The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 64

There was no such thing as an epilogue.

Lortel kept repeating that while staring off blankly into space.

Just as scheduled, the Elte Company was able to finish purchasing the Sage’s Seal. The seal was almost lost in the middle of the transaction, but thanks to Professor Glast being subdued faster than they thought, the condition of it was still good.

After the entire negotiation, it was simply dismissed as an incident.

“……”

Lortel Kehelland sighed deeply as she sat down in the sitting room of the store.

Finally, the Seal was officially owned by Lortel and was now floating on top of her desk. The process of the Resonance Transferal had also been fully completed, with Lortel now the Seal’s formal Resonance Owner.

“Definitely… The feeling from the magic power resonance itself is extremely amazing.”

There was not a grain of knowledge that was known about Celestial Magic that wasn’t within the Seal.

Though, the benefit of Lortel becoming the resonance owner of the Seal was nothing more than a small increase in magic power resonance. Other than that, she could cast bigger magic, appropriate to the increased mana capacity inherent in the book. Without being someone like Professor Glast, who was well-versed in all kinds of magic, it didn’t have much meaning.

In the first place, it was just a product she had bought to sell again later, so it didn’t mean much. She wasn’t the type to prefer investing in high-risk products such as that, where a lot of money was on the line, but…

“Anything… Hm…. Anything…”

Ed Rothstaylor might have forgotten already, but she had still gotten her hands on the Seal. Lortel was in a position where she could ask Ed for anything.

In the first place, it was just a Seal she was going to sell, but… Given the opportunity cost and the risk of having that much money on the line, it wasn’t like Lortel invested in just anything.

“By the way, is it really okay to sell it back to that person, Krepin?”

Seeing Ed’s expression, it seemed as if he never wanted to let the Seal fall into Krepin’s hands. Lortel felt a sense of uncertainty in her heart that the deal wouldn’t proceed as planned.

“……”

Suddenly Lortel swallowed her dried saliva.

In recent days she ended up spending a lot more time thinking about Ed. That was not a very good state to be in.

On one side of Lortel’s desk were all the Production Formulas that Ed had handed her, requesting the necessary materials. The contract had been drafted, but it was difficult from a company’s standpoint to see any significant benefit in doing so.

Slowly, Lortel began to feel a bit more serious.

She thought the time had come to finally distinguish between her public and private matters.

Her hunger for companionship.

Lortel has been making sure to walk the line her entire life, but she was now sure that she was crossing over that line these days.

Lortel Kehelland was born with the qualities of an extraordinary businesswoman. Always weighing profit with a cool head, and those cold eyes of hers that never seemed to warm.

“Alright… I also need to be a little stricter with him…”

Lortel glanced away as she looked towards the contract that was to be signed with Ed.

“…But I’ll just do this.”

Disregarding her motto, where things that should be done today shouldn’t be postponed until tomorrow, Lortel once again delayed that resolution. What a regrettable choice that was.

“However, that’s that…”

In any case, there was nothing else to worry about in terms of the business growth, and she had finished all of the paperwork that she needed to review that day… All that was left was to worry about that battlefield of love.

Yennekar Palerover, who was like a flower bed, seemed to be feeling no sense of crisis at all. But Lortel, who was quick to grasp the situation and always remained cool-headed, was already starting to feel a strange sense of danger.

She’d been thinking pretty deeply and seriously about that lazy magician, who had recently been spending more and more time sticking to Ed Rothstaylor… But even then, that girl still probably wouldn’t show off her girly side.

After thinking about it over and over again, she had finally come to that conclusion… But even still, that uneasiness in her heart didn’t go away.

The sense of uneasiness that came from the off chance that, if a certain opportunity presented itself, that relationship might change.

But… What would be the reason to make that lazy girl make her move? Despite the shock of Professor Glast’s death, the girl still jumped around the academy rooftops with those sleepy eyes of hers as if nothing had happened. Even that event didn’t trigger anything.

The decisive moment always came without any prior notice, but… Regardless of that, there was no way a chance that would make a girl like Lucy make her move would come around easily.

Even if she really wanted to convince herself of that fact… Whether it was actually the truth or just a means to rationalize the situation and reassure herself, she still hadn’t figured that out.

That was just how a person’s heart was. It wasn’t often that there was a clean-cut conclusion.

