How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 87

Come spring (5)

Since it was a newly renovated building, there was no way the Ophelis Hall would be shaken by a snow storm.

All the management personnel are veterans, and most of the students living there are highly capable, so it was a peaceful atmosphere compared to the Dex Hall or the Lorail Hall.

The heating measures are perfectly prepared, and most of the necessary items are provided by the maids. That is why the inside of the Ophelis Hall felt like entering a long period of rest rather than preparing for natural disasters.

There are times when I feel eerie when I cross the hallway with the soft darkness unique to winter, but it feels rather cozy because there are soft lights in the halls and student facilities inside the Ophelis Hall.

The student hall, which is located in the middle of each floor, feels like it is prepared as a free space mainly for students residing in Ophelis Hall. Of course, there is a feeling that the space is a little wider than the use.

Antique wooden pillars along the walls, and tables neatly placed throughout the hall. Desserts and drinks that the maids always fill are lined up between the pillars, and large wooden round tables are lined up near the large stove in the middle.

Most students spend time in their guest rooms, but it is boring to stay in them anyway.

Because of this, the student facilities inside the Ophelis Hall were considerably more crowded than usual.

There was also a table where students chatted and ate dessert, or held a light book club. Some students were playing chess, and some students were practicing empathy by lightly implementing this or that elemental magic.

“You want a duel?”

It wasn’t long before Ziggs went down to his parents’ house with Elka.

I wanted to arrive before the snowstorm season, so I thought I would steadily recover from now on, as I was a bit tired from the forced travel.

Ziggs, who was reclining at a table in the student hall and reading alchemy books, smiled curiously at the cheeky remark of a junior who came to greet him.

“Yes, Mr. Ziggs.”

Ziggs folded the corner of the book he was reading and placed it on the table.

The junior who came to visit is Wade Calamore. He was the top of the whole freshman year.

Gray hair and gray eyes. The white boy greeted him confidently, making one think that he might be an albino.

After that, the word “let’s go” was an application for sparring.

“Of course, not right now. Isn’t Ziggs famous as a strong man beyond the Ministry of Magic and the entire undergraduate school? He’s not yet a freshman who can confidently apply for sparring.”

“I don’t care about that. It’s not that hard to cross swords once if you want.”

Ziggs sat with his chin resting on his chin and answered indifferently.

“But why?”

“Of course, as a junior, I want to ask for advice from my senior.”

“That superficial reason is enough.”

When Ziggs said that, Wade smiled and nodded.

“It’s because I want to prove my worth. It seems that I haven’t properly expressed my strength within the undergraduate school yet, so I’m looking for seniors who are known to be strong and apply for sparring.”

“Huh… you eat up the top of the grade and say that?”

“I have a chimney-like desire to fight with Zigx-senpai, but I think he’s tired from the journey, and more than anything, there’s an order to everything, so it would be too hasty to fight with Zigx-senpai right away.”

Wade had his characteristic refreshing smile, but Ziggs had the feeling that it wasn’t as pure on the inside as it looked.

Tanya, who declared that he would take the seat of the student council president, and Wade, who said he would defeat all of his seniors in a duel, and the juniors who all showed a lot of ambition, made Ziggs feel very special.

“Among the 2nd year seniors, I will first beat Clevius, who is the head of the Combat Division, and Elvira, who is the head of the Pensions Division, before sending a challenge to Ziggs.”

“I’m not the head of the Ministry of Magic, am I?”

“Isn’t the second-year head of the Ministry of Magic someone who is ignored by students of all grades?”

Wade pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked the hall maid to serve him a cup of tea.

Certainly, it’s become a kind of convention to rank Lucy Meiril out of the question whether it’s scoring or sparring.

“Thinking about that, I think that at this point, the de facto second-year head of the Ministry of Magic is Ziggs-senpai.”

“Well, I don’t want to win the spirit like that. It’s true that Lucy is stronger than me, so I don’t even want to leave it out of the question.”

“I’ve heard of his humble character, but it’s true. If I defeat Ziggs-senpai, I’ll be able to prove that I’m at least at a higher level than the sophomores.”

Do you know what he’s talking about right now? Declaring that you will be defeated in front of the person concerned may be considered an act of quarreling, depending on the circumstances.

However, Ziggs is not the type to be offended by such things. Maybe Wade knew that too.

“It’s hard to say for sure if I’ll be able to win against Ziggs-senpai, but…”

“Does that sound like a story that the rest of the second year seniors can easily win?”

Wade responded with a soft smile.

“What are you going to do after you defeat me?”

“Then, I have to grow into a 3rd year senior. Jenika, who is the top of the entire 3rd year, and Drake, who is the head of the combat department. And personally… I competed with Ed, who is rumored among our 1st year Magic Ministry. I want to.”

