A few days later
After class in the afternoon.
While waiting for answers from the Royal Academy and Kanna, unexpectedly, the first response I got was from the other side.
Victoria received a letter that came to her.
It wasn’t a reply from her parents but, rather, it was a return of mail.
However, after sitting there for about five minutes, she immediately left the dormitory and headed toward the school building.
She walked into the administrative office and said, “Excuse me?”
“Leave of absence?”
“Something happened at home, and I need to go down for a few weeks, so I need the forms, right? Isn’t that a bit hasty?”
The administrative officer looked bewildered and asked about the situation.
Victoria replied that she came after getting the letter that was returned.
She insisted there was no way a letter would come back like that.
The administrative officer urged her to wait a little longer, but Victoria wasn’t swayed.
Feeling a bad premonition, she insisted on following the procedures and asked them to do it as she requested. The fact that she meant she would just leave if they didn’t comply was evident, both to the staff and to me watching through Victoria’s eyes.
Ultimately, the administrative staff handed her the necessary documents.
Victoria filled them out without hesitation and left the office. I saw the administrative officer contacting someone, but I had no idea who they were reaching out to.
Victoria returned to the dormitory, packed a few belongings, and left a short note for me saying she’d gone home for personal matters.
Well, since I was seeing everything through Victoria’s perspective, I didn’t need to go look for her, but technically, I shouldn’t know about any of this.
Victoria exited the main gate and set off on the route she knew.
She headed towards the port located in the southwest of the capital, where she would take a ship straight to Bern City.
It was the same port where Victoria had been kidnapped before, right?
Shouldn’t she avoid dangerous places?
Nah, Victoria had already caught every last Fishman who had kidnapped her.
There’s no reason to worry. Besides, she doesn’t have to fear strangers.
Ordinary people would probably be knocked out before they even had a chance to fight back. Water is heavier and more powerful than you’d think.
Victoria, who can manipulate it at will, is seriously strong.
No matter how much Maleficent was looking out for her, at least she could hold her own.
To put it in game terms, she had exceeded the appropriate level to face a raid boss. Of course, she was stomped due to a lack of resources in the capital.
At least when it comes to safety, there’s no need to worry.
Strength and courage are entirely different genres, though…
Victoria has left.
And there’s no way for me to know that right now.
I’m just stuck here, unable to do anything, and will have to hear about it from someone else tomorrow. Hiding the fact that I’m experiencing the world through the harvesting period is more important than Victoria’s safety.
In other words, it’s all about priorities.
So that day, Bell quietly remained in the accommodation. The body of Bell needs a reason to move, after all.
*
The next day.
Class started, but Victoria didn’t come to class. Naturally.
Right now, Victoria is waiting for a ship at the port.
The school’s teacher just casually took note of her absence and moved on. From the sound of it, it seems they haven’t heard anything from the administrative office yet.
To be fair, the first class today isn’t taught by her homeroom teacher.
As soon as class was over, Polaris approached me.
“Bell. What’s going on with Victoria?”
“I’m about to check on her room.”
Just as I was about to leave, I noticed her expression, genuinely worried.
Hmmm.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“Um, no, but…”
“It’s not weird for a classmate to go, right?”
Saying that, I began heading to Victoria’s dormitory during lunchtime. Polaris followed me without hesitation once I said it was fine to go together.
Both Victoria and Polaris decide quickly.
I pretended not to know what I already knew and went to gather some information. I thought about saying I could hear Victoria from where I was going, but in that case, the past became an issue.
Isn’t it strange not to know that the Royal Family dismantled the harvesting period for experiments?
It implies I knew about it. If I cooperated with the kingdom, knowing about their brutal experiments, it would be problematic.
After all the good deeds I’ve done, they’d definitely question my true nature, if anyone was smart enough.
Thus, I didn’t say I could hear a particular person’s voice. It’s better to leave it vague just enough to avoid suspicion.
So I went into the dormitory with Polaris. I knew the room would be empty, but I knocked and opened the door.
The room was completely vacant.
To show Polaris, I walked over to the desk and picked up the note that Victoria had left.
“Seems like something happened at home.”
I handed it to Polaris. She read the note I handed her.
“What? Did this girl just leave without saying anything to the school?”
She followed the procedures just fine. But since it seems that hasn’t been relayed yet, I turned back to open the drawer and pulled out the returned letter.
“Do you know something?”
