How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 110

Hey, Ms. Yenika (2)

“Whoa…”

The staff room terrace of Ophelis Hall.

Basically, due to the nature of maids who have to deal with tasks that come from time to time throughout the working hours, it is important to take breaks whenever they have time.

It was Belle Maia, who had finished her dinner duties at the Ophelis Hall and had taken over the clean-up while leaning on the terrace for a while to get some fresh air.

Evening schedules that immediately come to mind are tight. Before the students went to bed, they were going to check if the bedding was well changed, and the final cleaning had to be checked to see if it was clean.

And I had to prepare for the academic checkup tomorrow.

I usually take care of it very neatly, so I don’t have to deal with it urgently, but it’s still a day when Vice Principal Rachel personally comes to check it out… It was necessary to ask the student representatives how to behave.

“At dawn… is it the day to stand on duty…”

Although she has become the top manager of Ophelis Hall, she does not miss out on night shifts. She doesn’t even show that she’s struggling in the first place.

On the contrary, if you go in, the regular maids will have less time to rest and more time to rest, which can contribute to the increase in overall work efficiency.

“Before that… I guess I’ll have to bring Lady Lucy…”

After being released from probation, he had to bring Lucy, who had been constantly going outside, and put her to sleep in the Ophelis House.

It was because, in order to prepare for the academic level inspection tomorrow morning, it was necessary to have Lucy, the senior representative of the year, be the leader.

Once caught, it wouldn’t be a big problem since she was a girl who would sit still obediently, but she still had to pick her up directly to Ed’s camp in the northern woods.

Even if I just want to send the maids under my command because there is quite a lot of work and work in the evening… Belle soon changed her mind and decided to go by herself, even if she had to split the time.

Bell was obviously shocked when he heard of Ed’s death, but was deeply relieved to hear that he was soon alive. Although he didn’t have time to find out the details of the situation because he was trying to catch up with Lucy, who was playing a game.

Now that my work has been normalized, I thought it would be better to go to see if Ed was fine while I was on my way to pick up Lucy.

“hmm….”

However, what comes to mind when you think of Ed Rosteiler is his complex human relationships.

I wonder if it has been sorted out to some extent, but when I think about his steps, it’s not very positive.

I take off my Katyusha for a while and lean on the terrace railing to look up at the starry sky.

As I was still feeling the cool night breeze of late spring, I suddenly thought that there is no other time as pleasant as this to live a wild life among the four seasons.

What kind of person is Ed Rosteyler?

Wasn’t he the kind of man who was always in a corner and had no time to pay attention to other human relationships because he was living his own life?

However, as I am feeling the cool night breeze, a new idea arises.

What I think of while watching his camp recently is the feeling that there has been a lot of things.

Compared to the past, where we gritted and struggled against the wild with only one wooden shelter left over the campfire… A decent cabin, a simple wooden warehouse, a site for a fairly large campfire, and various tools and materials piled up. Fishing tools and net farms by the river, organized hunting traps here and there in the forest, and even various magic engineering items that are helpful in life.

There are many kinds of food materials to be secured, so it seems that he is cooking and eating them quite a bit, and the Ophelis Hall is helping to manage his clothes.

In short, after more than a year of hard work, Ed Rosteyler… . He’s ‘just about to live’. It is still a relatively poor environment, but it has improved the environment to the extent that it is not enough to live with gritted teeth. It was entirely the result of hard work.

The freedom of the body and the freedom of time… It soon leads to peace of mind. It is said that he also has time to think about things other than survival.

“well….”

However, Bell expresses her doubts again. Wasn’t he a man of iron walls in the first place? He doesn’t come to mind if there’s someone he can somehow get into his heart and look at. If that were to be possible, simple inner intimacy would not be enough.

An anomalous attack in a different direction. I wonder if forming a relationship from an unfamiliar and new perspective would be more effective… I couldn’t think of anyone who could carry out such a high-level attack.

It’s not something anyone can do. If someone did it, it would have been eaten by accident rather than intentionally, like catching a mouse while stepping back from a cow. That is to say, the chances are slim.

“It’s a pity…”

Faced with the cool breeze of late spring, Bell Maia prepared to go out.

Anyway, if that man had the temperament to bring down an iron wall even a little bit, wouldn’t now be the right time to attack? He’s hopeful that whoever it is, has some conclusions. It’s because he feels like the blood is draining just by watching him.

“Soon it will be a joint combat practice… I hope no one gets hurt this year…”

Hoping that the relationship around Ed will be sorted out… Belle prepared to go pick up Lucy.

