The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 85

My eyes had adapted to the dark for quite some time. After all, my life was only in darkness.

After opening his bleary eyes, the experience of living in a world covered in blood ate away at Clevius’ heart.

The memory that was most deeply embedded in his mind remained fixed.

That moment when he opened his eyes only to have a blade in his older brother’s heart.

The older brother that always stood by his side, even when the rest of the family turned away from Clevius. Even that older brother, who he considered his only ally, couldn’t overturn his cursed blood and the blade that came for him.

Spitting blood from his mouth and bloodshot eyes, he looked down at Clevius and spoke.

Grinding his teeth and coughing up blood, he spoke to Clevius.

Probably with the intention of a curse. The words he spoke as the blood continued to drip—

“They said that, until the snowstorm passes, all activities within the school will be stopped. So, why did you come all the way to the school labs? You didn’t have to come to work.”

Suddenly, Clevius came back to his senses. He almost lost his mind again to the occasional hallucinations.

“With the weather the way it is today and tomorrow, isn’t it better to stay inside the dormitory?”

“W-Well, even if you said that, you also came to work, Assistant Professor Cleoh…”

“Isn’t that what it means to be the youngest professor~? It’s my fate to work until I reach my limit… Ughh…”

Assistant Professor Cleoh shook her head as she took a deep breath.

Thick clouds started to fill the sky little by little as a light drizzle would occasionally fall. It might seem like a cozy winter, but at any moment in an instant the snow and wind would pick up.

Acken Island had been preparing for the snowstorm for a while, and Laplace bakery has also gone on a break. It was a mistake to not prepare and buy snacks beforehand.

“…The thing you mentioned last time. Uhm… The Student Assistant job for the school?”

“Ahh, are you talking about being a part of this lab? It won’t be too hard~ Since the number of staff has also increased quite a bit, everyone should have an easy time doing their own work.”

“That’s not it. Uhm, I… I think it would be better if I didn’t do it.”

“Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden? You’re going to another lab?!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Clevius spoke nervously with his hair on end.

“I like how you treat us, but I don’t want to take on a job with such responsibilities… So, I came here to tell you…”

“Why? Clevius, you’re diligent and the type that does a good job making sure the work is done, aren’t you?”

“That’s… Only because it was compulsory… That’s why taking on anything that requires more responsibility or skills… I don’t really want to do that…”

Clevius swallowed his dried saliva as he started to speak with a bit more confidence.

“Whenever obligations were given to me this way… For most of my life, it always ended in failure… So, I like to think that I’ve accumulated some knowledge through my life… Rather than starting… I’d prefer to take my time until I can find the right answer… After all, most of the time I just end up a nuisance to others…”

Clevius continued to speak with hesitation as he looked exhausted and gloomy like he always does.

“Is that so? I thought that you were unhappy with how I treated you, or maybe someone had tried to steal you away from me~”

“I–It was nothing like that. I can’t imagine something like that happening. Plus, you always treat us so well… It’s really great here, but…”

“Really? So, you’re saying that you’ll still do it?”

“Huh? Ah, uhm…. I guess so…”

In front of Clevius, who was a nervous wreck, Assistant Professor Cleoh ended the conversation in an instant with a smile on her face.

“Then do it.”

Assistant Professor Cleoh was the same as usual, but for some reason it seemed like she wouldn’t tolerate speaking random nonsense anymore.

Clevis continues to sweat profusely… As he couldn’t respond to her anymore.

***

[ Magic Skills Details

Grade: Proficient Magician

Specialized Field: Elements

Common Magic:

Fire Element Magic:

Spirit-type Magic:

Spiritual Resonance Lvl 13

Spiritual Understanding Lvl 13

Spirit Manifestation Lvl 4

Sense Sharing Lvl 3

Resonance Level: 3

Spiritual Efficiency: Good

Innate Skills:

Resonance Level: 1

Spiritual Efficiency: Very Bad

Innate Skills:

]

“Ed, soon enough you’ll also be able to make a contract with a mid-rank spirit.”

Yennekar came to visit the camp with a bright smile across her face, one that I hadn’t seen in two days.

It was only a couple of days ago that she was walking around with a gloomy expression, as if she was dead inside, but today she had completely reverted back to her original self. Seeing her sit around the campfire, the difference was really massive.

“You seem to be feeling better, Yennekar.”

“Uhm, yeah. Since you said that… I must have really been looking depressed!”

“Can you even say that…? The last time you came to the camp…”

“Last time?! When was that?! I can’t remember…!!!”