“It’s good to be motivated, but you have to be careful not to let that confidence turn into arrogance.”

It’s not a word that contains feelings that are particularly arrogant. Ziggs was just telling the truth.

Wade did a good job of thanking him for the advice, but he didn’t seem to be listening.

“First of all, I decided to set up a schedule for the match with Clevius seniors. It was a snow storm season, so I had to stay only in the dormitory, so I thought I had enough time. .”

A week is too long to spend indoors alone. So, Ophelis Hall has prepared several ways to pass the time.

One of them is student sparring.

“But… I’m a bit disappointed that Clevius-senpai seems to be avoiding sparring with me.”

Saying that, Wade smiled happily once.

I almost didn’t see it. There was no way that Clevius, who was negative and gloomy in everything, would accept a contest application from such an ambitious and confident freshman.

If you look at Wade, you can see that he is overflowing with desire to fight by somehow completing the sparring. He must be trying to overcome Clevius somehow, whether by appeasement or by clinging to him grossly.

“The reason I’m greeting you today is to give you an advance notice, thinking about the next time I apply for Dalian.”

“I appreciate consideration, but it’s useless consideration.”

Ziggs let out another laugh, then picked up the alchemy book he had covered and flipped through it.

“After defeating me, seniors in the third year… For example, seniors Yenica and senior Ed look beyond… I don’t think that’s the case.”

“I understand. I don’t think I can defeat Ziggs so easily either.”

“No, that’s not what it sounds like. Looking at the rumors, confidence, and achievements you’ve heard, you seem to be a very talented person… but you need to improve your ability to judge opponents.”

Ziggs spoke indifferently as he turned the pages.

“You don’t seem to know anything, but you end up on the Clevius line.”

“…”

“Not to mention senior Yenica or senior Ed, you don’t even come close to me.”

Clevius has always been a gloomy, cowardly, pitiful-looking man. He already had rumors about him. It was rumored that he couldn’t quite figure out how he got the position of head of the Combat Division.

Wade tried to express his displeasure by slightly twitching his eyes at Ziggs’ decision to win or lose, but Ziggs confirmed it casually.

“If you want to beat me, raise your sense of reality first.”

*

A monster lives in the northern forest.

Rumors of it were already circulating among students who had no background in Ed’s wild life.

It is understandable that such strange rumors are circulating because there are less than a dozen students who know Ed’s life even if you search the entire school.

The rumors, represented by the figure of a man with an eerie grin while carrying a pile of bleeding wild animal corpses, are terrifying if you look only at the eyewitness information.

Of course, it was a very strange feeling from Bell’s point of view, who knew the truth.

-Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

“Keugh…”

Northern forest in a snow storm. The tightly packed coniferous trees blocked the snow, so the view was open, but the strong wind blowing was definitely difficult for Bell’s slender body to withstand.

At least, the countermeasures against the cold were sufficient. She wore several layers of thin clothes, and on top of that, she wore the maid’s outfit, and a thick cape.

After warming up a little with light fire-type magic, I was able to endure it more than I thought.

The primary destination was fixed. This is Ed’s cabin.

If Saint Clarisse headed for the North Forest, Ed would be the only person who would run into her.

‘footprint…!’

Should I say it’s good news? Footprints that have just been taken are along the snowy road in the northern forest. The orientation also somehow matches Ed’s cabin.

Students who don’t know much about Ed say that he seems to be a cold and cold person who doesn’t communicate well… but Bell knows it because he’s already talked about it. Surprisingly, she’s a fairly common-sense person, she’s communicative, and even though she doesn’t look like that, she’s kind of considerate.

I’d much rather run into Ed than run into a human I don’t know and see a bad face.

He is also a man who faithfully fulfills his duties despite the fact that prominent women like Jenika, Lortel, and Lucy are not vigilant and flirt. At least he is a trustworthy human being. It’s safe to say that he couldn’t harm Clarisse or harbor any nefarious thoughts.

Even if he encounters Clarisse, he will definitely try to send her back to Ophelis Hall rather than having any ill feelings.

If there is a problem, it must be that the human relationship around Ed is unnecessarily complicated. Bell already had enough headaches.

In the distance, Ed’s cabin came into view. It took longer than expected because of the heavy snow storm.

‘Mister Ed… you don’t know about Lady Kylie’s real identity.’

Kylie’s true identity is Clarisse, a saint protected by the Saints.

Even if Ed doesn’t know who he is, he’s probably treating Clarisse kindly…

With that conviction, Bell opened the cabin door.

-Kooung!

“…”

As I opened the stiff door and entered, the images of Ed and Clarisse caught my eye.

“Oh, Mr. Bell. Of course Mr. Bell is here.”

Ed, angrily, is bandaging his wound.

Then, in the corner of the cabin, he saw Clarice sitting on her knees, shivering, holding a wooden chair in her slender hands, punishing her.

