"Oh my! I'm so sorry, Ed."
The morning of the second day, I went out to the commercial district for the weekend. Cutting through the crowded commercial district to the southwest, I went all the way over to Mexes Bridge. It was one of the two bridges that led outside Acken Island. It felt like I had walked nearly two hours to get there.
When I entered Elte Company's Silvenia Branch—which could be clearly seen after passing over the bridge—the staff led me to a sitting room, as if they had been waiting for me. It was uncomfortable to see them act so oddly polite towards me.
Lortel, who was sitting quietly in the room waiting for me, apologized and explained that she had forgotten to prepare the contract that she promised.
"Even though I made a promise to you and made you come all the way out here, these days I've just been so busy that I didn't have time to prepare it."
"…I see."
"Yes. I'm really sorry. Maybe it would be a better idea to come back sometime next week, instead. Though as an apology, I prepared some tea and other refreshments for you. Also, there were a few magically engineered items that were left off the ledger. On your way out, please pick them up at the counter."
Lortel was acting very differently from her time at the education district.
Instead of her usual school uniform and robe, she was now wearing a long, flared skirt, a white blouse, and a beret with a fancy golden frame.
When I caught up with her after the last incident, the only looks I'd seen of hers were drenched wet from the rain and her wearing that tattered robe. It was quite a new look from what I'd seen before.
It was too luxurious to be considered a casual outfit, so I asked her if she had some sort of appointment to attend to.
"I have a very important appointment later today, so I dressed up. How do I look?"
She asked this with a bright smile.
"An important appointment?"
"Something like that."
Perhaps she didn't want to answer, as she responded with a smile instead. I nodded my head in response.
I sat in the seat across from her in that luxurious room as I brought up my main question.
"I'd like to ask you about something. Do you also happen to deal with furniture?"
"Of course."
"I'd like to buy some cheap but decent furniture, but all the products here at the branch are a bit too high class. Could you perhaps prepare something like a simple desk, chair, or cabinet? Something that would be good enough for me?"
"Oh! Since you're asking for that, you must have finished the cabin."
"It's almost done. I just need to finish the details and it will be complete."
"Hmm… As you know, here there is quite a high demand for products that are of an aristocrat's level. That's why products that tend to focus on practicality and a cheap price aren't ordered. I should be able to arrange it myself, but it might take a bit of time."
"It would be a bit of an issue if I were to give something away for free. As I told you before, giving away something for free wouldn't be right, considering the ethics that come with being a merchant. Plus, all the other merchants would end up looking down on me."
"Well, there's nothing that can be done about that."
"Well, there is somewhat of an intuitive method to get around that."
Lortel stood up from the sofa in the room and walked over to her work desk. Then, as she gathered magic power into her hands…
Crack!
"..."
"Woodworking is your specialty, right? If you reconnect the leg that broke off, you can use it again. For me, it's already trash. As such, I have no use for it any longer. Tomorrow, I'll just have to throw it out."
It was a chair engraved with a fancy deer pattern and an eye catching, luxurious gold frame.
"How much was that chair?"
"That's a secret."
I didn't know if it could be called passion, or if she just got caught up in the momentum. Either way, she was a girl that was full of spirit, who did what she wanted.
Lortel's gaze left the chair as it began to move to the cabinets, windows, and so on. I couldn't even carry it all in the first place, so I tried to stop her.
"Well, I'll send you these trivial pieces of 'trash' later."
"…Okay."
"Anyway, there is something that I wanted to say to you."
Lortel returned to the sofa and sat down, taking a sip of tea from her cup. It looked like she was trying to act elegant, but when compared to the way she had just smashed that chair, the gap was only growing.
"Do you know the assistant professor, Cleoh? Cleoh Elpin?"
"Hm? Yeah."
"Her behavior is quite unusual… So, I've been trying to keep my eye on her recently. Well, she's still a very childlike person, so it's probably not particularly dangerous… But still…"
Cleoh Elpin.
She was a young woman appointed as an assistant professor for that very year. She was also one of Professor Glast's best students, who had been dealing with him for nearly ten years.
From what I recalled, she appeared in the final chapter of Act 2 as the second phase boss in the Glast Subjugation… It was about time for her to start showing up in the storyline.
"Why?"
"It's just… She's strangely intuitive and happens to oversee the academy's report on the occupation of Ophelis Hall. Well, I'll take care of it myself, so you don't have to worry about it… I just thought I should tell you."
"Alright. I'll leave it to you."
After responding, I took a sip of the tea. Lortel looked at me strangely.
I looked back at her, wondering if she had anything else to say. Lortel cleared her throat,
Strong down on the table, she leaned her head towards me.
"How do you manage to never change your expression? That's quite a winning move on its own."
Seeing that she clearly looked upset, I immediately realized what it was about.
It was about what had happened when we said goodbye to each other… Right before she took the torch.
"In the first place, Ed… You don't even see me as a woman, do you?"
Lortel bounced her foot as she twirled her finger on the table.
"Well, what's the point of me trying to twist my words? Ed, I see you as a man. It's exactly as you think. Everything that I asked of you was because of my hidden intentions."
"…I know what you want me to say, but…"
"Oh, I didn't expect you to answer. As you know, I never take a fight that I don't have a high chance of winning."
Lortel let out a deep sigh as she pressed her hand against my chest.
"I know exactly what you would say if you were to give me an answer now. That's why I'll only take a bet when my victory is guaranteed."
"..."
"After all, merchants are people that fight to win. Right now, you may feel lukewarm about it all, but… Who knows what will happen in the future?"
Lortel smiled as she talked in a collected manner.
"I'm not the only one here who's a bit nervous, am I?"
If you looked closely, you could see Lortel's fingertips trembling.
Her charming smile was the same as always. Regardless of whether she was guaranteed victory, or instead pushed into a corner.
It was the characteristic of a merchant who would never let their secrets be betrayed by their own body.
***
[ You have acquired the advanced production skill 'Magic Engineering.' One Advanced Production Technique Slot has been used. ]
There was a marble that would fit in the palm of my hand, as well as a stand to hold it up. The structure of these magically engineered items was much simpler than I thought, so I could analyze them quickly.
The strange sense of accomplishment that came from finally learning an advanced skill tickled my heart.
I thought it would be a good idea to organize the rest of the magically engineered items in the hut, so I walked through the camp full of items.
After the sun went down, a chill started to fill in the air. It was autumn.
When I started living in the forest, it was still only early spring. Because of that, I had put aside taking measures against the cold and instead focused on securing food, clothing, and shelter.
However, with the colors of the leaves beginning to change, the chill in the air was something I couldn't ignore.
"Hmm…"
The time had come that I really couldn't sleep outdoors any longer.
In addition to that, when winter came and the snow started to pile up, it would become increasingly more difficult to hunt animals and gather meat in the forest. Plus, the number of edible plants that were available also became a problem, meaning that finding food that I could eat would be a major problem.
I had to prepare for winter.
A cozy atmosphere coming from the falling snow… The warm romance that I usually associated with winter was beautiful only because it took place in a sturdy home, with food in the refrigerator. That wasn't the case where I was.
Still, my situation wasn't all that desperate. That was because I had money.
"Eighteen… Nineteen… Twenty."
I opened the leather bag that Lortel handed me. It was filled with twenty shiny gold coins.
If I were ever pushed to such extremes, I could always spend a bit of money. However, I couldn't waste it. I needed to set a policy to minimize expenditure on one-time use goods.
For the current semester, I could survive off the scholarship provided by the Glockt Scholarship Foundation. However, from next semester… I didn't know what would happen. I needed to spend my money effectively to be able to pay the tuition fees each semester.
It was obvious that Lortel liked me. However, relying on her goodwill because of that fact would be too unsafe of a plan. Even if something were to happen between us, it would have to happen after the storyline was complete. It would be impossible for it to happen before then.
It would be a bad idea to try to calculate and take advantage of other people's goodwill… I wasn't just saying that because it was the right thing to do, either.
If I got too close to a main character in the storyline, then it would break my policy. But if I was willing to give up on that policy… Well, a human's mind was like a reed, so you never knew when it would easily change.
Being self-sufficient was the core of survival. It would be an extremely dangerous decision to give up control of my own life to temporarily rely on another's goodwill. No matter what anyone said, I had to take responsibility for my own life.
Though, I was willing to spend some money on reinforcing the cabin and preparing some decent woodworking tools.
