How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 139

End of Semester Assessment (3)

“It’s nice to see you after a long time.”

In the end, I came to Lucy’s room.

Isn’t Bell the only one who’s in trouble if he’s not a student and stays in the Ophelis building for a long time?

So, I was going to leave my business behind and listen to the answer later… but the maids pushed me on the back, telling me to drink a cup of tea and leave.

“Just now… I’ve been saying things a little strangely… If I were to elaborate on the context.”

In the end, while drinking the tea the maid served, I had to explain at length how I brought up such a story to Lucy.

Actually, it’s not that complicated at all. To sum it up, it’s over in an instant.

“Anyway, from my point of view, it’s a life-and-death journey. Of course, I have to go all the way to the Duchy of Roth Taylor, and it’ll take up a lot of time, so I won’t ask for help bare-mouthed.”

If it wasn’t the Ophelis Hall, Lucy’s room was grandiosely large. This is the room where the head of the entire school stays.

No matter how insensitive Lucy is to her treatment, from the point of view of a bachelor, she has no choice but to care as much as possible.

“If it’s not bare mouth…?”

A table on one side of the private room. The seat across from where I was sitting.

Lucy asked in a dazed voice, perched on a luxuriously decorated wooden chair.

“It depends on what you want.”

I don’t know what Lucy wants right now. However, there are some things I can express.

“As explained, the pretext my father summoned me to is to restore me as a member of the Roth Taylor family and to restore all the authority and power I lost. I don’t know if that’s actually the purpose or if there’s another ulterior motive. The problem is. “

Lucy skimmed the circumference of her teacup, then nodded as she listened to my explanation.

He doesn’t seem interested in what I’m saying, but if you look closely, he’s paying close attention.

“If you accompany me and go into a situation where it becomes burdensome for my father to touch me… In the end, there is a high possibility that I will be able to regain the prestige of the Ross Taylor family in name.”

If I don’t get an estimate to put my hand on right away, even if I put off the plan for later, I’ll try to put it in the palm of my hand. I won’t bother to make my doubts go deeper.

If I can lead the situation that way, I will again take the place of the eldest son of the Roth Taylor family, albeit only nominally. Although it is unclear whether he will return to the position of successor.

If you are the eldest son of the continent’s largest duke, the range of things you can do is very wide, even if it is only a nominal position.

“Invest in me.”

“invest?”

“If I return to the position of the eldest son of the Roth Taylor family, I will do everything I can for you in that position. Of course… as the eldest son in name only, there will not be much to do.”

Anyway, the position of the successor with practical authority has been passed on to Tanya, and above all, if Krepin Ross-Taylor is determined and tries to suppress me, nothing can be done with only the power of the nobility.

However, my purpose in the first place was not to be the eldest son of the Ross Taylor family.

“From here on out… Lucy, I can tell you this story because I truly believe in you.”

“me?”

“Anyway, we have time together.”

Lucy swallowed her breath and nodded, and I spoke directly.

“I intend to bring down Kreffin Ross-Taylor from his position.”

It is immorality and treason.

It is also a remark that would not be strange even if it is dragged to the gallows right away if it goes into someone’s ears.

Lucy narrowed her eyebrows slightly, but I didn’t care and continued talking.

“I don’t know if it will be me or Tanya who will be the next head of household, but at least I have no intention of putting my father in that position.”

“Is that why… Revenge?”

A short, bold question from Lucy.

If I’m trying to bring down Krepin, is it revenge for my father who kicked me out of the family and even tried to kill me?

If what I have is the blade of vengeance, is Lucy willing to help?

After thinking it through, I shook my head.

“I’m just trying to survive.”

“…”

“The root cause of my crises is almost always my father.”

In order to perfectly deal with the evil god Mebula, he repeated all sorts of anti-humanitarian experiments, and finally tried to sacrifice the entire school.

Even though he sacrificed a lot of people in the process, I know his true face, who tried to make fun of the empire by wearing the mask of a benevolent and moral monarch.

Perhaps, trying to kill me was necessary for the process.

“My father, Kreffin Ross-Taylor, isn’t as clean as the world is known for. If we can find evidence to expose that fact to the world, it might be possible to bring him down and reorganize the power structure of the Ross-Taylor family. “

“…”

“I don’t have a lust for power, but I’m sure that in the reorganization process, I’ll rise to a higher position than just the eldest son. I may gain authority that simply cannot be obtained with a high level of arms.”

The power possessed by the majesty of lineage and family is completely different in nature from simple military force.

