How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-106

Student Council President Election Battle: Part 2 (7)

-Kyaaah!

The massive lance caused a violent wind by a single wide horizontal swing.

Crouching low with my center of gravity firmly grounded, I braced against the howling wind, preventing my body from staggering.

But even that wasn’t an actual attack. Zix had merely repositioned his massive lance.

With a push off from thin air, he landed right in front of me where I stood, and as he spun his body, the trajectory of his swinging lance drew a large semicircle.

Its strength was overwhelming, impossible to block or deflect.

Ducking almost to the ground, I successfully avoided the initial strike, but my evasive maneuver was too exaggerated to launch a counterattack. The momentum was still with Zix.

Adjusting the lance once more, he now aimed a devastatingly fast thrust at me, difficult to evade due to my lowered stance.

There was no room to dodge. I had to devise a defense mechanism that would minimize damage.

-Phwok.

Deciding quickly on my next move, Leicia, the hidden lioness which had been concealed within a nearby puddle through Soul Manifestation, sprung out in front of Zix’s lance.

But ‘blocking’ it wasn’t quite right; ‘impaled’ would be more accurate.

With a mighty roar, the summoned lioness was forcibly dismissed amidst a spray of water.

“Kuh!”

Zix’s ears rang with the piercing roar, but he instantly grasped the lioness’s intent, which was to create even the slightest opening.

While a lance that size had a formidable attack range and power making it a tricky weapon to counter… if you closed in tight, it became difficult for the user to attack effectively.

I quickly exploited the small gap created by Leicia, engaging Zix in a close-range brawl that was difficult for his lance to handle. Once I managed to get in close with a dagger, Zix would struggle to fully use the advantages provided by his weapon.

However, Zix was a master of combat, adept at handling any situation encountered in a real battle.

– Kaang!

In his left hand, devoid of visible magic, an aether blade formed, effortlessly deflecting my onslaught.

While effortlessly swinging the massive lance with his right hand, he countered my close combat with a short sword in his left.

Clicking my tongue, I gathered mana and cast the ‘Ignition’ magic. The flames that rose severed the space between Zix and me.

However, Zix, unphased, swirled his lance once more, quelling my conjured flames with his overpowering mana.

“It seems you prefer attacking from a blind spot under the guise of a diversion.”

Techniques to bridge the gap in power through cunning were abundant, yet they have their limits when trying to overcome a fundamental disparity in strength. Especially against someone like Zix, who was practically immune to such deceptions.

Even if he allowed the first strike due to unfamiliarity with the opponent’s combat style, from the second strike onwards it was a different story altogether.

“Rather than engaging in pointless psych-outs, a direct approach with sheer firepower is more effective against someone with a style like Senior Ed’s.”

From Zix’s body, magical energies began to construct weapons anew. From daggers to two-handed swords, various types of blades started to swarm in the air.

The high magic ‘Mana Armament – Sword Dance’ began. An advanced version of the Mana Armament, this magic melded with psychokinesis. The weapons did not need to be swung by hand but moved independently, pressuring the opponent.

– Kaang! Kaang!

The swords, appearing to be more than twenty, charged at me as one.

I had lost my core force, Leicia the lioness, and my mana consumption had already accumulated to an enormous amount. The situation was far from favorable.

Yet, if even one of that multitude of blades hit me, the duel would be over. Clenching my teeth, I drew upon all my mana to manifest the mid-tier fire magic ‘Point Explosion’ with all my might.

Not just one, but all of them.

I had to destroy every sword, or surely be struck by a critical hit. Thus, I managed to manifest the ‘Point Explosion’ over twenty times in one go, swiftly blasting away each of Zix’s blades.

– Kwang! Kwang! Kaggagagagak!

The ‘Point Explosion’ mid-tier magic boasts unspeakably quick casting at the expense of mana efficiency.

In other words, the power yielded isn’t proportionate to the mana input. Of course, it would be lethal to an ordinary person in one strike, but it’s rare for a combatant considering battle scenarios to be knocked out with just one hit.

Having launched such an inefficient attack repeatedly, my mana was naturally ebbing away.

-Huuuuuk

And there was no way Zix, the second in command of magic at the academy, would fail to notice that.

In the midst of the smoke from the explosion come a thrust flying at me. Unable to see clearly, the attack narrowly missed.

– Pak!

Not missing the opportunity presented by the missed stab, I grabbed the lance shaft with both hands. A brief power struggle ensued, our hands trembling against each other.

“Seems you’re out of mana. Not even enough to conjure basic defensive magic. That’s to be expected.”

His assumption was accurate.

“Then I shall finish this.”

Gritting his teeth, Zix swung his lance shaft, flinging my hands off. My body, knocked loose, floated momentarily in the air before landing awkwardly some distance away.