That was because they were items that I needed to keep using in the future and would help me improve my daily life skills immediately.
But I couldn't spend too much money on food or firewood. Maybe it would be fine to spend some money on spices and oil, but I could never spend any money on items that could be procured from the forest.
"Ignite."
Casting Ignite to light the fireplace had become as easy as breathing.
Fwoosh.
The fire burned in the decently made fireplace, and the smoke went up the chimney that took two days to complete.
The fireplace itself was also larger than I thought, as it took up almost two thirds of the wall.
The reason that it ended up bigger than my original design was to make a bigger fire… In other words, it was to increase the firepower. Though it was more like a fire oven rather than a fireplace at that point.
The firewood itself could be procured easily, so I made the choice to focus on firepower first… Thanks to that, the chimney also had to be bigger to release the smoke. It was all a pain in the ass.
Crackle, Crackle.
The sound of burning firewood echoed faintly inside the cabin.
It wasn't even early evening yet, but the inside of the cabin was already very dark. The warm light from the fire filled the inside. It was quite bright and made me feel good.
I stared blankly at the burning flames for about five minutes, before sitting down and leaning against the cabin wall.
"Phew…"
Sitting down against the wall, I let out a deep sigh before laughing. I felt satisfied.
The idea of 'warming up' while doing outdoor camp related activities was nearly impossible.
Warmth wasn't something that I had particularly sought, but once I laid down it had become something that I had gotten addicted to. It made me move closer to the fire.
I have a roof and a ceiling.
The walls and roof were covered with mud, and the floor was covered in leather.
Both materials retained heat well, so once they started to heat up, they wouldn't get cold again easily. Once the air was heated, that warm feeling would spread throughout the cabin.
The problem was that the fuel efficiency was not as good as I had thought it would be… There seemed to be no other solution than to spend more time gathering firewood. If I didn't have enough time, I wouldn't have any choice but to use magic to cut down the trees. It wasn't too hard to start a fire since I can just use 'Ignite', so I didn't think it was all that much of a pain.
As expected… I thought there needed to be some way to increase my magic power efficiency.
I still had to prepare more firewood, but I was finally moving into the cabin. Once I got some furniture, my safe living environment would finally be complete.
The warm air pressed against the side of my face.
It felt like heaven. I was so relieved, as if I had lifted a heavy burden off my chest.
"…How long has it been already? I should go and check the traps."
I had recently begun installing not just traps for small animals, but also ones for larger animals.
I really hoped there would be a good harvest.
***
"If that's what you think, it may very well be true."
Assistant Professor Cleoh presented her opinion that there still seemed to be something missing regarding the Occupation of Ophelis Hall incident.
With that said, Professor Glast neither confirmed nor denied the possibility. Though, he didn't seem to have much interest in the first place.
"Assistant Professor Cleoh, strangely enough you have a really good sense of intuition. Sometimes, you even produce very plausible hypotheses with it. However, you also tend to make poor decisions when it comes to important things. With that said, please refrain from being overconfident in your judgment when time is crucial."
"The way he said that was too much. Right? Hm?
"..."
Trix Hall Student Counseling Office
With a desk between them, Assistant Professor Cleoh and Ziggs Eiffelstein were facing each other.
"I-I see."
"Listen to me, Ziggs. You should also know, as you take Professor Glast's class, but why does he always have to act like that? I've been his pupil for nearly ten years already, and I'm struggling with a mountain load of work, but still! Is giving just one or two words of encouragement that difficult?"
Responding carefully to her questions, Ziggs was sweating up a storm.
Cleoh, who was the faculty member in charge of the Occupation of Ophelis Hall investigation, had a strange feeling while reading the files regarding it. Thus, she decided to conduct a further, independent, investigation.
The academy's investigation office had not yet thought to place Ed, Ziggs, and Yennekar under investigation.
The first one up was Ziggs, who was called to Trix Hall. But rather than a hearing or investigation, it ended up becoming more of a lament.
At first, it was a conversation between the two. They spoke with a sense of dignity, but at some point, she started speaking informally and letting out deep sighs.
It was obvious that, if her assistant Anise or the other students responsible for helping her saw that scene, they would only cover their faces in disappointment as they let out a deep sigh.
"Oh geez, this is not the time to be doing this.
Ziggs, since you have a reliable image, I just ended up complaining to you without realizing it."
"I-I'm flattered to hear that."
"So, I have this strange feeling about everything. Right now, it's probably just that I'm just misunderstanding it all… But there were a couple of eyewitness testimonies that claimed that they had seen the Golden King Elte at the scene… Plus, the motivation behind Elris' actions doesn't seem to hold up. Well, she did admit to everything, so it seems like there isn't much room for any further investigation…"
Ziggs gulped, his mouth drying out.
Assistant Professor Cleoh was a seemingly childish idiot. He wondered if people like that should really be teachers in the first place.
He realized that the amount of academic knowledge someone had, and their ability to think logically, were completely different things.
The results from her thesis and academic research were certainly amazing, but… She seemed to have a screw loose that made him wonder if it was even okay for her to be like that.
However, there were many times where her strange sense of intuition seemed to see through everything.
"Don't you think there might be some kind of black curtain that we can't see behind it all?"
"F-For Example?"
"Hm… Let's see… Like, you know the Golden King Elte… His daughter lives in Ophelis Hall. I mean Lortel."
Those words made Ziggs' breath catch.
"However, I've already received testimonies that Lortel was being held captive by Elris when Taylee and his party went to defeat her. At least, I think so? Anyway, after that she supposedly ran from Ophelis Hall, and her whereabouts from there were… Well, nobody knows where she went."
"Th-That's…"
"But there's no way that Lortel would be such a bad girl! Her grades are good, and her personality is so pleasant! Last time, she brought me a whole bunch of tarts to cheer me up since I was working overtime."
"..."
Assistant Professor Cleoh said all of that while smiling brightly. Then, she quietly lowered her voice as she continued to talk.
"I believe that Ed Rothstaylor is a bit suspicious, though. The one that has been excommunicated."
It was weird to see her whispering quietly like that, as if anyone would be listening. In the first place, only Ziggs and Cleoh were there.
The name was so unexpected that Ziggs' expression turned rather stiff.
"My upperclassmen, Ed?"
"Yeah. It may just sound like some conspiracy, but hear me out, Ziggs."
In the first place, Ziggs was only called over for questioning. Why did he have to listen to such a story?
It was such a strange thing for the assistant professor to do, but Ziggs couldn't reject her.
"Everyone else at the scene were either students living in Ophelis Hall or people that were involved with it. Basically, people that had no choice but to get caught up in the whole incident. But Taylee and Ed were the only two involved that had no connection with Ophelis Hall. It was clear that Taylee was brought along because of Elvira, and he was also part of the party that helped solve the issue, so he should be excluded from the list of suspects. But the other person is Ed. Just what was Ed doing at Ophelis Hall at that time?"
"..."
"That's because Ed was the black curtain behind this whole incident! They always say that the criminal goes back to the scene of the crime!"
Seeing her make a 'Ta-Da' sound effect with her mouth, acting as if she was proud of her deduction, made it clear that she was just a childlike idiot.
"Th-then wouldn't there be some sort of reason behind his actions? Wouldn't there need to be some sort of benefit for Ed for him to do such a thing?"
"I'm going to figure that out! I'm going to go ask Ed himself!"
"Identifying the culprit, then figuring out their motive and method… Isn't the order usually the opposite?"
"One method to find the answer is to take a look at it in the opposite direction, Ziggs."
Cleoh's gut feeling was lasting for more than just a day or two. Thus, Ziggs started to worry that Ed might get caught up in all that trouble soon.
"Well, Ziggs. You don't look all that suspicious, and you also don't know much about the situation, so I'll just let you go."
"Then, are you going to go and call Ed to Trix Hall for further investigation?"
"No. If he has time to prepare a bunch of excuses, he will just slip away like an eel. That's why I'm going to hit him from the side."
That meant that Ziggs' plan to give Ed an early warning went down the drain.
"I don't know where he's gone off to live since leaving the dormitory… Though, he's apparently been seen around the northern forest quite a bit. I'll head over there and question him myself."
***
If you decided to take action, you needed to do it with momentum. That was Cleoh's policy.
She was busy writing out research proposals whenever there was time, checking over the next week's course materials, and reading over student suggestions. Because of that, she was constantly busy out of her mind… But once she was given a job, she wouldn't allow herself to do it half-heartedly.
