How to Survive at the Academy
Chapter 248

TL: TangSanFan

ED/PR: Tanthus

Epilogue (1)

The man quietly sat on the trunk of a tree, gazing up at the blue sky. A neatly dressed shirt, a vest of silk, linen pants, and an azure coat topped with a thin robe of a magician. It was a stifling ensemble but necessary to maintain his tidiness. Nonetheless, without prying eyes around, he sat with a relaxed disposition.

He lit a cigarette, a bad habit learned whilst socializing with a senior professor, but when it came to gathering his thoughts, nothing quite compared. And so, he sat, blankly listening to the chirping of birds, contemplating the past, the present, the future, and the edge of the precipice. Various thoughts churned, but one thing was certain that he needed to decide.

The man had survived.

And with survival came the inevitable question attached to it.

It was a question of how he was going to live.

* * *

Two years had passed since Trissiana Bloomriver had come to the Sylvania Academy.

“Looks like even after graduating, I end up coming back here…”

After paying the coachman and gathering her luggage, the island of Acken across the sea came into full view. The massive catastrophe from two years ago had caused the collapse of the Mekses Bridge, but since then, the newly constructed Bloomriver Bridge had taken over its role.

Compared to the old Mekses Bridge which had seen better days, the Bloomriver Bridge was far more spacious and neat. Funded by the Bloomriver family, the bridge was aptly named after them.

Following Trissiana, an elderly woman disembarked from the coach.

Sinir Bloomriver, the head of the Bloomriver family.

Accompanied by her servants, she disembarked and looked towards the bridge leading to the Sylvania Academy.

“The construction seems to have been done well. It’s been completed for some time, but I’ve been too busy to come and see for myself.”

“Mother… no, head of the Family, you’ve been busy with the family’s issues. It’s understandable you couldn’t come in person.”

“Still, considering the family’s money invested in this project, I certainly wanted to see it with my own two eyes. Well… I suppose I’ll be seeing it often now.”

Sinir straightened the coat trimmed with leather and adjusted her attire.

She was about to join the Sylvania Academy as a new professor of alchemy.

The Sylvania Academy had lost more than half of its staff to the disaster. Therefore, it had been frantically recruiting as many professors as possible.

Among those called, only those who were interested in the teaching profession responded, with most declining.

Given the severe injury the academy had suffered, the uncertainty of what the future held made it feel like an unstable position.

Even so, the academy’s reputation had attracted various personages like presidents of academic societies, heads of mage towers, retired captains of renowned knight orders, mercenary leaders, and authorities in alchemy to fill the new roles.

Sinir Bloomriver, despite the workload as head of her family, was confident that her daughters, back at home, were managing the family’s affairs well, and thus, decided to take on the academic post.

Those who survived the catastrophe, where the raging Dragon Champion Bellbrook had caused havoc, had gone through all sorts of troubles to keep the academy operational.

Now, over two years and some months later, the damages had been more or less mended.

Sinir was one of the very last to join the new faculty. In a way, she was the first new faculty to take up the post after the academy’s restoration.

The buildings, over 70% of which had been destroyed, had been rebuilt with support from the royal family, the commerce guilds, and educational orders.

The new gleaming buildings seemed to herald a new golden age.

However, the scars remained.

Near the terminus of the Bloomriver Bridge stood a large memorial stone.

Engraved upon it were the names of the victims of the great calamity.

This monument, so large it spanned several meters, stood as a remembrance and a pledge not to forget those who had perished.

Looking closely at the tightly packed names crowded on the large stone, Trissiana heaved a deep sigh.

“From your position at the time of the incident, these names must weigh heavy.”

Trissiana was a Sylvania Academy student two years ago, on the brink of graduation and the top of her class. She had been doing her utmost to save her juniors.

By her own efforts, she managed to save many, but many others were lost.

Trissiana glanced over the monument for a moment before shaking her head clearly.

“I didn’t expect to hear that Senior Professor Sinir was appointed today… I am sorry! You have come a long way! We are currently short on staff, and our schedules are packed… No, someone of your stature should not be treated this way… I apologize…”

It was an oversight to not properly receive someone like Sinir.

Ordinarily, someone might have issued a stern reprimand for such an omission, but after looking at the state of the newly constructed Triss Building, Sinir kept her silence. There didn’t seem to be a single person present who wasn’t visibly busy.