* * *

“In multiple manifestations, the sensitivity itself is important, but it is more affected by the ‘understanding of spirits’, which is separate from the sensitivity. In other words, the more you deal with and manifest again, the better the efficiency of the magic power that goes into the manifestation of that spirit.”

The days are long. It is proof that summer is approaching.

Even after dinner and arranging the bonfire, a slight bluish feeling remained in the sky even after entering the spirit response training.

The sun has disappeared into the western sky, but there is no sign of the moon taking its place yet. The temperature is rising little by little, and the sound of insects spreading softly through the forest is gradually gaining momentum.

It’s not that hot either. The cool breeze blowing through the trees with the scent of grass felt very good.

It is late spring. There’s no better time to camp outdoors.

“If you don’t understand the spirits, the efficiency of manifesting the spirits itself will decrease, so when you summon multiple spirits at once, the efficiency and combat power of each spirit tends to decrease.”

“Is Yenica the same?”

“Um…”

Opposite the bonfire, Yenika, who had been thinking while twisting the hem of her blouse several times, eventually answered.

“Actually, I… it’s a style that comes naturally to multiple manifestations of multiple spirits with complete efficiency…”

“That’s great.”

“Because these things vary greatly from person to person. Ed will definitely be able to do it after doing it a few times. If you think about Ed’s style, I think this kind of understanding and training will be much more efficient.”

“okay?”

Yenika nodded, then raised both hands and extended their index fingers.

“A spirit lord… To an outsider, it’s inevitable to say that he’s just a person who handles spirits, but if you think about it, you can categorize them into two types. Mainly in terms of combat.”

“Two kinds?”

“Yes. There is a style that completely entrusts the battle directly to the spirit itself, or there is a style that is assisted in combat by the spirit’s various unique abilities or spirit expressions, and partial manifestations.”

“If Jenika is the former, I have a strong feeling that I’m the latter.”

Yenica moved each index finger and briefly summarized the descriptions of the two types of Elemental Weavers.

“Of course, it’s not unconditional. It’s simply a matter of weight and inclination. It doesn’t mean that I can’t use the spirit ceremony or my own abilities just because I’m me, and Ed also uses water spirits like Lacia as direct combat agents, right?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s not a concept that separates things like cutting with a knife, but… Ed usually has a strong feeling of being supported by his original fighting style, so it’s better to pay attention to not only the ability to respond to the spirits but also the understanding of the spirits. Are you?”

After talking to that point, Yenika gathered magic in her fingertips.

The energy of the wind gathered there for a while, and the lower wind spirit Karis in the shape of a sparrow manifested and sat on the fingertip. It is a spirit that I have encountered several times in the forest.

“By the way, when the level of understanding of spirits reaches the maximum level, the level of magic required to manifest itself becomes almost non-existent. All of the lower spirits that have contracted with me have the maximum level of understanding, so once I fly, all of the lower spirits can manifest without restrictions.”

As Karis fluttered her wings and floated up into the sky, all sorts of spirits began to appear and wait. Sparrow, squirrel, rabbit, snake, dog, deer… Although various types of spirits have manifested in their own form, there is no feeling that Jenika’s magic is overpowering.

“Hmm… I knew that the level of understanding itself affected various places, but I didn’t know this specific part.”

I focused my mind between my eyebrows and tried to manifest the lower fire spirit mug.

Flames flared up in the air, and then a bat spread its wings and bloomed.

[Oh! ]

It flapped its wings and landed on my shoulder.

[Don’t worry too much about comprehension, Master Ed… ! Who am I, isn’t it the right-handed Mug who fulfilled his role as the master’s limbs to the end even though he went through all the mountain battles since last winter! ]

“Low spirits are relatively fast and easy to understand. Ed spent a lot of time with Mug, so he’s able to handle low spirits fairly well, right?”

I glanced at the bat perched on my shoulder with dry eyes. It is spectacle that it is very happy that the eyes are focused on it, and it is spectacle to take a posture while folding its wings here and there.

“Come to think of it, Mug has been under contract for a long time, but he and Ed really match well. Seeing that he matches the sum well in every battle without any significant loss of magic power, he is really good at signing a contract. is often not handled properly.”

“I’m sure I’ve heard quite a bit about that.”

“Yeah. There are parts where Ed is very skilled for a first-timer, and even though Mug looks like that, there must be parts where he is a very efficient spirit.”

[This candle mug is just an honor! I just don’t know what to do when I receive compliments like this… ! ]

Seeing Mug making a fuss as usual, Yenika smiled shyly hahaha.

