Chapter 43: 50

Chapter 50

The Battle for the Sage’s Seal (5)

[He looks like he’s having a tough time.]

The wind blew by. The natural wind that flew through the forest was always pleasant, but the wind that tickled Yennekar’s cheek was not one from nature.

It was the high-ranking wind spirit, Merilda.

Her grayish-brown fur, which pleasantly fluttered in the wind, appeared to be lighter than it actually was due to her size.

Merilda whispered to Yennekar, who was leaning against the guardian tree.

[Yennekar, as you already know the school’s curriculum isn’t all that easy, right? Even for a top student like you, you’re still so busy. But since he’s also been taking care of the camp, he must have reached his limit.]

“So you also think the same, Merilda.”

She definitely had a different attitude then when she dealt with Takan.

Holding her knees in her arms and swallowing her saliva, she listened carefully to her close friend’s words.

[But this is still a chance, Yennekar. Even that firefox won’t be able to come to the camp, as she is extremely busy with negotiations and the like. You need to take advantage of this time.]

“Yeah, yeah.”

[Humans fall for one another easier when they are pushed to their limits. Don’t feel guilty. Take advantage of this crisis as much as you can. It’s okay to act a little bit sly or greedy since you need to make him fall for you immediately. You are going to need to control the situation.]

“Can you explain it more thoroughly?”

[Hm…]

Unlike her appearance, Merilda’s voice and behavior were quite delicate and modest. Though, there was no way her thoughts could be considered the same.

[Whether you like it or not, you must act somewhat like a fox to snatch him up, Yennekar. In that respect, that firefox is a bit smart. You need to learn what you can from her.]

Merilda sat with her feet folded and her head raised. She then cleared her throat. 

[For example, your outfit.]

Yennekar was completely shocked at the fact that Merilda’s love advice was so valuable. 

Since she thought of trying to cook some dishes at the campfire, she had been secretly taking a bunch of ingredients from the school’s cafeteria. Usually, that wouldn’t be allowed. Luckily Bell, who understood the situation, turned a blind eye to it.

Since she was planning to cook, her outfit was rather simple. She rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, which she had washed several times over. She also wore a shawl around her waist, cinched tightly over her navy-blue skirt. It was something that she had often worn back on the farm in her hometown.

She remembered Lortel’s glamorous and beautiful frill dress from before. She had let her reddish-brown hair—usually tied to one side—flow down, and she wore a headband with a large blue rose and an amber accessory with it… She was so beautiful that one couldn’t help but stare in awe.

Then comparing that to her current self… Yennekar’s appearance was closer to a vibrant village woman, rather than an attractive one. There was quite a big gap between her current appearance and her usual neat and cute school uniform.

[100 points, Yennekar. You have become a fox.]

“Hm?”

The one who calls herself a so-called genius of love advice (No practical dating experience) gave out a favorable comment.

“Don’t I look pretty ugly right now?”

[Yennekar, you’re also quite sly. You have your own charm. That current overwhelming vitality of yours, which is unlike your usual cheerful and energetic self, that gap… Men are obsessed with that. That appearance of yours, pretending that you’re not sly, that appeal is great.]

“R-Really…?”

[Let’s try rolling up your sleeves and tying your hair up. Try to give off the picture of a wife that stays by her husband’s side, even through a difficult moment. That’s great.]

“Oh, yeah! That’s right! I have to be at least this sly!”

Seeing Yennekar rolling up her sleeves, acting as if that was her plan from the start, Merilda let out a sigh inside. Yennekar seemed to think that she had been acting perfectly sly.

It would have been great if Lortel had pushed some more so she would act a bit greedier, but at least she was finally smiling again. She really was like a sheet of clean white paper.

How would she end up dating someone at that rate?

She was going to get tossed aside with a broken heart after following the advice from a third-rate romance novel.

Merilda was very interested in the various cultures that the humans had created.

Sometimes, she would try to evaluate artwork that humans tilted their heads towards. Other times, she would use inexperienced transformation magic to turn into a human and borrow books from the library,

Merilda remembered the third-rate romance novels that she had occasionally read. Yennekar seemed to have the same characteristics of the girl who got a broken heart in the book.

A young girl, who gripped down on her handkerchief as she called out the name of her lover, who was no longer with her. With that scene and classic direction constantly coming to mind, Merilda couldn’t help but worry about Yennekar.

She didn’t want her to copy an outdated method like that merchant girl, who was playing hard to get.

Though, if she wanted to seduce him, she at least needed to know how to make him long for her.

