episode_0078

There is no room for complacency in university life.

Students wielding quasi-legal authority roam the streets, engaging in heated confrontations with merchants vying to exploit them. Petty theft is seen as a cute gesture, and there are even parties formed solely for that purpose.

The ominous rumor of a group recruiting thieves to hang upside down at the university restroom doorframe was well-known among students.

Nevertheless, when situations escalated to the point of endangering lives, the university’s last conscience, Amelie, intervened to improve the situation.

However, even a saint like her couldn’t intervene with other professors’ students limitlessly, and not all crimes were thoroughly investigated.

It was a lawless city.

But the key difference was the absence of a friendly neighbor or a hero to act as a vigilante.

Therefore, these minor incidents were often overlooked and dismissed.

“Hey, everyone! That guy stole my potion. Catch him, anyone!”

“Don’t you dare! Your ale recipe is mine now!”

“No!”

A student was running down the straight road, with someone chasing after them, not caring whether their hat flew off in the wind.

Watching this scene from the window, Lycia didn’t take her eyes off the student until they passed by her lodging.

While there were some trying to block the student’s path to prevent their rush, most people hesitated to get involved.

Perhaps pretending not to know was better than getting involved and shedding blood unnecessarily. This line of thinking might have been a natural response.

But Vollog needed a hero.

She couldn’t single-handedly protect the university, but she had the confidence to do so temporarily.

It wasn’t a job she could just bury like a magic wand.

If she used it carefully, she wouldn’t get caught. She had to find a way to use it.

With a small sigh, the girl used magic.

At the same time, a student who had stolen the secret recipe for the fifth beer coming down from the inn stumbled and fell, tripping over nothing.

Soon after, the innkeeper caught up with the student to retrieve the secret.

While the student might not take responsibility for the theft, at least the innkeeper could protect her belongings.

This wasn’t much different at night; when she couldn’t sleep, the girl would check the city for any trouble.

This was because she thought focusing on something else might make it easier to fall asleep.

In the past, when she walked the streets alone, Lavenn would explain how important enough sleep was for a growing child.

It helped with mental and physical health, as well as organizing memories from the day.

So on tired days, she followed Lavenn’s teachings and went to bed like clockwork, but not every day.

“…I can’t sleep.”

And for the past two weeks, this had been a recurring state. The reason was that the visits to Lavenn after creating a doppelganger had become less frequent.

Sitting up, the girl continued to stare blankly at the dark night sky, passing the time.

And last night, there was a shadow moving discreetly under the moonlight.

It arrived at Heine’s room and left shortly after, disappearing.

At first, she thought it might be a thief, but now she knew what it was. By now, she simply observed that the princess was receiving information in this secretive manner.

The next morning, as they walked to school together, Lycia briefly glanced at Heine’s face beside her.

Feeling down? No, it was more like a sense of lifelessness and loss of motivation.

I tried to ignore it as much as possible, but I couldn’t help but ask.

“Your Highness, nothing unusual happened yesterday?”

“Uh, yeah. Why? Do I look a bit down…?”

“…A little, yes.”

It bothered me a bit to express it to my friend this way.

Honestly, Hyne served as a situation reader.

He was just an outsider in the internal affairs. Lavend didn’t take anyone’s side, and Count Kanosa was the same.

But for Hyne, this was quite a big problem. As a noble bloodline, the second child of the emperor and a college student, Hyne was in danger of just becoming an ordinary college student.

Although he seemed to be hiding his emotions and acting composed, from the perspective of an observer, it was quite obvious.

He had spent half his life playing with friends, not knowing that a real friend would come along, which was why the walls of his emotions had crumbled so easily.

Hyne, who was muttering whether he should say this, let out a deep sigh.

And after looking around to see if anyone was nearby, he approached himself and whispered softly.

“The Pope has excommunicated Father again.”

“…What?”

And at the content that denied Hyne’s understanding, my thoughts came to a halt.

*****

I leisurely set off and arrived at my destination after about ten days.

The university I visited after a long time hadn’t changed much.

Looking up at the sky, the sun was setting. The streets were bustling as if to finish the day.

