The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 74

“As for the magically engineered items you requested left in our stock, for the most part it has all been handled. If you ask one of our employees at the branch store, they will give you your items. And for the materials in the production formulas that you gave me previously, most of it has been arranged. However, for the Legendary-grade production formulas, it’s a bit too difficult for us to prepare the materials.”

“Are the materials that scarce?”

“Right now, the season isn’t great. The Twilight Sand needed for Dell Heim’s Sandglass is hard to procure during the winter. And the crystal ball from Mt. Pulan that is needed for ‘Glockt’s Eye’ is also not currently available for sale.”

I was able to get a general estimate on what production formulas I could start researching immediately.

The ‘Claw Fingers’, which could pull far away objects closer. ‘Craigle Magic Ink’, which increased efficiency in imbuing magic into objects. ‘Permeating Photosphere’, which could take the role of a source of light. Honestly, with those items… Even without the help of Lortel, they could still be produced without much difficulty.

The problem was with magically engineered items graded rare or higher. If you could gather all of the materials, it could be produced through research. But for ‘Very Rare’ or higher magically engineered items, magic power was also required. That was because there was a necessary process to directly imbue a certain property into the object or to remove it.

The primary goal that I wanted to accomplish was to make the item ‘1000-year-old wooden wand struck by lightning’. It had a ranking of ‘Very Rare’, so it also required magic power. The problem was, I couldn’t use it yet.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have any other tricks, but it would be a lot of trouble to deal with.

“Alright. Well, it can’t be helped. Anyway, thanks a lot.”

When I looked at Lortel, she appeared very exhausted.

It was already the end of the year.

Regardless of the generation or background, for a merchant the end of a year was like hell.

They had to finish the year’s work, check their accounts, make plans for the next year, and deal with the usual rush at work.

“Even though you are so busy, you even went out of your way for my favor. It’s really fine if you don’t focus on it and put it aside for later.”

“I was just taking care of it along with my other work, so don’t worry too much. Hnngggh…!”

Acting like it wasn’t much, she stretched her arms out wide. It seemed that she had been sitting in her office doing work all the way up until she came to the camp.

Lortel, who sat across the campfire holding onto her wooden mug, gently lowered the corners of her mouth. It was as if she had lost her energy. At first glance, it might look like she was smiling…but she was definitely exhausted.

“You should have just rested. Why did you come all the way here to tell me that? This place isn’t even that close.”

“I came here to rest, so don’t worry.”

She looked quite comfortable as she slowly closed her eyes, drinking the herbal tea.

A snowflake gently fell down. I closed the book that I was reading and tucked it under the blanket in the tent.

The crescent moon looked down at us as if it were laughing. Time really flew while living such a hectic lifestyle.

At some point, the usual sound of the flowing river couldn’t be heard. Looking at the river past the campfire, it had been covered in thin ice.

Even the river, which I thought would be flowing all year round, had gone into a deep sleep. In no time, without me realizing it, the camp itself was enveloped in silence.

Sitting by yourself in the camp, it felt like time had stopped.

A moment of complete silence was something everyone experienced at some point, but the way they might perceive it varied.

For me, the winter was a time to make necessary preparations and relax over the break. But it was also a time of hardship, where I needed to protect myself from the freezing cold.

But for people like Lucy and Lortel, who went past that, it was hard to think that the winter’s solitude would have the same meaning.

Surprisingly, for Lucy and Lortel—who seem to not have any sort of similarities—they actually had something in common in their natures.

It wasn’t anything that major. Rather, it was a feeling that most people had quite universally.

Although the method might differ, most people lived through a moment of solitude.

And the emptiness that winter brought provokingly incited that solitude.

Those that had walked alone on the lonely streets of a winter night would know. The feeling of walking through a sleeping world made one reminisce over and over again on the plight of being left alone.

As if it were magic, there was such a power hidden within the winter season. It wasn’t a very pleasant fact.

“Good work with everything you’ve done.”

“Actually, there’s a lot more I came to talk about.”

Lortel spoke in a calm tone.

“Lucy… Why is she sleeping here…?”

“It’s winter.”

“Is that even an answer…?”

As I shrugged my shoulders, Lortel sighed deeply and took a sip of the herbal tea.

She glared at Lucy as if she were in agony. Seeing her lay down on her stomach, breathing slowly as she slept… It was a bit ambiguous… Lortel muttered to herself over such an overreaction. Then, she naturally changed the topic of conversation.

“Actually, if I was only going to talk about the magically engineered items, I wouldn’t have come all the way here, right?”

