How to Survive at the Academy

[Gaiden] Windflower (6)
The shape of the valley that runs along the ridge of the Pulan province looks like a claw mark when viewed from a distant sky.

Looking at the valley that appears from time to time between the stretched mountain ranges, people say that the mountain has scars. That said, in fact, these terrains were traces of what had been destroyed by the blow of a large bear long ago.

When you think about the majesty of the highest-ranking spirit who scraped down the mountain and created five valleys, it is enough to open your mouth just imagining it. It is an unbelievably grandiose sight that the relationship has only recently been properly studied and has been reported to the conference.

“It was called the calamity of the mountains. There are some exaggerated parts and some reduced parts… It is said that the shadow of that giant bear, which occasionally appeared in the clouds that stretched across the sky, was truly magnificent.”

“Roughly how old is that story?”

“It’s hard to say exactly because it’s a story that has been passed down. you know As it is such a mountainous neighborhood, there are not many systematic stories being recorded or actively interacting with the central part of the continent.”

Even in a village of pastoralists stuck in the corners of the mountains, even after witnessing an event of that size, the story is still handed down… .

No matter how I looked at it, I thought that this Torren village was somewhat like another world separated from the world.

“Well, at the time, it must have happened so quickly, maybe our ancestors thought that God was angry or that a great natural disaster had occurred.”

“It’s not a case of such a large scale. It’s funny enough that it’s only now been revealed properly.”

“As you know, this place in Pulan is completely closed, and at the time of the big event, long-distance transport and communication systems were not in place. In the end, only the results of that disaster remain and exist as a landscape.”

The village chief Glems talked while looking at the quiet and idyllic mountain scenery.

Now that it’s only time to call it morning, the village is already running lively. Ranchers and laborers hauling troughs were whining, and I could hear the gurgling of boys pulling their mules, shepherds leading their sheep to the pastures, and wives heading to cloth with clothes.

There is a smell that can only be felt in the countryside.

It is a different feeling from the hometown of Roth Taylor, which must always move with dignity and authority, or the Sylvania Academy, which is full of students full of enthusiasm,

Since I’ve been busy living in between for a while, I feel more relaxed by this quiet rural landscape.

It has been less than 30 years since our village started a large-scale uphill route to the central part of the continent in earnest. It would not have been easy for the imperial family to take the lead in managing these mountain ranges, so in a way it is natural.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Well, it seems that all the villagers are adjusting well, so as a mayor, it is just overwhelming. By the way, Yenika, what are you doing in the corner?”

Chief Glems asked Yenika, who was sitting on a bench in the corner with her head bowed down as she undressed her maroon cowhide coat.

As for Yenika, her condition hasn’t been restored yet. This is so-called sage time, and he fell into shame after thinking about what he had done last night.

Even if it was a shame that she was so drunk with the atmosphere, Yenica couldn’t even make eye contact and was gasping for breath. It was obvious what she was thinking in her head. She said I’m crazy, why It’s an obvious repertoire.

It’s so unbelievable that he’s a person with the title of nobility.

Roughly braided, pale pink hair had little hair protruding here and there, her eyes were wide open, and her lips were trembling.

I tried to get myself up using a large lightning rod as support, but then I moaned and fell back on the bench.

“Huh, my back… .”

I looked at Yenica like that and hardened my expression for a moment.

Yenika, who looked fine until yesterday, woke up one night and complained of back pain as if she was dead.

I don’t know if there are people who think that’s what it is, but in the eyes of Village Chief Glems, who had gone through all the prenatal care, the situation would have been roughly drawn.

Chief Glems laughed wildly, then sneaked up to me and whispered to me.

“Indeed, as you have heard, you seem to have a lot of power.”

I was about to reply.

There is no need to go around telling everyone that we slept together.

I wanted to give Yenica a little more attention later, but when I found out the truth, I could imagine how she would blush, and I felt confused.

It’s really Yenika’s that you don’t have a clue in this way.

“Yenika.”

