The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 252

People from Pulan called the pansies that bloomed along the mountain ridge ‘Wind Flowers’.

Since everyone in the village had been calling it that for as long as she could remember, Yennekar had also called that beautiful flower Wind Flower since she was a young girl.

As you walked down the open mountain ridge, you could feel the warm sunlight shining through the clouds in the blue sky. It was easy to feel as if time had stopped.

When she was a young girl, Yennekar would joyfully hold onto her picnic bag and walk down the bridge with the wind sweeping across her cheeks.

Whoosh.

The wind gently brushed against her skin and fluttered her pink hair. Feeling that special early spring wind hit her body, she was filled with a refreshing sensation that was hard to describe in words.

Raising her head, she could see the top of the mountain, which was white with snow.

Cows grazed on the edge of the ridge on the other side. Walking down the road, she watched butterflies flap their wings as they flew by. She sat down on the nearby grass to take a break. She listened to the pleasant chirping of birds as she looked up at the open sky once more.

Looking at the peaceful and romantic landscape in Pulan, it was as if you were living in a world where all worries and anguish were gone.

Yennekar Palerover was born and raised in such a fairytale land.

She didn’t realize how much of a blessing that was, but she was at least aware that her everyday life was joyful.

If she had someone she loved, she wanted to walk down that road with them… She then shook her head, wondering what such a thought meant.

Yennekar was still young. That meant her entire world was also much too small. At that moment, all she cared about were her family and neighbors.

All of the beloved people she kept deep in her heart as they lived together happily in Pulan. It was hard for her to think of wanting to introduce that sight to someone else.

That was because everyone she knew was already well aware of just how beautiful the scenery was.

The girl brushed her fingers through her hair as she reached her hand out towards the sky. The sunlight fell between her fingers, tickling the corners of her eyes.

She was to leave for Silvenia Academy next year.

Leaving the beautiful town of Torren behind, she was to go off and enter a new world. Yennekar might have been young enough to live in that rural village up to that point, but the life ahead of her was long and wide.

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous, but the thought of going to new places and meeting new people made her heart beat faster.

It was a feeling she couldn’t experience while she was stuck in Pulan, helping at the ranch.

She breathed in the fresh air, putting her mind at peace.

She then looked up to see the wide-open mountain ranges of Pulan.

That peaceful, fairytale-like land would be the starting point and ending point for the girl named Yennekar Palerover.

After heading out into that vast world, meeting many new people, and experiencing many new things, only then would she finally be able to return.

The girl’s journey was like a round circle, always leading back to the start. She closed her eyes as she leaned against a fence set up by the roadside.

The beautiful flowers were swaying gently. The flowers that bloomed there swayed their heads with the wind all year round. That was why they were given the name “Wind Flower.”

* * *

“I have to go to Pulan this week.”

The afternoon Yennekar returned to her mansion, Ed Rothstaylor arrived and made a statement that was like a bolt out of the blue.

Even though Yennekar was treated as the mansion’s owner, she had yet to fully adapt to her noble status.

Over the past two years, she had gotten somewhat used to it, but for a girl born and raised in a rural village, some things were still too difficult for her to handle alone.

So, from time to time Ed Rothstaylor would visit her house to help maintain it. She figured that was once again the purpose of his visit.

From her point of view, it was nice to be able to see him again, but… His unexpected remark forced her to put down her teacup for a moment.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Yennekar doubted her ears.

Ed Rothstaylor needed to go to Pulan. That single, short, simple sentence wasn’t fully processed at that moment.

“Before break ends, there’s some work I need to take care of. It seems I’ll have to personally go to Pulan to finish the research about the ultimate wind spirit.”

“O-Oh… I see, Ed. Th-Then… Are you going near Torren Village?”

“That’s why I came to talk to you. Since I’m going there, wouldn’t it be better if I could bring along a local? I’m sure you’re well aware of the ins and outs of Pulan. After all, it’s your hometown.”

