How to Survive at the Academy

Chapter 6: 6 Days Before School Starts (2)

Silvenia Academy’s royal accommodations were located in the western part of Acken Island. Amongst them was one perched at the edge of a cliff closest to the coast.

It was quite far away from the commercial district in the southwest, where various amenities and small business facilities were located.

When it came to academics, the royal family were treated as equals to other students, but they cannot be treated the same when it came to their lifestyle and residences.

This was the reason a royal accommodation was built solely for Princess Penia.

The grand mansion was quite spacious. Regular students weren’t even allowed to enter its garden, attesting to how much special treatment the royal family received in the academy.

“It’s very different from the academic district.”

The sun was setting. Looking out the window, there was a vast view of the ocean.

The subtle sound of the waves could be heard from the windowsill, filling up the entirety of the princess's enormous private quarters.

Princess Penia sat at her desk as she watched the sunset from her window. It was a personal desk made from high-quality wood, engraved with intricate patterns. It was even larger than Headmaster Obel's own desk.

In every way, the royal family's life had to always be one of extreme opulence.

It was a life completely different from that of a regular student in the academic district.

Princess Penia swept her neat platinum blonde hair in front of her left shoulder.

She opened her magic history and Elemental book but soon put her pen down.

“......”

The princess was lost in thought.

The golden marble that Lucy Mayreel showed during the Class Assignment Examination announcement was definitely the marble she found inside The Guardian Tree of Merilda.

She came to a realization.

The marble looked unique, but there was nothing strange about it other than that. You could barely feel the magic power inside of it because it was so weak.

Indeed, Princess Penia’s judgment was correct.

The marble really was nothing more than a marble with a unique appearance and a small amount of magic power.

However, the fact that it was ‘filled with weak magic power’ was the key itself.

“Not bad, Ms. Lucy.”

The three qualities of an archmage who covets the truth as the archmage Glockt defined:

Magic resonance

Quick and accurate judgment

The will to explore

The students who jumped to the conclusion that the test was judged on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis were deducted points in the 'quick and accurate judgment' aspect.

What determined the top performers was those who did well in 'magic power resonance', judged by the amount of magic power in each marble.

The smaller the amount, the harder they were to detect.

Now that Princess Penia thought back on it, there were different amounts of magic power in each of the various marbles that were spread out.

But the difference was so minimal that it was difficult to even notice if the princess hadn't focused.

The more marbles found with less magic power inside, the more extra points in the ‘magic power resonance’ aspect.

And the golden marble that Lucy Mayreel casually found after she woke up from her nap…

“The Guardian Tree of Merilda is the oldest tree in the northern forest. It's a tree protected by Merilda, a high-ranking wind spirit, so it's always surrounded by abundant magic.”

Professor Glast said at the podium, talking with his unique skull-like face.

“In a small space where there is an abundance of magic power present, I placed a marble with the smallest amount of magic power infused into it. Even the location was just a rock island in the middle of a lake. Unless you were a student who was able to sense that minuscule magic power, it was a place that you wouldn’t have found.”

There was no end to the intricacies of magic power resonance.

The same way a person's scent would be impossible to distinguish in a crowd, it was harder to notice unique magic power when mixed or buried among others.

Lucy Mayreel was born with the ability to push her magic power resonance to the limit.

Not only that, she was dozing off, acting like she didn’t know anything… when she actually understood Professor Glast’s intentions already.

Evident in the fact that she came back to the academic district with nothing more than that golden marble.

It meant Lucy Mayreel was already on top of the field.

“Alright, I can understand that…”

It was the first time the princess heard the name Lucy Mayreel. However, it turned out she was already quite well known amongst the others.

“Lazy Lucy.”

She could be seen around campus curled up on benches, tree stumps, or even on the grass field taking a nap.

Her origins were unknown, but it was rumored she was already a genius, able to push her sense of magic power to the limit.

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It was a truly enviable talent, but it’s a talent that she was born with. It's something that could just be accepted as unfair.

But there was still a part she couldn’t understand.

There was one more person who knew where the marble was.

“That tree is 'The Guardian Tree of Merilda’. If you look inside the tree, you're bound to have a good harvest.”

Ed Rothstaylor.

Princess Penia felt deeply troubled.

This meant he also knew the location of the golden marble, something that couldn't be explained as an accidental discovery.

The marble only held a small amount of magic power, in a space surrounded by powerful magic power from The Guardian Tree of Merilda. It was also located on a rocky island in the middle of a lake. It’s not a place that one can find on accident while walking about.

Therefore, there was only one conclusion to be drawn. Ed Rothstaylor was born with the same level of magic sensitivity as Lucy Mayreel.

“Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! I am Ed Rothstaylor, the second son of the Rothstaylor family! Get your dirty hands off me, you pigs! Where do you think you are touching me?!”

“You think I would stoop so low just to mess with a nobody failure like Taylee? Let go of me! These dirty and ignorant commoners! Do you even know what you're talking about!”

