How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 165

Melancholy of the Wolf (1)

– ‘There are bound to be many spirits who find it difficult to communicate with humans. Because the time allowed for humans is short, the spirits always look impatient in the eyes.’

– ‘You talk as if you’re not human. In my eyes, you are too.’

This is the story before the academy was established on the vast island of Aken.

With the towering mountain as the standard, the vast northern forest, the vast plains in the southeast and the coastal zone in the west. and the grassland area due south.

In the opposite direction, walking among the wide-leaved trees centered on the cliff area at the northern end, climbing the mid-slope of the right mountain, or playing along the river in the forest, various fluid spirits would be stepped on.

Merilda, who had just become a high-ranking spirit, was quite impressed with this warm sight.

Because of that, I used to stay on Aken Island for a long time, but when I came to my senses, I was stuck on the island before I knew it and couldn’t go out.

Even the island of Aken, which is tucked away at the southwestern tip of the continent, is not without aborigines.

Slashers who escaped from the territory of the Margrave of Jahul and found a new home, and explorers who came in after seeking natural resources such as the mana stones in the coastal caves of Aken Island often visited.

A few settlers with a story also came in, forming a small village of about six or seven families and living there.

Human beings sometimes seemed to harmonize with nature, but when necessary, they threatened nature… They were unpredictable beings. Merilda, who had fallen in love with this northern forest before she knew it, was also a difficult person to deal with.

Although it is difficult to explain in detail, there were numerous conflicts and periods of harmony. There were times when they joined forces to respond to disasters that came to the island, and there were times when they were angry with humans who overhunted and cut down trees.

– ‘I’m going to build a school.’

If I had to choose the eccentric who left the most impression on me among those people, it was that girl.

The girl, with her shiny silver hair tied back and a leather tunic favored by sorcerers, topped with a golden semi-robe, was always full of life. From the simple multi-colored rings on her hands, to the necklace in the shape of a dragon’s tusk around her neck, to the jewels hanging from her clothes, all of them were full of magic power.

She, who was praised as a great sage in the far north, was caught using taboo magic using the imperial research facility and was kicked out… Rumors circulated that she was an oddity among geeks.

The achievements she had made so far were so great that she was not particularly guilty, but from the point of view of this curious and eager girl, being kicked out to an empty island must have been enough to make her feel trembling.

However, the backward environment alone could not stop the passion of that famous magic researcher——Sylvania Robester.

When he had just entered Aken Island, he cut down trees in the northern forest to make magic wands and researched material transformation magic, causing a great conflict with Merilda. Most of her time was hit and run and fighting.

He made an attempt to suddenly create a riverbank to convert the falling energy of water into magical power, caught the spirits and studied the sealing method, and tried to engrave one of the representative taboos, the ‘magic of grinding’, on a huge stele.

Merilda’s erratic behavior troubled Merilda, but Sylvania continued to study all kinds of magical powers while laughing until the end.

It is Sylvania that has written a lot of research books that will go down in history in this place where there is no common research cylinder.

Just because Merilda dwindled a little, there was no way that her enthusiasm for learning would cool down.

She always does crazy things, so she was always prepared mentally, but this time, I never thought she would say that she was going to build a school.

– ‘Well, since it’s small in scale, it’s more like a school rather than a school.’

– ‘What kind of nonsense are you talking about again?’

Because of her disposition to open up work whenever she has a chance, there has not been a single quiet day since Sylvania came to Aken Island.

It was a hard time for Merilda, who was always leisurely exposed to the wind on the edge of a lake in the northern forest or on the mountainside.

– ‘Establish a small wooden building in the plains to the east, to teach magic or basic combat skills. Alchemy, if possible.’

– ‘You must have a lot of time.’

– ‘no. i always said Unlike spirits, humans don’t have the time allowed, so he always lives busy.’

Sylvania’s expression, with her arms folded proudly on her waist and a grin, is already uneasy.

– ‘Some of the children left behind from the imperial family or the lawless land come to Aken Island. All of them are great kids, but I think the imperial family is urging them not to do useless things and to take responsibility for these kids and take good care of them. It seemed like each of them had their own story.’

