How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 205

Giving Meaning (8)

the next morning. The facts about the circumstances of Abbot Austin’s death were officially announced among the nuns.

Natural death due to aging. He overworked himself for several days in preparation for the prayer meeting, and even ran around the rooftop of the monastery in the middle of the night.

In reality, the circumstances of the murder were clear, but that was how it was announced.

Considering the age of Abbot Austin, even a sudden, sudden death could be excused as a natural death. Even among ordinary nuns, she did not show any signs of suspicion.

Upon the tragic news of the death of Abbot Austin, the inside of the abbey fell into sadness and disappointment.

It wasn’t difficult to silence those who knew it was a murder.

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir, who knew the whole truth, naturally did not want to make things big.

Princess Persica also has no reason to refuse if she can finish her work with a natural death.

I persuaded Saint Clarice myself. Since the deceased Abbot of Austin would also want the matter to end like this, Saint Clarisse did not object.

Since all three parties leading the case agreed, the rest went smoothly.

Even the VIP visitors, who knew the details of the murder, agreed not to publicize the murder because it would not do any good if sparks of suspicion were sparked against them.

This is because when things get bigger, there is a high possibility that those who were at the scene of the incident will be involved more than necessary.

All of them nodded their heads at the words of Saint Clarice and Princess Persica that the investigation would proceed quietly behind the scenes… .

In this way, the truth about the subhumans was buried in history.

the next morning.

I heard that the work was finished to some extent, and that a memorial table for the head of the Austin Abbey had been prepared at the entrance of the monastery.

The daily life of the monastery is early in the morning. I was tired from being interrogated and testifying all night, but I couldn’t be the only one confined to my room when all the other nuns went to pay their respects to Abbot Austin.

When I open my eyes to the sound of the waves coming in from outside the window, fatigue rises from my whole body.

I have to ride the carriage all day because I have to go back to the Sylvania Academy today, but I’m already in a bad shape, so I’m very worried. Still, it was not long enough to participate in the funeral procession of the Abbot of Austin. If it’s going to happen, it has to happen now.

No matter how much it is, is it possible to feel such a heavy weight in the body?

Compared to camp life, it wouldn’t be too much to say, but why is my body so heavy?

Feeling that discomfort, I pulled up the futon and found Lucy sleeping with her head buried in my chest.

“…”

The witch’s hat, which she never took off from her body anytime, anywhere, was quietly enshrined next to her pillow. Come to think of it, she wondered if this was a double line…

I remember bringing him in because I was in a visibly depressed state yesterday, so it was ambiguous to leave him alone.

I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a comfort to tell you that it’s okay, it’s okay, so I just stayed by your side.

Originally, when people are really having a hard time and worrying, it means the most to just have someone next to them like a wall.

“Hey, Lucy.”

Still, it’s a situation that needs to happen now.

After waking Lucy by calling the name softly, her eyelids fluttered open. Lucy’s characteristic blank, unshakable bluish eyes met me, and then suddenly raised her upper body while squeezing the edge of my pituitary gland.

It seems that he didn’t even know when he fell asleep. She sighed, wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with the sleeve of her dress, and spoke in a more exasperated voice than usual, dilating her pupils slightly.

“I didn’t know you were asleep.”

“Yesterday must have been difficult in many ways, I understand…”

Was it a mistake to bring up the story yesterday?

Lucy was at a loss for words, perhaps feeling a sense of shame belatedly coming from the memory of shedding large tears while her shoulders were wrapped around my arm.

“…There is no need to be so embarrassed. There are times when you live like that.”

The way he stood there, unable to say anything, seemed like he had a big accident last night. As others say, Lucy Meiril was just tired of crying and fell asleep.

It might be embarrassing to me that the place was in my arms, but I wasn’t in a position to offer any consolation.

Lucy belatedly wiped her eyelids with her sleeve and tried to maintain her poker face as if nothing had happened. However, it didn’t seem to work as well as I thought.

Should I say that the appearance of looking down here and there is quite fresh? Anyway, considering her usual appearance as if she was contemplating everything in the world like a hermit, it was not very common.

“Anyway… I have to get up soon. I’m going back to Sylvania today, so I have to get ready… Above all, I have to go to the old woman’s memorial service. It must have already started. The monastery is very early in the morning.”

If you look out the window, the morning mist remains. The fog would have disappeared once I got ready and went out, but it was still a time when I hadn’t risen properly.

“I have to finish the work.”

When the name of Abbot Austin came out, Lucy felt something in her own way… He quietly nodded. She was so obedient that it was unusual for her.

After this, it was a breeze. I went to the washroom on the first floor and wet my face with cold water with Lucy following me tightly by my sleeve.