Yennekar quickly started to fan her face as she raised her voice.

Remembering the last time she came to the camp, when she was completely depressed and covered herself in the blanket, it was all too embarrassing for her.

At that time, the way I reacted was also a bit strange. It was hard to just leave her alone, seeing her there like a small animal, hugging her knees and trembling.

In the first place, I feel like my heart was opening up more to Yennekar, one layer at a time. Probably because she was a character that was no longer a part of the storyline. Yennekar was the only friend I had that was the same age as me that I could really open up to…

My relationships… Was that even okay…? That was the first thing that came to mind. I think from that moment on I needed to start making more friends to improve my relationships.

Wasn’t I only suffering while living out in the forest by myself to live a good life later on?

In terms of my strength, I didn’t know how many of the achievements had been accomplished thus far, but at the very least compared to the other main members of the story, I was still on the weaker side. In particular, from Act 3 the rate at which the characters would grow was incredible, so I had to make sure to actively keep up.

Seeing as I was still struggling financially, and I didn’t have many friends… I still had a long way to go.

In Silvenia Academy, everyone had the opportunity to meet with all sorts of high-class individuals without any restrictions. It was too good of an opportunity to just throw away. My first impression wasn’t all that great, but…

Still, I had Yennekar on my side, so that was a relief.

“I-I just had a small misunderstanding with a friend. Yeah.”

“I see.”

“Yeah! It was just a small, really small misunderstanding, so it’s nothing for you to worry about, Ed. And now, everything has been cleared up, so we are back to being friends!”

Seeing that her smile was so relaxed and bright, I felt a bit of relief as well.

“A-Anyway, we should talk about you now. I know you managed to sign a contract with Merilda, but… No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange. You’re not at a level where you can deal with high-rank spirits.”

“I used some trickery.”

Didn’t Merilda tell her about the ring? It seemed strange that someone that was always so chatty would keep a secret.

The truth about the ring’s existence was something that I wanted to keep to myself as much as possible, but I figured that it would be okay to share with Yennekar.

And more than anything, Yennekar helped me so much with my Elementalism training that she knew my level of magic power. There was no way I could hide or cover up how strange it was that I managed to make a contract with Merilda.

Yennekar was someone that didn’t go around spreading rumors and was a reliable colleague of mine, so it didn’t really matter.

I told her about the golden phoenix ring that Professor Glast had left behind.

Yennekar sat quietly listening to everything before nodding her head in agreement at the end.

“Then, right now you can’t use your magic power. It’s too hard on you to make a contract with a mid-rank spirit right now.”

“Once the vacation ends and the semester starts, my magic power will come back.”

I needed to make a contract with a mid-rank spirit. Even without Yennekar explaining, I already knew it well.

If Mugg was a rifle, then Merilda was a tank.

Between a rifle and a tank, the gap in power between the two is too large.

My contract with Merilda was something that shouldn’t even be possible at my level, so when I summoned her, all of my magic power would be sucked away—leaving me helpless.

Even after taking in all of the magic power stones, I was still only able to summon her thanks to Lucy’s help. Dealing with Merilda all by myself was still too difficult.

It could be something like a worst-case scenario plan in the case that I was really stuck in a corner, but she is definitely not at a level that I could casually summon her whenever I felt like it. Even Yennekar, who was born with a talent in Elementalism, paid special attention and carefully watched her magic power levels when dealing with high-rank spirits.

“Being able to handle a high-ranking spirit, this is really great Ed. Among fellow Elementalist, the day they are first able to make a contract with high-ranking spirits is called their second birthday. Though, there really aren’t many elementalist who can handle a high-rank spirit in the first place.”

“Even if you are able to handle various mid-rank spirits, you are already considered a veteran… It certainly feels like I made a step forward as an Elementalist.”

“Although you used a trick. Hehe.”

Since she was smiling so brightly, I was starting to feel a bit proud of what I did. Of course, there was still a long way for me to go before I could start showing off.

“Anyway, I’m sure you already know this Ed, but high-ranking spirits aren’t something you can use just any time… It’s nothing like a weapon that you can just use whenever. That’s why a contract with a mid-ranking spirit is necessary. Low-ranking spirits are a constant source of power, mid-ranking spirits are a deadlier force, and high-ranking spirits are your last-chance source of power. Most high-ranking spirits tend to be used in this manner.”

“So, I am going to need one or two mid-ranking spirits to use as my main source of power.”

“That’s right. You have a good resonance level when it comes to wind and fire, but… it’s also a good idea to make a contract with spirits outside of your main elements. Once your magic power returns, let’s give it a try. I will help you.”