She was planning to search through the northern forest before the sun went down, but she ended up having to do more work than expected, so the forest had already become very dark.
Hmm… I guess I should have just come tomorrow. But other than the weekend, I don't have much free time.
The atmosphere of the forest, which was gradually getting swallowed by the darkness, was as dreary as always. She couldn't see that far ahead of her, so searching wouldn't be all that effective.
In the first place, Ed was unlikely to be walking around through the forest in the dark. Unless he was eating and sleeping out in the forest, what would be the point of going out in the middle of the night?
She decided to just return when it was light out. It was at that moment, just as Cleoh made up her mind and started to turn around, that she heard it.
Swish, Swish.
At the sound of the grass moving over by the trail, Cleoh held her breath as she quickly hid behind some nearby trees.
She stuck her head out, wondering if it was perhaps a wild animal that was just walking through the forest, but it ended up being Ed. The fallen aristocrat, surrounded by rumors…
On one side, he was holding the body of a bloody baby deer under his arm.
And on his other shoulder… He was holding an unconscious human body.
What…? What is that…?!
Huffff, Huffff…
Ed breathing made it sound as if he was completely exhausted, resembling that of a wild animal. His eyes also seemed to shine in the dark.
Cleoh gasped in pure astonishment.
She was sure that the person that boy was carrying on his shoulder was… Someone that even Professor Glast praised as a rare genius. Lucy Mayreel.
She seemed to have no intention of resisting while she was carried by that boy. She looked completely defeated.
Lucy… That student is definitely Lucy…!
There was not a single person amongst the academy's faculty that didn't know her name.
Even the principal of the academy, Obel—who was comparable to the archmage Glockt, who had helped found Silvenia—had to do his best when it came to dealing with Lucy.
That was Lucy Mayreel. A girl that was born with such an unfathomable amount of talent.
Seeing such a girl subdued, being carried on his shoulder… Cleoh stared blankly at them as they started to disappear into the forest.
Cleoh didn't even think about jumping out from where she was.
She thought that she needed to dig a bit more into everything first. Also, as expected, her intuition wasn't wrong.
I… I really may have been gifted with the talent of a detective…!
Even Professor Glast might be completely surprised by the piece of information that she intended to bring back.
Cleoh followed Ed's footsteps, her eyes shining bright.
-x-X-x-
Late at night, the northern forest's darkness wasn't kind to intruders.
For those who called the forest their home, such as the wild animals that played around or Ed—who treated it like his front yard—it might be a familiar space. For Cleoh, however, it was too foreign.
Every time she accidentally stumbled or heard the occasional rustling sound from the grass, Cleoh would be frightened to death. However, she continued to patiently follow Ed.
Eventually, Ed's camp appeared at the end of the trail.
No, the size of it was too large to be called a mere camp. At that point, you could even consider it a hideout.
"Wh-What the heck is all of this…?!"
Smoke was coming out of the cabin's chimney, which really helped complete its look.
The campfire settled at the space in front of the cabin had a smoker, drying rack, workstation, toolbox, and other equipment laid out all around it. On the other side, there was a wooden shelter that looked quite durable.
On the right side of the cabin there was a tree with a hammock made of netting hung on it, as well as piled up firewood stored in a simple storage space made of nails and plywood. There were also pieces of timber, cut to the appropriate size, leaning against the wall of the cabin.
The smell of it all was reminiscent of normal daily life too much to call it… a hideout. Cleoh was in utter shock as she hid behind a tree.
Ed dropped off the baby deer's body near the campfire before he then roughly tossed Lucy into the wooden shelter. He then fixed her rolled-up skirt and threw a leather bag containing some jerky near her as he sat down near the fire, trimming some pieces of wood.
Did she faint…?
No matter how lazy Lucy might be, there's no way that she would be sleeping in that kind of situation…!
Cleoh didn't realize Lucy's true ability to sleep, even in such a situation.
On the surface, it looked as if she had been knocked out, kidnapped, and then dragged to his hideout.
He managed to defeat Lucy…?
Completely unconscious, Lucy was laying in the corner of the shelter, not moving an inch.
"…Ah, come to think of it… I have plans early tomorrow morning."
Suddenly Ed started talking to himself with a soft voice.
"…Uh, I have so much work to take care of. Still, I should go to bed early today for my health. Hm…"
Ed quickly muttered to himself as he finished what he was working on. Then he put out the fire.
All that was left was burning embers in the darkness of the front of his cabin.
Ed picked up pieces of cloth for a blanket and went into the cabin.
A subtle flame lit up the window, where there still wasn't any glass. It wasn't hard to imagine Ed laying down inside the cabin near the fire.
I need to save Lucy…!
She didn't know the exact circumstance, but after witnessing her being taken away like that, she couldn't leave Lucy alone.
No matter how you looked at it, Cleoh was a member of the faculty. Practical combat magic wasn't her major, but a mere student would be no match for her.
But she still couldn't let her guard down. It wouldn't make sense for someone who had a weak body like Cleoh to try to physically attack Ed. Aside from that… She didn't know what kind of secret weapons he could be hiding that allowed him to defeat Lucy.
It was best to approach the camp as carefully as possible, and quickly escape carrying the unconscious Lucy.
You could tell just from her appearance that Lucy was light as a feather. Even without blatantly using magic power, Cleoh should still be able to drag her out of the camp by herself.
Cleoh slowly approached the camp, swallowing hard and bending down.
She was nervous, not knowing when the cabin door would open or when Ed would pop out.
In order to respond to any unexpected situations, she focused everything on her magic power resonance.
Holding her breath and slowly moving towards the wooden shelter, she saw Lucy laying on her stomach exhaling like a baby.
Slowly… As quietly as possible…!
The moment she crouched and placed her hand on Lucy…
Whoosh!
Thud!
It all happened in a blink of an eye.
Lucy suddenly opened her eyes, quickly gathering magic power as she blew away Cleoh's hand.
"What?!"
Cleo let out a short scream in shock.
Lucy was also startled, holding onto her witch's hat as she ran towards the fire.
She looked down at Cleo with cold eyes.
It was clear that day that it wasn't a friendly look.
"L… Lucy…?"
"Who are you?"
Going off the metaphor that Lucy was like a stray cat, in that same aspect she was someone that didn't take kindly to strangers.
Cats had a keen sense, which closely resembled that of a wild animal. No matter how deeply asleep they may be, they were quick to recognize contact with someone not granted permission to touch.
However, it was too much for her to not recognize the fact of the assistant professor Cleoh, who was one of the faculty members in charge of her year. That was because Lucy lived by the beat of her own drum.
"I'm… You're… Lucy…!"
Before Cleoh could continue speaking, Lucy did as she always did and quick disappeared, taking the bag of jerky from the wooden shelter with her.
She was so quick that, by the time Cleoh came to her senses, all that was left was a few stray leaves in the place where Lucy disappeared from.
"..."
Once again silence fell over the entire camp.
…First, let's get out of here.
It didn't seem like Ed had noticed Cleoh's presence yet. She didn't have any clue about what was going on, but it seemed clear enough that Ed was suspicious and that was all she needed to know.
I'm sure that I've found some sort of clue. The next thing to do is to question Ed once I've gathered some solid evidence.
Until then, I need to slowly and carefully figure out the main point of all of this.
Cleoh organized her thoughts, nodding her head.
Anyway… There's not a single person that knows that I was here in this forest, other than Lucy! In the meantime, nobody will know!
***
The morning of the following day.
"I heard that the assistant professor Cleoh entered the northern forest yesterday. Did you see her, Ed?"
"Hm? Really? I didn't see her."
"…Is that so?"
I met with Yennekar in front of the student square quite early.
The wooden benches placed around the magnificent looking fountain were completely empty. It was still early enough for the fog to be lingering around.
It was about the time where the other students would still be waking up, rubbing their eyes, and getting ready to start their day.
"Why did she stop by the northern forest? Did you hear anything else about it, Yennekar?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure… I only heard it from someone else, so…"
I felt quite nervous hearing her name. Cleoh.
Although she wasn't a super influential character, she did have a role in the storyline. And she was the type who wandered off because of her keen sense of curiosity.
From what I had seen of her during the second phase of the Glast Subjugation… It was certainly nothing more or less than absurd. Her difficulty as a boss was so easy that you could practically walk past her.
However, what was important… She had an active role in Professor's Glast's theft of the Sage's Seal.