After a simple shower, I came up and put on my coat, leather pants, and wizard’s robe. Then, he put it on loosely and touched Lucy’s school uniform, which was scattered here and there. It was impossible to tidy up the fact that the sleeves were still circling.

After that, when Lucy asked what she wanted to sit on her lap, she meant to tie her hair. I brushed Lucy’s gray hair with the comb the nun had prepared for me, then tied her hair up at the right place with a hair tie.

And he pinned the fluttering necktie well and fastened it neatly and neatly again on the shirt with the missing button.

The series of processes were so natural that the nuns passing by looked at them with puzzled eyes… To be honest, I saw it today and won’t see it anymore, so I didn’t have to worry about it.

After that, holding onto the sleeves of her clothes, she led Lucy, who followed her, down to the first floor of the monastery.

Lucy was still walking around like a fluttering paper doll, probably weak in the morning. Still, when he saw the scene unfolding at the front gate of the monastery in the early morning, he bit his lips tightly, perhaps feeling a strangely firm heart.

Heaps of flowers piled up with Austin’s portrait. The morning sun rising from the eastern sky. The sound of crashing waves.

In the meantime, the solemn prayers of the nuns made it seem as if time had stopped…

Me and Lucy just watched the scene for a while.

*

“Thank you for taking good care of Eileen. She is resting well in her room now. We will take care of it before nightfall.”

Eileen, the girl Lucy had captured, was handed over to Auxiliary Bishop Melinir.

This is because, after the death of the abbot of Austin, the authority to manage the monastery was transferred to her, who is the de facto parish priest in the region.

Also, there are few officials inside the monastery who know the truth about the demi-humans. Among her, she was the most senior among her, so there was no one like her to entrust her Eileen to.

After the main prayer of the memorial service, it was time for each person to sit down and freely pray for the Austin Abbey. No one said anything when he left, but in front of the portrait of the abbot, numerous nuns were sitting quietly and praying.

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir, whose basic duties were finished, took advantage of that time to talk to me. He had been staring at me as I leaned against the stone wall at the very back of the memorial meeting.

“You seem very heartbroken… but since it was an accidental act while drunk on a full moon, other demi-human colleagues will understand.”

Melinir, who lowered his voice and spoke slowly, was already wearing the abbot’s uniform.

News had arrived early in the morning from the holy Eldein. As soon as Saint Eldein heard the report about the death of Abbot Austin the night before, he immediately conveyed his wishes of remembrance.

Then, as the deputy parish head, he immediately allowed her to take the position of head of the abbey, and instructed her to put an end to the situation.

“All the other demi-human children understand it well. Being drunk with that blood and having your nails go out in the wrong place… That it can happen to them at any time, not just to Aileen.”

“…At least he won’t be harmed for attacking Abbot Austin.”

“Yes. Everyone understands. But… whether you can forgive yourself is another story entirely.”

When I found Aileen, she was wiping away tears with her bloody hands, face buried in her lap.

Wouldn’t it be too big a heartache for a girl who hasn’t even had a coming-of-age ceremony yet? I think about it, but it would be far-fetched to take on more responsibility than that.

It is something she will overcome on her own. It was enough to cheer her up in her heart.

“Would you like to offer a prayer? Now, even if you are not a member of the monastery, you can offer a wreath.”

“huh.”

Before I could answer anything, Lucy nodded first.

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir trembled and looked in Lucy’s direction. Then he closed his eyes insinuatingly and responded with a slight nod of his head.

Lucy, like me, has no faith in gods.

Rather, she is a girl who has a history of pouring out magic against evil spirits. Nevertheless, is it courtesy to Austin who left… She laid her white roses and put her hands together in her prayer.

It was a different look from when I stretched out anywhere and took a nap.

Only then did the girl named Lucy become a girl who could be serious when she was serious.

“Are you leaving for Sylvania today?”

“Yes. Later at night, when the tide is low, the wagon is supposed to come. I’ll stay at the memorial meeting until nightfall.”

“It’s okay to do it while taking a proper break. The people who are to offer flowers have already done everything, and in fact, there are not many procedures left.”

“It’s okay. I’ll keep my seat.”

The memorial service prepared at the front gate of the monastery was crowded with nuns even after time passed.

Standing all day among grieving nuns is gloomy, but I didn’t mind it.

Lucy hates crowded places like this. She didn’t say a word that she didn’t like, but she sat next to me all the time.

I passed the time by consoling them when a nun I knew occasionally passed by, and also by talking about Austin when I was alive.

Once the procession of nuns passed by, this time a procession of outside visitors came.

Most of them knew about the circumstances of Austin’s murder, so their expressions were bland. Still, he paid homage to her noble life and left.

In fact, there was no need for such a strange and guilty face. This kind of ending itself must have been the situation Austin wished for the most in his life.

