Seraphina POV
"Ah, if it isn't my favorite customer. I hope you were satisfied with your previous purchase."
"..."
Even though I really don't want to have anything to do with this shady shop, I still ended up coming back once again. I have already reread that book numerous times and I can't help but want more of it.
The shopkeeper welcomes me right away with that annoying older sister voice, and I'm already regretting my decision. But I push through it and walk up to the counter.
"I finished the book."
"And? Did you like it? Did it fit what you were looking for?"
"...Does it have a sequel?"
"Hehe, I take it you liked it then. But unfortunately, dear customer, the author of the book only ever published that one book."
"What?! But it definitely doesn't feel like it's over! Sure it ends with them settling down in a small town, but there's still so much it could focus on with the two characters. With all the obstacles now removed, it could focus on their relationship even more! That was the main thing I wanted to learn about in the first place, so ending it right there just feels wrong."
"Heh~ So it didn't quite help you understand that other novel, huh?"
"What other…? …A-Ah, right. Yeah, I still haven't figured out what the ending of that manuscript would have been…"
Tch, why does this old hag have such a good memory? I was so caught up in my explanation that I almost forgot about the cover story I told her before.
"Well, then it seems like you will have to continue your search within other works. This author hasn't been active for a long time so it is unlikely for them to publish a new book."
"Ah, I see."
Hm, but I really liked this book… The characters felt so alive and real. It made it really easy for me to relate to them…
"That's just how it is sometimes. But if you're curious to hear some gossip, then I could reveal some interesting details about the book…"
"...! Really? Like what?"
"Hehe, what if I told you that it's actually based on real events?"
"What?! A real princess and her maid? Who was it? I don't remember any princesses that ran away from their weddings, though the book never mentions what nation they're in. Was it from some other country?"
If it was actually real then that would give even more credibility to the words of the novel. Ah, and it probably wasn't written too long ago, right? Maybe I could even write a letter to the author and ask her some questions? Oh, but if they're living in hiding then it would be hard to find them…
"It is just a rumor I heard about, so don't take it too seriously. But apparently the author was the maid who ran away with the princess and then she secretly published the book under a fake name. Talk about a fearless writer, am I right?"
"Nora... if it was really her… Well, she did show an interest in creative works and by the end she was being much more open and free with the princess too. It would also explain why it was written from the point of view of the maid. But hm… a princess who ran away, maybe Princess Juliana? Ah no, she passed away."
The first person who comes to my mind is the only princess of the royal family who was born before Arthur, but I quickly dismiss the thought. She tragically died a long time ago and I even remember attending her funeral when I was little. But Meridia hasn't had any other princesses in a long time.
Hm, maybe some details were changed when Nora adapted it into a novel? Then if I think of Vivienne as just a member of nobility, more possibilities open up. Someone of such high standing who simply disappeared one day…
"Maybe Lady Iris?"
"Cough cough."
"...?"
"Why do you think it would be Lady Iris? I heard she still shows up in high society occasionally."
The shopkeeper suddenly starts coughing, but then she quickly moves on like nothing happened.
"Well that is true, but she's the most likely candidate since she often disappears for long stretches of time. In all my time attending social events, I think I only ever saw her once from afar. I also heard that she was supposed to get married one time, but she disappeared then as well. So those parts fit quite well, though I guess it's not perfect either. Since she's considered a magical genius who pushes boundaries of artifact research, which is why everyone turns a blind eye to her disappearances. But the book never mentioned anything like that about Vivienne. Also I heard that Lady Iris also has quite an eccentric personality…"
"Hm, is that so…"
Even though I could have approached Lady Iris through Hugh since she's the oldest daughter of the main branch of the Latimer family. But after thinking some more about it, this theory is unlikely as well. If it really was Lady Iris, things probably would have played out much differently. With a genius like her, pretty much all her antics are disregarded just because of how important her research is, so she could have easily negotiated with her family if she didn't like something. But unfortunately too many details don't fit her, so it's probably someone else. Hm, but who else could it be?
"When was the book published? That could also help with narrowing things down."
"Well, it was never released publicly for obvious reasons. But I stumbled upon it around eight years ago or so, as for how long ago it was written, I can't say. Though I wouldn't get my hopes up too much if I were you. Even if it was based on a true story, why do you think the author never wrote any more books?"
"...? Ah. No way, were they discovered after all? B-but then…"
The shopkeeper's words suddenly bring me back to reality and my previously excited mood also calms down with this new revelation.
Right, things wouldn't work out so conveniently in the real world. Especially if Vivienne really was a princess. Well, I'm not quite at the level of a princess, but if I really wanted to end up with Lucy, it would probably be similarly difficult for me too…
"Well, don't be too down. You read the book, right?"