[Anyway, you’re planning to go see him later today, right? If you throw away this golden opportunity, even if the gods forgive you, I won’t. Go make some type of progress today. Alright?]

“Wh-What? Progress…?”

[Never mind. Just tell me now. What were you going to do at the camp today while helping him out? How were you going to try to narrow the distance between you two?]

“Uh… That…”

Yennekar lowered her head, avoiding eye contact, and spoke as if she were embarrassed.

“I-I wasn’t. I wasn’t planning to do that.”

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!]

Nearly bursting into flames, Merilda began to thoroughly question Yennekar.

[Does that make sense?! With an opportunity like this! Do you think there’ll be another time someone like him suffers to this extent?! Look at the way he’s growing! It’s at a ridiculous pace! An opportunity like this doesn’t come easy! There’s no better way to win than to spend time with someone in a crisis! You need to act as the person who will support him during this tough time! Even if it’s a little greedy of you! Or a bit manipulative!]

“W-Well that’s true. So… I wasn’t planning to do anything…”

[Huh?! Just what the heck does that mean?!]

“No, I mean… It’s just… It’s… It’s just what I think…”

After hearing Yennekar’s following explanation, Merilda was left completely speechless from shock.

Afterwards, taking a moment to think… She started to think that it was just like Yennekar.

Merilda nodded her head as she thought. Perhaps that could also act as a means of attack.

[Fine. It’s very much like you, Yennekar.]

At that remark, Yennekar buried her head in embarrassment.

* * *

“Your nickname as the ‘Golden Daughter’ will soon be a thing of the past once Elte’s dismissal becomes official.”

Lortel had no idea that Krepin Rothstaylor would personally travel all the way to the sitting room at the company’s Silvenia branch.

His actions were so unexpected to Lortel that she was forced to prepare for his arrival as quickly as possible to sit down with him.

“To travel directly to the residence of a lowly merchant, who only knows of greed and how to count coins, I feel both honored and a bit worried at the same time. Perhaps my staff’s attitude was disrespectful towards you in some way?”

“It wasn’t much.”

Krepin sat across the table as he brought the cup of tea to his mouth.

Though the store prepared the best product they had, it was probably nothing more than plain water for someone like Krepin.

Lortel slowly lowered her gaze as she sat opposite of him.

She was counting every breath she took, doing her best to keep from choking on her own spit.

Krepin Rothstaylor was someone that you couldn’t relax in front of.

However, as his intentions were somewhat predictable, there was no reason for her to be overly nervous.

“I’ll buy the Sage’s Seal from the Elte Company.”

The tone of his voice sounded as if it was already decided that the Elte Company would sell the seal.

“If you just tell me the amount that you were thinking of, I’ll give you even more. In the first place, isn’t that what you planned?”

The reason that the Elte Company had raised the price when buying the Sage’s Seal was because they were confident that Krepin Rothstaylor would buy it in the first place.

That fact… It felt as if Krepin already knew it.

“But… It’s strange.”

Krepin lowered his head as he spoke in a low voice.

“Did you know beforehand that I was going to spend so much to get my hands on the Sage’s Seal? As far as I know, the Elte Company wouldn’t normally make such a risky investment like this.”

“Perhaps.”

“It’s as if you’ve heard about my true intentions and feelings from someone else.”

Lortel didn’t make the mistake of changing the pace of her breathing or stuttering over her words.

However, Krepin’s statements themselves were cutting straight to the point.

“Do you have an informant that knows about what’s going on within my family?”

“Yes. Something like that.”

Making up a ridiculous lie would only raise new suspicions.

If she starts to act complacent here, Ed Rothstaylor would end up getting hurt.

There’s nothing strange about a businessman using an informant to make a profit. As Krepin’s own actions led him to making a mistake, he wouldn’t be hostile towards the Elte Company. However, he would never let the inside traitor get away freely.

No matter how benevolent Duke Krepin might be, he would still harm Ed, who has been selling away the family affairs after being excommunicated.

“However, as they are located far away, it’s a bit difficult to communicate with them. Also, as they are someone with a rather higher status, the amount of money they have asked for is rather large. So now, I will need to get back as much as I have invested… That is the essence of business.”

Lies are more effective at deceiving an opponent when mixed with a bit of the truth.

Rather than thoughtlessly and constantly denying the fact, or claiming to not know, it was more efficient to skillfully guide the opponent in a direction that is different from the truth.

It was easy to judge whether another person’s words were true or false. However, the act of clearly dividing the line between truth and lie… No matter how much intuition you might be born with, it was not an easy task.