I haven’t seen it myself, but I can feel it. She would have passed away with a more hearty laugh than anyone else.

I sat still and sent the distinguished guests. After that, Saint Clarisse personally went and laid the wreath.

Upon passing away, it is regarded as the highest honor to directly receive the memorial of Saint Clarisse, the spiritual leader of the Church of Telos.

Abbot Austin was known as a person who deserved the honorable tribute no matter what anyone said.

This was followed by a wreath from Princess Persica. She came with her solemn posture and laid flowers on her memorial table with her complex face.

the princess and the saint.

A girl born from the noblest lineage in the world, and a girl who received the greatest blessing from the gods of the next world.

With the condolences of the two at the same time, Abbot Austin passed away.

It would be difficult to condense 109 years of life in one line, but it can be said that it was a truly eventful life.

*

“They say that the carriage from Sylvania has arrived on the coast. The saintess has also said that she has finished preparing for the departure, so you should head to the main gate soon. Thank you from the bottom of my heart as the vicar of the parish for staying with me until the end. Ed Roth Prince Taylor.”

“…”

“We, Cledric Monastery, will not forget the work of the Roth Taylor family who lent their strength without hesitation so that we could pass this task without too much difficulty.”

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir bowed his head and thanked me.

From my point of view, it was more than necessary thanks, so I waved my hand moderately and told him it was okay.

Even after the nuns left for their daily routine and the distinguished guests left their seats one by one, Lucy and I continued to stay.

Eventually, when it was time to clean up the place for the memorial service, Lucy used magic to clean up the mess, and I also gave up my hands for these and other things that required strength.

As a result, all schedules could be neatly finished around sunset. All that was left was to arrange a portrait of Austin laughing broadly and a memorial table full of flowers.

Time had already passed, and it was low tide. She was subtly distraught and did not really feel the passing of the day.

“…!”

Suddenly, Lucy opened her eyes and glanced around. Did you feel a strange change?

As I have said many times, the night is as early as the morning in the monastery.

Roughly around the time the moon is in mid-heaven, more than half of the nuns go to bed.

Besides, there are few nuns who come down to the direction of the main gate of the monastery that leads to the coastline. It’s because I can’t make bedtime if I’m out to this place at a time like this.

Thanks to that, the area around the memorial was completely quiet. The middle door leading to the outer wall was also closed, so there was no condition for anyone else to enter.

The memorial space between the outer wall and the inner door of the monastery. I’m isolated behind bars… There were several nuns who climbed the outer wall. Lucy noticed the nuns’ presence.

Fifteen girls jumped over bars and walls and settled down. It’s strange to see them all wearing beast ears and tails, but they don’t look like they’ve been intoxicated by the lunacy of the full moon.

It would make a gurgling sound from time to time, but it was not out of aggression.

The power that flows in the blood of the subhumans sometimes makes them lose their reason, but more than that, the miserable mood keeps them sane.

The reason is… It is the death of a benefactor.

The dehumanized children hid around all day, waiting for midnight when the crowds would disappear.

The girls all gathered in front of the memorial table. Most of the memorial facilities have already been removed, and only one memorial table remains.

But the girls don’t care and gather to pray. They were the last mourners at this memorial meeting.

Some sit on nearby rocks, others sit on the dirt floor and quietly drop their tails and continue their prayers.

In front of them sat Eileen, who was still tear-stained.

What is the girl praying in the moonlight with her rich blonde hair hanging down on the floor and wearing a muddy habit?

Although it was mixed with animal blood… He had the appearance of a faithful servant serving God.

“If it’s late, you’ll be in trouble.”

“…All right.”

Now that the water had receded completely, we could slowly make our way to the shore. With the girls praying in the moonlight behind, it was time for me to go on my way.

If I don’t leave at the right time, I will have to stay at this monastery until tomorrow.

It’s not such a big deal, but I still want to go back to the academy and focus on my studies. No matter how hard I tried, I didn’t want to fall further behind in the class schedule.

Perhaps noticing my appearance, Auxiliary Bishop Melinir gently closed his eyes and smiled.

“Suddenly, we should return to our daily lives. Everyone.”

After the person to leave leaves, daily life comes again. As if that person never existed in the first place.

The hands of the clock move forward, the sun rises and sets, and the moon rises in mid-heaven before anyone knows it, repeating the routine. Then, one day, life suddenly comes to an end, as if it goes dark.

Someone might feel futile in such a flow of life and define it as meaningless.

Someone knows how to find and give meaning even in such a monotonous and repetitive life.

The sun rises in Cledric Abbey without Austin. Even if the dead are silent, the life of the living must go on.

After all, we survived.

because you have to live

*

“Something like that happened.”

“Oh, that must have been really hard.”

