The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 265

“With the head of the Elte Company personally visiting the Rothstaylor Mansion, should I be happy or worried?”

It was often forgotten, but Tanya was actually the head of the house and owner of the grand estate.

If someone with no connection to Tanya wished to meet her, they were expected to request an ‘audience’ rather than simply setting a time or asking to meet.

However, there were also times when someone held enough authority to brush such pleasantries aside.

As was the case of Slogg Keldricks, who had come to visit Rothstaylor Mansion despite not having any connection with the house beforehand.

Seated on the sofa with his legs crossed and a hand on his chin, he certainly looked like an arrogant and powerful aristocrat.

However, when Tanya was serious, she could also act the same. The way she played with her blonde braid with one hand showed her disinterest in Slogg.

Though, in truth, she had to actually be quite curious as to why Slogg had come to visit.

“It is an honor to meet these two rulers of House Rothstaylor.”

Slogg Keldricks bowed his head politely. A number of upper-level employees who came with him knelt down and bowed their heads in unison.

Watching Slogg acting so politely, Tanya was about to say something when…

“Achoo.”

…She sneezed.

Silence filled the room for a moment. I quickly glanced over at Slogg. I could tell why Lortel always called him an old fox. Even just from his features, I could tell he was a veteran who had been through it all.

Surviving for decades in Oldek deserved a medal on its own. Even though Oldek had undergone drastic changes over the past years, one thing never changed.

It was a place you could only survive if you stabbed someone in the back before they could do it to you.

The man was a stubborn, cruel, and heartless person, even willing to sell his own family, friends, and lover if necessary.

I leaned back against the wall with my arms crossed. From my standpoint, I didn’t need to be polite. Tanya held the highest authority in the room, and I was her older brother.

“I simply came all the way to Rothstaylor Mansion to give you my thanks.”

Merchants of Oldek never wasted time. No one believed for a second that he simply came all the way to the mansion for such a reason.

“Oh, my. You’re telling quite a funny story, Slogg Celldricks.”

“It’s Keldricks, Master Tanya.”

“Slogg Keldricks.”

Bell naturally spoke up to help her.

However, Tanya…could she really retain the highest authority…?

“Was there something for us to be thanked for?”

“One of our key members of the Elte Company, Lortel Kehelland. She is a faithful employee of ours who has helped us in many ways. We heard that she was greatly indebted to House Rothstaylor. Considering the people you introduced her to and the authority you lent her, it’s safe to say that in turn, the Elte Company was able to make an astronomical amount of profit.”

“I’m glad that merchants of Oldek know the virtue of being grateful, but did you really come all this way just to say that?”

Tanya sat with her legs crossed, arrogantly waving her toes. She had a cold smile on her face, her eyes cold.

“You didn’t actually think that I would believe that story now, did you? So, what is the real reason you came here?”

“I heard that a fox was hiding in the mansion.”

Slogg had an eerie smile on his face. Tanya responded with a wide smile of her own. Slogg then continued to speak.

“A fox that escapes its cage must be put back inside. Don’t you agree?”

“Well, in my eyes you look like an old and sick fox.”

“Normally, people like me who make money the way I do have a fox or two. However, it’s important to make sure they never run out of their cage.”

Slogg straightened his back as he spoke bluntly to Tanya, who continued to look down at him arrogantly.

“If you allow me to put a leash on my fox that ran away, I will repay you tenfold. I will make sure you know just how valuable your assistance was.”

“You speak arrogantly, Slogg Kel… Kel… Slogg Keldricks.”

It was kind of a strange name.

“Do you think that we, House Rothstaylor, are a mere shelter that protects stray animals?”

“I’ve heard stories.”

“Then you’ve heard wrong.”

“I wish that was the case, but that seems unlikely.”

I frowned while listening to the conversation, my arms still crossed.

The fact that he brought so many escorts with him to Rothstaylor Mansion meant that Slogg was already convinced. The whereabouts of Lortel should have been kept strictly secret. The fact that Slogg knew…raised a possibility that I didn’t even want to begin to consider.

“I heard about it directly from a capable employee of our company. Chief Secretary Lienna.”

Was it from torture or betrayal?

Whatever the case, it didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. The former was more likely than the latter.

Compared to Lortel, who held authority and influence, Lienna was just a mere employee. For someone like Slogg, it must have been much easier to deal with her instead. But how was he going to deal with the aftermath? After all, Secretary Lienna was a rather key member of personnel for the Elte Company.

I stared at Slogg quietly all this time. Then I spoke up.

“You are acting as if you don’t care what happens after you become the real head of the company.”

“The real head of the company? Young Master Ed Rothstaylor. It seems that you’re implying something.”