Lortel was a negotiator who knew how to use that fact effectively.

“So, how much will you charge?”

“12000 gold coins.”

“Good. Once you receive the seal from the school, I’ll buy it immediately.”

There was no reason to bicker over negotiations any further. On the surface, it was a very straightforward deal.

The Elte Company had officially won the bid for the Seal from the school, so once the transfer of possession was complete, they would have the right to resell it. Until then, all they could do was wait.

“Ah, there was one more thing I wanted to say. I’ll get a headache if things get any more complicated, so I’ll let you know in advance.”

“Oh my. What is it?”

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“It’s about your father, Elte Kehelland. As he has already been demoted, he’s none of my concern any longer. However, if it starts to get in the way of my business, it’ll only be my loss. That’s why I will tell you this in advance.”

Krepin lowered the cup of tea as he continued to speak in a low voice.

“After his dismissal was certain at the head office, he gathered some of his personal assets and a mercenary group. I received a document the day before yesterday that reported he was crossing through my territory on the way to Silvenia.”

* * *

Translator – Plumper

Proofreader – Harley

* * *

“What?”

Lortel had already known that Elte’s actions were suspicious, but she didn’t think that he had already started taking action.

“Well, I’m sure he’s not going to try to do anything crazy at Silvenia Academy, as it receives the empire’s protection… At the very least, he seems to have something in mind. I hope that I won’t have to get caught up in this situation, which will only delay my business.”

With that, Krepin gathered his servants as he left the sitting room. 

Lortel saw Krepin out before she sat alone in the room, drinking the remaining tea. She needed some time to organize her thoughts.

In any case, the reselling of the Sage’s Seal seemed to have been set.

In the first place, Ed had only asked her to buy the ‘Sage’s Seal’… which she did without violating his request.

Ed also knew that she was going to resell the Sage’s Seal in the first place. All she did was follow through with Ed’s request.

Thus, as soon as the purchase of the seal is complete, she would be able to ask Ed to do ‘anything’ she wanted.

What a sweet sound. It wouldn’t be much longer until she could have it.

Even with just that one simple word, ‘anything’, Lortel’s girlish imagination began to spread its wings.

‘Really… If I can… Then I’ll do this… And this…’

While flowers began to bloom… Suddenly thinking of something else, she was able to calm herself down. 

She had received a piece of information that she couldn’t ignore.

Elte Kehelland was coming.

To be honest, it wasn’t all that scary. It was just a last-ditch effort before he fell into the abyss.

It was a big miscalculation to think that he could use force against Lortel after hiring a few mercenaries.

In the first place, there was no way that many mercenaries would be allowed to enter Silvenia Academy. Plus, Lortel’s own strength wasn’t weak.

“If he has another plan, then… is it taking a hostage?”

Now that she thought of it, there was something in mind.

“Do you think I’ll treat you special just because you’re loyal to that girl? Were you perhaps bewitched by that child’s beautiful appearance?”

Elte seemed to be under the misunderstanding that Ed had taken a major liking to Lortel.

The reality was quite the opposite, but either way, they had both shown support for each other through a crisis. It was enough proof to be considered a trustworthy relationship.

If it wasn’t about Lortel, who was always protected by her own store’s escorts and whose strength wasn’t weak… but instead Ed, then the story was different.

If he was seriously thinking about kidnapping Ed and using him as a bargaining chip…

“That’s crossing the line.”

In the corner of the room, sitting silently in the darkness, Lortel covered herself with her robe.

* * *

“Ta-Da! Isn’t it good?”

I laid down for the entire day.

I tried to do something, but I kept getting dizzy, so I thought that I needed to rest for a few more days.

What I was most thankful for was that Yennekar had been helping me out a lot.

It had been two days since I had started to recover from my exhaustion. Yennekar, who had been getting a bunch of ingredients from somewhere, had been making a lot of dishes with her proficient cooking skills. 

It was already quite late into the night. Maybe because it was the day before the weekend, Yennekar didn’t seem to be heading back to the dormitory anytime soon, even though it was so late.

The light of the campfire was chasing away the cozy darkness.

The sound of the bugs, which usually buzzed excitedly at night, had died down to some extent as it fell. It was replaced with the sound of owls crying and the leaves rustling in the wind.

The stew that Yennekar made was really delicious when compared to the one that Ziggs had made before.

I started thinking that I really needed to learn more regarding my cooking skills, but I needed to focus on my recovery rather than my growth. With that in mind, I decided to put off on my training for now.

