A week has passed since Merryweather became my escort.
Even with her around, my life hasn’t changed at all. My daily routine of commuting between the Royal Academy and my accommodation runs smoothly like clockwork.
Victoria is getting used to the commute to the Wind-Up Knight School. Her breaks are getting a bit longer.
Merryweather spent a few days asking my classmates about me, only to discover that I don’t maintain proper relationships, so she stopped asking anyone else.
It might be disappointing for someone from the Information Department, but I’m just not that sociable.
The Royal Academy is like this, and the harvesting period in Brightshin…
They have nearly returned to a life of poverty.
Some are trying to improve their lives, but most aren’t.
Just like many people resolve to exercise but end up failing after a few days, a change doesn’t necessarily lead to lasting improvement.
Their bodies have reverted without meaning, becoming dirty and depleted again. In a world where capital and class are strict, it’s hard to rise up just because one’s health has slightly improved.
In other words, they’ve returned to their routine.
The capital is peaceful.
In other words, it’s not peaceful outside of the capital.
The fact that Kanna hasn’t come back down from her hometown is a clear sign of that. It shows why the northern families value radishes so much.
Monsters that can be called beasts fill the ground.
At least they seem to be fighting among themselves.
But even that is only a tiny part of the whole picture. Monsters of various kinds are flocking to this country.
It almost seems like there’s a demon lord commanding an invasion.
But according to Kanna’s memories, the monsters don’t exactly invade with malice. Rather, it’s just a simple natural phenomenon.
It’s just the time when monster breeding coincides every few years. The next year, a quantity of monsters that is too great for the land to handle spreads out, shaking the ecosystem in the process, and the aftermath comes crashing in like waves.
I know something similar.
Even in my faded memories, there’s a year when cicadas emerge in cycles of 13 and 17 years. An enormous number of cicadas burst forth, covering the entire continent.
There, they’re cicadas, but here, they’re bulky monsters. Not only from the same species but from several different ones overlapping.
The whole ecosystem falls into a real estate crisis, and those who lose in territory battles get pushed further away, creating disasters.
So what is Kanna doing…?
In the middle of that battlefield, she is valiantly swinging a big battle axe. It’s hard to believe she was someone who lived all her life as a crippled person, but here she is, wildly running around with a heavy weapon.
She seems to be surprising even herself with her newfound stamina. Perhaps she possesses a psychic ability similar to Tisah.
Anyway, the battle against the demon king’s army isn’t the actual issue; it’s more about fighting the beasts that come in panic. If a certain flow is created, they flee to other areas.
Since there isn’t a clear answer on when that flow arrives, the northern side is gathering all available personnel to fight until the monsters retreat.
In other words, it means that every time Kanna swings her weapon, warmth trickles in until the monsters flee.
Hehe.
Biological beings are peculiar. Just because something is massive doesn’t mean it has more warmth; there are small creatures that are half the height of a person but have levels of warmth equal to humans.
However, for the most part, there’s less warmth per unit of life compared to humans.
Especially, domesticated beasts often have warmth less than that of bugs. I’ve known that since the first world.
Humans are the most efficient. Given that I understand humans well, I will continue to choose them.
I do wonder if I really know them well now that I’m here, but I can still explain why I behaved that way.
Is it just the north that’s busy compared to the capital?
Not at all.
In Bern City, located south of the capital, it’s absolute chaos.
It’s not due to monsters like in the north.
On the contrary, it’s a matter between people.
It all started with demands for an investigation into why such incidents occurred, but the Bern City mayor’s office didn’t respond at all.
So when they gathered a lot of people and went there, they sent in those who could use violence to crush those asking questions.
However, they didn’t know that among those people was a harvesting person with psychic abilities.
Unlike magic, where a person can utilize many different skills, psychic abilities are akin to treating one’s domain as their body.
She subdued her opponent and immediately identified him. To her surprise, he was a soldier, here to eliminate terrorists.
Realizing she couldn’t handle this alone, the harvesting person reported it to the Violet Twilight Society and asked for help.
Accepting it as a non-issue, the Violet Twilight Society stormed the city hall and protested. One by one, survivors from Bern City joined the protest.
Because of the goodwill they demonstrated up to that point, no one suspected the Violet Twilight Society.
Even when the mayor declared them a terrorist group, no one believed him.
There’s a saying that to spread something widely, one must call it forbidden.
Ironically, the effort to suppress the Violet Twilight Society only spread the news more widely.
What is behind the disaster in Bern City?
Why are they forcing those questions?
The south is at the center of that incident.