“The last thing I want to point out… is about the elemental phase shift.”

“You mean the phase goes up to the next level?

“Oh, Ed knows that too. Actually, it’s been a while since I trained in spiritism.”

At those words, Mug’s eyes began to light up. Perhaps, for the spirits, a phase shift might be like a dream.

“But… I don’t know if Mug can become a lieutenant spirit. I deal with so many spirits, but I’ve rarely seen one whose powers have increased to such an extent that their phase shifted around the time I contracted with them.”

“What level is the mug?”

“Well… it’s pretty versatile for a lower elemental… but I’m not sure it compares to a higher level elemental.”

[ Big… Thanks for being direct! I will work harder on this fire candle mug… ! of course… It doesn’t hurt, but… !! ]

‘Yes, yes… .’ And Yenika smiled shyly.

“There is a theory that the phase change is affected by sensitivity and understanding, but in direct terms, the growth of the spirit itself is the most important thing… I guess we have no choice but to watch it slowly.”

“Yeah… Anyway, a lot has been clarified. Thanks, Yenika.”

“Ah, no… I’m just reciting what I’ve learned…”

Yenika was just fiddling with her fingers, pulling her chin, and playing with her pole.

< Advanced Crafting Skill Slot: Elemental Injection > Skill Mastery: 25 Power Amplification: 5 Injection Success Rate: 95 ― Fire Elemental Skill Mastery: 7 ― Water Elemental Skill Skill Mastery: 3 ― Wind Spirit Skill Skill Mastery: 5 Contract Spirit: Lower Fire Spirit Mug Spirit Sensitivity: 31 Spirit Understanding: 34 Inherent Skills: Blessing of Hwabok, Violence Contracted Spirit: Middle Water Spirit Lacia Spirit Sensitivity: 12 Elemental Understanding: 10 Inherent Skill: Friar’s Protection, Water Source Manifested Contracted Spirit: High Wind Spirit Merilda Spirit Sensitivity: 5 Spirit Understanding: 3 Inherent Skills: Protection of Wind Wave, Updraft

Since it is a stat mainly related to the spirit ceremony, information on the understanding of the spirit could be found in the spirit formula injection part of the crafting skill category.

It’s something I’ve already pointed out several times while training the Elemental Ceremony, but I didn’t think it would have such an impact on direct combat use.

“I know that understanding of a spirit goes up better the more you spend a long time with that spirit, use it in battle, and often fight with it. As I said before, the lower the status of the spirit, the better it feels.”

“Certainly, Mug has been working together for a long time, so his understanding has been tempered. But even if Lacia just signed a contract, his understanding of Merilda is at a terrible level.”

“Umm… To put it bluntly, the problem is that Ed isn’t yet a Elementalist at the level of dealing with Merylda…”

The reason I signed a contract with Merilda was almost half of it using a method close to a trick.

The high-ranking spirits are so high in status that you have to concentrate quite a bit on manifesting even the janika.

“In the first place, it’s ridiculous that Ed only raised his level of sensitivity to this level in a year… It usually takes 3 to 5 years for a Elementalist who first opened his eyes to Elemental Sensitivity to deal with middle-ranking Spirits.”

Of course, I am accustomed to drawing an efficient growth curve and properly distributing stats through my experience of playing <Sylvania’s Failed Swordsman>.

In addition, it is true that he was in a pretty advantageous position because he received help from various magical engineering supplies.

“So, it’s good to raise the level of understanding and sensitivity to high-ranking spirits as much as possible. Ordinary people can’t even approach it because they can’t sign a contract. It’s Edman’s advantage.”

“Yeah…you can use it a lot and see it again, right…? But, Merylda disappears whenever she gets a chance and doesn’t show up.”

“Ahaha… Merylda is a bit of a wanderlust…”

Even now, thanks to Yenika, the camp is full of all sorts of spirits, but Merylda was nowhere to be seen. She knew that running around was a hobby. When it’s really important, she shows up one after another, so it doesn’t matter… .

“Anyway, as long as you can steadily raise your understanding of Merilda, it will become a truly enormous force in the future. Even Ed knows the power of high-ranking spirits.”

As far as its power is concerned… I was also feeling it.

* * *

-Tap, tap.

After finishing the basic spirit training, it was already getting closer to midnight. The curfew of the dormitory where Yenika lived was coming soon.

After boiling the meat soup by slicing various ingredients in an iron pot, sitting side by side with Jenika, sharing them in bowls, it was a car to solve a late-night snack.

“hello.”

Bell Maia always appears without warning.