In the end, the story goes round and round for the first time.

“Invest in me.”

I looked straight at Lucy and talked.

Sounds that, if done wrong, could lead to the gallows and decapitation.

From Lucy’s point of view, since she has great power, she can avoid being decapitated, but I’m in a completely different position.

It seemed that Lucy was unaware of the weighty meaning of sharing such a sound.

“I don’t… invest. It’s too complicated.”

Before long, his small lips parted, and he spoke in a dull voice as always.

“As you know… I don’t care too much about power.”

“It does look like it.”

These are the words that I have tried to say that it is worthwhile to get down. He already knew that Lucy was not interested in such worldly power.

“Then… what the hell am I interested in?”

However, what followed was unexpected.

Lucy picked up her witch’s hat, put it on her back, and went to the window with a light, bouncy gait, and opened the window.

Unusually loose, her white hair blew in the wind.

“You know. Am I keeping the promise I made with that old man?”

Lucy has saved the bachelor from danger several times.

Every time I tried to do everything I could in my position.

However, the bachelor’s crisis that could not be prevented except for Lucy, which was predicted by the great wizard Glockt, did not come.

Archbishop Verdio goes on a rampage, and the apostles of Telos cover the island. It was an ordeal that could only be solved by Lucy, and Lucy was expected to shoulder everything alone.

However, there was my intervention in the process, and most of the problems were solved by my own hands.

In the end, everything was resolved peacefully, without Lucy going wild as the final boss of Act 3.

Then, in the first place, did this ordeal come true as the archmage Glockt predicted? If it was something that could be solved so easily, why did Glockt hold Lucy’s hand and ask for it so earnestly?

That bit of doubt will remain in Lucy’s heart and will not disappear.

Incomplete combustion.

In a corner of Lucy’s heart, who didn’t think this would be the end, the burden she received from Glockt is still dragged on one shoulder.

Maybe it was the last chance to shake off that burden. Although it is only Lucy’s position.

“If I keep that promise in the first place, what should I live thinking about?”

“You’re asking tough questions.”

“Actually, I didn’t expect an answer.”

– drooling

Lucy closed the window again and turned her head towards me.

He strode forward, passed the chair he was sitting on, and moved onto the table.

Let’s sit down at the table facing me directly, and then our eyes meet.

“Like I said, I don’t care about power. If I help you… it’s just because I want to help. I’m sure there’s no other reason.”

Lucy lowered her gaze and spoke slowly.

“But… not with your bare mouth.”

“What do you want?”

“It may not be very great, but it may be very great in fact.”

Lucy clasped her tiny hand tightly and held out her little finger.

When I looked at her with a puzzled look, Lucy lowered her head and spoke.

“The scariest thing for me… is the emptiness that will come after I keep all my promises with that old man… and I’ve confided all my burdens.”

The vast Rameln Mountain Range.

Standing upright on the top of the coniferous tree, she was measuring the size of the world without Glockt.

Now there is no family left, no ties, no goals to achieve… nothing.

“Help me not to be consumed by that void.”

“Specifically… how…?”

“Be the reason for my life.”

The word itself is not very specific.

What meaning is implied is open to interpretation.

Still, the weight of the words themselves was heavy and serious, so I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Suddenly looking at her expression, Lucy was neither crying nor smiling.

As usual, he looks at me with a blank face, and just lightly sticks out his little finger.

If you don’t cross your fingers, what kind of expression will come to that face.

Just imagining it made me feel out of breath.

Of course, that was just imagination.

Fingers were already hanging.

How much does this mean to Lucy? It may be bigger than you think, or it may not be as big as you think.

However, maybe Lucy wants to hide her expression… She slowly creeps into my arms with her witch hat on.

They hugged each other tightly and didn’t say a word for a while.

So… I spent a lot of time.

*There was no blood on Assistant Professor Claire’s face.

It was the final day of the written exam. It is said that he supervised all the written examination work by himself.

It was said that the work was completed in almost three days, but it was hard to believe that it was a physically manageable amount of work.

“…”

After finishing the written exam, I returned to Assistant Professor Claire’s lab and found a corpse lying on the desk.

Assistant Professor Claire always wore a corpse-like face during exams.

This is Clavius ​​Nortondale, an undergraduate scholarship student and student assistant in Assistant Professor Claire’s lab.

He is the kind of person who always wears a gloomy face and makes people around him lose their energy, but at least as a student assistant, he is agile.

