Chapter 33 The Occupation of Ophelius Hall (3)

"Is the second semester starting tomorrow?"

Zix Effelstein realized time had passed while he was training alone in his room. It was an unexpected realization.

Looking out the window at the pouring rain, he felt dispirited. The gloomy weather, continuing for days, prevented him from his routine jogging and outdoor magical training.

His plan to train as much as possible during the vacation faced some setbacks. He intended to polish his basics to keep up with the class progress, but still felt significantly lacking.

The curriculum of Class A, led by Professor Glast, was quite challenging for Zix, who lacked tricks. Excluding Lucy, who solved everything with her overwhelming magical power, he thought he should learn from Lortelle's delicate magic manipulation and quick problem-solving skills.

Although Zix was superior in actual combat ability, he felt inferior to Lortelle in terms of the skills and tricks needed for civilized life.

"I should minimize getting swept away by emotions…"

Zix sighed deeply.

His act of beating Tote in a moment of anger upset his companion, Elka, who rarely showed anger towards him. Even though Zix apologized to Tote under Elka's pressure, his emotional tendencies persisted.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he noticed a familiar figure in the rain-soaked garden. The person, wearing a robe and making his way through the rain towards Ophelius Hall, was indeed an oddity living in a cabin in the northern forest.

"Weren't you expelled? If you force your way into Ophelius Hall, the maids will drive you out…"

Worried about potential harm but realizing the person was unlikely to be ignorant of such basic facts, Zix decided not to concern himself and shifted his focus away from the window.

Upon entering, the main hall of Ophelius Hall on the first floor is usually locked.

Maids responsible for the entrance perform a simple identity check on students entering the dormitory.

Without the red brooch issued only to Ophelius Hall residents, entry is impossible, and the maids memorize the faces of all 53 dormitory students, making deception unfeasible.

"Ed, right? I've been informed by the head maid."

Normally, I would be standing outside in the rain, but today the entrance to Ophelius Hall was open for me.

'Laundry in charge Kelly'

Dressed in the neat attire of a lower maid, Kelly, along with her sister Shenny, played a significant role in the Ophelius Hall occupation event.

The loyal maids of Ophelius Hall wouldn't participate in such an occupation. However, Shenny and Kelly, raised by head maid Ellis, joined her plan after being persuaded.

Shenny, wielding a rapier for defense, and Kelly, mastering basic magic to control corridors, were not challenging opponents on the third floor. With Kelly's firepower neutralized, breaking through was easier than expected.

But, that was Taely's task to handle.

"If you were any later, it would've been trouble. It's almost time for the shift change."

Kelly, in charge of the entrance at this time, let me into Ophelius Hall as instructed.

"I'll soon switch with another maid and attend to my duties. The new maid, Sella, can be easily subdued without force. She doesn't carry any weapons."

"Should someone like that be in charge of the main entrance?"

"Checking identities and granting entry isn't that difficult, right? In emergencies, she carries a magical device to alert the head maid directly, but today, the head maid won't respond."

I nodded.

Hiding inside, I would open the entrance at the right time, allowing the lower-ranking students to storm in and head upstairs.

When head maid Ellis activates the Ophelius Hall protection spell, sealing all room entrances, I'll check the magic formula's activation on the first floor.

Then, if all seems well, I'll return to the main hall to wait for Taely.

According to the scenario, Taely, Aila, Elvira, and Clevius are the event's key players.

Clevius joins on the second floor, so handling the rest should suffice.

"The other maids?"

Looking at the quiet hall, I asked Kelly.

"Except for essential personnel, most are gathered in the conference room. The head maid called them together for an important matter."

The plan was to lock them in and seal the entrance, smoothly executed with the top authority complicit.

"And the item you mentioned earlier is prepared."

Kelly, straining, brought over a basin placed near the entrance. It was filled with a thick liquid.

"Oh, thank you."

"Should I just leave it in the corner?"

I nodded and surveyed the hall.

The entrance, as luxurious as the rest of the building, led to the grand main hall with pristine marble floors and high ceilings, feeling almost outdoors.

A magnificent chandelier decorated the ceiling, surrounded by smaller ones, adding to the hall's grandeur.

