episode_0027

Charlotte is a French name.

And Charlotte is the English way of reading that Charlotte.

Of course, even though there is no particular ill feeling between the Azerna Empire and the Kingdom of Belbur right now—well, there are no surface-level ill feelings at the moment, but in reality, it is impolite to unilaterally call someone’s name in your own country’s style.

Based on the original story, it was quite a while before Charlotte’s friends started calling her Charlotte. It was only after they became very close that they started calling her that when Charlotte told them to.

And when the Azerna Empire was about to invade the Kingdom of Belbur in earnest, Charlotte left the group and asked not to be called Charlotte.

So, the current situation is quite surprising.

…Could it be that we have become so close after meeting just once?

“Are you Princess Sylvia? Nice to meet you.”

Charlotte politely greeted me as she looked at me next to Alice.

I hesitated about whether to stand up from my seat, but I decided not to. Here, we are all students, and I agreed with that. Even if it’s not actually true, it will be easier to get along with others if we treat each other that way.

“I am Sylvia Pheon Gryphon.”

“I have heard about you.”

Charlotte said with a joyful smile.

“Last time, you came as the representative of the Empire in place of His Majesty the Emperor. My father had many praises for you.”

Is this not just gossip?

Even if I turned around and cursed right away, it wouldn’t be strange how rude she was being?

Moreover, the three-party talks are known among those who know about them as a meeting where only the Kingdom made a fool of themselves.

The Empire sent me as the Princess, the Pope sent a Cardinal, but the Kingdom sent the King himself. Of course, from the Kingdom’s perspective, it was ‘the King attended the meeting because there was a meeting in the Kingdom,’ but it is doubtful if even the high nobles would see it that way.

The Empire, being a hegemonic power that can chew up other countries’ military power from the start, and the Kingdom, while having an extremely small territory, has a tremendous global influence. While it may not be considered the epitome of world religions like the Goddess Church, it is the religion with the most followers within a single religion, so to speak.

Furthermore, the Cardinals and priests in the Cathedral of the Goddess are also citizens of the Kingdom. At first glance, it may seem like a facade, but the more followers a religion has, the more its influence cannot be ignored. The higher the number of followers, the higher the social status of the clergy.

The Kingdom, which was one of the countries that granted some territory when the Kingdom was established, right next to the Empire… no, the Kingdom of Belbur had a very high proportion of the Goddess religion. It may not be called a single religion, but it would have the largest number as a single faction.

So, it couldn’t just ignore the influence of that Kingdom.

But they wouldn’t have sent Charlotte in their place.

The fact that the contents of the meeting were almost unknown was fortunate for the Kingdom of Belbur, but if they were going to bring up the topic of the meeting like this and share it with others, Charlotte’s mind is like a flower garden in many ways…

…It doesn’t make sense.

She is kind. She doesn’t pretend to be hypocritical. Such words are not directly related to the saying that she is not ‘smart.’

Charlotte is someone who gets along well with everyone, but at the same time, she is someone who can select and get close to the most important person among them.

Charlotte is a being who acts for the people of her country. In other words, she is someone who can confidently do unpleasant things when necessary. Of course, she won’t hide the fact that she dislikes it.

“…Is that so.”

In that sense, Charlotte doesn’t seem to harbor any negative feelings towards me yet.

However, Alice’s expression when talking to me was subtly different from when talking to Alice. Her clear gray eyes stared straight into mine without a hint of wavering, as if trying to see through my thoughts.

“At that time, I had many conversations with Alice. Sylvia’s name came up several times.”

Alice.

That’s the French pronunciation of Alice.

It seemed that the two of them called each other by those names back then.

“….”

“I didn’t say anything bad, did I?”

When I looked towards Alice, she blushed slightly and said, “No, I swear I never insulted Sylvia. I can promise you that.”

“I believe you.”

I replied, looking at Charlotte.

“It may have been a bit late to ask for permission, but I heard that it’s customary at school to set aside our statuses and have conversations. Is it okay to address each other by name?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I answered once again.

If Charlotte had indeed judged that Alice and I could get along well, then becoming friends with me would be the next step. Judging by the situation, Alice and I seemed to be spending quite a bit of time together, so I would inevitably meet her whenever I saw Alice.

Charlotte, who was silently looking at me, chuckled.

“Do you always stay quiet?”

“…Yes.”

While I tried to speak as little as possible in front of Alice, I still wanted to befriend Charlotte. However, I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by being too expressionless from the first meeting.

…Does this make me seem like a try-hard?

“Um, excuse me.”

As we were in the middle of a conversation, someone else interjected.

Even without looking at her face, I knew who it was.

Claire seemed to have already convinced herself that I was Sylvia. Just like in the original work, she had a slightly persistent side to her personality.

“Sylvia?”

When I turned to look, Claire was there.

And next to her was Leo, with an awkward expression.

…The atmosphere of being flustered by the sisters who confidently spoke in front of the princesses seemed like something out of a harem story. The slightly clueless younger sister and the older brother who followed her around to help her out were gradually becoming friends with the younger sister’s friends… It reminded me of a certain work.

“…Claire.”

I decided to clear my mind.

“Oh, sorry. Were you in the middle of a conversation?”

“No, we weren’t.”

