The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 66

The farm owner had a somewhat displeased expression when it was mentioned that 10% of the academy’s shares would be handed over to the Gold Road Trading Company.

However, after Amon’s fervent persuasion, he eventually came to accept it.

‘What benefit would there be in giving shares to the academy? Wouldn’t it be better to establish a cooperative relationship with the trading company instead? That would be much more secure, wouldn’t it?’

‘Hmm, but…’

‘Wouldn’t it be better to stay close to the trading company to secure distribution networks, rather than collaborating with those academy types who only know ink and books?’

For the sake of his goal, Amon could lower even his own group if needed.

After Amon’s passionate persuasion, the farm owner finally nodded in agreement.

‘Well, anyway, the immediate crisis has been averted.’

The red tags that had been covering the academy had long since disappeared!

The workers who had been sweeping up various things had also vanished.

‘But it felt crowded with people, didn’t it? Now that they’ve all gone, the academy feels empty. No, it really is empty…’

At that moment, the only people remaining on the vast academy grounds were Amon and Anar’el—just the two of them.

‘There are only two weeks left of the summer vacation. Soon, my little sister and the Dragon Lord will be enrolling, so I’ll have to make sure we have everything ready…’

Of course, even if everyone gathered here, the feeling of emptiness wouldn’t change much. But three is better than two, and four is better than three.

“Well, now that the immediate crisis is averted, should we call others?”

Amon pulled out the low-quality papers from the stack he had.

‘They all come from prominent places, so the letters should arrive soon, and they’ll return shortly, right?’

Amon wrote letters to the scattered colleagues of the academy.

Two days later.

‘What’s going on? Why haven’t I received any replies?’

Even though they had been sent by special courier, there was still no reply.

None of them were in some remote, secluded place.

Sloth would likely be at the prestigious Pid Marquis household, and Marion was reportedly back at the famous Mage Tower where he had once been affiliated.

‘And Reinbelt is probably in the capital for the Four Great Knights’ summons?’

In other words, if the letters were sent by special courier, they should have arrived within a day at the latest.

So two days was more than enough time, and yet, no replies?

‘Could they all be too busy?’

Well, Marion and Reinbelt could be too busy to reply.

‘…Then why hasn’t Sloth replied?’

She was probably lounging around at the Marquis household, yet she didn’t even bother to reply to a letter!

Having worked up a sweat to restore the King of Mango Farm and resolve the academy’s crisis, yet the senior teachers were off leisurely enjoying themselves elsewhere!

“How disappointing. Don’t you think so, Headmaster?”

At Amon’s question, Anar’el responded with a powerless groan, as she was in a miserable state.

She had spent almost an entire week restoring the King of Mango Farm and was now suffering from mana depletion, leaving her looking like dried fish.

“Well, I told them to come back before summer vacation ends, so they’ll probably return on their own.”

“Ugh…”

“Well, if they don’t come back by then, we can just go and catch them.”

“Ughhh…”

“So, I’m saying…”

At Amon’s meaningful words, Anar’el flinched.

What else was he planning to make her do, now that she was in such a pitiful state?

“The first person we need to find is…”

“Who, who do you mean…?”

“Others are easy to locate, and I’ve already sent letters to them, so they’ll return on their own by the end of the summer vacation, but one person is completely different.”

“…Could it be?”

“Yes, Vice-Principal Brestle.”

Anar’el’s eyes widened.

Not long ago, when the Gold Road Trading Company’s creditors came to take away the academy’s property, Brestle had remained completely unconcerned.

“Ah, I’m hungry. Headmaster, is there anything to eat?”

“Ack! Don’t take that! That’s the history of our academy…”

“Ugh, this is chaotic.”

“Brestle! Stop them! The bust of the second headmaster in the vice-principal’s office was made to honor…”

“Ah, yes. Please pass by.”

“Ahhhh!”

Amidst the chaos, Brestle had been wandering around, rubbing her belly and looking for food, and eventually, she fled the academy.

The Headmaster’s fury must have been immense!

What’s more, she had vanished without even saying where she was going!

Anar’el gritted her teeth.

“Ugh, what should I do? Should I track down her location?”

“Yes. That will be enough.”

As long as she found her location, Amon would go after her immediately, grabbing her by the hair and bringing her back to face a stern judgment.

Anar’el, now looking even more like dried fish, weakly rose from her sickbed.

“Cough! Huh, huuu…”

“Headmaster! Don’t overdo it!”

“It’s… fine. You don’t need to worry.”

“But…”

Anar’el smiled sadly.

“For Brestle’s punishment… No, for the academy’s future, I’d gladly sacrifice my body.”

Anar’el muttered resolutely and tightly shut her eyes.

Then, she activated a tracking spell to trace Brestle’s presence.

“Ugh!? Cough, cough!”

With violent coughing, she covered her mouth, and Amon’s eyes widened.

Was she pushing herself so hard that she was about to vomit blood?

Turning her head, Anar’el said.

“Amon, do you have something to wipe with?”

“Are… you okay? You’re coughing up blood…”

“No, I just choked on my saliva…”

“…”

After wiping her nose, Anar’el sniffled and activated the magic again.

Some time passed.

“…I found her.”

“Ah!”

“To the southeast of Amur…She’s there. It’s about a day’s journey by horse.”

Southeast of Amur.

If you continue down that path, a few villages will appear.