Assistant Professor Cleoh wasn't a morally flawed professor, and in the first place she was just someone that was sick of Professor Glast.
That was why it was surprising that, without being blackmailed or tricked, she was willing to agree with Professor Glast's plan.
According to the original timeline, it was explained that she had just followed the instructions of her advisor… But that reasoning seemed too weak.
"Well, maybe the academy just sent her to take care of some random job? I was just worried that she might have gone to bother you about living in the forest."
"In the first place, the forest is a bit too much for the academy to manage on their own. It's pretty much always left unattended… So long as I don't do anything to stand out, I should be fine."
"Yeah, you're right."
Yennekar smiled as she nodded her head.
"I'm sorry I called you out so early in the morning, Ed. Clara and Anise have been telling me to stop staying out so late at night… I've been getting back to Dex Hall past curfew recently, so I've gotten scolded quite a bit."
"I see… Well, the camp and Dex Hall are quite far away from each other. It must have been hard for you to keep visiting the forest."
"Y-You know, Ed…"
Yennekar suddenly lowered her head in embarrassment, and her bangs started to cover her face as she spoke shyly.
"Y-You know how I visit you at the camp everyday…> Can you keep it as a secret from others as much as possible…?"
"Hm? Do I have to?"
"That… How should I say it…? It's embarrassing for me to say this aloud… But I have a lot of friends."
It was obvious she would be embarrassed to say that.
Yennekar was the hope of the second years, and the top of her class. It must have been tiring for her to keep greeting every single person she met, one by one, as she walked around campus.
"Since it's your house and all, I would feel sorry for you if it started getting too crowded because of me. Heh."
"Is that so?"
"So, let's just keep it to ourselves, hm? What's the point of having more people show up at your camp?"
Thinking about it, for someone like Yennekar—who was born with a deep sense of sincerity—all the people constantly looking at her must be burdensome.
She was apologizing to me, but she actually just needed her own place to rest.
"I still don't think people view me all that highly here in this academy in the first place… So, it shouldn't be something that you need to worry about too much."
"But these days there are less bad rumors about you. Since you've just been quietly taking care of your own work, and since you did all sorts of other things to help people, too."
Yennekar pulled the shawl around her shoulder as she stumbled over her words, coming back to her senses.
"Anyway! The main point! Main Point! The reason we agreed to meet today!"
"Oh, okay."
Yennekar put her oak wand off to one side of the bench as she opened her hands.
The magic power energy swirled around as small sparks burst from her hand.
The burning flame slowly changed its shape, resembling a bat.
It then flew from her hands, sitting on Yennekar's shoulder as it folded its wings and took a stance.
"This is the low-ranking fire spirit, Mugg. Do you want to try focusing your magic power to communicate with him?"
"Sure."
I gently closed my eyes. A moment later, I opened them once more, looking at that fire bat. Soon enough, I started to hear a voice in my ear.
[Nice to meet you, young master Ed! I am the low-ranking fire spirit, Mugg! It has already been four years since I grew from being a mere fluid spirit! The previous people I made contracts with include young master Roden of Schnen, young master Kuru of the Samal province, and it is now my honor to also be with Lady Yennekar!]
"..."
[At last week's regular report meeting, we went over the election for young master Ed's contract with a spirit. I passed the first round of screening, second and third round of interviews, and finally the fourth round of discussions with the other spirits. Thus, I have qualified to be the spirit that will make a contract with you! I am confident in the fact that I have the best efficiency when it comes to magic power in the northern forest, and I have the best communication skills amongst the other low-ranking spirits!]
After saying all of that, he lifted his head up 45 degrees to look at me, stiff as a rock and not moving a muscle.
Just what kind of military training did he go through to act like that…?
"Yennekar…. Uhm…"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
I couldn't seriously ask Yennekar, who was grinning like an idiot, if he always acted like that.
Yennekar was someone who knew a ridiculous number of spirits. That was why I asked her to introduce me to a decent spirit, one that I could make a contract with. I knew that I wasn't in a position to complain, but…
"Since you asked me to introduce you to a good spirit, I picked one of the spirits I previously made a contract with. He is also efficient when it comes to magic power. The process of picking them was… Well, it was quite the process, but Takan took care of it all."
"..."
"Well, Takan said… He'd 'deal with it' himself…"
[It is an honor to be able to make a contract with you, young master Ed! My heart is burning with passion! Well, my body is already on fire, but I promise to burn with even more determination to support you fully!!]
Was it the second or third time I played 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster' that I leveled up my spirit-type skills?
Among the spirits I made a contract with that time, there was the water spirit Cleo and the wind spirit Pesci.
Back then, I'm sure there wasn't this type of feeling though…?
Laughing together, exchanging jokes, giving each other support during battle, and manifesting them in order to fall asleep on top of their fur… It was definitely the feeling of having a close companion.
[Just give me the order:]
...
Well, I had nothing to say about the elite amongst the lower-ranking spirits.
[ Magic Skills Details
Grade: Proficient Magician
Specialized Field: Elements
Common Magic:
Fast Casting Lvl 8
Mana Sense Lvl 8
Fire Element Magic:
Ignite Lvl 14
Wind Element Magic:
Wind Blade Lvl 13
Spirit-type Magic:
Spiritual Resonance Lvl 12
Spiritual Understanding Lvl 12
Spirit Manifestation Lvl 1
Sense Sharing Lvl 1
Resonance Level: 2
Spiritual Efficiency: Good
Innate Skills:
Blessing of Fire Fortune (Temporary immunity to fire)
Explosion (Low-level Explosion)
Increased fire-type magic ability
"…Oh? It's warm?"
"You can feel the heat, right? When you start to resonate with a spirit you are contracted with, even without manifesting them you can feel the physical or magic power of that spirit. If you resonate too strongly, you will start to get hot. So please make sure you control it well."
It didn't take much time to complete the contract with Mugg. With just a small magic circle, I was able to make a contract with the low-ranking spirit.
Mugg sat down on my shoulder, which ended up startling me because of the faint heat.
"Th-Then if I control my level of resonance… The 'firepower' will change, too…?"
"It's sort of strange to be calling it 'firepower', as that's more of a mechanical device…"
"This… This is…"
Only then did I lift up Mugg with a bright face.
[Hahaha. I'm embarrassed, young master Ed.]
It was a portable stove…!
The long, long winter… He was something to stick onto my body that released warmth, whether I was inside or outside the cabin… A tool for survival. Something more important than I could put into words…!
Plus… He didn't even use any firewood…!
Of course, he instead ate away at my magic power. But due to my spiritual resonance, the mana efficiency of the spirit's flames compared to the amount of magic power I use to cast 'Ignite' was like heaven and earth.
Spiritual Resonance was the level of efficiency in terms of mana power when communicating with a spirit or manifesting them.
The higher level your Spiritual Resonance was, the less magic power you needed to deal with stronger or more spirits. No matter how inherently cursed you were when it came to the amount of mana you could store, if your resonance was high you could deal with a wider range of different spirits.
Due to its unique characteristic, mana efficiency was completely different from general magic. That was the greatest strength of Elementalists.
Of course, it wasn't like it didn't consume any magic power at all. You couldn't keep it running all day long like a boiler. But I could still use it when I was working outdoors in the frigid winter, or when I needed to stay inside the cabin before it was heated.
When I was running low on firewood, I could use the fire bat with magic power instead… That meant that I could be flexible and constantly switch between firewood and magic power whenever needed.
"…Thank you, Yennekar! I love it so much! Let's get along well from now on, heat—… No, Mugg."
[Hahahahaha! I don't know what to do with my body, seeing you act so happy!]
I put Mugg into my hands, turning around excitedly.
Making him fly into the air, I also checked the intensity of the heat by adjusting the level of resonance. Raising the resonance to the highest amount was enough to surpass the warmth of a campfire. Of course, doing so had a terrible level of magic power efficiency, but with my spirit-type skills' proficiency, growing it would only get easier.
It's so different to actually experience a contract with a spirit when compared to seeing it in the game. Was it always possible to share this sense with a spirit you made a contract with?
With half admiration and half pure excitement, I tested out all sorts of different things with Mugg.
"I'm glad you look so happy, Ed. You always look so down, like you're going through a tough time. I'm so happy to see you like this. Hehe."
Yennekar kept watching over us for a while, smiling bashfully.