“What? P-Princess? The Benevolent Princess Penia? I’m s-sorry, I didn’t notice you!”

“I’m sorry! Princess! I’ll punish myself and hit my head like this! Please! Please show your mercy!”

“Princess! If you defend bugs like Taylee, your noble and high name will be tarnished. Please condemn him!”

“It can’t be.”

Princess Penia shook her head.

Ever since she could remember, she had lived judging others.

The disgraceful appearance that Ed Rothstaylor exhibited at the entrance exam was something anyone would recognize as a last-ditch effort of someone backed to a corner.

The princess heard that his magical abilities were nothing exceptional. Rather, it was a mystery why he was so arrogant when he had nothing to boast about. It was probably because of the Rothstaylor family's unique training method.

But more than that, Professor Glast wouldn’t have left him alone if he had that much talent.

The professor was someone who was madly obsessed with talent, so much so that he would find hidden talents among students and help them bloom.

There was no way the professor wouldn't have noticed his level of talent.

However, the uncomfortable feeling persisted in Princess Penia.

“Was he really the same person?”

There wasn't a sense of relief or that of convincing. More than anything, there was something about that calm side of Ed Rothstaylor in the forest…

His shameful attitude, trembling in fear and unable to hide his sense of awe in the face of power, of becoming weak in front of someone powerful–she didn't feel it at all. She thought he was bluffing at first, but seeing his actions changed her mind.

Ed Rothstaylor seemed more concerned about the campfire extinguishing rather than the angry Princess Penia in front of him.

He sat by the campfire and talked, kindling the firewood with his poker. He didn't look at the princess even once.

She felt a sense of discomfort.

A sense of discomfort from the fact that this might not be the same person.

But the appearance and behavior he exhibited as an arrogant aristocrat that Princess Penia saw at the entrance exam–that was real.

“Was there a chance that he just changed?”

The biggest chance for him to change was probably after being disowned.

But even when she thought about it, it seemed too strange.

She was the reason Ed Rothstaylor was disowned.

He should have either blamed her or begged her for forgiveness. If he did, the princess wouldn't be feeling this strange unease.

However, this new Ed Rothstaylor’s eyes held no such unjust feelings.

The eyes that Princess Penia had seen–

Indifference. Apathy.

A good impression.

He even appeared to be relaxed.

The fact that these were the feelings in the eyes of someone who had just been thrown away by aristocracy… The princess thought it was unrealistic.

"No way… was he not in shock over what happened to him?"

No, Princess Penia shook her head. He lived as a member of the Rothstaylor family his whole life. No matter how calm and composed of a person he may be, there was no way being disowned from the comfortable life he had been living thus far wouldn’t be shocking.

“Hmm…”

Closing her magic book, Princess Penia fell deep into her thoughts.

* * *

Translator - Plumper

Proofreader - kianianian

* * *

What kind of family were the Rothstaylors?

The person to come to mind would be Krepin Rothstaylor, whom the princess first met at a royal banquet.

He was a wonderful nobleman with a warm-hearted smile, dressed neatly and was stylish in appearance.

But that was through the eyes of the young Princess Penia.

Because her 'Insightful Eyes', which were gifted by God like a sixth sense, gave her the ability to measure a person’s being, and they saw something different.

Inside the benevolent noble head of the house, Krepin Rothstaylor had something that the princess couldn't explain well with words. A black and unpleasant snake living in the pit of his stomach.

Behind the perfect example of a kind ruler was something hiding in the shadows.

Every once in a while, the princess would notice his face darken as he leaves the royal conference hall.

He was a villain wearing the mask of an innocent nobleman. Princess Penia had been sure about this for a long time.

There were even private troops secretly sent to investigate the family, seemingly hiding a darkness that no one knew.

There was a rumor that items would occasionally go missing at the annual Royal Treasury meeting, only to turn up later.

There was also a rumor that a staff member who worked at the family’s mansion went missing.

And a rumor that Krepin Rothstaylor indulged in books about the 'God of Destruction’.

Something suspicious was going on.

However, the basis for this speculation was not enough.

“......”

Princess Penia suddenly stopped fiddling with her pen.

Her Insightful Eyes that measured a person had never been wrong in her entire life.

No matter how unusual it may be, if her sixth sense was going haywire, then there must be something going on.

But this was only a hypothetical 'what if '.

Even though her sixth sense could sense it, the Rothstaylor family's misdeeds were yet to be revealed.

What if Ed Rothstaylor was trying to leave that darkness?

It would explain how he could remain so calm despite being disowned by his own family.

It's because he was trying to naturally cut off his ties from said family.

However, it wasn't easy to leave the blood lineage of the aristocracy. If he wanted to be disowned naturally, he would have to leave behind a destroyed reputation.

“......”

Princess Penia’s face stiffened at the realization

More than anything, if this was true…

“Let go of me! Do you know who I am?! I am Ed Rothstaylor, the second son of the Rothstaylor family! Get your dirty hands off me, you pigs! Where do you think you are touching me?!”

