How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-94

Student Council President Election Campaign (7)

– Kwaang!

The explosion rang out as Wade Callamore’s duel with Elvira concluded.

“What in the world…?”

The student sparring facilities located in the underground of the Ophelius Hall.

The freshman class representative—Wade Callamore, who had boldly issued challenges to the top students of various departments—was full of vigor.

Sophomore combat department representative, Clevius Nortondale, had declared forfeiture as soon as he appeared in the arena, and Elvira, the alchemy department’s representative, had just acknowledged her defeat after Wade shattered all her potion bottles with his sword.

That very moment, the students who had gathered in the underground of Ophelius Hall cheered.

Bypassing Lucy who was considered a non-entity, if Wade could defeat Zix Effelstein, the second representative of the sophomore magic department…the juniors would be his next challenge.

“Good work, senior Elvira.”

“Hmph.”

Covered in a cloud of dust as she packed up her potion bottles, Elvira snorted dismissively in the corner of the arena.

“You’re quite full of yourself.”

“It was a good match.”

“A good match, you say. You’re obviously pleased with yourself after defeating a senior representative.”

“Ha-ha, I am human after all…”

Elvira was not particularly proficient in combat. Alchemy, her field of study, was not exactly battle-oriented to start with.

However, being a department representative usually implies exceptional prowess in combat. The display of Wade’s strength was a testament to his overpowering combat abilities.

“Anyway, next up is senior Zix.”

Such an arrogant statement, yet Wade had the confidence to back it up. Even the onlooking students couldn’t deny it.

Wade’s swordsmanship was clearly beyond that of a first-year. There was a reason he ousted both Joseph from the magic department and Claude from the alchemy department to claim the top spot among the freshmen.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Zix, who had been observing the duel, shrugged his shoulders.

As it was already late at night, and the time for dueling had passed, the confrontation between Wade and Zix would have to wait.

The showdown everyone had been eagerly anticipating, between Zix and Wade, had to be postponed, much to the disappointment of the students who had come to watch.

“By the way, what was that noise and vibration just now? Did something fall apart because of thunder outside?”

“Who knows? We should head up. It’s about time to close the underground sparring area. The maids will soon be here to tell us to clear out.”

– Kwaang!

As if on cue, even before Zix finished speaking, two junior maids burst into the sparring area.

Neither Zix nor Wade expected such a dramatic entrance and they gaped at the door.

“We need to evacuate immediately! Something terrible is happening outside…!”

‘Terrible.’ What might that mean, to be so vaguely described?

Zix’s brow furrowed as he pushed off from the wall and stood up.

“What do you mean by ‘terrible’?”

“That…That is…you will see once we evacuate…”

The students who had come to watch were confused but nodded in agreement.

The group hurriedly followed the maid up to the ground floor. As they passed the main hall and entered the corridor, Zix couldn’t help but click his tongue at the sight outside the window.

The courtyard was filled with ‘statues.’

But upon a closer look, they’re not statues. They’re Ophelius Hall’s maids, petrified in place.

Time-caliber saintly magic. ‘Time Prison.’

A time-caliber saintly magic that can only be manipulated through intensive mastery and training.

As unbelievable as it may seem, some geniuses can reproduce saintly magic they’ve seen just once with a rudimentary attempt—such geniuses do exist in the world.

The number of maids frozen in time and filling the plaza is rapidly approaching dozens.

Among them is the head maid of Ophelius Hall, Belle Mayar.

“What… What’s happening…!”

Wade shouted. Looking up into the rain-filled sky, a massive sphere of magic filled the air over Ophelius Hall.

High-level fire magic ‘Blazing Sphere.’

One of the most renowned high-level magics in the pure fire magic category, capable of scorching an entire area with pure firepower.

It hadn’t been five minutes since the first explosion was heard. In that time, it was impossible to deduce what had happened based on the scene alone.

In the center of the plaza stood a girl with a hat pressed firmly down, her countenance eerie. A familiar face.

“Lucy… Mayrill…?”

Has she gone mad?

Even for Lucy, notorious as an oddity among oddities, such insane behavior is preposterous.

Yet, looking at the scene, one would think Lucy was about to tear down the entirety of Ophelius Hall at any moment.

If she were to truly unleash a spell of that caliber while the hall is still filled with students, a catastrophe would ensue.

“I have heard that a third-year student of the magic department, Ed Rothtaylor, has been killed.”

“What?”

“At least, that’s what Miss Lucy claims.”

