The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 269

It was a memory from her childhood that Lortel wanted to forget.

A girl walked down the streets of a slum, holding onto her adoptive father’s hand as she entered a grand and large building.

Walking into the lobby of the large building, she saw merchants all over the place, murmuring to themselves.

She was the adopted daughter of Elte Kehelland, the Golden King.

The girl he adopted to become his right hand.

People said that after she was taught numbers, she learned multiplication and division on her own.

She was shown the ledgers of the company. Just two days later, she had completely mastered the double-entry bookkeeping method.

When shown the analysis of market trends, she came up with a new business plan within the week. Her idea was even used in the actual business plan.

Elte Kehelland, her adoptive father. He was the one who received the attention and respect of all merchants. He had brought her along with him and taught her the ways of a merchant for a few weeks.

One day, when Elte Kehelland brought her to the office, all the other merchants and employees lined up and bowed.

The head of bookkeeping, management, finances, trends, market analysis…

Lortel watched as countless talented and respected individuals with outstanding abilities in their respective fields bowed their heads to greet Elte. To Lortel, it looked like a faraway dream she could only hope to one day reach.

He introduced each person to Lortel, sincerely telling them that she would one day be one of the key people in charge of the company. In that amicable atmosphere, Lortel learned how to fake a smile. Even though she was inexperienced at wearing a mask, she adapted surprisingly quickly.

After walking down and meeting each experienced veteran of the company, they finally reached Slogg Keldricks, who lowered his head toward them.

“This is Slogg, the man I have been working with the longest. He has always assisted me in everything I did. He is not only the one I trust the most but also one of the most capable people there is.”

Elte Kehelland spoke with a greedy smile on his face.

“There is still much you need to learn, Lortel, but as your father there is only so much I can do. I hope that, in the future, Slogg will also be of great help to you.”

“That goes without saying,” Slogg said.

After a brief exchange of words, Elte and Lortel entered the office. Lortel turned around for a moment, looking at Slogg’s expression. He had an extremely cold look on his face.

“Listen, Lortel. The senior employees you just met are the ones you should be most wary of.”

Unlike when he closed the door, with a satisfied smile on his face, Elte Kehelland now had a cruel and unfriendly expression on it.

“Once you live in this world for long enough, you will naturally realize these things. You must not trust anyone. Even with your closest partner, you’ve worked with for decades. They’re all greedy bastards, waiting for the chance to stab a knife into your back. All they think about is stealing your wealth. Bastards filled with jealousy and greed…”

A place where trust was nothing more than a sin, especially for those seated at the top of the Elte Company.

Those merchants she met when she was a child were individuals who were covered with scars from their countless failures. No matter how hard they tried to climb up the chain, they failed. Their position was proof that they could not make it any higher.

“With all of those new faces that join the Elte Company, that is the first thing we teach them. You can’t trust anyone. Friends, peers, family, even teachers. Everyone in this world is alone. You can never trust another. There is no such thing as a relationship based on honesty and kindness. Man is a creature that was born to weigh the pros and cons.”

A large picture of a two-arm scale was on the wall in the office. It was like the symbol of the Elte Company.

Normally, it was a symbol of justice, fairness, and truth. However, among the employees of the Elte Company, it was a symbol of hypocrisy and deceit.

Looking up at the large two-arm scale, Elte Kehelland spoke.

“There’s no such thing as a perfectly balanced two-arm scale. You must always remember that fact.”

His voice was heavy.

* * *

The Elte Company’s main building was already in a state of chaos.

From the outside, you could see smoke pouring out of the destroyed building. It was a sight that was hard to believe.

The Elte Company’s headquarters had always been there. It was only natural. Like the Emperor’s Castle in the Capital, the watchtower in Silvenia Academy, and the Holy Father Building in the Holy City, it was like a landmark that had always been there.

The sight of the building as a complete wreck was hard to believe. At the very least, that was how it seemed to the citizens of Oldek.

The appearance inside the building was not much different from the outside.

The lobby on the first floor was filled with debris that had crashed down. Merchants were running away as the walls and ceiling collapsed. Countless people were in a hurry, taking care of themselves.

House Rothstaylor’s vassals were searching throughout the building. Merchants were running away, trying to survive. Among them, a few veterans were trying to come up with the best plan of action for their own benefit.

Puelan and Kaldeheim, who were both completely on Slogg’s side, were running underground.

The other merchants of Oldek were trying to figure out the situation that was taking place in the Elte Company and getting help.

Chief Secretary Lienna opened her eyes in a dark room.

Slogg, the current head of the company, was trembling in front of Ed Rothstaylor. Ed Rothstaylor, the one at the center of this situation, was quietly holding Slogg up by his collar.

Slam!

However, Slogg didn’t get caught. He had a hidden magic engineering device in his back pocket. With a loud explosion, Slogg fell onto the floor.

Crank!

Ed Rothstaylor was a master of magic engineering. Just by looking at the device, he could quickly identify and neutralize the internal structure. That was why Slogg had triggered the explosive device while it was still in his pocket.

