How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 172

Before recapturing Elte Company (1)

It’s probably more than a year old memory.

It was a day when it rained incessantly.

The words he heard back then still often linger in Lortel’s mind.

– ‘Did you say that the power gained through betrayal eventually falls through betrayal? I’ve been vigilantly and vigilantly, but it’s not much different from me.’

Elte, the golden king, who was sitting in a convoy bound for the imperial family, glared at Lortel through the wooden bars.

There was even a chill in his face mixed with a fishy smile.

– ‘Look at me, am I funny?’

The always luxurious robe was covered with dirt and torn here and there, and the heavy beard and mustache were soaked in blood.

The figure of him sitting on the floor of a dirty wagon and being filthy in the rain… was too ugly to be seen as the words of a colossus who once commanded the continent.

As soon as the convoy departed, Elte Kecheln looked directly at Lortel and spoke.

– ‘You’d better not laugh. Look straight ahead.’

I expected him to curse and use abusive language… but surprisingly, he spoke calmly while looking at Lortel.

A sneak peek of both arms revealed a mass of rags that could no longer be called the colossus’ clothes, frayed, torn, and soiled.

In the back compartment of the convoy wagon, which was so narrow that he couldn’t even spread his arms wide, he spoke to Lortel with a vicious smile.

– ‘It’s your future.’

As he watched the carriage go away, Lortel felt strangely uneasy.

Those who prospered through betrayal will eventually meet their end through betrayal.

From phrases in temples to maxims among merchants. It was a phrase that could be found everywhere.

The weapon of betrayal is a demonic sword that once held in one’s hand sticks to that person until death and leaves a curse behind.

Once they are branded a traitor, no one believes them.

By necessity, it is possible to continue the relationship by understanding calculation.

However, no one wants to do the business of a lifetime with a person who has a history of betrayal, or build a relationship of trust that goes beyond interests.

If you have gained power through betrayal, you must live in solitude until the day you lose that power.

The moment I lose my guard and my heart becomes harmed, the blade of betrayal that was held in my hand long ago will pass into someone else’s hand and pierce my chest.

If you’ve already got your hands on that forbidden weapon, there’s no way to escape.

Especially in the world of commerce where trust and credit are worth a thousand gold.

As we rush towards the planned catastrophe, we struggle to endure even one more day… When the time comes, we will have no choice but to humbly face death.

Until the moment he met his end, no one would believe in Lortel Kecheln.

At least in the world of merchants, that was always the end of those who ascended the throne through betrayal.

pouring rain.

Lortel Kecheln narrowed her eyes as she watched the convoy leave.

For a woman who always laughed like a squirrel, her face was quite serious.

*

“What’s the mood like?”

The same question was asked once more, but this time the target was different.

Lortel’s private villa is neat and beautiful. After changing his clothes, Lortel, sitting in a rocking chair by the fireplace, looked at Belle, who was standing next to him, and asked directly.

“Why are Ed-senpai and Yenica-senpai acting cautiously and discreetly like newlyweds who just had a one-night stand?”

“…”

“And why isn’t Mr. Bell paying attention to my question?”

Lortel’s question is sharp. Bell let her brain run to full capacity while breaking out in a cold sweat.

I’ve experienced all sorts of crises while working at the Ophelis Hall, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been cornered into such a single-shot.

I’ve tried all kinds of bases to find a way to somehow smooth the situation, but of course there can’t be a solution.

So in the end, Bell has only one option to choose. It’s just conveying the facts as they are.

“Lady Jenika and Master Ed kissed each other.”

One line summary success.

He had only uttered one sentence, and Bell almost caught his breath. Looking at Lortel’s expression with her eyes raised with difficulty, she was surprisingly comfortable.

“…”

No, it was solid.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“…little bit?”

“You must be perplexed.”

“No. Actually, thinking about it again, it’s not something to be embarrassed about. In the first place, I matched the mouth first.”

“…Yes? Have the two of you ever kissed?”

Bell asked in surprise, and Lortel swallowed a sigh.

“…I made a mistake.”

“…It’s okay. My mouth is heavy.”

“No, it’s not something to hide in the first place. It might be better to expose it to the whole world.”

Wearing pajamas in the form of a skirt and braiding her hair to one side, Lortel has a different look than usual. She looks more like a girl than a cold-hearted merchant.

Unlike the Ophelis Hall, where you must always maintain your dignity, or the Elte Company, where you must maintain your cool as a merchant… In Lortel’s private villa, it is okay to be comfortable as much as you like.

It was better and more comfortable than expected, so Lortel was secretly excited even before returning home. Although he has amassed so much wealth, there are not as many environments as he would like to be able to rest comfortably with a load off his shoulders.