***

[ Name: Ed Rothstaylor

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Academy Year: 2nd

Species: Human

Achievements: None

Vitality: 12

Intelligence: 11

Dexterity: 13

Willpower: 12

Luck: 9

Combat Skills Details ➤

Magic Skills Details ➤

Life Skills Details ➤Alchemy Skills Details ➤ ]

“You were at the scene of the accident once again, Ed Rothstaylor.”

The head dean, McDowell.

Unlike his weak mentality, his outer appearance looked strong. He had a shaggy beard around his chin and the monocle he was wearing was worn out.

In Silveria Academy, after Obel and Rachel he was the next highest person in power… He was the one in charge of most things that took place inside the academy and the one that made the final decision for anything related to academic affairs.

“I can’t believe you were caught up during the Glasskan incident, the Occupation of Ophelis Hall incident, and now even the theft of the Sage’s Seal incident. You seem to have very awful luck.”

My name was attached as the person involved with every single major incident that had taken place at the academy over the past year.

It was only natural that I would look suspicious, but right now there wasn’t any evidence to prove that I did anything.

In this case, I was a victim that was nearly in grave danger after being kidnapped by Professor Glast.

There was no reason for me to be intimated, but there was also no reason for me to be high-spirited.

“That is correct.”

“I’ve been briefed on the general situation, but could you explain it again in more detail to me?”

“Actually, there’s nothing more to say other than what has already been reported. I don’t know the reason, but I was kidnapped by Professor Glast. I had an opportunity to escape, so I ran out and attempted to ask for help. In the process, I ran into Taylee and his party.”

There was no need to talk about Elte and his mercenaries, who took advantage of the chaos and entered Acken Island from the cliffside. Or the situation regarding the fact that Professor Glast had passed away in the northern forest.

“That’s everything. Yennekar and Lortel urgently came to save me, but that’s it.”

“…About that other girl, Ayla, who was also kidnapped alongside you. Did you escape without her?”

“Ayla was in a state where she couldn’t move, and she didn’t completely trust me. I went out alone to ask for help. In the process, I met Taylee and told him about it.”

“……”

Dean McDowell listened to me with his eyes shut.

There was something strange about it all, but the words that I said made sense. Comparing it to what had been reported before, there were no contradictions.

It wasn’t like he was looking at me with suspicion. Rather, it was more like an observer that was closely listening to every detail of the story.

But the reason I couldn’t feel relieved until the very end was because it couldn’t just be a coincidence that I had my foot stuck in every single important incident that took place.

Sitting on the sofa across from him in the counseling room, simply speaking frankly about my situation is not enough to dispel all of his suspicions.

However, without any evidence there was a limit to how much suspicion he could have of me. My stance in the incident was clearly the victim, and no matter what anyone else said, Professor Glast’s defiant actions were caused solely by the academy’s poor management.

Ultimately, it was obvious what Dean McDowell would say.

“You went through a lot. Being a student that was a victim of the academy’s mishaps, we should do something for you. I’m sure you also went through a lot of physiological damage as well. Personally, I thought it over quite a bit.”

Dean McDowell reviewed all the documents that were spread out among his desk again. My academy registry, the evaluations written by the professors in charge of me, and summarizations of other miscellaneous personal records and history on me.

“Speaking honestly, I have my suspicions about you.”

That was Dean McDowell’s style. When all of the fundamental issues had been sorted out to some extent and he was convinced that there wasn’t a point in discussing any further, he would suddenly speak of what was in his heart.

The same was true back at the start of the first semester, when he had called me in for that face-to-face talk. He had finally admitted that he had no intention of expelling me from the academy.

“You live like a third party that doesn’t know of anything, but it feels like you know a lot.”

“I’m honored that you gave me such an evaluation.”

“The same goes for that sly behavior of yours.”

Dean McDowell closed his eyes gently, opening them again.

He was the one that made the final decisions within the academy’s administration. But no matter how much that might have been the case, he couldn’t get out of the middleman’s shoes in the end.

Although he had risen to a high position, he was still someone who only acted under the headmaster and deputy headmaster.

Whenever he finally reached the limits of his given position, he always fell back onto his principles and rules.

“But… that would just be my own personal suspicions. No matter what anyone says, you’re still just a student that has been a victim due to a failure on the part of the academy. That was the case during the Occupation of Ophelis Hall and now.”

“……”

“There’s no evidence proving anything even when I looked into your academy life. You quietly concentrate on your classes, the assistant professors and other faculty members all give you high praise as an honor student, and unlike before—when people only had bad things to say about you—you now receive many positive comments from others.”