– ‘Well, even after you were exiled to Aken Island, you went through all sorts of accidents. The imperial family also gave me a pastime because my head hurts.’

– ‘What, I was a bit upset because I thought I was going to have a baby… Surprisingly, all of them are kind and sincere, aren’t they? In addition, they all come from great backgrounds, so I thought there must be a reason why they were entrusted to me, who is called the Great Sage~.’

After saying that, Sylvania recited the children one by one who would soon enter Aken Island.

Teslin McLore, a descendant of Luden, the first swordsman, Glockt Elderbane, a boy wizard blessed by the stars, and Philona Bloomriver, a witch-alchemist who was said to have manufactured the ‘mortal reagent’ even before the coming-of-age ceremony.

It is still far in the future that the three children, who each stand out in combat, magic, and alchemy, will rule the continent as the first disciples of the great sage Sylvania.

– ‘Anyway, if we build a school in the eastern plains, it’s obvious that Merylda will cause a stir again, so I came to talk about it in advance~. I will never touch the area around the North Forest and I will make sure it stays as it is, so I hope you can move on smoothly as well~.’

The scenery of Aken Island is still close to the land of nature rather than the land of study.

I don’t care about how human affairs go, I sit still on the top of the mountain I climbed and watch the trees sway.

The great sage who is facing the wind together in front of him is always humming a song that makes him feel so good. I didn’t like that look in the past, but I think it’s good to see if I’ve gotten used to it lately.

Adaptation is really scary.

Just like a drop of water falling through a rock, when she came to her senses, this girl absorbed herself… and it became natural for her to be by her side.

Merilda had such an experience, and unexpectedly thought that being close to a human might not be such a big deal.

Communicating with humans is not a bad thing. It’s just more annoying than you think.

Leaving behind such a draining impression, the wolf just looked down at the scenery of Aken Island for a while.

The spirit’s time flows so fast that it is different from that of humans.

The sun rises in the eastern sea and sinks quietly in the western sea. When it is repeated, the scenery of the island is quite different.

Cherry blossoms bloom, vegetation grows thick, leaves fall, and eventually snow piles up. It is said that every moment was a beautiful sight of Aken Island, but it is not always the same.

The little school in Sylvania, which had been built on the eastern side of the island, gradually grew in size. The number of students coming in and out increased, and before I knew it, grand buildings were erected and spiers were piercing the sky. The place that started out as an academy got a fancy name, Sylvania Academy, and is honoring her achievements that are no longer in the world.

In this way, the eastern academy becomes ‘Gyodong’ over the years.

In the small village of humans with a few households in the west, the number of people increased little by little as the size of the school grew… Before anyone knew it, a commercial district was formed in its own way, and many humans began to enter in search of opportunities.

That’s how the village to the west got the name ‘Life Building’, and even the dormitory managed by the academy started to enter.

As much time has passed, the landscape of Aken Island has changed a lot.

The scenery of Aken Island, where only wild animals roamed around, is now a long time ago.

You can clearly feel the trend of the times when you see the occasional building you enter or the students wandering around in the school building.

A lot of weapons were developed, and a lot of research on combat skills and strategy was conducted, and the combat department curriculum was divided into dozens of branches. Now, the combat department of the academy produces not only combatants, but also renowned generals and strategists.

The same goes for magic. A long time ago, there was an era when you could hear the voice of an elite wizard even if you dealt with only one middle rank magic, but recently, even wizards dealing with the highest level magic at the academy level have appeared. Although he was a strong human being at a very unusual level.

The field of alchemy has developed in a completely different direction, and it does not stop at mixing reagents or mineralogy, but deals with magic engineering, herbalism, crafting, and magic biology in general. It felt like the alchemy field had eaten up all the fields that could not be achieved with magic.

The flow of the times and the development of academics are so rapid and magnificent.

[Also, the time is passing by leaving me like this. ]

Merilda, in human form, was perched on a tree that rose midway up the mountain.