Yennekar swallowed, her mouth feeling dry.

It had been almost six years since she left home. Four years at Silvenia Academy and two years within the Rothstaylor Estate.

She’d gone back to see her family before, but she’d never been to Pulan with Ed Rothstaylor… She couldn’t help but break out into a cold sweat.

It was understandable.

The intimidating stare of the people in Pulan fell upon everyone equally, regardless of rank and class. When she visited the previous year, rumors about the two of them had already gotten out of control.

What started as a mere marketplace rumor had avalanched out of control. Now, pretty much everyone within the village saw the two of them as a couple. A good-natured man and a beautiful woman in a fated relationship that the heavens called for.

Rumors were terrifying. In particular, after Orte and Saila went to Acken Island and learned about her relationship with Ed, they became ever scarier.

Last year, when Yennekar visited, she was overwhelmed with the rumors and questions. However…

She never bothered to stop or deny them, but that didn’t mean she agreed, either. That was because she didn’t particularly hate them…

She couldn’t say anything because she was shy. Without even realizing it, when she heard people talking about the rumors, the corners of her lips naturally rose…!

She knew it wasn’t true, but she knew it wasn’t right for her to support the rumors that were only growing larger and out of control. However, human emotions weren’t something that you could control.

She couldn’t help but feel good upon hearing those rumors. Regardless, Ed Rothstaylor was busy managing his own house and his job at the school.

He wasn’t someone who had the energy or felt the need to care about the various rumors that circulated in a small town in an isolated region in Pulan. Why would the young master from the most powerful ducal house on the continent pay any mind to such a small local rumor?

That was how Yennekar Palerover rationalized her actions to herself.

“I already arranged for a carriage, so let’s go together next week. I’ll leave the management of your estate to Bell.”

However, it was time for her to pay for her sins…

Yennekar struggled to calm her breathing and put on a smile.

Then she said, “I-I see… You need to go to Pulan. Haha… This will be your first time there, right? You will be really surprised when you go. It really is like a fairytale. The scenery is really beautiful… Hehe… Hehehe…”

But that doesn’t mean you should go!

Although they were comfortable with each other, technically, Yennekar Palerover was a mere vassal of Ed Rothstaylor. Being directly beneath him, they were bound by a clear hierarchical relationship.

The only reason they were able to have a casual and pleasant conversation as they did back at Silvenia was all thanks to Ed’s discretion. Thanks to his kind heart, he didn’t want to have an uncomfortable relationship with her, thus allowing the two of them to have casual conversations.

However, it was impossible to truly break free of that hierarchical relationship. Ultimately, she was still beneath him. So, whatever Ed wanted to do, she couldn’t do anything about it.

Of course, Ed would never dare order Yennekar to do something that would make her uncomfortable or put her in a difficult situation. However, when it came to something related to his work at the school or a public matter, it was inevitable that he would have to prioritize it over Yennekar’s situation.

In other words… that meant Ed would definitely go to Pulan. And there was no way for Yennekar to stop him.

There was only one thing she could do.

“Ed… Uhm… I’m sorry!!! I’m sorry! But right now, in Torren… It’s…!”

Ed frowned as he looked at Yennekar, who was suddenly apologizing with her head lowered.

* * *

The silence that remained for a while was quite heavy.

Yennekar sat facing Ed with her eyes closed and head bowed.

After hearing her explanation, Ed pulled the end of his magician’s robe as he gathered his thoughts for a moment. He then opened his mouth.

“To sum it up, everyone in Torren Village thinks that the two of us are lovers, right…?”

A bolt of electricity ran down Yennekar’s spine upon hearing those words.

Yennekar was flustered, having to fan her face with her hand for a moment. That embarrassed reaction of hers was still the same, even after so many years. In the first place, how else could she react?

“But how did things become like that…?”

“You should know since you met my parents… They’re rather—well, they are people who like to gossip, so things sort of snowballed out of control, and… I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do.”