Belle was already starting to have a headache.

*

The two women are shaking, but for different reasons.

One was trembling because the arm supporting the chair was so numb, and the other was terrified that the saintess protected by the saints was being punished.

But she couldn’t tell Ed about Kylie’s true identity… Belle sat down at the table and took the tea he handed her with difficulty.

“That, that… Master Ed.”

When the tidying up of the messy cabin was roughly finished, Ed looked at Bell and answered why he was calling.

“That… I heard the explanation, but if I don’t go back with Kylie soon, the snowstorm will get stronger and I’ll be in trouble.”

Hearing that, Ed pondered for a while before nodding his head.

“Certainly, it would not be very desirable for the head maid to empty the Ophelis tube for a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s right, but…”

Bell, who was breaking out in a cold sweat and glancing at Clarisse, thought that he had to take her first somehow.

‘…’

Ed pulled out a wooden chair and sat down in front of Clarice, who was punishing her.

It is very pitiful to see him holding his chair upright while trembling with tears in his eyes.

Ed was left in a moment of trouble.

When Clarisse first burst out of the cabin, he must have been startled.

However, once she regained her composure and organized her thoughts, it was not difficult to infer the reason why this young saintess had come to this point.

It must have been the small accident during the class assignment test.

He dropped the brooch in the course of his battle with Merilda, and quickly covered up the mistake… Clarisse, seeing that scene, seemed to think that Ed was seeing through his true identity.

Certainly, Ed’s response was not smooth because he was in a situation so sudden. Still, there was no other way to deal with it more amicably.

Kylie’s identity is one of the key twists that are not revealed until the second half of the third act.

Kylie’s identity has already been known to all, and when she is in a situation where she has to be watched over every move under the protection of the Knights of the Cathedral, it becomes impossible to know what will happen in the future.

As Ed tidied up the cabin, as a bonus, he also organized his thoughts.

Kylie thinks Ed knows who she is. As long as that thought doesn’t change, Kylie will continue to be in anxiety. There’s no way he can clear those doubts once he does.

So, Ed chose the reverse way to break through.

“I’m sorry for my rude behavior, saintess. Please put down the chair…”

At those words, both Bell and Clarice trembled at the same time.

Clarisse’s pupils widened in an instant, and Belle confirmed it again with a trembling voice uncharacteristic of her.

“Ah, did you know…?”

“I’m definitely a believer who was baptized by the Church of Telos. When I see vision magic dissolving from so close, I usually recognize it right away.”

“I-Really…?”

Actually, that’s the tricky part.

At the time of the class assignment test, Kylie’s illusion magic was not completely solved, and even if she recognized it, it would be difficult to cope with taking care of the brooch so naturally.

Of course, it’s an ambiguous part, so there’s nothing to say if you say that you coped with it with moderate improvisation and quickness.

Because otherwise, the fact that Ed knew Kylie’s identity just doesn’t make sense.

“Well, then…”

“I told you that you can put down the chair for now.”

“Ah… yes… er…”

As for the course of action, a rough summary has been completed.

Anyway, Ed didn’t want to be involved with Saint Clarisse anymore.

So, for now, the first task was to calmly admit that she knew your true identity, and remove the factor that would make the saintess anxious.

After that, all you have to do is convince them that Ed will not reveal the identity of the saintess anywhere.

“As a believer of the Church of Telos, I am sorry that I did such a disquieting thing against the saintess whom I respect so much. However, I had an obligation to inform the saintess of the fear of freedom.”

dark cabin. raging wind. The occasional rustle of the wind hitting the ceiling.

The environment was so bad that it was different from the private bedroom of the saintess of the Holy Emperor and the private room of Ophelis Hall.

If you look up and see Ed sitting in the chair, the background is so bloody.

The saw teeth and hacksaw of hunting traps stained with blood, wild boar carcasses and intestines being dried on hooks, and the smell of blood settled heavily in the interior.

Of course, most of them were forced indoors because of the storm, but Clarisse is not in a situation to argue about such things.

However, the image of Ed sitting with his hands clasped and his back bent, continuing the story indifferently… was overflowing with a sense of alienation.

Ed’s first appearance Clarisse sees is as guarding the altar at the top of Mount Orne.

He was looking down at the freshmen, holding a dagger in one hand and gathering magic in the other.

That scene seemed like a wall or trial to jump over rather than a human being on the same line… Edra had never thought about the burden that human beings themselves had to carry.

“Looking at her concealing her identity and hanging out with bachelor students casually… She seems to have a strange romance with the value of freedom. Some admit it. That’s definitely… worthwhile.”

“That, that’s…”

“I am also in the position of living freely in this forest. I am well aware of how frustrating and arduous life is to live in bondage.”