"Let me know if you ever need anything else, Ed. Then, before my first class I'll teach you more about resonance and sense. After all, it'll be faster if you practice it with me. Also, so that you can quickly get up to a level where you can make a contract with a mid-ranking spirit, we should practice spiritual combat as well… I'll make some time and rent out a practice room! And… Uhm… There are a lot of different accessories that can help increase resonance efficiency… They're all in my room, so… the next time we meet, then. Hyug!"
Yennekar, who had been talking excitedly, suddenly choked. It seemed like she had just thought of something.
She quickly shut her mouth, before she let out a slow exhale and looked towards me.
"Uhm, Ed…"
"Yeah?"
"Actually… I'm busy! I'm a busy person!"
Yennekar straightened her back as she shut her eyes, clearing her throat.
"I'm also the top student in our grade. So, there are all sorts of people that are waiting in line for me to teach them, you know? So… It'll be hard to make time! Hm!"
"I see. Well, I guess that's true."
"That's why, don't you think it's too much for me to be teaching you spiritual magic…? Hm?"
She kept on grinning while saying that, though her lips were clearly trembling.
It was… a kind of push and pull. I wondered if she was acting so differently from her normal self in an attempt to imitate Lortel… But then I realized that all of what she was saying was the truth.
It was easy to forget, as she was spending her time back in the camp with me every day, but normally it would be fairly expensive and valuable to have an opportunity to have one-on-one lessons from an elementalist like Yennekar.
It's so great having a valuable personal connection~
That was what I thought, all while giving nothing back to her… I was sure that I had crossed the line.
"I didn't think of that, Yennekar… Though, it's so obvious. I'm really sorry. I took your goodwill for granted."
"Uh, hm? No, I didn't mean for you to apologize like that… It's just that Clara keeps telling me… To try pushing you… No, never mind. That's not it…"
"Then… What should I do…? Isn't it only right for me to pay you back with money, for your time and sincerity? Though, I probably can't give you a suitable amount…"
Even then, I was sure that it would be possible for her to give me a discount, since we were friends… Right? After all, Yennekar knew all about my situation.
I had no choice but to whip out the calculator and check how much I could spend, while also considering my survival activities.
"What? Money?"
Hearing that word, Yennekar was taken by surprise.
"Money! What money?! Ed! You're in an urgent state, one where you must worry about surviving! How can you think of just wasting your money like that?! You need to save it all! Don't waste it! Don't even think about paying me, either! I'll get mad!"
"...?"
"I can't believe that you brought up paying for this… That's too cold of you! We're closer than that! Seriously, you make me so upset!"
"Didn't you bring up the cost of it all in the first place?"
Yennekar gasped, stunned by those words. Though it looked like she had realized that, thinking back on it… I was right.
I had no idea how to guess the rhythm she wanted me to dance at.
"…What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"
That was when Yennekar started to confess everything.
"It was because Clara gave me some advice… I'm someone that tends to be a bit too nice to others, giving things out too much… No, that's not! Hm… Uh… It's more like, I must work on raising the price for helping others, is what she said…! Sort of like negotiating? Maybe a bit more chic? I need to know how to say 'no' when I mean it… I need to be a bit colder that way."
"Nothing she said is wrong. I'm also quite scared that one day you might get scammed by someone somewhere. You made quite a great friend."
"Right, I guess that's true…? But… I… I just don't treat anyone like that…"
Wriggling her fingers and glancing at me from the side, she was surprised the moment our eyes met.
"Anyway! I'll go into more detail next time! Next time, I'll see you at the combat practice room! I'll make the reservation, then let you know! I'll bring a nice accessory, too! Also, let me know if you need a resonance textbook to practice! Since I have morning class soon, I'll get going…! Bye, Ed! See you later!"
And with that, she jumped off the bench and ran away.
I didn't have time to say anything back to her, so I was left with no choice but to watch as Yennekar ran away.
***
Rumor had it that the academy's finances were in quite a tight spot.
Professor Glast was quietly sitting in his laboratory, flipping through the pages of his academic books. Research regarding Celestial Magic was extremely limited, so barely any progress had been made at all.
Regarding the study of Celestial Magic, which twisted and broke the rules and challenged the perceived truth… Barely any progress had been made since the work of the great sage Silvenia.
It was hopeless for any scholar to try and study the Sage's Seal in the first place.
If academic research was a field where only a few chosen geniuses could contribute, then was the role of a scholar such as himself only to remember and systemize the knowledge of his predecessor to pass onto future generations?
Professor Glast let out a sly laugh, troubled over his old-fashioned way of thinking. He had realized that his life had become comfortable enough that his worries were nothing serious.
In any case, Glast's role had become clear.
In a world full of trash, he was going to be someone that would find a gem of a talent that would shine, changing the world forever.
Such a brilliant talent would be capable of speeding up the progress of research, regardless of the field.
Thud!
Assistant professor Cleoh Elpin broke the silence, bursting into the laboratory.
"Professor Glast!"
"You're not going to knock?"
"I'm sorry, but it's urgent!"
Cleoh went outside again, closing the door and knocking. Professor Glast let out a deep sigh.
"It's fine, just come in."
"Yes!"
Cleoh strode in, holding a bunch of files and a crystal ball. She dropped it all over Professor Glast's desk.
"I have something to report! This is a really big deal! Get ready to be surprised!"
"..."
"Ed Rothstaylor! Do you know that student—Ed, the one who was excommunicated?!?"
"I don't bother remembering the names of every piece of trash that doesn't have a drop of talent."
"There you go again saying such a thing! Just hear me out first!"
Cleoh kept on making a fuss, slamming on his desk.
"You know Lucy, right?! Lucy! The one that you really adore, Lucy Mayreel!"
"..."
"Lucy was defeated by Ed. To the point where she couldn't do anything?! No, what I'm trying to say is… I was suspicious about the Occupation of Ophelis Hall incident, so I went to do some further investigating… No, even before that, I need to explain why I even went to the northern forest…"
"There's no point for you to keep rambling on, Assistant Professor Cleoh."
She had a lot of things that she wanted to say, but since she was so excited, she couldn't organize the story at all. Professor Glast let out a sigh, thinking that she must act the same way in front of her students.
"So, what I mean is… I went around and ended up using the thoughtography recording magic back on the first floor of Ophelis Hall!"
"Thoughtography recording magic? Did you get permission from the academy?"
"Of course I didn't! I just went up to the department in charge of the magically engineered thoughtography equipment, made up an excuse, and I got my hands on it! Really, it's so great being a professor! They weren't even a bit suspicious of me when I did it! I couldn't even dream of doing this before I got my degree!"
"..."
Thoughtography Recording magic was a reenacting magic that allowed you to replay what happened in the past at a certain location.
As it was magic that dealt with time, it consumed a great deal of magic power unless you used knowledge from Celestial Magic theory, which didn't have much research on it.
Most of it was created by archmages that could create magically engineered items. Though, the price of just one of those items would be equivalent to the price of a building.
The price was quite expensive, and the method to use it is complicated, so permission from the academy was needed to officially use it. However, Cleoh used her authority as a teacher to exploit the equipment to her heart's content.
It wasn't something that got worn out the more you used it. Though, it was a blatant abuse of power.
"Just get ready to write an apology."
"I already knew you would say that, so I filed it out in advance!"
"Is that something to brag about?"
"Even then, you'll take it into consideration with this! Here, take a look!"
Cleoh filled the crystal ball with the thoughtography record.
"The academy's investigation department didn't even use Thoughtography recording magic at all during the investigation! I started to wonder why, but I guess that since the head maid Elris' confession was so clear, and the testimonies at the scene were all consistent, it just happened… In the first place, the Thoughtography recording magic doesn't record all that much!"
Cleoh's mouth didn't stop moving as she pushed magic power into the crystal ball.
"Since it's a magically engineered piece of equipment that is complicated and difficult to set up and use, it would be too inefficient to set it up across Ophelis Hall. That's why I chose to not extend the investigation out that far! There was no need to! It was more valuable for me to just use it in one place, rather than the whole building!"
"So, what are you saying?"
"Just in case… Following Taylee's testimony that he met Ed on the first floor, I only used it in the main hall on the first floor! The method to set it up was too complicated, so I just slapped it together!"
Regardless of if you were a faculty member, there was a limit to how much you could do. He was starting to get tired of Assistant Professor Cleoh's straightforward behavior every time she had a gut feeling.
If Professor Glast had agreed that there might have been an issue, it would have been sent over to the disciplinary committee right away, but… Glast wasn't that type of person. There was also a shortage of people in the academy.
