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Published at 19th of April 2023 06:31:00 AM


Chapter 12

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I stood rooted in shock at the trail of destruction.

Birds of all colours and species filled the sky. Pigeons, sparrows and crows. And also cyclops bats, will-o'-wisps and at least one cockatrice who was now spoiled for dinner. Their direction—away from here. And the line of trees that had flattened into the distance as far as the eye could see.

Before me, a newly constructed tunnel consisting of flattened tree bark and squashed mounds revealed itself to me. In the distant horizon, I could make out green fields and snow-capped mountains.

“What … How in goodness … ?”

I blinked as fresh sunlight streamed into the newly revealed tunnel like water pouring into an empty riverbed.

This was … This was clearly too much, was it not?!

All I wanted was to disperse the beetles! I had no intention of dispersing the woods, too! But how?!

My shocked eyes went between the flattened trees and Starlight Grace in my hand. In all my times punting the caterpillars away, I'd never once witnessed such devastation!

T-True, I'd swished a bit faster than normal, and, well, those sparks were slightly unusual, but even so!

That shouldn't have been enough to fell a line of trees as far as the edge of the woodlands itself!

Had Starlight Grace awoken in my hour of need and channelled some celestial strength to aid me in my defence? Certainly, if rumours about its origins are correct, then such a thing wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. It was an artifact of the kingdom, with enchantments beyond its honed edge. It'd make sense if it contained some hidden strength when called on by a member of the royal family …

But even so!

That doesn't explain why I could now see mountains!

I frowned in overwhelming puzzlement as I pieced together the facts. What had I done differently? I'd whisked up more wind, certainly, but even a stronger puff of wind was still merely a breeze.

I'd even named it as such!

Therefore, the only other variable was ...

“Aha!”

I … I see!

It was the beetles!

Specifically, fire breathing beetles! Meaning they must contain flame sacs. Even my sparse knowledge of monster zoology knew that for a creature to expel flames, they had to store the means of their combustion in some natural repository in their anatomy.

Meaning … when my [Spring Breeze] lifted them from the ground, their vulnerable sacs must have been exposed and exploded as they were sent hurtling away!

No wonder there was so much destruction! Even me with my middling gardening techniques could become a danger if I was flinging fire breathing monsters off into the distance. Why, the blasts of flame must have compounded and sent one tree crashing down onto another, like a skipping stone mowing down a row of dominoes!

In short … this wasn't my fault at all!

“Ohhohoho!” I smiled in relief. “Why, to think I allowed such a silly worry to grace my mind! I definitely can't get in trouble for this! Nope. Not at all. Why, I was merely defending myself. The fact that giant man eating fire breathing death beetles were so volatile could never have been predicted. My … My mother surely won't scold me for this?”

I nodded, even if I was slightly less hopeful than I wanted to be.

I'd be due a stern chiding once I returned to the Royal Villa, but that would be tempered by my return signalling that I'd saved the kingdom's finances. Destroying our woodland areas in the process was an unfortunate blot, but this clearly was beyond my control.

Luckily, this was a one-off! A terrible mismatch of wind, fire and wood. An innocent mistake which I, as a person of overwhelming diligence, will surely never make again.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, I remembered about the only witness to my not-a-crime.

Turning around, I looked up to see that the branch the girl was sitting on was now noticeably devoid of leaves. But more than that, I saw that all colour had drained from her cheeks.

Her smile was gone. Instead, a stunned look of amazement graced her face, her eyes wide as dessert plates as she took in the trail of carnage.

Then, she looked at me.

For a moment, I wondered what judgement she'd proclaim on me. Death beetles or not, I'd clearly been mildly complicit in the eradication of a substantial amount of the local ecosystem. And if she misunderstood me to be the culprit, then I'd be destined for a strongly worded reprimand from my mother if she chose to testify.

I … I may even have my books taken from me!

Then, as the worst fears came to mind—

“Ahaahaahhhahaahahaaha!”

She laughed.

For the second time in the same meeting, this strange girl, whose name I knew only to be Coppelia, had the nerve to laugh at me.

The ire I'd felt and forgotten now resurfaced. Sliding my sword back into its sheath, I stamped my foot on the ground and bent my brows.

“W-Why do you laugh?! This is no laughing matter! Are those peasants you see sprawled on the earth? No! They are beautiful trees, historic marvels as old as the kingdom itself! Do not … stop mocking their passing!”

The girl responded by laughing harder.

So hard, in fact, that tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

She released her hands from around the branch to wipe them, swayed, then promptly fell backwards, somersaulting even as the hysterics continued to take her.

As I made absolutely no move towards catching her, I caught sight of her relaxed expression, and then the tail of her laughter as she landed effortlessly on a large root in front of me without so much as balancing out her arms. The sure-footedness of her landing would have earned applause from the harshest of crowds, followed by their adoration as she smiled sweetly towards the audience.

“Juliette, was it?” she said, skipping towards me—and then around me, round and round as she examined me from head to feet. “Hmm …”

“W-What are you doing?! Do not gawk at me like some curio!”

The bizarre girl circled behind me, then reappeared in the other direction as I turned to face her. She leaned in with an amused smile, then lightly tapped my nose.

“Mhm. You look really weak.”

What.