Polaris stepped closer, holding the note.
“A stiff letter came from her family, one they wouldn’t normally write, and she sent a letter to them in return.”
I handed the letter to Polaris.
“Returned?”
“Victoria aimed it at her parents living in Bern City.”
I didn’t deliberately make any remarks to deduce Victoria’s state or feelings. I learned recently that there could be differences in viewpoint.
Instead, I said this.
“Shall we chase after her?”
“Let’s go!”
Polaris didn’t hesitate at all.
Yeah, she’s rather bold. She might be similar to the current Kanna.
Class?
To me, it’s just a way to pass the time. If something more important comes up, I need to go look for it.
“Do you know how to get there?”
“If it’s Bern City, I remember going there a few times with my father. We can easily catch up if we take the Barrington route, so don’t worry.”
Putting aside the question of how we’d catch up given the physical distance, I nodded. If she knows what she’s doing, I’ll just follow her.
I immediately followed Polaris as she set off.
Meanwhile, Victoria just boarded the ship.
And shortly after, in a voice as cold as ice, she asked a crew member why they weren’t heading to Bern City.
From the stammering crew member, she uncovered a shocking truth.
It turned out that for several weeks, the route heading to Bern City had been prohibited, and there were large-scale protests taking place there, with protesters still occupying Bern City.
The news wasn’t the latest, and it was somewhat dated.
So all routes heading there were blocked, but she could cross over to the other side if needed, or so the crew member suggested.
Victoria took a deep breath and calmed herself. Looking down at her trembling hands, she clenched her fists.
Then, she bowed her head and apologized.
When the crew member cautiously asked what was wrong, she explained that her parents lived there and she hadn’t received any word from them.
The crew member reassured her that everything would be fine, and others around piped up too.
Victoria, with a stiff face, forced a smile and made her way to her seat.
Since she was in a hurry, it was a seat on the ship, not a private room like last time. She sat down, and a rather frivolous-looking guy approached her, asking what was wrong in a friendly manner.
Victoria, truly remarkable, put all her emotions away, relaxed her expression, and said she was in a rush because of a family emergency, asking him not to worry.
She must be feeling incredibly anxious, yet her hands no longer trembled.
Instead, it felt like she was back to how she remembered herself.
At the time when she was the Fishman butcher.
This was a sign that she had steeled herself.
Looking at that, it seems Victoria is no ordinary kid.
At that moment, sensing Victoria’s demeanor, the guy quietly backed away. Aww, there was interest, but it’s such a shame. He sure knows how to read the room.
At that time, at the front of the Royal Academy’s main gate, Polaris asked me.
“I’m going to run a bit, are you confident in running?”
“It’s just a light jog.”
“Prove it.”
So I ran like the time I went to Maleficent’s house, and Polaris let out a small sigh.
I thought I was running pretty fast, yet she came up and lifted me. Thankfully, we were about the same height, so my legs didn’t drag, but wait, she’s actually planning to carry me while running.
“Excuse me. What’s this? Why are you so light? Are you eating properly?”
“If you’re going to carry me and run, please wait just a moment.”
The accommodation was right ahead.
I kicked a little, then landed on the ground before knocking on the accommodation’s door. Before long, a maid came out, and I asked her to call the butler.
“Did you call for me?”
“Yes. I might not be coming back today.”
“Is that so? If you’re in a hurry, would you like me to call for transportation?”
Hmm?
I immediately called for Polaris.
“Why?”
As she approached, I grabbed her hand.
“I’m going with her to Bern City. Please bring the fastest one.”
“Right away. Please wait inside.”
Weirdly enough, she didn’t ask any intentions and just fulfilled my request. I led Polaris into the accommodation.
They might report to the royal family about this, but I really don’t care.
Since, in this situation, I’m not acting on information I’m not supposed to know.
Polaris followed me inside, looking blank. We went to a place where people on the first floor gathered, and the butler pointed to a room inside, which we entered.
According to Kanna’s knowledge, the room was decorated with about 30% more valuable furnishings than the one I lived in.
As soon as the butler left us alone, Polaris urgently asked me.
“Did you just get into the Royal Academy because of some special ability?”
“That ability must have been quite valuable.”
She stared at me in disbelief.
Polaris looked like a child as she shrunk back, appearing somewhat intimidated. After my last words, she didn’t speak anymore, clearly tense.
And a few minutes later,
Polaris and I hopped into a carriage.
