Chapter 7: My? Actually, That Time, I Was...

“What? Greeting the new students?”

At Saint-Noel Academy, spring was fast approaching. On this day of warm sunshine and sweetmoon cherry blossoms, Mia was attending a student council meeting. In the office was the usual crowd. They’d discussed a number of topics, and the one that was currently occupying their attention was the entrance ceremony.

“But...aren’t you the one who usually welcomes the new students?” asked Mia.

“I’ll be speaking at the ceremony too, of course, but I think our new students would appreciate a few words from the student council president as well,” Rafina replied with a gentle smile.

“So it’s part of the president’s responsibilities. Hm... What should I say?”

Rafina let out a short giggle.

“Oh, don’t worry too much about it. Just be honest and say what’s on your mind.”

On the surface, her comment seemed reassuring...but Mia knew better.

This is definitely the kind of suggestion that I can’t take at face value.

She was well aware that she couldn’t simply say whatever came to mind; she wasn’t that stupid. The role of student council president was something Rafina had willingly yielded to her. There were expectations involved. Expectations that would be grievously betrayed if she were to get up onto the podium and talk about her favorite cakes.

“There’s no rush, so give it some time,” said Rafina. “I’ll send you the draft of my speech from last year later, so you can take a look at that too.”

“All right then.” Mia forced herself to nod. A direct request from Rafina was not something she could afford to turn down.

Oh, well. I guess it’s not too bad. It’s not like I have to risk my neck for this, she thought, trying to console herself. No, probably not.

“All right, everyone,” said Rafina, clapping for attention. “That was a very enjoyable chat, but I believe it’s time we got down to business.” Her expression sobered. “Serious business. I’m sure it’s been on all your minds, but I’ve managed to extract some information out of the Serpent, Ms. Barbara.”

Oh right, Barbara. I did send her to Miss Rafina, didn’t I? I completely forgot.

There was at least one mind it hadn’t been on.

“Yeah, I’ve definitely been wondering. So? What did you find out?” asked Abel.

Sion remained quiet but steepled his hands and leaned forward. Unlike Mia, both princes had evidently been waiting for this moment. Fearing her own lack of concern would be exposed, she began to explain the context of the upcoming topic to the members who hadn’t been present, taking extra care to choose phrasing that implied she’d been thinking about the issue as well.

“And so, after we captured Barbara and her lackeys, I asked for them to be delivered to Miss Rafina,” she concluded. Then, for good measure, she added, “They’ve definitely been on my mind ever since.” With that, she took a sip of tea and breathed the contented sigh of someone who just successfully covered up a significant blunder.

Rafina promptly continued the story. “After returning from Miss Mia’s birthday festival, I immediately began the interrogation. Oh, I say ‘interrogation,’ but I didn’t do anything violent, of course. Personally, I think they deserve some punishment for the terrible disservice they did you,” she said with a look at Mia, “but I figured you’d be upset if I was too rough with them... So I gave them the same treatment as Jem.”

She smiled calmly at Mia, who found the expression a little scary and promptly smiled back to hide her fear.

“That did get them to talk,” Rafina continued, her gaze shifting to the others in the room, “but very little of what they had to say was new information. They talked about how the Chaos Serpents are led by someone they call a high priestess and that there are people known as shamans who spread the Serpents’ teachings. Oh, they also mentioned the wolfmaster.”

“The wolfmaster...” Mia repeated.

“Yes,” Rafina said, nodding, “the assassin known as the wolfmaster apparently takes orders directly from the high priestess and is a peerless warrior.”

“A peerless warrior?! I-I was being targeted by someone like that? Sweet moons...”

Memories of her desperate horseback dash across the winter plains came flooding back. The skin on the back of her neck tingled as she recalled the swooshes of air she’d felt as the assassin’s blade had missed her by what had seemed like a hair. It sent chills up her spine.

Moons, it’s a miracle my head is still on my shoulders... Wait, it is still on my shoulders, right? This isn’t some sort of nightmare scenario where I’m actually dead but don’t realize it, is it?! You’re all talking to me, aren’t you? That means I’m alive, right?! she thought in a moment of deranged panic, fearing she’d glance at something reflective and find nothing but empty air above her neck.

While Mia occupied herself with such absurd musings, Rafina kept explaining.

“By the way, I read the letter you sent me, and its contents helped me put together a working theory of sorts...” she said, looking back toward Mia. “Miss Mia, could I ask you to describe the different categories of Chaos Serpents for us?”