“You’re revealing yourself to the world?”

“Yes, that’s right… I was the first person to kiss Ed-senpai… Perhaps making it a fait accompli…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…As expected, that’s not too much. I also have something called shame.”

She’s smirking and shows off a lot of her foxy side, but Lortel is a girl of her age anyway.

I can’t brag about bragging about who I kissed. Anyway, in terms of love, it’s not even that much better than Yenika. Rather, she is more like a fool.

“Ehh…”

She had been dreaming of living in a camp where she would run into Ed whenever she had a chance, but seeing Yenica in a pink mood as soon as she arrived, she didn’t feel very good.

The collision with Yenika was something that he was prepared to some extent. Still, it’s a more troublesome situation than I thought.

Lortel sighed, clutching her throbbing head.

“I took care of the overdue work at Old Deck and squeezed out some pus, and again, Aken Island is moving completely differently than I expected. There is not a day to be relieved.”

“That… Miss Lortel.”

“…why?”

“Are you planning to use any other number…”

For Bell, he asks a fairly personal question. Bondi, the more skillful the maid, the better she draws the line with the employee, and never crosses over beyond that… Bell’s expression looked desperate.

In fact, Bell had already expected it. As for the shitty relationship around Ed Roth Taylor, he had already given up on directing traffic.

In the meantime, he blames the fact that there was progress with Yenika, but that fact doesn’t clear things up around Ed anyway.

Rather, if it accelerated the confusion, it accelerated it, but it cannot be a solution.

So Bell had to ask. Are you up to something?

“Well… One thing is for sure, you can’t stand still.”

“…”

difficult!

I don’t really want to cheer for anyone just because it’s Bell Mya.

In fact, all the women around Ed have their own story or have gone through a complicated life story.

I clapped for progress with Yenika, but I was just glad that there was progress in Ed’s relationship.

As the head maid who manages the Ophelis Hall, he watched all the girls up close, so it wouldn’t be strange to say that Bell knew them much better than Ed himself.

In the end, despite all this, Bell is nothing more than a person caught in the middle… but he doesn’t lose to anyone when it comes to his sharp eye.

“Lady Lortel is a very busy body… Is there something that can’t be helped?”

In the end, the only thing Dori, who became a servant, could do was to agree with Lortel’s words.

It was a pitiful position, but it was not something that Bell could take the lead in creating the situation.

“But it’s impossible not to go back to the old deck during vacation…”

“It looks like you’re in a hurry with the Old Deck work.”

“Rather than being in a hurry…”

Lortel was about to say something more, but fell silent. It wasn’t too embarrassing for Bell.

No matter how comfortable I am, I am in a position where I have to choose my words. When I work at the Ophelis Hall, I see countless people in that position.

Same with Lortel. No, on the contrary, Lortel was in a more special position.

“The old foxes of the old deck… live only thinking about attacking the back.”

She had already been beaten once by Jean Ellis, the former maid.

And she, too, was in a position to attack the former head of the church, Elte Kecheln, and many merchants in Oldeck also tried to attack Lortel’s back.

That’s why Lortel behaves even more cautiously.

There is no one in the world who can be completely trusted. It is only to continue the partnership relationship in line with each other’s interests.

Sadly, Lortel’s relationships have been that way all her life.

“If you don’t go back to the old deck periodically and get rid of all the insiders who are manipulative, you might end up getting a knife in your stomach at some point. If the weight of power is heavy, more people will covet that position.”

“Then you must have had a major measles this season as well.”

“Manipulation of books and embezzlement are pretty cute. The old foxes at the corps headquarters treat me like the evil left behind by the vested interests of the old generation, Elte Kecheln. Well, since I was that person’s adopted daughter… they don’t treat me that way. That’s enough reason to go.”

Bell had to be careful about what to say after hearing that.

Apparently, it was a sensitive issue from Lortel’s point of view, and even Bell, who was good at dealing with it, was quite embarrassed.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m sorry, talking about such a gloomy story.”

“No. Working at the Ophelis Hall, I see a lot of people with complicated inner circumstances. You don’t have to be too uncomfortable.”

“Anyway, Mr. Bell has an aura that makes people feel relaxed. He makes people talk about unnecessary things…”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

As Lortel burried herself back into the armchair, Belle said, capturing the traces of the meal on the table.

“Anyway, isn’t Lady Lortel working hard to keep her place and comfort?

Bell always speaks the truth. Although it is theoretical, it means that it is correct in the end.

It does not contain any great truth, but its soundness has a strange power to heal people’s hearts.

“Isn’t it a world where everyone is busy trying to make a living? When you live in it, good things and bad things happen.”

“That sounds like Mr. Bell.”

