492 - The Fairy Overflow and Information Gathering 1
...Come to think of it, is this my second time coming to the government building?
The Capital, Proval, is a massive city composed of the noble district and inner city surrounding the royal castle, and the outer town surrounding those.
The detached palace where I live is inside the royal castle, located in a secluded area classified as the royal family's residential district.
Alfred once explained to me that the royal castle is broadly divided into five sections. The royal family's residential district, where the King's residence and detached palaces are located; the residential district for the servants who work in the castle; the section for the knights, containing the knight's wing and training grounds; the residential district for the officials; and the section containing the government building, where the King's and ministers' offices are, and the library. The government building is where Alfred once took me to peek into a meeting.
"Since I have been called here, I assume I am interrupting your work?"
"That is what I heard from my uncle... but the area should have been cleared. Jishin... was it? I hear you wish to speak about that phenomenon."
Though they must be in the middle of their duties, there are not many people around. I appreciate him telling me there is no need to be nervous, but that does not mean I can actually stay calm. I do not believe I have such thick nerves. Thinking that there are people working in every room connected to the hallway, I feel it is better to refrain even from small talk, and my voice naturally becomes smaller. Then again, today, even if I did not lower my voice, it would have been swallowed by the surrounding commotion. I suspect the earthquake is the cause, but while there are no clumsy people running through the halls, it is quite noisy. Every time I passed a door, I could hear the muffled sounds of voices from inside.
...You there, kitty. Please do not make funny faces to try and make me laugh at a time like this.
I am not wearing it now, but perhaps feeling some kinship with the cat-headed hood Dietfried is carrying under his arm, a total of three cat-headed fairies were perched on Dietfried's head and shoulders. I was surprised by these cat-headed fairies in the carriage, but strangely, Dietfried seems unable to see them. Even though they seem to like him this much.
It is purely a feeling, but I suspect that about half of the people can see them and half cannot. Regardless of gender or age, those who can see them see them, and those who cannot seem to see absolutely nothing. Those who can hear the fairies' voices are even fewer. In the detached palace, it was only Salisa and me. And strangely, it seems only the fairies who were "born" can speak. According to the born fairies, the nurse fairies, who are "created" fairies, are rich in emotion but have not yet uttered a single word.
As I endured the cat-headed fairy making strange faces to make me laugh, Dietfried stopped. Wondering if we had reached our destination, I turned my attention to the front of Dietfried, and Felicia was standing there.
"Good work, Diet. I will take over the guidance from here."
Felicia, whose outlines feel as if they have become a bit softer, is as beautiful as ever. Previously, she wore daring outfits like the villainesses in manga or games to show off her beautiful limbs, but perhaps because she has become a wife, or a mother, or simply because this is a workplace, she is wearing a modest and graceful dress. She is a beauty beyond reproach.
Dietfried smiled back at the beauty, but for a moment, he furrowed his brow in dissatisfaction. The fact that the wrinkle disappeared immediately is likely the result of Hermine's education. Dietfried seems to have become reasonably capable of hiding his emotions.
"The errand to Lady Christina was an order I received from King Christoph. I cannot push it onto my aunt."
"The only ones gathered besides my father and Alf are the Royal Peerage. If you have been studying hard, Diet, you understand the meaning of this, right?"
I have not confirmed it, but since Felicia went out of her way to put it this way, Dietfried likely has not yet obtained the rank of Royal Peerage. Conversely, it seems I have been called to a place where only people with a certain level of responsibility gather. Just thinking about it makes me nervous.
I thanked Dietfried, who looked a bit frustrated, and parted ways, then proceeded down the hallway guided by Felicia. I was braced for which of the many doors in the hallway we would stop at, but Felicia walked straight and leisurely with her back straight.
...New discovery. Lady Felicia's beauty is effective on fairies too.
Felicia was like a graceful lady as she walked, but several fairies were gathered at her feet and along the edges of the hallway. Everyone was captivated by Felicia, giving way and stepping aside to the edges of the hall.
...But it seems Lady Felicia cannot see the fairies?
Judging by Felicia's reaction, there is no particular change. However, the opponent is Felicia. While it is possible she truly cannot see them, there is also the possibility that she judges gazes filled with admiration to be the same whether they come from humans or fairies, and is intentionally pretending not to notice.
