The day after meeting Aurora.
This day was extremely busy.
I started a busy day by being woken up from dawn to get dressed.
To simply summarize the schedule after that, it was going to a place where many royals and nobles were out, standing there for a long time, and then returning to the lodging.
Throughout that schedule, the royal family explained what had happened, took time to mourn for the dead, and announced that they would provide recovery support from the royal family.
But the context was slightly distorted.
First, it became that the royal family had dealt with the witch.
Many people already know that Princess Aurora was cursed by an evil witch on her birth day, and that after trying everything possible to deal with it, Aurora was freed from the curse with my help.
The royal family added to that story.
They say that when the witch found out the curse was broken, she attacked in rage, but the citizens of the capital and the royal family joined forces to seal the witch.
They didn't lie.
In fact, a beam did fly from the royal palace when the harvesters were fighting.
But the king cleverly twisted that, propagating as if the royal family had sealed the witch. He said they had captured and defeated the witch who had been doing evil deeds for several hundred years.
While doing so, he idolized the harvesters who fought the witch, and incited patriotism by saying that without their efforts, they couldn't have defeated the witch.
Above all, the rewards were generous.
The citizens who fought there at that time, even if they were from the Brightshin slums, would have their names engraved on a monument, and those who died there would receive knighthood. And he promised that their families would receive various benefits.
He clamored that that was the repayment the country could give for their devotion.
It sounds like they've become great heroes, but memories from leaders in the first world subtly shine, saying that while they pile on honor, the actual national treasury spent is not much.
There were also shining memories saying that even the honor given like that costs almost nothing if you tarnish and reclaim it at an appropriate time.
Some memories say it's good that everything is neatly divided to the point of being beautiful.
There's a target to resent, there are victims, there are devoted people, and there are leaders who mourn.
Moreover, since all those devoted people died, there's no need to see the fall of a hero because they did something strange.
The king more actively promoted the people who sacrificed for the country.
That was broadcast throughout the kingdom through the media, and even entered Bern City, which is almost in a closed state.
Ridiculously, that news turned the hearts of people fighting in Bern City.
Including the harvesters in Bern City, the people were really tremendously angry.
Nothing about what's happening in Bern City comes out, but in the capital, the royal family is boasting about defeating an evil witch.
Then strangely, the number of people saying to surrender or giving up decreased.
Rather, the number of people with the opinion to resist to the end increased. The Purple Twilight Society is even preparing to establish a completely new government beyond being a single group.
It's really interesting.
On one side of the country, they're having victory reports and time to mourn the dead, while on the other side, the number of people planning a complete dynastic revolution is increasing.
The fortunate thing is that they won't carry out indiscriminate suppression.
It means that, unlike the second world, not all harvesters will be treated as bad people.
Because many citizens saw harvesters fighting the witch in the capital. In the end, it seems no one saw until the end after being pierced by black thorn trees, but still, it's important that they saw.
Moreover, because they used superpowers to fight the witch in a situation where magic couldn't be used, it seems to have left a more impressive mark on witnesses.
But because no one saw until the end, everyone easily believes that the royal family dealt with the witch.
In other words, harvesters in the capital are good people. Even Princess Aurora is a harvester. So it means it's difficult to become a bad person just for being a harvester.
If that's the case, the most dangerous one becomes Victoria. A harvester from Bern City.
I don't know how things will turn out in the future.
Ah, and Victoria unexpectedly spent today comfortably.
The Royal Academy was closed for this week. Considering that most students in our class came to sit at the place where the king gave his speech, I guess all students attending the Royal Academy came.
Victoria collapsed and slept like dead in her room. There was a disaster where she ran to the classroom in the morning saying she was late, saw it written that this week is off, returned to the dormitory and fell asleep again.
She slept deeply until late afternoon. And at a time when the sun was still in the sky. She got up from bed, said she was hungry, went out and ate enormously alone.
In the evening, she went to the Clockwork Knight School, heard it was closed too, and trudged back to the dormitory.
Now that I've arrived at the lodging, she's reading a letter from her family and studying Clockwork Knight subjects.
Since there's no particular schedule, I should go visit her tomorrow.
* * *
The next day.
Though there's no need to go to school, I woke up at the usual time. And after washing and changing clothes as usual, I got dressed up.
Strangely, the people taking care of me speak more familiarly than before. Until now they looked at me with eyes seeing something heterogeneous, but that has disappeared a lot.
It's not because I defeated the witch, as there's no awe or anything like that.
Rather, they say I don't need to be so considerate, and that it's okay to point out things if there's anything to point out.
I guess they heard what I said to the butler before.
So when I pointed out a few things, the faces of the young maids turned pale blue.
It was really funny when a seasoned maid asked if I had worked in the same field.
I couldn't answer because the butler came and chased them away just before I was about to answer. That was fortunate. I've never actually had such a job.
It would be troublesome if they asked why I have such knowledge.
Anyway.
Seeing the butler send me off without saying anything when I go out, it seems certain that the king is really treating me favorably.