Booom!

“Ackkk!”

A sharp pain came over his body. Slogg had fallen downstairs, rolling onto the floor. He could barely raise his body from the dust. He had the bitter taste of iron in his mouth. Still, he was able to distance himself from Ed Rothstaylor.

Slogg ran down the hall with a limp.

Ed jumped down the hole in the floor. He slowly turned his head towards Slogg, who was running away.

Even for a warrior, let alone a merchant, it wouldn’t have been easy to withstand such an explosion. Nevertheless, Slogg continued to flee. Ed Rothstaylor made his way through the dust in pursuit.

Slogg struggled to make his way across the hall with his injured body. He continued to limp with his hands against the wall. As he ran away, he would knock down pieces of furniture and decorations to hinder Ed Rothstaylor’s pursuit. However, for Ed Rothstaylor, such things couldn’t be considered an obstacle. With just a small amount of magic power, he was able to send all of them out the window.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…!”

Slogg was well aware of the fact that Ed Rothstaylor could easily catch him. He could never outrun that man.

Ed Rothstaylor was taking his time as he simply walked over to where Slogg was. He needed to determine who was behind Slogg.

Rather than destroying Slogg, he intended to get rid of that person instead—and with them, the reason Slogg could act so confidently. To do that, he needed to figure out who Slogg was relying on.

With that in mind, Slogg had no choice but to run away with all his might. Reaching the end of the hallway, he came across a flight of stairs. He quickly ran down the stairs before twisting his ankle and rolling down the rest of the way.

Slogg clenched his teeth and groaned. It seemed as if his body was going to collapse at any given moment. He looked up at the top of the stairs to see Ed Rothstaylor slowly walking down towards him.

The murderer and the victim. The pursuer and the fugitive. The hunter and the game.

“Y-you bastard… Do you really think you can fix everything by acting like this?!” Slogg swore at him, no longer treating Ed Rothstaylor like an aristocrat. “Are you that confident you can get rid of me like this? Do you really think that’s going to happen?”

“Like I told you, I have already taken the necessary measures. So just stay still.”

“I’m sorry, but you already messed with me, so—!”

Too-too-too-toom!

Suddenly a loud trumpet was heard from outside the walls of the collapsed stairwell.

It was the ceremonial music that Oldek’s Government Office prepared for distinguished guests. The moment he heard it, Slogg looked outside with trembling eyes.

Looking beyond the broken wall, he could see the large iron gate of the Elte Company. There was a magnificent carriage of the Holy Father Building. All of the residents of Oldek who were present were in complete shock, their eyes wide open.

The same was true of Slogg. He stuck his head out of the wall, staring at the scene taking place outside.

It was the carriage of the Holy Father Building’s Saint, a person that was difficult to ever meet in one’s lifetime.

“This…is…crazy…”

Too-toot.

Boom! Boom!

The carriage slowly approached as the loud musical performance continued. Then, it parked upon reaching the Elte Company.

The number of people in front of the main gate of the building was massive. With the sudden appearance of a saint, the already chaotic scene fell further into chaos.

The door of the carriage opened…and Clarice, the Saint of the Holy Father Building, appeared.

She was a human who was treated like a divine being descended from heaven. If expressed through colors, she would be pure white.

White hair, white clothes, white skin. She also had red eyes and a red butterfly hairpin.

The way she gently stepped down the stairs of the carriage was like a beautiful butterfly landing on a flower petal.

This was truly Saint Clarice. No one would dare impersonate her—doing such a thing would be a death sentence.

She stepped off the stairs, delicately putting her feet on the ground.

Familiar faces stepped down behind her—Bell Maya, the head maid of House Rothstaylor, and the young Lortel, who was clenching Bell’s hand, followed by numerous escorts from the Holy Father Building.

Seeing them, he pieced together what happened. The reason Saint Clarice suddenly showed up was because of Ed Rothstaylor. Upon seeing his vassal Bell Maya, it was a natural conclusion to come to.

Ed Rothstaylor had sent Bell Maya to the government office in advance to finish the preparations so that Saint Clarice would be guided to the Elte Company.

However, how was such a plan realistic? No one in the world could have thought to bring the Holy Saint Clarice directly to the Elte Company.

“Why do you think Saint Clarice came to the headquarters of the Elte Company? Ed Rothstaylor spoke as he looked down at Slogg in the stairwell. “She’s here to approve the contract that was in the works with the Elte Company. However, she’s finding the Elte Company in chaos instead.”

She was never in talks over such a contract. Nevertheless, if Saint Clarice were to say as much, it would become true.

There was no other viable reason for her to travel such a long distance. The distance between the Elte Company and the Holy Father Building was great, and there was no particular relationship between the two.

There was no better way to prove that there were talks of a deal between the Elte Company and the Holy Father Building other than the Saint’s appearance.

It was only a matter of time before Slogg would be seen as ruining the contract between the Elte Company and the Holy Father Building for his personal interests.

