By the end of September, I had just lived an ordinary life.
The disgust I felt towards Sophia from the original work had mostly faded.
The beings I disliked were merely characters, and the one in front of me was… a different Sophia from that entity.
It was similar to Claire’s case. Of course, I liked Claire even when she was a character, but if someone asked me whether the Claire near me and that character were the same person, I would say no.
Right after that, I went back in time and asked a few things—
“Huh? Me? I’ve never actually hurt anyone, you know?”
“I was happy when I heard the request to become a knight in the Papal State, but that’s to pay back the kindness I’ve received until now. How many people become knights because they want to hurt others?”
— Sofia answered, shocked.
In the original work, the character’s backstory didn’t come out much; it simply said, ‘I became a knight of the Cathedral because I like killing,’ but… perhaps there was some backstory here as well. Was becoming a knight of the Cathedral a later development in the original? Did I rush into it because of my presence?
At least, I remember the way it was set up as, ‘Still, not everyone went around just attacking.’
Since I couldn’t confirm the content by asking the person directly, I gave up on asking more. Waiting for Berati to wake up might be more helpful.
Or, I could just charge into the Papal State and grab the Pope by the collar to ask him.
Maybe it was a story meant to be revealed in the sequel. Since I jumped over here before anything from behind was revealed, I might have missed intended content?
…Really, thinking back again, it’s absurd.
If you’re sending someone to such a place, shouldn’t you at least let them know about the backstory? That way, they can properly prepare for future situations.
Sending someone like this without any regard leaves them clueless about their goals. With only a vague and roundabout plan of ‘saving the characters I like,’ what can I even set as a goal?
Perhaps inducing such a situation itself was the entity’s goal, but that’s something I can’t confirm right now, so I decided to focus on what’s in front of me.
In Millennium’s RPG series, especially the Chronicles of Aetherna series, the focus of the first game is on introducing the regions, characters, and societal conditions of the setting every time the world is changed. In the second part, the characters that had formed bonds during the first game tightly unite to solve the events, often after a major incident occurs in the latter half of the story.
The first game covers events until the end of the second semester for the first year. The second game is from right after the first up until the end of that year. The third game spans the next six months after the second, with the time frame getting shorter in subsequent installments while the story’s density increases, lengthening playtime as it goes on.
In the third installment, the heroine who dies is already decided.
Of course, in games, it’s difficult to interlink save files one by one, so everything tends to explode all at once in the third installment, and since this is reality, it’s better to think ahead from now on.
That’s why I didn’t create a battle manual.
If I did, the Emperor would find it very useful. Jennifer never suggested that I create such a thing.
Rather, it’s possible that Rena might go to the Autonomy State and whip something up, but… that’s fine. If the Autonomy State gains some capability to disrupt the Imperial troops or the local warlords at the border can manage things on their own, the Emperor is likely to reconsider.
The Emperor is already ruling the Empire far more favorably than in the original work. And that’s entirely because of my existence.
Though the presence of the monitoring ship that bombarded the border was a variable, it came up in the original as well.
So far, the story is actually moving in a positive direction, I think.
So far.
*
The person bowing their head to me without a word was wearing the same school uniform as me.
Now that the weather was genuinely getting colder, I started draping my coat back over my shoulders. It was a bit concerning that Rena, who occasionally followed me, also started wearing her coat over her shoulders for some reason, but well, at least my fashion didn’t seem completely out of place. After all, Jennifer also wore her coat over her shoulders.
But the person was different. All the buttons of their shirt and coat were fastened to the top, and the outfit didn’t have a single wrinkle.
Their appearance, which could be described as impeccably neat, vaguely reminded me of a soldier’s demeanor, but it felt somehow different from Rena’s neatness.
As I followed this strange dissonance, the entity that came to my mind was none other than the royal maid.
Ah, right, Roti was, after all, Jake’s maid.
“Roti, was it?”
If she were just a maid, I would have casually nodded my head and walked past her, but she was a regular character from the original work. Not a heroine to pursue, but still a character that garnered quite a bit of popularity due to her connection with the pure-hearted Jake.
“It is an honor that Your Highness remembers my humble name.”
From a modern person’s perspective, this might sound a bit sarcastic.
But not here. Here, Roti’s background being “humble” is common knowledge. I don’t think that way, but I’m not sure what to say to that.
“You were Jake’s friend, correct?”
“I am a maid.”
Roti replied curtly, as if erecting a fortress against my question.
“Hmm.”
Hearing her say that somehow sparked in me a bit of competitive spirit.
Her skin color was dark, indicating her background as a colonial mixed-blood. The greatest motif of the Empire had once been the great British Empire, so the motif of Roti’s hometown was colonial India.
Whether Roti spent her childhood in the Empire of Aetherna or in a colony, it’s not surprising that the caste system is deeply rooted in her mind.
“I don’t think Jake sees it that way.”
When I said this, Roti’s eyebrows twitched.
“Jake merely treats me comfortably because he has known me for a long time.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be natural to consider him more a friend?”
“…Your Highness.”
I quietly gazed at Roti.
Since Roti was looking down, I couldn’t see her expression exactly, but it seemed she thought I was belittling Jake.
Hmm.
But I can’t exactly claim to have any imperial blood in me while still holding my title of Crown Princess.
That’s the nature of the imperial regime. If the Emperor does that, then that’s just how it is. I shouldn’t speak out and create unnecessary conflict.
“Oh, Sylvia.”
As I was racking my brain for what to say next, Jake suddenly showed up. Had he been up to something momentarily?
“It’s nice to see you two getting along.”
“…Jake.”
Roti warned Jake with those words, seeing how neither of us looked friendly at all.
Naturally, Jake shrugged off that sharp comment with a dismissive shrug.
“Were you two just running into each other by chance?”
“That’s right. Just passing by, coincidentally.”
When I said that, Jake smiled as if he found it amusing.
“Are you trying to get information since our next dispatch practice is in our territory?”
I hadn’t really thought of that.
I had a rough understanding of the structure of Lindbergh Manor. It wasn’t fully manifested, but at least I could picture places where I needed to read books or verify items.
“Right.”
But since I was too lazy to think of any other reason, I just went with it.
If I casually spoke up for no reason, I would draw suspicion on myself for being someone who isn’t known for being friendly to others.
Especially since Roti had been watching me quietly since a while ago.
Since she was that child from that royal family. She might think that I could cause some trouble at Lindbergh Manor.
And the biggest reason she would be on guard against me would probably be none other than Jake Lindbergh.
How heartwarming.
As I was about to casually place my hand on Roti’s shoulder, she brushed my hand away, and I nearly pulled my hand back nonchalantly, pondering if I should create a bit more trouble.
“If there’s any crucial information you need, I might be able to tell you?”
“Really?”
Saying that, I glanced over at Roti.
Seeing Jake glance over at Roti, it seemed like for a brief moment, our thoughts aligned. Though, Jake and Roti probably wouldn’t have guessed that I was thinking about teasing Roti.
“Then, could we have a brief conversation?”
“Really? Then just the two of us—”
“Master.”
Seeing Roti cut off Jake, he shrugged again.
“Oh dear, my childhood friend dislikes it. Then there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Probably, if I weren’t here, Roti would have even rolled her eyes.
I slightly regretted that I didn’t have a chance to see it directly.
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