“Huh? O-Oh, you mean what Duke Yellowmoon was talking about? Uh... I’m pretty sure he said the Chaos Serpents can be grouped into four types of people,” she answered, feeling profoundly relieved to be talked to, for it confirmed that she was not, in fact, dead. “There are those who passively collaborate with the Serpents, those who actively work with the Serpents in an attempt to use them for their own purposes, those who resonate with the Serpents’ teachings and become adherents, and shamans who instruct and guide those adherents. I...think that’s how it went?” she said, recalling the four cookies the duke had placed on the table.

Words alone were hard to remember, so Mia associated them with tasty-looking cookies. It was the Mia memorization method.

“Yes, that’s what you wrote in the letter. Based on that categorization, I suspect the men we captured are adherents.”

Mia pursed her lips, recalling the appearances of Barbara’s lackeys. “I think you’re right. Those men certainly do give off an evil cultist aura. They seem like the type who’d give their lives for some twisted ideology...”

“Indeed, and I believe it’s the adherents and shamans who react negatively to the Holy Book.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” said Sion, who immediately nodded with comprehension. “I always thought it was strange how their reactions to the Holy Book weren’t uniform. That would explain it...”

“Yes. It depends on whether they accept the Serpents’ teachings as truth. In other words, whether they see the Serpents as divine or simply a tool to be used. For those who view the Serpents with reverence, the Holy Book would represent the teachings of their mortal enemy. It must be abhorrent to them. Something utterly intolerable that they reject on a fundamental level. That’s why they reacted so strongly to it.” Rafina paused. Her tone took on a sense of uncertainty. “That’s...what I thought, at least.”

“Hm? What do you mean? Did something change your mind?” asked Mia with a puzzled tilt of her head.

“It’s Ms. Barbara. She seemed...different, somehow. What I felt from her wasn’t just rejection... There was certainly some of that, but there was much more hate. A deep-seated hatred of not just the Lord but me, and all those like me... Nobles, royalty, all of us...”

“‘A deep-seated hatred’?” Mia thought of the times she’d seen Barbara. “Now that you mention it, I do remember Bel saying she was pretty harsh on Rina. She seemed to hate Duke Yellowmoon a lot too, for whatever reason.”

“One way to explain her behavior is that she truly believes in the Serpents’ teachings, so she hates the authority of nobility and the societal order that’s based on it. That would certainly make sense...but I feel like there’s something more...”

Rafina’s musing was followed by a period of silence that was eventually broken by a soft whisper from Abel. “Man, we know so little about these people. I really wonder what kind of person this high priestess of the Serpents is.”

For some reason, his comment continued to reverberate in Mia’s mind, long after his voice had faded.

Phew... What a meeting that was. It looks like things are going to get complicated, thought Mia.

She also hadn’t expected to be given homework, and the thought elicited a sigh from her as she left the student council office. Rafina, who happened to be heading back to the girls’ dormitory as well, walked alongside Mia wearing her usual polite smile.

“Gosh, it’s not that big of a deal,” said Rafina in a comforting tone. “You don’t have to stress yourself out over it.”

“You say that, but it is a pretty big deal for me. I’m not very good with this kind of thing...”

“Just be honest. Head up there and tell the students how you feel, and I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

Mia appreciated Rafina’s encouragement but doubted its applicability. Just as she opened her mouth to dispute her, an overriding thought caused her to laugh instead.

To be fretting over an issue like this... At a time like this... While being encouraged by Miss Rafina... It’s actually a blessing, isn’t it? I should be thankful, honestly.

Now that Mia was back in Saint-Noel Academy, her outlook was growing more optimistic.

After all, whatever the case, Ludwig said we’ll be fine. We’ve increased our food stockpiles as planned. I guess at a certain point, I just have to stop worrying. The only point of concern was whether Cyril would figure out how to grow cold-resistant wheat. But even if that doesn’t happen, things will probably work out, right?

They’d set up supply routes and filled storehouses. Reserves were growing; progress was steady. Having once walked the hellscape of famine, she felt like she had a pretty good idea of how bad things would get and how much preparation was necessary. Surely, they were ready now. Alas, she fell victim to the pitfall of experience, forgetting that changing circumstances could invalidate prior knowledge. The consequence of her complacency would be swift and sudden, showing up right in front of her as she walked down a hallway with Rafina.

“My... What’s going on over there?”

Their chat was interrupted by the sight of a girl who looked like a new student being surrounded by a number of older students. One of the older students pushed the girl on the shoulder, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground. She remained facedown on her hands and knees as the ring of aggressors began to shower her with verbal abuse.

Mia swiftly assessed the bullies and heaved a sigh. None of these young nobles who had to be out of their flipping minds to be acting up in front of Rafina were from the empire. Then, with a spring in her step, she approached the ring of harassers.

“Excuse me, but would you people mind not bullying the weak? It’s a rather unseemly thing to do.”

“Say what? Who’re you to— Oh.”

