239 – Crossing (6)
#9
“… This is the end of today’s class, and there are no assignments. Let each of you work on your studies voluntarily.”
After the Taisin Festival, Monday came back.
“If you have any questions or need guidance, you are welcome to visit me at any time, but I may not be available for various reasons. Please note that… Haam- No, everyone must be tired too, right? Okay, that’s it. End. Students who have their next class, please leave quickly.”
It seemed like he was trying to cover it up by swallowing a yawn in haste, but unfortunately it was all caught.
Professor Zeppelin, majoring in magic, hit the blackboard with a long stick.
Then, all the geometric formulas drawn on the blackboard disintegrated like dust and disappeared.
The contents of today’s class, which taught 「Intensification of each series」, Had all disappeared.
“Ah… !”
At that time, a sigh erupted from the seat.
Looking back at someone… He was a short-haired male student wearing glasses.
The name must have been Hati Urethian.
“Gyo, Professor! I haven’t written everything yet!”
“Ah.”
A small sigh from the professor this time.
Usually, I would have erased the blackboard after asking if there were any students who had failed to complete their notes, but it seemed that they had completely lost their minds.
Professor Zeppelin moaned in trouble.
“Um… sorry. Hati. Since I don’t have time right now, why don’t you ask a student who has finished his notes to show it to you instead?”
“Ah, it’s not impossible….”
Hati muttered. The eyeballs behind the eyeglasses rolling sideways seemed to be looking for someone to show them the handwritten notes to.
“Hector, I’m sorry but I-“
“Tsk.”
Hector clicked his tongue lightly and closed the old-fashioned cover. This was the textbook used in this class.
“Your hand is slow. What’s more, you have to remember everything, but can’t you do that too?”
“Mi-sorry….”
… I don’t think it’s normal that I can’t do it.
“I can’t help it if it doesn’t work….”
“Three minutes.”
“Huh?”
“Three minutes. End in it.”
Hector, who was sitting in an angular pose, handed the textbook to Hati in an angular pose. Dignity and sophistication. The rules of the nobility melted into each gesture and gesture.
Of course, I’m just handing over a book, but I wonder if it’s too much…. Maybe that’s a guy’s instinct. He’s a guy who thinks nobles should always be noble.
For a moment I met Hector’s eyes.
“… ….”
The eyes seemed to ask what they were looking at, so I calmly packed my things and got up from my seat.
“Time is slow, but it is fast.”
It was Rubia’s words as she blankly looked up at the sky.
“… What are you talking about?”
“That’s right. There’s less than a month left until final exams. And, after the final exams, it’s summer vacation, right? So, I wonder if it is already this time….”
… Is it?
To say it already, it felt like a year had passed, not just a semester.
The sense of time that Rubia and I feel is different. Maybe.
“But looking back, there were so many incidents… I suffered a lot because of that… Something is creepy Yes.”
Haa-As she let out a sigh, Rubia spread out the textbook she was holding in her arms meaninglessly. When she peeked from the side, she saw that it was tightly packed with handwritings engraved in elaborate round letters.
Even with just a glance like this, the content comes into her head. He could be a teacher later….
“Ezio, Rubia.”
We both blinked at the same time.
It was Stella who was walking with us by the side.
“Speaking of vacation.”
“… ? Yes.”
Rubia closed the book and tilted her head.
“What are you guys going to do on vacation?”
What do you do during vacation?
That’s right….
“I have to go back to my hometown at least once.”
“Have you seen it?”
Ah, Stella opened her mouth slightly.
“Ezio’s hometown….”
Muttering so, he blurted out his words. He also narrowed his eyebrows. He seemed to be trying to remember something he couldn’t remember.
My father and mother.
I don’t know if Stella still remembers, but they’ve taken care of her in the past.
Stella’s past, since Alfren lived with me at my family’s villa when he was young. It’s not unreasonable that I don’t remember because it was so long ago….
“By the way, he will also come with me.”
I pointed my index finger to the side. Rubia, who was pointed out by me, stiffened her body for a moment.
