The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 267

In Oldek, people said that time itself was turned ninety degrees.

It was an expression visitors used for the commercial city of Oldek, which always seemed to run three hours faster than everywhere else.

No one in the world worked harder than a greedy merchant. Oldek, built along the shore, was full of people who woke before sunrise and rushed into the streets for one reason alone—to make money.

While others were only just starting to wake up, the merchants of Oldek were already busy running around. In fact, Oldek’s early mornings were even noisier than midday in other large cities.

By six in the morning, everyone was already out working. It was easy to believe that time really did run at a different angle in this city. At the same time, bedtime came much later than in other large cities.

Laziness was the greatest sin there was in the bustling city.

Some didn’t hate the atmosphere of the city, where everyone was living diligently every second of their life. Inevitably, there were those who were miserable and struggled to survive in such a competitive, restless environment every day of the year.

It was the exact opposite of Yennekar’s hometown, Pulan, which I recently visited.

“We’re arriving later than I expected.”

Bell stepped out to the carriage, holding Lortel’s hand. As the vassals unloaded the luggage, she spoke to me.

We were in the central square of Oldek. Even in Oldek, where there were more than eleven large and small squares in total, it was the most central square.

Behind the large fountain in the center of the square was a government office building that managed all of the administrations in Oldek.

If the head of the Kroel Empire was the capital of Kroelon, Oldek could be considered its heart.

That was because everything within the empire moved through that place like blood through a body. The government office in Oldek boasted a grand scale. The marble walls were of the highest class, boasting elegance and dignity. The large wooden pillars were also quite the spectacle.

“W-wow….”

Lortel looked at the large building with her mouth wide open. Though it was a building she had been to many times before, it did not cease to amaze the naive Lortel.

“Lortel,” I called out to her quietly.

Lortel was startled to hear my voice. She clasped Bell’s hand tightly, hiding behind her.

“Y-yes…” Lortel said in a timid voice.

It looked as if she was still embarrassed that I read the notebook. She looked up at me, twisting the ends of her hair.

“What do you think of this city?”

“What?

Lortel was taken aback by the sudden question.

I knew about Lortel’s past. For Lortel, the city of Oldek was a place she loved and hated.

When she was a child, she had to walk through the slums and backstab others just to survive. Before she realized it, she ended up at the top of the city as an incredible merchant.

Lortel couldn’t fully love or hate the city.

That was why I wanted to ask Lortel about it while she couldn’t remember the hardships she had experienced.

“This…city…?

“Last time, you left in such a hurry that you couldn’t even take a look around Oldek. Right now, we are in the largest square in the city. It’s the place where many people come and go.”

Even though she didn’t seem to understand why I was asking her such a question, Lortel didn’t ask why. After all, she wasn’t cunning enough to think that far ahead.

Lortel looked around, holding Bell’s hand tightly. She slowly blinked as she captured the grand sight of Oldek with her eyes. The scenery of Oldek in the girl’s innocent eyes…

Unexpectedly, it didn’t make her feel all that uncomfortable. After all, there was no way for her to articulate the complicated feelings she had for the city, even though she had grown.

Lortel looked at the massive stone statue by the fountain in the central square as she spoke. It was a statue of a merchant wearing a robe and lifting a large two-arm scale.

“…I, um…like it. The atmosphere…is lively.”

Then, Lortel forced a smile on her face.

* * *

“I’ll give you three tasks.”

Head Maid Bell Maya was an extremely valuable person to have.

The amount of work she took care of in the Rothstaylor mansion was enormous. The amount she took care of personally in the mansion was nearly half of all the management necessary. If she were to leave the mansion for an extended amount of time, it would have a considerably adverse effect on the management of the estate.

Nevertheless, the reason I brought Bell with me to Oldek was that I needed a reliable person. Not only was she reliable, she had decent combat abilities and would never betray me.