Walking to the hall's center, the spaciousness was evident. The walls lined with cabinets and the stone doors leading to corridors added to the grandeur.

"The walls and floors are all marble."

Indeed, a luxurious place. Although Taely had visited before for the scenario, seeing it in person offered a new perspective.

I opened a cabinet in the corner to place some prepared items and assessed the hall's layout and objects before nodding, considering the upcoming events.

In the actual event, the first floor boss fight was straightforward, only time-consuming.

The key was to smoothly transition Taely into the second floor boss fight. After that, things should proceed smoothly.

The second floor boss was "Gloomy Clevius."

Before the situation escalated, Clevius, panicking and breaking walls to escape, was to be subdued and then joined the party for the ascent.

So, the plan was simply to stall until the sound of Clevius breaking through the wall was heard. Smoothly transitioning to that moment was the key.

I decided to admit what I had painfully realized during the first act's boss fight: the Butterfly Effect is unpredictable. Believing that one could control all variables in the world was nothing but arrogance.

Thus, if the first-floor boss fight concluded successfully, I planned to head to the rose garden to watch the situation unfold with Yenika, a potential emergency force, to respond immediately to any unforeseen events.

"This will be a good chance to check on Taely's specs."

Failing to meet the clear specs would be problematic, especially since the final boss of the second act, 'Researcher Glast,' is an excruciatingly painful opponent. His holy magic and curse spells inflict relentless pain, shattering one's will to fight.

Both stats and mental fortitude need to be well-trained to stand a chance against him.

I made sure all the items I brought were securely placed in the cabinet and then firmly closed its door.

From there, everything proceeded smoothly. Events flowed naturally, like water.

Hiding among the main hall's cabinets, I watched as Kelly and a new maid swapped duties at the entrance around 8 o'clock. Soon, the sound of students shouting from outside reached through the walls.

'We can't tolerate this treatment anymore!'

'This is a place of learning! At least ensure equality in grades!'

'Respond to our voices!'

The cries of the inferior and regular students echoed beyond the gate, gathering in front of the locked Ophelius Hall, shouting their slogans. Willain, the representative of the inferior students, was at the forefront.

With his short, blonde hair, horn-rimmed glasses, and a drenched grey robe, he stood out.

Ophelius Hall symbolizes the nobility of Sylvania's privileged students. The students gathered in front of this symbol, expressing their indignation.

The plan should have ended there, with them sitting and expressing their grievances, ideally concluding without further incident since Ophelius Hall's doors remained firmly shut.

"Ah, ah! What's this! I need to report to the head maid…!"

The new maid, panicked by the sudden situation, trembled as she searched for the magical device given to her. Seizing the opportunity, I emerged from the hall, swiftly approached her from behind, and blindfolded her with a scarf.

"Woah, what! Who are you!"

I lifted the blinded maid onto my shoulder, securing her wrists together to prevent her from removing the scarf, then unlocked and kicked open the main door with one hand.

The large doors of Ophelius Hall creaked open.

'… Oh?!'

'What's happening?'

The students, momentarily confused, hesitated until – 'The doors to Ophelius Hall are open! Let's go in!'

Willain's shout motivated the crowd to rush into Ophelius Hall's corridors.

'The management office is on the 4th floor! Let's occupy it and make our statement!'

'Let's make our voices heard!'

'We only ask for the bare minimum! That's all we want, the bare minimum!'

'Let's go! Show them our strength!'

I watched as a swarm of students surged in, still holding the maid.

"You, you're Ed Rothtaylor?"

Willain, leading the third-year students, recognized me. It seems even the third-years knew my name.

"So you're the one Lortelle bought over…!"

"Yes. I'm in charge of monitoring and guarding the first floor."

"Why would you…"

I smoothly delivered the prepared lines.

"Senior Willain, I've always deeply agreed with what you've been advocating. Although I lived in luxury at Ophelius Hall… it was only after being expelled that I truly realized how privileged my life was."

"Ed… Rothtaylor…!"

"I've come to understand! Everything Senior Willain said was right…! But, being part of the privileged class until my expulsion, my words might not have been convincing, so I decided to prove it with action!"

Willain seemed moved, shaking his hand. Ed Rothtaylor, having lived among privileges, now expelled from that cozy nest, deeply felt the extent of the rights he had enjoyed.