“Uh, uh. Yes… that’s right. Me too….”
Then he timidly shook her head.
“Oh, I did. Oh yeah. Rubia and Ezio’s parents live in the same area….”
As if this wasn’t surprising, Stella nodded her head.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask where you are?”
The first time I met Stella was before the fall of our family. So it is natural that we do not know where our family has moved since the outbreak of the war. There’s nothing I can’t tell you, so I’m opening my mouth.
“Why?”
Ruvia hit the ball.
“Can you please come with me?”
“Yes?”
… What.
This eerie feeling.
I looked to the side and there was Rubia with an innocent face. She really seemed like she was just asking out of genuine curiosity.
… Although I’m not sure what the context of that was.
“Ah, aha.”
Stella, embarrassed for a moment, smiles and continues her words.
Gently shaking her hand as if showing off.
“… Aye, I didn’t mean it. It was a joke no matter who sees it, Mr. Rubia.”
“Isn’t it? I thought so too.”
“Sure, sure….”
What are they talking about?
For some reason, I feel like I’m the only one standing there blankly, so I open my mouth thinking that I should answer the question from earlier.
“Anyway, we plan to go down right away during vacation… There’s a village called Severg in Baron Lathey, right? My hometown is there. The same goes for Rubia.”
“-!”
Ruvia’s eyes widened.
Then he glanced back at me, what. Do you mean don’t tell me? There’s no reason for that.
After hearing my answer, Stella thought for a moment.
“If Baron Latei is… Mmm.”
“You haven’t heard of it, have you? Even if you’ve heard of it, it’s a place so unique that you can’t remember it.”
In terms of simple size, it’s a much smaller, smaller-than-small manor than our family’s old manor. An old manor with nothing special to say. Still, one farming went well, so there was little chance that the entire territory would suffer from food shortages…. Actually, it was a bit difficult during the war.
“It’s a remote country, but that’s why it’s a good place. The villagers are all nice.”
The kids are nice too.
… Come to think of it, what happened to those kids who went to the same elementary school as me? I suddenly became curious. At the time, I only went out with Rubia, so I wasn’t very close. I can’t even remember the face.
“It must be a friendly place. I want to go there someday.”
“Yes…. But even if you do come, there won’t be much to enjoy. Because of your status, you may be the only one who feels burdened… Above all, there are a lot of bugs. Summer is especially dreadful. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. If you have the confidence to handle a centipede falling onto your pillow, you can come visit me.”
“Whoops. Do you hate bugs?”
“A creature you can never like. Do you know how disgusting it is to see multi-legged things wriggling? I’m more afraid of bugs than ghosts.”
“Ah, I think I understand that feeling. I’m not too fond of it either.”
That’s right. Because in the past, you didn’t treat bugs with the concept of liking or disliking them.
It was really… No, how do I remember something like this? Is it a good memory because it is such a shocking scene?
“The Village of Seberg in Baron Latey….”
Stella muttered suddenly,
“Did you see the stars well there?”
“Stars? … What, do you look good? Rubia, isn’t it? I saw you often in my yard.”
“Um, was it….”
“What, don’t you remember? This is disappointing. Wasn’t that a pretty good memory?”
“Uh, huh? No, thinking about it again, I think I remember it… !”
Ruvia was taken aback by my reaction, and Stella looked at us from afar.
“That’s fine.”
What happened?
One step, he said, walking forward from beside us.
“Anywhere where you can see the stars is good. So, I will visit you someday.”
Stella glanced back.
Her hands were intertwined behind her back.
“Really, someday.”
Shortly, a small arc was drawn on the corner of her mouth.
… Why?
After making a promise without a promise, she thought of it as the expression she makes when reassuring people.
#10
After the workday was over and it was time for dinner, we gathered at the student cafeteria and ate together as usual.
The members of that ‘we’ are as follows.
Ruvia. Me. Glass. And Stella. Sometimes Iris got stuck here.
… These days, it’s hard to see him because he’s almost confined to the gymnasium for training.