“I used to cook stew every day back in my hometown. Did you know, Ed? When I was young, I used to raise cows all the time…”

I slowly closed my eyes as I quietly watched Yennekar sit beside the campfire, smiling as she spoke. My body was slowly starting to recover, but I hadn’t regained all my energy.

“You look tired, Ed.”

“It seems so.”

“You should get some rest. Hm.”

“I’m sorry that all I can do is show you this exhausted appearance, despite you helping out so much with everything, Yennekar.”

“Hm? No, not at all. I didn’t really do anything special.”

Things like cooking and cleaning didn’t seem like difficult tasks for Yennekar.

She seemed to be very skilled when it came to helping sick people and taking care of them. She had said that her father, who worked on the farm, often got hurt. She would help a lot.

I started to feel my fever rising again, so I put my hand up to my head. It was quite hot. My headache and low-grade fever seemed to be coming back again as I let out a sigh.

After entering the cabin, I laid down on the bed as Yennekar, for some reason, followed. She sat down in the corner of the cabin, smiling and giggling.

“… What are you going to do?”

“I’m not going to do anything, though?”

“You’re not going to do anything?”

“I’m just going to stay next to you.”

As I looked at her in disbelief, she responded.

“Ed, I know you’re having a tough time. It’s the same for anyone when their body and heart becomes tired. I know that you have been working hard and living through a more difficult lifestyle than anyone else. That’s why you don’t have to pretend that you’re not having a tough time.”

Clearing her throat with a smile on her face, she puffed up her chest—as if she was telling me to compliment her.

“What does that have to do with you sitting here doing nothing?”

“You don’t know how much strength I’m giving you just by being by your side, not doing anything? It must be because you haven’t experienced it!”

Then she looked down as she began to speak in a softer voice.

“There have been lots of challenging times for me, too. I received a lot of consolation, and there were also many people who helped me, but… the thing that gave me the most strength was when someone didn’t try to hastily comfort me. They just stood by me without saying a word. As it helped me, I’m sure that it’s going to help you, Ed. Just try dealing with it!”

After saying that, Yennekar came up near the bed I was lying in… she leaned back against the bed frame as she calmly sat down. I was worried that the floor might be cold, but as it wasn’t quite winter yet, it didn’t seem to be all that cold.

To me, it didn’t look all that great. I was lying down in the bed while she sat on the floor, but Yennekar didn’t seem to mind at all.

“You’ve been through a lot, hm? You did an excellent job.”

However, with her eyes closed she kept on smiling.

“No… You don’t have to do that…”

“Hmpf!”

Seeing her get angry, she looked cute rather than aggressive, so it wouldn’t have been weird at all if I had let out a laugh.

“It was difficult! You have to admit it so you can finally get some decent rest! Admit it! Ed, you’ve had a tough time!”

“……” 

Sitting up and leaning back, I slowly lowered my voice.

It might have been because I couldn’t admit it easily, but I turned my eyes away.

“Yeah… It’s been hard.”

I’d lived the entirety of my previous semester, and another half, by dividing up the hours. I couldn’t even remember a day that I wasn’t tired.

“It was really hard for me. Really.”

I felt as if I could finally get a good night’s sleep as I slowly let my body be overtaken by drowsiness.

***

After falling asleep for ten hours, I woke up to my body being completely back to normal.

It was the first time in a long time that I felt completely recovered, even emotionally.

Shortly after waking up, Yennekar came into view, bobbing her head by my knees.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh seeing her drooling and sleeping, completely passed out.

It was an unexpected surprise.

* * *

‘The decision to sell the Sage’s Seal had been made. The person in charge of Trix Hall needs to get ready to transfer the ‘resonance ownership’ over, as well as submit their report.’

Professor Glast was responsible for the transfer of the resonance ownership of the magic book the school used to own.

In reality, most of the work was left to the library staff, all while he simply held an empty title.

However, for a transfer of that scale, the person in charge had to personally step in and take care of certain matters themselves.

“Professor Glast! The staff member in charge is looking for the seal!”

Assistant Professor Cleoh burst through the door of Professor Glast’s’ office.

What she saw was Professor Glast sitting still in the faculty seat, staring out the large window.

Professor Glast’s desk was already piled high with various reports regarding the sale of the seal.

“What, you’ve already received the reports? Then I’ll go ahead and process the paperwork and report it to the school…”

Cleoh, who had noticed that Professor Glast was not responding, tried calling out his name once more.

Professor Glast continued to sit still, staring out the window.

____

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