"So?"
"Look at this! It caught Ed! I brought it over to you quickly since the image won't last long."
The scene was the moment Ed sat alone in the main hall of the first floor, greeting Taylee. At first glance, it seemed like a still picture, but you could tell it was clearly moving by the raindrops hitting the window.
"Look at this! He's just like a black curtain, right?"
"..."
"Can't you see the way he's sitting? He looks just like he's saying, 'I'm the black curtain behind all of this…', right?"
"..."
Professor Glast ran his hand over his face as he looked straight at Assistant Professor Cleoh.
"…Is this everything?"
"Excuse me?"
"I asked if this was all you brought in, seeing as you stomped in here and slammed the door."
"No, uhm… I also told you how Ed was carrying around Lucy, who was completely knocked out…"
"Lucy Mayreel is the type that is extremely lazy. She will fall asleep whenever there is time, and the moment she does, she won't wake up easily. Are you sure he wasn't just moving her somewhere else while she was sleeping?"
Unfortunately for her, that was what actually happened.
"But when I approached her, she definitely had a big reaction…!"
"It isn't just you. That's Lucy's usual reaction when somebody touches her while she's sleeping. Ironically, you just ended up proving that she was, in fact, asleep."
"…Ah! Not only that, but Ed also built some sort of hideout to live in up in the northern forest…"
"And can you explain just what, exactly, that has to do with the Occupation of Ophelis Hall?"
"Uhm… That's… I…"
Professor Glast let out a deep sigh.
"…Cleoh. As I told you before, you tend to rely too heavily on your intuition, pushing ahead with things without enough thought."
She had nothing else to say.
Ed was certainly a suspicious student, but there was no physical evidence to speak of.
Ed had already finished giving his testimony regarding the occupation. The file itself was a little sketchy, but given the circumstances it made enough sense.
The reason Ed had visited Ophelis Hall was because he had a personal appointment with Yennekar. They had agreed to meet out in the rose garden in front of the building. Yennekar had also affirmed that fact.
But then, realizing that something had happened inside Ophelis Hall, he went into the building to see what was going on. He later decided that the building was dangerous.
Therefore, he had tried to block Taylee and his party from forcing their way into the building. Of course, Ed eventually ended up failing.
He was just a respectable upperclassman that was trying to stop his underclassmen from entering such a dangerous place. Well, at least that's what the testimony said.
Aside from Ed's strange behavior, there was nothing to prove his testimony false. Even though she might feel completely heartbroken about it all, that was a completely different matter.
"Think of the difference between your emotions and the physical evidence, Cleoh."
"Uhh… I apologize…"
In the end, completely speechless, Cleoh lowered her head.
"Just bring your apology over."
"Yes…"
Her excitement was gone as she left the laboratory with a heavy sigh.
Professor Glast sat back down, gathering all the files.
Finally, when he grabbed the crystal ball that Cleoh had brought, there was an image of Ed standing up. It looked as if he was in combat.
Previously known as Ed Rothstaylor, but now just Ed.
Given that Professor Glast didn't remember much about him, it must have meant that he was someone born with little talent.
The total amount of magic power he had seemed small, and the level of magic that he used wasn't all that high.
He was someone that you could find anywhere. Someone without talent.
Standing in the way of Taylee, Elvira, and Ayla, it was more reckless behavior rather than courageous.
That was also all written down in the files. Ed had tried to stop Taylee and his party, but they had broken through in no time.
That was just the way things were in the world. Nothing could be solved alone.
Professor Glast was a professor that oversaw the magic department students. Though, he had also seen the students from the Combat and Alchemy department before.
While he didn't have the authority to directly appraise any of those students, he had certainly identified a few talented individuals amongst them.
Taylee, who was born in the way of the sword. Elvira, who was born with the natural insight to be an alchemist.
Those two weren't people that just any normal person could stop.
Considering that, Professor Glast continued to look into the crystal ball.
He wanted to reaffirm the talents of both Taylee and Elvira.
Glast was someone who liked to identify talents, much like a jeweler who appraised shiny gemstones, to determine their value.
"Ohhh…."
Professor Glast continued to watch the battle between Ed and Taylee's party for a long while.
"..."
After a while, Professor Glast held his chin as he got lost in thought.
Stuck in such deep thoughts, he continued to stay still for a long time.
-x-X-x-
My peaceful daily life passed by like a fleeting spring. It wasn't until the season got cold that you came to realize how blessed you were by the clear skies and warmth.
Though I couldn't really say it was all that mild of a life for me, with my busy schedule, compared to when I first started living in the wild it had gotten a lot better.
Since my cabin was finished and ready for me to lay in, I had gathered quite a bit of meat, vegetables, and spices up in the storage. I even had a bunch of firewood piled up. I had managed to solve my homelessness issue.
The waves that shook my somewhat stable life… It all came from the senders of three different letters.
***
Keeping up with the academy's curriculum had slowly started to pay off.
Even with a body that wasn't exceptionally talented when it came to magic, I was starting to maintain an above-average performance. It was especially so in the written subjects, and it seemed that I was starting to stand out. My name was being passed around amongst the teaching assistants.
Lessons that only required simple memorization and theoretical arrangement could be accomplished at any time with just a bit of effort.
By cutting down on sleep and using any spare time to practice repeatedly, I was able to shove all the information into my brain. That was completely different from having talent in magic.
My training had also made considerable progress.
I'd already increased my stamina quite a bit, to the point that it wasn't far behind that of an average adult male. It was quite an impressive development when compared to the spring, when I was skinny and as weak as an anchovy.
On the other hand, my combat-type skills still seemed to be a bit slow… But there were plenty of ways to help with that.
[ Newly Finished Product
Ceremonial Dagger: Explosion
A ceremonial dagger that has been infused with explosive magic. The infused magic can be activated within a certain distance. As it has been infused in advance, the activation speed was quick and the magic power efficiency is excellent.
Spiritual Infusion: Spirit-Type Magic – Explosion
(Low-ranking fire spirit Mugg)
Magic Power Accumulation Capacity: Medium
Resonance Distance: Narrow
Production Difficulty Level: ●●○○○ ]
[ Production completed. Production skills have increased. ]
A pattern of flames glistened on the surface of the dagger.
It was the ceremonial dagger that had been with me for a long time, ever since I started living in the wild. After setting things up and imbuing the dagger that I loved with magic, I felt a sense of pride.
[The magic has been infused with the dagger quite smoothly. The more the user has used the equipment, then the more efficient it becomes. I can clearly tell that you have been with this dagger for a very long time, young master Ed!]
Sitting on my shoulder, Mugg caught my attention by speaking to me.
[You've taken another step forward, young master Ed! This joyous occasion makes me so happy! Though I may be unworthy, let me sing a joyous song for you to express my pleasure! This is a shepherd's song, passed down for generations by mouth in the Pulan region… Eghk!]
I grabbed Mugg's wing as I put him down on the tree stump next to me. As I sat staring at him, it seemed as if he was uncomfortable, his body shifting around.
[Y-Young master Ed! I have made a mistake! Please allow me to pay the price for my sin! The most embarrassing thing is, I am unsure what I have done wrong! Please, tell me the sin I have dared to do so I can sincerely reflect on it, correct it, and grow from it…]
"Hey. Speak to me casually."
[…I'm sorry, what?]
As expected of a spirit carefully selected by Yennekar, Mugg was quite the amazing low-ranking spirit.
He was proficient in mana resonance, and he constantly called me young master. In an instant, the infusion of spiritual magic was completed. His way of thinking was flexible, and he was quite nimble—which was helpful while hunting.
Not to mention, he also acted as my portable heater and was a great companion in my social life. Thus, he was worthy of a perfect score.
But if I had to label just one fault of his, it would be that he was overly polite.
"I told you to speak casually. It's uncomfortable for me to keep listening to you like that, seriously."
[Th-there's no way. There's no way I could do such a thing!]
"Why?"
Originally, the relationship between an elementalist and a spirit was a simple contract, rather than one between a master and servant.
The lower-ranking spirits that dealt with Yennekar were excessively respectful towards her, as she was an exceptionally strong elementalist.
A spirit that moved away from being a fluid spirit and was on the path to becoming a lower-ranking spirit gained magic power through contracting with an elementalist, which raised their status.