Looking at the entirety of the Sylvania Academy, Merilda muttered in a low voice.

[It was always like that. ]

*[ I’m trying to run away. ]

If you often hear unexpected sounds, you will become immune.

“…What are you talking about again?”

[Nowadays, everyone seems to take me for granted, so I’m thinking of disappearing. It’s a kind of ransom management. Whoops. ]

“…”

The campfire was bathed in the warm midday sun.

Although it was late summer, the weather was quite cool. However, it was a difficult time to see that fall was coming, so it was also the perfect time to wear thin clothes and catch a cold because of the daily temperature difference.

As for me, I wasn’t in a state to worry about catching a cold. Because the body was already in bad shape.

While I sat by the fire watching the crackling flames, Bell Maia was slicing onions on the workbench.

It was such a peaceful state, with only the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board in the middle of the day.

“…Did you call?”

“No. Merylda… So, the spirit I contracted with said some silly things.”

“okay.”

Because my magic power is exhausted, I can’t even manifest Merilda in human form.

So, Merylda is invisible to Bell, who does not have the ability to respond to spirits.

After Bell answered that, she began to trim the various ingredients in the basket again.

Since it was the vacation season, the work at the Ophelis Hall seemed to be quite leisurely.

When I had free time, I would come to take care of me when I was not in good shape, and I was very grateful for taking care of chores to maintain the camp.

Thanks to this, I am in a situation where all I have to do is take a break until the vacation is over. If I get better, I’ll give you something in return.

[What a meaningless sound. How much agony did I go through? ]

Merilda jumped up from the tree stump over the campfire, kicking her bare foot lightly as her snow-white skirt fluttered. Then, naturally, her body floated and she came over to the back of the tree next to me.

He sat down, stretched his bare legs out toward the fire, and let out a sinister grin.

[What should I say, I feel like leaving. If I suddenly disappear and there is no one to manage the northern forest, the fluid spirits and lower spirits who have settled here will be frightened, right? ]

“You have a bad personality.”

[It’s just that I periodically manage my ransom. If the favor continues, I know it’s a right~. Then you become a hogu. I have to tell them periodically that I’m struggling so much, and that there will be a big problem without me. huh. ]

Merilda smiled Betsy and pulled the hem of her dress down.

[You’re just going to rest for the rest of the vacation anyway, right? I want to manifest a little bit and come back after wandering around like a bachelor. I’m thinking of leaving the northern forest behind for a few days~. ]

“Simply put, I want to take a break. Yes, everything is fine… Lucy is in the imperial family right now, but whose magical power is she planning to manifest?”

Normally, Merylda shares Lucy and my magical power evenly, but at this time, there is no place in Aken Island where she can receive enough magical power.

If you use up all the magical power you normally accumulate, you will not be able to maintain your manifested state. He must have consumed most of the mana he had built up in the last Crefin battle, so he must be broke now.

[You have your wand. If I don’t have magical powers, I won’t be able to manifest the spirit ceremony, but simply manifesting a human form would be possible with the ability of the staff itself. You don’t need combat skills anyway, so there’s no big problem. ]

“…So that’s why you said such outrageous things to me? To borrow some power from a cane.”

[I’m a good kid who always takes permission even before I run away. ]

There is no crazy person in the world who gets permission and runs away.

To say that, because of the special status of being a spirit subject to the contract, there is no choice.

[It’s been a while since I’ve been looking around at the bachelor’s school, so unless I’m in a hurry or something, I’d say he’s a bit of a wanderer and leave it alone. ]

“Yes. You usually work hard, so you should rest when you rest.”

I had trouble controlling myself, so I asked Belle to bring me a staff.

Belle boiled water in a pot by the campfire, then nodded softly in response before heading toward the cabin.

[ You said that Yenikana and Lucy would come back around the end of vacation, right? She’s recovering well until then. Ed, you’re hurt too. ]

“What would a wandering spirit say after throwing a contracted human into the camp?”