"Yes! You've truly contributed to our rightful demands! I judged you too hastily based on rumors without knowing you were such a righteous person…!"

"No, I was at fault, senior Willain. I was moved by your words and simply did my part! All credit goes to you, senior Willain!"

Urging Willain, I said,

"Please proceed to the upper floors, senior Willain! Occupy the 4th-floor office and make our statement!"

"Yes, I'm counting on you!"

Willain would bear the brunt of the consequences after this event, being treated as the main instigator of the violation and facing severe punishment.

It was necessary to make an example out of him to deter similar incidents, as punishing all involved students severely would be impractical.

Claiming to have acted out of admiration for Willain's ideals minimized my responsibility.

Willain had no intention of causing significant damage to Ophelius Hall.

He aimed for a peaceful resolution after merely occupying it and issuing a formal statement. However, things don't always go as planned.

Regrettably, facing inevitable severe punishment, I figured carrying one more burden wouldn't make much difference.

"Hurry, senior Willain!"

"Remember this, Ed! You're the best…!"

My apologies, Willain!

Stay strong…!

The dimly lit corridors were filled with the glow of magical circles. Protective spells etched at each room's entrance were functioning perfectly.

'What's happening outside? Can we just stay in our rooms like this?'

'Is anyone there? The door won't open. Can I… break it? It looks expensive…'

'I saw students rushing in through the windows. What in the world is happening?'

'Will things go back to normal if we wait? It's not that big of a deal, right?

Crossing the hallway, I could hear the voices of confused students coming from the rooms. The first floor is mostly third-year students. I checked each room to see if there were any missing magic circles. If everything had gone according to the official story, there wouldn't be any missing circles. Still, I wanted to check with my own eyes.

After roughly 15 minutes of checking, I returned to the first floor hall to find a mess. Outside the wide-open main gate, rain was pouring down. The new maid who was supposed to be guarding the gate was nowhere to be seen. Likely she had left to report the situation to a superior, but unfortunately, most of them were trapped on the fourth floor in a meeting room.

The usually immaculate marble floor was completely dirty from everyone rushing across it with mud-covered shoes, and several cabinets and displays had been knocked over.

"My goodness, it seems we've started on a rather dramatic note," I mused.

Then, a girl walks through the pouring rain, shaking off her wet clothes.

"It's you, senior Ed. I knew I could count on you."

She flashes a bright smile while shedding her drenched robe, her fair skin standing out even more.

"Yuck, even my socks are soaked. This is why I hate rainy days," she complains.

"You've been outside monitoring the situation, Lortelle?"

"If I got locked up inside, I wouldn't be able to see how things are going, would I? I even had to check if the students were gathering properly. I didn't expect it to rain this much though, yuck. I'm completely wet."

Lortelle laughs fox-like while shaking off her robe. Her casual clothes underneath, a pure white dress skirt, were totally drenched.

With one hand, she gathers up her disheveled auburn hair to dry it, and with the other, she rolls up her robe now free of moisture.

"We should get things moving quickly before the staff intervenes and suppresses everything."

"Right, keep up the good work."

With a grin, Lortelle carefully stored her clothes and headed towards the hall. She will likely go up to the fifth floor to discuss further plans with Ellis.

The scenario will likely proceed by causing a malfunction in Ophelius Hall's protective magic, and by handing over control of those magic circles to Willain, the representative of the underperformers, to escalate the situation.

In this way, 'Underperformer Representative Willain' becomes the boss on the fourth floor, caught in endlessly misfiring magic circles. It's a scenario where Willain, unable to gather his wits, must be swiftly subdued.

"Senior Ed, may I ask you something a bit out of the blue?"

While I was pondering this, Lortelle stopped walking towards the hall and addressed me. Her following question was unexpected.

"Senior, have you ever killed someone?"

Despite her cheery voice, there was a gloomy undertone, much like the weather today.

As I frowned, Lortelle chuckled and turned back to face me. Her drenched auburn hair was gathered and trickling down over her shoulder.

"No, I haven't."

"Neither have I, haha."

And as if confessing, she continued.

"But… I've done many things quite similar."

Lortelle's past isn't something that can be described as clean even in jest.

