How to Survive at the Academy

I thought it was like this (5)

“Are you okay?”

It was already late at night when I felt like I could take control of my body properly.

I opened my eyes and lifted my upper body while overcoming the slight fever that remained on my body, and I found myself lying on a cozy and soft bed.

“…here?”

“This is my private room in the Ophelis building. At the request of Ms. Yenica and Ms. Lortel, I have brought her here for now.”

“…”

I was silent for a moment at the sight of Bell standing next to me.

All I can remember for now is that I suddenly got dizzy after drinking a glass of water.

It was difficult to accurately judge the situation from this alone, so I asked Bell to explain further.

“Looks like Miss Patriciana is having trouble.”

“If it’s Patriciana, is that 4th-year geeky wizard?”

“Yes. Haven’t you seen me before?”

“…we haven’t had a very good relationship before.”

The other day, they caught Merylda who went out for a walk and made a fuss, saying that she was being abused at the camp.

Her sister Traceyana rushed to her, squeezing the troublemaker’s head and apologizing over and over, and she just passed. After that, Tracyana joined the fight to retake Elte.

The girl who used to be, this time, even with reagents, she’s having trouble. After all, isn’t it that people don’t fix it?

I opened my axe eyes, took a deep breath, and stared blankly into the air for a moment.

“So, where is he now?”

“I’m being held in Miss Tracyana’s room.”

“You’re being caught…?”

“When I stopped by the room to check the number of people, I was practicing kneeling with Ms. Tracyana.”

“…”

“It was quite alive. I’m not even from a military family, so I was wondering if I would receive ceremonial training separately.”

To be honest, Tracyana doesn’t really do anything wrong, but she always feels like she’s getting caught up in Patriciana’s troubles and even herself is going to apologize. I did it last time too.

This time, obviously, she will grab Patriciana’s ear and drag her along, pressing her head down and making an apologetic expression to the world.

“Well, sooner or later, why don’t you come with a bunch of presents? It seems that Master Ed needs to focus only on checking his body.”

“I have been through all sorts of strange things in my life.”

“You don’t have to worry about post-processing. Miss Tracyana is an expert in this area…”

“…direction? What side…?”

I got up, pressing my temples tight. The headache had subsided quite a bit, but the slight fever still circulating in my body was still there.

“When Miss Patriciana comes in with a big accident, she apologizes in all sorts of different ways… depending on how different the way she does it, she is known as an apology expert in the bachelor’s degree.”

“…”

“Well, you wouldn’t be interested in this kind of gossip.”

I asked what Bell was doing, and he was sitting at the table doing embroidery.

This is not the usual maid outfit with a lot of red rose pattern decorations. Anyway, it’s late at night, and there’s nothing left to do, so wear comfortable clothes.

As Bell is always neat and tidy no matter what she does, it is almost impossible for a normal student to see her everyday clothes.

Yes, it’s a simple dress pajamas, but a person’s impression changes drastically even if the clothes change.

“I… have I been stuck these days…”

“You look a little bad. Do you still have some energy left? You can sleep a little longer if you need to.”

“No, you can’t keep occupying someone’s bed forever. It’s just… I can’t tell if my common sense is lacking or if the students at this bachelor are weird. To the abduction expert, to the apology expert… to the drinking water terrorist…”

“…what is certain is that Master Ed is a very common-sense and rational person. There is no need to adapt the standard of thinking to the environment…”

Indeed… if you think about it, it feels like the author of a normal person is picking him up. Especially the students of the Alchemy Department, or those who are engrossed in alchemy, it seems that something is more insane…

What is alchemy?

“So… what kind of background did I go through to your private room and get lost? There will be no time to rest, but I’m sorry.”

“it’s okay. Anyway, I have a lot of work to do tonight.”

“If you just lay it down in my hut, it will recover on its own. Was it a job to bring you here?”

“Well… I’ll give you my opinion, leaving it alone in the hut would have been a much more risky choice. The detailed background… it’s complicated to explain, but…”

Bell put the scarf she had been embroidered on on the table and fell into deep thought.

“Just… you might as well rest here tonight. It doesn’t matter because I have to go out periodically to check the night watchman.”

“…when the hell do you sleep?”

“I sleep for a couple of hours in the morning, and I tend to take a nap while it rains during the day. I tend to have a loose schedule in the morning, or get a good night’s sleep during vacation.”