[That maid is still taking care of it anyway. You are full of sinister thoughts inside, but am I clinging to your side so you can’t show your dark feelings? ]

As Merilda grinned and talked like that, I just stared at the girl’s figure with my ax eyes open.

[Anyway, the joke doesn’t work. ]

“I have no time to rest unless now.”

[I guess so. Before the vacation, there will be news about the remaining forces of the family, and when the semester starts, you will be busy digesting the curriculum again. Yes, yes, it must be difficult because you are busy. ]

Merilda mischievously lifted her bare foot and kicked a few nearby stones. A few small stones rolled several times through the grass and soon found themselves near the campfire.

After I had been bruised for a while, Belle came out of my cabin with a staff.

“Here it is. Are you planning to use magic? It’s best not to overdo it.”

“No, I don’t have the magic to use anyway. I’m just relying on the ability of the staff.”

As I held the staff and concentrated for a moment, the power of the staff began to manifest little by little.

Although she couldn’t demonstrate her fighting ability at all, Merilda succeeded in manifesting herself in the form of a young girl.

It really has no meaning beyond manifestation. I can’t even feel any magic power, so I’m just a fair-looking white-haired girl.

Seeing such a girl manifested on top of a tree stump, Bell looked at her curiously for a moment. Belle is a sphere to Merylda’s point of view, so she spontaneously gave off an alluring smile and jumped down from the tree stump.

[Aha, I really liked the feeling of stepping on grass like this when I manifested. ]

Her feet were so thin that she was afraid they might get a scratch, but Merilda lifted the hem of her skirt lightly as if it were okay, and danced around her legs.

[Then, I’m resting well until I get news from my parents’ house~. I’ll go and have a drink in moderation~. ]

Merilda said that, waved her hand at me, and walked out with a brisk walk.

Wouldn’t it hurt to walk barefoot like that?

I had such doubts, but I left it alone because I thought it would be okay.

I poked the campfire a few times with my poker, then sighed and relaxed again.

I don’t feel the taste. All food tastes like chewing sand. I can’t hear well in one ear, and my left leg doesn’t work well.

Low fever and high fever came up alternately, and sometimes nausea or chills came up.

It continues to maintain a state in which not a single drop of magic power remains.

It’s not like he fully summoned the highest level spirit. He summoned only the head and fired once.

Even with that brief manifestation, her physical condition was so shattered, how much sensitivity did Jenika, who had taken out the highest water spirit for a long time, have?

Of course, Yenica also had to lie down for a long time after summoning Friede to be taken care of, but even taking that into consideration, it was an extraordinary level of sensitivity.

“…”

When I think of Yenika, I also think of the worried look on the train to Pulan. The same was true of Lortel and Clarice.

However, in order to take care of me, who only needed to rest adequately, it was not possible to postpone the precious homecoming schedule or business / official schedule.

Resting as well as possible, and returning at the end of the vacation, showing a much improved appearance is the way to reciprocate.

It was Tanya who was most worried.

Tanya, who pushed me on my back while telling me to go back to Aken Island, was wearing a cape with the image of an eagle, the symbol of the family head.

If you close your eyes, you can see the back of Tanya looking at the collapsed Ross Taylor mansion with her hair tied up.

I’m worried, but it’s hard to do anything with my hazy mental state and damaged body. It was more likely to be a burden than a help.

First of all, a quick recovery is important.

Knowing that fact, I relaxed as much as I could and forced the tasteless rice into my mouth.

*When Magnus Calamore, the corps commander commanding the northern grasslands, arrived at the Ross Taylor Mansion, everything was over.

He was originally scheduled to visit at the end of the social church. The military meeting was suddenly scheduled and I couldn’t arrive on time.

He couldn’t help but open his eyes wide at the sight of the completely collapsed Ross Taylor mansion and the temporary tents erected in front of it.

“Captain Magnus. I’m sorry I couldn’t treat you.”

And at the center table of the largest tent, there was a girl who was taking care of the situation right now.

It was Tanya Ross Taylor, the student council president of Sylvania Academy and the current head of the Ross Taylor family.

