How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 116

Joint Combat Practice 2 (2)

“Hello, Saint Clarice. I’m Bell Maia, the head maid, who will help you dress up today.”

It is extremely rare for Bell Maia to go directly to the practical front.

His practical skills have been proven since his days as a senior maid, but after he rose to the position of chief maid, he began to spend a lot of time on management work.

There are not many people of such a noble status that Belle Maia, who has become quite expensive, directly attends on them. This is because even in the Ophelis Hall, which is filled with distinguished guests, there is only one body of the head maid.

As usual, even if you are a saint, you will only be served by a senior maid whose skills have been verified. The head maid doesn’t come out directly.

However, today was a very unusual day, so Bell had to step in.

“It’s already that time.”

“I’ll help you get your hair done.”

Saint Clarice, who occupies a private room on the top floor of Ophelis Hall, is a fake.

As a result of having to prepare for possible conspiracies and accepting the will of the saintess herself who wanted to go to school more freely, she set up a stand-in full of all sorts of magic.

But today is the day Seonghwang visits.

Holy Emperor Eldain and his closest aide Archbishop Verdio.

He was the top of the Church of Telos that Saint Clarisse truly respected.

I couldn’t send out a substitute until the day the two visited. It was because it was necessary for Saint Clarisse to go out in person to greet the two.

Of course, Eldain and Verdio might not be unaware of the fact about the stand-in, but it was not polite to send a stand-in for such noble two people, no matter the circumstances.

So, it is time for Kylie Ekne, a petty aristocrat from a small border country, to disappear from the world for a while.

It was time to send the substitute out of sight and become Saint Clarice.

“thank you.”

A girl sitting in front of a fancy dresser to dress up with a big smile on her face.

Only Principal Obel, the 3rd Dean, and Belle Maia, who actually manage her living environment, know that she is attending school as a second person with a double.

Today is the day a real saintess comes, not a double, so if you leave the work to a senior maid as usual, you might notice something unnatural.

That’s why Bell Maia, who was well aware of the status of a saintess, came to help with her grooming herself.

However, Bell felt that it was all in vain.

Kylie Ekne, a cute girl with brown hair who somehow seemed like an immature person, curious about everything, and showed interest in trivial things, is nowhere to be found… .

In front of the mirror sits a red-eyed saintess with cold gray hair.

It was only after I felt the stark temperature difference that I wondered if this was the same person, that I could feel the nobility that was on a different level from the girl who acted as a stand-in for the gentle smile or graceful hand gestures.

Saint Clarisse is a girl who has been raised under the church all her life and has received the respect of believers.

Even Kylie, who looked like an immature child with the burden off her shoulders somewhat, would be enveloped in a dignity appropriate to her once again sitting on the throne of a saint.

When Bell remembered Kylie clapping her hands whenever she had a chance and her eyes shining, it was so amazing that Clarisse felt like a different person.

“Mr. Bell.”

“Yes. Holy Maiden.”

As she ran her clean, glossy white hair down, Bell answered cautiously.

“Today was definitely the day of joint combat practice.”

“Yes. Coincidentally, it overlaps with the visitation day of the Holy Family, so it is difficult for the saintess to participate.”

“…”

Clarisse lowered her eyes for a moment, showing signs of disappointment.

In recent years, it has been so tiring just to study required courses, so I haven’t had time to interact with my seniors.

To be honest, I’m not very interested in inter-grade exchanges, but I really wanted to meet Adele Seris, a sophomore.

This joint combat practice was considered a golden opportunity, but the timing was not right, so Clarisse dropped out of the practice class.

Even so, she had no choice but to go to the site of the Holy Emperor’s visit as a saint, so it was an irresistible force.

In fact, joint combat practice is not an important situation.

At this time, such a noble and busy Seonghwang and Archbishop’s personal visit had many meanings.

Clarisse was actually treating this as a special inspection. As the two of them were very interested in every move of the saintess, it was clear that they had the intention of checking to see if they were doing well in school, if the environment was okay, and if there were any dangerous incidents.

To be honest, I’m not sure.

What is the school environment like? Before and after Clarisse entered school, he said that he had a lot of trouble.

Last year, a student occupied the student center and tried to summon the highest-ranking dark spirit, and a professor was caught trying to escape with an important treasure of the school.

After Clarisse entered the school, all the seniors invaded and destroyed the dormitory, and one of the fallen nobles even got involved in a murder case… It was really messy.