However, Mayor Glems is also a person of this Pulan after all. Without saying anything back, I want you to put it directly into Yenika,

“Don’t tell Orterang Seila. If possible, feed Yenica a lot of food that gives her strength.”

Speaking like that casually with a warm face.

Yenika smiled and roamed around, but then suddenly understood the meaning of the words and blushed again.

“Hey, what does that mean!”

“Hmm? Literally?

“… That’s right! Powerful food! Eat a lot of strong food! I have to do research, and when I return to the baron’s house, I have to manage the estate! Be strong! Power!”

It is pathetic to see him smiling while his lips are trembling while pressing his fists down to his knees.

I told Chief Glems to do that, then I turned my head again and saw the ridge spread out.

“In short, Master Ed believes that these large traces are due to the high wind spirit Tyr’kallax running wild.”

“Yes. Reports on land surveying and topographical research in the Pulan region have not been published for a while… No matter how much I think about it, that is the only possibility.”

“Then, why was the wind spirit from the distant past so wild? And, if a being that mighty like that ran wild, who stopped and subdued it?”

Chief Glems asked a natural and reasonable question.

If the highest wind spirit, Tyr’kallax, had raged in anger, it would have been more than enough to destroy the entire Pulan region.

However, the giant bear was subdued by someone and disappeared leaving only a claw mark in this mountain range.

“Even the legendary Archmage Glockt Elderbane struggled to subdue the highest spirits, but who in this rural mountain range where there are no talented people has prevented such a great catastrophe?”

Glems said so and shut his mouth. It is a question that cannot be answered in the first place. Because it is a story from a distant past.

However, I felt like I knew the answer roughly. There is no clear evidence, but if you consider the circumstances before and after, there is a picture that is roughly drawn. Even if it’s a person who can subdue the highest spirits, it’s one of the best on this continent.

This is the story of Tyr’kallax, the highest wind spirit that descended from this distant land of Pulan.

How does Merylda, who has lived for hundreds of years on Aken Island far away, know the story of the giant bear?

Considering that fact, there is only one conclusion to be drawn in the end.

“Great Sage Sylvania.”

It was the great sage who conquered Tyrkallax who descended on the Pulan region.

* * *

“Hey, Master Ed! When I arrived at Torren Village, I should have run away first, I’m so sorry! I was in the middle of going out to the ridge to check the grazing cows… !”

I was about to go around the village and collect information about the time of Tyr’kallax’s advent.

When I arrived at the Palerover Ranch, one of the most famous ranches in Torren Village, a pretty friendly face popped out and I crouched down.

The owner of the Palerover Ranch, Orte Palerover. He was an attractive middle-aged man with flabby muscles and a lively smile.

Since we’ve already seen each other once on Aken Island, there’s no need for a full name.

“You must be very busy at the ranch.”

“Oops. Plus, if you want to check the cows one by one all over the pasture, you end up having to pack up your camping gear and sleep there overnight. Anyway, you have worked hard for the long way. Eat inside the house! Come on, Yenica, you too!”

“Oh, yes!”

Yenika’s expression softened to some extent when she returned home. She seems to have relieved her tension a lot as she is in a comfortable environment.

When I entered the house, Saila Palerover, who had been making a lot of food, bowed her head and bowed. Perhaps she had been informed that I might be coming, and she literally made a supper for her.

It seems that it was Seyla Palerover who kicked Yenika out of my room last night, looking at her, but when she saw Yenika’s strangely crooked face, she put a smile on her face.

“Oh, Master Ed. To such a shabby place… !”

I took off my coat and sat down at the table, and Yenica followed and sat down with me.

Clearly it’s Yenika’s house, but Yenika herself looks the most awkward because of her parents’ expressions, which are full of meaningful laughter from before.

Actually, it was obvious what happened last night, so I didn’t feel very comfortable either.

‘Ed… .’

‘Why… ?’

‘I don’t know what Ed will think of this, but I think I’m going to die of shame… .’

‘… Get used to it… .’

It’s ironic that he looks at his parents like a time bomb. Since I don’t know what words will come out right now, I decided to hit the player first.