Zix once again invoked the high magic, Mana Armament, to summon numerous weapons. If Zix, who had mastered psychokinesis as well, maneuvered that multitude of dancing blades with his lance thrusts… anyone would struggle with him in close combat.

Furthermore, I was a mage drained of mana, now struggling to even cast basic magic without gritting my teeth and focusing intensely. Effectively, the duel was over.

Spars should always be taken seriously.

Reflecting Zix’s earnest attitude, he launched what would be the decisive blow.

Always like the real thing in practice. No matter how outmatched the opponent, to never underestimate them, to acknowledge them, and to always do one’s best.

Impressed by Zix’s demeanor, I found myself drawing upon my final resort.

– Paaaaang!

“What…?”

I pulled out an ‘Impact Strengthening Wave Sphere’ from within my robes and crushed it in my hands.

Though my mana was depleted, an immense force centered on me scattered Zix’s conjured swords. The might of magical engineering at work.

– Kyaaaaah!

In this fight, I hadn’t used any items from magical engineering. I hadn’t intended to eke out a grubby victory by resorting to such external aids.

But when the opponent takes it this seriously, it is only polite to utilize every available tool at my disposal.

“With this extent…!”

Zix’s levitated psychokinetic swords were scattered by the wave, but the force wasn’t enough to send Zix himself flying. Due to my own limits in magic sensitivity, the destructive power I could manifest with my magical devices was also limited.

“Just one hit… if it lands…”

Zix’s combat experience must have intuitively told him.

A mage bereft of mana, unable to cast even a protective spell.

With just the opportunity to approach, victory was certain. Knowing this, Zix lunged with his lance.

Then it was time for my final move.

– Kaaaaang!

And so, Zix’s attack was blocked by a defensive spell.

“What…?”

It was possible.

Zix’s blow was powerful enough to be difficult to repel with ordinary mana efficiency, but a substantial mana investment could still fend it off once or twice with my level of defensive magic.

But the question was… How did I manage to cast a defensive spell without any mana left for offense?

“Ghh!”

In my clutched fist was the ‘Phoenix Ring of Glastrum.’

At present, my greatest strength lies in summoning the high-level wind spirit, ‘Merilda.’

Even drawing mana through the Phoenix Ring of Glastrum, summoning her is easily within reach. Naturally, I’ll be penalized by being utterly mana-depleted for a while.

There’s no point in handling Merilda to such an extent during a practice duel.

However, handling a high-level wind spirit doesn’t always have to involve extreme measures like a full summoning.

Many students believe that spirits only aid spirit users by fully manifesting and fighting, but that’s not the whole truth.

For example, one could cast spirit invocation spells to imbue a location with part of their abilities, thereby assisting spiritists more easily.

They offer combat support through continuously activated skills.

Moreover, they provide unique spirit skills… such as Merg’s magic that greatly increases flame resistance momentarily, or Leicia’s magic that generates a water source for her activity even on dry land…

If I conserve mana consumption, I could harness the spirit’s power through such support means.

Of course, Merilda is an inherently powerful spirit, so even manifesting her unique skills consumes a great deal of mana. Still, it is much less than fully summoning her.

Such level of ability manifestation is still manageable with a slight draw on mana. Still considerable, yet…

“Kekekeuk!”

If he goes full-out, it is only proper for me to reciprocate with all I have.

-Kyaaaaah.

Unable to comprehend how my drained mana was flourishing anew, Zix was soon struck by an overwhelming gale.

Struggling to even maintain a proper stance, he lowered his center of gravity and looked ahead to find…

A girl standing before him.

Pure white hair, in a white dress, with golden eyes.

[ Barely managing to manifest this much with the mana drawn, it seems this is the limit. Well, it’s a much less favorable situation compared to when I was summoned at the Altar of Repayment. Lucy was there then, too. ]

[ Yet this marks… significant progress, Ed. ]

Before Zix could grasp what was happening, the girl swung her slender hand through the air.

The high-level wind spirit Merilda’s unique skill, ‘Updraft’.

A spell that lifted everything in the area into the air, restraining their freedom of movement.

Zix, too, was proficient in wind magic. He tried to escape Merilda’s grasp with his own mana…

[ It’s better not to resist in vain. ]

Challenging Merilda with elemental wind magic was prideful. Merilda, the high-level wind spirit, held superiority in all aspects of wind magic.

– Pak!

Zix’s body floated aimlessly, wholly defenseless.

No matter how resilient a warrior, it’s difficult to exercise full power in the air. Once pinned in place, there’s no chance for evasive maneuvers.

“Kuk!”

With nearly superhuman reflexes, Zix assessed the situation and attempted to cast an offensive spell.