"Here it is."
"...Eh? The courtyard?"
"Depending on the case, it would be troublesome if we were eavesdropped upon. In that case, is it not elegant to speak in a place where naughty children cannot hide?"
The place Felicia guided me to was a courtyard at the end of the hallway. In the center of a well-maintained garden with a good view, there was a gazebo. Sitting in a chair inside the gazebo was King Christoph, and three Royal Peers whom I had greeted before were standing as if to welcome me and Felicia.
"Forgive me for calling you so suddenly, Christina."
"No. On my part, I was in the middle of compiling a report on the earthquake based on Nadine's suggestion, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to deliver it directly."
First, I submitted the envelope I had Rebecca carry. Since she was the maid accompanying me to the King, I should have brought Nadine, who holds the highest position in the detached palace, but Nadine had hurt her back from being surprised by the earthquake. Therefore, I have Rebecca, a maid, accompanying me. If we are talking about someone I am most comfortable with, it would be Salisa, but Salisa is an orphan, let alone a commoner. The fact that I cannot bring her to a place like this is more than just a little annoying. However, if I forced her to come, Salisa is the one who might have a bad experience. In this matter, I must behave with discretion.
...Kalisa comforting me is subtly too cute.
There, there, the nurse fairy on my shoulder stroked my cheek from an angle invisible to Christoph. I could not bring Salisa, but the nurse fairy, who I do not know if others can see, was working hard as my guard on my shoulder today as well.
"...Christina's quick work is a help."
While Christoph and the others looked through the report, a chair was moved forward, and I sat. Once I sat, Alfred and the other Royal Peers also sat in their chairs.
"Immediately, I would like you to tell me everything you know about that phenomenon called an 'earthquake'. After all, it is the first time the earth has shaken like that, and the current situation is that we do not even know what happened."
"About that..."
Now, I wonder how I should tell this, and I agonize for a moment. If it were a normal earthquake, it would be enough to speak only within the range of what I truly know, but I am beginning to realize that this cannot be called a "normal earthquake". If that is the case, it would not be a very good strategy to hide the parts I have realized. I trust Christoph as the King. To Christoph, who is worried that the people might be suffering, I cannot simply fail to urge caution that something further might happen.
"...Lord Christoph, can you see this child?"
As a result of my deliberation, I decided to try telling everything honestly from the start. Since Alfred is here, he will supplement my insufficient explanations, and the others are Royal Peers who hold a corresponding level of status and responsibility. They should be aware of the weight of their own words, so they will not do anything rash.
As I reached my hand toward my shoulder, the nurse fairy sensed my intention and moved onto my palm. When I placed it on the table so that Christoph could see it, the reaction was split about half and half. Those who widened their eyes looking at my palm were Christoph, Alfred, and one Royal Peer, for a total of three people. Felicia and the other Royal Peers seem unable to see the nurse fairy. It is easy to tell because their puzzled faces and gazes move from my palm to my face.
"This is... quite a lovely companion. I thought you were carrying a doll on your shoulder, but..."
In response to Christoph's remark, the nurse fairy spun around on the spot as if to show that she is not a doll. When she finally gave a cute greeting with a little bow, the Royal Peer's expression crumbled. It seems that even the Royal Peer could not hide his expression from the nurse fairy's loveliness.
"Is this the rumored mischievous fairy?"
"As for Kalisa, I believe she was acting as my nurse. Except for the winter when Lord Leonardo was absent, she was rarely carried far away."
I added the report that Salisa and I had verified, stating that this is all we know about the nurse fairy. Since this was not the time to get excited over the nurse fairy, we only spoke of simple things.
"...Now, returning to the talk of the earthquake."
The phenomenon of the earth shaking is called an "earthquake", and earthquakes themselves were not that rare in Japan, but a shake of that magnitude was rare. However, that is exactly why I can say with conviction that it was a strange earthquake.
"As I wrote in the report, an earthquake should normally shake twice, vertically and horizontally."