“I was just wandering around town because there were a lot of things I wanted to ask for an academic research.”

“Are you talking about academic research?”

“The story of a bear-shaped monster that has been handed down from here in the Torren region and was huge enough to fill the sky in the old days.”

There seemed to be silence for a moment at those words.

Sometimes I wonder if I know something, but I feel like I don’t know anything… Anyway, it was an ambiguous response.

“Did the village chief say nothing?”

“You gave an overview, but you seemed to avoid mentioning specific details.”

“… It deserves it. Even in Torren village, it’s a story that older people can understand, and it’s a content that’s easy to talk about.”

“Is that so?”

“Actually, he must have decided that it would be better to listen to the villagers directly rather than tell the mayor.”

Jenica tilted her head in front of a table full of salads and meat dishes.

“Uh, huh? I’m hearing this for the first time… .”

“Of course, Yenika. It’s a story I don’t really need to tell you.”

Orte sat down at the table and started talking with a heavy expression on her face.

“Actually, we were against Yenika going to Sylvania at first.”

Suddenly, the conversation flew towards Yenica. There must be a reason, and she listened for a moment.

“I knew that Yenica had a talent for elemental magic, but it was in line with the reason why she had to take a break.”

“What is the reason?”

“Now, this is a story from the distant past that is only passed on by word of mouth, but in fact, long ago, there was another elemental priest from Torren Village.”

Yenika was making a face that said, Is it really a story that has only been passed down among generations of Torren Village?

Yenika had no choice but to listen to that old story that was quietly avoided.

“I don’t know if you know this, but it is said that old spirits who have accumulated more than a certain level of magic can manifest themselves in the world in human form.”

Of course I do. I have a guy that I can use as an example right now, but I’m in a position to always have it with me.

“The story of a spirit sage who fell in love with Tyr’kallax who manifested like that… Have you heard?”

“… … .”

Saila quietly bowed her head, and Orte continued to speak.

I wonder if Mayor Glems wanted to hear this story from Orte himself. He seems to have thought that it wasn’t something he could talk about himself.

If that’s the reason, maybe… .

“Her name is Katin Palerover.”

Because it is someone else’s family affairs.

Is the ability to respond to spirits a talent that was eventually inherited? If we look for the source of Yenica’s extraordinary spirits, it must have been the influence of bloodlines.

The fact that their parents, Orte and Seyla, don’t appear to have any talent in that area, may not have been the only reason.

“… You are our distant ancestor.”

“Is that so… .”

After saying that, Orté shut her mouth for a moment. Looking at Yenika’s expression, it’s a face that’s completely ignorant.

Things she didn’t even tell her daughter Yenika… Probably because there is a good reason for that.

“I don’t think her words were very good.”

“This story is a secret known only to a small percentage of the villagers.”

Orte put down her fork and looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

“She was forced to sign a contract with Tyr’kallax, but her induction power ran out and she died. She was told the blood was refluxed.”

“It is a fact that I also heard from my grandfather. At first, he had no talent for spirit arts, but at some point he signed a contract with a high-ranking spirit… It is said that he ended his life in anger after forcing himself to sign a contract with Tyr Kallax. But, it’s odd.”

At some point, Jenica was also completely listening to Orte. It’s the first time she’s ever told a story like this, even though it’s the family she’s lived with her whole life.

“Aren’t the highest-ranking spirits a celestial being that is evaluated as a great achievement just by summoning them once? It would have been enough to force him to manifest for a brief moment, so why did he want to sign a contract directly? I heard that such questions remain.”

“What do you think, Mr. Orte?”

“Well… . It’s a story from the distant past. In fact, it is not a story that will leave any impression, and I am not in a position to do so.”

For Orte, it was nothing more than a legendary story told by her grandfather in the distant past.

However, the meaning would have been completely different when the one and only pretty daughter began to show a proficiency in elemental art.

“So, when Yenica signed the Elemental Contract and said she wanted to go to Sylvania, I thought her heart was pounding. She is now our proud daughter, but… To be honest, she worried a lot too.”

