episode_0060

Spring my foot.

As Winterfield was indeed disgustingly cold.

In reality, even though it was called “Winter”field, it wasn’t a place covered in snow all year round. It was part of the Empire’s territory, and unless you went to the warmer Riklant Autonomous Region, there was still spring or summer there.

But calling it spring was just less cold than winter, and calling it summer was just cool enough to compare to autumn in other regions.

Paradoxically, that’s why it was quite a popular resort for the nobles. They enjoyed the coolness during the summer and escaped the scorching heat. The lower part of the mountain, near the city where people lived, would melt the snow in spring, but the upper part always had snow piled up, making the landscape beautiful. It was a sight not easily seen in other parts of the Empire.

Although there were conflicts between the military factions, the autonomous government, and Imperial soldiers in the Riklant Autonomous Region, it was a story far from the central territories. Winterfield was vast, and the relatively warmer lower part of the territory was located within it.

“C-cold… It’s May, but is it still winter here?”

While the snow melted in spring, it didn’t mean that it didn’t snow at all. And the snow that fell didn’t immediately melt. In the harsh cold of Gangwon Province, it could snow even in May.

“It’s Winterfield. While the locals might not feel it, to people from other regions, it’s a place that feels like winter all year round.”

Leo said to Claire, who was shivering.

“Well, it’s not like it’s winter all the time.”

And at Leo’s words, Claire shivered and shrugged.

“We do have our version of summer. It’s relatively cool compared to the capital. Honestly, from my perspective growing up here, the capital is excessively hot.”

“…But isn’t it just turning into spring now?”

“That’s why it feels hot. It’s a place where it can snow even in spring.”

At Jennifer’s words, Leo and Claire, along with the noble students gathered here, were all left speechless.

“Honestly, I’m worried about how I’ll endure the summer… Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s summer vacation anyway.”

It does matter to some extent.

Jennifer started sweating profusely even before the real summer arrived.

And wearing revealing clothes, she became a “character perfect for figure-making” in many ways.

Of course, the game wasn’t one where figures appeared frequently. So, it was a bit disappointing.

In the game, there was a setting for cold, and although there was a reaction, you could choose any outfit. Of course, if I didn’t choose separately, the characters would come out in winter clothes similar to the coat I was wearing, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t dress them in DLC summer outfits.

Strangely, when I dressed other characters in swimsuits and walked around this area, it felt incredibly awkward, but not as much for Jennifer. She had been saying it was hot since early summer in the capital and walking around.

“Alright, is everyone here?”

Regardless of the season in Winterfield, as it was a very vast territory within the Empire and strategically important, besides the noble class, many people were getting off the train.

People dressed in suits that looked like businessmen were moving quickly while looking at their pocket watches, and a few soldiers in officer uniforms were walking in the distance. There were also soldiers who seemed to be returning from vacation. No one paid attention to this side. Jennifer was not wearing her usual officer uniform but a civilian outfit, so no one saluted her.

If Jennifer had seen their faces, she might have saluted, but for now, Jennifer is a retired soldier. Strictly speaking, it means she is not someone to be saluted.

That’s probably why she deliberately dressed in civilian clothes and tied her hair up.

“Yes, everyone is here.”

Alice, who had taken on the role of class representative, replied like that.

Jennifer glanced around at us.

As a former soldier, she didn’t tell us to stand at attention or anything like that. This person was different from our homeroom teacher, Carolyn Noswood, in a different way.

“Before coming here, I heard from Carolyn that I should take good care of you all.”

Jennifer, who looked us over, slowly opened her mouth.

“I don’t particularly like high nobles, but Carolyn is different. As you may feel, there aren’t many good people among humans, let alone nobles.”

People were nodding their heads here and there at Jennifer’s words.

Beautiful, kind, and dedicated teachers like Carolyn were not disliked by students.

“So, I don’t want to cause trouble for Carolyn. If you do something wrong or dangerous, I will scold you severely. I can’t afford to hurt other students under the care of different teachers and send you back.”

And then, after looking around at us again,

“There are many dangerous places for newcomers in Winterfield. I will explain the details properly later when we gather at the lodging. For now…”

Jennifer took out a pocket watch and glanced at it.

“We have about an hour, so you are free to roam around. This place is a bit off the center of the estate, but it’s not so deserted. It will be good to get a feel for the atmosphere of Winterfield. There are many soldiers here, so the security is good.”

And putting the pocket watch back in her pocket,

“Dismissed for now!”

That’s how Jennifer said it.

Leaving us with the word “dismissed” as if to show that she meant it, Jennifer turned around and walked away towards another direction.