If they could make a contract with a competent elementalist with a high level of resonance, then… It was customary for the spirits to thank them by becoming subservient. Therefore, if you wanted to have equal footing in a relationship with an elementalist like Yennekar, who had a massive amount of resonance, then you would need to be a high-ranking spirit.
The reason that Yennekar was surrounded by so many spirits all the time was simply because it was her nature to attract spirits… After all, it was her high resonance that was extremely attractive for the spirits.
In particular, the fact that Yennekar had decided to sign a contract with a lower-spirit like Mugg was very appreciated… So of course, he had no choice but to bow his head.
However, as I was only a novice elementalist that had just started out on my journey, there was no need for him to be so polite. There was a high possibility of running into communication issues if we established me in such an unnecessary position of authority.
"Try calling me Ed. It's only two letters."
[Young master Ed! This really is not right!]
"Isn't it weird in the first place? There's no reason to be this respectful, since signing a contract with me isn't that big of a deal. What was the deal with all those interviews and the election process?"
[Uh… Um…]
I must have hit the nail on the head, as Mugg flapped his wings and struggled to respond.
"Did you make some other type of promise?"
[Well, that's…]
"Just relax and forget about all of that. It's not like we'll only see each other for a day or two, right?"
As I said that, I looked down at Mugg.
He shuddered as he suddenly began to wail loudly.
[Oh my, young master Ed! What's the point in me hiding it anymore?! If I sign a contract with you and am recognized for my ability, I will be guaranteed nearly double the amount of refined magic power from Lady Yennekar than the other low-ranking spirits… In the end, this was all a means for me to speed up my growth…!]
"..."
As I thought.
[That's right! This overflowing respect and loyalty towards you, young master Ed, didn't come out of pure awe. It was because of my lust for success, engraved on this dirty unworthy body of mine! I am deeply ashamed of myself!]
"Alright… There, it's good to be honest like that. Is there anything else you want to let out?"
[Other than that… I've been looking into your reputation here at the academy, and I have heard quite a bit about your strong authoritative tendency… So, following that, I was trying to please you…]
"Is that so?"
I lifted the dagger with the spiritual magic infused in it. I turned it over, swinging it around a few times. It didn't feel any different from before.
If the spiritual infusion were poor, it could affect the quality of the equipment itself by making it heavier or lighter. That would make it difficult to manage. However, the spiritual infusion that Mugg had completed was clean and showed no notable change.
I threw the dagger into the wooden stump nearby.
Thud!
With the connected spiritual magic, I gave it a little push, creating a small explosion.
With that much magic power put into the explosion, it could also work as a small explosive if I wanted it to.
As the rising smoke spread out, I could see the dagger stuck in the stump. It was completely fine, not a scratch on it. It seemed that even the fire resistance had been implemented well, as it hadn't been affected by the explosion. It was perfectly done, up until the very end.
"Well, thanks for being honest about it all. Why are you apologizing so much, to the point you're wriggling around like that?"
It was said that, when creating relationships with other people, a pure heart was only maintained until elementary school. After all, once people started to mature they had no choice but to put their self-interests, no matter how big or small, first. This was the case even when dealing with others.
The old-fashioned way of thinking, the one that claimed a pure heart must be maintained in a relationship, had long since ended. In the end, one's skills and attitude were all that mattered.
The spiritual magic itself was neatly infused into it.
Though asking around about my reputation before we even signed a contract could have been seen as rude… From another perspective, it also proved that he had done some preparation and shown a level of sincerity.
As for me, I was also the type that tried to figure out people in advance, putting in the time to get things right… So, from my point of view, I could see that he was the type to be thorough about such things.
As long as you didn't treat everything as too materialistic, it could also be considered a useful way of thinking.
"Alright, I got it. You can speak casually already."
[Th-that's…]
"I told you I understood, so you can speak casually with me. Your circumstances all make sense to me, so what's the issue?"
[Young master Ed…!]
Mugg was touched by my words, speaking in a grateful voice. I wondered how much guilt and shame he had been feeling.
[To be honest, it was so hard for me! Waaah! In the first place, the hierarchy of spirits is unfair! Just because you were born earlier, you can take advantage of others? Does that make any sense…?! Waaaah!]
"..."
[Well, I'll continue speaking politely towards you. It's more comfortable for me to do so!]
I was about to say something when it occurred to me.
I think I heard before that it's quite burdensome to tell a new employee or recruit to 'take it easy' or 'speak casually'.
It was only natural to be uncomfortable with such a thing. In some cases, forcing someone to be comfortable would just make them more uncomfortable. So being uncomfortable meant that you were comfortable… It was all too complicated.
Well, he'd figure it out and take care of it. From what I could tell, it seemed that his social life was already at its max level, so he must have had a good sense about how to behave.
I pulled out the dagger, put it in a leather case, then tied it around my thigh with string. With that in place, I could stand up and reach down to grab the dagger at any given moment. Plus, it didn't look all that bad.
[By the way, what do you want to do with these letters? Do you want to read over them right now, or should I bring them over to the cabin?]
Mugg flapped his wings, sitting down on a wooden stump across the campfire. He was biting three letters, waving them around.
One was delivered in a clean, business-like envelope that was folded roughly and lacked a seal. It was delivered to me personally by one of the teacher's assistants, Anise.
The second one was decorated with a golden border and a clean wax seal. A middle-aged employee of the Elte Company had delivered it.
The last one was a magnificent, flashy, high-class piece of paper that was written with brilliant and luxurious ink. Claire, Princess Penia's lead escort, had personally delivered it.
"I'm going to read through them now."
Each letter spoke of different topics, but the most shocking was in the last letter.
***
Silvenia's royal residence was quite a magnificent mansion, but compared to Ophelis Hall, the size of it couldn't even compare.
However, even though the size might have been smaller, the overall construction cost was quite similar. It was impossible to imagine just how luxurious the interior of the residence must be unless you were someone who had entered before.
A woman with a ponytail and an upgraded set of light armor opened the door to the princess' room.
"I've just come back from the northern forest. I have delivered the letter, just as you instructed."
"Well done, Claire."
Claire, the lead escort of third princess Penia Elias Kroel, had been feeling quite troubled of late. For her, as someone who was solely dedicated to Princess Penia, the recent situation had not been very pleasant.
The first time the princess stepped foot in Silvenia on her journey to study, she had felt rather pleased by it all.
The life of Princess Penia, who was constantly watched by the royal household, on the outside looked splendid. However, if you knew her full story… None would envy her.
Ever since Emperor Kroel's only son—Lindon—had declared that he would give up the throne, the war of nerves between the royal ladies became suffocating to watch.
Both Princess Selah and Princess Perseia had their suspicious eyes on Princess Penia for quite some time.
No matter how much she expressed that she wasn't coveting the throne, because of Princess Penia's position and the support of the people, she could have reached out and taken the throne at any given moment.
In the process of it all, some measure of secrecy and fighting would be necessary. Though influential people that wanted to support Princess Penia were widely available, the order of succession could be 'adjusted' at any time.
One way or another.
Of course, Princess Penia wouldn't make such a move. That doesn't mean people wouldn't still be suspicious of her.
Her entrance into Silvenia Academy was a clever move to convince people of her honesty.
It was only possible for those who had no desire for the throne to declare that they would leave the royal household, seeking academics at such a crucial time. That was because she would have to stay in school for at least four years.
What kind of place was Silvenia?
Wasn't it a land of academics, where the virtue of learning was greatly emphasized above all else?
She thought it would be a good time to get far away from the Kroel Royal Family's authoritative atmosphere, and to spend a few years making memories and gaining knowledge… Though, such plans didn't always work out the way you wanted them to.
"…You don't look pleased, Princess. I'm sorry to be intruding, but… Do you perhaps have any concerns?"
"…I'm not sure."
Princess Penia bound her platinum blonde hair back as she let out a deep sigh, burrowing herself into the luxurious sofa.
She decided to come clean and admit it.
She had made the decision to step away from the Kroel Royal Family to instead focus on her studies in this land of learning, but… she also had a fervent desire to escape.
Getting into a secret battle whenever there was time, gaining authority, proving her talent as a potential sovereign or else risking dying off… She had escaped from the cruel fate that came with being a part of the royal family.
Having lived her entire life like that, she had asked herself, 'Wouldn't it be okay just to take a few years off?
That was because she had thought that, after a few years, the tedious dispute over the succession of the throne would end on its own.
However, even after escaping all the way to Silvenia, in the end that was what happened. As a human being, it wasn't possible to escape from her true nature.