The clandestine actions, blackmails, and manipulations she committed on behalf of Elte's commerce were all aimed at leading someone to ruin.

While perhaps not equivalent to the grievous sin of murder, these acts were similar in essence to ending someone's life.

And no one knows that better than Lortelle herself.

"I had to survive."

She's done many dubious deeds to survive in a thorny reality; hitting someone in the back of the head became a matter of course after the initial guilt faded away.

By the time I had accepted the honorable title of 'Merchant,' the number of people I had trampled over was countless.

The world is full of people eager to stab you in the heart at the first opportunity. It's only after reaching this point that I began to question whether I had lived a wrongful life.

To survive, I trampled over others' lives, and to avoid being backstabbed, I took the initiative.

I always justified my actions, but upon reflection, they seem like nothing more than self-serving rationalizations.

"Senior Ed, what do you think of such a person?"

Realizing these things now doesn't clean the dirt already engrained in me.

No amount of good deeds can wash away the past, which would only be seen as hypocrisy, and I can't muster the courage to give up the wealth I've amassed over a lifetime.

Turning back is no longer an option.

The dirty secrets I know about various enterprises, noble families, and influential figures are too many. The moment Lortelle's name loses its utility, her fate is sealed.

Like a runaway train on the tracks, I can only head towards the final station. Going back to being hypocritical is too late now.

As a merchant, as a villain, as the mastermind. Slowly consumed by the swamp I stepped into, I find myself sinking into darkness before I even realize.

Who deserves to be saved from such self-invoked calamity? No one knows better than I do that there is no right to pity.

Hence, I search for someone of my own kind, as if enchanted.

"Would you pity such a person, if it were you?"

I understand all too well that I stand at the very bottom of the cesspool, beyond the reach of both affirmation and sympathy.

Loneliness visits both the virtuous and the wicked.

To escape this loneliness, I must find someone who has waded through the same muck. Only then might I find some semblance of salvation.

"No."

Of course, that person isn't me.

"You're responsible for your own choices, Lortelle."

Lortelle paused with a blank expression at my words, then managed to smile faintly.

"You're right, senior."

Lortelle Keheln is a girl who, all her life, has pursued only rationality and reason.

I know all too well that until the last day of 'Sylvania the Failed Sword Saint,' she never lost her reason or showed any fixation.

"Inappropriately, I spoke out of turn. I'm sorry. Hehe."

Lortelle quickly recovered her mischievous smile and brushed off her sentimental moment.

"Well then, I should be off to do my part. Time is short after all."

With those words, Lortelle ascended the staircase and disappeared.

I nodded and picked up a random chair that had been knocked over, and sat down.

Now, I just had to wait for Taely to arrive.

At this point in the second act, I know full well what Taely, Aila, and Elvira's stats are, what skills they have at their disposal, and how they strategize their battle. They wouldn't be able to break through me with sheer numbers and stats alone. It's not about completely overpowering them, just stalling for time. Easy enough.

I'll play around for a bit and then let Taely win, who will hurry along to the second floor.

Still, during the course of the battle, it's inevitable to take a few hits and endure some wounds.

Well… it's a necessary sacrifice…

*

"What could bring a carriage to us at this late hour?"

Sitting in a corner of the rose garden gazebo, away from Ophelius Hall, Yenika stared at the road. An impressively large carriage had just passed by, the likes of which she'd never seen before. The golden crown drawn above the carriage was particularly striking. Could it be someone important traveling through?

– 'Something has come up that I need to handle, so I might be a bit late. I'll come as soon as I can. I'm sorry.'

Clutching the carefully folded note from Ed, Yenika watched the rain wash over the beautiful roses.

Well, that's rather convenient. I have some time to collect my thoughts.

"Did he… prepare something special?"

The gazebo in the rose garden was a familiar place. It always came into view whenever she left the main gate of Ophelius Hall and walked towards the faculty building.

It was late and the full view of the Ophelius Hall wasn't visible anymore, but even through the haze of raindrops, its silhouette was faintly discernible.

Something unusual seemed to be happening.

Many students were heading to Ophelius Hall, and earlier a large carriage had vanished in the same direction.

Curiosity piqued, Yenika remained seated, wary of missing Ed if she left. After all, she had spent the last three days sleeplessly pondering what Ed wanted to discuss.