There was a hint of tiredness on his face, which was still young. Even so, Tanya skillfully talked to a corps commander several times her age.

“As you can see, the current condition of the Ross Taylor Mansion is like this…”

“What happened?”

With a quick sweep of the shaggy leaves, Magnus spoke politely to Tanya. She noticed at once that her status was elevated.

Tanya lowered her eyes once at the ironic situation and smiled.

There were several distinguished guests around Tanya who were discussing the situation in the mansion. Most of them returned to their territories, but a few key nobles were still on the scene and rectifying the situation.

One of them was Cinir Bloomriver, head of the Bloomriver family.

Cinir, an elderly woman with a few wrinkles. She recognized Magnus and lowered her head slightly.

Magnus also bowed her head and sat down in front of Tanya.

Sinir and Magnus are people who have children of their own in Sylvania.

Magnus’ son, Wade Calamore, is the first-year overall top of the class. And Tracyana Bloomriver, the second of Cinir’s twin daughters, is the 4th year head of the Ministry of Magic.

As they both have honor students as their children, they know very well about Sylvania’s student body president, Tanya Rosteiler.

However, I had no experience of actually meeting her, so I was only estimating what kind of girl she would be.

The position of student council president in charge of the students of that famous Sylvania. In addition, the state of inheriting the position of the head of the family who has to take responsibility for the family with the mangjo.

The girl carrying this heavy seat was smaller than expected, and the two of them couldn’t help but stare at each other with worried eyes.

However, Tanya casually spoke first.

“I’ll talk to you about it. I’m cornered. So I don’t have time to liver it here and there.”

From Magnus’ point of view, who had not yet heard of the situation at Ross Taylor Mansion, it was inevitable that it would sound like a sudden noise.

Still, Tanya spoke without hesitation.

“I’m going to bring down Princess Selaha.”

Selaha, Persica, and Penia.

In the midst of the imperial power competition that leads to a three-way battle, where can Tanya go to survive?

“Are you willing to cooperate?”

Magnus, born with the blood of a warrior, has risen to the ranks of the generals in charge of the entire northern steppe.

Cinir, the head of the Bloom River family, who leads to the witch’s house.

If you want to conciliate two people to your side, you must have a cause or power.

However, Tanya is now the head of the household in charge of a family that is on the verge of extinction. There are no fools in the world who would follow a person driven into such a predicament.

She didn’t know that, but Tanya said it confidently nonetheless. stick to yourself

As if that was the correct answer… There was not even a hint of hesitation.

*

“Brother Ed.”

“…Good morning, Bell.”

“I’m sorry I was on break… but a letter arrived.”

“…Correspondence?”

It was the next morning.

I was taking care of myself by the bonfire, and I looked at Bell, who had come since early morning, with a puzzled face.

“…To me?”

“Yes. It flew to the address of Master Ed in Ophelis Hall, so I retrieved it and brought it.”

“…When was the last time I was kicked out of the Ophelis Hall, and now my letter arrives there?”

“I’m also curious…”

I received the letter from Bell and opened it right away.

It was in a shabby envelope, but the ink writing was clean, as if it had been written recently.

The content wasn’t too long, so I quickly skimmed through it.

– A note to the worst kidnapper, Ed Rosteyler.

“?”

Bell, who was reading with me from behind, also made eye contact with me and tilted her head.

– I know about the terrible evil you did to the little girl. It is absolutely unforgivable that he arbitrarily trampled on a poor mute girl who could not even resist or utter a word.

– I would like to report all these evil deeds to the Bachelor Council, but even if I see the last mercy of the victim who has a pretty heart to stop it, I will postpone the condemnation if he directly jumps out and apologizes.

– As soon as you check the letter, jump out of the Glockt tube.

– Member of the Ministry of Magic, sent by Patriciana Bloomriver.

“…?”

“??”

Bell and I made eye contact again for a while, then continued to exchange glances as if wondering.

“Have you recently kidnapped and imprisoned a girl?”

“…”

“… Excuse me.”

Indeed, just looking at the speed at which she picked up mistakes, she deserved to be called a first-class maid.