Too-too-too-toom!

The grand trumpet let out a triumphant blast, as if declaring Slogg’s defeat.

Justification—the last card Slogg had up his sleeve disappeared.

“I hope the person behind you has more authority than the Saint of the Holy Father Building,” Ed Rothstaylor said calmly as he slowly descended the stairs. “Otherwise… you won’t be able to keep your position much longer.”

He wasn’t speaking out of confidence, nor was he ridiculing him. He was just stating the facts.

But what was the point of saying that? When it came to the number of people who had more authority than the Saint of the Holy Father Building, there were only a few.

Slogg lowered his voice as he looked at the Saint from the broken outer wall. “Yeah… with the Saint personally coming here like this, there’s nothing I can say… Not only that, but Lortel Kehelland is now in a perfect position to become head of the company without any repercussions…”

Then, as if in vain, he turned back to look at Ed as he spoke. “Haha… Yes, you must be curious as to who is behind me…”

He put his back against the wall as he exhaled heavily. It was the appearance of a rat that was pushed to a corner.

Slogg slowly raised his lips as he bled. The sound of his bitter laughter was mixed with groans of pain. He looked despondent and exhausted.

“Huff… Huff…” Slogg breathed heavily. He then raised his back as he spoke. “Do you think I’ll tell you that easily?!”

Boom!

At that moment, Slogg’s last magically engineered device exploded.

By triggering another explosion despite the miserable state of his body, he was clearly risking his life.

Nevertheless, Slogg was ready to embrace the explosion and used the device without hesitation. He descended to the lowest floor of the Elte Company.

* * *

Dust rose all around.

It was a sudden explosion, but I didn’t suffer any damage due to quickly casting defensive magic.

I fell to the bottom floor of the building with Slogg but landed safely, patting the dust off of my clothes. When the rising dust started to fade… I saw Slogg lying there in a completely battered state.

His gray hair was a mess and his face was covered in blood. Because of the explosion, his body was burnt all over. His uniform was completely ruined, no longer the luxurious item it once was.

Looking around, I could see that it used to be a conference room of sorts. There were several tables lined up, but because of the explosion, more than half were blown away.

Once the dust had completely settled and I could get a full look at Slogg…I could only frown.

“Keuk… H-heuk…”

There was an iron bar that had gone through his waist. It had completely gone through him due to the impact of the fall. It seemed to be a piece of debris, fallen from the outer wall or ceiling as it collapsed.

He bled onto the floor.

Slogg forced himself to sit up with an unbelievable amount of tenacity, trying to pull the iron bar out. However, unable to gather any strength to do so, he eventually lowered his hands.

“K-keuk… Huff… Heuk… Ha…hahaha…”

He was breathing heavily, completely exhausted. Despite that fact, he suddenly started to laugh. He tried to stand up and walk away, but he only fell on top of the tables.

He grabbed the iron bar stuck in him, but couldn’t pull it out. He put his hand on the table to lean against it, but slipped on his own blood, falling back down onto the ground.

Nevertheless, he continued to stumble forward and stand up again and again, even though he knew there was no point.

“For now… I need to run… I need time…need time to figure out what happened…and help… I need to get help… K-keuk…”

I didn’t have a single scratch on my body as I stood behind Slogg, looking down at him.

Slogg was in terrible condition. At that moment, I could completely end his life if I wanted to. But I didn’t move.

“D-don’t come any closer…! L-leave me alone…! K-keuk…!”

Slogg barely stood up by clutching the table with his trembling hands. He continued to shout at me, unable to control his trembling body.

“I-I’m sorry…! Yeah… I didn’t imagine you would use such violent means…but…just give me some time, and…”

“Slogg Keldricks.”

“Y-yeah…! Y-you can’t touch me! D-do you know who is behind me?! Do you think I would have gone to the Rothstaylor Estate like that without insurance?! I survived here in Oldek for decades! Do you think you know more than me?!”

I was quiet as I watched him.

“You think this is the end?! I can assure you, if you touch me here…you’ll regret it…!”

Slogg didn’t have any more room to step back in retreat. Blood continued to flow from his wound, but he acted as if it didn’t matter. Right before he raised his voice once more…

“Let’s stop this act already. I did everything you wanted, Slogg,” I spoke words that stabbed him through his heart.

Seeing Slogg suddenly stop speaking, I slowly continued to speak.

“I know that there isn’t actually anyone behind you. You did this all on your own.”

Slogg remained still for some time, his expression grave. Looking at me, he began to cough up some more blood. He started to laugh as if he knew his end was near.

“Is that so…? So you knew everything from the start…”

He started coughing again.

“I thought it was strange as well… Keuk… Heuk…”

Then, Slogg lost all strength in his body as he collapsed onto the table. His whole body was covered in injuries and his clothes were torn apart.

Covered in his own blood with eyes losing their tenacity, he looked more like a beggar on the street than the wealthy merchant he used to be.