Scenery contained in the song that romantic Adele sang.

It is not at all strange to have romance in a world that shines in all colors and is full of the scent of flowers.

However, the path taken with one freedom is not always full of flower scent.

Rather, like the smell of wild boar blood that lingers in this cabin… There are many times when it oppresses the lungs and gives rise to nausea.

“What kind of life am I living… Can you guess?”

Senior two grades above. It is a feeling that is difficult to abbreviate simply with the impression that it is strong and scary.

Even the bleeding wounds are not taken seriously, and in the corner of the cool cabin… sitting among the terrifying corpses and looking down at the girl… it is clear that the grain of life itself is different.

Believers of the Church of Telos basically always kneel when they see Clarisse in awe and reverence. The very idea of ​​punishing and getting angry with a saint is impossible.

Even so, the boy was looking down at the saintess with cold eyes.

They know the meaning and value of faith, but what precedes it is survival itself. At least this boy has survived that environment.

This man’s life… rather than ‘living’, ‘surviving’. Although that small difference in tone may seem insignificant, the reality is enormous.

There is light and darkness in everything. Freedom is no different.

If Adele is a bard who celebrates the beauty of freedom.

This man must be the one who speaks more clearly than anyone else of the heaviness and darkness of freedom.

“You’d better just die and never approach the hut again. Even with the protection of the Holy Law, you can’t avoid things like tripping by foot, verbs due to distress, and starvation.”

Ed said that and bowed his head coolly.

“I’m sorry for being harsh. Unfortunately, there seems to be no one around the saintess to whom I could talk about this, so I crossed the topic.”

Then he got up and came to a conclusion.

“Then please go back.”

Clarisse didn’t even have a chance to answer.

Clarisse couldn’t even bring himself to speak to Ed who turned away.

*

We had to head to the Ophelis Hall quickly before the snowstorm intensified. If Bell guides you, you should be able to go back in no time.

If you go back to the Ophelis building, you can warm up in the warm room with delicious soup.

You can sit in a well-arranged room and read a book in a peaceful mood, like a story about a distant land in a snow storm.

If you sit still in Ophelis Hall like that, this fierce snowstorm becomes a ‘story outside the window’.

As they left the camp holding Bell’s hand, Clarisse looked back with difficulty.

Ed, who saw the two leaving the camp, was going back into the cabin with the hatchet slung over his shoulder.

It’s still cool inside the cabin, and the smell of blood is thick. The weight of the tracked reality will weigh on your shoulders again. The scene was etched into Clarisse’s mind and did not disappear.

The boy did not feel any burden from the weight. It’s just the weight of life that you have to handle in order to survive.

Clarice had read it in a book. It is said that beautiful swans continue their ugly kicks under the water. A life of freedom is no different from him.

Sitting at the top of the altar and watching him numbly wield his magic while holding back the freshmen, I can never imagine that there was such a figure behind it.

“Mr. Bell.”

“Yes, Clarisse.”

“I’m sorry I made you go a long way because of me.”

“I’m just doing my job, of course. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Holding Bell’s hand and making it through the snowstorm, Clarisse looked back to the cabin again and again.

Anyway, after coming to Sylvania, it was the first time I met a respectable senior.

At least in the saints… there is never a chance to meet someone like that.

“…”

Of course, Belle, who had no way of knowing the meaning behind it, was breaking into a cold sweat as she watched Clarisse stare at Ed, whom she kept leaving behind.

‘no way? is not it? wouldn’t it…? Am I right? Ah… that’s ambiguous…’

Belle was only burning herself like that.

*

A snow storm blows like that, and winter is slowly leaving. It’s obvious, but each person’s winter is different.

Someone locks himself in the underground library and studies magic engineering, while someone talks with the spirits at the window of the Dex building.

There is a girl who sits in the private bedroom of the Ophelis Building and closes the store ledger, and there is a girl who is locked in her room and screams in pain while being tormented by the maids.

A bachelor’s assistant who takes time to do paperwork while on vacation, a swordsman from a failing student who trains hard in swordsmanship, and a guardian of the northern steppe reading alchemy books in the student hall. Even the cowardly Sword Demon who shuts himself in his room and doesn’t come out. Everyone was spending their winter in their own way.

And the same goes for the platinum-haired girl who was sitting quietly in the private bedroom of the royal residence and looking up at the window.

Looking at the raging snow, Princess Fenia lowered her sad gaze and made a small decision.

Spring has come and a new semester has begun, a time when many things change.

The student council president election was just around the corner.

Fenia Elias Chloe, who is trusted by many supporters of the bachelor, and is considered one of the most powerful students as the student council president.

“As expected, I… I don’t want to run…”

From Ed Rosteylor’s point of view, it was the sound of the collapse of all the premise of the story, and a word like the beginning of all disasters.