It’s been a week since Merryweather became my guard.
Even with her here, my life hasn’t changed at all. My daily routine still revolves around going back and forth between the Royal Academy and my lodging, like gears in a clock.
Victoria is getting used to the commute to the Clockwork Knight School. Her breaks are slowly getting longer.
Merryweather spent a few days asking other students in our class about me. Eventually, she figured out that I don’t form proper relationships with anyone, and she stopped asking others.
If she’s from the intelligence department, it’s a shame, but I’m just not that social of a person.
The Royal Academy is like this, and the Harvesters in Brightshin...
They’ve almost returned to a life of poverty. Some are trying to improve their lives, but most are not.
It’s like how people who try to exercise after gaining weight often give up after just a few days. Just because something changes doesn’t mean it will continue.
The body has returned to its original state with no real meaning, and things have gotten dirty and bleak again. In a world with strict class and capital, even if one’s health improves a little, it’s hard to climb up.
In other words, it’s back to normal life.
The capital is peaceful.
In other words, the areas outside the capital are not peaceful.
First, Kanna, who had gone back to her hometown, is now unable to come back to the capital. I see why the northern families prioritize the harvest.
Monsters, those that could be called monsters, are now filling the land.
The only silver lining is that they are fighting among themselves.
However, in the grand scheme of things, that’s just a tiny part of the bigger picture. A variety of monsters are flocking to this country.
It almost seems like a demon lord has ordered an invasion.
But according to Kanna’s memory, monsters don’t invade out of malice. It’s more of a simple natural phenomenon.
It’s just that the breeding season for monsters overlaps every few years. After a year, the monsters multiply to the point where the land can no longer sustain them, and they spread everywhere, causing the ecosystem to shake, creating a chain reaction that sends waves of destruction across the land.
I know something similar.
Even in faded memories, there were years when cicadas emerged in massive swarms every 13 or 17 years, covering an entire continent.
Over there, it’s cicadas, but here, it’s large monsters. Not just one species, but multiple different species colliding.
The entire ecosystem is in a real estate crisis, and those who lose the battle for territory are pushed further out, leading to a disaster.
So, what’s Kanna doing?
She’s right in the middle of the battlefield, swinging a huge axe spear, fighting hard. It’s hard to believe she lived her whole life as a crippled person, but she’s running around with a heavy weapon.
She’s so physically fit now that it surprises even her. Maybe she has some special ability, similar to Tiswah.
Anyway, the battle with the demon army.
Not really a battle against the demon lord, but fighting the beasts that are coming in a panic. Once a certain flow is established, they retreat on their own.
Since there’s no clear answer to when this flow will be established, they bring all available forces and fight until the monsters flee.
In other words, every time Kanna swings her weapon, warmth is scattered intermittently.
Hehe.
Creatures are interesting. Just because they’re huge doesn’t mean they have a lot of warmth, and there are small creatures, half the size of a human, that have more warmth than humans.
But for the most part, compared to humans, the amount of warmth per life is less.
Especially domesticated animals, their warmth is often less than that of insects. I knew that from the first world.
Humans are the most efficient. And because I know humans well, I’ll continue to choose them.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
Now that I’m here, I’m starting to wonder if I really know them, but at least I can explain why I acted the way I did.
Is the north the only busy place, compared to the capital?
No, it’s not.
Vern City, to the south of the capital.
It’s in chaos.
It’s not because of monsters like the north.
Rather, it’s the opposite. It’s a human problem.
It all started with a demand for an investigation into a certain incident, but the mayor of Vern City refused to respond at all.
So, a group of people went there, only to be met by people sent to use violence to silence them.
However, they didn’t know that one of these people was a Harvester with special abilities.
Psychic abilities, unlike magic, don’t allow someone to use a wide range of techniques. But in the area they can control, they handle it like their own body.
The Harvester subdued the person and immediately identified them. To their surprise, the person was a soldier. One who had come to eliminate terrorists.
The Harvester, realizing they couldn’t face this alone, revealed the situation to the Purple Twilight Association and asked for help.
The Purple Twilight Association, assuming there was no issue, rushed to the city hall to protest. And survivors from Vern City started joining in.
Thanks to the goodwill they had shown until then, no one doubted the Purple Twilight Association.
Even when the mayor labeled them a terrorist group, no one believed it.
To spread something, there’s a saying: "Ban it."
Instead, the questions asking about the truth of the incident in Vern City spread even further.