Still, Clarisse herself wasn’t caught up in it, so it wasn’t to the point of being extremely dangerous, but there were a lot of gossips, so there was nothing good about it.

In addition, Clarisse made a promise to Archbishop Verdio while leaving the Holy See.

While going to school as Kylie Acne, if your identity is discovered by someone or the moment comes when you are exposed to the public, you have to give up your bachelor life.

Enrolling in Sylvania was also the result of half-forced, so I had to accept that level of condition.

“…”

The last few months of college life have been a dream-like time of freedom for Clarisse.

It was difficult and frightening at times, but it was clearly different from when I lived a life of praying at the top of the tower of Seonghwangdo.

Clarisse didn’t want to go back to prosperousness yet. To do that… There was a need to pass the period of this successful visit neatly.

So, rather than acting useless, now is the time to lie down quietly. The desire to participate in joint combat exercises is like a chimney, but I hold back. The chance to meet Adele will come again someday.

“I think it’ll be okay if you relax. Saint Clarisse.”

“Oh, do you show a lot of nervousness?”

Seeing the tips of her long eyelashes tremble, Bell calmed her down.

“It’s nice to think that I’ll be able to meet the Holy Emperor and the Archbishop after a long time. I want to make a good impression and prove that I’m doing well. I guess that’s why I’m nervous.”

“I guess you liked your bachelor life.”

“Yes. I want to stay in Sylvania until the day I graduate. Thinking like that… makes me nervous.”

For Bell, there was no way to ease the tension. Even if you talk about it more than this, it’s only a long time, so I just hope that Clarisse will take care of her heart.

As she ran a comb through her pretty hair, Bell kept her mouth shut. When you are infinitely tense, the way to relieve that tension is different for each person.

Clarisse also noticed Bell’s expression and quietly surrendered to his touch.

Dressing up like that, Clarisse hoped that nothing unusual would happen.

Except for internal and external events, it was obvious that there would be no variables. In the first place, the gap between her appearance as Kylie and her appearance as Saint Clarice is enormous. It’s hard for anyone to notice her, but… .

“…”

Suddenly, a figure popped into Clarisse’s mind.

Maybe the only variable in this bachelor. The only student who knows the identity of Saint Clarice.

It was Ed, a senior two years above him, living alone in a cabin in the forest.

Actually, it’s not that big of a variable. His mouth was heavy even if he pretended to be.

She noticed the identity of the saintess before anyone else, but it seems that she did not reveal the fact to anyone. It was because if rumors like the identity of the saintess were circulating, it was sure to spread throughout the school in no time.

however… Clarisse started to feel a little uneasy.

Her mentor, Archbishop Verdio, is a master of mind reading. I don’t know what kind of trick she’s using, but there are many cases where she sees through thoughts and imaginations that were only in her mind.

However, it didn’t work for Clarisse… I’m just guessing that it’s some kind of holy magic. This is because all holy magic techniques do not exert their power on the saintess.

It’s unlikely that would happen, but it would be a big deal if Ed happened to run into Archbishop Verdio. She might find out that there are people who already know the identity of the saintess.

‘To think of this now… !’

Of course, it would not be so easy for Ed, who is living a survival life in the forest, to meet Verdio, the archbishop of Seonghwangdo. That is a very small possibility. So there are some things I didn’t pay more attention to.

However, after worrying about it, it becomes somewhat sinister. During the visit, I would have a conversation with the students, hold a christening ceremony, and give a speech… . In the process, there is even anxiety that I will never run into Ed.

When the thought reached that point, Clarisse’s fingertips trembled slightly. Should I write some number in advance? At least, if I can say something in advance, my mind will be at ease.

As long as I could inform Ed of the situation and ask him to move as far away from the cathedral event as possible, I would be relieved right now.

Until then, I didn’t think I could feel at all safe. She was a bit nervous, her eyelids quivering. If everything is revealed because of that small gap, this happy bachelor life must come to an end.

“…”

Seeing this, Bell Maia sighed heavily.

You seem to be more nervous than you think. She imagined that by the time she reached the age of sainthood, she would have met the Holy Emperor or the Archbishop as usual, but she thought that was not the case.

Of course, Bell was wrong. The reason for Clarisse’s nervousness was deeper.

“Then… I’ll make you a cup of tea to help ease the tension.”

“No, it’s okay… but… I have a request for you. Please prepare for the trip.”