The crimson sunset shining on the tall spires, merchants hurrying to and fro before the city gates closed, scholars starting filibusters on the streets.

I passed through these scenes and arrived at the familiar inn.

When I visited the university, I usually stayed for a week or two, and this inn was where I always stayed.

And this inn was also where Lycia stayed. As I opened the door and entered, the first thing that caught my eye was the owner wiping the table.

After glancing at my face for a moment, he recognized who I was and greeted me.

“Oh, it’s been a while. Welcome. How long will you be staying? A week, or two?”

“Let’s start with a week.”

“Alright, that will be five silver coins. Your room is the usual one, and please give the reins to that boy over there. I’ll make sure he’s well-fed.”

I sighed inwardly. The prices were increasing every time I visited this place.

But I couldn’t afford to break into the church or sleep on the streets, so I opened my purse and took out the silver coins. The innkeeper smiled.

I entrusted Sancho to the boy guarding the stable and then knocked on the door leading to Lycia’s room on the second floor.

At this time of the setting sun, the girl wouldn’t be at the university. She was supposed to have evening classes as a saint, but she needed time for dinner before that.

-Knock, knock, knock.

“Lycia. It’s me.”

“Yes, coming!”

With a brief response like a doll, I heard a commotion from inside.

I grabbed the doorknob, wondering if something had happened, but a prompt response came from inside.

“It’s nothing! I just tripped. Please wait a moment!”

And not long after, Lycia, with her clothes slightly disheveled, came out.

Unexpectedly, the girl didn’t hug me as she did last time when we met after a long time, nor did she invite me into the room.

Instead, she hesitated to say something, shifting her gaze here and there, before blurting out.

“Oh, I’ll be buying dinner tonight, so would you like to come with me?”

*****

The night I first created a doppelganger and went to Lavend.

From then on, the blanket was so tightly wrapped around her feet that she couldn’t move. Since she confirmed that there was no one around every time, the girl wriggled on the bed to her heart’s content.

“Ah, ugh….”

Exhausted, she collapsed, and her inner thoughts spilled out of her mouth without even forming into words.

If she could just lose consciousness, everything would be solved, but her mind was too tangled to fall asleep. Thus, her late-night vigilante activities only increased.

When she met her doppelganger, she somehow felt a subtle lack of reality, which made her bolder.

Perhaps because the thought that this was just a doppelganger was ingrained in her, her emotions also dulled a bit, making it bearable.

But once the magic was undone, the emotions and memories from that time flooded back, and her annoyingly good memory vividly recounted everything.

“Did I go crazy for a moment? Why did that happen?”

For a while, the girl struggled with the thought that wouldn’t leave her mind.

She knew what to call these emotions.

Even though she hadn’t told anyone, not even Lavender, she was aware to some extent.

Still, she sought confirmation and went to Amelie.

Unable to explain everything verbally, she gestured and spoke, and Amelie, who understood it all, said this.

“You seem to already know, don’t you?”

“Y-yes?!”

“You didn’t need to ask me, you just need to be more honest with yourself.”

It was a blunt statement, but Amelie was right.

So, it seemed that she, after all.

“…likes him.”

Two years was quite a long time.

It was more than enough time to sort out and accept her feelings.

After much contemplation, the conclusion she reached was somewhat passive.

“Well, let’s start with small things, slowly.”

The ‘small thing’ she had secretly thought of was nothing more than kissing him on the cheek.

The deed was done, and since she had already been honest with herself, it seemed like she could go a little further this time.

So she asked Amelie, sought advice from Heine, and even asked what to do when Lavender arrived, but no suitable answers came back.

In the end, she had no choice but to come up with a plan on her own, grumbling to herself.

However, her thoughts didn’t deepen and only became more tangled, and time was running out.

Or rather, as she was lost in thought, Lavender arrived at the door. In her haste, the impromptu conclusion she came up with was this.

“Oh, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight, so would you like to go eat together?”

Even as she said it herself, she couldn’t help but think it was quite a remarkable decision, and her face flushed with embarrassment.