The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 261

No matter which branch of the Elte Company you visited, there was always a large two-arm scale in the lobby.

It was obvious what the scale, which was precisely level, symbolized.

Fairness

The company was rumored to do whatever it took to maintain its grip on the business districts. It was ridiculous to see such people claim fairness. However, the bigger one grows, the more important the justification becomes.

Hypocrisy was a necessity, not an option.

Some people might be disgusted by the Elte Company’s hypocrisy, but those who were able to open their eyes and understand the situation of the company just a bit more could only nod their heads in approval.

At the end of the day, leading such a company meant that a good and legitimate cause was needed for every little decision that was made. Even if it was blatant hypocrisy, they still needed to pretend to be a virtuous group.

Lortel Kehelland knew that fact all too well. She always hid the dark and shady side of herself, all while making sure to put on a smile and emphasizing the value of fairness to the outside world.

“Reason…”

The head of the Elte Company, Slogg Keldricks, quietly spoke with his head lowered. On the desk was a portrait of Lortel Kehelland, the current deputy director of the Elte Company.

Slogg had a large beard on his face, which was covered in wrinkles that showed how much time and experience he had. He wore a merchant’s unique leather coat, which was neither luxurious nor particularly modest.

He narrowed his eyes sharply, which was a habit Slogg fell into when he was concentrating deeply on something.

The Commercial City of Oldek.

It was a port city stretching across the western coastlines of the Kroel Empire. It was responsible for nearly half of all of the Empire’s logistics and distribution. From the Lamelin Mountain Range, the lawless region of Kohelton, the most southern point of the continent, Acken Island… For any of them to reach the central part of the empire, they all needed to pass through that port city.

It was an area that was filled with both large and small companies and stores. A land of riches where merchants gathered to make just a single coin more.

When walking around the city in the early morning, you could see the various merchants and employees running around under the morning sun. It was a city where everyone was busy trying to put just one more coin in their own pockets.

Those who were born and raised, or spent most of their life, in such a place had a similar mindset. The same went for Lortel Kehelland.

“Expanding the company…”

He read through Lortel’s business plan, which suggested entering the trade route that led to Holy Capital, Karpea, more aggressively. Slogg fell into thought.

While Slogg was the head of the Elte Company in name, Lortel Kehelland actually held most of the power. It was only a matter of time before she moved to take his position as head of the company.

It was time to take action.

“Alright. The most important thing is certainly living by the rules.” As he said those words, he slowly closed his eyes. “It’s been a long time since the Golden King Elte left this world… It’s about time to get rid of the name ‘the Elte Company’…”

In the spacious office of the head of the Elte Company, only silence filled the room.

* * *

“You went all the way to Pulan? For your research?”

Lortel Kehelland stopped by the Rothstaylor Mansion after the heat of the summer passed. It was still a bit humid to call autumn, but too cool to call it summer.

After graduating from Silvenia Academy, she had been working at the Elte Company in Oldek for the past few months. She decided to expand and build a new business.

Opening a new trade route with a few trustworthy employees was not something a deputy director would normally handle personally. But for now, while Slogg still held the seat of company head and she still had some freedom, she meant to finish as much important fieldwork as she could.

In particular, she was focusing her efforts on opening a new trade route with the Holy Capital, Karpea.

Karpea was an area in which the Telos Religious Group gathered. Thus, it was easy to figure out which items were in demand and the quantity needed.

Providing products for the Telos Cathedral’s Holy Weeks of Prayers, the Saint’s Religious Ceremonies, the feast, baptism day, and other religious holidays… With those holidays, along with the basic needs of the main group, sales with the Holy Father Building would become tremendous.

Lortel overheard that the Holy Father Building was purchasing materials from various different stores, so she wanted to create an opportunity to talk with the heads. She wanted to try and strike a deal. If the Elte Company was able to become their main supplier, it would also greatly save on costs for the Holy Father Building.

To do so, she needed to meet with Ed Rothstaylor.

“Yes. I went to Pulan to do some research on an Ultimate-rank spirit. While doing so, I got my hands on something rather valuable. I might need help taking care of it.”

“That won’t be a problem. You can just send me a list of what you need, Ed.”

Silvenia Academy was about to start the new semester. Ed Rothstaylor, who was in charge of the new student’s placement exam and Class A’s students, was bound to become very busy. Not only that, but the school had high expectations for him, as he promised to take care of the most promising students.

He was back at his residence taking care of a few things first, but soon it would become hard for Lortel to see him.

Perhaps because he wanted to enjoy the little bit of break he had left, Ed Rothstaylor wasn’t taking on any other major jobs. He was simply resting in the garden of the mansion while organizing a few reports.