The maid hastily led the students on, running along the corridor leading to the back hall. She planned to evacuate everyone through the back door.

As she did so, she did not cease to explain the situation.

“All of the senior maids and head maid Belle Mayar are caught in it, we are in quite the chaos. The active maids are gathering to evacuate the students. Please, we have to move fast!”

There were roughly twenty students watching the duel, and for the maid, evacuating all these pupils was the most urgent task at hand.

“Senior Ed is…dead, you say…?”

As they ran across the hallway, the view outside revealed what was unfolding behind Lucy. Two familiars were suspended in the air by her psychokinetic magic.

“Yes, it seems she saw him getting assassinated by the familiars of the Rothtaylor family.”

“The Rothtaylor family familiars…that would mean… Tanya Rothtaylor…?”

“That is…not for me to speculate.”

The maid kept running, unlocking all the doors. If there were any students remaining inside, she intended to take them all out as well.

Following behind, the students shivered with fear as they saw the Blazing Sphere filling the sky.

“Where is Tanya herself then?”

“I do not know…”

“…”

Zix stopped in his tracks as the maid glanced at him, her eyes filled with questions about his sudden halt.

“Go ahead.”

“What? Master Zix. With the situation as is…”

“I am aware. Go ahead and ensure everyone is safe.”

Zix had an inkling.

If Lucy truly wished, she could end the Blazing Sphere incantation in an instant and strike it down.

The sphere is there simply as a threat, demanding Tanya’s presence immediately. If she was confident there would be no casualties—especially once all the students were evacuated—she might actually cast the spell.

Although Lucy had lost her reason, she hadn’t yet crossed the last line. If she really wanted to harm, she wouldn’t have restrained the maids with the troublesome Time Prison, but because she didn’t want to hurt them. Even if the Blazing Sphere were to hit, those separated by time would remain unharmed.

However, completely destroying Ophelius Hall was…definitely something that needed to be stopped. Even if executed with care, there could still be casualties.

“I will act on my own.”

“You cannot do that.”

“I understand, but…”

“Already, two senior class representatives from the fourth-year have been affected.”

Zix looked back at the square after hearing those words. Among the multitude of statues, one could see the figures of the fourth-year alchemy department representative ‘Dorothy Whitepeltz’ and the magic department representative ‘Trissiana Bloomriver.’

How long would it take for the academy staff to arrive? 10 minutes? 30?

Even if they arrived, could they manage such a monster?

At least for now, no one inside Ophelius Hall could contend with Lucy Mayrill.

The image of Lucy, cloaked in magic and floating in the air, was clear from outside the window.

The projectiles floating around her belonged to Ed. Each one was loaded with dozens of magical arrows from Lucy’s psychokinesis, every arrow bearing enchantments capable of wielding high-level magic.

The complex elemental magic circles that filled the plaza, each one potentially taking days to decipher, showcased her aptitude.

A prodigy showered with heaven’s grace. Is there anyone capable of standing against such a monster?

The futility of attempting to avert the disaster that had come to the Rose Garden… can be surmised in just three words:

Impossible. To stop something like that is an endeavor that’s simply impossible.

Though Lucy has not crossed the final line and has not directly targeted Ophelius Hall full of students, if she truly loses all reason and crosses it…

“I attempted a dialogue, but there’s no response. She just keeps demanding that Miss Tanya be brought to her.”

“I understand. Please go ahead.”

Zix said that and the maid furrowed her brow again, understandably so.

“It’s too reckless, senior Zix!”

Even Wade stepped in to stop him, gripping his shoulder and blocking the way while frowning.

“How do you plan to stop something like that…? Just evacuate, please…!”

“When it’s time to go, I’ll know. You go on ahead.”

“Why are you doing this?! Master Zix.”

The maids of Ophelius Hall, always polite and well-mannered, seldom raise their voices.

Their position is understandable. If casualties resulted, who knows what responsibilities they would face.

So, with an apologetic heart, Zix bowed his head deeply.

“I am sorry.”

With those words, he broke away from the column and ran out. His reason for being so stubborn was clear.

Zix simply couldn’t accept the current situation.

*

– Kwaang!

As Zix kicked down the door, the destroyed outer wall came into view. It was Tanya Rothtaylor’s personal room, located on the third floor inside Ophelius Hall.

Given the circumstances, there was no knocking; Zix had smashed the door in. The room was ornate and dainty, typical of a girl, but also lavish.

Now it was disfigured by the storm and broken walls, although the room itself was still intact.