“Why are you cracking? The menu is just vegetables.”
“Never mind. I am on a diet.”
“Where is the weight you need to lose-“
“What are you saying? Shut up.”
Anyway, as usual… I said
Actually, it wasn’t exactly the same as usual.
“Are you worried?”
“Ai, don’t worry? … And after all, it’s because of you! You just said something strange!”
Because there were only three people here.
“No, why is it because of me?”
“… ….”
There was no reply.
Dark-complexioned Yuri rested her chin on something like a salad. Look at the habit, that one. Is this a princess?
“Whew.”
It was Rubia who received her sigh.
“How can we not interfere with family circumstances? It won’t be a big deal Yuri I heard that His Highness the King also contacted you? It must be something similar to that.”
“Um….”
Yuri munched through the grass like a herbivore.
“I know, I know…” . Her face looked so bad.”
As they said, the one who was left out of this place was Stella. A servant came from the family.
It seemed that Stella’s adoptive father, in other words, the Duke of Feltline, had sent someone to deliver something about her to Stella.
The story is going to be long, so after telling us to eat first, Stella got on the tram with the family servant.
That’s why we’re the only ones left here.
Actually, scenes like this are not uncommon.
It’s common in Frontier to contact my family to report on the current situation, and as long as the ban on outsiders has been lifted, sending someone in connection with this case isn’t really a problem.
Rather, this is probably normal.
‘… ….’
It’s just that I’m stuck in a corner of my heart.
When Stella talks about her family… I always had a bad complexion. It’s like the face of an enemy who’s about to touch a private part you want to hide.
I always thank the Duke of Feltline for words, but, well…. She still doesn’t know what’s really on her mind.
“Hey, Yuri.”
“What.”
“Aren’t you asking me to come back like you?”
“… What? No!”
As he put a spoon into the steaming soup and spoke, the glass turned blue and hit her with a hammer.
“Isn’t the situation like that? To be honest, I think that would be the case too. Rumors and atmosphere must be so vicious. Wouldn’t it be strange to remain here after going through a series of accidents?”
“No, that is. Well… no way anyway I can’t send Stella. Never.”
What are you going to do if you can’t send it?
… Despite such a big incident not long ago, Frontier was surprisingly quiet.
Actually, it will be close to the calm before the storm, but probably all kinds of responsibilities are being passed around indiscriminately in places that we can’t see.
Who will take off their clothes this time? If I get a chance later, I’ll ask Elena senior.
… Come to think of it, senior Elena, are you feeling better now? It will be fine. After all, you are a strong person both physically and mentally.
“What were you talking about?”
Sug-
Around our table someone popped up holding a tray.
When I looked up, I saw a female student with long purple hair. It was Iris von Hegarde.
Her hair looked damp, as if it were wet. It looks like he took a shower right after training.
“If it’s okay, I’ll take a seat.”
“Uh, sit down.”
“Thank you.”
A meal plan mainly composed of high-calorie meats.
Holding it, Iris, who sat next to Yuri, offered a short pre-dinner prayer.
I crossed her cross with her eyes closed, then opened her eyes again and put her knife in her hand.
“So, what were you talking about? It seemed pretty serious.”
“I was talking about Stella.”
“Stella? The daughter of the Duke of Feltline.”
It was a title with a sense of distance, even though we had eaten together a few times.
Iris cut her meat into cubes with her speed. She drenched her knife in red gravy.
She cut it into bite-sized pieces, she forked it, took it in one bite, chewed it and swallowed it shortly after. And she says
“Why is she?”
I was the one who answered that question.
“… It seems that someone from the family came to visit. Since the atmosphere on the frontier is unusual these days, maybe she was asked to stop learning and return to her family….”
“Hmm. Is it.”
The glass in the seat next to her keeps getting cracked, but Iris devours her entire piece of meat in the blink of an eye. But the prepared steak was four pieces.
Switch-suck- Iris raised the knife and put on a show of dismantling meat again.
“You mean, you want to find out if the guess is true or not?”
“… Right? You can ask yourself later.”