In truth, it would be more accurate to say, “I didn’t do anything,” but of course Yennekar wouldn’t say that.

It was only natural that she was embarrassed. No matter how close they were or how often they spoke, there was a limit. She couldn’t possibly openly confess that she wanted to be with him like the rumors said.

Yennekar certainly desired to overcome that wall between her and Ed, but it was something that was difficult for the two of them to cross.

The most apparent issue was their difference in status.

There was a nearly unbridgeable gap in status between Yennekar, a baroness who was born as a commoner and barely managed to receive a bit of territory, and Ed, a young master born to a duke who was granted the protection of the royal family.

The person Ed ended up with was a crucial political issue that could ultimately affect the entirety of House Rothstaylor. It wasn’t easy for Yennekar to simply step her foot into this arena.

Ed also knew that Yennekar felt pressure because of the difference in their status. So, he never forced her to work more than was necessary.

However, Yennekar didn’t want to be protected by Ed under the title of Baroness forever.

Wouldn’t it be better to use the opportunity of the rumors in Pulan to overcome that wall between them?

She came up with a strange possibility she would normally have never even imagined. She swallowed her dry saliva at the thought.

“I-In fact…th-the rumors have already spread so much… So, if I tell them it’s not true—if I try to suddenly act like they aren’t, they will just ignore me and think I’m a liar…”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah… Of course, I didn’t want them to come up with those rumors, but… before I knew it, they had grown out of my control…”

“Can’t we just tell them that we simply have the relationship of a vassal and lord?”

“I don’t know… I don’t think they will say anything. However, I’m sure that they will pity me on the inside…”

After thinking about that fact, Yennekar started to get a headache.

“Ah, our Yennekar must be so lonely… I can’t imagine…”

“After all, Young Master Ed is an incredible and reliable man… It makes sense she would feel that way towards him…”

“I’m sorry… Yennekar…! I didn’t realize your loneliness…!”

“You must have been so lonely! I guess you are of that age now!”

“But you’re still young, so don’t start worrying about becoming an old virgin! You’re a noble and talented woman… There’s no hurry for you…”

“Yennekar… I understand… You must have not wanted to lie about this either…”

“I would rather die…”

Thinking of the villagers’ compassion and pitiful gazes, Yennekar pulled her hair.

“I imagined it as well. It’s so suffocating that even I feel like throwing up, Yennekar.”

“It’s… fine… Since this is for your job, I’ll take care of myself… Don’t worry about it, Ed…”

Ed stared at Yennekar with a pale complexion. He sighed deeply as he threw the papers he was holding onto on the desk.

“Then I can just go along with it. That’ll be fine, right?”

“Hm? What do you mean, Ed?”

“I’ll just go along with it so that the rumors seem true. Since this is also directly related to your authority and image as a baroness… I can do at least this much…”

There was no reason for him to go along with the rumors to such an extent, but Ed still considered Yennekar special to him.

“So, I’ll act according to the rumors this time. We can then both work on clearing up the rumors slowly, so your authority won’t be undermined.”

“R-Really…?”

“Yeah. It’s not difficult for me to do. All we have to do is show the villagers how close we are, right? We can just act like usual then.”

It was unusual for a mere baroness who was just given her title to have a casual conversation with the young master of House Rothstaylor.

“So… What are the rumors specifically about? I’ll do whatever I can, so tell me.”

Ed Rothstaylor was merciless towards his vassals and servants who made mistakes, but he was particularly merciful towards Yennekar Palerover.

Yennekar herself was well aware of that fact. She was so thankful for Ed’s consideration towards her that tears started to form in her eyes.

“So…”

However, for Yennekar to say exactly what those rumors were was no different than torture.

“So…”

Yennekar fiddled around as she played with her fingers, lowering her head. Talking about the rumors that were snowballing out of control—she couldn’t help but blush.

However, Ed Rothstaylor could only wait for her to speak.

