The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 260

[Since you’ve come this far, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll give you the location of Tyrcalaques’ corpse.]

The next morning, I woke up from bed to see Merilda sitting on the shelf, waving her feet in the air.

I was exhausted after using too much Celestial Magic power. Yennekar also seemed to be exhausted, as she had gone straight to bed.

I looked at Merilda absent-mindedly. She shook her head as she spoke.

[What’s with you? Are you not awake yet?]

“No, but you should have told me from the start. It’s just ridiculous that you kept pushing back telling me about this, as if you were being kind.”

[Th-that’s true, but… I had no idea you would be so depressed after finding out about it…]

It was rare to see Merilda act like that. She seemed genuinely down after I snapped at her.

Seeing her lower her head and slightly raise her eyes, she really did look like a young girl.

I turned my head to look over at Yennekar, who was asleep.

[I had no idea Yennekar would be this emotional about it.]

“…I wonder if this is something she even needs to feel so emotional about. Her situation and Katin’s are completely different.”

[I think so, too. Still, you know it as well. Yennekar is a girl who feels inferior to others and takes things to heart.]

Merilda raised her chin as she spoke.

[From my point of view, when she exchanges feelings with you, she thinks it’s a blessing. It’s to the point that she wonders if it’s really okay.]

“But comparing me to an ultimate spirit… How am I supposed to feel about that…?”

[Normally, when people date, they start to think their partner is the most extraordinary person in the world. Have you ever dated before?]

“When you say it like that, it sounds like a rather unimportant problem…”

[That’s because it is a rather silly problem to worry about…]

Merilda let out a heavy sigh, jumping off the shelf. Her movements were light, as she was a wind spirit.

She moved a chair from the table over to me. She sat on it as she leaned towards me.

[Silvenia sealed Tyrcalaques’ body herself. His soul may have gone back to nature and transformed into a fluid spirit, but no matter how many years pass, the traces of the magic power on his body will remain.]

“Then if I get my hands on it, I will grow rapidly as an Elementalist.”

[That’s right… So, where do you think it’s hidden?]

Ultimate rank spirits normally didn’t have anything like a corpse. After all, they didn’t have the concept of death and lived for nearly an eternity.

The fact that Tyrcalaques had left a corpse behind was extremely rare. It was a treasure of unparalleled value.

The first thing I thought of was that something so valuable wouldn’t be thrown aside just anywhere. Silvenia must have put it in a place that was hard to reach, or where she could implement a massive sealing spell on it…

“Considering the circumstances… She probably would have buried it where Katin Palerover lived when she was alive.”

Considering the Great Sage Silvenia’s personality, it was an obvious conclusion.

[You really are quick.]

As for where Katin Palerover lived, that was also obvious.

* * *

“I found it.”

Hiding right beneath your nose.

A tall old tree in the center of the Palerover Ranch. After using my magic power to dig under it for some time, a wooden door of sorts was found.

“N-no way… Right under the ranch, there was something like this…”

“W-wow… I lived here my whole life… This has always just been under here. I could never have imagined…”

Orte and Yennekar were next to each other, completely surprised. Seeing them act so surprised, they really looked alike. You could tell they were father and daughter.

I grabbed the handle and I lifted up the wooden door, revealing a large staircase to a basement. There was something further underground.

“Since I don’t randomly dig around in the ground, I could never have imagined something like this existed.”

I lit a lamp I had brought along with magic power. After waiting for the flickering flame inside the glass lamp to catch, I turned my head towards Orte and spoke.

“I’ll go inside and take a look with Yennekar. Please stand guard so no one who passes by bothers us.”

“Y-yes… I will do that…”

I continued to head down the stairs to the basement with Yennekar.

She followed along, holding onto my arm tightly. She had a dumbfounded expression on her face. After all, she could never have imagined something like that would exist under the ranch, the home where she had lived all her life.

“Be careful not to trip. It’s very dark.”

“Ah, yeah. You be careful, too, Ed…”

Heading further down the stairs, relying solely on the light of the lamp, we held onto each other tightly—just in case we fell.

After going down for a while, a small stone chamber finally appeared.

It wasn’t a very large space at all.

There was a stone statue that looked like a goddess and a shabby wooden box that was placed in front of it.

The wooden box was only the size of a human’s torso.

I gave the lamp to Yennekar, who was swallowing her saliva. I bent down and opened the wooden box.

It was an old but fancy decorated box. There was a small magic crystal that was placed on a cushion inside of it.

That was what the corpse of a spirit was.

Rather than being the form of a body like a human corpse, it took the form of an item that acted as a medium and contained magic power.

Perhaps the fragmented memories of Tyrcalaques, who was sealed by the Great Sage Silvenia herself, were contained inside the thumb-sized magic crystal.

In terms of academic and economic value… That item alone had to be astronomical.

The tiny crystal might cost more than all of Silvenia Academy’s buildings combined.

“I never imagined that I would find such treasures buried away beneath my own house.”

Yennekar spoke as if she were telling a joke.

“That’s true, but… I wonder if I should really be taking this. In a way, it’s like a treasure that was buried for House Palerover.”

Yennekar remained quiet as she held the lamp. She closed her eyes, then smiled sweetly.

“If you don’t take it, who will?”

She then walked over to me and grabbed a small leather pouch that I had brought with us in advance.

She put the crystal into the pouch, then pulled on the band to tighten it. Afterward, she put it back in my hands.

As I held the pouch that held the crystal, she said, “I’m sure my mom and dad would say the same. It would be best if you take it, Ed.”