I sat on a bench in Oldek’s Square as I addressed her, scratching my chin. Bell quietly looked at me with her hands held in front of her modestly. She carefully listened to each word I said with her usual composed face.

“While I am dealing with business in Oldek, I want you to take care of three things.”

“I will do as instructed.”

“First, watch over Lortel. The moment we head further into Oldek, Slogg will definitely try and use his people to get ahold of her. You need to protect her until I can finish my work.”

Oldek was full of people, all of whom were potential threats to Lortel. However, before I even told her that, Bell was already looking around carefully.

“That’s a given.”

Bell was a capable magician who not only had excellent skills with a rapier but also knew how to use intermediate magic.

I wasn’t asking her to protect Lortel for a few days. Just for a little bit.

“Second, go into the government office and meet with the director in person.”

“Would he meet with me?”

I took an envelope from my pocket, handing it to her.

“I am lending you my authority. With the head maid of Rothstaylor Mansion coming to meet with the director in person, he will definitely meet with you.”

“It’s an honor for someone like me to be able to borrow your authority, Young Master Ed.”

“Let’s put aside useless pleasantries and just talk about what’s necessary.”

“Yes. I apologize. It’s a habit of mine.”

Bell took the envelope, carefully putting it into her pocket.

“But why do I need to meet with the director in person?

“Under the excuse of helping House Rothstaylor with business, you will buy time. When you do that, then your third task will appear.”

“Third task?”

“Yes.”

Seeing that our luggage had been unloaded, I jumped up and brushed off my trousers.

“Your third task is necessary to take care of the bigger problem. Not just to lift the curse on Lortel, but to make sure we can catch Slogg.”

After saying that, I made sure to clearly explain Bell’s third task.

Bell nodded with a serious expression on her face.

* * *

The Elte Company’s headquarters.

In Oldek, also known as the land of gold, the Elte Company’s headquarters occupied the largest amount of land. Its size was incomparable to the Elte Company’s Silvenia Academy Branch.

As a massive business that every merchant wanted to set foot in, there was no better place for the greedy to go.

A place where everything revolved around money. As long as you could make money, anything was possible.

The current head of the Elte Company was none other than the old fox, Slogg Keldricks. Under an agreement with Lortel, he was to temporarily hold the position until her graduation.

Inside Slogg’s office, two executives of the Elte Company sat with him.

The Elte Company’s management structure was split into parts, but there was only one head that controlled the grand scale of the business.

However, there were also the Six Head Merchants—six merchants who were selected as being the most powerful and influential among the people in the Elte Company.

However, it was ultimately the head of the company who had the loudest voice. The Six Head Merchants were only able to stand on similar ground to the head if all six of them were in agreement in one place. They didn’t hold any direct decision-making power, only the power to hold discussions with the head of the company.

The Six Head Merchants had become much weaker than before.

Slogg Keldricks used to be one of the Six Head Merchants before being placed as the head. Lortel Kehelland was also supposed to leave the Six Head Merchants to become the new head of the company.

Whether she actually became the head of the company or something else happened… Either way, Lortel would soon be placed in an entirely different position.

Because those two had left the original Six Head Merchants, there were only four left to maintain that authority.

And two of them had already decided to join Slogg’s side.

Puelan, a merchant in minerals. Kaldeheim, a merchant in bonds. The two greedy men sat in Slogg’s office, questioning him.

“You were confident that Lortel Kehelland had completely fallen into the trap, but you haven’t been able to push her out. We are wasting time.”

Puelan, who was on the heavier side, sat on the sofa with a look of displeasure on his face as he stared at Slogg.

“I have bet everything on you. If things don’t go smoothly, I can’t help but get anxious. I need to be absolutely certain that you will remain as the head of the Elte Company.”

“I am in agreement, Director Slogg. We can’t just sit still and watch the golden daughter of Elte reclaim the position as head of the company,” Kaldeheim said.

“I see that you all are worried.”

