The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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Even the goddess couldn’t provide her with a clear answer. Ultimately, Cecilia spent two weeks hovering around Dokan and Ho-yeon without any gain.

She maintained smooth relationships with other humans with whom she had formed connections, but she couldn’t approach Dokan.

Every time she tried, Ho-yeon would continuously push her away or completely avoid her, making it impossible for her to grab a thread of possibility.

While she observed continuously and realized that the intensity of the bullying wasn’t that severe, it didn’t provide Cecilia with much comfort.

Because in the end, being bullied was the truth. If it were a conflict among humans, she might have let it slide as just a human dispute, but since it was a scene of beastmen trampling on humans, Cecilia ignited her determination to help Dokan.

Without roots, there would only be a trunk. If she couldn’t receive the help of the gods, she thought she could seek advice from her friends, and thus, Cecilia kept gathering counsel.

The goddess had also left advice for her, directly saying not to rely too much on her and to seek her own answers.

“It’s been a while, Cecilia.”

“Yes. You’re right, Iris. You seem to have regained some color since we last met?”

“Is that so? Yes. I’ve been a bit more comfortable lately. So, why have you come to see me?”

Thus, she sought out Iris, whom she had been on friendly terms with before. There were many others present, but the reason she sought her out was singular.

“…How do I solve the bullying?”

Among the numerous atrocities revealed after Stephanie’s disappearance was the ongoing bullying that Iris had suffered.

Cecilia wanted to ask the bullied party how to put an end to the torment.

“Yes… I know someone who is enduring a similar kind of bullying as you did, Iris. I want to help, but… I don’t know how.”

At the recollection of that time, Iris’s expression momentarily stiffened, but soon her usual cheerful demeanor returned.

The one who had tormented her, whether dead or not, would no longer interfere in her life.

“Hmm… It’s really difficult. That’s a truly complicated issue, Cecilia. First, we need to know why they’re bullying in order to do something about it.”

Iris recognized that the reason Stephanie had tormented her was out of interest.

If this elf wanted to help someone who was being bullied for reasons akin to her own, she was thinking of ways to assist. Nobody understood the pain better than herself.

“Perhaps… I think it’s out of interest. To be honest, it seems she considers you as her possession…”

“Does she bully using her power to suppress, highlighting her superiority over you?”

“Yes! How do you know that so well… Ah. I’m sorry, Cecilia.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s alright. She’s gone now. Anyway… that’s how it is.”

Noticing what Cecilia felt sorry for, Iris reassured her. It was a sight unimaginable for her if she were still the timid person from before.

In fact, with Stephanie’s disappearance, her mental space had grown. The girl who used to scream at the sight of a bug could now observe what kind of bug it was.

As Iris compared her experiences to Cecilia’s statements, she promptly articulated her thoughts.

“There’s no answer.”

“Yes… what?”

“Cecilia. I don’t know whom you’re trying to help, but… as someone with experience, I’ll tell you.”

Having been treated like a pet herself, Iris heatedly poured out her words.

Why there was no answer and why it was difficult to rescue.

“…So, I want to say that unless the one bullying suddenly disappears, there’s no chance. There are instances where interest wanes, but… from what you say, it doesn’t seem like that. It’s akin to hoping a tiger will spit out the meat it’s holding.”

“Is that so…”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“Oh, no… I’m the one who’s sorry for interrupting your precious break… Thank you for your invaluable advice…! Perhaps we can share a meal later…”

“Yes. Anytime.”

In Iris’s eyes, wishing for Cecilia’s desires to be fulfilled, she saw hair of white and black.

However, she didn’t become flustered like before upon seeing Ho-yeon.

There was no need to approach that disaster, and that disaster had no reason to come to her.

It felt just like observing a wild beast pass by from a distance.

That was until Ho-yeon approached them. As she descended upon Cecilia and her, Iris perked up.

Why did she, looking far worse than usual, come this way? Was there a reason?

Could it be that she was trying to become the second Stephanie?

“You…!”