The central garden of the Rothstaylor Mansion could only be described as a mix of brilliance and beauty. As it was a large residence that was maintained by a talented head maid, not just the inside of the mansion but even the garden was well-kept, always looking luxurious and beautiful.

Looking at the table of refreshments in the middle, with the two siblings sitting opposite of each other doing their own work… They looked rather similar to each other. They looked like a regular pair of siblings you would find anywhere.

However, one of them was the continent’s most famous researcher in Celestial Magic, the youngest person ever to become a professor and a high-ranking elementalist. The other was a girl who held the title of head of the house for the continent’s strongest ducal household.

It was imperative to avoid turning the brother and sister duo into your enemy at all costs. Fortunately, thanks to their long relationship, the two of them were close and looked upon Lortel favorably.

“You must be busy these days with the company, Lortel. There have been so many rumors about Oldek these days. Have there been any major issues with the Elte Company?”

“Not particularly. There are always going to be a few problems though. I just keep doing my job of fixing them one by one,” Lortel responded with a smile towards Tanya, who was fiddling with her quill.

Even though Tanya had enough authority to be ranked one of the most powerful people on the continent, she still addressed Lortel respectfully. Though, even if she spoke down on Lortel, that wouldn’t be an issue. However, given that they had a history of upperclassmen and underclassmen back at Silvenia, she felt it would be uncomfortable to speak casually with her.

Of course, Lortel no longer spoke casually to her and made sure to be respectful. Though, Tanya didn’t seem to mind either way. Nevertheless, Lortel was like her usual self. She was always grinning, and never explained anything in detail, as if she was planning something.

However, Tanya no longer moved around according to Lortel’s intentions. Compared to how she was when she first entered Silvenia, it was hard to believe that she was the same person.

“Well, if we only talk about business-related matters that wouldn’t be any fun so… Ack!”

However, she still looked like her usual clumsy self when she brought her black lips to her mouth, burning the roof of her mouth.

“Brother… The tea is much too hot… It seems that we must have gotten a new maid…”

“Leave them alone. I’m sure Bell already found out and is scolding her.”

“Blech. Bleech.”

Tanya stuck out her tongue as if she had burnt it. She then put down her quill and closed the papers she was going over in a folder. It seemed that she had finished everything that needed to be dealt with at the moment.

Ed was busy reading over academic papers, his legs crossed and his eyes focused. Since Lortel, a distinguished guest, had come to visit him, he was trying to finish his work as quickly as possible.

The fact that the deputy director of the Elte Company, who was always treated as a highly distinguished guest wherever she went, was being pushed aside for a few documents was an unfamiliar feeling. However, it couldn’t be helped. They were in the Rothstaylor Mansion, after all.

Rather, Lortel simply smiled, perfectly at ease.

No matter how long it had been, Ed Rothstaylor always acted like Ed Rothstaylor, a man with a personality that never allowed him to procrastinate. He had a bright and welcoming expression when Lortel had come to visit him, but he made sure to finish his work first.

For the moment, she decided to wait for him to finish. Meanwhile, Tanya lifted the tablecloth slightly, staring at the empty space beneath the table.

“Don’t think of doing something useless, Tanya.”

“Eek! Th-that’s not it… I was just looking. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“…Why are you even looking under there in the first place…?”

Lortel had no choice but to tilt her head, observing the slight bickering between siblings.

Finally, Ed put down his quill and gathered his papers, putting them aside.

“Come to think of it, you look great, Lortel. I think you look a lot brighter than back at Silvenia. I guess when you go around as the deputy director of the Elte Company, you need to have an outfit that suits the position. You look great in it.”

“Oh my, I agree. Having your reddish-brown hair untied like that looks great, Lortel.”

While the two siblings praised Lortel’s appearance, they had different intentions.

Ed was being literal, praising Lortel’s beautiful appearance. However, Tanya had clearly seen through Lortel’s efforts. Was it intuition as a fellow woman?

Normally, she had her hair tied to the side. However, she currently had it loose, with a gorgeous blue rose hairpin, and she was wearing a royal blue skirt. She looked as if she dressed up, but not too much. It was all intentional, and she had put effort into deciding on the perfect outfit.

As for why she had dressed up? As Ed said, it was partially because of her role as the deputy director and because she needed to suit the position… More importantly, it was because she was going to see Ed.

It went without saying, but after hearing Ed innocently compliment her appearance, she couldn’t help but be in a better mood.

Being a merchant, she had heard all sorts of compliments that were delivered purely out of courtesy. However, when Ed gave them, she couldn’t help but feel strange and somewhat bashful. She thought she was immune to such compliments, yet it seemed that she was still defenseless in front of Ed.

“Yeah,” Lortel suddenly swallowed her breath as she spoke, letting out a rough noise as her voice broke.