Considering the terrifying end of the spirits of the ancestors, how would you have felt when Yenika, who was born with the same blood, said that she would follow the same path as the spirits of the spirits?

“Daddy… That’s why I was against it.”

“Well, after seeing Yenika’s strong will, I immediately agreed to it again. So, Yenica, how did you feel when you failed to summon Glaskan and went into chaos?”

Orte and Seyla must have felt like the sky had fallen.

It is fortunate that a person who had been orally acquainted with the story of a man who died trying to bring down the highest-ranking spirit from a young age didn’t faint right away when he heard the news that my daughter ran away with the highest-ranking spirit.

“I am very happy to see you as a true spirit warrior now, but there are times when uneasy feelings arise. It can’t be helped.”

Saila, who was listening quietly, also helped out.

Katin Pale Rover.

A spiritsa who died trying to contract with the highest wind spirit, Tyr’kallax.

I’m feeling a bit nauseous, but I thought I’d need to keep that in mind anyway.

As the morning is early, so is the night. Isn’t that what rural life is all about?

The people of Torren village are already at the end of their day by the time the sun goes down, and as soon as the moon appears, they prepare to go to sleep.

Sleep early and wake up early. Of course it’s desirable, but it doesn’t fit the rhythm of my life, where I studied and worked until late every night.

I guess it was the same for Jenica, so I came out to see my condition, smoking cigarettes in front of the dorm.

It is late summer. It also means that soon, autumn is approaching.

It was muggy at night on Aken Island, but it was already quite chilly because of the high mountains.

“Ed.”

“Why are you in the room?”

Even Yenika was accustomed to the early chilly weather here, and she was wearing a long, light gray shawl in puffy pajamas.

Watching the shawl that came down from the shoulder line to the waist line tightly with my hands, it looks like someone is hiding under the curtain.

“That, that… Something’s not right… .”

Then they come and sit next to me, who is leaning against the outer wall of the town hall.

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My posture is very low because I am sitting on a wooden stump that is roughly placed on the dirt floor. Yenica didn’t seem to care, she came to sit next to me, took his breath away, and spoke with difficulty.

“Well, I guess… Because I’m alone in my room… Maybe my thoughts are not well organized… .”

“I will. Because I suddenly heard the story of your ancestors. Did your parents hide it at all?”

“Huh? Uh, yes! right! There is also… .”

“It’s also”… ?”

Jenica says as if she’s suicidal as I stare at her.

“Oh, I’m still not used to sleeping in the same room… .”

“Not yet… do… ? I made a fuss yesterday, but are there still things like that?”

“Oh, let’s not talk about yesterday, because I’m not used to it yet.”

“You, too, are extremely adaptable in this area.”

“My wife, this is my first time, what should I do? If you’re good at it from the start, it’s not that weird… ! that, just… .”

Yenika grabbed her lap and then put her head on my shoulder.

“I never expected in my life that I would have an experience like this.”

“That’s too much fuss. It’s something everyone goes through.”

“But also… just… It is unavoidable that thoughts become complicated.”

Yenika leaned her shoulders like that for a while, then looked up at the moon in the middle of the sky.

The moon of Pulan symbolizes silence.

Perhaps because of the life of the Pulan people, who go to bed early around the time the moon rises, the moonlit village of Torren must have always been silent.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the moon in my hometown.”

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Most of Pulan’s landscapes that Yenika remembers are also of livestock grazing in the bright sunlight.

In the town of Torren, who slept quietly, there was a strange feeling as if only the two of them were awake.

I wondered if time had stopped in the world, but I was able to realize that time was still passing because of the sound of a dead grass insect or a wild animal whispering in the grass once in a while.

“It must have been hard to move around all day, but go to bed early. I need to relieve my fatigue.”

“No. To put it bluntly, I am relaxing now.”

With her head buried, Yenika speaks softly.

“Can I tell you a very strange story? In the past… Specifically, when you saw Ed for the first time, did you feel uncomfortable with Ed?”

