Clip-clop, clip-clop.
As about ten riders passed in a line, quite a ruckus and dust was kicked up.
The animals nearby, who had been lazily napping, felt like they’d just been struck by lightning out of a clear blue sky. They instantly bolted in the opposite direction.
“—Yah!”
Leading the charge was a girl riding swiftly, her smooth hair flowing in the wind. Behind her, a frail woman with brown hair followed, looking like she was on the brink of death.
Riding a horse takes quite a bit of stamina, and for that woman, who had no muscle on her at all, it was a huge struggle. Despite that, she was doing her best to keep up, showing just how hard she was trying.
“Heu… heu… heu…”
…Okay, maybe a bit too much struggle.
“AAAH—!! Princess Remi! Can we please take a break!? Pleeease!?”
“……Hah, Tessa.”
“WAAAH!!!”
At the wailing of Tessa, the royal library’s librarian, who had fallen into despair, Princess Remi’s resolve softened, and she gradually slowed her horse to a stop.
The others, who had lagged behind while searching the area, soon caught up, and busily began preparing for the night’s camp in the fading sunlight of the forest.
They set up a fire, prepared some makeshift lodging for laying down, and began to prepare a meal.
A merry, bustling scene.
Before long, dinner was ready, steaming and inviting.
Of course, the quality was like day and night compared to the meals back at the royal palace, but none present complained about the food.
Clatter.
Tessa and Remi sat across from each other at a small table laden with food.
It was Remi who broke the silence.
“Sorry, Tessa. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”
“…What are you talking about, Your Highness? I should be the one apologizing. If I had just been a little faster…”
“—I’ve said it before, Tessa, it’s not your fault. Really, it’s my mistake for not noticing how much Aris was struggling.”
Tessa, who was the librarian of the royal library, had decided to accompany Princess Remi on her final journey.
The decision for the second princess, Remi Akaia, to study abroad in the empire had been made.
For the next few months, or potentially years, she would not be returning to her homeland, thus Remi had resolved to personally search for the missing youngest princess.
Everyone shook their heads, calling it a futile effort, but Tessa was the only one who chose to stand by Remi’s side.
She believed that if she had been able to discern more quickly from the notes in her books the symptoms of the now-missing Princess Aris, that tragic event might have been prevented.
Or perhaps it was a way for her to release her lingering hopes and regrets for the youngest princess whom she had adored.
Although she lacked stamina and was not adept at physical tasks, her knowledge from books was proving to be a great help on their journey.
From cooking to reading maps and identifying landmarks.
Well, other than being completely useless otherwise; her body screamed at her for it.
No matter how smart you are, sometimes your body has other plans.
“…..”
“…..”
As they began to eat, an awkward silence filled the air.
Unable to withstand the tension, Tessa spoke up with a hint of familiarity she felt with the princess.
“So next year… you decided to enter the Academy, right?”
“Well… yeah.”
The topic was now about the Akard Empire’s academic research institution, Museion, commonly referred to as the Academy, which Remi was soon to attend.
Tessa was quite interested in it and wanted to learn about it during this opportunity.
With joyful anticipation, Tessa gazed at Princess Remi.
And that anticipation was soon betrayed in a bad way.
“Well, they call it an academy, but it’s really just a place of exile.”
“…..Huh?”
“Matchmaking… graveyard… well, there are plenty of names, but personally, I’m fond of that term. Exile, isn’t it a nice phrase?”
The Academy.
The Akard Empire used it as a means to gauge the loyalty of nearby kingdoms and their influence.
Send someone of ‘hostage’ caliber to your country’s school.
It was a veiled threat dressed as goodwill.
Nobles had no choice but to send their children there, like it or not. Who would want to send their child to a school far from home instead of their own?
Moreover, it was known that there, they would study ideologies and theories favoring the empire, along with subtly revised histories.
“Aris, Aris, I kneeled and begged to find my sister, only to be met with ostracism rather than search efforts, ha—!”
“…….Um… Your Highness?”
In addition, those who were to inherit the throne or the title of Duke rarely even went there.
With top-notch teachers plentiful, why would they go to such a place?
They already formed their own networks from a young age, throwing parties and balls to solidify connections and friendships.
There was no need to make the effort, as those connections would come to them naturally.
Thus, to curry favor with the empire and fill the ranks, those displaced from the line of succession and nobles of lower title would be sent to this place.
Moreover, many capable ordinary citizens ended up paying just to create connections with nobles, who were already corrupted as it was.
That, was the Academy.
Whoosh, bang.
Sounds of reality shattering against her fantasies echoed.
And at that moment, Tessa trembled all over.
With a quiver in her hands, the food she had on her spoon fell from her grasp and clattered onto the plate.
The thick stew that had filled her mouth was sweet yet rich in flavor, but right now Tessa couldn’t even tell if the food was going into her mouth, ears, or nose.
She thought.
Ah, this is a trap.
For the second time in her life, she found herself wishing time could rewind.
The first time was on the day Princess Aris had gone missing.
The second time was now.