– Kwaahahaaaang!

The ‘Point Explosion’ ignited once more.

This time, it was a direct hit.

[ That’s a clean end to it. ]

Surrounded by smoky aftermath of the magic, an incomplete Merilda shapes back into the form of a young girl, brushing off her skirt a few times.

“I’ve never seen you manifest in this form before, Merilda.”

[ The mana efficiency is better, isn’t it? Of course, there are countless restrictions on what I can do. ]

“…”

[ Even so, I’d rather not look like this. Lately, some strange stalker has been following me around, and I don’t want to show him this. My skin lacks fur, making it cold, and without a tail, it’s awkward to balance. And why is my mouth so small? It barely stretches when I speak. A wolf’s mouth is wide, reaching the cheeks for a proper howl, isn’t that right? ]

Mimicking the act, she tucks both index fingers into her mouth, pulling her cheeks wide, talking nonsense about wolf sentiments.

Hearing that, I’m tempted to remind her that humans might find it hard to empathize…

-Pah!

Zix lunges through the smoke, a rapier of mana in hand, fast as a bullet.

Caught in such a defenseless state, I was struck directly by an intermediate-level spell without a moment’s chance to brace for defense, yet I managed to stay combat-ready. It must have been thanks to my implausible reflexes that I was able to conjure a protective spell. Though it wasn’t perfect, it absorbed some of the impact.

The fact that my weapon was a rapier and not a spear surely meant I had no strength left to lift that massive spear.

– Clang!

Though I managed to evade the rapier with almost animalistic instinct, the form of the magic changed and Jix’s weapon once again grew into a sizable longsword.

Before Merilda could react, Jix’s blade was already at my neck.

“…”

“…”

[…]

A momentary silence. Jix’s swordpoint doesn’t move an inch even as he gasps for breath.

As for myself, I had exhausted every possible magical tactic available, even resorting to nearly deceitful secret techniques. The magic I drew upon was not substantial, but it was now completely depleted.

Understanding the implications of being unarmed and this close to a melee fighter.

Finally, I spoke quietly, my arms raised in surrender.

“You have won, Jix.”

– Clatter, clang!

No sooner had I spoken than the sword dropped from Jix’s hand. As soon as the effect of ‘Mana Armament’ faded, the sword vanished into magical energy.

Jix just sat down heavily on the ground, completely exhausted and breathing heavily for some time.

“Whew, whew… I’ve learned a valuable lesson. To think you’ve trained to this extent in just a year… From my perspective, after a lifetime of constant training, it’s hard to believe.”

I, too, struggled to stand properly, overwhelmed by fatigue after pushing myself to the limit.

[…]

“Really, both of you might have pushed yourselves too hard…”

Enika arrived from the cave to the rocky area, finding both Jix and me sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily.

Both of us were drenched in sweat, barely able to keep upright, much like boxers just after sparring.

After gulping down the water Enika provided, I wiped the sweat off and looked up at the sky, which was slowly turning dark.

The cool late spring breeze wasn’t too hot. The occasionally crashing sound of waves was comforting.

After laying there, breathing in the breeze for about 20 minutes, Jix suddenly got up with a determined expression and spoke.

“I’ve come across some internal information from the academy. When I went to Trix Hall to adjust Class A’s schedule, I overheard a conversation among the academy staff.”

It reminds me that Jix had something to tell me.

“Cadek and Nox have escaped. The very culprits who were pinned for the murder of your senior.”

“…”

“Although I cannot fathom how they managed to penetrate the stringent security of Trix Hall… Anyway, it hasn’t been announced yet. Any unnecessary chaos would only complicate the search efforts, which I can understand. The priority is obviously to track them first.”

Then Jix sighed deeply.

“As a result, it’s becoming harder to clear the accusations against Tanya, who’s been blamed for your senior’s murder.”

“Is that so… I’ve heard about it.”

“If Senior Enika hadn’t provided the leads, you would’ve been stuck without a way out, being judged based on incomplete information. Therefore, I think you might not have a sense of what the atmosphere is like at the academy, or what kind of public opinion Tanya is up against.”

It turns out Jix had something to say about Penia and Tanya.

Perhaps the next words from Jix would get to the point.

“Princess Penia summoned me, so I went to visit the royal residence.”

“…So Tanya was hiding out at the royal residence, after all.”

“Yes. Following Tanya’s testimony, they questioned me extensively. If you think Tanya isn’t the murderer, why aren’t you actively testifying at the academy? What are you doing sitting silently?”

During the assault incident at Ophelis Hall, Jix was one of the first to stand up for Tanya.

For Jix to remain silent now must seem unnatural to Penia.