Clarisse sighed heavily and spoke to Bell with a flushed face.

“Ed. Ed Rosteyler. I think I’ll calm down a bit when I see him…”

“…yes?”

what’s the name here?

Bell sighed for a moment.

In an instant, a diagram of human relationships unfolds in Bell’s head. There aren’t many places to squeeze in anymore. It doesn’t seem like anything better than being more complicated.

“I want to see him… right now… as soon as possible…”

“But that… time to spare….”

“Isn’t Seonghwang-nim’s visit in the afternoon? There’s still a lot of morning left, so I guess I have plenty of time…”

Bell didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to let Ed and the saint meet. Of course, that didn’t mean there was no way Bell could stop it.

“Is that so…”

Uncharacteristically for Bell, she only answered while breaking out in a cold sweat.

* * *

Residents of the city described it as a palace on wheels. It was a word about the chariot of prosperity.

The chariot of the Holy See, which always moved with a grand escort, had five rooms. It was as if a few houses were moving as one.

If the wizards of the Holy City hadn’t given light weight enchantments all night long, they wouldn’t have been able to pull it off even with dozens of horses.

It was so grand that even when crossing the Mexes Bridge, which is responsible for Elte’s logistics transportation route, I had to calculate the width of the bridge. If you add up the troops escorting you on horseback, you get the illusion that the army is really moving.

Inside the magnificent carriage, there were two men sitting side by side in the topmost seat.

One was the old saint Eldain, wearing a magnificently sized holy robe with sharp and intelligent eyes shining, and the other was Archbishop Verdio, neatly dressed in a well-fitting holy robe and holding a bunch of documents.

Both of them were devout believers who had devoted their entire lives to the Church of Telos, and were respected by all the clergy of the Holy Emperor, like great elders.

They are people who spend most of their time in the city without recklessly moving long distances, as just moving consumes an enormous amount of manpower and resources.

“It’s a lot farther than I thought. If there weren’t any schedules in Count Berce’s estate, it would have been realistically difficult to come all the way to see the saintess’ situation.”

“That’s right. It’s really fortunate that the traffic line is correct.”

To Archbishop Verdio’s words, the Holy Emperor answered lightly. He saw the scenery of the plains outside the window and the bridge stretching out over the sea at the end of the field of view. It was a distance that could be reached in an hour or two if one moved quickly.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate that the collaboration with Count Berce has been completed. This expedition has sufficiently established his authority, so it seems that we will be able to bring funds until the next reconstruction date.”

“is it….”

The reason why Seonghwang, who has a heavy butt, dared to go to the land of another local feudal lord… After all, it’s for business.

He has devoted his whole life to the noble will of the Church of Telos. He has always lived by estimating the will of God above the sky, but even he is a human who eventually crawls on the ground.

If you want to live on this earth, you can’t get out of your interests. The same is true for maintaining prosperity.

Seeing the scenery of the plains outside the window, Holy Emperor Eldain fell into contemplation.

Suddenly, I remembered the days when I was honing my faith alone in the lofty monastery of the Rameln Mountains. He was always hungry, but it was the time when he listened closest to the voice of God.

Since some time ago, I have been doing business with my faith as collateral. If you lead that heavy body out and establish someone’s authority, they will never wash their mouths for free.

No matter how sublime a believer is, he cannot live without saying anything, and in the end he has no choice but to be bound by the logic of money and power. It was the same even if it was a seonghwang that firmly reigned in the saints. You cannot live without compromise.

At one time, it was a prosperity that only shook hands with the imperial family, but as generations passed, the scale of the prosperity grew and the scope of compromise widened… At some point, not only the central authorities, but eventually, if the influence was great, even the territory of the Margrave who guarded the border became a body.

The Margrave of Berche was a man who gave more donations than most members of the royal family, so he couldn’t be carelessly ignored. In a way, he’s just as devout as he is, so he doesn’t have to feel morally guilty… Still, he can’t hide his bitter feelings.

“Seonghwang-nim. I heard that today is the joint combat practice day.”

“I know, Verdio. I just saw it and confirmed it in the documents.”

Archbishop Verdio, who is serving him, must also have been a devout believer.

He was a much more compromised and realistic believer than Holy Eldain, who listened to the voice of God but did not abandon reality.

He must have been able to rise to the position of archbishop because he held the center well.

Religion is like wings made of wax. If it flies too high, it melts and disappears in the sunlight.