"...? Yes?"
"Did they seem happy to you?"
Though there were some hard times the two of them went through, whenever they interacted even I could feel the strong bond between them and how happy they were together, especially near the end.
"I believe so."
"Then I don't think they regret their decision even after everything."
"..."
Why is this old hag saying such sentimental things with that mature voice of hers? It almost makes her seem like a wise and helpful older sister, if I haven't interacted with her before she could have almost fooled me.
"So, do you want to buy anything similar? Or maybe a bit more… explicit~?"
"..."
And there it is, immediately ruining the moment.
"Something similar."
"Okay, then what about this one? It's a story about-"
Afterwards I picked up another book and made my way back to the academy. But I wasted a bit more time than I thought so I quickly made my way to the library just in time for my regularly scheduled study session with Lucy.
…
"Sorry I'm late! H-huh?"
"Ah, Hina! We're over here."
I hurry to our usual spot, but I come to a stop upon seeing the scene before me.
"This is Seraphina, the big sister that was with me when we went to cure you."
"Ah, hello Big Sister Seraphina."
"Um, why is Alice here?"
And why is she sitting on your lap?
…Is what I also want to ask, but I hold myself back. But I swear the two of them weren't anywhere near this close before. I didn't see Lucy for one day. Just what happened?
"She wanted to thank me in person so the president brought her to the academy. Though she's only staying a few more days, I hope you don't mind if she also attends our study session."
"Of course…not."
"Great. Then, what should we start with…"
Well, if she's only here because she's grateful to Lucy, I guess I can tolerate her this once. Even though it's the best when it's just the two of us…
…
Lucy POV
"...Did I do well?"
Alice hesitantly asks as she watches me look over her practice math test.
"Hm… Of course, you're really smart! Even though I mixed in some questions from our first year curriculum, you even got those ones right."
"Hehe."
I pat Alice's head while I praise her and she seems to enjoy it quite a bit. It's like watching a cat rubbing against your hand, she's so cute!
And I wasn't lying with my praise either, she actually got all of her questions right even though most of them were above her level. Like usual, we decided to do some practice questions and I gave Alice a copy as well so she wouldn't feel left out, though I wasn't expecting much.
We would have gone through all of the questions afterwards anyway and I was planning on explaining everything to her properly during that time, but she actually solved all of them. So of course I have to properly praise her for it.
I think as I gently stroke her hair.
"A-Ahem…"
"Hm? What is it Hina? Ah, have you finished already? Should we go through some of the problems?"
"N-no need. I managed to solve all of them too…"
Suddenly Hina clears her throat which brings me out of my daze and I ask her about her progress. Math is usually one of her weaker subjects, so we often spend a little extra time on it.
"Really? Good job. Though is there really none that we should go through?"
"It's fine. L-Like I said, I got all of them so it's fine…"
She says as she swiftly flips her paper and puts it into one of her books.
"So moving on, the next subject is history, right?"
"Hm, we were learning about the fall of Old Meridia this week. Hina, do you want to do the recap? And we'll give some extra details from the book if you miss anything."
We've been using this method of studying for humanities subjects, just talking about the material helps you remember all the details more easily. I'd say it has worked quite well so far.
"Ahem. Old Meridia was originally located in the area where the dungeons can be found today. Even though Old Meridia existed such a long time ago, its civilization was highly advanced. Their understanding of magic and technology far surpasses anything we have today. It is even said that its influence stretched to other realms as well."
"If they were so strong, why did it fall? Ah, wasn't it some god who destroyed it?"
"That's right, Alice is so smart! Old Meridia might have been the pinnacle of human strength, but that still pales in comparison to the power of the gods. At least that's what some ancient records said from back then, but things played out a little differently in the end."
Alice speaks up after Hina begins her explanation and I also add a few details for her. Then Hina continues:
"...So one day Old Meridia invoked the wrath of the evil gods called harbingers and all six of them descended upon the empire, causing havoc and destruction. Their entire territory was devastated by the harbingers, creating the ruins we call the dungeons today. But before the harbingers could destroy Old Meridia and descend on the rest of the world, suddenly the great god of light, Luxion intervened directly and destroyed all the harbingers in a single strike. With it, humanity was saved, but one harbinger escaped their divine retribution and Agramon, although wounded, remained in our world."
"But then the great heroes appeared, right?"
"Hm, even though the most powerful empire in the world was gone, humanity didn't lose hope and still gathered their forces, ready to face the wrath of an evil god."
Alice seems to enjoy this retelling of this world's history and well, it is fun seeing all the lore I read in the game become real history in this world.