Zix dusted himself off and scanned his surroundings. If a junior maid had run all the way to the underground sparring facility, it meant they had likely checked most other places already.

Since it was highly unlikely for Tanya to be outside in the pouring rain at this hour, the only possible place she could be was her own room. And had it been…

Although it was a horrific sight beyond description, this was the only place that remained concealed and worthy of hiding. Furniture that still held its shape was nearly non-existent. Searching around, Zix opened a large wardrobe and finally, Tanya Rothtaylor emerged from inside.

“Ugh… Uhh…”

The sight of her quivering, huddled in the wardrobe, knees drawn up to her chest, was unmistakably that of a girl paralyzed with fear, her shivering form more reminiscent of a hamster than a person, which was almost absurd to see.

“…”

“Ugh… uh… uh… Why… How did things end up like this… What… Why…”

Zix turned his head again to look at the half-destroyed outer wall. If one were to look straight down at the central square from here, the sight of the now-insensate Lucy would be unmistakably clear.

It was a scene worthy of terror, and Zix could not help but dry swallow.

The idea of bursting out towards Lucy right now was impossible without remarkable courage—in fact, it was akin to suicide.

Seeing Lucy, one might think that bursting out could lead to instant death, it would not be surprising. Hiding was the obvious and reasonable decision.

“Listen to me, Tanya Rothtaylor.”

Taking a deep breath, Zix picked up a chair that was lying in the corner, placed it in front of the wardrobe, and sat down.

Then, looking directly into Tanya’s eyes, he spoke.

“I need you to respond only with the truth to what I’m about to ask. If you give me even the slightest lie, I won’t let you off easily. Right now, I’m probably the only one who can guess what Senior Ed intended and who can help you.”

Tanya nodded emphatically.

“Did you… order the assassination of Senior Ed?”

No sane person could nod to such a question.

Yet, Zix asked it because the thought was inconceivable.

Ed Rothtaylor had never shown any animosity towards Tanya; if anything, he had been helpful.

Zix’s keen instincts told him a careful tale. Although it seemed that Tanya harbored some grudge towards Ed, he sensed that it wasn’t at a serious level.

Tanya had greatly benefited from Ed’s generosity. She could not be the one to stab him in the back first, especially since she was still fundamentally Ed’s sister.

That’s why Zix wanted to make sure.

“No… I… really… didn’t…”

Tanya sobbed and shook her head vigorously.

Zix pondered for a long while with his hand on his chin upon hearing her words, then came to a conclusion.

If he were to burst out in front of Lucy now, Tanya would die. It was virtually certain that she would face certain death.

It seemed unlikely that Ed Rothtaylor would have wished for such a scenario.

The idea of Lucy getting her hands bloodied and Tanya dying that way… it simply didn’t seem consistent with what he would have wanted.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to hear the full story later.”

Zix looked once more towards the central square. Lucy was raging as if she would demolish the entire Ophelius Building if Tanya was not brought before her immediately.

If Ed’s death turned out to be true, Lucy’s rage was understandable.

Zix had a slight understanding of how special Ed was to Lucy. He himself felt uneasy.

“Listen, Tanya Rothtaylor. If you really go out to the square now… you might die.”

“…”

“So staying put here is the correct choice. I don’t know exactly how this misunderstanding happened… but we should speak to Lucy once she regains her senses.”

From Lucy’s point of view, this assassination attempt could only be perceived as orchestrated by Tanya. Every piece of evidence led to that conclusion.

Hence, convincing Lucy would not be easy. It was best to stay hidden until Lucy came back to her senses and the situation was properly assessed.

“For now, I’ll try to stop Lucy.”

“We can’t do that, Elder Zix.”

Through the broken door, Wade followed suit. He too, had broken away from the group to follow Zix.

The maids, in all likelihood, were suffering from headaches. Zix felt a pang of guilt internally.

“There’s no need to chase an impossible task. Now… we must yield to Lucy Elder’s demands. How can we possibly contend with such a monster…!”

Wade, who had followed in an attempt to dissuade Zix, now stood blocking his path.

“Do you even grasp the situation? Right now… if we continue to shield… Tanya, no one can predict what might ensue. Just… send Tanya to Elder Lucy as is.”

“I’ll make my own decisions, Wade.”

Wade’s words were, indeed, the rational argument. Zix understood the fact well.

However, Tanya Rothtaylor was the sister of that very Ed Rothtaylor. Thus, while he may not believe everything, there was value in trusting her at least once.