As the status rises and the closer you look at the true face of faith, the faith you have in your heart wears out little by little.

Eldain prays every day and keeps faith in Telos, but sometimes when I see Verdio, I stick out my tongue at his rational side.

If need be, is he a man who can even sell his fortune?

He is a man with a temperament closer to a merchant than a priest.

As a cleric, he could not be easily controlled or subdued. In the end, if you want to hold him in your hands and deal with him, you must first master the logic of money and power.

he’s a weird guy Even so, Eldain didn’t say much.

Even if he is accused of being an accomplice, he has no choice but to accept it.

In any case, the success of Verdio owes a lot to his skills.

The Maxes Bridge was approaching in the distance.

* * *

“I have no challengers whatsoever…”

Yenika sighed as she sat down at the wooden table in the student union building. I knew it, she replied, sitting across from her and sipping her drink.

Quite a bit of time has already passed, and it is the joint combat practice day.

It is an annual practice event where the 1st graders compete with the 2nd graders and the 3rd graders against the 4th graders, and the results are reflected in their grades. However, each year the rules change slightly depending on the professor in charge.

Last year, it was a matchup method, but this year, it is a challenge method to apply for a match against the opponent you want.

Since there is currently no member of Class A in the first year, it is said that the competition to be promoted to Class A first is intensifying. Because of this, everyone wants a matchup that is as strong as possible, and reflecting that opinion, this year’s matchup will be held in a challenging way.

However, there were two problems.

Even so, the 1st/2nd year, the 3rd/4th year doesn’t have that much desire to compete.

The point is that students who are too strong do not even have opponents who want to challenge them. In the end, they face off against surplus students who do not challenge anyone, but from the point of view of the strong, who are not challenged by anyone, they are all too bland opponents.

A clear example of that is the senior in the third year, Jenika Failover.

“Until it’s training time, you don’t even know who your opponent is…”

“Isn’t there anyone you personally want to challenge?”

“Hmm… How can I say that, doesn’t it seem a bit cheeky…?”

It is a look that is shy to challenge someone. If it’s like Yenika, it’s like Yenika.

The student hall was crowded with students who came to check the match. Jenika and I sat out of the center, sitting at a nearby wooden table, waiting for people to get out.

At first glance, I don’t think I had any particular challengers. Surprisingly, even among the 3rd years, it seems to be recognized as being in the ranks of the strong.

Well, there really aren’t any talented people in the 3rd year. Doesn’t the main character generation, the generation immediately below them, have the value of a name that all students who are in the upper ranks are said to be the best? Compared to that, it’s a very miserable generation.

Even last year’s joint combat practice… Except for Yenika, no one has been able to win the victory from the protagonist’s generation. There was no sign of dissent or dissension among the students. It felt natural.

It’s a generation like this, so it wouldn’t be strange to say that I was in the ranks of the 3rd year strong. It was in the middle of the day that the light that I practiced while saving the time I slept for the past time was steadily shining.

“Ed…is reading the book Lucy gave me again…”

Suddenly, Jenika puffed out her cheeks and saw the book in my hand. I don’t want others to know the identity of this book, so I’ve covered the cover with a cover.

Whenever I had free time, I was constantly reading the Aspect Magic Book, using my magic power again, and repeating the training to get used to the flow.

Knowing how to handle Aspect Magic is a huge advantage. Quite a few professors struggle with Aspect Magic. If you have a privilege like this, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

However, no matter how much an explanation written by a master of Aspect Magic, there are many esoteric parts, so it seems that more training is still needed.

“It’s a pretty important book. I think I’ll only read this for the time being.”

Anyway, I had to wait here until the other students checked all the opponents and the staff of the bachelor’s office organized and told me the time for the match.

It was a waste of time, so I was reading a book, and Yenika just stared at me with her face on the table, wondering what was so mean. After talking like that for a few minutes, he sighed and talked.

“What’s for dinner tonight. I forgot to check the groceries in the camp storage… Do you remember, Ed?”

“Um… I think the amount itself was enough… I bought some leftover meat from the restaurant at the Lorail building and put it in. Should I just salt it and grill it…”

“Oh, then I’ll have to ask Clara for some leftover herbs. They say adding them while baking makes them fragrant and soft.”

“Oh… definitely worth a try….”

Even though we are so ordinary and not special… We exchanged voices that would make people who we didn’t know hear it and ask if they live together.