One of the bullies swung around with a confrontational retort, only to choke it back down mid-sentence. The person it had been meant for was not someone they could afford offending.

“P-Princess Mia...and Miss Rafina?!”

“We seem to have a dilemma on our hands. Bullying new students is not acceptable behavior for students of this academy,” said Mia.

“N-No, that’s not— Sh-She’s one of ours. A commoner from our kingdom. We thought it must have been a mistake for her to be enrolled in an academy of such noble heritage as Saint-Noel...”

Rafina quietly walked up to the student babbling excuses and said with the gentlest of smiles, “Mia, our student council president, very much dislikes this type of behavior. As do I. No matter what kingdom you’re from, it’s still inexcusable for a large group to bully an individual. Isn’t that so, Miss Mia?”

“Y-Yes, of course it is.”

Rafina’s intimidating aura spooked not only her victims but Mia as well, who flinched ever so slightly before recomposing herself.

“Your parentage and homeland is irrelevant,” said Mia, nodding as she crossed her arms in an imposing manner. “Such injustice is impermissible, and I will not allow it to go unanswered for.”

She fixed the bullies with her most intimidating glare, which had only a fraction of Rafina’s impact, but nevertheless added to the effect and sent them recoiling in fear. Their frightened reaction was well-deserved, for Mia currently stood at the top of Saint-Noel’s power hierarchy. She was the princess of a powerful empire, and she also had the backing of the Holy Lady, which put her at the very top of the “don’t get glared at by this person if you want to stay in this school” list.

“Fortunately for you,” Mia continued, “I believe in second chances. So long as you mend your ways, I won’t pursue this matter further. Do not harass her ever again. If you’re a noble, then you should behave like one. Conduct yourself with dignity and nobility. Distance yourself from deplorable acts like oppressing the weak. If anything, you should be using your power to help the weak.” Then, after a nodding hmm, she added, “You said you’re all from the same kingdom as her, right? In that case, I shall charge you with her protection.”

“...What?”

“From now on, if I ever hear of her being bullied again, I will have all of you answer for it, regardless of whether you were involved in the incident. And a word of caution, in case you’re ever tempted to do something behind my back: underestimate my eyes and ears at your own peril.” Then, in a mischief-fueled flash of inspiration, she mimicked Rafina’s smile. The result was extremely satisfying. With a scream of terror, the bullies fled the scene.

Hm, hm. I see. Smiles can sometimes be used to strike terror into other people. Fascinating, she thought as she offered a hand to the girl on the ground.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes, I think so... Um, thank you very much. B-But, um...why would you help someone like me?” stammered the flustered girl.

Mia chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s the natural thing to do.”

Rafina was watching, after all. Not helping was never an option. Just then, she felt a chill. It took her a few moments to figure out why. The thought of being forced to help had caused the slow dawning of another realization. It occurred to her that with the famine approaching, she might be placed in such a situation again, only on a much larger scale. In the previous timeline, she never had to consider this issue, because the empire was already swamped by the needs of its own people. Things were different now. The empire was stocked and ready. They had enough food to make it through a year-long famine with plenty to spare. But the famine would last much more than a year—it would last many years. And Mia was the only one who knew that. She’d prepared for an extended famine, but the other nations probably hadn’t. Chances are, they’d assume it was just a bad year. How, then, would they feel when they looked to the empire after their expectations were proven false...and saw massive stockpiles of food that could last through years of famine? More importantly, how would Rafina and Sion feel?

She’d warned Sion already, and she intended to tell Rafina too. However, everything she had to say was, at the present time, conjecture at best. What if the famine struck, and they sought her help? Asked her to spare some of Tearmoon’s ostensibly plentiful stores? She’d have to swat away their pleading hands—deny earnest and desperate requests for assistance—on the basis of something that was at best anticipatory prudence and at worst baseless speculation.

Making things worse was another factor she’d failed to take into consideration: her growing circle of friends. As student council president, she’d inadvertently made connections with all sorts of people from all sorts of places. In the process of doing her work, she’d gotten to know a number of them very well, many to the point of forging true friendships. What if one of these friends were to come to her for help, and she objectively had the resources to help them?

If another kingdom ends up in the same situation as my past life’s empire...could I bring myself to hold on to our stockpile and just watch them suffer?

Mia’s concern was, to perhaps many’s surprise, a legitimate and serious dilemma. What she now faced was an entirely new crisis brought about by the fact that she had prepared for a years-long famine. Having been ready to sit back and relax, figuring it was time to cruise, this upsetting realization caught her completely off guard.

So, Mia reluctantly waved her metaphorical hammock goodbye and forced her brain into work-mode again. Her next task: greeting the new students at the entrance ceremony.