Given that they were operating this vast school with slightly more than half of the staff from its heyday, it was to be expected.

Claire, who had been promoted to full professor more quickly than expected, crossed the Triss Building with a pile of documents and a tired look.

Handling personnel affairs in addition to her other duties meant that escorting Professor Sinir fell to Professor Claire.

“It seems extremely busy. I should get involved in the work as soon as possible.”

Sinir responded with appropriate politeness.

At the sight of her dignified manner, Professor Claire suddenly welled up with tears.

“Professor Sinir… you are reasonable…”

“… What? Did I do something?”

“No, just… responding to my sincere apology with such kind encouragement… it made me feel like crying all of a sudden…”

One wonders what kind of treatment someone in her position was accustomed to receiving. Not wanting to dredge up painful memories, Sinir chose to remain quiet.

“That person over there is… oh… I see. Trissiana, you have really grown remarkable. I almost couldn’t recognize you, you’ve become so mature since I saw you as a student. It’s only been two years, but people really change quickly.”

“Assistant Professor Claire… I mean, Professor. How have you been?”

“It’s hard to say I’ve been well… This is the nature of transition periods, after all. But the bulk of it is under control and manageable now. Thank your for your concern, Trissiana, and pardon me, I need to correct myself. You’re not a student anymore, are you?”

Claire piled the documents on her desk and corrected herself.

“Assistant Professor Trissiana.”

As Sinir went to check her new research lab, Trissiana followed Professor Claire to receive a briefing on her duties.

Along the way, Claire issued various commands and upon reaching her office, she immediately opened the windows for ventilation.

At the sight of as many documents as during her time as an assistant professor if not more, Trissiana clicked her tongue.

She had seemed like a frivolous and complaining youth, but in reality, Claire was single-handedly managing the duties of several people.

With the top assistant Anis now graduated, Claire’s efficiency seemed only to have increased despite the workload.

“You haven’t been told who your mentoring professor is yet, have you, Assistant Professor Trissiana?”

“No… Isn’t it you, Professor Claire?”

“I’m no longer in a position to take responsibility for anyone…”

“Oh… I see…”

Feeling sympathy for the tearful Professor Claire, Trissiana showed a look of pity.

Claire pulled out a particular document from the stack, smooth it out and started reviewing the content. It appeared to be a list of mentors for the assistant professors.

After scrutinizing the list for a while, Professor Claire chuckled with a hint of difficulty.

“Hahaha, Assistant Professor Trissiana, you’re in for some tough times.”

“What? Is my mentoring professor a strict person?”

“No, not exactly…”

Professor Claire flipped the document around for Trissiana to see.

The name of the professor assigned to Assistant Professor Trissiana was all too familiar.

– ‘Ed Rothtaylor’

“… Huh?”

“Do you recognize that name?”

“He should have been a third-year student when I graduated… Why… is his name listed as my mentoring professor?”

Professor Claire debated where to start explaining but decided that it might be easier to just lay out the conclusion.

“He was appointed as a special professor earlier this year. There were recommendations both from Princess Phoenia, who is designated as the next Empress, and from Saintess Clarice. Right after graduation, he was granted the position of full professor, and with just a bit more experience, he is set to become a senior professor. At the rate he’s going, he might become the department head in just a few years.”

“A senior professor at that age? That’s an unprecedented and bold appointment…”

“The contributions he made during the disaster were significant, and in the fields of spiritualism and magic engineering, even the faculty couldn’t deny his achievements. And as for his expertise in divine magic studies, he’s pretty much unparalleled…”

Both spiritualism and magic engineering faculties could be covered by a single professor like him, and he was also capable of delving into divine magic.

Moreover, having a noble lineage and charisma that commands students, from the undermanned academy’s perspective, he was an asset they did not want to lose.

In testimony to that, the academy had offered Rothtaylor an unprecedented deal to secure him. In addition to the publicly known conditions, rumors were abound that the academy had extensively committed to the Rothtaylor house in private negotiations.

While these were just rumors, there were many buzzes that much of the real power of Sylvania Academy had shifted to Rothtaylor’s side.

With his early twenties and a senior professor position in sight, the gap Trissiana felt as an assistant professor was stark.