Realizing that Yenika now lives right next to the camp, I swallowed my breath while reading the book for no reason.

Even if the bachelor’s class ended like this, we would pack our bags and go back to the northern forest together, cook and eat together, chat around the bonfire until the night, do our own thing, and go to our respective cabins when it’s time to sleep. See you tomorrow, with good night greetings.

“But… Lucy…”

“Lucy?”

“Yeah… I often go to camp…”

Yenika was lying face down on a wooden table, wiggling her feet. She put her chin on her hand and grunted as she spoke.

“Ed doesn’t really care…?”

“If I’m concerned, what else will I do? Can I stop him by force? It’s comfortable to think of it as a natural disaster.”

“That’s… But… Lucy belongs to the Ophelis House. If she goes to the camp again and again like this, won’t she be scolded by the maids?”

“It’s something he can handle. Certainly, just like you said, maids are eagerly awaiting it these days.”

Aren’t the maids of Ophelis Hall the only person in the bachelor who can control Lucy? Only then can the sound of the elite be heard.

As Yenika grumbled and continued to stir her feet in the air, a muffled sound suddenly came from the center of the student hall.

Then, the crowd split, and the murmur subsided in an instant.

― ‘Clear the road!’

― ‘The saintess is coming! Clear the way!’

Sylvania Academy is extremely reluctant to allow outside escorts to enter and exit the school.

Since there are so many children of noble status or influential people, it is because the facilities inside the bachelor’s school will not work properly if they are all given permission. Therefore, within the school, personal escorts cannot be employed unless there is a special reason.

However, there are only two people in the school that transcend even those rules. One is Princess Fenia Elias Chloe, who is leading the escort in the imperial residence, and the other is Saint Clarisse, who occupies the largest room on the top floor of Ophelis Hall.

“wow….”

It was as if Yenica was seeing Saint Clarisse for the first time. Well, the school year is different… There is not much contact.

Elegance that naturally overwhelms the crowd. White hair flowing neatly down the body. Scary red eyes.

She is a girl who always appears in front of the public wearing only a robe full of lace, with holy protection. The figure wearing the school uniform is mysterious.

Since she is also a member of the school, did she come to check the progress of the joint combat practice? In the public eye, she made her way across the vacant lot in front of the student union building.

I sat quietly at a wooden table in the corner, watching her pass by. The distance is quite far, so it looks like a rat’s tail here.

I feel a great sense of separation from when Kylie was in a dignified and confident appearance.

“…”

I will be watching as closely as possible everything that will happen in this joint combat exercise.

I wanted to make sure to check how far I would go as I knew and where I would move in a different direction from the future I knew. You have to check the extent to which the scenario staggered, so you can cope with what will happen next.

First of all, something different from what I expected was happening.

As far as I know, Saint Clarice can’t participate in joint combat practice. She had to go out to meet him because the timing coincided with Seonghwang’s visit.

However, to have come to confirm the formation of the joint combat practice… Is it a story that the saintess also participates in the practice?

If so, does Seonghwang’s visit have been delayed? If there was such a variable, what would it be?

It was a time when I was rolling my head in line with the current situation in that way.

“Uh… uh…”

Suddenly, Yenika raised her head, which had been buried on the table, making a sound of bewilderment.

Clarisse, who was receiving everyone’s attention, did not go to the main entrance of the student hall.

He rolled his eyes here and there, looked in my direction, and then confidently walked towards me. The eyes of the students around him were stinging.

Saint Clarice did not carelessly contact anyone during her bachelor life. Because she is of a noble status, she is always exposed to all kinds of dangers.

Such a person proudly came to my side and sat down on the opposite side of the table. The graceful appearance remains in every action.

“Hello, Senior Ed.”

A jade-like voice sank among the audience. Everyone seemed bewildered as to why I was exchanging greetings like I knew the saintess.

Unfortunately, I am also confused. First of all, due to the timing, I was able to infer that the real Clarice was in front of me, not a fake, but… Daejeon I couldn’t figure out why he would greet me here.

“Originally, I was going to send a letter, but I wanted to meet quickly, so I just came in person.”

He naturally makes bombshell remarks, but he couldn’t answer what I was saying right now. Only soundless clamor spread through the crowd.

Meanwhile, Clarisse smiled brightly and gracefully.

“Shall we talk?”

“…”

I managed my expression as much as possible, and once I covered the book and set it down on the table.