But those living in the capital are oblivious to the scene. The newspapers and broadcasts show nothing but the monotony of daily life.
Blood has already been shed.
The unfortunate thing is that no harvesting person has started killing yet.
However, if fights break out, harvesting people will unleash their powerful abilities. They are strong and intelligent. Some even have psychic abilities.
The number of fatalities will rise sharply. And once blood has been spilled, it’s tough to revert to the original state, right?
Hehe.
Seeing this, it reassures me that this world isn’t that different.
And this time, there’s no worry about disappearing without incident like last time.
Why? Because the person who originally asked the questions has already been murdered.
The Violet Twilight Society is rightfully angry. They are resisting injustice.
Since blood is already flowing, it’s impossible not to see more.
What will happen now?
And what about Victoria?
Won’t Morris and Beatrice face any trouble?
All we can do is watch calmly. If there’s anything unfortunate, it’s that Morris and Beatrice rarely overlap with the harvesting people’s schedules, making it hard to know what they’re up to.
Since the neighborhood they live in has many harvesting people, they occasionally come into view.
It seems that Beatrice is going to work while Morris is still at home; that’s about all I know.
But if Bern City becomes a battlefield, that will change.
I’ve decided to remain silent. The fact that I can see things through the perspective of harvesting people is a secret. Harvesting people will continue to show me the world until their last moment, so I have no intention of telling anyone.
“Bell! Let’s go out and have some fun today!”
Thinking this, as I was looking at Victoria, she suddenly said that to me.
“Got it.”
It’s right after afternoon classes. Anyway, I was going to return to my accommodation, wash, relax, and go to sleep later. There shouldn’t be any problems with us going out.
“Is it okay to decide something like that without the escort’s permission?”
Merryweather, who was sitting next to me, suddenly asked.
But wouldn’t that reveal the fact that I’m being monitored? I pointed out that I only know her as an escort.
“Aren’t escorts just people who watch over you?”
“Bell has some strong boundaries~ The more I see it, the more I see how firm your lines are. Alright, I understand. Since you’re escorting me, I’ll come along.”
Victoria nodded, seemingly satisfied.
It’s been nearly a month.
Victoria has truly been studying hard. Compared to what she was doing originally, it’s about time she experiences a little relaxation.
In fact, she should be praised for holding on until now.
“Then let’s just drop off our bags and go! We can wait at the school gate, right?”
As Victoria stuffed her textbook, notebook, and stationery into her bag, she said that. I placed my book in one corner of the classroom.
“I don’t have any luggage.”
When I said that, Victoria looked at me with a confused expression.
“I envy you, Bell, for not having to study.”
“If it’s just recalling what I memorized, it’s quite simple.”
Just then, Merryweather pushed her way in.
“Oh? I thought Bell didn’t study? There are several kids who leave their books behind, so I assumed you were one of them.”
Upon Merryweather’s words, Victoria turned to look at me. Then she reached into her bag, pulled out a textbook, and threw it at Merryweather.
When Merryweather caught it, Victoria said:
“Mail. Open any page and ask the first sentence.”
With a puzzled expression, Merryweather flipped open the textbook and asked. When I read the corresponding page aloud, she was quite surprised.
“She memorizes everything after seeing it once.”
Strictly speaking, it’s more like taking a photo and storing it in a folder. Just memorizing doesn’t equal understanding.
It’s convenient for history, but I dislike it for subjects like technology or math. Those require more than just memorization.
“Her memorization ability is amazing.”
“So, that’s just a trick….”
Seeing Victoria sigh, Merryweather quietly chuckled and handed the textbook back to her.
“At least it means she made an effort to read the entire textbook, right? That’s something to recognize. So, Tori, do you have a place to go for fun today?”
After receiving the textbook from Merryweather, Victoria tucked it into her bag and then stood up. Come to think of it, Merryweather doesn’t have a textbook either. No one seems to mind her casually leaning against the classroom.
Maybe she has some function that allows her to do whatever she wants without issues.
But that doesn’t mean she navigates everything solely with that ability. Sometimes, in her conversations with other students, she engages in quite profound discussions.
It’s not about the amount of knowledge but rather the way she approaches people’s hearts. Occasionally, when she responds maturely, it’s likely she’s older than she looks.
Even with students, she appears to be the same age, so it well could mean she’s either a master of disguise or incredibly youthful.
Putting some of those aspects together, she surely seems like someone related to the Information Department.
“Until just before summer vacation, I attended the Wind-Up Knight School in the capital. So, I know some fun places.”
Victoria stood up and headed out of the classroom. I followed her.
For Victoria, this is a rare holiday.