Always quiet and discreet temperament unique to maids. Thanks to this, they are so quiet that if you run into them in the forest, you can’t help but be surprised. It was only when she was a senior maid that she used to come to collect various herbs and plants, but it was only after becoming the head maid that she rarely stopped by the northern forest.

Even after rising to the position of head maid, she always manages Lucy herself… Sometimes I come to this northern woods looking for Lucy.

It’s the same with suddenly appearing at the camp like this.

“…Did you come to find Lucy?”

“…Yes. There will be an inspection of the Ophelis building tomorrow at the academic level. Vice-principal Rachel said she will be attending, so Lucy, the head of the school year, must be present as well.”

As she said that, Lucy was already dragged out of the hammock and caught in Bell’s arms.

… Not even the will to resist was shown in his expression of liberation. What is the Maid of Ophelis Hall for Lucy? ?

Holding Lucy tightly in her bosom with a dignified appearance, Bell greeted her with her elegant hair hanging down her neck.

“I was very surprised when I heard the news of his death, but seeing him alive and well in many ways makes me feel relieved. I feel like I’ve finally put my mind at ease.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you unnecessarily, Mr. Bell. This side also had its own circumstances.”

“Is there anything you’d like to apologize to me for? By the way, do you know that? Another official letter came out from the undergraduate level, and it seems that the lower level maids who assist students have become lax in discipline. As a maid, it’s always a virtue to assume a low position. It’s deplorable.”

“I see… But I won’t let go…”

“…Anyway, it’s a sensitive issue even at the academic level, so I think we need to take advantage of this time to reestablish the upper and lower employment relationship between maids and students, and thoroughly check the contents of work. Especially, the issue of raising and lowering words.”

“I see… I see… But I will continue to respect you…”

silence for a while.

Belle always keeps her eyes closed or maintains a discreet expressionless appearance, so it is refreshing to see her staring at someone with her ax eyes open like that.

How long will this meaningless war of nerves last… . That no one can say for sure. After coming this far, it feels like it has spread to an unknown battle of pride between each other.

Who are you fighting for? . I don’t know, but I also don’t want to lose strangely.

“I’m glad that Lady Yenica has been in good health since she moved to the Dex Hall.”

“Hmm…! Compared to when I was in Ophelis Hall, there are a lot of inconveniences, but I don’t think living with friends is bad either…!”

Jenika smiled brightly and showed off her bright colors to Bell.

Bell wasn’t the maid Yenika knew the most when she was in Ophelis Hall. At the time, she was not a maid, but a senior maid, but it seems that they are happy with each other after a while.

“Anyway, I’m going to leave because I have to prepare for inspections and redecorate Lady Lucy. I hope you two will take good care of your health and have no major problems in your academic life.”

Bell said goodbye to Lucy once again, and left the camp through the grass.

There must be a lot of paperwork and protocol work piled up just by sitting in the position of head maid, but it is said that he manages Lucy himself and even reaches out to minor tasks such as laundry and cleaning… There will be no other manpower like this gold nugget at the academic level.

There must be a reason why they are treated well compared to their age group and the income is quite good. She was someone who was curious about what she would do after retiring from the position of head maid one day.

Suddenly, Jenika slapped her palm as if thinking of something, and before long she started twisting herself.

“Yeah, Ed.”

Then, all of a sudden, he called me.

Sitting side by side on a large tree stump, I tilted my head and looked at Yenika. Come to think of it, now it’s just the two of us at camp.

“That… can I ask you a strange favor?”

“A strange request…?”

“That… what should I say…. It just feels like a joke…? It’s like play… something like that… why… anyway… it’s a strange request…”

Yenika twirled her plaited hair, put the bowl of stew on the fire, and spoke.

“Ooh, shall we try to use honorific words…?”

“Honest words…? Why?”

“Well, I’m just trying to do it. The grandiose words of reestablishing the relationship… are a bit like that…! It’s just that we try to increase the distance, and then reduce it again… Anyway, that’s a trend…! It’s like role-playing.” …!”

“…Everything is popular. And we’re close in the first place. What’s the point…”

Yenika grabs my forearm with a quick grab, draws my attention, shakes her head, and begs me to try it just once.

As for me, I received so many things from Yenika, so if I talk this far, it’s a bit like rejecting it again. In the first place, Ye Nika is not the type to express her opinion to others without reason.

“Well, it’s not that difficult…”

“Right? I’m just doing it…! I’m just doing it for a little while as a joke, so there’s no need to take it too seriously…!”

I don’t know what the hell it means, but it’s a little rude to just grumble and say something hateful when Yenica talks like that.