A good night’s sleep is not an everyday thing, it’s an event.

No matter how strong and sincere I am, if I live with that pattern, I will be exhausted at some point… On the contrary, Bell has a more radiant skin and a feeling of vitality when working hard.

There are people like that where work is the fuel of life, and work is the best nutrient. Humans born with such a mindset usually occupy upper positions in bureaucracy.

The same goes for Bellmaia.

“I thought I was living a pretty hard life too, but you’re really a venomous dog.”

“…?”

“…not.”

This is normal. Once that mindset is established, the question of why do you work so hard seems strange.

I’m not in a position to say anything out there, so I just nodded my head.

“Would you like some light snacks? Eating sweet foods will speed up your recovery from accidents.”

“done. To some extent, I overcame the strength of medicine.”

“okay. I heard that you were going to the Cedric’s Monastery sometime this week, and I was worried if I didn’t recover before then.”

“Yeah, it’s insignificant. I’m going to get over this somehow… But I’m wondering what to do if there are aftereffects.”

“I asked Ms. Tracy or Miss Tracy about that, but she said there was nothing to worry about. Maybe when the sun comes up, he will come and explain it well.”

I nodded my head and opened my eyes while pressing down on the slight remaining headache.

Slowly my body and mind calmed down, and only then did the view of Bell’s private room caught my eye.

In a word, it was different from what I had imagined.

No matter what anyone says about being the head of the Ophelis Hall, it is a prestigious and high-income position. It is also a dream place for anyone who works in a related field.

The attire is also dainty and glamorous, making it stand out for a maid whose modesty is always considered a virtue. yea it has to be

In fact, it is the face of this Sylvania, serving as a frontline assistant to all the distinguished guests studying in Sylvania.

It is also a position where students should be given as much support and consideration as possible from the point of view of a bachelor. Because her impression soon becomes that of Sylvania.

For that kind of thing… the room is very small. A small bed, a wooden table and a work chair, a window with adequate light, and a simple wardrobe with good storage efficiency in a space of about 6 or 7 pyeong.

And there are some portraits of great men hanging on the wall. All that is on the table is a picture frame with a landscape painting and a dagger with a wildcat pattern on it as decoration.

“The maid’s private room is being used as a warehouse.”

Perhaps he noticed that he was puzzled by looking at the room, Bell struck the player first.

“I feel like I’m floating when the room for sleeping and relaxing is too large… I’m using the same room I used when I was a senior maid.”

“You’re frugal.”

“It’s pretty ordinary.”

Frugality is also a relative concept to some extent.

No matter how frugal a person may be, it is not easy to maintain such an attitude even after working in such a luxurious Ophelis Hall for several years… even with the title of head of a maid.

Although it is a place where there is no problem with a little extravagance, she is truly a person who deserves to be called a maid of heaven.

“What were you doing before you became a maid?”

I felt my body’s energy return, and I swung my arms around.

Then, he gently pushed out the question that was hidden in his chest.

Rumors circulated here and there in the Ophelis Hall, but nothing was revealed on the surface.

There is no need to dig into Bell’s past, but it would not be a big disrespect to reveal even the slightest curiosity.

“Well…”

However, Bell pondered for a moment and then said:

“It’s not a very interesting story… I don’t really talk about it.”

Don’t ask.

After seeing that attitude, whoever it is will interpret its inner meaning this way.

I decided to muffle the question because I thought it might have some meaning.

“Yeah, sorry if I was rude. I wasn’t trying to dig out anything.”

It would be rude to delve deeper into personal history than necessary. After thinking about doing this roughly, and making a ceremonial apology, Bell suddenly shook his head.

On the contrary, it looked more perplexed.

“Hey… you said something misleading. Sorry, Master Ed. It wasn’t a particularly rude question.”

“What?”

“It means just what it says. It’s not very pleasant… and it’s dark at the end, so I don’t have to talk about dark things. It’s not really a story to hide.”

Bell picked up the embroidery he had put down and fiddled with the needle again. I wonder if the story will be long.

If you look at the scarf through which the needle is threaded, it is for a student. They seem to be engraving more embroidery on the seam they are doing repairs, and although it is possible to have a maid at the end of the job do that, he is doing it himself.

What happened to him reveals Bell’s method of trying to finish most things on his own line.

“He was the illegitimate child of the Flanchel family in the northeastern part of the Empire. My surname comes from my mother’s side.”