Even Glast, the fastest to become a senior professor, was in his late thirties at that time…

“I am aware that he was considered a revolutionary hire even back at that time.”

“It must be awkward for Teaching Assistant Trissiana now that her junior colleague has become her supervising professor.”

“Not at all. I don’t really mind that. After all, he is from a duke’s family, and it would have been more uncomfortable to treat him poorly. However… I’m just not sure how the work will be handled.”

“The real concern is actually that. Professor Ed Rothtaylor is an unpredictable person.”

“… Excuse me?”

It was unbelievable how quickly he rose through the ranks and managed to reach an equal standing with Professor Claire.

In fact, it was clear that given some more time, Ed Rothtaylor would climb even higher. The notion of them being equals was only a temporary affair. The achievements he had made and the corresponding honors were well known throughout the empire.

Many of the freshmen candidates were excited at the chance to see Professor Ed Rothtaylor in person once they arrived at Sylvania. Unbeknownst to the disinterested Trissiana.

“Generally, he handles his duties very meticulously, but given how busy he is, it’s quite difficult to find an opportunity to meet him. He usually doesn’t leave his personal research lab in the northern forest, and it’s even harder to find him during the vacation.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and he often leaves the school grounds… Given that he mentioned visiting his family home in Rothtaylor during the holidays, he might be there now.”

“So, you mean to tell me he just goes off without saying where he’s going?”

The efficiency in his work was apparent. Certainly, he had been that kind of person even during his student days.

Leaning her chin on her hand, Trissiana fell into deep thought. Perhaps she had chosen the wrong supervising professor… That thought crossed her mind.

“I actually have three documents that need to be delivered, and I’d like Teaching Assistant Trissiana to handle that. If he’s not in the northern forest research lab… I’m not sure where else he might be…”

“A document, huh…”

It was her first assignment since the appointment.

To find Ed Rosteil and deliver the documents.

“Additionally, you have to prepare for the graduation ceremony of the fourth-year students. As the youngest professor, this is a task you should expect to take on.”

And then there was the planning for the current fourth-year students’ graduation ceremony.

“I can handle this work.”

“That’s good. You’re doing well, teaching Assistant Trissiana…”

Professor Claire looked at Trissiana and momentarily seemed wistful. Memories of when she too was a newly appointed junior professor, swamped with tasks, came flooding back.

Time had passed, and now she was the one assigning the workload to someone else. Indeed, how time flies.

But that didn’t mean her own workload had decreased.

Trissiana inspected the documents handed to her.

“What are these documents…?”

“These detail the tasks that Professor Ed Rothtaylor needs to attend to during the vacation. Technically, there’s no need to handle all three, choosing and completing just one would suffice.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. All are important tasks, but it’s difficult to manage all of them in the remaining part of the holiday. I would appreciate it if at least one could be properly concluded before the end of the break.”

The holiday period was almost over. When she looked at the academic calendar, new student selection tests needed to be finalized, and after the graduation ceremonies, the new term would start immediately.

“Although you will be busy with new student selection responsibilities, I’m hoping you can carve out some time to handle these as well.”

“Understood…”

Trissiana unfolded the first document.

“Phulanshan…?”

“Oh, that. You know about the land of livestock, Phulanshan, correct? The place with the expansive dairy farming region.”

“Yes…”

“Recently, the academic research team has lost contact regarding records of the high-ranking wind spirit ‘Tircalax’ that used to be famous in that area.”

“If Tircalax is the one you’re referring to… A giant bear-shaped spirit as large as a mountain ridge, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Although the academic research tasks are considered low priority, if we don’t maintain at least the bare minimum of research activities, we can get into trouble with the imperial oversight. It is imperative to continue with research tasks.”

Professor Claire continued speaking as she signed various documents.

“Apparently, there have been new findings regarding Tircalax’s records in the Phulanshan region. You could say it’s a major discovery in the field of spirit studies. Currently, the best candidate capable of taking on this job would be Professor Ed, so the academic body wonders if he would be able to examine it if he has the spare time.”

“I see…”

“It’s not particularly dangerous by any means, but just in case, it should really be someone who possesses at least basic combat abilities.”

Trissiana nodded, and then she pulled out another document.