Lortel gently closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“When you hold money and power in your hands, something very strange happens. When you wake up, it erodes your life and life, eventually making it difficult to lead a daily life without money and power.”

“I’ve never had both, so I can’t relate…”

“What is certain, whether it is money or power, it is better not to have it in the first place than it will be gone.”

What was Lortel trying to say? Why did you bring up this story?

His intentions began to read a little, so Bell didn’t bother to reply and just listened.

“There are already only flies attracted by money and power around you, and if you lose both money and power in that state… you will be left with nothing but endless solitude for the rest of your life.”

“Lady Lortel…”

“Yes, what’s different about me. I’m afraid of that too. Magic skills, innate speech skills, past achievements, all useless.”

Lortel had already lived in a swamp of merchants since childhood when she could barely read.

“If I lose my money and power, what will I have left? Me and those around me will be empty.”

“You don’t have to think so.”

“Oh, thank you for denying it. However, I know how to at least self-objectify.”

Buried in the armchair, Lortel felt more relaxed than usual.

Every time I go to the old deck, the reality touches my skin more and more.

After all, all of Lortel’s authority comes from money and power.

The numerous achievements he achieved at a young age and the profits left in his hands make people around him notice Lortel and bow their heads.

The employees of the company, the management of the business partners, the leader of the competition company, the ruler of the back alleys of the old deck, and even the captain in charge of the sailboat… The core of all human relationships Lortel has built was in money and power.

In Belle’s eyes, Lortel… looks infinitely lonely.

I’m at an age where I don’t have to know about the winds and waves of the cold reality. This is an age when you can set goals that are far from reality and even dream of dreams in a more romantic place like Sylvania.

I became an adult too early because I had to stand up on my own from a bare street.

It wouldn’t have been very enjoyable.

“That’s why I’m risking my life to protect my vested interests. There’s no great reason for accumulating wealth or proving my abilities.”

“…”

“Because I only have this.”

A lute worn around the neck is the greatest treasure for a bard who roams the world with a light body.

For beggars begging on the street, the best treasure is the empty tin can they use when receiving coins.

Lortel is no different. It is only slightly larger in scale.

All I have left is this, so I’m sure it’s nothing more than the angst of a child who holds me tight in my arms and doesn’t let go…

Is it a metaphor that is too out of place to compare one’s own ugly inner side to a child’s teasing while listening to the sly and vicious voice of a fox?

With a self-deprecating smile, Lortel warmed herself by the fire in the fireplace.

“Doesn’t Master Ed exist?”

“…”

“I think that at least Master Ed is looking at the Lortel lady herself.”

Bell is sharp. She always strikes a blind spot.

“Isn’t that why you were so obsessed with Master Ed?”

A boy who was always sitting by the campfire, sharpening his bow with a dagger.

He is a man who seems to be detached from reality for some reason.

Whether it’s three gold coins or billions of dollars, they all stare at each other with sad eyes, almost like saying hello to Lortel.

He is a person who is completely out of line with Lortel’s worldview.

From the cold road of Old Deck to the island of Aken where Sylvania is located.

I met many people, but I could say that he was the most unusual human being.

What is trust that can be given and received without a price? How much do you have to pay to buy it?

How valuable is the mutual trust that can be obtained because it is not bought with money?

“There are quite a few people like Master Ed in the world.”

“…”

Human beings are truly sad. It’s designed to crave more of what you can’t have.

So, for Lortel, interacting with Ed is as nerve-wracking as walking with expensive glasswork in hand.

If there is a slight deviation, the relationship between Ed and Lortel will be defined by the logic of profit… It will become a transactional relationship.

However, if you just spread it out of your interests, you will eventually end up with nothing more or less than a relationship maintained by money.

Maintaining that sense of balance is suffocating and nerve-wracking for Lortel, who has trained herself in the art of living in all commercial fronts.

I am afraid that if I go this way or that way, even the slightest twist will destroy my mutual trust with Ed.

fear.

Yes. The name of that emotion is fear.

It’s like holding a handful of sand in your fist. Even the slightest bit of carelessness will seep through your fingers, and it will turn into dust and disappear.

If you open your fist later, there will be nothing left there. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of that.

“Actually, I’m feeling all kinds of emotions these days that I haven’t felt in my entire life.”

“Oops. You must have suffered a lot.”

“No, it’s not hard. Rather, fun might be the right expression.”

Feelings of loss, jealousy, possessiveness, love, fear, ecstasy, excitement, tension, anxiety, sense of accomplishment, relief.

It feels like pouring lubricant into a heart that has hardened like a cold machine from living in a soggy world of commerce.

He has lived the life of a merchant who erects a wall and draws a line against whomever he meets, and observes the other person’s dynamics from the outside.

