episode_0180

The day after meeting Aurora.

It was a very busy day.

I started my busy day by waking up early in the morning and getting ready.

To summarize the schedule after that simply, I went to a place where there were a lot of royals and nobles, stood there for a while, and then went home to my lodgings.

Throughout the event, the royal family explained what had happened, took time to mourn the dead, and announced royal support for the recovery effort.

But the context is a bit distorted.

First of all, it was the royal family that killed the witch.

Many people already know that on Princess Aurora’s birthday, she was cursed by an evil witch, and that after doing everything she could to try to do something about it, Aurora was finally freed from the curse with my help.

The royal family added their own story to it.

When the curse was lifted, an enraged witch attacked, but the citizens of the capital and the royal family joined forces to seal the witch away.

I didn’t lie.

Actually, when the harvesters were fighting, rays of light were flying from the royal palace.

But the king cleverly twisted it into a propaganda piece that made it seem like he had sealed a witch in the palace. He had captured and defeated a witch who had been doing evil things for hundreds of years.

At the same time, they idolized the harvesters who fought the witches and promoted patriotism by saying that without their efforts the witches could not have been defeated.

Above all, the compensation was generous.

He promised that the citizens who fought at that place, even if they were from the Brighton slums, would have their names engraved on the monument, and those who died there would be knighted. And their families would receive various benefits.

They clamored that this was the country’s way of repaying their dedication.

Hearing that he was a great hero, he gave a lot of honor but not much of the national treasury actually went into it, and the memories of the leadership he gained in the first world faintly shine.

There was also a shining memory that even the honor given in that way would be tarnished and taken back at the right time, and would really only amount to a small sum of money.

Some memories are so beautifully divided that they are good.

There are those who are to blame, there are victims, there are those who have committed themselves, and there are leaders who mourn.

Besides, all those dedicated people are dead, so there’s no need for that person to do something strange and see the downfall of the hero.

The king was more active in promoting those who sacrificed themselves for the country.

It was broadcast throughout the kingdom through the press, even reaching the nearly closed city of Bern.

Ironically, that news turned the hearts of those fighting in Bern City upside down.

The people there, including the harvesters in Bern City, were really incredibly angry.

Nothing is happening in Bern City, but in the capital, the royal family is boasting about defeating an evil witch.

Then, strangely enough, the number of people who surrendered or gave up decreased.

Rather, the number of people who think that we should fight to the end has increased. The Purple Twilight Society is even preparing to establish a completely new government beyond a single organization.

It’s really fun.

While one side of the country celebrates victory and mourns the dead, on the other side, there is a growing number of people planning a complete revolution.

The only good thing is that there will be no indiscriminate suppression.

Just like in the second world, it means that not everyone will be treated as a bad person during the harvest season.

Because, many citizens in the capital saw the harvesters fighting the witches. In the end, no one seemed to have seen it all because they were impaled by the black thorn tree, but it is still important that they saw it.

Even in a situation where he couldn’t use magic, he fought the witch using his superpowers, so it must have left an even more impression on the witnesses.

But since no one watched until the end, everyone simply believed the story that the royal family killed the witch.

In other words, the harvesters of the capital are good people. Even Princess Aurora is a harvester. So it’s hard for her to become a bad person just because she’s a harvester.

In that case, the most dangerous one would be Victoria, a harvester from Bern City.

I don’t know what will happen in the future.

Oh, and Victoria surprisingly had a comfortable day today.

The Royal Academy has been closed for the week. At least most of our class was there to sit in the King’s Speech, so I guess all the students who attend the Royal Academy are there.

Victoria slept like a dead person in her room. She ran to the classroom in the morning saying she was late, but when she saw a sign saying she was off this week, she returned to the dormitory and fell asleep again.

I slept soundly until late afternoon, when the sun was still high in the sky. I got out of bed, went outside, and ate a huge meal by myself, saying I was hungry.

In the evening, I went to the Clockwork Knight School, but when I heard that it was closed too, I returned to the dormitory.

Now that I’m back at my accommodations, I’m reading letters from my family and studying my Clockwork Engineer class.

Since I don’t have any plans, I’ll have to go and visit tomorrow.

***

The next day.

I didn’t have to go to school, but I woke up at my usual time. Then I washed up, changed my clothes, and got ready as usual.

Strangely, people who take care of me talk to me more friendly than before. Until now, they used to look at me with a gaze that was foreign to them, but that has largely disappeared.

There’s no such thing as awe in saying that it’s because I defeated the witch.

Rather, I say that you don’t have to be so considerate, or that it’s okay to point out something.

I think I heard what the butler said before.

So I gave it a little bit of a heads up, and the young maids’ faces turned pale.

It was really funny when the older maid asked if I had ever worked in the same profession.

I couldn’t answer because the butler came and kicked me out just before I could answer. That was fortunate. Actually, I’ve never had that kind of job.

If you ask me why I have such knowledge, it’s a bit difficult.

anyway.

When I go out, the butler sees me off without saying a word, so it seems clear that the king is really kind to me.