So, Bell came in with a nonchalant hook.

Even with that one line line alone, he intuited that Bell’s birth was unusual, but it was easy to see that his life was not easy.

“Do you know Baron Flanchel?”

“…I think I’ve heard the name.”

It’s a long and dignified name.

However, what is certain is that I have never seen it in a social church in the Roth Taylor estate. From some famous aristocrats to small and medium-sized nobles, even if they couldn’t come in person, it was a place to send gifts.

“Actually, it’s more natural to not remember. Baron Flanchel produced a lot of bureaucrats, mainly in charge of long-distance diplomacy with countries on the eastern continent. It was geographically located in the northeastern part of the empire, and because of the rough terrain, we used the sea route more than the carriages leading into the empire.”

“For a baron, it seems that he was quite old.”

“I do not know. Anyway, you won’t be able to find it on the map anymore. It was annexed to Count Melin. In fact, from the perspective of Master Ed, who came from the Duke of Roth Taylor, it must be a microscopic incident.”

“…”

What does it mean for the territories of nobles to be merged into the territories of higher nobles?

You can think of a variety of possibilities, but most of them mean that the word is not good.

“As a diplomatic family, I went abroad a lot, especially to the distant eastern continent. He tried to introduce new agricultural equipment and sericulture to the territory, and he also promoted large-scale civil works to level the rough land.”

The name of the Flanzel family does not remain in my memory.

However, seeing that Bell is able to talk to such fine details… At times, a strange feeling comes from the gap.

For some, the baron who was only passing by was the cradle that took care of their childhood for others.

“There were many attempts to make the estate more prosperous, but most of them didn’t end well.”

“…you were the illegitimate child of that Flanzel family…?”

“Yes. He was an out-of-wedlock child of Master Dalvern, the official successor.”

“Well… life must not have been easy.”

“I do not know. If I had been a central aristocrat in a fierce battle for power, I would have tried to hide and hide, but surprisingly, I was accepted bluntly.”

As a marginal aristocrat who was pushed out of the battle for power in the first place and only cares about his young people to the fullest… Did he not even consider the existence of a child out of wedlock, which could be a political weakness or harm, as a thorn in his eyes?

“Unexpectedly, during my childhood, I lived in a mansion with some consideration. The naval forces hardly even looked at it.”

“…”

“So, there is nothing to say about hurt. I have never been ashamed of my identity. However, there are some people who are surprised when I say that I am from an aristocratic family.”

So do I.

It is ironic in some ways that the maid who takes care of the nobles was actually from a noble family.

“But once you think about it, it is rather natural. As it is a position that requires hospitality and management of nobles, it would be more appropriate for those who know the manners of nobles well.”

“If you think about it that way, it is. But, where in the world is there a noble who claims to be a maid?”

“So, I guess I was the perfect person. There were times when the status of an illegitimate child was vulgar, but I am also very grateful for this status that has only recently made it possible for me to become like this.”

Actually, rather than coming from an aristocratic family, the aspect of being smart and sincere seems to have been appealed more strongly… but I decided not to go into detail.

“By the way, isn’t it completely in the opposite direction to this Aken Island, which is attached to the southwest of the northeastern part of the continent? I accidentally left home and am living a maid life in this faraway land.”

“Ellis-sama, the former head of the maid, was my father’s acquaintance. Elise-sama was from the eastern continent, and he was a person who reached out to children who had nowhere to go… And from the family’s point of view, even if he had no desire for power, wouldn’t he do anything to keep his illegitimate children until the end? You have to release it to some extent so that you can live your own life.”

At this point I realized

As Bell continued the story, he was consciously flicking through the gloomy or gloomy story.

Well, I just had to live. He was from an aristocratic family.

He maintains such a position and speaks contemplatively, but there must have been no trials in his life.

I don’t want to make the other person feel gloomy by any chance. Such care is ingrained in the body.

It seems that the life of a woman named Belle Maia is visible in that figure… Rather, I have a strange repulsion.

“It must have been difficult.”

“It was not particularly difficult.”

“It was hard.”

“There were times like that, but it’s good to have a business card for a noble family. You grew up with the Duke of Roth Taylor, so I don’t dare give you a business card.”

Skillfully passing it over as a compliment to the authority of the other person is the figure of an adult who has some mastery in the situation.

“…okay.”

Here, I folded a few.