McDowell flipped through the papers before putting them back on top of the table.

“There is a pretty large improvement in your grades, and it has already been quite some time since your incident at the entrance examination, so there’s no reason to keep holding you responsible for that anymore. Not only that, but now from the academy’s perspective it seems that we now owe you some sort of favor.”

Having said that, Dean McDowell finally admitted in a benevolent tone.

“You’ve really worked hard, Ed Rothstaylor. I can’t help but admit that fact.”

“……”

“The academy doesn’t want to just neglect a student like yourself anymore. You are a student that must be rewarded.”

Surprisingly, there was no suspicion or hostility in the eyes of Dean McDowell, who was looking at me. Rather, as a dean speaking to a student, he uttered words that were close to what was appropriate of him.

“You will be able to obtain permission to live in Lorail Hall Dormitory. Naturally, you won’t have to pay a dormitory fee either. However, right now there currently isn’t an open room left in Lorail Hall, so you will have to stay in Dex Hall until next semester.”

I wasn’t sure how much he knew about the way I’d been living up until now, but it seemed that Dean McDowell had made some guesses about it.

“Stop wandering around and living your miserable lifestyle. Go back to your life as a normal student. You’ve earned that right.”

***

Leaving the head dean’s office, I walked across the hallway. In a corner of the lobby, sitting down on a bench with her feet stretched out as she looked up at the ceiling, Yennekar called out to me.

“Ah, Ed! You came out! How was it? Was it okay? He wasn’t mad at you, right? He didn’t scold you in any way, right?”

“I’m the victim, so why would he scold me?”

“Hmm. I guess that’s true.”

Even the tallest of the towers of magic power had collapsed as the clear autumn sky’s beauty revealed itself again.

It had been less than a full day since that incident occurred, so all the academy’s faculty were still busy. Given how busy they were, investigating the situation and repairing any damages, all morning classes had been canceled.

They were nearly finished settling everything that had happened after working throughout the night, and it seemed that it would be the last time I would hear about the incident, which I was already sick and tired of.

I hadn’t had the chance to properly wash my body yet, let alone clean my clothes, so I looked like a complete mess.

Yennekar felt uncomfortable seeing me in such a state. She let out a deep sigh.

“You’ve done a great job, Ed. Just what was the deal with this whole incident? I’m upset just thinking about it.”

Seeing Yennekar say that to me, I couldn’t help but think,Is this really the time to be worrying about others?

Her clothes were stained, and her hair was sticking out in a complete mess. Seeing Yennekar worry about others made her look rather brazen.

To put it bluntly, Yennekar’s comment was just from her anxiety. It was hard to say that was a particularly helpful one to make.

Didn’t Lucy dominate the entire battle against Elte all by herself? It was a very precarious position when you realized that if even just the slightest thing had gone wrong, she might have ended up blocking Taylee’s way.

However, Yennekar rushed down to those dreary Underground Waterways with the determination to save me.

Seeing her smile and say ‘at least you didn’t get hurt’… How could anyone in the world ever blame her for doing such a useless thing? Actually, I was the one who had made her worry.

“I’m sorry. It seems that I always make you worry about me, Yennekar. Were you hurt anywhere? I heard that you also had to fight a bit, so I’m a bit worried.”

“Worried?! What are you worried about?! I’m completely fine, don’t worry at all! Alright? Hm?!”

Saying that, she quickly stood up and flapped her arms around, her ears perked up like she was listening to something again.

Her spirits always seem to be whispering something to her, but seeing that they might be right in front of me gossiping behind my back, I didn’t feel all that great about it.

Well, I was sure those guys had their own reasons, so I wasn’t going to say anything about it.

“Hmm… You’re right! Actually, it might not be the case that I got away completely unhurt. Should I say I’m a bit sore inside? I think I got hurt while saving you, Ed. So… I think you owe me something! Yeah! Owwww! It hurts!”

“You got hurt?”

It felt as if I was naturally and reactively starting to frown.

Yennekar was the only person in Silvenia that I could call a friend. I had also built up all sorts of personal debts towards her over time, as well.

I had only asked her out of courtesy because I was confident that she was a person that wouldn’t have been hurt so easily. That was because Yennekar was really strong.

“Wh-Where did you get hurt? Specifically?”

“U-Uhm…? M-My waist? A sprain? Something like that?”

“……”

I felt my expression slowly turning sour. Before I knew it, I was taking Yennekar’s kindness for granted.