To Lortel, these arrogant thoughts and feelings are rather special. It feels like when a person who has lived blind for a long time sees the world in full color again after decades.

I think of the boy sharpening his bow over the bonfire, not the representative of the client over the negotiating table.

Not looking for toxic clauses in the contract, or thinking about how much profit will fall on our side… but thinking about what the boy is thinking, what his worries are, what he ate today, what he will make tomorrow. do.

The sound of the crackling fireplace tickled his ears like the sound of a campfire, permeating Lortel’s body with warmth.

Seeing Lortel resting peacefully with her eyes closed slowly like that, Bell gently closed her eyes without speaking further.

If every moment of pushing and pulling with Ed is a treasured time for Lortel, then that would be valuable too.

In the first place, that value judgment is not made by Bell. A maid’s duties are only housekeeping and assistance.

With that thought in mind, Bell busily prepared for work.

*

“By the way, I received food supplies from Elte Trading Company… but the unit price has gone up a lot. From now on, I think I’ll have to reduce the amount of orders in line with the unit price of delivery or apply for a budget increase from the Headquarters.”

“Oh, well… that’s how it turned out. For some reason, prices around Aken Island are on the rise.”

“I see… I was really surprised when I checked the unit price table this morning. The Ophelis Hall will also take action as soon as possible, so can you maintain the distribution for the time being? Because it is unacceptable…”

Talk about work as briefly as possible.

In the first place, Lortel, who is in a private villa, is in a position to take a break. Bell is not ignorant enough to talk about logistics and distribution even at a place like this.

After completing all the basic duties, when Bell opens the door and goes outside to return to the Ophelis Hall.

Just before saying goodbye, I was thinking of finishing my business neatly by mixing in a sneak peek of work.

“Hmm… I expected that the unit price for grocery delivery would rise… but was it that much of a burden?”

“I thought you were aware of the unit price sheet because it was approved by the Lortel lady.”

“Because I was away. While I’m gone, the Sylvania branch’s practical area is being taken care of by Dune, our company’s acting agent. Approval is probably done by the Dune line.”

Lortel tugged at the collar of her fluttering nightgown and spoke with a tilt of her head.

“However, I was expecting an increase in prices, but I didn’t expect it to be that much.

“It’s a matter that was decided between yesterday and today, so it will probably remain.”

“Okay. I’ll try to maintain the circulation itself. Ophelis is a good customer, so we have to take care of that level of convenience. Apparently, the circulation is so large that we don’t think we’ll be in the red.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

So Bell greeted Lortel politely. It seemed that the work should end here.

“Oh right, Mr. Bell. Next time you come, bring some wine too, the kind I personally kept in my room when I was at Ophelis.”

“There’s no problem bringing it… but can you keep it?”

“I personally ordered a small wine cellar to be built in the basement of the villa. I haven’t checked yet, but…”

“I haven’t received the key to the basement yet. The basement has been recently finished, so I haven’t cleaned it properly yet.”

“I see. That’s a bit unfortunate. Please get the key and clean up next time.”

“All right.”

Receiving Lortel’s greeting, I closed the door and left the villa. Lortel’s villa, which was built quite neatly and nicely, looked good even late at night.

Looking to the other side, I can see Ed’s camp, which is a little far away. It was already midnight, but the campfire was still burning.

As I got closer, I saw a blonde-haired boy sitting around a campfire. He was still awake, staring at the fire and smelling the grass in the forest.

In the middle of a forest filled with only the rustling of leaves, the boy sat alone like that.

“Aren’t you sleeping?”

Belle packed her belongings and glanced at Ed as she passed across the camp.

Ed was sharpening his bow with a dagger. Sure enough, he was working.

“…”

“Don’t make that face. It doesn’t take much effort to trim the equipment. It’s perfect for rehab.”

“I didn’t say anything…”

“…”

Bell already knew empirically. Ed is not a person who will be dried up just because he is dry.

However, Bell’s concerns went in a slightly different direction.

Seeing Lortel, who puts a deep meaning in her relationship with Ed, and feels at ease just by the sympathy itself, makes her feel complicated.

Whether it’s Lortel, Jenika, or Lucy, all of them have a part that leans on Ed in their own way.

However, Ed’s body and mind are all one. Why can’t humans be divided into three? Even the gods are truly savage.

In a complicated mood, Bell sat across from Ed for a while.

“…why are you making such a hard expression? That… if you have some time, you can sharpen your bow… I won’t overdo it, so don’t worry…”

“It’s not like that. It’s just…”

Bell sat down and looked at Ed for a long time with a troubled look on her face.

“Do you know how to use something like clone magic?”

“… did you eat something wrong?”

“No… I’m sorry…”

That’s how the camp night was getting deeper.