However, Bell Maia was conscious of the fact that I had taken a step back in that way, so she put her embroidery down for a moment and looked at me.

“Actually, who hasn’t had a difficult time? Everyone has ups and downs in life, especially in special circumstances like the Ophelis Hall, and we see that more often.”

“I can’t say no. Right now, my family is in a state of turmoil.”

“yes. That’s right. So I am not asking for sympathy or pleading for sympathy for my misfortune by bringing in a pitiful tragedy.”

The round moon outside the window.

As always, the penetrating moonlight illuminates the world fairly.

Unlike the dazzling midday sun, it is a shining light, but there are times when the light that subtly permeates as if it does not exist, rather, gives peace to people’s hearts.

When the light is bright, it is dazzling. Sometimes you need a soft light from behind.

In fact, Bell Maia was such a light human. It is a kind of human that does not appear, but is clearly established there.

“Even so, it would not be polite to dismiss it by saying that you don’t care about Ed’s curiosity.”

“No, it’s done. Rather, it’s probably just my curiosity. I’m busy with my life, but I don’t have the energy to wonder about other people’s past, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to tell me.”

“no. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that I really want to say it.”

“…?”

I don’t mean to brag about bad luck.

When I put on an absurd expression on my face that contradicted what I had said a few seconds ago, Bell Maia also added something with a shy expression.

“What I just said is general, and if the opponent is Master Ed, there is also a change of heart on this side.”

“A change of heart? Do you really have a story you want to tell me?”

“Yes. Well… Since you’re Master Ed, there are some stories I want you to hear.”

It’s disconcerting to see a woman who was consistent with her business-like attitude no matter who she dealt with this way.

It’s not like I’m the kind of person who can have any personal feelings for me. I know that, and Bell knows it well.

Rather, there is a relationship that is convenient because it is an office job. Having an insight into that fact, I held the white flag and put the horse to Bell, who persistently insisted on giving respect.

“Do you know about the end of the Flanchel family?”

Whoever it is, tragedy and comedy intersect in life’s history.

If you look back on the path you have lived, there must have been a lot of sad and happy times.

I don’t know how many tragedies lied in Bell’s past, but his intuition was crying out.

At least in this case, it was the darkest of the dark past that Bell had hidden.

As always, her elegant and clear tone of voice remains unchanged.

“From a macro-historical point of view… yes. A marginal aristocrat without a desire for power usually ends up with a similar outcome.”

“Was it used as a discard plaque in the power struggle of a high-ranking nobleman?”

“It is similar. It’s an obvious story that needs to be explained step by step, but I remember the ending clearly. This is the story of my childhood. At that time, Ellis-sama, the head of the former maid, was visiting the Flanchel mansion as a distinguished guest.”

Bell closes her eyes.

Only Bell himself knows what he must have been like as a child.

Bell doesn’t give details. Just slurp and talk.

“There was talk that the amount of tribute demanded by the lord Marquess Melin could no longer be met with just tax revenue within the estate. We sold out the baron’s valuables, fired our employees, and even robbed all of our personal assets, but the estate’s warehouse was increasingly empty.”

“…”

I had some guesswork, but I kept my mouth shut and listened.

“The baron went directly to Marie Merlin, the lord, and tried to make an appeal, but to no avail. Baron Flanchel realized when he asked for someone to give it to him. It was the illegitimate illegitimate son of the Baron, who had nothing to do with his relatively beautiful appearance, that Marquess Melin wanted to offer as a tribute.”

I’m speaking like a stranger, but the name of the illegitimate child is probably-

“He’s not the one whose name is on the family tree, and the illegitimate child of Planche, who is only half-blooded… Just giving it away is enough. Surprisingly, living in the possession of Byeon-baek might be a happier life for me. Well, it’s a hand sword, but it’s going to be a bit harsh.”

“…”

“However, for some reason, the baron was just looking at the illegitimate child I had raised in my arms with vague eyes. “Family love is sometimes referred to as a curse that blocks a person’s path.”

The speed of the hand for embroidering stitch by stitch is constant.

Bell Maia was a maid who faithfully performed the given task at any time.

“But the baron comes up with an innovative way. A way to forcefully publicize the matter so that it does not move according to the demands of the martyr, and while eating one shot, the central nobles cannot easily pass it up.”