I was also a person, even though I didn’t have many friends. It would be a lie to say that Yennekar, who I had endured the hardest of times with, wouldn’t want me to pay her back when I owed her a debt.

“Yennekar. There’s something that I thought about after all of this.”

“H-Hm?”

Yennekar’s eyes darted around, flustered by the sudden seriousness in my voice.

It seemed she thought something bad was happening, although that wasn’t the case. In a way, it was something that I had to do.

“Didn’t you also think of it after hearing Professor Glast’s last words? It’s too late to regret something after losing it. Come to think of it, every time an incident like this happens, you work hard and go through so much, and I think I ended up taking that for granted. I can’t believe that you even got hurt this time around…”

“…U-Uhm? Y-Yeah.”

As I sat next to Yennekar, I sighed deeply and wiped my face.

“I certainly feel a sense of shame from all of this. I feel like I’ve been a burden to you. I’m thankful for you always treating me kindly, but in the end you are the one who always seems to suffer, Yennekar.”

“Uh… Oh… Hm?”

“Anyway, I’ll take responsibility for all of your injuries. Later, you should go to the academy’s medical center. You’re already struggling to handle the cost of living now that you’ve been cut off from the scholarship, but I feel awful and so sorry that I’m making you pay such unnecessary expenses. Make sure to tell me when you find out how much the treatment costs. I’ll pay for it. I at least have that much money.”

“Hmm? Uhm? Huh?”

I didn’t hide a bit of my guilt. It was polite to say things just as they were.

So, I sincerely apologized to Yennekar.

“I’m sorry, Yennekar. Because of me, you have suffered every time.”

“I’m sorry! I lied! Actually, I don’t have a single injury! I’m really sorry! I’m so sorry for lying to you!”

***

It felt like a long time had passed since I had last walked through the northern forest.

Since I’d been walking in and out of camp every day, I never thought I would ever feel so out of place walking that path again.

Well, I had been going through a lot lately.

I continued walking down the path with frosted breath. It was about the time when you could start to see your breath leaving your mouth.

“For one reason or another, I might start living in Dex Hall from this break or next semester.”

As I said that, Yennekar’s face visibly lit up.

“Really? Dex Hall? I’m at Dex Hall too! Are you really going to Dex Hall?! Oh! That’s great! So… Uhm… Well, I am also at Dex Hall, and…Anyway, you did great, Ed!Now you can leave that difficult environment you’ve been living in. Yeah!”

“I’m so, so, so glad to hear that! Now we can see each other more often! If you get access to Dex Hall, then… If you get an assignment for class, we can study together in the study room…! Yeah! It will be easier for me to teach you about things related to Spiritual Resonance as well…! So… Your studying environment will become even better! Yeah! It’s about your studying environment! Nothing else, just that!”

It was like I was being blinded by seeing her jumping around excitedly with that bright smile of hers. She was so happy, as if it was something that had happened to her. Tears of joy even started to flow out… As expected, she really was the idol of our academy with that sympathy of hers.

I cleared my mind as I walked through the grass.

A lot had happened, but it all finished in an instant.

By tomorrow, I’d be able to go back to my studies once I checked in on how the situation has completed and I gave one last testimony.

Once I made sure that Taylee and Ayla had escaped from the tower of magic power without any issues, I’d be able to know that Act 2 has finished cleanly for sure.

I took out a key, stained with dried blood, and I took a look at it.

Professor Glast’s body was carried away by a clergyman from Telos. That was because, I believe, his wife was a devout follower of the Telos religious group.

Once the funeral procession was complete, he would be buried back in his homeland.

Since you couldn’t put blame on the dead, that was how this incident would come to an end.

Originally, he might have been honored with the blessings of a saint of the church as a great scholar that had passed away… But now, he would have to be satisfied with just that much.

But at least it wasn’t that lonely of a life… I could at least say that was a relief.

Professor Glast’s secret laboratory seemed to have been concluded as tentatively being closed. I was told that the academy’s faculty had explored the inside of it but found no particular peculiarities.

Even the Soul Library, which was buried in debris, looked just like a ruin… so they hadn’t seemed to have any thought of using it. I never thought I’d be grateful to Lucy for completely destroying the entire thing.

In the first place, the incident itself was a major disgrace from the academy’s point of view. Because of that, they wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

As a result, once the academy’s interest in all of it was gone, then the entire contents of that library would be mine.