“I kept quiet. I said I couldn’t testify based on uncertain information because… Senior Ed, you are in a life-threatening situation yourself.”

Indeed, there had been attempts on my life. Without further action, it wouldn’t be surprising if my life was once again in danger. That is, we too are at a crossroads of life and death.

Aware of the severity of the situation, Jix had turned a blind eye, even though Tanya might have been unfairly treated.

“However, with Cadek and Nox’s escape, the story changes. If they report everything to the Rostail family, the Rostailers will likely assume you’re dead.”

For once, Jix voiced his own opinion assertively.

“Considering the physical distance between Rostail Estate and this Aken Island, as well as the somewhat closed-off internal conditions of the academy… it will take some time before the Rostailer family checks for your survival again. Unless Tanya sends a direct letter herself.”

That’s the case. Even the Rostailer family, no matter how powerful, wouldn’t dispatch people to this distant Aken Island, a part of the imperial outskirts, to verify the existence of someone already reported dead.

If my survival is to be reconfirmed, it would have to be through the spread of rumors. A rumor that a banished descendant of the Rostailers still lives on this island.

For the rumor to spread beyond the school and to the outside world, it would need the help of internal staffers, and it would take at least until the holiday season when they leave the island. It would be quite fortunate if the rumor even reached the Rostailer Estate after the holiday season.

From there, they would have to send someone to confirm my survival, make new assassination plans, and find a pretext to dispatch their people to the Sylvnia Academy again… If all these processes were to start over, it wouldn’t be surprising if it took at least half a year from now.

If we can delay that long, the Rostail family will likely be caught up in their own scenarios to deal with, and the household itself will be in crisis, so they won’t have the leisure to worry about someone like me.

“I wanted to talk to you about Tanya, whom I met at the royal residence.”

The conversation didn’t seem to connect, but I listened quietly to Jix’s words.

“Did you meet her in person?”

“Yes. After all, I was the one who stood by Tanya in the most extreme condition. She seemed to trust me quite a bit.”

Jix paused briefly, sighed once more, and continued.

“She looked terrible. Well, when I imagine Tanya’s life at the academy… it would be odd if she wasn’t run-down. You know this too, Senior Enika.”

“Yeah… right.”

Enika set the water down and slowly spoke.

“I’ve already told Ed this, but it’s the worst possible situation for her. She’s handling the academy’s investigation, preparing for the student president elections, and facing the worst public opinion as an accused murderer. Still, she grits her teeth and endures. Perhaps Princess Penia’s support, taking on the political risk, stems from sympathy for Tanya’s plight.”

“Your words are spot on, Senior Enika.”

Jix sat on a rock, gazing quietly at the reddening sky.

“She’s held out too long, cornered. That kind of burden isn’t something a girl of her age should carry. She’ll crumble soon enough.”

Jix sought me out just to say that.

“There’s going to be a declaration for the student president campaign this evening. It’s a tradition to hold it on the first floor of Ovel Hall, next to the student square. There, she must face a tremendous amount of criticism and suspicion from the students.”

After that, Jix didn’t speak further. It seemed he thought any more would be overstepping.

“…”

I lay there staring at the sky. The sun was setting.

Important life decisions often come in such moments, decided in an instant.

Was the declaration for the student president election tonight?

“…”

I silently lowered my head… and murmured softly.

“Yes… it’s time to bring an end to this life of seclusion.”

*

Suddenly, a girl’s old memory springs to life.

Like most old memories, it’s much faded with time.

Yet when I piece together each and every scene into one memory, it’s not such a bad story.

A noble family revered throughout the empire. Three siblings from that family holding hands and going on an outing to a blossoming garden.

Arwen, Ed, and Tanya, singing together as they picked flowers to tie in their hair. They’re enchanted by the beautiful scenery and the fresh scent of spring, joining hands.

Perhaps that was their last memory. From there on, Tanya’s life is filled with nothing but heavy pressures and responsibilities.

It seems there was a time of happiness like that. I muse softly as I open my eyes to a dull reality.

Ovel Hall, first floor.

The eyes of those looking at Tanya are all filled with dark suspicion.

Despite her odious murder charge, she’s set on gaining the student presidency, and they look at her as though she is consumed by a lust for power.

Tanya stands firm against the weighty hostility of the crowd.

She had decided not to run away from this malice.

Even if there’s no clear path, she moves forward.

Countless people have tried to dissuade her from pursuing the presidency under these circumstances. Still, Tanya paid them no mind.

At Ophelis Hall, rain-drenched, she saw all too many challenge the impossible.

It may seem futile, but there’s an inherent nobility in their determination. Believing this, she took the stage.

Compared to the hardships she’s faced in life, the public’s jeers weren’t all that significant.