“…”

“What a groundbreaking method it was, it was a really innovative measure that could get rid of all the pain he had been given. You don’t have to see the painful faces of Youngji people anymore, you don’t have to take responsibility for the remorse when you look away from them, you don’t have to be heartbroken at the sad face of a young illegitimate child who doesn’t know anything about the world anymore, It’s a quick way out.”

“what is that?”

asked lightly.

The answer came back heavy.

“You just need to bring a few supplies. A long rope and an old, shabby wooden chair.”

“…”

“The rope should be long enough to make a loop and tie it to the ceiling, and the chair should be light enough to be easily knocked over.”

There the talk ended.

silence.

30 seconds? 1 minute?

Without talking to each other like that, I quietly lowered my gaze in the quiet room.

“It’s not a story that ends so gloomy. Should I call it a whistle blower? Just like in a fairy tale, Melin’s Marquess meets a terrible end to the extent that it makes me feel refreshed.”

“I just heard the story. It’s a story that all elder professors know.”

“okay. Obviously, the story of the Marquess Melin is famous. Two years later, while trying to bribe the prime minister of the country, the headwinds and a magnificent collapse. I’ve had a lot of bad deeds in the past… It’s a natural result. But… that’s what I think about.”

Bell closed his eyes and spoke.

Normally, I don’t have to say it out loud, but I really want to say it because my opponent is Master Ed.

I now understand the meaning of those words.

“It’s not a very good decision to take your own life.”

“…”

“No one knows what will happen in the future.”

If the baron had just closed his eyes and passed the illegitimate child over to the martyr, two years later, he might have been laughing out loud at his downfall.

While talking like that, Bell slowly opened his eyes and pierced the scarf with a needle.

The back of the young girl, who had opened the baron’s door and entered, shimmers.

Only Bell at that time would remember what kind of scene was reflected in her young eyes.

“I’m sorry for the gloomy talk.”

“no. There’s nothing to apologize for. And let me tell you, I am living as hard as possible.”

“I know. Ed is continuing his life harder than anyone else.”

Bell put down his embroidery for a moment and then looked out the moonlit window.

“It’s fortunate.”

“Please tell me when you go to the Cledric Monastery. I’ll give you some light refreshments and some presents for you to eat on the way.”

“Thank you for the refreshments, what’s the present?”

“The Abbot is someone I know well. He has helped me a lot and is a good person. I want to deliver a present while I am on my way, so the refreshments are a bribe to ask for the gift.”

“You don’t have to bribe for that… a snack would be appreciated.”

Before long, Bell lifted a candlestick from the corner of the room as if he was going to check out the night watchman.

“If possible, I think it would be better to wake up in the morning when the sun rises. It’s not good to walk through the night forest until you’re sure you’re in good shape.”

“Is that so… I think it would be better to calm down and go out…”

“Well, you’ve been through a lot of embarrassing things. There are many times in my life that I am faced with ridiculous and unexpected situations… Whenever that happens, I consciously say something.”

Bell lifted the hem of her dress as if to rest in peace, and said politely.

“Even if you are a little embarrassed, you always say it like a habit in your heart as if you were trying to beat yourself up.”

Much of Bell’s past is still a mystery. Even if you only saw the fragment for a while, you shouldn’t go into recklessly cutting her life.

It must have been a life full of trials and tribulations that I could not have imagined.

Nevertheless, she was always reminded to herself. As if hypnotizing yourself.

It was as if I had anticipated from the beginning that things would turn out like this. As if there was no need to panic at all, this is the secret to being able to maintain a lofty posture.

*“…I thought I was like this.”

It was the next morning that Patriciana and Tracyana sprinted through the door and slammed them down from the top of the head to the floor.

“crime! song!!! do!!!!! I have sinned to death!”

The sequence of opening the door, throwing a pile of presents on the table, and gliding onto the floor and banging his head was almost a work of art.

A figure of Tracyana sitting next to Patriciana with her head shoved on the floor and her head stuck together.

If I had to give an art score, it was close to 100 out of 10.

“My brother!!!! I don’t know anything because I don’t know too much!!!!”

“…Ah, ah…! hurt…! Uh, uh… sorry, sorry…”

“I’m really, really sorry!!!! really !!!!! sorry!!!!!!!! do!!!!!!”

I sat on the bed and looked down at the twin sisters with their heads bowed with a puzzled look on their faces.

Anyway, seeing the senior 4th grader with his head down… It was a bit awkward to watch.