“‘That girl’ is going to inherit the throne, so I can’t stay far away. Be a hostage or something, haha… go to school, make connections, and catch a man to marry or something, right?”
“…..Your Highness Remi…”
“Ah— I’m sorry, Tessa. Haha.”
Remi muttered softly, “I didn’t mean to make it uncomfortable,” as she bit into a hard rye bread.
Crunch, crunch. The bread tore loudly.
Seeing that, Tessa clutched her racing heart and tried to finish their meal.
She vowed never to bring up the subject of the academy again.
And she resolved to burn every romantic novel based on the Academy in the library.
Leaving the two in a bad mood, dinner came to an end.
Caw, caw.
With the cawing of a crow ringing out from the high sky, the sun completely vanished beyond the horizon.
Except for a few sentries, everyone else sank into a deep slumber with their weary bodies.
And thus, another day passed.
Caw, caw.
Caw.
Underneath the gentle moonlight.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a small gem hung from the crow’s leg.
Everyone fell into sleep.
—
The urgent report from the crow.
—People of the Tesillia Kingdom are coming down the river.
Of course, there had been search parties in the vicinity before. However, most had donned merely equipment for searching, ill-fitted for any proper magical defense, making them easy to deceive.
The nearby natural environment had woven itself into a form of magic, and people simply passed by, oblivious to the unnatural atmosphere of the hiding place.
But now, the situation had changed significantly.
“…Caw… caw…”
“—Thank you for your hard work. Please, rest.”
Flap, flap, I looked at the small orb emitting a little spark of electricity.
From the orb came nothing but the unpleasant zapping noise and disjointed images flickering.
It would never be used again.
The magic was disrupted.
Ordinary to advanced, perhaps even superior magical defense.
It was likely because the princesses had been provided with magical gear to prevent incidents like before.
And— that princess was on her way.
Approaching the vicinity of the house where Alice and I were residing.
“….Absolutely, they must not meet.”
The conclusion was reached.
No way.
Absolutely not.
The distrust towards the Akaiya royal family had not vanished. Furthermore, I heard that the cruel first princess has completely become the heir.
If that girl finds out that her sister is alive, there’s no telling what she might do.
For Alice’s safety, I had to avoid any contact with them at all costs.
“……”
I turned back.
The little hut I had been living in for a long time came into view.
You could call it my homeland, in a way. If I say it’s not precious, I’d be lying.
But—
“—I suppose it’s time to move.”
There was no hesitation.
From the very beginning, the conclusion had been set.
Alice’s safety, that was everything for me.
I quickly began looking for a suitable place for Alice and me to live in.
Whatever rare treasures I brought or whoever I took in, memories, or the past, nothing held more importance to me— than a single child.
I could sacrifice as many of such houses as needed.
Looking for a place that was starting to become adequate for Alice, who was entering childhood, a suitable village nearby to stock up on daily necessities.
However, places with too few people were incredibly exclusionary.
That being said, in too populous locations, rumors spread quickly.
Also, it needed to be a little distanced from the Tesillia Kingdom, a place where they wouldn’t easily exert their influence.
The candidates rapidly narrowed down, and among them, I chose the closest place considering Alice’s fatigue.
Thump, a stone underfoot rolled over.
Time to go.
“—Shall we head to the empire?”
It was time to move.
—
Akard Empire, Syria Village.
A scraggly girl, carrying a bundle of fabric, staggered as she walked.
Wait, was that me?
“Why am I crying…?”
“Ugh… medieval times… what is this… I want my phone… I want to watch YouTube… I want to listen to the latest trending songs, not hymns… I want to eat macarons…”
“—Hey, Han! What are you mumbling about again!! Get over there and do the laundry! I’m not in the mood for food today!?”
“AAAH—!! I got it, Mr. Hust!”
Every day, my fingers were worn from laundry, sewing, and covered in scars from the friction with needles.
Cooking, exercising, hunting— anything else I knew only a little bit about— my only tasks were those kinds of errands.
Everything in this world was just harsh for me, an ordinary high school student stuck in a cycle of going to school, attending academy, and wasting time at home.
It was too cruel.
“Honestly— I definitely died, so why am I reborn in a place like this?”
They say everything in the world has meaning.
But does my existence, arriving here, have any meaning at all?
In the harsh daily life, I couldn’t help but harbor those doubts.
And those doubts remained unresolved even ten years later.
Unfortunate, isn’t it?
—
*
Episode 2: The Woman of Blood (After).
完
Episode 3: Kindred.
Let’s get started.
—
*
The last heroine makes her appearance.
Just so you know, the protagonist of this novel is only Alice (Aris).
I dislike stories with two main characters. Rest assured, it’s a cameo.
Why include a reincarnated newbie (round two)?
Modern individuals have a pretty keen sense of ethical and moral values.
Relying on a woman who ate her own arm, and the so-called real sister once tried to stab her younger sibling with a knife. Not to mention, a girl whose body is covered in scars and flaws.
What would happen if someone from the modern world saw that?
Let the four-way clash begin.
I suspect that everyone will come together by episode four.
As for episode three, it will unfold quite differently.