Slogg placed his quill down on the desk as he leaned back. The two merchants looked at him with doubt on their faces. Seeing that, Slogg could only laugh as he continued speaking.

“You are both right. Lortel Kehelland… it is no easy task to get rid of that foxlike girl. Especially with House Rothstaylor standing behind her. It will not be easy, even for me. However… that does not mean it is impossible.”

Slogg was a veteran merchant who had survived for decades in the world of business. Both of the other merchants there were well aware of that fact. However, they couldn’t help but feel nervous, as they were dealing with Lortel.

“You are supposed to be Head Merchants who have risen from the cruel and unforgiving world of business. How will you ever close a major deal with such impatience?”

“Watch your words, Slogg Keldricks. You may be the director but there’s a limit to your influence in the Elte Company without the help of the Head Merchants.”

“Oh yes, of course. I apologize. However, it’s not like I haven’t been thinking at all about how to deal with her.”

Slogg Keldricks had personally visited Rothstaylor Estate to see their relationship with Lortel. It seemed as if House Rothstaylor was in a state of panic. That meant they were nearing the end of Lortel’s demise.

“It seems that Lortel Kehelland is incapacitated after being struck by the Regression Curse. Right now, no matter what we do, she doesn’t have the power to deal with it. Just like how we kicked out Elte, we should create a reason through an embezzlement case, but…we need to make sure to take care of things carefully.”

“Careful. You always say we need to be careful. Just how cautious are you planning to be because of that girl?” Puelan insisted.

“Do you think the only one we are going to have to deal with is Lortel Kehelland?” Slogg said, getting up from his seat.

He pushed his chair under the desk and walked over to the coffee table where the two merchants sat. Slogg held up a cup of tea and then poured it over Puelan’s lap.

“You bastard! What are you doing?!” Puelan roared.

“You seem impatient, so how about we calm down for now? Getting rid of Lortel will not solve all our problems. Let’s not get too short-sighted here.”

“Ahh! Fuck! Is anyone out there?! Ice! Get me ice!”

Slogg crossed his legs as he sat back down, setting the empty teacup down on the table nonchalantly.

“Lortel has House Rothstaylor behind her. That is exactly why we need to handle everything neatly and carefully. If we try to finish this hastily, everything will fall apart.”

“House Rothstaylor. They are the most powerful House in the empire. I heard that despite still having completely recovered their strength, they are receiving the protection of various influential individuals and houses,” Kaldeheim said.

“That’s right. Which is exactly why we need to be more careful,” Slogg continued with a smirk. “Right now, the house is being taken care of by the children of the former head of House, Krepin Rothstaylor. I went to their estate to see Ed and Tanya Rothstaylor with my own eyes, and to figure out just what kind of people they are.”

Slogg’s smirk grew wider. “They’re definitely talented compared to their age, but the way they behave is easy to read. They’re cautious, cunning individuals. They are certainly going to be as careful as possible when dealing with me. They’ll try to find out who is behind me and rip them out of the shadows.”

“Listening to what you say, this seems bad,” Puelan spoke up.

“No, rather, it’s much easier to read the movements of these types of nobles,” Slogg said casually as he leaned back. “Ed Rothstaylor is rather an influential member of the House, but I’ve already looked into all his records. He is an honorary professor at Silvenia Academy working in various fields of research. He is also working in management with the school. But do you know the characters of nobles who work in education?”

Puelan and Kaldeheim were quiet.

“They firmly believe that paperwork and politics can solve everything. Unfortunately for him, that’s our area of expertise… Though, he doesn’t realize that at all.”

Even with his authority as a member of House Rothstaylor, there was a limit to how much he could do against the Elte Company without proper justification.

Ultimately, he needed justification and reasoning. Ed Rothstaylor would surely try to take care of that somehow. To do so, he would have to travel directly to Oldek to collect information.