It was a novice mistake that no one in the business world would ever imagine she would make. Fortunately, she wasn’t in the world of business. She was sitting at an outdoor tea table at the Rothstaylor Mansion.

“Ahem… Thank you for the compliment. You are right, I need to start caring about my appearance for my position…”

Ed didn’t seem to think much of it, but a woman’s intuition said otherwise… Tanya narrowed her eyes slightly. What was with that smile? But how did Tanya become such an observant person? Well, they do say that an environment makes the person.

“You must have been busy, but it’s so nice that you came all the way here to visit. There’s a lot to talk about, but let’s save it for dinner. For now…. How about we talk about business?”

Ed jumped straight to the main point.

That’s right. Even after graduating, Lortel Kehelland continued to flirt with Ed and express her affection for him like a sly fox… But first, they needed to take care of business.

In fact, it was easy to determine whether Lortel had come to the Rothstaylor Mansion for business or simply to flirt and play with Ed.

“After we talk about business, there’s something else I need to tell you. Uhm… It’s about what happened in Pulan…”

“Brother! Now’s not the time to talk about that! Work! Work comes first, right?!”

Suddenly, Tanya stood up from the table, raising the tempo of the conversation.

“Actually I was expecting you to come and visit. I’ve heard what’s been happening with the Elte Company recently from various different people, Lortel.”

At the end of the day, Tanya Rothstaylor was well-versed in the field. After all, she was the one who would make all of the important decisions of House Rothstaylor.

“You came because you wanted us to help you make contact with the Holy Father Building, right? If possible, with Saint Clarice.”

To have realized that much! In fact, given Lortel’s track record, it wasn’t all that difficult to infer.

Rather than answering, Lortel grinned.

“Creating networks is an asset. So, if you help us so that we can work directly with someone who is at the heart of Telos Religious Group… We will repay you with the most we—”

“You don’t need to repay us.”

Ed spoke without warning, but Tanya didn’t look surprised. They both had an attitude as if such a thing were natural. They continued to sip on their tea and act as if nothing had happened… That was both expected, but also unexpected.

The deputy director of the Elte Company and the head of House Rothstaylor.

When power met power, there was always a certain kind of conversation that followed: money, leverage, negotiation, conflict, contracts, guarantees, confidentiality, deadlines. They would scrutinize every clause with cold precision, trying to squeeze even a single extra coin from the other side’s hand.

For Lortel, her entire life was filled with such experiences at the negotiating table. However, the man in front of her just casually said that he would help her.

But that was only natural. The two of them had already come to acknowledge each other.

Ed Rothstaylor was Lortel Kehelland’s person.

Lortel Kehelland was Ed Rothstaylor’s person.

They were each other’s person.

A person who transcended one’s personal interest and gain. Ultimately, taking their side until the very end, regardless of the situation… For Lortel Kehelland, Ed Rothstaylor was the first person she could fully entrust everything to.

Even though both of them had been buried in their own work, Ed Rothstaylor seemed not to have forgotten for even a moment the promise they had made to stand on each other’s side… Lortel found herself at a loss for words.

Normally, Tanya—who was in charge of House Rothstaylor—would want to use such an opportunity to demand something from the Elte Company.

However, when Ed made such a determined declaration, Tanya didn’t say a word. Ed entrusted Tanya with all things related to managing the house and management, as he believed in her judgment… In return, Tanya also fully trusted Ed’s judgment. So, she didn’t react despite his surprising statement.

That was because he always had a justifiable reason for his actions.

Lortel felt a tingling sensation in her nose. However, she couldn’t wipe away her tears and convey her thanks. That was because, just as that was natural for Ed, it was natural for Lortel as well.

When Ed needed help, Lortel would be there. When Lortel needed help, Ed would be there. There was no such thing as calculating one’s interest in the process of helping each other.

It had become natural to help each other.

“Alright.”

Lortel spoke softly, with her signature foxlike smile. The way she was able to manage her expression was so perfect that even Tanya couldn’t discern her true feelings.

“We can talk about the details later in the evening.”

Lortel smiled as she spoke to Ed, who nodded his head in agreement.

“Well, since you’ve finished all your work for now, you should head in and rest, brother! You must be tired since it hasn’t been long since you came back from Pulan!”

With talk of business being pushed aside, Tanya then spoke in a bright tone.

“But I’m not all that tired.”

“You can gather fatigue without even realizing it. After you took Yennekar with you to Pulan, she came back completely exhausted. She hasn’t even gone back to her own residence! Instead, she has just been lying in bed all day.”

At those words, Lortel’s expression hardened slightly. When she heard ‘Pulan,’ she started to have a thought…

“…Yennekar…?”