“I haven’t had any trouble with anything. Most of the time I’ve been sitting still. Anyways… I’m really surprised…”

When I returned to the camp from the monastery, I was astonished to the point of shaking.

Before I left the camp, I was constantly working on the extension of the cabin, but when I returned, the exterior work was almost finished.

Of course, the process of trimming the logs and processing them well is the most labor-intensive process… The construction work itself is not that difficult if you borrow the power of the spirits.

However, even so, I never thought that Jenika would be able to finish everything in the ten days or so that I stayed in the monastery.

thinking about it… Jenika’s own hut was also built in 5 days by the spirits’ forced march.

Tarkan’s leadership… … Should I call it leadership? … .. Anyway, thanks to Tarkan’s leadership, the movement of the spirits in perfect order boasts excellent efficiency beyond the scope of common sense.

Of course, I have to go beyond the scope of common sense… Tarkan’s way of thinking is outside the scope of common sense.

When I looked at the whole view of the camp using the spirit induction, exhausted lower spirits were scattered all over the place like corpses.

Mug, who was heading to Cledric Monastery with me, looked at the lower spirits with complicated eyes.

Just a few years ago, his image was there. He wouldn’t have suffered that much now that his status had risen to a lieutenant spirit, but Mug wouldn’t have been safe if he had been left in this camp.

[I think it’s really fortunate that I signed a contract with Master Ed. Let’s go forever… I will be loyal to this fire candle mug for the rest of my life… .!!! ]

It seems to have a lot of feelings.

“This… you really built it…?”

The fully realized cabin, as planned in advance, was right in front of my eyes.

A zelkova tree with large branches spreading next to the camp. With the stem as the axis, a large first-floor hut was built, and on the second floor, a large auxiliary pillar was supported by the high part of the stem.

With the neat and perfect results, I even forgot the justification that I had to practice carpentry. This was a quality I could never make alone. The neatly hung windows on each floor and the neatly stacked logs were also a realm of impression.

The part where the support rod connects seems to have been bought with an iron bar and put it in, and there are traces of all the protruding parts that seem to have been shaved off. It was truly surprising that he had gone this far with spirits who had no talent for meticulous work.

“Ehehe~.”

Betsy smiled and made a V with her hand, then suddenly Yenika lowered her head shyly.

“Actually… I was only going to get half of the skeleton, but Tarkan took the lead and finished it all while I was taking my bachelor’s class…”

“…The other spirits are fine?”

“In the first place, the construction itself must have been carried out without my knowledge until night… I was doing additional work while I was out of class… It seems that I was hiding it in case I said something… I found out later and scolded Tarkan…”

Yenika pouted, fiddling with the tips of her fingers. It was clearly the excessive loyalty of the spirits.

Anyway, it’s good to be loved by the spirits, but if you roll until you’re exhausted like that, Jenika’s heart isn’t very good either.

Even in the midst of that, the figure of Tarkan, who was smiling at the cabin as if satisfied, shimmered. She must be like that.

“Uh, anyway, I can do my best to manage the spirits after death! Wouldn’t Ed just be happy?! Wow! Wow!”

“It’s not like the situation will change suddenly just because you’re cheering three times, but… Anyway, from my point of view, it’s a happy thing.”

I looked up at the larger cabin.

And I turned my gaze toward the wooden shelter made on one side of the camp. It’s the first shelter I made, and it’s where I slept among the cold night wind and insects on the first day.

After seeing the overwhelming difference in size, a strange feeling came up and I pressed my forehead.

indeed… Could this be a wave of emotion?

“It’s still empty inside. I’m not sure about the furniture arrangement, so Ed will have to do it himself!”

“…okay.”

It’s about arranging the furniture. On the contrary, you can actually do it with a smile.

The second floor will be used as a library and a magic engineering workshop, and the first floor will be used as a living space… All sensitive and delicate equipment will go up to the second floor.

It was around the time when I was thinking about the moving plan and happily thinking about how to arrange the furniture.

“By the way, Ed, you have to go back to class tomorrow…?”

“Huh? Right.”

“So… I just arrived at the bachelor’s school, so I don’t know about that.”

Jenika put the cooking pot over the fire on the campfire and rolled up her arms.

“Ed’s younger sister, Tanya… I heard they’re holding a new student meeting this time… Ed seems to be thinking of calling it that way as well. It’s kind of like calling a meeting.”

It is the natural right of the president to call a meeting among students.

However, Yenica tilts her head as if concerned.

“But the reason for the meeting is a bit strange… There are rumors going around because there are only children from famous and prestigious families…”

“…What rumors?”

“The student body president… is trying to form an independent force that can exert influence not only inside Sylvania, but also externally…”

At those words, I couldn’t help but tilt my head involuntarily.

One thing is certain… I got the feeling that Tanya was drawing a blueprint for something.

This… I felt like I should go and ask myself.