Whether it was intentional or not.
"I… thought that, for the rest of my life, I was destined to live while fighting a dark battle."
"Princess."
"You don't have to try to comfort me, Claire."
The night before, Principal Obel came to visit her, whispering in her ear.
The financial situation of Silvania Academy was already quite a severe problem. They desperately needed money to even make the payment dates for that quarter.
Even though he went all the way to visit Princess Penia personally, there was nothing that she could do to help immediately.
Although Princess Penia's influence would allow her to receive some funds, there was no guarantee that the money would arrive in time for the payment. But most of all, there wasn't any justification for it.
Although the academy was partially supported by the royal family, ultimately Silvenia Academy was a private education institute that was founded by the great sage Silvenia. If such an institute needed further funding from royalty, there would need to be a reasonable justification.
The third princess did not control the treasury of the royal family, and at that moment she was in no position to be a part of the royal family.
In the end, she had no choice but to turn down Principal Obel's request. Considering the sheer size of Silvenia, the educational budget wasn't just a matter of a simple coin or two. It was an issue that couldn't be dealt with through mere sympathy.
That was where the problem should have ended.
"It seems that the sale of the Sage's Seal will become a reality."
"Yes. Of course, there will be strong opposition coming from the students and the academic staff… Though more than a direct sale, it will just function as a guarantee or collateral."
"That's pretty sly. Ignoring the rights to possess it and instead focusing on buying the rights of ownership, then taking the product step by step. As expected of the Elte Company."
The concept of possession and ownership were entirely different.
When news got out that the Sage's Seal, which was the heart of Silvenia, had been sold for money… There would be a great deal of opposition from the academy. In the matter of possession… That was just a case of acknowledging the right to keep storage of the seal.
As time passed, and the attention around everything all started to cool down, they would create some sort of justification to move the Seal from its exhibit at Trix Hall over to the warehouse. Claiming that it was to further research regarding the seal seemed like the most appropriate excuse.
The day that Seal would once again be on display would probably never come to pass.
"Princess Penia… As I thought, you don't look well."
"Thank you for your concern, Claire. I'm fine, so you can go rest."
Princess Penia pressed on her temples as she loosened her shoulders.
Penia had been living in a world of secrecy for many years. Seeing the data that Obel brought, along with the way things had been going, it started to seem like there was a black curtain behind it all that she couldn't see.
Her gut instinct pointed to the young Lortel Kehelland, the authority behind the Elte Company.
That girl, with her bound reddish-brown hair, always smiling like a fox playing among gold coins. She never seemed to speak honestly.
According to Penia's Insightful Eyes, that girl's true colors were those of a con artist that plotted and extorted others as naturally as she breathed.
She couldn't get the image of her during the Glasskan's Summoning. As the entire sky lit up and buildings collapsed, Lortel sat in a corner and smiled softly. It was truly a level of strength that transcended humans.
Thinking of that same girl, plotting to buy the Sage's Seal as everything played out in the palm of her hand.
She decided to admit it.
She was scared. It was extremely frightening.
In Penia's eyes, Lortel was a demon covered in gold coins. She was someone that, if wanted to, might even be able to deceive God.
She was surely going to end up at the top of the Elte Company. She couldn't picture Lortel taking orders or being under someone else's leadership.
Someone that could make Lortel follow their orders… Did such a person even exist?
"I don't need to be hostile towards her yet, but…"
Buried in the sofa, Princess Penia silently spoke her last few words.
In any case, the suspicions between the academy and the Elte Company regarding the purchase of the Sage's Seal was strictly an internal matter. It wasn't an issue for Princess Penia to personally intervene in.
Nevertheless, Princess Penia couldn't help but take out a quill as she began to compose a personal letter.
A 'new party' had joined the negotiations for the Sage's Seal.
As for that third party's actions, it was because they couldn't leave the situation alone.
***
Ed! Ed!
It felt as if I had fallen into water, faintly hearing sounds coming from outside. I wondered if someone was calling my name, but I didn't have time to pay attention to that.
The reason that my head was all mixed up was because of the letters I had received.
The first and second letter didn't say much.
They didn't say anything that important, it was just information that I needed to know.
The third letter, however… it was something I needed to read with my full concentration.
I couldn't be taken aback by a change of flow in the timeline, even if it was different from what I had originally thought it would be.
It was only natural for that to happen. It couldn't be helped, as the story had been twisted from the very beginning. I just had to keep an eye on the situation and try to make the progression of it follow a similar course.
Either way, if Taylee followed the proper course, everything could be solved… There wouldn't be anything else that I would have to get involved in.
In Act 2, all that needed to happen was for him to use the second technique of the Swordmaster Skill and prepare his Celestial Magic resistance.
But that method would not be allowed. The flow of the story had already slowed down quite a bit.
The evidence was right there, in my hand.
"Ed."
Looking at the cause, it came from Elte's early dismissal.
Elte, the Golden King, was originally meant to be defeated by Lortel during the battle for the Sage's Seal event.
However, for some reason the flow of the story changed, and he was dismissed earlier into the story—during the occupation of Ophelis Hall.
Because of that, just what kind of changes did it cause?
The reason that Elte tried to purchase the Sage's Seal was so he could resell it at a higher price.
In other words, there was another person who asked him to procure the Sage's Seal.
That person's name was… Sadly, I'd already heard it so much now that I was sick of it.
I quickly realized why the princess had sent me a personal letter. It was because I was a man on the inside. Her ulterior motive was to ask me if I had any information regarding that person's actions or intentions.
"Ed!"
I suddenly came back to my senses.
Yennekar was pushing her face in front of mine with a tearful expression. It seemed that she had been shaking my shoulder.
"Ugh."
"Get a grip on yourself! What's the matter?!"
"I'm sorry, Yennekar. There was something I was thinking about, so I was distracted for a bit."
At some point, Mugg had moved to Yennekar's shoulder as she let out a sigh of relief. Then, as she seemed to realize that the distance between our two faces was too close for comfort, she quickly took a step back.
"Don't push yourself too hard! It's good to be working hard, but… It's best to stay healthy!"
Looking at Yennekar, who was bubbling over in rage, I put both hands by my side as I bowed my head in apology.
As I mentioned before, the one who had commissioned Elte Kehelland to purchase the Sage's Seal was the head of House Rothstaylor, Krepin Rothstaylor.
For Krepin, who was researching the magic of eternal life, the Sage's Seal—which dealt with Celestial Magic—was well worth looking into.
But with Elte dismissed… that client now had no choice but to roll up his sleeves.
"Ed, you don't look so great right now."
Yennekar spoke with a worried look on her face. It was understandable.
The letter from the princess said that she had a lot to ask me about the head of House Rothstaylor, which I used to be a part of, so I should visit her royal residence. Additionally, she wrote down some of her suspicions regarding Krepin's actions.
Originally, the Sage's Seal negotiations was a tug-of-war between the academy and the Elte Company.
However, now it has become a three-way race between the academy, the Elte Company, and the Rothstaylor family.
The head of house, Krepin Rothstaylor, was a boss that appeared in Act 4 of 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster.'
He was a boss in the later half, who was exposed by Princess Penia, who had both internal power within the academy and the power of royalty, as the one behind all the evil deeds that had occurred. There was no need to explain his difficulty level.
It was safe to say, at that moment, there was no way to take him down.
The good news was that his goal was simple: the Sage's Seal. If he got his hands on the Seal, he would go back to where he came from peacefully.
However, there was no way for me to know what would happen after he got his hands on the Seal… It would be a completely unknown world.
It wasn't just a matter of no longer having the advantage of knowing all future events. It was also a matter of whether it was possible to clear.
In the first place, the confrontation between Princess Penia and Krepin Rothstaylor was a storyline that shouldn't even have been happening that early on.
Krepin Rothstaylor. If it was true that he planned to join in on negotiations for the Seal, then I would have to do whatever I could to try and keep him out of it.
He couldn't be on the main stage of the storyline yet. As a character that came out in the second half meant that he really shouldn't come out until later.
"I'm sorry, Yennekar. I shouldn't have made you worry."
I relaxed my expression as I threw a few pieces of firewood into the fire.
I lowered my head as I quietly began to organize my thoughts.
Yennekar sat holding her knees with her arms across the campfire. Suddenly, her expression soured as she continued to stare at me.
"I'm not going to move from here until you tell me what you're worrying about."
That stubbornness didn't suit her at all. I almost let out a laugh.