Excited, Yennekar stomped her feet around as she spoke. I was thankful to see how enthusiastic she was about my own growth, as if it were her own.

“But for that to happen, I first need to get back my magic power. I’ll work harder on it during the semester. I’m sure you were also busy with your own things, so I’m sorry about this.”

“No, no. Don’t apologize, Ed. This is something I want to do. Plus, is this even a time for you to worry about me…? Soon, the snowstorm is going to come… Though, it seems like you have been preparing.”

All of the hunting traps I had originally scattered around the forest were back around the campfire. Most of them I had organized and moved back into my cabin, but the ones that needed some maintenance I left aside.

If you left the blood stains or didn’t take care of the scratches and teeth marks on it, then the condition would deteriorate rapidly.

Still, since I didn’t have enough time these days, it seemed I hadn’t been able to take care of it all properly.

Looking around at the camp, preparations were being made for the winter all over the place.

Things were fastened to the ground with ropes tightly in place.

Especially the cabin, which was covered in rope, the material wrapped around it along several wooden beams that were used as auxiliary support. The same was done for the extra warehouse I set up as well.

And the wooden shelter that I first made when I came into the forest… That shelter was special to me, only to become Lucy’s nap area, and I had also installed a windbreaker. Though… I wasn’t sure how it would hold up. If it flew away, it couldn’t be helped.

“Once this snowstorm passes, spring will come alongside the new semester… and the forest will also become a lot better then, too!”

After Yennekar spoke, she suddenly began to say something else in a strangely soft tone.

“Don’t you think… It would have been better if you just entered Dex Hall? It’s too much to have to spend the winter outside here like this…”

“It’s fine. I’ll be in the Soul Library during the snowstorm.”

“Th-That facility in the underground lab?”

“Yeah. I made a separate entrance. Well, I didn’t make it, but… it just came to be. It’s a little bit stuffy, as it is underground, but at the very least I won’t have to worry about the wind, which is a relief. It’s great as a shelter.”

“That’s a relief… But I’m sure it will get boring. Being trapped down there for a week.”

“During that time, I’m going to focus purely on training my magic engineering. Though, it still might not be enough time for me to go over all of the materials and production formulas we gathered.”

“As expected of you, Ed. Always working hard, never wasting a minute.”

It made more sense to say that I was working hard because I had no choice due to the environment that I lived in. And even when I thought about ‘hard work’, it wasn’t like I particularly worked much harder than Yennekar does.

The status and respect that came with the position of being the best in her grade wasn’t something that could be taken lightly.

“I’ll see you once the snowstorm passes and school starts up again. We have to also start thinking about joint combat training. Plus, there’s the student presidential election. Since you’re the top student in our grade, I’m sure you’ll gather some attention.”

“There are already people who are secretly wondering who is supporting who. And since I heard there are going to be many candidates… to be honest, I’m not sure who will be better than who. That’s why I’m planning on just staying neutral.”

During the pre-election arc in the scenario, Yennekar didn’t particularly receive much attention despite being the top student in her year. Since rather than strongly supporting a candidate, it was in her nature to instead respect each candidate fairly.

“On that topic, Ed, your sister… Didn’t she say she was running for president?”

“Ah, that’s right. She is very ambitious by nature.”

Yennekar suddenly remembered something as she let out a gasp slowly asking me a question.

“Uhm… Ed… Are you close with your sister…?”

“Should I say we’re… close…?”

Strictly speaking, I’m not sure.

Tanya Rothstaylor is just a stepping stone villain that came out in Act 3, only to leave in the same act.

I didn’t have to pay extra attention to her as she was a character that was going to become irrelevant to the storyline soon enough… Though, I guess for now I should still be careful.

But still… wasn’t she the first family member I had met since coming to this desolate world.

”In the first place I was excommunicated from my family… but still, we are blood relatives. Whether we like it or not, there’s a high chance we will spend the rest of our lives running into each other. So, I do want to stay on good terms with her. And I don’t think she has any major malice towards me like I thought… And either way, it’s not like siblings always get along with each other. Right?”

“Th-That’s… Yeah, it must be… Just a regular quarrel between siblings… Something that happens often…”

“Yeah. Well, we did go through many ups and down together… and I really do want to get along with her more than anything else. But even if we aren’t super close… I would still say I cherish her a lot.”

Although, in the first place she hadn’t done anything for me and vice versa… Still, the existence of a blood relative meant a lot to me given that I didn’t have many friends. I felt like, from now on, I was going to do my best to take care of her to make sure our relationship was good.

