Chapter 18

There was a young girl. Not yet ten years old, her long chestnut hair swayed in the sea breeze. A slightly taller boy with golden hair gently held her hand.

―――The best, bad ending for you.

It was a line she had heard somewhere before. The screen slowly transitioned. This was the Land of Hedgehogs, where she was protected by tiny spines. At the corner of the title logo, which resembled a golden ribbon, an orange gem sparkled.

Ah, I see, Rabi understood. It was a memory from the past. If she selected the "NEW GAME" option, a cute girl's voice would be heard behind the sparkling sound effect.

―――This is not where it should end. We must not lose.

Sure, sure.

She nodded absent-mindedly to the cute, young girl's voice. The protagonist's determination didn't matter to Rabi. She, too, could not afford to lose. She had to survive at all costs.

―――Therefore, magic only appears in nobles. This is because names are power, and those without names cannot use magic. As you all know, commoners without surnames cannot use magic.

She quickly lifted her consciousness, which had been wavering like it was about to fall. Even though she tried to act unlike a proper young lady, rowing a boat would be out of the question, she thought, looking around. Being unserious was a different issue. Her classmates, who had already memorized her name, sat attentively, sending intense gazes at the young male teacher.

Incidentally, the class was gender-separated, so the classroom was filled with cute and simple uniforms. Although the girls would normally want to show off their elaborate outfits, the academy was a place of learning, and the policy was for equality, including the prince. That was why they wore uniforms, but the classical dresses were too picky about who wore them. Especially for Rabi, who had cut her hair short, the neckline felt the breeze along with the surrounding gazes. It was refreshing both mentally and physically, but to hide her bony body and the now absent mark of servitude, she wore additional clothes under the uniform. This had been the case even before she cut her hair.

It was her first time commuting by carriage in a long time. Along with the reversed contents, she seemed to have lost a lot of physical strength, and she occasionally let out a tired breath to cover it up. Still, it was much better than before. In the higher grades, there was more practical knowledge of magic. Although Rabi had only a teacup's worth of magic, she listened intently to the lecture of the black-and-white-haired teacher, thinking that a small hint might lead to a breakthrough. She felt his narrow eyes glance at her for a moment, but the teacher continued.

"Magic is something that is combined. With exceptions, the amount of magic a child has is proportional to the amount of magic their parents have."

Incidentally, the exception was Rabi. Various thoughts crossed her mind, but it was too late to be depressed now.

"Nobles do not publicly disclose their magic levels, but it is generally believed that the royal family has the highest magic level in the present world. However, this changes if we include the past. Hundreds of years ago, a woman called the 'savior' or 'holy maiden' was born in this country. She infused her abundant magic into a stone, and her magic became a barrier that still protects the country of Whity from foreign invasions today."

"Ahem."

She couldn't help but cough. This time, it wasn't just in her mind; the teacher named Matthew glared at her. "Ahem, ahem." Rabi tried to cover it up by pretending to clear her throat. It was because he suddenly mentioned Whity. She had thought that if she wasn't prepared, she would burst out laughing at any moment, and it turned out to be true. She imagined Bard, the prince of the Animal Kingdom, dancing the swan dance in her head. He was Bard Swarg Whity, the prince of the swans. Animal Kingdom, please spare me.

Anyway, this was the main story of "Welcome to the Forest of Hedgehogs," abbreviated as Harinez, or the Animal Kingdom. Although it was not yet known, Nella would be called the second holy maiden. In the main story, Nella and Bard would swear to protect the holy maiden's stone as the royal family. Although it was not shown in the game's still images, the gem that sparkled around the title logo in the opening was probably it.

"Anyway, aside from general knowledge, I will distribute the textbooks we will use in future classes. They are made of valuable magic paper, so please don't lose them."

Matthew lightly clapped his hands, and the stack of papers at his feet floated up. Matthew Zebra, the wind's child, a genius magician, was a young man in his early twenties, but the tips of his black hair were inexplicably white. He was one of the characters to be pursued, but Rabi had no intention of getting involved with him because he was a yandere.

"Mr. Matthew."

While confirming the magic paper floating down to the students with the corner of her eye, Rabi raised her hand. She was ignored. Undeterred, she called out, "There's not enough magic paper." Matthew raised his hand lazily, and the remaining paper finally came to Rabi. "Smack." It stuck to her face. It was a childish prank.

***

She had vaguely noticed, but Rabi was already openly disliked by her homeroom teacher, Matthew. She thought it was questionable as a teacher, but when she first enrolled, it wasn't that bad. Originally, in the game, he was set to be a cold person to everyone except the holy maiden Nella. However, even if the academy preached equality regardless of status, she thought his attitude towards a duchess's daughter was too problematic. Was it just his personality?

Anyway, it was only because Rabi's physical strength had improved that she noticed these issues. Before the break, she had been a mere chicken bone lady, completely unaware of her treatment, and had just been a corpse during class. She had been dead from the carriage ride. The fact that she could notice the changes was a sign of growth... but before she could smile and nod, Rabi was already facing a life-threatening situation. A month later, Nella, who had made a grand debut as a transfer student, was already surrounded by several gentlemen. It wasn't the time to be impressed by her impressive skills.

She knew the original story. She hadn't intended to be so relaxed, thinking there was still time before the countdown to her life began. However, in an unexpected turn of events, with the people passing by as an audience, Nella was shedding tears in front of Rabi, talking about her own pain.

"I am no longer Lady Rabi's maid. Please, please forgive me."

Bard, the prince, looked at her with a confused gaze, as if protecting the cute girl. Behind him was his knight, Cy. Her younger brother, who had heard the commotion, had also rushed over. No, no. (Could this be it?) She shook her head. No, no. Hold on, hold on.

Is the condemnation event happening too soon?