“Ugh… why… why did everything in the basic swordsmanship textbook be completely wrong… pathetic bastard… incompetent bastard…”

Apparently, he made a lot of mistakes in the written test.

It’s just small mistakes that can be fixed in the practical test, and Clevius may have that level of skill, but… As I said before, Clevius is a person with a strangely low self-esteem.

“It’s a practical exam tomorrow, Clevius. How long are you going to be so downhearted? You really want to give the top spot?!”

There was a girl sitting next to Clevius and slapping him on the back. Her orange hair and sharp eyes are impressive, but now they are quite familiar.

This is Elvira Aniston, who currently occupies the undisputed head of the sophomore pension department.

“Hey, Senior Ed is here.”

“What are you doing here, Elvira?”

“I want to review the manufacturing theory of the elemental resistance reagent I developed. Reagent manufacturing itself is the specialty of the alchemy department professors, but it would be more accurate to ask the elemental science professors of the Ministry of Magic about element resistance.”

Elvira had piled up all sorts of papers and flasks on the table in the center of the lab.

“But I think I got the timing wrong. Assistant Professor Claire is sleeping with her eyes open.”

I put my briefcase down on the table and looked at Assistant Professor Claire.

Looking at assistant professor Claire, who is barely breathing in and out in a burnt white state, looks more like a doll possessed by a ghost than a person.

“I deserve to die…! I can’t remember a single swordsman’s posture I’ve repeated hundreds of times, so why live? …! What am I…? Why do I live…?”

Clevius, who had been screaming, suddenly met my eyes.

“What, what is Ed Rosteylor! Any complaints?! Are you laughing at me too?! Ha… X-arm…”

“…”

“These days, my reputation has improved a bit, but everyone in the world seems to be inferior…?! What is that look! …? Both you and I are pathetic people…! Don’t look at me so pathetically!”

– Bang!

Elvira swung Clevius’ head and knocked him down on the desk.

Anise, who was looking for documents near the bookshelf, and Onyx, who was just on her way to work in the lab, both widened their eyes.

I… wasn’t too upset.

“Oh, Clevius. What kind of habit are you talking to seniors?”

“Elvira. What do you care about! And you look at me pathetically too…!”

“Aww, pitiful Clevius.”

“Look at this!”

Elvira smiled, grabbed Clevius by the collar, and spoke to me.

“I’m sorry, Senior Ed~. I think Clevius needs more training. I need to instill some etiquette and improve my mentality in preparation for the practical exam, so I’ll take you with me for a while. Hani… are you okay?”

“Who are you…?! Who are you to tell me this and that…! Kaaaaaagh!”

“Be quiet, Clevius.”

The moment Clevius, who had his head on the desk, stirred his arms to resist, Elvira took out a reagent from her bosom and poured it on his head.

It was little people, but cattle handling.

“Kuaaaaagh! What is this! My body… my body’s strength… is loosening…”

Elvira let out a roar and forcibly led Clevius, who was losing strength.

Onyx, who was standing in the line of movement, moved aside and opened the door.

He made a fuss about saying he was wrong, please stop him… Clevius was dragged out of the lab just like that.

“See you next time!”

The lively greeting gave me goosebumps.

“Looks like you did well on the written test? You look good.”

Anise asked.

After the fuss, the lab became quiet again.

A member of Assistant Professor Claire’s lab. Anis, me, Clevius, and even Onyx-senpai.

Compared to other professors’ labs, it is a place where only elite members gather, but among them, Anis was known for being the quickest at handling work.

True to that assessment, Anis was still busy handling paperwork today.

“I did well, well, somehow.”

The written test results seemed to come out at a satisfactory level. Since entering the school in the first place, I have never slipped in a written test.

Even in the days when I lived a wild life leaning on a wooden shelter, I never reduced the effort I put into memorization subjects.

It was natural that only now, when the environment had improved in many ways, that I could produce results much more smoothly.

The problem is the practical test.

The goal of this test is to be the top of the grade, no more and no less.

Since the goal is higher than usual, the weight of the practical exam has also increased.

“About the practical exam… is it possible to proceed properly…? Isn’t it tomorrow right now?”

The most worrying thing is the elemental science test.

Assistant Professor Claire, who is in charge of all the exams, is now in a half-corpse state.

The element science class is a practical test, and it is scheduled for a sparring with the professor in charge.

No matter how new assistant professor I am, I thought that assistant professor Claire would not be pushed back in sparring against normal students… but now, assistant professor Claire is not in a state where anyone can see it.