Living alone in a world that was dry like a desert… It was the first time I was able to meet someone who shared the same blood as me.

By the end of the story, House Rothstaylor would fall either way, so there was a high chance that Tanya would end up like me.

Though, thinking of Tanya, she would definitely just roll up her sleeves and do whatever it took to survive… She was a strangely reassuring girl.

“I-I see… You care a lot for her… It was just a fight between s-sister and brother…”

Suddenly, she grabbed my wrist as her complexion turned pale blue, breaking out into sweat.

“But Ed… Wh-What does Tanya like? Is there something she would like in particular as a gift? Or her favorite food…?”

“……”

Yennekar started to pull on my sleeve even harder as she suddenly started to bombard me with such questions.

I stared back at Yennekar quietly before softly speaking…

“What did you do to Tanya?”

“Nothing!”

Yennekar wasn’t good at hiding her expressions, so it was obvious when she was lying.

She only lasted three seconds before confessing it all, unable to bear the guilt in her conscience.

Even though she spoke while sweating, it really wasn’t anything all that serious.

***

“It’s been announced that from early this morning the snowstorm has arrived. Going outside is forbidden unless given a special reason. Please contact a maid if you have any business to do outside.”

The Ophelis Hall maids that were precise in their greetings bowed their heads as they left the room.

The roaring winter wind was eerie. The window would suddenly rattle off and on as the snow flew against it, only to melt away from the room’s warmth.

Kylie… Clarice took in a deep breath, looking at a vanity mirror in a private room of Ophelis Hall.

The size of the three-sided makeup mirror was even larger than Clarice’s whole body.

She loosened her hair as she took off the brooch that kept the illusion magic in place.

The color of her chestnut hair faded away in an instant as shiny silver hair came down to her waist instead.

That graceful color, which didn’t match her reddish eyes, created a mysterious atmosphere around her.

Even her facial features, which were rather sharp, still seemed to feel gentle and kind. Returning to her regular appearance, Clarice was now at last able to feel at ease.

But even if her body was comfortable, something was still bothering her mind.

Laying down on a large bed, decorated with frills, she quietly stared up at the ceiling.

Closing her eyes, she was reminded of the incident from a few days ago. It kept playing on repeat, dozens of times, over and over again in her head.

The brooch that had disappeared, the illusion magic that was fading away, the flying bat made of flames, and the hand that put the brooch back into her arms.

The appearance of her third-year senior, who sat on top guarding the altar while looking down at all the freshmen was terrifying. Yet once the exam was over, the intensity in the atmosphere disappeared in an instant.

And what followed came a feeling of incongruity. Something wasn’t right.

Tanya didn’t seem to notice, as she was in a panicked state, but still there was definitely something off about Ed Rothstaylor.

No matter how much she second guessed it, it was a fact that without her brooch, Clarice’s appearance would definitely change.

Yet he acted so natural that she couldn’t help but think, ‘did he really not see anything?’

Could he really not tell from the distance he was at…? But even aside from that, the mistake he made afterwards was too big to ignore.

No matter what anyone said, it was as if he had figured out the true identity behind Kylie… Clarice’s heart began to pound.

Just how much effort did she already put in to live a regular ordinary school life.

If it weren’t for the Holy Blessing that she was born with, it would have been too difficult to request minimizing the number of guards she had.

Also, there was the fact that it took days of arguing with the priests to convince them to let her study magic.

Just how much time and effort did she put into creating a double to take her place?

And on top of all the efforts that she made, there was also the condition that if even one outsider found out about her true identity, she would have to give up on her normal school life.

Clarice wanted to complain and argue against the archbishop’s words, but given her status and position, it wasn’t possible.

A girl of her age arguing against it would be only natural, but at that point Clarice was already too used to her life and the responsibilities that came with it.

“…Rather than an aristocrat… He’s more like a barbarian…”

No matter how much Ed’s life might revolve around survival and working hard, it was still too much to call him a barbarian.

However, for a girl who had lived her entire life in an enclosed environment, managing a neat appearance, seeing the more natural human side of Ed was a whole new world she had never ever experienced.

Was he really going to find out Clarice’s true identity?

It was difficult for her to deal with that ambiguous situation, so she tried to make rumors to find information, but to no avail.

It was Clarice herself who had succumbed to the protection of the Knight Templars on her own. There was a limit to the number of people she could mobilize.

That was why it wasn’t until that night that she was finally able to get proper results.