“Then did you have some other business to talk about?”

“Oh my, pretending not to know.”

Lortel grinned as she gathered magic power in her hands. For a brief moment, the energy of magic power gathered around into her hands as a fairly large book was summoned, floating in the air.

It was, without a doubt, ‘The Sage’s Seal.’

“I’m now the resonance owner of this book.”

“Oh, you finally received it.”

“That’s right.”

Lortel laughed, strangely like a fox, after saying that. I was starting to wonder what was wrong with her as I stoked the campfire with the poker. Suddenly, the one fact I had forgotten was engraved back into my mind.

As soon as I had woken up, after passing out from overworking myself, I ended up asking Lortel to take care of it for me because the situation had become so urgent.

I had told her I would do anything for her, so please win the bid for the Sage’s Seal.

“Things have become quite interesting, right?”

As she kept smiling like a fox, I raised my hand and pressed on my temples. Anyway, it was something that I had brought upon myself.

“Of course, I’m not ignorant and I can feel how much of a burden you currently have going on, so I won’t ask for a huge favor that will be too much for you to fulfill… But at the very least, I need to get my money’s worth, as that is the virtue of a merchant.”

“Just how big of a favor are you going to ask for?”

“Please take my side.”

Lortel got rid of her magic power as the Sage’s Seal disappeared. She sat back down across the campfire as she lowered her gaze.

“You want me to be on your side?”

“It’s just a hunch, but… before I graduate, I think there will be a huge turning point in my life.”

Thinking about why now, of all times, she said something like that… Ultimately, it was because it was winter.

Lortel looked up at the crescent moon as she talked like a person from a faraway world.

“Politics is ultimately a division between sides. Eventually, there will be a moment where everyone here in this school will be forced to choose… Either picking between my side or the opposite side.”

“Just what kind of ridiculous assumption did you come to?”

“Yeah. Just think of this as some ridiculous assumption and hear me out.”

Even though I said it was ridiculous, it actually wasn’t.

Lortel’s intuition was correct to a certain extent.

In Lortel’s life, there is a fated enemy.

The Princess of Benevolence, Penia Elias Kroel. During her second year, she took the position as student president, gathered the school together, and dug up the darkness of House Rothstaylor… As a matter of fact, she was the main character of Act 4.

“If that time ever comes, take my side. That’s all I need.”

From Act 3, Princess Penia—who was earnestly trying to expand her role—would go against Lortel in a war of nerves.

It wasn’t up to me who would decide the winner. Ultimately, the key would be which side Taylee chose.

“I don’t think it’ll be all that meaningful if I just take your side.”

“That’s right. Though you are my upperclassmen and your reputation at the school is getting better, from a political standpoint your support won’t produce any significant results. After all, you’re just a regular student.”

“I don’t know how to feel, hearing you say that so bluntly.”

“So, what’s the issue with taking my side? This isn’t something I’m asking for because it deals with politics.”

Lortel smirked as she continued talking.

“It’s just… To me, there is a certain value.”

“Well, doing that much for you isn’t hard.”

The light from the crescent moon shone faintly down on the camp. It was hard to miss.

And seeing Lortel’s face under that moonlight, I was astonished.

Showing an alluring smile while trying to figure out another person’s intentions was something that Lortel did often.

However, it was the first time I’d seen her smile so innocently… She really was a girl with a thousand faces.

“I’m happy.”

Gently holding her mug, the way she spoke was just like Lortel.

***

“Finally, there is one last thing I need to tell you.”

When she came to the camp, all we had been doing was talking about various things and how the world was moving.

Nevertheless, saying it was a healing experience and claiming she got a good rest from all of this was a bit questionable. But if that’s what she felt, who was I to judge?

“Actually, this is the main point.”

It was ridiculous that she would try to bring up the main point when it was already time to go.

“What is it?”

“Ed, you have a younger sister, right?”

Seeing her smile as she continued her story, it was certainly one that would make your hair stand on end.

“Your younger sister was grinding her teeth for some reason. I couldn’t tell if she was really thinking of you as an enemy to her house or if it was just a light-hearted grudge that came from a brother and sister relationship, so I had just left her alone. To be honest, she was quite cute.”

“Tanya?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lortel stood from her seat as she brushed off her clothes with a smile.

“Well… I may have helped her a little bit, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Just so she could get a feel for the school’s atmosphere, I introduced her to a few people.”

“…Yeah?”

“She went around today, but tomorrow morning she will probably come to find you and give you an earful… Since Tanya is your sister, you should know her well, right? Does she really resent you that much?”