"Years passed, but eventually Lucian Valerion, a surviving descendant from Old Meridia, gathered the other survivors and the strength of the surrounding smaller nations and chose to face Agramon together in a final, decisive battle. He had the heroes of old on his side, Magnus Latimer, the greatest mage, whose research is still the basis for all artifact and magic research, and Marcellus Aurelion, the greatest warrior, who created the fighting style of combining magic with and wielding weapons at the same time. The battle ended in humanity's victory and Agramon, the last harbinger was defeated as well, finally bringing peace to the world. Lucian Valerion then founded a new nation and named it Meridia, in honor of the old, fallen civilization."
"Defeating a god… I already knew this was the outcome, but if we can defeat something ourselves, can it really be called a god? Though I also read that the people back then had much stronger magical abilities too, so they might have been able to do it."
"...Well it might have been more complicated, but we don't have too many records from back then, so all we know is that Agramon was defeated."
Even though the truth is that Agramon survived and is still lurking somewhere in this world, I decide to keep that detail for myself. For one, it's knowledge from the game so probably nobody would believe me and also, I don't want Alice to worry about something like that. When the real Lucy returns, she will defeat that guy anyway.
"Um, I'm just letting you two know that discussing things like that openly might get you in trouble in high society."
"Ah, right! Alice, you can only talk about things like this with me or your big brother. Some people can be rather unreasonable, so it's better to come to people you trust with questions like this."
"Hm. I got it."
"..."
Right, questioning the established history of the nation is considered quite improper here. Since that could paint the heroes of old in a bad light or make you look disrespectful towards them, which would translate to disrespecting the royal family since they trace their lineage back to them. But with just Hina and Alice here, there's no need to be overly cautious.
"The newly founded Meridia faced many problems, but soon they began focusing on artifact development, thanks to which it quickly gained power. Although most of the technology was lost with the fall of Old Meridia, since the new nation envelops most of the territory of the ruins, they launched many expeditions into it and gathered as many materials as they could. Although the remnants of the harbingers remained in the ruins in the form of monsters, making this a dangerous activity, its value was undeniable. After this, the ruins of Old Meridia came to be generally referred to as the dungeons and Meridia's borders encompass most of it. Thanks to these expeditions and artifact development, the nation quickly rose to power and still remains the largest and most powerful nation."
"Oh. But aren't we right next to the dungeons? Why did they build the academy on the border of such a dangerous place?"
"You don't need to worry, the academy is very well protected. I think it was placed here exactly because the dungeons were nearby."
"Hm? Why would they do that?"
Alice turns to me with a cute, curious expression and I continue:
"Well, after surviving such rough times, the people back then had a slightly different mindset. Since this academy is a place all the nobility of this country attends, they wanted to make it a strong point for the newer generations to be aware of the true reality of their situation. While it's true that most of our prosperity comes from the dungeons in the form of artifact materials, we also have the duty to defend the rest of the population from the monsters that still appear within the ruins. And because most of the country borders the dungeons, this constant defense and patrols around the edges extends to most territories. So learning here is designed in such a way as to let you experience this reality for yourself."
"Oh, Lucy, you explained it really well. It's not something that is laid out in the study material, but my father often said something along those lines to me as well regarding the duty of nobility."
"Th-thanks, haha."
After my explanation Hina suddenly compliments me with earnest eyes, which makes me feel a little guilty. I'm only repeating what the game said…
"I would be curious to try it too if I could…"
"...? What are you talking about? Of course you can attend too in the future if you want."
While I'm awkwardly scratching the side of my head, I suddenly overhear Alice's quiet mumbles. So I correct her, but she just looks at me with large, confused eyes.
Cute.
"Me?"
"That's right, I'm sure you would do really well."
"But what about my… Ah. Thank you Big Sister Lucy."
Ugh, such a bright smile is really cheating.
"It's… It's nothing. And in a sense it's your academy too, right?"
"Ah, right. It was Magnus Latimer who founded this school after all."
"Hm, although we are only a small branch of the family, I wouldn't presume to take any credit for it."
I remember from the game and Hina's explanation that among the great heroes, there was Arthur's ancestor, Lucian Valerion, Hugh's ancestor, Magnus Latimer and Marcellus Aurelion, whose noble house has already died out. For reference, Hina's, Bernard's and Lucy's families are part of the new wave of nobles who rose to prominence afterwards during the era of peace.
"But, do you really think I'd do well? I mean, suddenly meeting so many new people… I don't know…"
Alice hesitantly looks at me.
Right, she hasn't had much social contact for a long time. Ah, there was that book Hugh wrote for her too, about the little vampire going into a town to make friends.
Hm, actually that might work and it might just fit right into my plans with Arthur too.
"Don't worry, just leave everything to your big sister! I'll show you that you have nothing to worry about!"
I say confidently as a new idea quickly begins to take shape in my mind.