“I did. Because everyone hated me when they said my name in college. In the meantime, you were the only one who didn’t give an uncomfortable tea. Now that I think about it, that’s great.”

“Well, even if it was uncomfortable, it wasn’t the kind of unpleasant feeling Ed thought it was, it was just… I don’t know how to deal with it, I can’t predict what Ed will do… That feeling was stronger. So Ed was always an uncomfortable opponent.”

Yenika puts the ball on her shoulder and quietly opens her eyes, making eye contact with mine. She seemed to have regained her composure when she looked at her playful little smile.

“But now that I’m leaning my head on Ed’s shoulder like this, I feel so relieved and at ease. When I sit alone in my room, I feel restless and nervous.”

“It’s strange. Ed was so awkward and difficult for me, but when did he become such a comfortable and reassuring person? I can’t say exactly when. Looking at the results, it was completely reversed.”

I raised my arm and wrapped it around Yenika’s opposite shoulder. If you tell me you’re comfortable, I have no intention of throwing you out. Above all, I received a lot of spiritual salvation from Yenica in many ways.

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My school days, where I had to run and run away from the fear of death, day after day, this shy and timid elemental changed a lot in many ways.

It may not have been a big change enough to be called a cataclysm, but the twisted changes gradually accumulate and eventually change the landscape itself.

Just as the sun rises and the moon rises feel like the opposite of a mirror. The scenery of the camp where Yenika exists was a bright side of my survival.

There was no need to explain in words how much spiritual salvation it had provided.

“So, I am in a very stable state now… . Without realizing it, my heart’s voice or sincerity may leak out. Can you accept it in moderation?”

“… From now on, you can just pretend you didn’t hear what I said.”

Yenika spoke in a whisper as she buried her face in her shoulder.

“When I heard about my grandfather, Katin Palerover, that’s what I thought. The one who loved the highest-ranking spirit, a distant being with a completely different hierarchy and far beyond his birth, strength, and everything… How did it feel?”

“Well… . It is not easy to have such an experience.”

“Edgar is that kind of person to me.”

I was speechless there. I needed to organize my thoughts to get the right answer right away.

Actually, I didn’t feel embarrassed because I had some expectation of what Yenika was thinking.

“Can I talk about something new? It’s so obvious and new, I don’t even know if I laugh out loud.”

Yenika smiles and talks.

Time seems to have stopped for a while, or rather, time seems to have gone too fast. Tossed words pierce my ears.

“I guess I love Ed.”

He grabbed Yenika’s shoulder and hugged her tightly, and placed my head on the top of her head.

At times like this, it was better to listen quietly rather than trying to say something big with your mouth.

The human mind is a strange thing that changes and becomes cloudy the moment it is expressed out of the mouth.

So, people do something called sympathy. It is a curious thing about people that they can communicate with each other just by leaning against each other without needing to talk.

“So… I really want to know the end of a man named Katin Palerover. In this way, rather than being told that it might have been.”

Jenica’s words carry weight.

“From what I’ve heard, it wasn’t a very good ending… If you dig deeper, isn’t the aftertaste only bitter?”

“Still, I want to see it with my own two eyes.”

“Is that so… What if it was a much more terrifying and bittersweet story than I thought? Like… .”

I got a feeling what Yenika was worried about. She poked right through the part.

“If it’s so terrible that it feels like your future… ?”

“That’s why I want to check. Still, I wondered if I could ever love Ed.”

You don’t have to do that. Katin Palerover and Jenica Palerover are completely different people.

The situation you are in and your abilities are completely different. Above all, I am not the type of person who will leave Yenika unattended.

Nevertheless, it is entirely up to you to be confident in your own heart.

“Yes. I can confirm.”

That’s why I confirmed it.

I came all the way to Pulan for academic research. Of course, I came with some preparations for him.

First of all, I can use Aspect Magic. If the environment and medium are well established, it is possible to peek into the distant past. It’s not easy though.

“Tomorrow, let’s take out the magic equipment we brought in the wagon.”