Chapter 185

A few days later…

After classes had ended one afternoon, the Royal Family and Kann were waiting to see who would reply first. Surprisingly, the earliest response came from an unexpected source.

Victoria received a letter addressed to her—but it wasn’t a reply from her parents. Instead, it was returned as undeliverable.

After sitting quietly for about five minutes, she immediately left the dormitory and headed toward the school building. She then entered the administrative office.

“Hmm?”

“Excuse me… Are you here about a leave of absence? I heard there’s been an emergency at home, so you need to go for a few weeks. Could you prepare the necessary forms?” Wait, isn’t this decision a bit too rushed?

The staff member seemed flustered and began asking questions.

Victoria explained that since her letter had been returned, she wanted to investigate in person.

“There’s no way a letter like this would come back.”

The administrator tried hard to persuade her to wait a little longer, but Victoria remained unfazed. She said she had an ominous feeling and insisted they follow proper procedure. Unspoken between both parties: if they didn’t comply now, she’d just leave anyway—and we all knew it.

Eventually, the administrative staff handed over the required documents. Without hesitation, Victoria filled them out and departed. Through her perspective, I saw the administrator contacting someone, though I couldn’t tell who.

Back at the dormitory, Victoria quickly packed some essentials, unfolded a piece of paper, and left me a short note saying she’d be gone due to family matters before leaving her room.

Of course, since I was seeing everything through Victoria’s eyes, there was no need for me to chase after her. But technically, this is something I shouldn’t know…

Victoria made her way out of the main gate and headed south-west toward the port near the capital. From there, she boarded a ship bound directly for Bern City—the same port where she’d been kidnapped last time.

Isn’t it dangerous to go somewhere like that?

Nope. Victoria already dealt with all the Fishmen responsible for kidnapping her. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, most people wouldn’t stand a chance against her before drowning anyway. Water is heavy and powerful, but Victoria controls it effortlessly.

Even Maleficent watching over her wouldn’t have been enough to stop her—she could’ve handled herself even then. To put it in gaming terms, she’d surpassed the recommended level to face a raid boss. Of course, she still lacked resources and got crushed eventually…

Still, her safety isn’t really a concern.

Strength and bravery might belong to different categories, but…

Victoria has already set off.

And right now, there’s no way for me to immediately find out where she is. I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear from someone else. Keeping the Harvesting System hidden is more important than worrying about Victoria’s safety.

Priorities, you know?

So Bell stayed quietly in their accommodation that day. After all, Bell needs a good reason to move around.

***

The next day.

Class started, but Victoria wasn’t there. Naturally.

She’s currently waiting at the port for her ship.

The teacher simply marked her absent without further inquiry, which means the administration probably hasn’t informed them yet.

Anyway, today’s first class isn’t taught by the homeroom teacher.

As soon as class ended, Polaris approached me.

“Bell, is something wrong with Victoria?”

“I’m going to check her room.”

I turned to leave but noticed the genuine concern on Polaris’ face.

Hmm…

“Do you want to come along?”

“Uh… No, but…”

“It’s not strange for classmates to visit each other.”

With that, I decided to use the lunch break to head toward Victoria’s dormitory. Despite initially hesitating, Polaris followed me without delay once I invited her.

Both Victoria and Polaris sure make decisions fast.

We’re gathering information while pretending not to know anything. Though I did consider using the excuse of hearing Victoria’s voice, that would bring up issues regarding the past.

Wouldn’t it seem odd if the Royal Family hadn’t known about the dismantling experiments involving the Harvesting System?

It would reveal too much—that I already knew about those cruel experiments yet cooperated silently with the kingdom. If anyone realized how kind I’d acted up until now despite knowing such horrors, they might start questioning my true nature.

Thus, instead of claiming I can hear specific voices, I’ll stick with vague impressions.

Always keep within plausible deniability.

So Polaris and I entered the dormitory together. Knowing the room would be empty, I knocked on the door before opening it.

The room was completely vacant.

For Polaris’ sake, I walked over to the desk and picked up the note Victoria had left behind.

“It seems there’s been an issue at her home.”

Then I handed the note to Polaris, who took it and read carefully.

“What? Did this kid just leave without telling anyone?”