The students, who were a bit nervous for their first practical training, were murmuring as they didn’t expect this.

“Sylvia.”

Among the murmuring students was Alice.

Alice was wearing a coat, which was unusual for her. Although the uniform inside the coat still felt like a uniform, the coat itself looked like a military coat, so it didn’t seem awkward to think of it as an officer’s coat. Well, it was also a place where the role of an officer’s school was combined.

However, Alice had removed the fur collar due to discomfort.

“Shall we have a meal together? It’s lunchtime.”

“Indeed, it seems like a suitable time to finish the meal.”

Charlotte interjected into Alice’s words.

“Are you talking about a meal?”

“Yes. We haven’t eaten yet.”

…

In fact, although Jennifer acted as if she was letting the students roam freely, there was also an intention for them to learn about this area to some extent.

And most noble students’ idea of ‘meal’ doesn’t exist here. This is not a place where nobles frequent.

The security is not that bad, but it’s not a wealthy area either.

Most of the places here are where they sell food to soldiers.

As expected of the North, the food is simple and bland.

Moreover, it seemed to be an empire motif based on the meme-fied England. With the setting of the Northern Empire mixed with the famous British cuisine on the internet, the food in this northern region was nothing but dishes that nobles might not be able to eat properly.

“Oh, really? Then let’s eat together!”

“Yeah, it’s more convenient to gather and eat together than to eat separately.”

Leo and Claire approached Alice and Charlotte, who were talking.

“That’s nice.”

There was someone who suddenly inserted themselves into our relationship.

“I didn’t have anyone to eat with. It seems like Lotte is from a different group.”

It was Jake Lindbergh.

Although Lotte entered the academy as Jake’s maid, she ultimately belonged to a different group. Lotte was originally a commoner.

And the students of this school were equal in name. No student could have servants, let alone be the same as them. In name, Jake and Lotte were the same students.

“Lindbergh?”

Alice looked at Jake with a slightly surprised expression. Charlotte seemed somewhat displeased by his casual demeanor.

“It’s okay, Sylvia?”

“Sylvia?”

Alice’s eyes widened.

“We talked and became friends last time.”

At Jake’s words, Alice looked at me with a shocked expression.

In fact, not only Alice but all the kids around were looking at me like that.

… It would be surprising if the quiet girl who always sat quietly in the corner of the classroom suddenly started hanging out with a flashy, blonde, tanned gangster.

But that’s not it.

“Huh? Why?”

When I looked at Jake, he shrugged slightly and said, “Weren’t we close?”

No, we’re just talking for the first time in two weeks.

And what we talked about two weeks ago was not really a proper conversation, but just Jake greeting me one-sidedly.

So… it’s more like we just know each other’s faces rather than being close.

“Sylvia.”

Charlotte came over, looking at me, and gently pulled my arm, saying, “You might not know much about guys, but you shouldn’t get close to guys like him. Come this way.”

No, we’re not particularly close. He’s just pretending to know me from that side.

I glanced at Jake’s back.

A few girls who couldn’t help but look at this side were visible.

… I see.

Jake had escaped from the girls who were buzzing around him. All the girls here were high-ranking people in the country.

Moreover, not only were they high-ranking, but they were also very beautiful.

So if he came this way, it was clear that the other girls would naturally compare themselves to us and move away.

“…”

Charlotte initially clashed with Jake. Well, strictly speaking, they clashed with each other, rather than maintaining a light attitude like Jake, who was not noble. She especially hated the fact that he tanned his skin.

But later, her attitude changed a lot after finding out who Jake liked. She was still startled by his light attitude, but the one-sidedly unfavorable attitude towards him disappeared. She understood why Jake had to be in that atmosphere.

“Oh, is that so.”

However, unlike Charlotte’s attitude, Alice seemed to have quickly realized by looking at my expression.

That I wasn’t particularly close to Jake, and that he was talking to me one-sidedly. Maybe my annoyance was showing on my face.

Even if others didn’t notice, Alice probably did.

“If you’re approaching Sylvia one-sidedly, I’d like to stop you a bit.”

Alice came between me and Jake, looking him straight in the eye.

“Sylvia isn’t as easy as you think.”

“…”

What kind of image do I have among these kids?

No, I’ve built a perfect image over time—

As soon as I thought that, Mia Crowfield and I found ourselves staring at each other in silence.

“……”

“……”

Well, it’s not exactly perfect, but close enough.

Let’s say it’s “close to perfect.”

But except for one person, no one else seemed to notice at all.