She then switched to a serious expression as she asked me that question.

“If that happens to be the case, then I think I’ll have to change my position.”

I didn’t answer that question right away… I sat still, holding onto my chin.

That was something that I needed to consider more.

***

The early morning’s sun was dazzling.

Since it was break, of course there were no classes. However, there was also no work to take care of as a scholarship student.

I thought about sleeping in late, but I ended up waking up early because I thought I should do something while I was still healthy.

Unlike nighttime, once the sun rose the northern forest became full of energy in its own unique way.

Occasionally, you could hear the chirping of sparrows in the morning or the leaves swaying in the light breeze. It felt quite different from the completely silent forest night.

“……”

Spacing out and taking in the morning air, Lucy also came out of the cabin.

Still in a daze, Lucy wobbled over, looking more like a roly poly toy than an actual person.

Over vacation, the rules of Ophelis Hall tended to be loose, so it seemed that she was spending more time at the cabin than the dormitory.

All she did was take a nap, go back to eat or eat with me, and sometimes read a book or went out on a walk.

From my point of view, there was no harm in having her stay. At the very least, having Lucy’s magic power nearby over the winter break had been helpful. The more she was in the camp, the better it was for me. I would feel sorry for Yennekar if I had asked her to take care of it for me instead.

“Please light a fire for me.”

Lucy was wobbling at the entrance of the cabin with dazed eyes. She then lit the campfire before I could even finish asking. She continued to wobble over to the other side of the campfire, laying down.

The air inside the cabin was starting to get stuffy, so once the sun rose, she went outside to get some fresh morning air.

After doing a few stretches, I made a cup of tea as I sat down by the campfire.

Sitting still while taking in the morning forest air, I suddenly remembered an important fact.

“Since Tanya is your sister, you should know her well, right? Does she really resent you that much?”

I gulped as I then took a deep breath.

I already said it, but… I had no idea, either…!

In , Ed Rothstaylor was just a third-rate villain that took his leave after Act 1, Chapter 1.

I didn’t know what kind of life he had lived at the Rothstaylor household… So, I had to completely rely on inferences.

Since Ed Rothstaylor was a character that was so pathetic and stupid, it was hard to imagine him living a normal life.

And through inference, there was a high chance that Tanya Rothstaylor genuinely resented Ed Rothstaylor. No, I was certain of it.

Just what kind of damage that would cause or how I should deal with it, it was all completely unknown territory for me.

In the first place, I had no idea just what kind of terrible things Ed might have done to Tanya back in the Rothstaylor household. What I was trying to say was that I couldn’t even guess just how much of a grudge she would have against him.

Before, the future knowledge that I possessed played a major role in establishing the basis for my decisions. All of that reliable future knowledge had become completely useless.

It was something that I needed to deal with completely on my own.

“Haaah…”

I exhaled once again as I pulled my hair back and rubbed my face.

It was awkward. Extremely awkward.

“What will even change if I worry about it?”

At that moment, from afar I could see a shadow of a person approaching.

There was a girl with four or five servants accompanying her. It was clear who the girl walking through the forest under the morning sun was.

Her wavy blonde hair, which flowed down her back, left a strong impression. That color was all too familiar.

Her golden eyes were as bright as the color of her hair, and that confident walk… She was exactly as I had seen in Act 3.

I sat still in my chair, not moving one bit as I watched her approach.

Tanya Rothstaylor.

The biological younger sister of the body I had taken over.

I had no clue just what kind of relationship she had with me. Therefore, I had no choice but to sit still and hear her out for now. Before I knew it, she was already nearly there.

Tanya, with her sharp eyes, came to the front of the camp and stopped walking. There was a silence in the air between us.

Tanya turned her head, looking around the camp before she eventually looked at me with those sharp eyes.

And then, she slowly opened her mouth.

“I-It’s been a while… Older Brother…”

A servant standing next to her took out a well packaged necktie pin.

“S-Since it’s been a while since I’ve last seen you… I brought you a present…”

“……?”

I swept my hand across my mouth as I looked up at Tanya again.

She was acting somewhat awkward, trying to avoid my gaze. It looked like she was, perhaps, scared of me. Or maybe she really just felt awkward…? How should I say it? It seemed like she had just seen something terrifying.

“……”

At the very least, Tanya didn’t seem to have a grudge.

Only then did I come to a conclusion.

…I see. That’s the case…

I decided… Ed Rothstaylor…!

While he was back in the Rothstaylor household… He had lived a decently honest and hardworking life…!!

I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions…!!! I… Didn’t know that…!!