“So…they said things about how we always walk around with our arms interlocked… Or how you kiss my forehead every time we make eye contact…”

Yennekar remained silent.

“When we are in a carriage together, we hold each other close… How I lean my head on your shoulder…”

“Why are there so many rumors…?”

“Rumors never make any sense in the first place…”

“But all this time, you never tried to deny them…?”

“I’m sorry!! I made a mistake!”

Ed moved his bangs to the side in disbelief. He needed time to organize his thoughts.

However, there was no need for him to think of things in too much detail.

“Alright, keep talking.”

“I’m sorry… I’m feeling a little hot, so I need to take a short break…”

“Alright, please take your time.”

“Uhm… Well… All of the other rumors are similar to those. Holding hands and kissing in secret… And at night… Uhm…”

Yennekar blushed further.

“…I’m sorry! This one is a bit too obscene.”

“You did a good job keeping your sanity despite those rumors. You must have been embarrassed.”

“Those villagers always cross the line when it comes to these things…”

But in truth, even though she was embarrassed, she also smiled and curled her toes just imagining such a newlywed life. Of course, she didn’t tell him that.

“Well, I have a rough idea of the situation. Even though we can’t do everything, we can at least give some credibility to those rumors if we show them that we are ‘close.’”

“Y-Yeah…”

“But if we don’t deny these rumors, don’t you think they will just grow bigger after this? This isn’t going to be a cure, but rather a poison, no?”

“That’s not true! If we can just show them that ‘our relationship is close’, then they will realize that the rumors were just exaggerated and not all of it was true… And this way, my authority won’t be ruined… This way, they won’t think I’m a liar and they’ll stop making up such ridiculous rumors…”

Yennekar’s parents, Orte and Saila, were also well aware of the fact that they were just good friends.

So, when eyewitness information was gathered, the fact that Ed Rothstaylor and Yennekar were simply close to each other would be accepted as the truth.

That way, there wouldn’t be a stigma that Yennekar was suffering from loneliness and made up those lies. All they needed to do was partially confirm those rumors.

“A-Alright then…”

Ed took a deep breath, understanding Yennekar’s situation.

“I’ll do my best to help you, so please help me with my research as well.”

“Y-Yeah… But I’m not sure how much of a help I will be…”

“I’m sure you will be a great help. And Merilda as well…”

Yennekar glanced down to look at the papers Ed had brought.

It was information on the ultimate wind spirit, Tyrcalaques.

Traces of that giant bear spirit that was said to have become a part of nature and was supposedly located in the high mountains of Pulan.

The giant bear spirit that used to rule over Pulan was now the subject of Ed’s research.

Was the wind that passed through the ridges of the alpines of Pulan traces of that ultimate wind spirit?

Looking at the research journal Ed had bought with him, Yennekar started to think that the research would also be important to her as well.

Pulan’s winds were both warm and cozy.

Yennekar Palerover had grown up in the arms of that wind ever since she was a baby.

“By the way, since we’re going to act as if the rumors are true, I think you’re going to suffer more than me.”

“Wh-What? Me? You’re the one who is going to have to suffer more… Why would I suffer?”

“It’s just that if you act embarrassed like that, wouldn’t it look suspicious?”

Yennekar Palerover was completely weak when it came to men. Especially towards Ed Rothstaylor. Just by feeling his skin, an electric bolt would run through her body, making her wriggle around in embarrassment.

However, if she acted like that when they held hands or he kissed her forehead, it would definitely be considered a strange reaction. If she started to suddenly bleed from her nose and was unable to overcome her embarrassment, suddenly pushing Ed away, it would definitely raise suspicions.

“For now, I think you should get used to skinship.”

“R-Really? You think so? I never thought of that, but if that’s what you say, then I’ll have to put in my best effort. I don’t want them to be suspicious of us, and you’re always right about these things, so I guess I will have to prepare myself.”

“This is the problem. You’re already starting to ramble.”