I was happy, but… there was no way I could only feel happy. It was only natural that I would also feel a bit of sadness over it all.

As I continued walking and thinking of such things, before I knew it I had reached the camp.

Whiff.

I didn’t know when, but at some point that place had become something like my hometown.

The wooden shelter that was built in a hurry when I first ended up there, the cabin I built up over summer break, all of those survival tools, the campfire, the piles of logs and tree stumps around it that I used as chairs…

The leftover net was hung from the ceiling and tied up, acting somewhat like a hammock. The firewood for the upcoming winter was also piled up well off to one side of the timber storage.

“Phew…”

Apparently, another uninvited guest had come by. A petite magician with a large witch hat was lying down on a tree stump, breathing out her tiny breaths.

She was a girl that I didn’t find strange to see appearing out of nowhere… Though, it did feel weird to see her recognizing this camp as her own personal nap spot.

It was still my camp, right??

Tiredly, I walked over to the cabin’s door. Things I had made myself and other furniture that was sent by Lortel were packed inside.

Looking at the interior of the cabin, which was now nice with a cozy little fireplace, I felt quite satisfied.

I grabbed a wooden chair and brought it next to the campfire. I leaned back in it, as if I were falling backwards.

It was still daytime, but since I felt a bit chilly I used Ignite to start the campfire. I threw in some firewood and scattered it around.

Tweet, Tweet.

Trickle.

Zzz….Zzzz….

I closed my eyes as I started to rest. It was difficult and arduous, but somehow I managed to build the camp with my own hands.

The chirping of the sparrows, the flowing water down by the river, and Lucy’s light breathing tickled my ears.

I had a lot of work I needed to do. I needed to wash my clothes, check on my food supply, review my studies in preparation for the final exams—which would start in two weeks. It was also about time I started thinking over how to deal with next semester’s tuition.

How much more was there? There was still a lot left of the storyline that remained. During the vacation, there would be another class assignment test for the incoming first years. There was also the next student presidential election, and various other events that would take place to benefit Taylee’s Swordmaster Skills.

Nevertheless… All I wanted to do was rest.

I closed my eyes, getting swallowed up by the relaxing sounds of nature as I started to imagine my new life after I entered Dex Hall.

Most of the infamous rumors about me had died down, but I was sure there were still a few students that had a negative perception of me. With that, I’d just have to try and clear up the misunderstandings.

I wouldn’t have to live every day busily hunting for food, as I will now be able to go to the student cafeteria where the meals were prepared for me. I could also take my time as I slowly walked over to the education district.

I could completely focus on my studies and just check in on the storyline’s characters every once in a while. While checking in to make sure the story was progressing smoothly, I could live a peaceful life.

How was my life living in the camp?

It was literally nothing but a pain in the ass, but… Looking back on it, it had become much more stable and rather relaxing.

One of the reasons was because I had finished building the cabin with my own hands, and the food supply had stabilized to some extent.

I also had a bit of extra money, so I could buy items and use it in emergencies. It didn’t feel like I was going through that much of a hard time compared to what I had thought.

In the first place, when I first moved in at the start of the first semester, I didn’t know anything. Nowadays, I seemed to have adapted well to dealing with everything.

Additionally, while I was stuck in the camp I could live a relatively free life within the academy’s schedule. And if necessary, I could do whatever I wanted late at night. That environment was more suitable for production, cooking, and vitality training.

Personally, I had wanted to build a fence that would surround everything, grow some food that could survive the whole year, and reinforce the cabin a bit more. Those were all plans that I had made thinking I would need to survive in the forest for a lot longer.

But I also feel a bit empty?

That was what I had thought, but I also remembered just how important it was to live in a stable and safe environment. Whether it was food or housing, you only realized it was important once it was gone.

Living in Dex Hall, with its thick walls and ceilings along with my classmates, it could have been a romantic type of life.

Of course… I also wouldn’t have to worry about anything

“As I thought, is it really the right choice to enter Dex Hall…?”

I slowly let the words come out of my mouth.

“Then, does that mean this is the end of my life here at the camp…?”

Fwoosh

Thud!

As soon as I said those words, a thud was heard. It came from Lucy, who was on the roof raising up her upper body.

“Hm?”

I turned my head towards Lucy, who I had thought was in the middle of a deep sleep… She stared straight at me with her eyes wide.

She looked as if she had misheard something, a somewhat suspicious expression on her face.

I had no choice but to tilt my head and ask her what was wrong.