When I nodded, Jenika twisted her body again for no reason… She suddenly sat upright. Why did she just hurt her knees, but she said let’s stay comfortable

“So… rather than just saying honorifics… Um… It’s really just pretending you’ve just met… Rather than feeling like you’re the same age you met at school, what should I say… It’s just… not awkward… but respecting each other and being polite…?”

“…I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t respect you or be polite….

“No no no, I don’t mean that…! You know I’m not the type to talk like that…! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really like that…!”

Yenica was taken aback and made a fuss about it and dissuaded him.

“I-I just… wanted to do something like this at least once.”

“…”

When I nodded, Jenika lowered her face.

What’s so embarrassing about it is that it stays still with its head bowed for a long time as it sits upright.

It’s not a big deal, and it’s just a matter of getting along with it.

I thought, ‘I’ll just exchange words a few times, say hello and send them back.’ It was just a thought. Dex’s curfew is running out, so I have to send it soon.

Saying something great, Jenika takes a few deep breaths, then suddenly gathers her arms on her knees and clears her throat in a dignified manner.

The heat is already welling up in your face. She seems to be very shy about the subject she asked to do. Eventually, even when she speaks, her voice is like an ant crawling, and the gap between her usual lively appearance is so extreme.

I underestimated the destructive power of the words that followed.

“Oh, hello… Mr. Ed.”

Is it the problem that he talks to the people around him with his head down like that, trying to show off his shyness even a little bit?

In the first place, emotions are contagious. No matter how much you think about it, it seems like it’s not a big deal, but since the person concerned is twisting his body like that shamefully, this side can’t help but be affected.

“Ah, yes…”

Saying so, silence again.

Even if you ask anyone in the world what is the reason for being ashamed of the coronation, you can’t help but tilt your head… The reason why the voice does not come out easily is not so easily identified.

More than anything else, it was just a simple change of language, but the distance between her and me suddenly objectified the relationship between her and me.

We were close and special, so I didn’t realize it before I knew it… If we reconsider our relationship with one step away like this, we are completely different human beings.

Yenika always smiles lively and acts friendly, but objectively, she is a person who cannot be easily approached.

Having a beautiful appearance is nagging to say the least, and in fact, that is a secondary issue.

She handles high-ranking spirits casually, is recognized as one of the few talented people in the school, and is a talented person among talented people who seems to be able to do something even after graduation.

The reason I forgot about that fact was because it became a comfortable relationship like a family. If you look at the girl with the glasses of familiarity down, the strange tension that comes from that unfamiliar feeling makes you recognize the current state again.

After exchanging words one by one, we had been silent for almost three minutes.

“Uh… that…”

Maybe she felt obliged to say something since I had cooperated so much, but Yenika tried to raise her voice… .

“Oh, no…”

I see him swiping my fingertips and lowering his head again with a voice that makes the ant crawl… Of course, I have no choice but to be nervous. Although they are talking, I don’t know why Jenika is so nervous because they are polite and use respectful words.

I somehow held my breath. I don’t know why, but it feels like we’re fighting to see who can last longer.

First, ‘Paha’ from the other side. He sighed and said, let’s do it this far, while laughing… I wish I could draw a scenario where I put away the dishes saying it’s late, exchange small talk about tomorrow’s schedule, and go back to the dormitory… .

How long will you hold your breath, this crazy atmosphere will continue to be maintained.

At this point, I also realized. The flow of emotions has already crossed the front line. It’s clear to see Yenica, her face red like an apple, squeezing her knees with her head down.

Even Yenika herself, who proposed it, never expected that her heart would burn this far, and after trying it out, the emotional gap was deeper than expected, and she did not know how to resolve it. He looks like a novice driver who can’t find the brake position.

The moment I tried to say something, I decided that it would be right for me to grit my teeth first and leave. .

“Oh, look at me! It’s curfew soon at the dorm…!”

Yenika kicked herself off the floor and got up, quickly put on a shawl embroidered with cosmos and picked up an oak staff.

“Ah… that… that…”

And he chooses the worst option, running away, that is, ‘maintaining the situation’.

“Oh, thanks for today. My, see you tomorrow.”

Holding the cane tightly with both hands, he lowered his head to say hello and quickly ran away through the grass.

Just like that, Yenika disappeared out of sight in an instant.

“…”

A camp where only the sound of bugs chirping softly.

After sitting alone in front of a campfire for a while… Soon after, I wiped my face once.

“You’re going to continue doing this…??”

A cold sweat ran down his back.