Charlotte replied, flipping her shiny hair behind her ear.

“We were just getting to know each other. I was just greeting someone I’ve known for a while. But it’s a bit of a problem. It seems like there are hardly any people I know here.”

“Oh, are you from overseas?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Charlotte gently lifted the front of her skirt with both hands. It was similar to the gesture Claire showed Alice and me earlier, but Charlotte’s was more elegant. Not that Claire couldn’t do it. It’s just that there was a difference between someone who carried themselves with grace and someone who didn’t.

“I am Charlotte de Belvoir.”

“Wh-!”

Suddenly, a gasp was heard, and all eyes of our group gathered in one direction.

At the end of those gazes was Leo.

Covering his mouth with both hands, Leo had a look on his face as if he would burst out laughing any moment.

“De Belvoir…?”

“Yes. I am the princess of the Belvoir Kingdom.”

Charlotte said with a mischievous tone. It seemed like she found Leo’s reaction amusing.

Why would someone who becomes a viscount’s son not know the face of a neighboring country’s princess? Although I may not know what the 20th century was like, at least in my current world and era, leaving a photograph instead of a portrait was considered an unsightly act.

While the cost of a photograph may be high, it is much cheaper than hiring a painter to draw a portrait, and most importantly, photographs are black and white, whereas portraits are in color.

However, it is not uncommon to take photos in daily life, but publishing them in newspapers is a different story.

If your own photo is prominently featured in a newspaper, it can be used for offensive purposes.

Although the words “freedom and democracy” were mentioned here and there, the empire and kingdoms still lean towards absolute monarchy. Strong media control always exists. It is uncertain what will happen in the next 50 years.

Therefore, even though thin modern films and small portable cameras were being produced and sold earlier this year, the photos of nobles and royalty were rarely published in newspapers.

This creates an information gap, leading to the emergence of “nobles and royalty whose names are heard but faces are unknown.”

“Your name is Charlotte?”

Should Leo be praised for not making a sound of disgust upon hearing Claire’s words?

“I’m Claire. Claire Grace. The daughter of Viscount Gray.”

According to the setting, Claire is older than Leo because her birthday comes first. However, there was probably no one to prove that. I only know this fact because I read the setting guide so many times.

“I see.”

Charlotte would not know Viscountess Grace. She wouldn’t bother to remember the names of nobles from neighboring countries. But that doesn’t mean she is dumb enough to blatantly ignore nobles from neighboring countries.

“Nice to meet you, Claire.”

“Yep!”

Claire’s expression seemed to say, “I already have three friends!” But Leo, standing next to her, had a worried expression as if his heart couldn’t handle it.

“…So, may I ask why you called me over?”

“Oh, right.”

As I sat and quietly watched their conversation, I asked Claire, who clapped her hands together.

“If you have time after class—”

But before Claire could finish her sentence,

Bang!

The classroom door swung open.

The part where it says “Thud” was omitted because the door opened with such force.

And the person who opened the classroom door like that, I only know one person from the original game.

“My soldiers!”

In her mid-twenties, a woman with black hair let loose in a wild manner was shouting with her arms crossed.

Although she was wearing an imperial military uniform, the buttons on her shirt were unbuttoned. A coat-like cape was draped over her shoulders.

And on that cape hung four medals.

“Outside!”

Even though the class bell hadn’t rung yet, there was only one person in this academy who would say such a thing.

Jennifer Winterfield. The rebellious granddaughter of the principal.

And the homeroom teacher of Class B.

During the break, as I followed the instructor to the field without fully enjoying my break, the bell rang.

Ding-dong, the echoing sound of the bell spread in a somewhat futile manner, causing the students to show signs of annoyance. But knowing that my first meeting with Jennifer would be like this, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

There was no one on the field. Even if there were physical education classes, it was rare for teachers to gather students outside and make them exercise on the first day.

Wearing the imperial army uniform and speaking in a military-like manner, Jennifer was not the type to teach students in a strict military style. She didn’t force them to line up perfectly, nor did she pay much attention if the students were loosely gathered on the field.

“Proud soldiers of the prestigious academy!”

Standing on the podium without a microphone, Jennifer shouted.

Yet her voice was loud enough to echo.

In the game, in situations like this, Jennifer’s dialogue font became incredibly large. The kids either covered their ears or looked startled.

It was the same now. Alice frowned, and even Shalott had wrinkles on her forehead.

“I am Tactical Instructor Jennifer, who will enhance your practical abilities!”

Yes, a tactical instructor.

As it was also a kind of military academy, such classes were held here.

“However, no matter how much tactical knowledge is taught in books, it is useless if individuals do not have the ability to follow it. And the tactics needed on the battlefield also change depending on the proficiency of the soldier in using the weapon. Therefore!”

As the students who had relaxed their shoulders in relief at her slightly lowered voice were startled again by Jennifer’s suddenly raised voice.

“I will now assess the abilities of the soldiers! What weapons they prefer and how they handle them! Let’s confirm it here and now!”

Clap!

Jennifer clapped vigorously with both hands and continued speaking.

“And the best way to measure the use of weapons and skills is through a duel!”

Jennifer smiled as she spoke.

“If you want a specific type of weapon, I will provide it, so give it your all.”