“Oh my, Lortel… I guess you wouldn’t have known… Ed went to Yennekar’s hometown. Just the two of them.” Tanya seemed to slightly exaggerate the way she spoke as if trying to cause a misunderstanding.

Tanya tried to hold back her smile as she whispered to Lortel as if she were hiding something.

“And, well. Since it’s so far away, we couldn’t send many people to accompany him… So, I was only able to provide a carriage for the two of them to go there alone. With a driver, of course. Well, as you know, those two are rather capable. Naturally, they wouldn’t have any issues by themselves. It was just the most efficient to send the two of them. Alone.”

The two of them. Alone…

The way she seemed to imply something made it difficult for Lortel to manage her expression. It was difficult for her to ask for the details in such a circumstance.

“I don’t know what they did together in Pulan, but I’m sure the two of them were able to take care of whatever they needed to do. The two of them are truly so reliable. My older brother is already so talented, but with someone like Yennekar to protect him, there was nothing to worry about.”

Tanya continued to speak with a smile on her face, her invisible tail practically wagging behind her.

“I should just continue to send the two of them off alone!”

“Stop speaking nonsense, Tanya…”

“O-okay…” Tanya responded politely as she sat back down in her chair.

However, the way she raised her chin and spoke so obediently made it seem as if she had other intentions.

Lortel scratched her chin as she let out a small sigh. Really, there was nothing for her to be flustered about. However, she couldn’t help but be curious.

The two of them… How far did they go?

* * *

After Ed went back inside to rest for a bit, Lortel walked around the garden.

The main reason she went to the Rothstaylor Mansion was to get help contacting the Holy Father Building, but she couldn’t help but be confused after hearing about Yennekar.

Because of her unique characteristics of always remaining calm as a merchant, she didn’t let it show. However, she couldn’t help but be confused on the inside. The two of them must have stayed together for a long period of time. In a space with just the two of them. No other vassals, servants, or maids of the mansion to bother them.

Knowing Ed’s personality, she knew he wouldn’t cross the line. However, you could never be certain.

So what if the two of them actually crossed into an unknown world? What if they held hands, side by side, as they crossed over the rainbow into a fairytale-like land?

Dancing along in the garden, where the beautiful flowers bloomed… in other words, what if they somehow ended up sleeping together?

Lortel swallowed harshly.

She heard that Yennekar hadn’t gone back to her own residence yet. That meant she was resting at Rothstaylor Mansion.

If Lortel were to run into Yennekar, how would she react?

It wasn’t difficult for Lortel to imagine.

While she was busy trying to survive in the world of business, Yennekar was off holding hands with Ed and having fun. That expression on her face…

She could imagine it well.

Was she going to snort and laugh triumphantly at Lortel?

Would she look at Lortel with compassion or pity?

Would she laugh at her and mock her?

Given Yennekar’s personality, she would probably be the first case. Since she was able to be alone with Ed for a decent period of time, she would surely try to use that to show psychological superiority.

Lortel had to prepare herself to bear with that proud and snobby expression on Yennekar’s usual innocent face.

“Hm…”

In the distance, she saw Yennekar sitting under a small pavilion in the garden. Did she come out to get some fresh air? It was an unwelcome meeting for Lortel, but it was still an ordeal she would have to one day face.

It was impossible for her to completely predict how far Ed and Yennekar had gone, and how Yennekar would react. That was why Lortel could only force a smile on her face as she walked over towards her.

She had thought of all the ways Yennekar might try to show her superiority over her, and had prepared herself to deal with them. Whatever she ended up doing, Lortel had no plans of dropping that smiling mask. After she prepared herself, she gently raised her voice.

“Oh my, Yennekar. You were here?”

Yennekar, who had been observing a flower off to the side, raised her head. She then made eye contact with Lortel.

Whenever Yennekar saw Lortel in the mansion, she would always have a wary expression on her face. Lortel figured that Yennekar would use that chance to turn the tables and act strongly towards her, but…

“Oh my, Lortel! Long time, no see! Have you been busy with the mansion these days?!”

Yennekar greeted Lortel with a smile as innocent as untouched paper. There was not a trace of hesitation or wariness in it.

“These days, the weather has cooled down quite a bit! It’s nice that it’s no longer so hot… Anyway, I should head back to my room. I’ve been out for a while, so I’m sure the vassals are worried… I will see you at dinner!”

With a bright smile, Yennekar returned to the mansion, waving her hand cheerfully at her. Even though she walked far away, she continued to wave her hand toward Lortel with a dazzling smile on her face.

Lortel stood still as she gathered her thoughts.

And then cold sweat ran down her back.

Such a surprising reaction from Yennekar… It was more dangerous than anything she had predicted.