Proper procedures were followed, though the news apparently hasn’t reached everyone yet. While Polaris read the note, I opened the drawer and retrieved the returned letter.

“Do you know anything about this?”

Polaris walked over holding the note.

“She sent a formal letter to her family because she received a stiff communication unlike what her family usually writes.”

I passed the letter to Polaris.

“Returned?”

“Victoria went to Bern City to meet her parents.”

I avoided speculating about Victoria’s condition or emotions, remembering our perspectives might differ slightly.

Instead, I asked:

“Wanna chase after her?”

“Let’s go.”

Polaris didn’t hesitate.

Yeah, she’s pretty bold. Maybe similar to Kann in some ways.

Classes?

They’re just a way to pass time for me. If something more important comes up, I should go look for answers.

“Do you know the way?”

“I’ve been to Bern City a few times with my dad. And if we take the Bearingtons’ route, we should catch up easily, so don’t worry.”

Despite doubts about physically keeping up, I nodded. If she knows what she’s doing, I’ll trust her judgment.

I followed Polaris as she quickly moved forward.

Meanwhile, Victoria had just boarded the ship.

In a voice colder than ice, she questioned the crew why they weren’t heading to Bern City.

The crew stammered nervously, revealing shocking news to Victoria.

Apparently, routes to Bern City have been closed for weeks due to large-scale protests causing unrest. The protesters have occupied Bern City itself.

Though outdated, it was still new information to her.

The crew explained that all routes to Bern City were sealed off, but alternative crossings were available. If she needed to reach there, they suggested taking another path.

Victoria steadied herself after hearing the crew’s explanation. Looking down at her trembling hands, she clenched them into fists.

She apologized politely to the crew.

When asked if everything was okay, she revealed her parents lived in Bern City and hadn’t responded to recent communications.

The crew reassured her everything would be fine, and others nearby chimed in to comfort her.

Forcing a calm demeanor despite her rigid expression, Victoria returned to her seat.

Due to haste, she only had a regular seat this time instead of a private cabin like last voyage. As she sat down, a seemingly friendly man approached and kindly inquired about her situation.

Incredibly composed, Victoria explained there was an urgent matter at home requiring her immediate return, thanking him for his concern.

Despite obvious anxiety, her hands no longer shook.

Rather, she slipped into a familiar state.

The Fishman slaughterer she once became.

This meant she’d resolved herself.

Clearly, Victoria isn’t an ordinary child.

Noticing her seriousness, the man discreetly backed away. Ah, he showed interest earlier, but he caught on quickly.

At the entrance of the Royal Academy, Polaris asked me:

“We’ll need to run a bit. Do you think you can keep up?”

“I can manage light jogging.”

“Try it.”

We ran like when I visited Maleficent’s place last time, and Polaris sighed softly.

I thought I was running pretty fast, but then she lifted me up effortlessly. Luckily, our heights were similar, so my legs didn’t drag, but clearly, she intended to carry me while running.

“Sorry, why are you so light? Are you eating properly?”

“If you’re carrying me, let me adjust first.”

The dormitory was right ahead.

I wriggled slightly to touch the ground and knocked on the door. A maid answered, and I requested the butler’s presence.

“Did you need me?”

“Yes, I might not return tonight.”

“Is that so? If you’re rushing somewhere, shall I arrange transportation?”

Hmm?

I immediately called out to Polaris.

“What is it?”

Polaris approached, and I grabbed her hand.

“I’m going to Bern City with this girl. Get us the fastest option available.”

“It will be ready shortly. Please wait inside.”

Surprisingly, they complied without questioning my intentions. Polaris and I entered the residence.

Even if this gets reported to the Royal Family, it doesn’t matter.

Because right now, I’m acting based solely on information I’m supposed to know.

Polaris followed me inside with a bewildered look. We headed toward the common area on the first floor, but the butler directed us to a nearby room.

Based on Kann’s knowledge, this room was decorated 30% fancier than mine.

Once the butler left and we were alone, Polaris urgently questioned me.

“You didn’t just get into the Royal Academy because of some special ability, did you?”

“That ability must’ve been valuable enough.”

She stared at me skeptically, clearly unconvinced.

Polaris shrank back like a young child, falling silent after my last remark. She seemed tense.

A few minutes later,

Polaris and I boarded a carriage.

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