“Was there anyone who made it to the altar during the class assignment exam? There was an upperclassman with blonde hair that was there. Ed Rothstaylor. I asked my older sister and she said he doesn’t live in the dormitory. Instead, he lives towards the river out in the northern forest.”

“What? Northern Forest? In this cold winter?”

The Freshmen Dinner Party.

Before the start of the semester, the first years gathered together at the student center to get to know each other.

Clarice sat still as she listened to Joseph, the top student of the magic department, and their colleague Eigg.

“Ah, Eigg, didn’t you say you got eliminated halfway through? Hahaha. Even though you acted like hot shit, you couldn’t even get close to the altar.”

“Sh-Shut up. I just got hit by a surprise attack. Seeing how that got changed, didn’t you also get eliminated?”

“Making excuses is so lame, Eigg. Anyway, about that Ed guy. It seems that all of the third years know him as the same thing. He’s famous for being a massive geek amongst geeks. He supposedly only does what he has to, but… From what I’ve seen, he is definitely not normal.”

After that, there were several other conversations about Ed Rothstaylor, to the point that Clarice was barely able to catch them all.

Most of the Knights Templars were off pretending to escort the fake saint. However, the two of them that were following her were the most elite, making sure to stay hidden from sight.

Even though they were strong as escorts, that didn’t mean they were good at gathering information.

So, Clarice was forced to push her way into any conversation she could to pick up on any piece of information, no matter how difficult it was.

Imagining Ed once again looking down from the altar, completely exhausted, sent goosebumps running down her back.

He was a terrifying person. No matter what, she didn’t want to get any closer to him.

But if he really did know the truth behind Clarice’s identity… It would be hard to leave him alone.

It would be best to meet with him right away to see if he really did know, and how he managed to figure it out. Of course, also to make sure he kept his mouth shut.

However, for at least a week, she wouldn’t be able to leave Ophelis Hall.

They said he lived in the North Forest, so who knew if he would even be able to survive the snowstorm… But either way, he was in a position where he had freedom outside.

Being locked up in Ophelis Hall, there was no way to know what was happening outside. Clarice didn’t even know if he was someone that kept a secret or went around gossiping.

Though, how many people would he even be able to meet out in the middle of a snowstorm…? And yet, Clarice couldn’t stop herself from trembling with anxiety.

Once the snowstorm ended, spring would come alongside the new semester. At that point, it might be too late to keep his mouth shut.

Still, despite all that, at the moment she couldn’t run away. Of course, if she used Holy Magic, she could escape through the window landing without a scratch… But school rules were school rules. Plus, making even the smallest mistakes might mean injury during the snowstorm.

And she couldn’t ask the knights to go in her place, either. If they were to find out that Clarice’s true identity might have been leaked, they may report it.

“Ugh…”

Clarice swung her body off the bed, getting up.

Looking outside her window at the darkness, she saw that the snow still wasn’t heavy.

Holy Blessingand Holy Magic. Being able to handle the two powers, she was free from dangers by force. However, surviving out in the extreme cold in a state of distress, that was an entirely different matter.

But still, the fear of being uncovered… that outweighed her fear of distress. There was a high chance that even if she did get in trouble, it would mostly only be from losing her way in Acken Island. And at the very least, there were many buildings and facilities set up across campus to help avoid the cold.

“That’s right… I can’t just stay here and sit still…!”

Clarisse swung the window open.

Whoooooooooooosh!

The sharp wind cut across her pale cheeks. Her silver hair was blowing widely from the wind.

Click.

Clarice closed the window back up.

Scary.

Too scary!

Ed was scary, the dark was scary, the cold was scary, and getting in trouble was scary…!

“Living a life only looking at pure white walls and ceilings, one’s vision will also weaken. The romance of a world full of magnificent colors will never be known unless one personally experiences it.”

But then, suddenly the words of Romantic Adele came to her mind. To overcome the fear of the unknown and pursue freedom.

Clarice was moved as she had listened to the sound of the wandering minstrel sitting in the window of the Holy Father Building, playing her instrument and singing.

She had still yet to meet Adele, who should also still be attending Silvenia.

Still, remembering that romantic voice of hers that had completely enchanted her… had pushed Clarice, who was full of her, back up again.

Opening the window again, a gust of wind blew into the room.

Clarice looked outside the window. Even though the maid periodically patrolled outside the dormitory, it was impossible to watch every area in that weather.

The pathway that led to the garden was empty. Clarice clenched her teeth tightly as she quickly put on her clothes and brooch before jumping down.

She was going to meet that guy and confirm the truth.

Waiting for the snowstorm to end… It might just be too late.