“You think I would stoop so low just to mess with a nobody failure like Taylee? Let go of me! These dirty and ignorant commoners! Do you even know what you're talking about!”

Then even that ugliness he showed, that worst part of human nature he exhibited during the entrance examination… That meant it was all acting.

This meant he had a different type of inner strength that even her Insightful Eyes couldn't see.

In other words, he was a mastermind manipulator who even used the princess of the kingdom for his own purpose.

“That was… all acting…?”

The princess quickly shook her head no. That can’t be true.

However, the change in Ed Rothstaylor constantly bothered Princess Penia.

If what she saw was acting.

If he knew something about the darkness of the Rothstaylor family.

If he used the princess to cut ties with that darkness.

If all of this was planned in the palm of his hand.

If that’s true…

Slam!

“This is too exhausting.”

The princess pushed herself up from the table.

She went to the window and was greeted by the cool sea breeze, her platinum blonde hair refreshingly flying in the wind.

The feeling helped cool her head.

“I should catch up on the admission schedule and my studies, I can't afford to pay attention to state affairs.”

Go enjoy the happiness of learning. That was the encouragement the King gave her when she left for the academy.

She had been able to shed and escape some of the rules and mannerisms of being royalty in Silvenia, a place for her to study. She should let go of these thoughts now.

A life full of politics, power struggles between aristocrats, caring for the people, and diplomacy with international nations…

The princess was starting to get tired of it all.

Maybe she was already tired.

She was just overestimating Ed Rothstaylor.

Not everyone lived their life hidden inside layers of masks.

Perhaps this had become a bad habit for the princess, measuring a person due to living life walking a tightrope amongst aristocrats and ministers.

Physically, Princess Penia was just a foolish girl who was yet to have her coming of age ceremony. But her heartfelt as though it had become old.

Besides, she wasn't even at the age that she should be measuring others, but rather at a time when she should be focusing on herself.

The princess sighed as the wind whistled by.

“Did I mature too early for my age?”

She looked at the mirror by the window.

A beautiful platinum blonde princess who grew up well-cared for stood in the mirror wearing light sleepwear.

She gathered her hair and rolled it up, then she tried splitting it in the middle and tying her hair in pigtails, and then she tried tying everything to one side.

But by then, she let out a big sigh and let go of her hair.

“It’s not that I'm not interested in dressing up, but I don’t know why I get so embarrassed about it.”

Authority sometimes bound a person. Since she was in a position of authority, the fatigue was indescribable.

But it couldn’t be helped. To some people, the princess’s position looked like a blessing.

“I’m always thinking too deeply and too hard about everything… It might have become a bad habit.”

Princess Penia still kept thinking as she stood by the window, feeling the wind. She stood there thinking about Ed Rothstaylor.

Knowing the dark secret of the Rothstaylor family, he deliberately used the princess to get himself disowned and break ties with his family.

The assumption was too absurd.

It made sense if she were to stitch together various pieces but… it was too much of a leap in terms of logic.

But his attitude had strangely changed and did a 180°.

“Let’s just think he went crazy because he got disowned.”

He also found the location of the golden marble before Lucy Mayreel and told Princess Penia…

“That is… I don’t know… He must have found it by chance.”

On the contrary, it felt too convenient. Princess Penia was aware of that fact, but she also felt relieved, having had reasoned it out for herself.

“When we had a conversation before, I didn’t feel anything dark from inside of him…”

Princess Penia’s face froze.

The conversation she had with him in the northern forest.

She forgot how natural their conversation flowed.

As soon as she saw him, she immediately snapped at him.

Get out of this school! People here despise you. Don’t you also despite this school as well? Don’t you hate me for getting you disowned?

How did Ed Rothstaylor respond to that?

With a surprised reaction, he stared at Princess Penia and said a reason that nobody would believe–

“The truth is, princess, I actually feel grateful towards you.”

Stuck in such a bizarre situation, she couldn’t ask the significance behind those words.

Just what was he thankful for?

Princess Penia was the person who had the biggest influence in getting him excommunicated.

Just what was there to be thankful for to such an enemy?

Was getting disowned something to be thankful for?

“......”

Slowly, Princess Penia stopped.

Crackle!

She could hear the occasional crackling of the campfire, as if experiencing an auditory hallucination.

There wasn't a lot the princess saw that day.

The only thing she saw was the wide back of a boy rekindling firewood with his poker, as if he was enjoying what he was doing.

* * *

Fwoosh!

“I caught it!!!”

It was my seventh catch.

The fishing rod I made in a hurry was performing better than I thought. The freshwater fish I just caught looked similar to bluegill and was already my seventh catch.

With this much, it wouldn't only be to stave off my hunger, but it should be enough to eat until I’m full.

I was always hungry, but after coming to this terrible world for the first time, it looked like I might finally be able to feel 'satisfied'.

So satisfied that I couldn’t help but give a thumbs up.

“What a great catch!!!”