If it was surveillance, they should have asked my destination when I go somewhere. But no matter where I went or how late I came back, they didn't ask any particular questions.
At first I thought it was because he's a butler, but looking at it now, there's a high possibility that they're just letting me do as I please.
It seems they were looking at me through colored glasses due to misunderstanding Merriwather.
Thinking it would be nice if I was a little smarter so I wouldn't misunderstand someone without having to make them a harvester, I left the lodging and headed to the dormitory where Victoria lives.
If you turn to the side at the entrance of the lodging, the main gate of the Royal Academy is right there.
Enter through the main gate, walk a little along the road, then take the path stretching to the left and walk straight, there are two buildings.
One is the dormitory, and one is the student cafeteria.
The two are right next to each other, so Victoria once muttered that there's absolutely no way to skip meals because the smell of food flows into the rooms at mealtimes.
When you enter the dormitory building, there's a wide space on the first floor, a place with chairs and tables, where students gather when they're bored of being in their own rooms.
Today too, I can see students sitting and taking seats. And there's a TV there, which they're all watching.
Glancing at the video playing, it says it's a special broadcast, and a video is playing showing various materials about what kind of witch Maleficent was.
As I watch for a moment, Maleficent's memory shines with a feeling like "ah that's not it", so I just went up.
There are various auxiliary facilities on the first floor, and from the second floor are the rooms where kids live.
I stood in front of the door and knocked.
After a while, Victoria with messy hair opened the door and came out.
"Belle?"
"Yes. It's me."
I enter Victoria's room, who is startled. The room is quite messy. The area where she sleeps is clean, but tools and iron and machine lumps smelling of oil are scattered messily in one corner.
It's the clockwork machine she received yesterday when she went to the Clockwork Knight School for studying.
"It's dirty."
"It can't be helped because it's a clockwork machine~ Unless I can get another room, this is the only place I can put it, so I have no choice but to do it here. So don't throw it away!"
"I won't throw it away."
Then Victoria looks at me with a suspicious expression.
"Really? My mom also said that and once took everything away. It wasn't mine but dad's though."
"You're studying, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
Looking at Victoria smiling awkwardly, I pointed to the bathroom.
"First go and wash up."
"Yes yes, where's the harm in being a bit comfortable on a day off."
Victoria grumbles while taking clothes and entering the bathroom. After confirming that, I picked up a letter on one side of the desk.
It's a letter from Beatrice.
It's written that they both seem to be busy this time, so don't think about coming down. Nowhere in the letter is anything written about the situation happening in Bern City.
Victoria who read this was happy thinking her father Morris had started working again, but there's a high possibility this letter isn't about that.
But even if Victoria goes down, there's nothing she can do.
Whether they're thinking of reducing or erasing Victoria's activities, the royal family didn't mention Victoria separately.
Maybe they think the royal family is already giving Victoria everything she needs.
It's quite difficult to enter the Royal Academy.
Moreover, it takes at least four days one way from the capital to Bern City. If you take an airship like last time, it takes less than a day, but if not, it takes a long time.
The problem is whether I should think it's good enough to send letters, or if it's a dangerous situation to the extent of sending a letter telling her not to come...
"Whew, refreshing. What are you looking at?"
"A letter."
"Ah, the one from mom? Looks like work is busy. There's never been a time when we couldn't see each other like this, but that was because they forcibly came in because of me, and now that I'm out of the house like this, they both must have gone to work."
That's right. Morris and Beatrice. They both love Victoria very much. So I know that no matter how busy, one of them tried to make time to be with Victoria.
I heard it while cooking with Beatrice in the kitchen.
Victoria knew too.
I see through Victoria's eyes and know everything Victoria feels, but I don't know her thoughts. I only gain memories at the moment of making someone a harvester.
So I ask if she read what's happening to them between the lines of the letter.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm not a child, would I get upset over something like this? But it's not like mom to not write anything about Belle. Or did Belle receive a letter too?"
I shook my head left and right. At least as far as I know, I've never received a letter.
"Are they really busy?"
There's a higher possibility that being busy isn't because of work. Some memories sparkle cautiously. Saying they hope no reply comes.
Looking at those memories, I realized.
Right. If they write about me, they might receive a letter by mistake.
And unless there's a guarantee that letters will properly go to Bern City, it's better to send a letter that won't get a reply.
To pretend not to know like this, I already said something to King Hyperion. For consistency, asking this question here won't tangle words later.
Saying things like "Why didn't you tell me" is unpleasant, right?
"Victoria. The day we first met. Like the moment you were screaming, I faintly hear people's screams from the south."
Throwing Beatrice's consideration into the trash can, I leak to Victoria the fact that something might be happening in Bern City.
Looking at Victoria whose expression has hardened, I put a pen in Victoria's hand.
"I'm worried."
So I encourage her to ask.
Soon Victoria nodded and sat down to write a letter.
Now, I wonder what will happen to this letter?
While predicting what kind of future it will flow into, I sat behind Victoria and waited.