Could it be? Is that what he means? Or am I just too sensitive? Is there a reason he asked me here? Such thoughts consumed her all day, worrying her close friends.

Yet, she continuously listened to news of Ed through Merilda.

Unexpectedly many knew about the camp where Ed lived. According to Merilda, not only Lucy but also Princess Phoenia, Belle Mayar, Zix, and even Lortelle had seen Ed's camp.

Merilda couldn't possibly watch him 24/7, so others might visit the camp too.

Ironically, the fact that most visitors were female students was heartache for Yenika… but her position didn't grant her the right to meddle.

So, what would give her the right to meddle? The thought made her blood rush to her head.

"Should I have come out here? Oh, do I look all right?"

For a change, she had worn an orange jasmine flower hairpin sent from home. She had even brushed her hair and made sure her clothes were wrinkle-free.

Now, reflecting upon it, the cosmos pin she wore during the festival seemed prettier. The flower on her dress didn't stand out in the dark night, maybe a lighter color would have been better.

"Should I change it now…?"

She had stayed still despite the stream of students and the carriage, fearing she might cross paths with Ed. It seemed almost ridiculous to rush back now just for a hairpin.

Nonetheless, Yenika seriously considered it as she looked into her handheld mirror.

"I should go back quickly."

Once decided, it was best not to waste time.

Swallowing nervously, Yenika hurriedly put on her robe's hood and dashed back into the rain.

She was worried the neatly combed hair might get ruined by the robe but still ran back fast.

After all, any disheveled hair could easily be fixed in her room.

*

"Is it truly wise to enter Ophelius Hall now?"

"Do you have any idea how much those herbs in my room are worth, Taely?!"

"Still, wouldn't it be better to wait for the administrative staff to handle it?"

Rain continued to drizzle. In front of Ophelius Hall, Taely, Aila, and Elvira were bickering.

"If we don't gather the herbs in time and cast preservation magic, they'll spoil! Do you understand how delicately that affects experimental results, Taely?"

Puffing her cheeks, Elvira nagged Taely.

Elvira had avoided the ruckus at Ophelius Hall since she was secretly conducting potion experiments in a cliffside laboratory by the coast. However, worrying about the herbs left in her room, she dragged the first people she could find to help her break back into Ophelius Hall.

Taely and Aila were her reluctant recruits.

"We can take on those inferior students easily ourselves! We just need to knock down their leader, Willain!"

Elvira marched towards the main gate of Ophelius Hall, saying so.

"Aila… please stop her…! She's going to barge into Ophelius Hall all by herself!"

"Couldn't we just pretend not to see? Elvira's the alchemic leader, after all. She can take care of herself."

"It's not Elvira who's in danger, it's the inferior students! You know how she gets when she's out of control, throwing any random potion!"

With Taely's point, Aila gulped. Indeed, an unhinged Elvira could end up blasting the inferior students with her deadly concoctions.

Taely was right. The true danger lay with the inferior students, not Elvira.

Taely and Aila hustled to follow Elvira to the main gate of Ophelius Hall.

"Elvira! Stop! Just hold on!"

"Stop your yapping and follow me! We need to push through to my room on the fourth floor!"

"So… we just need to reach your room? And do nothing else, right?"

"That's right. I just need my herbs to be safe."

Taely sighed and wrapped his mind around Elvira's words.

"Fine, let's just go to Elvira's room."

"Just remember, we have to push past anyone in our way to get there, Taely."

"Let's just not hurt anyone, okay, Elvira?"

With that, Taely gave Aila a significant look. Aila, Taely's companion, heaved a deep sigh and tagged along.

Reaching the front of Ophelius Hall, Elvira quickly kicked open the gate. The door swung wide, revealing the vast expanse of the ground floor hall.

There, sitting nonchalantly on a wooden chair in the center of the hall, was a man they all recognizer.

The sound of rain filled the hall of Ophelius Hall as that man looked up at the trio.

The unauthorized takeover of Ophelius Hall in Act 2, scene 3 was underway, with a different first-floor boss than the official story.

The fallen noble, Ed, excommunicated.

Just as he had captured Tarkan before, he sat with his sleeves rolled up, fists clasped, waiting patiently for them.