How could such a bright smile seem so evil and eerie? There was certainly something ominous about Slogg’s smile. Enough to make me worried.

“Am I not already the real head of the Elte Company?”

* * *

“Brother, this feeling… I might become addicted to it…”

After Slogg said all of that, he simply left. If he was so busy, why did he come and put on such a grand show?

I felt that something was wrong, but there wasn’t enough evidence to come to any conclusions yet.

“Wh-what do you think? When I look down, a little bit like this, coldly… Does it feel intimidating? Does it feel harsh?”

“Master. Trying to act in such an arrogant way with such a small figure feels counterproductive.”

I quietly applauded Bell, who had managed to say something so harsh and truthful that it almost sounded like an insult.

Tanya sat down on a chair, stretching her legs out and relaxing. She continued to stretch back and forth, letting out strange grunting noises. She then took a deep breath, burying herself in her seat.

“Did he just come here to provoke us? Why did he come all the way here? He could have just written to us…?”

“I’m not sure… Anyway, it seems he knows that we’re hiding Lortel.”

“But we won’t just give her up. Slogg should know that as well, so why did he come so far…”

“…Maybe he just came to check?”

Bell, who listened to our conversation, spoke up and stated her opinion.

As usual, she was behind Tanya with her hands held together politely, standing up straight. The way she spoke politely, with her eyes closed, seemed as if she was worried that her remarks might be out of place.

“Given Lortel’s personality, Slogg Keldricks must have assumed that he could find out something if he came here himself. He must have wanted to try to negotiate with her directly, strike a deal, or at least talk with her.”

Lortel was the type who always did work herself. If Slogg had something to discuss, she definitely wouldn’t send someone else to hear him out in her place.

“However, since Lortel never stepped forward in the end… Slogg must have been able to confirm it.”

“…The fact that right now, Lortel is unable to properly do anything… Right?”

“Yes. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be difficult to explain why someone as important and busy as him made the time to come here?”

Bell’s opinion definitely made sense. Whether he had tortured Lienna or persuaded her… Slogg definitely heard information about Lortel.

However, it would have been difficult for him to do anything without being certain that the information she gave was accurate. If she really was struck by a curse, what the effects of it were, how long she would be incapacitated for…

He wanted to confirm those things with his own eyes because he was someone that was cautious and would only move when he was certain.

Regardless, since Lortel stayed in hiding until the very end, he must have been convinced that Lortel was in critical condition.

“Once he goes back to Oldek, he’ll do something right away…”

“I think so as well, brother. From Slogg’s point of view… His last shred of worry had now disappeared.”

“With things like this, I can’t stand still and do nothing. Not only that, but I’m also worried about Secretary Lienna, who I left behind in Oldek.”

It was unusual that she, who was Lortel’s closest aide, had opened her mouth. She had supported Lortel until the very end, even in the extreme situation where Dune had betrayed her.

Because of that, I knew that Lienna wasn’t the type who would so easily open her mouth. Something had definitely happened.

“I think I need to quickly head back to Oldek.”

“I know you are strong, but please be careful to not get hurt, brother.”

“I won’t leave right away… I have a few things to prepare first.”

I scratched my chin and thought it over for a minute. Then I said to Tanya, “If we send a letter to the Holy Capital Karpea now, how long do you think it will take to arrive?”

* * *

After coming to a conclusion, I returned to my room. It was difficult to formulate a specific plan, as I had no idea what Slogg was planning.

I wanted to go to Oldek as quickly as possible to figure things out, but I decided it would be better to prepare as much as I could beforehand. So, I went to the storage area and gathered a few different magic engineering devices.

While I was thinking about making something in my private room using the tools I had, I suddenly felt as if something was in my closet.

It seemed Tanya’s weird habit wasn’t going to be fixed anytime soon.

Though, recently she’d been hiding in the attic or wine cellar instead… She was getting quite unique with her hiding spots. It felt as if hiding in my closet was rather tame for her.

At that point, I felt that her habit had gone past the point of no return, so I started to get accustomed to it… Whatever the case, she was hiding somewhere rather simple this time.

I sighed as I opened the closet door.

“What are you so busy with that you ran away all the way to my…”

However, before I could finish my sentence, I realized that the person in the closet wasn’t Tanya.

“Zzzz…”

Lortel was asleep, holding onto her notebook tightly. Now that she was smaller, she could easily hide inside a closet. I knew that she would sometimes play hide and seek with Lucy while running around the mansion.

It must have been hell for Lucy to play with her. However, since there was no one as talented as Lucy when it came to monitoring magic, I had to ask her to watch over Lortel.