“Well, another elemental science professor will have to help… I don’t know if assistant professor Claire has said anything beforehand.”

– Bang!

At that moment, the door opened again.

Onyx senior, who is a purebred, looked in the direction of the door in surprise, and a middle-aged man staggered in.

He had messy hair, a beard that hadn’t been properly shaved sticking out, and the smell of tobacco and alcohol emanated from his body.

She stumbled across the lab, probably having drank so much that she couldn’t control herself since broad daylight. I hit the desk and banged my head on the bookshelf, but I managed to move my feet well and arrived right in front of assistant professor Claire.

“Hah..! School! Professor Kaleid…! W… What happened up to this point…”

Should I say it is the youngest professor’s practical sense?

It’s a bit sad to see him waking up as soon as he notices the other person’s feelings.

“Yes, Assistant Professor Claire. Are you doing well.. hig.”

“Ah, yes… The written test has been completed well… Now all we have to do is conduct practice as a practical test…”

“It’s nothing else, but it’s on the way to be broken by Dean McDowell. How can a report on everything from written exam knowledge to important supervisory duties be posted under the name of the youngest professor? What am I supposed to do instead…”

Are you saying that with your own mouth?

The student assistants were all dumbfounded and had their mouths wide open.

“Certainly… if you get paid, you have to work… McDowell, who I couldn’t even meet my eyes when I was in the middle of my active duty… Now that he’s scolding me for being the dean, I feel very threatened. …”

So why don’t you drink alcohol? Anise seemed to be holding back the words that were about to come out of his throat.

“Looks like you’re really tired from administering the written exam…?”

“Ah, yes… that’s true…”

“That’s it… Leave the practical exam to me…”

The moment Assistant Professor Claire was about to say something, he grabbed her head and gave her a quick nod.

“Go to sleep.”

Then, laughing like a drunk, he staggered back and came closer to the table where the assistants were sitting.

Then he pulled out a chair and sat across from me.

Anise, who was next to her, and Onyx, who was next to the bookshelf, broke out in cold sweat.

“Oh, I’m hungover.”

He swayed for a while, making a grunting sound, and then spoke with his head bent down.

“Yes, you are Ed Rosteeler.”

You couldn’t ask how you know me. After all, he is assistant professor Clare’s advisor. If he had wanted to know my identity, he would have been able to find out.

However, I couldn’t figure out why he was talking about me like this.

Professor Kalade staggered… but spoke with a fairly clear pronunciation.

“It’s a practical test tomorrow.”

“Yes, it is, but…”

“Then… Shall we play a match?”

“…yes?”

* There was a time when the Chloe Empire was in the middle of a war with the demi-humans.

It is a story of the past, no, it is a story that has now become a story in the history books.

Now, the subhumans have been pushed to the edge of the northern region and their power has weakened, but at the time, they were strong enough to threaten the lifeline of the empire.

In the end, the situation in which the army of subhumans swarmed right in front of the imperial capital, Chloeron.

Even in the hopeless war situation, there was a hero who led the war in front of Emperor Chloel’s army.

He is Obel Forcius, the guardian of the ecliptic.

and three young wizards who helped him.

Zelan the Severer, Glast the Seeker, and Khaled the Outlaw.

There are those who have grown old and disappeared as old people in the back room, those who remain on active duty and are nurturing younger generations, and there are those who tragically ended their lives.

There was a time when everyone used strength in their field, but now they are all disappearing to the back of the era.

Is it the will of fate that Kalade, who wandered the world away from the flow of the times, returned to teaching?

He thought that he would no longer reach for the teaching profession, but why did he nod his head bewitched at the request to fill Glast’s vacant position?

It doesn’t make much sense to put a reason behind it now. At least, Kaleid thought so.

Ed Rosteyler, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.

[ After a while, the training practice of the elemental science practical test begins. Ed Rosteyler, please come upstairs to the student ring. ]

Khaled, an outlaw who disappeared after wandering the lawless area of ​​Cohelton for many years.

After he was reinstated as a professor, it was practice training to appear in front of students for the first time.

Standing on top of the arena, Ed was still dumbfounded.

In order to see Kalade’s skills, even students from the combat department and alchemy department who had nothing to do with the exams were flocking to see it.

Even students from other grades came after hearing the rumors. When the student council president, Tanya Rosteiler, appeared among the crowd, there was silence in the audience.

Obel Hall’s combat training ground.

I saw Professor Kaleid standing with his hands in the pockets of his white coat for teaching, rubbing his thick dark circles.