“This one is… the commercial town of Oldech?”

“Yes. I think that will also be a stay-away request. It’s not academic research but rather a practical task related to logistics and distribution. It’s the time for us to renew the logistic negotiations with the Elte Trading Company that currently handles our academic logistics.”

“Why does Professor Ed have to handle this matter?”

“Professor Ed has extensive networks within the commercial guilds. Plus, there have been frequent rumors that the situation in Oldech is troubling lately… It seems the academic body prefers to have someone reliable attend in person.”

“What do you mean by troubling?”

As Claire signed the documents, she tilted her head as if pondering something briefly.

“You know the current head of the Elte Trading Company? The elderly merchant Slorg Keldrux.”

“Wasn’t it Lortelle?”

“Lortelle’s formal title was ‘Deputy Head.’ During Lortelle’s time at Sylvania, someone had to sit in the head seat and manage the company’s headquarters in Oldech. It was insufficient just to have a deputy title to manage the headquarters.”

Lortelle had conspired with others to push the Golden King Elte out of power and held onto the headship until Lortelle returned to commerce.

“But since Lortelle’s graduation, slorg doesn’t seem willing to relinquish the head seat and is making various plans to evade that,” she commented on the rumor that he was holding on to power intending to restructure the power dynamics in Oldech.

“I’m not accustomed to such murky stories of merchants…”

“Neither am I. What’s certain is that with Oldech’s current unstable situation… it would be best for Professor Ed, who has ample local connections, to go there in person.”

It made sense. Although any delegate might suffice, from the perspective of the academics steering the institution, it was better to send capable hands for definite task resolution.

“Then, what about the last document?”

“Oh, that one is for a trip into the Rameln Mountain Range.”

“Why so many trip requests?”

“Well, a capable person often receives many requests. It involves the scouting department.”

Trissiana swallowed and glanced through the document.

“You know the mage Zellan the Cutter, right? He participated in the Ain war alongside Professors Glast and Krayd. Lately, he’s been spotted in Rameln Mountains following the traces of the archmage Gluckt… investigating his past endeavours…”

“Do you intend to scout this person for a professorship?”

“He’s an exceptionally capable individual. There’s a rumor that he’s become deeply interested in the research of divine magics… Since Professor Ed is the academy’s top expert on divine magic, we think he might have the best chance to persuade him. We desperately need him at the academy because we’re experiencing a shortage of personnel.”

“I see. But will he come just because we ask him to?”

“Well, to be sure, it would be best if the current principal Obel could go personally, but since he is bedridden and unable to move…”

Claire continued with a regretful tone.

“Moreover, since student Lucy, who is skilled in divine magic, has taken leave to recover her mana at the Rothtaylor residence… once again, it turns out that Professor Ed is the best fit for the task.”

Scholars Glast and Krayd, cutter Zellan.

Among the three famed mages who had achieved tremendous feats during the war era was Zellan, the one who had entrusted the Ain children to the Cledric Monastery run by Abbot Austin.

“Certainly… it’s a tight schedule to handle all three tasks at once. Each one is important…”

“That’s why, if you find Professor Ed, be sure to pick one for him to handle properly.”

“Yes, I understand… But how exactly am I supposed to find Professor Ed?”

As Trissiana asked this, Professor Claire smiled knowingly and said,

“The best way would probably be to visit his personal research lab in the northern forest. If he’s not there, then check the other facilities of the academy… If he’s not on Arken Island at all, given that it is holiday time…”

“…?”

Claire’s strained smile seemed ominous.

She pulled out a piece of paper from amongst the other documents and spread it out on the desk – a map showing the entire empire.

At that moment, Trissiana got a sense of foreboding.

“Could it be…?”

“Start here.”

Professor Claire pointed to the center of the empire – the northern tip of the Rothtaylor territory under the management of Tanya Rothtaylor.

“And all the way here.”

And to the southern tip, where the neighboring Baron Faelover’s territory lay.

“If you check these areas, he’s probably somewhere there.”

Trissiana’s face turned pale. If Professor Claire couldn’t find him within Arken Island, it was unlikely that Trissiana would have any better method. Her first mission upon appointment was to dash across the continent by carriage for several days. It was unbelievable, but there was no other choice.

Such was the fate of the youngest professor.