Information warfare, political warfare, and fighting behind the scenes—unfortunately for Ed Rothstaylor, that was Slogg’s specialty.

“What we’re really afraid of is an unpredictable opponent, but that young master is definitely not such a person.”

Slogg smiled as he looked down at the two merchants. He was the ruler who controlled the dark side of Oldek.

“You can never be sure with a man who is unpredictable in every single movement they make. Rather, things are much easier against an aristocrat… It’s easier to control and win over such people, after all. The bandits you meet while traveling are much more terrifying. Watching them cut down others’ lives right in front of you…”

The two merchants did not dare raise their voices recklessly.

“So as long as we wait slowly… We will catch him making a naive and obvious move, and then…”

Boom!

Booom!

At that moment, a large explosion came from the main gate of the Elte Company. The aftermath of the explosion was a massive gale. The windows shook uncontrollably, about to break at any moment.

“Wh-what?!”

Slogg trembled. The two merchants facing each other also opened their eyes wide as they looked at each other.

Slogg quickly stood up and ran to the window to see the explosion at the front gate. However, before he could look out the window, the outer wall of the office exploded.

Booom!

A second explosion.

A massive arrow made of magic cut through the marble wall like it was a piece of paper. The arrow, which had easily destroyed the outer wall of the building, was engraved with intermediate explosion magic.

Booom!

“Kyaaaaaah!”

The two merchants and Slogg, who were caught up in the aftermath of the explosion, fell to the floor.

Crash!

Thud!

Dust fell to the floor.

Explosions. Heat. Screams. A rising sense of danger.

They were in the land of business, but it felt as if they had suddenly been thrown into the middle of a battlefield.

Slogg lifted himself, breathing heavily. He ran towards the destroyed outer wall.

A sharp wind swept by, making Slogg’s gray hair blow in the wind. He looked out towards the main gate, where the explosion came from. When he looked down, all he could do was swear.

“Y-you…unhinged…bastard…”

He’d heard rumors that he was a ruffian, but there was a limit. Oldek was a central city in the Kroel Empire, and the Elte Company was the largest business in Oldek.

No matter how famous and powerful Slogg may be, there was still a limit to how much he could get away with.

Far away, at the main gate of the Elte Company, he could see Ed Rothstaylor standing there with a bow. He was standing on top of a carriage that had the seal of his House on the side.

There was nothing more to see. With the sun high in the sky, there were so many eyes looking his way, yet he still shot a magic power arrow engraved with an explosion spell towards the Elte Company’s building.

Near the main gate, several vassals accompanied Ed Rothstaylor and stood by his side, holding weapons.

Ed stood in the center of them, preparing another arrow. Ed was completely emotionless, making Slogg’s skin crawl. He looked as if he were doing something normal like it was a regular occurrence for him.

“Th-that bastard… How is he going to clean this mess up?! Without any legitimate reason, he completely destroyed the wall of the Elte Company building…!”

Meanwhile, Ed Rothstaylor had already finished preparing his next arrow. He was aiming at the roof of the building.

The first was at the main gate, the second was at Slogg’s office, and the last was at the company roof—to prevent any casualties.

His intentions were clear.

“Get down…! Another is coming!”

Booom!

The entire building shook as the sound of the panicking employees filled Slogg’s ears.

“Wh-what is he doing?! How is he going to take care of this…? Th-that…bastard! Has he really lost his mind?!”

Everyone who passed by the company had their eyes wide open, unsure of what was going on.

The Elte Company’s Headquarters, which was the largest and grandest building in Oldek, was now in terrible condition. The rising smoke and dust only added to the seriousness of the situation.

Pat, pat.

Holding his bow with one hand, he patted the hem of his shirt with the other.

It was an incredibly well-made bow, but there were many things he had adjusted. He threw the tobacco he had been smoking onto the street.

He then instructed the vassals who were waiting by his side, “Go in.”

As soon as the order was issued, the vassals rushed into the building with spears in hand.