And if you go a little further south, there’s even a fairly large city.

‘But that’s a place that would take several days to reach by horse, right? But he said it’s only a day’s journey—what could be there?’

Lost in thought, Amon recalled what might be in that direction and flinched.

“…Amur Forest?”

The statement that it would take about a day to get there meant that if Amon ran at full speed, it wouldn’t take more than a few hours to arrive.

‘This is the Amur Forest. I’ve always skirted around it, but this is my first time actually entering…’

The Amur Forest was denser than expected.

For Amon, who had freely roamed the vast Arma Mountain Range like it was his backyard, it was a significant sign if he thought, ‘It’s bigger than I thought.’

‘Finding Brestle here won’t be easy. If I had known this, I should have brought Principal Anar’el along.’

While Amon was thinking this, the dried Elf from the Academy, who had been left behind, suddenly felt an itch in her ears.

But, lacking the strength, she couldn’t scratch her ears, so she just ended up sobbing.

Anyway, at present Amon sighed as he looked around the Amur Forest.

“Ugh…If I’m not careful, I’ll end up wasting a lot of time in this forest… Hmm?”

He muttered as he suddenly turned his head.

There was a smell in the air that didn’t belong in an ordinary forest.

‘The smell of roasting meat!’

Amon shot toward the source of the smell like lightning.

‘Of course! Even after coming all the way here, she’s just hanging around looking for something to eat!’

Amon, having launched himself toward the smell, clenched his fist as it grew closer.

‘Let’s give her a punch first!’

Amon, leaping out of the bushes, prepared to swing his fist and shouted.

“Brestle…!”

“Ugh!”

“…It’s not her?”

To his surprise, a middle-aged man, who had fallen after being startled by Amon’s shout, was the one who had been there.

“Who are you?”

“Who are you?!”

Flustered, Amon hurriedly explained who he was.

He was a teacher from the Academy, and he had come here searching for a colleague.

The middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief after hearing Amon’s explanation.

“Phew, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry. I came a long way looking for that bastard…”

“…Phew, I understand.”

The middle-aged man introduced himself as a hunter who made a living by hunting beasts.

“It just so happens that it’s time for my meal, and I was about to eat when you startled me.”

“Sorry again.”

The hunter, tearing off the hind leg of a rabbit, continued.

“So, who are you looking for?”

Amon, eyeing the greasy rabbit leg, responded.

“Oh, a Dark Elf. Have you seen one around?”

The hunter paused for a moment, frowning at Amon’s words.

“A Dark Elf? Is that one of your companions?”

“One of my companions? No, she’s just a colleague.”

“Hm. I don’t know if it’s the one you’re looking for, but I did see a Dark Elf lurking around here recently, someone I haven’t seen around before.”

“R-Really?!”

The hunter nodded and, with the bare bone of the rabbit leg, pointed in a direction.

“If you go a little that way, you should find her.”

“T-Thank you!”

“Sure, take care.”

“…”

“…Aren’t you going?”

Amon hesitated before carefully speaking.

“U-Excuse me, but could I join you for the meal?”

“…Sit.”

Amon sat down and devoured all four rabbits that the hunter had caught.

Today’s expenditure: One silver coin.

‘Ugh, that damn hunter. Asking for a silver coin just for the price of a rabbit…’

Nature belongs to no one, yet here he was accepting money.

Grumbling, Amon trudged through the bushes, muttering.

“Anyway, this direction should be correct… But I haven’t even seen a single rabbit, let alone a Dark Elf.”

As Amon continued grumbling and walking, he suddenly remembered what the hunter had said.

‘Anyway, be careful. She’s a very violent one.’

It’s true that Brestle had a bit of a violent side, but was she really violent enough for the hunter to warn him so seriously?

Now that he thought about it, Anar’el had given him similar advice.

‘Be careful when you find Vice-Principal Brestle.’

‘Huh? What should I be careful of?’

‘You’ll understand once you see her.’

With that vague warning in mind, Amon clicked his tongue.

‘Well, I’ll understand once I see her. But why is the path so rough?’

Grumbling, Amon continued on his way, but then suddenly stopped.

Once again, the smell of roasting meat hit his nose.

‘…Could it be the hunter again?’

Frowning, Amon moved cautiously forward and then widened his eyes.

‘There! Found her!’

Brestle was squatting by a campfire.

And, as if she had hunted it herself, there was a large wild boar lying next to her!

‘This damn Dark Elf leaves the Academy, runs away, and now she’s living the good life roasting a pig!?’

Furious, Amon burst out of the bushes and shouted.

“Brestle! You damn Dark Elf…!”

Just as he shouted, Brestle jumped back and glared at Amon, shouting.

“U!”

“…Huh? U?”

“U! Uuuu! Ugh, ack!”

Brestle threatened by slapping the ground with her palms and throwing stones!

“What?”

“Uuu! U! Aah!”

“…”

Seeing Brestle showing her teeth and growling threateningly, Amon suddenly remembered the hunter’s warning.

‘Anyway, be careful. She’s a very violent one.’

He also recalled Anar’el’s advice.

‘Be careful when you find Vice-Principal Brestle. You’ll understand once you see her.’

The meaning of those words finally sank in, and Amon collapsed, overwhelmed.

“Is the Dark Elf such a wild species that it can become feral this quickly…?”

“U, u! U, ack ack ack!”