Iris calmly continued her words.
“It would be reasonable to assume that this is true.”
“… What?”
As the three of us reacted at the same time, Iris bit her lips hard as she shook her shoulders for the moment. Did she say something even if she couldn’t?
Then he soon cleared his throat and then,
“… It is an obvious fact that the daughter of the Feltline family is favored by the head of the household. She said she raised her like a golden jade leaf. She’s not even my own daughter. Besides, since she hasn’t made a legitimate successor, can’t even the people down there know how much she treats my daughter?”
Definitely.
As long as the Duke of Feltline doesn’t regenerate his bloodline, he will become the next head of state, Stella.
Of course, even if your lineage is newly born, you can hand over the right of succession to Stella regardless. You don’t know until it actually happens.
“Simple logic. If the child you cherish is in danger, shouldn’t you protect it as a parent? Preferably in sight, in person. The Duke of Feltline is a man who has the ability to do that.”
At first glance, the situation was similar to that of Yuri.
However, if there is one difference between Yuri and Stella- Stella’s adoptive father, unlike King Artina, is that he actively made them socialize.
Maybe that’s why Stella had friends with several nobles. Even when she visited the kingdom of Artina, there were not a few people who recognized Stella. I felt once again that Stella is a high-class and great person.
“Wait a minute, little boy….”
As if asking if it was okay to say that here, Yuri whispered, lowering her voice rarely.
But Iris calmly chewed the meat.
“I don’t like that person very much.”
“… Why?”
Iris’ eyes calmed down.
“As high-ranking nobles usually do, he has many secrets. But there are too many. Little is known about him except for his name, face, place of residence and his daughter.”
Did you say that you were given the title of duke for making a big contribution during the war? However, the fact that he made such a contribution means that he was no different from a hero who saved the country.
“Even though he does occasional temple visits, he consistently misses the Grand Duke’s meeting. There is a popular theory that he is recovering from a serious illness and is recovering in hiding, but I don’t believe in that theory. Not only that, but all the achievements the Duke of Feltline made in a short history… It just feels awkward to me.”
Suk, suk, suk…
Iris’ knife blades slowed down at some point.
“… Do you know Nobles need unrivaled power to stay in power. Those who do not will only be eaten by political enemies. The most important criterion for maintaining power is wealth and military power, but….”
Tak,
In the end, Iris put down the knife.
“Even with the exception of him, the Duke of Feltline maintains his power through other means.”
“… What is that?”
“Actually, this is also close to the theory.”
Iris looked back at us with a nonchalant expression, then met my gaze one last time.
“They say he has the power to see the future.”
Suddenly,
I was speechless.
“Through him, it is said that he increased the power, increased the safe, and avoided the threat of the enemy. Just do it. If you can really see the future, you will be able to deal with any threat.”
You will be able to figure out where the money comes from in advance. The land where the gold mine will be discovered is purchased in advance.
It can get complicated if you dig into the mining rights in detail, but… It won’t be difficult to touch the big money. The uses of future poetry are truly endless.
“… ….”
We were all silent.
Iris was the only one who opened her mouth in that silence.
“But- don’t you guys know that too?”
I didn’t ask back.
There was no need for that.
“That is not the power of the Duke of Feltline. It must be the power of his adopted daughter, Stella de Feltrein.”
… The fact that Stella was not known to anyone until she entered Frontier.
No, even now most people probably don’t know. The Duke of Feltline was such a family.
“Yo, that’s it.”
As if it was a waste to throw it away like this, Iris raised her knife again and cut her steak.
Shit, shit.
“Because if you die, you will no longer be able to use it.”
Sure. Shuk.
I was picking up the cut meat with a fork.
Suddenly – it slips and falls.
“… To protect, of course.”
Iris stared at the piece of meat that had fallen on the table, and placed it on the outside of the plate. Then she wiped the sauce off the table with a napkin. The traces of the meat were gone with it.
“If you think so, isn’t it simple?”
“… ….”
At the question of Iris who looks at us with transparent eyes… She couldn’t answer anyone.