“…”

“You’re going to use it for academic research anyway. Once you bring it back to school, everyone is going to be at a complete loss for words. I can already imagine them all running up to you, asking how you got it. I’m sure that will be an incredible sight to see.”

Yennekar had her hands on her hips, a triumphant expression on her face. From the looks of it, it seemed that she wanted me to compliment and thank her.

Seeing her like that, I spoke honestly.

“You don’t have to act so mature like that. Your parents aren’t here.”

Yennekar’s eyes fluttered as if those words struck her.

She lowered her head and she started to slouch back down.

“Yeah…”

Then, Yennekar leaned against me as I stood still.

We stood alone, hugging each other in the underground stone chamber, which only the lamp in my hand lit up. We didn’t say a word.

* * *

My work in Pulan was mostly finished.

I discovered a lot while researching Tyrcalaques, and I obtained the rare treasure of an ultimate-rank spirit’s corpse.

Once news of my discovery spread, the academic community would surely fall into chaos.

I was sure that many research proposals would come, as well as offers to sell them the corpse directly.

In particular, there were rumors that the merchant Slogg of the Elte Company had been buying lots of items related to accumulated magic power recently. He would surely be interested in the corpse of Tyrcalaques. Of course, I had no intention of selling it.

Tomorrow morning, I would be leaving Pulan.

Yennekar’s hometown, Torren Village.

Even though it was a story from the distant past, it was the place where the scars of the ultimate wind spirit remained.

As if that story was forgotten, all that was left in the village was the peaceful and beautiful scenery.

Since I was going back early in the morning, I needed to start packing up. That night, the village would be hosting a farewell party with food and drinks in the square… To be honest, it was a bit burdensome to hear.

Thanks to Yennekar, the people of Torren Village had been especially kind to me. Even though I had only stayed there a few days, I felt genuinely welcomed.

Not only that, but it was a nice town.

The air was good, the water was clean, the wind was refreshing, and the scenery was peaceful. It was understandable that Yennekar was able to grow up like a protagonist in a fairytale. She had grown up in a place that seemed to be straight out of a fairytale itself.

However, it was still time for me to leave.

“Ed, is it fine if we stop by somewhere else before heading back?”

On the way back to the accommodations, Yennekar grabbed my arm.

It was rare for her to suggest going somewhere first, so I simply nodded. She brightened at once and quickly pulled me up the mountain path.

I was confused about why we were leaving the town and climbing up the mountain, but for the moment, I decided to follow her lead.

“It’s nothing too grand, but it’s still something I wanted to show you.”

“…What is it?”

“Hmm…”

Yennekar hummed as she turned to me and slowly said, “I had something like a wish.”

We left Torren Village, and we climbed up the mountain towards a trail. Following the road that was bracketed by simple fences, I could see the sun setting behind the mountain.

“Ever since I was little, I thought that the mountain range you see here in Pulan was so beautiful. Even though I saw it every day, I never got tired of it. So, if I ever found someone special to me, I wanted to show them it. It was just a thought I’ve always had.”

Yennekar grabbed my arm as she dragged me past the fence.

“But everyone I knew back then was from my hometown, so there was no point. There’s no need to introduce just how great this scenery is to someone who already lives here.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“Which is why I’m glad you came here to Pulan. Come, this way. This is the best view.”

With the sun setting behind her, she turned around and faced me.

Her hair was dyed red by the setting sun. It fluttered in the wind from the mountain. Yennekar’s smile glistened in the light.

“There were a lot of difficult times, but I don’t regret anything. I don’t know how my life will end up, but I will never regret having met you, Ed. We are different from Tyrcalaques and Katin.”

“…”

“Meeting you was the greatest blessing of my life. That’s why I really wanted to show you this view.”

There was a path surrounded by fencing. The sheep and cattle were occasionally seen out in the grasslands.

The farms, fields, houses, and large lakes were in the distance. The snow-covered mountain tops, birds flying in the wind, and the beautiful pansies on the road.

And a girl.

It was hard to see because of the bright sun, but she probably had a large, satisfied smile on her face.

“I know that it isn’t much. It’s just a rural town that can be found anywhere… But this is where I grew up. For me, this is my life.”

A complicated mix of emotions stirred in me as I looked at the scenery. Before I fully understood why, I found myself stepping toward Yennekar and kissing her.

Yennekar trembled in embarrassment from my sudden movement, but she slowly closed her eyes as she let her body fall into mine.

Afterward, we sat side by side on the ridge and watched the scenery together for some time.

Wrapping my arms around Yennekar, I felt strangely safe. Maybe Yennekar felt the same.

“Yes, this is a beautiful place.”

“I’m happy.”

Even with a tender and easily shaken heart, she had always lived as best she could until the very end. Yennekar Palerover had always been like that.

We couldn’t live without worry in this world, only indulging in happiness like a protagonist in a fairytale. That was why we needed to lean on the people around us.

“Yennekar.”

“Hm?”

“…There’s no need for you to worry. I can promise you. The two of us will be happy.”

And they lived happily ever after. I was well aware that there was no such irresponsible ending in reality. Even though we might struggle, it was just about doing our best to live as happily as possible.

Being able to make such decisions was what it meant to be human.

“Hehe. I’m happy.”

And being able to do that much wasn’t all that bad.

After quietly saying that to the wind spirit of a distant age, I lifted my head and looked out over the scenery of Pulan.

The pansy flowers blew in the wind.

Like Yennekar had called them, they were Wind Flowers.