Your Majesty, I’d like to explain everything, but there’s no time.”

Enduring the pain, Ed continued.

“Taylee is gathering allies near the Trix Hall garrison… Ophelis Hall. You must head there. It will be safer.”

Blood continued to seep from his wounds. Yennekar clenched her eyes shut, then looked at Penia.

“Treatment. Is there anyone who can treat him? He needs help immediately!”

“T-That’s… The royal residence has been completely breached. I don’t think there’s anyone left… Everyone may already be—”

“We came all this way, and you’re saying he can’t be treated?” Penia’s eyes shook as she looked at Ed’s injuries.

“But… even simple first aid—there must be something—”

“It’s fine. I can get treated at Ophelis Hall.”

Ed’s consciousness wavered, but his purpose was clear.

“Now that I know Princess Penia is safe, that’s enough.”

Penia stared at him, confused. Their relationship had been bound by a contract. She had never imagined he would risk his life solely to protect her.

He had run through hell itself just to confirm her safety. That alone required incredible resolve.

“Ed Rothstaylor… You…”

Ed turned toward Emperor Kroel, clenching his teeth.

To defeat Velbrok, Princess Penia was essential. Yet asking the emperor to place her in the subjugation force would not be easy.

“Your Majesty.”

Ed bowed deeply, blood dripping from his face.

“What is happening now may become a catastrophe for the entire empire. If we fail to act, casualties could reach tens of thousands—perhaps even cause the empire’s collapse.”

“That is… true.”

“There is a way to defeat Velbrok. It won’t be easy, but we must try.”

Ed stepped forward under his own power and bowed once more.

“I need Princess Penia. Please allow me to take her.”

Penia’s face flushed, her shoulders trembling.

“Ed Rothstaylor!” Princess Selah exclaimed. “The way you’re saying that sounds strange!”

An awkward silence followed.

Unintentionally, Ed’s words did sound improper. Even Penia wore a flustered expression, and Yennekar looked oddly irritated, fidgeting in place.

However, Emperor Kroel was a man of sharp insight. The more desperate the situation, the faster he grasped its core.

“Do not confuse recklessness with courage, Ed Rothstaylor. Velbrok is a mythical monster that even the first swordsman, Luden, nearly died fighting.”

“But if we don’t try, it will never be defeated. We must end this here before the damage spreads across the continent. I have a plan to unite the garrisons across Acken Island.”

“You intend to cross an island in ruins, gather scattered forces, and lead them through monster-infested territory?”

“I can persuade their leaders.”

The top student of the Combat Department, Daike Elpelan.

Deputy Director of the Elte Company’s Silvenia Branch, Lortel Kehelland.

Silvenia Academy’s student council president, Tanya Rothstaylor.

Saint Clarice of the Telos Religious Group at the Holy Father Building.

The head maid of Ophelis Hall, Bell Maya.

Each was a leader with distinct values and authority.

The one common thread linking them all was Ed Rothstaylor.

Yennekar had already dispatched spirits carrying letters across the island. Thanks to Lucy’s magic clearing the skies, it was the perfect chance to deliver the messages.

“I asked them to gather at Ophelis Hall. They know that holding out alone will only lead to annihilation.”

At the Elte Company store, Lortel defended the building with ice magic as screams echoed outside. A wind spirit shaped like a sparrow landed on her shoulder, a letter tied to its foot.

Reading it amid the chaos, she glanced at the sky filled with magic circles and smiled faintly.

It was a gamble worth taking.

The same was true for Daike Elpelan, who was organizing survivors at the Combat Department grounds. After reading Ed’s letter, he barked orders to the students.

The road to Ophelis Hall had already been partially cleared by Clevius. It was risky—but viable.

Tanya Rothstaylor read the letter while heading toward the commercial district. Since Ziggs had already gone to Ophelis Hall, following made sense. With Ed at the center, safety was more likely.

Saint Clarice, already gathering clergy at the cathedral, wasn’t surprised by the message. She had been waiting for Ed to contact her.

She immediately began issuing orders.

“I am confident everyone will gather at Ophelis Hall.”

“Ha… Haha…”

Emperor Kroel laughed in disbelief.

Even he struggled to command such influential figures. And yet—

Ed believed he could unite them all.

There were only two kinds of people capable of that: a master politician, or a true hero.

Which was Ed Rothstaylor?

The emperor studied the bleeding young man silently.

Whatever the answer, it didn’t matter.

If the garrisons would follow Ed, then perhaps the emperor should as well.

Was this a new spark within House Rothstaylor, long thought ruined by Krepin?

Whatever its past, Rothstaylor did not seem to be a house rotten to its core.