Fortunately for Iris, who was overwhelmed with negative projections of fear, she stopped in front of Cecilia.

“Cecilia. Come with me.”

– – – –

The time had come again.

I’m talking about the heat cycle. It had been a month, so it was bound to return.

Since I clearly remembered what kind of fiasco happened during the last heat cycle, I decided on my strategy as soon as I sensed the change in my body this time.

No skinship with Dokan.

…I know it’s a ridiculous strategy. But I still didn’t want to cross the line with Dokan as friends.

However, my body was screaming to cross the line, so I had no choice but to tearfully block the source of my thoughts. After all, my mother had said she didn’t want to become a grandmother.

Without notifying Dokan beforehand, I was going to act individually… but it should be fine.

I couldn’t hold onto Dokan as just a friend forever. Plus, I had my own things to look into.

…Though I thought that, feeling uneasy was unavoidable. The mere thought of him going out to eat with another girl made my stomach turn.

Maybe that’s why the air felt disgustingly offensive. It was probably just my mood, but the irritation was still inescapable.

I needed to quickly investigate the peculiar spirit that Cecilia was summoning and go see Dokan.

“…But, where is Cecilia?”

As I walked, I realized I had no idea where the crucial Cecilia was. Blaming my foolish mind for being distracted by the heat cycle, I recalled where people might be gathered.

…Should I check out a café first?

Normally, I wouldn’t go because of worry about others’ gazes, but right now, there wasn’t a shred of mental energy left for such concerns.

I just wanted to get it done quickly and see what Dokan was up to.

And, truly fortunately, in the café, I found Cecilia chatting with someone. Who was it… Iris, perhaps?

That wasn’t my business. I had no reason to meet her, so it wasn’t important. As I walked towards Cecilia, her expression changed for some reason, but I assumed it was due to her usual cowardice.

“You…”

Seeing me, Cecilia spoke as if she were asking why I was there.

“Cecilia. Come with me.”

But I had no obligation to answer her question, nor did I have the heart to. With time running out, I conveyed what I needed to say a bit irritably due to her interference.

It wouldn’t be a problem to do it here, but I didn’t want to deal with too many eyes on me.

“What are you up to?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

I could have said it in a prettier way, but my words kept coming out sharply. It might be because she was the girl who kept clinging to Dokan.

“…Fine. I’ll listen for now.”

“…Hmph.”

She should have followed me sooner. We wasted time with this silly power struggle when she could have just come along.

Leaving the café, I headed towards a less populated area. Perhaps feeling anxious about my movements, Cecilia had spirits hovering around her.

How convenient. I didn’t have to bother telling her to summon her spirits. She obviously treasured them, so I wondered how to get her to unleash them.

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t even considered how to get her to release her spirits. It seemed like I was getting really dim-witted during my heat cycle.

But even if I had become foolish, there was no way I would cross the line with a friend, so it should be okay to look at Dokan.

“…Anima, is it? If you can hear me, respond.”

“Yes? How do you know that name?!”

How do I know? That time in the arena, she openly said the name and even patted me.

It’s understandable for her to be shocked. Since she murmured it almost to herself, it would be strange if I didn’t hear it from afar. At least in this continent.

-…child of the god, the omnipotent one.

Oh, it responded. It resonated not in sound but as if ringing inside my head, much like a god.

Indeed, even if it had been twisted and split, the essence was crafted from the god’s essence.

“What are you doing to Anima?! Anima, come back!”

Cecilia, who had normally maintained a gentle demeanor even after being pushed away, was visibly angry for a rare moment, but investigating this ‘Anima’ took priority.

“Be quiet. Anima. Spill out everything you know. Now.”

-…Return command. Command authority owner…actualization verification in process. General user. Initial rank reassessment in progress…

It felt strangely mechanical. It wasn’t surprising since there were indeed machines created to resemble gods. I wondered if this god originally had a body made from machines.

“…Anima? Why aren’t you coming back…?”

-…Command refusal. Reason: Higher-priority command confirmed. Sorry, Cecilia.