If it was surveillance, they should have asked me where I was going. But no matter where I went or how late I came home, they didn’t ask me any questions.

At first I thought it was because he was a butler, but now that I think about it, it’s more likely that he just tells me to do whatever I want.

I guess I was looking at this through colored glasses because I misunderstood Merryweather.

I left my room and headed to the dormitory where Victoria lived, wishing I was a little smarter so I wouldn’t be misunderstood by anyone even if I didn’t make it into a harvester.

If you turn sideways from the entrance of the accommodation, you will immediately see the main gate of the Royal Academy.

Enter through the main gate and walk along the road for a bit, then take the road extending to the left and walk straight. There are two buildings.

One is a dormitory and the other is a student cafeteria.

Victoria once muttered that since the two of them were right next to each other, the smell of food would drift into the room whenever it was mealtime, so she would never have to skip a meal.

When you enter the dormitory building, there is a large space on the first floor. It is a place with chairs and tables, so it is a place where students who are bored in their rooms gather.

Today, I see students sitting in their seats. And there is a TV there, so everyone is watching it.

When I glanced at the video that was being broadcast, it said that it was a special broadcast, and the video was showing various materials explaining what kind of witch Maleficent was.

I was watching for a moment, and Maleficent’s memory, oh, that wasn’t it, but it glowed with the same feeling, so I just went up.

There are various auxiliary facilities on the first floor, and the rooms where the children live are located from the second floor onwards.

I stood in front of the room and knocked on the door.

After a while, Victoria, with disheveled hair, opened the door and came out.

“Bell?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

We enter Victoria’s room, which is a bit of a mess. The area where she sleeps is clean, but there are tools, iron, and a bunch of oily machinery strewn about in one corner.

This is a wind-up machine that I received yesterday at the wind-up school for study purposes.

“It’s dirty.”

“It can’t be helped, it’s a wind-up machine~ I don’t know if I can get another room, but this is the only place I can put it, so I have to do it here. So don’t throw it away!”

“Don’t throw it away.”

Then Victoria looks at me with a suspicious expression.

“Really? My mom said the same thing once and threw it all away. It wasn’t mine, it was my dad’s.”

“You’re studying, right?”

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

Seeing Victoria smiling awkwardly, I pointed to the bathroom.

“Go and wash first.”

“Yes, yes, since it’s your day off, why don’t you take it easy and enjoy it?”

Victoria grumbled and went into the bathroom with her clothes. I checked her and picked up the letter on the side of the desk.

A letter from Beatrice.

It says that both of you will be busy this time, so don’t even think about coming down. There is no mention of what is happening in Bern City in the letter.

Upon reading this, Victoria was delighted that her father, Maurice, had returned to work, but this letter is unlikely to contain that message.

But that doesn’t mean Victoria can’t go down there.

The royal family has not made any specific mention of Victoria, whether they intend to downplay or nullify her activities.

Perhaps Victoria feels that the royal family has already provided her with everything she needs.

Getting into the Royal Academy is quite difficult.

Besides, it takes four days one way from the capital to Bern City. If you take an airship like last time, it won’t take even a day, but if not, it will take a long time.

The question is whether I should consider it to be at a level where I can send a letter, or whether the situation is so dangerous that I should send a letter telling them not to come… … .

“Oh, that feels refreshing. What are you looking at?”

“It’s a letter.”

“Oh, you came to Mom? You must be busy. I’ve never seen you both like this, but you came in because of me, and since I’m out like this, you both must have gone to work.”

Yes, Maurice and Beatrice. They both love Victoria very much. So no matter how busy they are, I know that one of them makes time to be with Victoria.

I heard it while cooking with Beatrice in the kitchen.

Victoria knew it too.

I see it through Victoria’s eyes, and I know what Victoria feels, but I don’t know what she’s thinking. The only time I get a memory is when I make it into a harvester.

So, I ask you, between the lines of the letter, have you read what’s happening to the two of you?

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not a kid, so why would I be upset about something like this? But it’s not like a mother to not write anything about Belle. Or did Belle get the letter too?”

I shook my head from side to side. At least, as far as I know, I never received a letter.

“Are you really busy?”

It’s more likely that being busy isn’t about being busy with work. Some memories are flashing cautiously. I hope I won’t get a reply.

I realized this when I saw that memory.

Yes, if you write something about me, you might get a letter.

And unless you can guarantee that your letter will reach Bern City properly, it’s better to send a letter that will go unanswered.

If you don’t know, you have already told King Hypion. For the sake of consistency, I will ask this question here so that you do not get into trouble later.

Doesn’t it feel bad when people say things like “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Victoria. The day we first met. I can faintly hear someone screaming from the south, just like the moment you were screaming.”

As I throw Beatrice’s consideration into the trash, I spill to Victoria the fact that something might be going on in Bern City.

Looking at Victoria’s stiff expression, I put a pen in her hand.

“I’m worried.”

So I encourage you to ask.

Soon Victoria nodded, sat down, and wrote a letter.

So, what will become of this letter?

I sat behind Victoria and waited, trying to predict what the future would bring.