Of course, watching such an energetic child was not easy. Without her magic powers, she was dragged around by Lortel every day. At that point, she must have given up trying to find where she was hiding.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine Lucy tiredly running down the hallways of the mansion, being dragged by Lortel’s hand…. Poor Lucy… It must have been exhausting for her.

Suddenly, I looked down at the large notebook she was holding onto.

Lortel had carried around the notebook even before she had lost her memory. It was natural, as she had a job that required taking lots of notes. Her secretaries could manage her schedule, but there were things she needed to keep track of herself.

Since there were surely many secrets being kept at the top of the company, that made sense.

However, even the new Lortel carried the notebook with her at all times. As if it were a precious treasure, she hid it from others and always read it alone off in a corner.

I wasn’t sure if she was struggling to read the characters, as she seemed to be a rather slow reader… Still, the way she stared intently at the book as if she was going to eventually read the whole thing was impressive.

I could have forcefully taken the notebook and read it, but it felt like tearing apart a child’s heart. That was why I had left her alone.

However, at that point… I couldn’t wait any longer to see what was written inside. There might be an important clue, so I needed to take a quick look while she’s sleeping.

However, the moment I reached out my hand to grab the notebook…

“Hnggg?!”

Lortel suddenly woke up the moment I was about to take the notebook. As if her sixth sense had activated. She wiped the saliva from the corners of her mouth. She clasped the notebook tightly with her opposite hand, crawling further into the closet.

Behind the shirts and coats hanging in the closet, I could see Lortel’s blushing face.

“No! No!”

She looked like a kitten that was showing her claws, holding the notebook tightly like that. She growled for a bit. However, upon suddenly remembering who I was, she took a deep breath.

“Ahh! I-I apologize! I-I fell asleep!”

“Yeah. Are you awake now?”

“Y-Yeah… I… I thought I was playing hide-and-seek with Lucy…”

“Yeah, I figured as much. For now, why don’t you get out of the closet?”

I was already having a hard time with Tanya, I didn’t need Lortel to become a regular visitor to my closet as well.

I reached out my hand towards her. She lowered her gaze, embarrassed, as she slowly put her hand on mine.

I then pulled her out of the closet. I sat her over by the table in my room, then decided it would be good to make a cup of tea. I started to use magic to warm the teapot. Lortel had her hands on her knees, pressing down strongly.

She then struggled to say, “I-I’m sorry… I-I know I wasn’t supposed to enter your room without permission… But… While I was running away… I accidentally came in here…”

“I’m not going to scold you, so there’s no need to be worried. Have a cup of tea before leaving. I’ll keep it a secret from the maids.”

“R-really?! Thank you!”

I finished brewing some black tea, and served it to her. I poured a cup for myself as well, sitting on the other side of her.

“Is there anything bothering you while living in this mansion?”

“No! I love it here! Bell, Yennekar, and Lucy! I love them all! Tanya is a bit…scary, though…”

That was surprising.

“But the servants and maids play with me every day, so I never get bored! I’m glad I came here to Rothstaylor Mansion, hehe!”

It felt like Lortel had become a part of our house, always running around the mansion with a smile on her face. Whether she was exploring the mansion by herself with dirt all over her, playing hide and seek with Lucy, or taking a nap on Yennekar’s lap…

It felt as if she had already completely become a part of our family in the mansion.

Things had already gone too far to worry about what she would do when she recovered… I was just praying that she would be able to find peace.

“Wow…! Young Master Ed is so good at making tea… It’s so yummy… Just like I heard, you really are incredible in everything you do…”

“Like you heard?”

“Uhmm. Hahaha. The servants… Yeah, what the servants often say…!”

Lortel picked up the teacup with her small hands and took a sip.

“Warm tea helps calm the mind and relax the body. I made this for you because I think I frightened you earlier. So, please relax and enjoy the drink.”

“A-ah… Thank you…”

When I felt things had become much more comfortable and at ease, I slowly closed my eyes and gathered my magic power.

In her current state, Lortel was unable to feel any sort of magic power, nor would she be able to resist. Not only that, it wasn’t regular magic power… It was Celestial Magic power, which was even more special and hard to resist.

“Maybe because the tea made me relaxed… I’m feeling tired…” Lortel yawned.

As if possessed, Lortel slowly fell asleep at the table. Beside her lay the notebook she had been carrying so dearly.

Looking at Lortel’s sleeping face, I slowly reached out and grabbed the notebook. The notebook she carried with her so dearly… Opening it was a matter of necessity, rather than curiosity.

The last note Lortel had written before losing her memory… I needed to check what it was.

Honestly, it wasn’t some form of self-justification. It was a real and acceptable reason…

The notebook was worn out after being kept so close and cherished for so long… Looking at it, I had a strange feeling rising in me.It felt… As if I were about to do something really bad.

Still, it couldn’t be helped.