What is the truth behind the tragedy in Vern City? Why are people trying to forcefully ask about it?
The south is in the middle of this incident.
But the people living in the capital don’t know. The newspapers and broadcasts show nothing but the usual routine.
Blood has already been spilled.
The unfortunate thing is that no Harvesters have started killing yet.
But once the fighting begins, Harvesters will unleash their powerful abilities. They’re strong and smart. Some even have psychic abilities.
The number of deaths will rise dramatically. And once blood is spilled, it’s hard to go back to the way things were.
Hehe.
Seeing all of this, it seems like this world isn’t that different, so it’s somewhat reassuring.
And this time, I’m not worried about disappearing without anything happening like last time.
Because the first person who asked those questions has already been killed.
The Purple Twilight Association is rightfully angry. They’re resisting injustice.
It’s already on the ground, so it’s impossible not to see blood now.
What will happen next?
What about Victoria? Won’t Morris and Beatrice be affected?
I’ll calmly watch. If there’s one thing I’m a bit concerned about, it’s that Morris and Beatrice rarely cross paths with the Harvesters, so I can’t see what they’re up to.
They live in a neighborhood with many Harvesters, so I see them occasionally.
Beatrice seems to be going to work at a company, and Morris seems to still be at home, but that’s about it.
If Vern City turns into a battlefield, that might change.
I’ve decided to stay silent. The fact that I can see things through the eyes of the Harvesters is a secret. The Harvesters will show me the world until their last breath, so I’m not telling anyone.
"Bell! Let’s go out and have fun today!"
Thinking that, I looked at Victoria, and suddenly she said that to me.
"Alright."
It’s after afternoon classes, so I was planning to go back to the lodging, wash up, rest, and go to sleep anyway. Going out won’t cause any problems.
"Is it okay to decide that without the guard’s permission?"
Merryweather, who had been sitting next to me, suddenly asked that.
But doesn’t that kind of comment reveal she’s watching me? I decided to point that out, thinking of her as purely a guard.
"Aren’t guards just supposed to watch over me?"
"Bell’s guard is firm, huh. The more I look, the more I see that you’re very decisive about drawing lines. Alright, I’ll follow you since I’m your guard."
Victoria nodded contentedly.
Almost a month has passed.
Victoria really studied hard. If I think about how she was before, it’s about time for her to take a break.
She should be praised for how far she’s come.
"Then let’s just drop off our stuff and go! We’ll wait at the school gate, right?"
Victoria said as she shoved textbooks, notebooks, and writing tools into her bag. I placed my books in a corner of the classroom.
"I don’t have anything to carry."
When I said that, Victoria gave me a confused look.
"I envy you, Bell, for not having to study." "It’s easy when I just pull out what I’ve memorized."
Then Merryweather suddenly pushed her way into the conversation.
"Oh? Bell doesn’t study? I thought you were like the others who carry books around, but I guess not."
At Merryweather’s words, Victoria looked at me. She then reached into her bag, pulled out a textbook, and threw it at Merryweather.
When Merryweather caught it, Victoria said:
"Marly, open to any page and ask me the first sentence."
Merryweather looked at the textbook with a puzzled expression, then read aloud, and was quite surprised.
"She memorizes everything after just one look."
Strictly speaking, it’s more like I take a picture and store it in a folder. It’s not like I understand everything I memorize.
History is easy, but I dislike subjects like technology or math. Those require more than just memorization.
"I’m only good at memorizing." "That’s what I mean... it’s deceptive."
While Victoria sighed, Merryweather smiled softly and handed the textbook back to Victoria.
"At least it means you put in the effort to read the whole textbook, right? You should see that too. So, Tory, do you have a place to go if you’re going out today?"
After receiving the textbook from Merryweather, Victoria packed it into her bag and stood up. Now that I think about it, Merryweather doesn’t have a textbook either. No one seems to mind her lounging around in the classroom.
Maybe she thinks she can act however she wants.
That said, that doesn’t mean she can handle everything just because of that ability. Sometimes, when she talks with other students, the conversation gets pretty deep.
It’s not about the amount of knowledge, but how she connects with people. Sometimes, when she answers like an adult, it seems like she’s older than she looks.
She must be good at disguise, or maybe she’s just very youthful-looking.
Thinking about these things, I’m sure now that she’s related to the intelligence department.
"Before summer break, I was attending the Clockwork Knight School in the capital. So, I know some fun places."
Victoria stood up and walked out of the classroom. I followed her.
For Victoria, it’s a rare holiday.