Moreover, Zix knew Lucy… even if she had lost her sense, she wouldn’t cross the line to strike high-level magic at a building still holding people inside.

With that single belief, Zix resolved to maintain his conviction.

“You’re making an illogical decision, Elder Zix.”

Wade drew his sword.

“Then… I must enforce my will by force.”

“…”

“Send Tanya this way.”

*

– Kwaang! Kwaang!

Several more explosions resounded. A corner of the rose garden pavilion crumbled away, and a statue hanging from the roof toppled to the ground.

“Aaaaaah!”

Clevius, who was fleeing toward the back of the rose garden, tripped over his own feet due to the explosions and tumbled to the ground.

The maids guiding the students had to evacuate as many students as possible. This prolonged the escape route significantly.

Paralyzed with fear, Clevius thought ‘to hell with it’ and broke away from the group, crossing the squares behind the garden alone.

As he attempted to hide between the flowerbeds and escape, he slipped on the wet grass and tumbled down into the central square.

“…”

“…Eek!”

Wrapped in an incomprehensible level of magical power, Lucy glanced at Clevius from mid-air.

But without a hint of concern or intention to attack, she simply turned off from Clevius.

She knew all too well about Clevius’s cowardly character.

Shivering, Clevius scrambled to his feet and fled, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Aaaaaah!”

Clevius then dashed straight past Lucy and out of Ophelius Building. He had nowhere to go, but he didn’t want to stay in such a dangerous place.

If it was possible to flee, he would always flee. That was Clevius’s number one principle.

“Really… crap… why… did this happen… damn… crap…! This isn’t why I came to Sylvania! Can’t my life ever be peaceful! This is crap! Really freaking crap…!!!”

With grating teeth and shivering all over, Clevius continued to flee until he once again collapsed at the exit of the rose garden.

– Thud, thump!

– Hssssssh!

Sprawled on the ground, Clevius lay there, soaking in the rain, spread-eagled.

The persistent drizzle battered him as he lay defeated.

“Really… what a mess… freaking… crap…!”

Upon considering his wretched state, his body was drenched from the rain, along with mud smeared from rolling over the gardens and the ground.

Already sullen, to look like a drowned rat on top of that was the epitome of embarrassment.

“Really… crap…”

He continued to scrub his face while lying down, muttering spiritless curses.

“What are you doing, stupid Clevius?”

All of a sudden, from beyond the screen of rain, a familiar voice resounded. It was Elvira, the top-tier second-year alchemy student he had just been skirmishing with, and a constant meddler.

It had always been the same since the time they hunted Glascan. Whenever she saw Clevius, she’d mock him as though he were something pitiful.

“To think you’d be sprawled out like this in such a place.”

“Weren’t you dueling just now…?”

“That’s right. I dueled until I lost my reagents. Now I need to go to the lab to get more.”

It seemed Elvira had also left the group on her own.

“In times like these, who else but the student leaders can stand against that monster? Of course, we have to at least try to hold the fort for about 30 minutes until the academy staff arrive, right? So, we student leaders have decided to join forces.”

With those words, she kicked Clevius’s shin hard.

“Look at you; your legs have given out. When you regain your strength, run to the staff building. If you find academy staff, bring them.”

The high-ranking officers among the on-duty academy staff were mostly away in the northern cliff area for investigations.

Not to mention the distance, Ophelius Building was originally managed independently by the maids, so the security system was not closely connected.

It would undoubtedly take more time to call for academy staff than expected.

Elvira too thought it would be hard to resolve the situation immediately. Nonetheless, she picked up her hefty alchemical supplies bag and dashed towards the lab.

After Elvira left, Clevius, now alone again, lay there spread-eagled and soaked in the rain for a long while.

“…”

“Really… crap…………”

“Pathetic wretch… incomplete idiot… really… damned… failure…”

Clevius could do nothing but lie there in the rain, clutching his fists, pressing down on his eyelids.

*

“Ed!”

Yenika burst into the cave where a fire had been lit.

Powerless and battered, I lay there, only able to greet her.

“Ed…! It’s terrible, Ed…! The academy staff have set off first… and Merilda is on the move… but just in case, Ed, you should get going too!”

“What?”

“I haven’t told you yet… but Lucy has found out… about Ed’s death… before I could even explain, she knew…! I don’t know how… but she already knew…!”

Screaming, her body refused to comply.

“So…?”

“It seems she’s gone to Ophelius Building to look for Tanya…!”

Hearing that… I had no choice but to force myself up. This seemed like a situation I had to address personally.