“B-But… What can I do when I’m not used to it?!”

Ed scratched his chin for a moment in thought. He then walked towards her.

“I think the only thing we can do is have you get used to it through experience.”

“What?!”

Before she could say anything, Ed ruffled her bangs, revealing her forehead.

Yennekar was breathing heavily, but she stopped herself from pushing him away. There were countless rumors about him always kissing her forehead every time their eyes met, so she really did need to practice so that they could act as naturally as possible in front of them.

Even though she understood the logic behind it, it was still too big of a wall to overcome for the innocent Yennekar.

Ed Rothstaylor was a veteran who had gone through countless life experiences since he was born. He wasn’t the type to get nervous over some skinship with a woman. Rather, he didn’t hesitate to get close to Yennekar with the mindset of helping her.

Yennekar’s entire face was flushed with blood, but right before it started to pour out of her nose…

Right at the moment she told herself that she didn’t hate the situation, closing her eyes tightly…

Partially nervous and partially in anticipation, waiting for that warmth to press against her forehead…

Knock, knock.

“Excuse me. Master, about the situation as Baroness Yennekar is away from her position…”

After a gentle knock, Bell Maya entered the room, witnessing the situation.

Looking at Ed holding up Yennekar’s bangs, up close to her forehead… Bell Maya was silent.

“I will be back in thirty minutes.”

Quickly lifting the hem of her skirt to curtsy in respect, Bell closed the door firmly and left.

Ed and Yennekar were left in silence as they slowly regained their senses.

* * *

Bell Maya exited the room as she shoved her head into the hallway wall. She pressed on her temples.

I have worked as a maid since I was young. I’ve already been doing this for seventeen years now, and yet…

She always took care of her work quickly and reliably. Despite living by her motto, Bell Maya had briefly gotten distracted and made a huge mistake.

How could I…? What a novice mistake…

Normally, when such a romantic and emotional connection happened, it’s because the two of them were unable to overcome the tension and heat between them.

However, as soon as she showed up and the two of them looked her way, they seemed to have regained their sense of reason. Bell swallowed her scream with a sense of pity.

That innocent girl Yennekar was about to overcome that wall, but she must have fallen back to her usual embarrassed self…

It was a reasonable mistake that was impossible to predict for regular people, but… For Bell Maya, who was always perfect, it felt like a massive mistake.

Haa… Let’s calm down…

While it was a shame, Yennekar was still going to accompany Ed to Pulan. There were going to be plenty more opportunities for her to make progress.

In fact, Bell also felt a sense of reassurance upon seeing that they were already about to come into close contact with each other.

Because Ed was Bell’s master, she would be glad to see him with anyone. However, she couldn’t help but feel partially biased towards Yennekar.

However, Yennekar was a bit too innocent and naive when it came to romantic relationships. She needed someone to give her a push.

The problem was that Tanya Rothstaylor would never let that happen.

Tanya was doing everything she could to manage the relationships around Ed. She wanted him to continue bringing all sorts of important individuals close to the house. In regards to the revival of House Rothstaylor, she couldn’t help but pay close attention to who her older brother was close with.

Mistress Tanya… I wonder what she will think of this…

Bell tilted her head for a moment.

From Bell’s point of view, all she had to do was help Master Ed Rothstaylor with whatever he did…

Bell thought to herself that with Yennekar and Ed being close to each other over the long journey to Pulan, they would surely be able to climb over the wall between them. In fact, it would be harder not to.

Ed Rothstaylor had recently been so busy traveling between Acken Island and the Rothstaylor Estate…

So, if he is able to go on a relaxing journey to a romantic and beautiful land like Pulan with Yennekar… Wasn’t that game over…?

Bell scratched her chin, lost in thought for a moment. She then shook her head.

It was all pointless for Bell to think about.

All she had to do was get ready to send Ed and Yennekar off to Pulan. That was her duty as a maid.

Remembering that, Bell fixed her outfit as she walked down the hallway.