She … touched my nose?!

I hurriedly backed away, my hands in the ready position of a martial art I'd never learned as I wondered whether I was truly safe.

Even so, I recalled enough dignity to scowl at this honest assessment of my capabilities and the clear assault against my person.

The only reason I wasn't already listing the number of years in prison that this constituted was because I'd never had to value my nose before. It was somewhere between six months and six life sentences. And I was leaning towards the latter.

“H-How dare you touch me! And my nose?! Also, I'm … I'm well aware of my physical inadequacies, thank you! Or rather, they can be considered a sign of good upbringing!”

Yes, indeed. I'd never before rued my lack of muscles for painting and poetry—

Until now, when I could very well have used some for keeping this highly unpredictable girl at arm's length. Even as I stepped away, she merely skipped closer, easily ignoring the flattened roots and weeds which conspired to trip me over.

“That was a nice technique,” she said, unveiling her fingers in a sudden, popping gesture. “Woosh! I've seen beetles fly before, but that's a new record. Do you think you can teach me that?”

“No,” I replied, taking great care not to look in the direction of said woosh. “That was very much a solitary affair, and quite beyond my intention.”

“Really? Shame. I think it'd be useful. So what are you doing in these parts? Like you said, shady individuals and all.”

Yes, I did.

And I am still very much correct.

I watched this odd girl with doubt brewing in my heart. She claimed to be a librarian. No, an assistant librarian. But as far as I was aware, librarians of any calibre rarely pursued the matter of lost books all the way into the depths of a forest colonised by outlaws and death beetles.

She was no simple librarian, certainly. And though I didn't necessarily view this girl as a danger to my person, I could not quite see her as harmless, either. There was a way in her poise which evoked certain warning bells. Only Roland spoke with so much confidence—to the point of disregard—when conversing with me. And that was when I was about to fall victim to one of his infamously juvenile pranks.

My eyes glanced down at my boots.

No laces tied together. So far, so good.

Regrettably, that instantly made this girl more trustworthy than my oldest brother.

“If you must know, I was waylaid by the ruffians which resided here. I was on my way to Rolstein to see to the matter of the crops failing in the region. I intend to avert a food crisis and save this kingdom from the threat of famine.”

“Eh. Sounds like a pain.”

I blinked, then tilted my head slightly to the side.

Odd. My ears must be playing up. It felt like I'd just heard something unfathomable.

“Excuse me?”

The girl suddenly beamed and clapped her hands together.

“I mean, it'd be a terrible pain to the innocent people of this fair kingdom if that were to happen to them. It's only right that every measure be taken to prevent such a precarious situation from arising.”

“Ah, of course … that's what you meant … yes, well, that's why I'm heading to the lowlands.”

“Got it. Do you know how to fix the failing crops?”

No.

But I knew I'd know once I arrived.

My intelligence was far too precious a resource to be wasted on thinking ahead. Why be inefficient by considering issues which may never materialise? I'd handle my problems when the time came, at full power and full rest.

“W-Why, of course I do!” I said, smiling as I placed my hand to my chest. “I have a contact at the Adventurer's Guild. After liaising with the local good-for-noth … the local deadbea- … the local adventurers, I'll have an array of options to consider in regards to how best to approach this issue with the least disruption on the townspeople.”

The girl nodded enthusiastically. Her eyes, a pearly turquoise, shimmered like sunlight upon the ocean.

“That's great. Let's go.”

Now I knew my ears were defective.

“I apologise, but you must repeat that. I didn't quite hear … ?”

“Let's go. Time's a-wasting and I'm coming with you. Rolstein, right? That dreadfully dull town without any redeeming features? I've always wanted to go there.”

My mouth fell open.

Dealing with this girl's eccentricities in a one-off encounter? Tolerable. A day in the life of an overworked, popular princess. I'm sure that my sisters experienced it all the time.

Accompanying her to anywhere? Less tolerable.

“Truly … you've always wanted to visit Rolstein? A place so irrelevant that cartographers forget to place it on maps?”

“Yep. I have some investigating to do.”

“In regards to your … book?”

“The trail leads nearby, and the Adventurer's Guild keep good records. Or so I hear. There aren't any where I'm from.”

I looked at her in puzzlement. Not the dreadful confusion which hurts my head. But an acceptable amount.

There were few places on this continent where the bureaucracy and nosiness of the Adventurer's Guild had failed to make itself known. If that's the case, then this girl wasn't only not from here. She wasn't from anywhere close.

“Oh? Where are you from?”

“Ouzelia.”

Answering so, Coppelia skipped past me and towards the bundle of sacks lying as disparately on the cart as I'd left them.

Then, in a single motion, she leaned down and picked up every sack filled with heaps of crowns, trinkets, jewellery, weapons, tableware and at least several paintings in either hand. Without displaying the slightest hint of effort, this girl, no larger, older, and certainly no prettier than I, lifted the bags as easily as one might lift a set of feathery pillows.

But that wasn't what surprised me most.

It was that when this girl had skipped past me, I noticed for the first time the giant golden key sticking out of her back. And I realised that Coppelia wasn't just an assistant librarian.

No, not at all.

Because Coppelia … was also a clockwork doll.

Coppelia, the Clockwork Doll.

Assistant Librarian of .





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