I wrote about aftershocks in the report, so I will not touch upon them now. I know that if I touch upon them, I will digress this and that, and it will only take up time. What is needed now is not detailed knowledge about earthquakes, but rather the disasters and man-made calamities predicted from them. Since mysterious existences like fairies are also involved, there is truly no time to talk about earthquakes.
"It bothers me that the horizontal shaking has still not come. This could be considered as the epicenter being too close, so it came simultaneously with the vertical shaking... but there are no aftershocks, right? It only shook that one time."
I listed the strange points as I noticed them, stating that there were other oddities. Despite feeling that much shaking, there were no signs of furniture falling or glass breaking. The detached palace naturally has a cupboard, but the only thing that broke was a plate that the kitchen maid dropped in surprise. The tableware stored in the cupboard was completely unscathed by this earthquake. It was an earthquake that made me, a former Japanese person, jump outside in surprise, but this is indeed unnatural.
Concluding that this earthquake is somehow different from the ones I know, I returned the topic to the nurse fairy once more.
"I believe it was after that shaking, but people other than myself and the maids brought from Grenore have begun to see the forms of fairies."
As I continued, saying that roughly half of those stationed at the detached palace and half of the people here seem to see fairies, Alfred frowned, and Christoph shook his head slowly.
"Christina, the fairies can wait. I am also very interested, but first I wish to act for the sake of the people who must have suffered damage from this earthquake. It seems the situation is slightly different from the earthquakes you know, but even so, there are things that only I, as the King, can do."
"...Yes."
Since it seems different from a normal earthquake, perhaps less damage has occurred than I imagine. I thought that, but it seems that for Christoph, who is the King, it is not something he can simply be optimistic about. As I was asked if there was anything that could be done for the people, I told him about the secondary disasters and man-made calamities caused by earthquakes. Since the Kingdom of Ivizia does not yet have electricity, I only mentioned power outages by name, and then I listed everything I could think of, such as natural disasters like tsunamis and landslides, crushing deaths or suffocation due to falling furniture or house collapses, and the severance of transportation networks caused by blocked roads from collapses or fallen trees. Similarly to electricity, there would likely be no water outages due to burst water pipes, but there is a possibility that well water becomes muddy and undrinkable. Towns and villages where human life is built are created in places where water sources like rivers are secured. While it may not be necessary to extend a hand immediately regarding drinking water, towns and villages near rivers connected to the sea will need to be wary of tsunamis and backflowing water.
...Well, it might be an unnecessary worry for this earthquake, though?
There is probably nothing wrong with worrying too much, but this earthquake is somehow different from normal. Given that the glass and tableware were unscathed, it is becoming doubtful whether it was truly an earthquake. The only regret might be that it was not an earthquake during tea time. If it were an earthquake during tea time, whether the tea in the cup shook would have remained in my memory.
"...I cannot even imagine how much damage has occurred."
"Even in Japan, it was a shake of a magnitude that rarely occurs."
Despite that, I returned to the previous point, saying that there was almost no damage to the buildings. According to Nadine's testimony, there had been no earthquakes like this in the Kingdom of Ivizia until now. In such a country, there is no way there are buildings with earthquake-resistant designs. Despite this, far from roofs falling, not a single table set placed in the gazebo had shifted, leaving only a result that is difficult to understand for a large shake.
...Hm?
Wondering if I had answered Christoph's questions for the time being, I brought the cup to my lips to moisten my mouth. It was at the right temperature when it was served, but now it had cooled a bit.
However, what bothers me is not the temperature of the tea.
Before I knew it, dozens of fairies had gathered, surrounding the gazebo. I counted them as "dozens" because, unlike the nurse fairy or the fairies clinging to Dietfried who only had cat heads, these fairies had forms that were clearly difficult to count as humanoid. There were those that looked completely like cats but had dragonfly-like wings on their backs, beads emitting a soft light, things like the dancing flower toys I saw in my previous life, small ogres clad in fur, and various types of fairies were gathering. Among them, there are a few existences as large as humans, so perhaps they are spirits. That is, if spirits and fairies can be distinguished by size.
At first, I thought they might have come attracted to Felicia again, but as I listened to the conversation being exchanged among the fairies, I realized that the fairies had also come seeking information. Each one is a small murmur, but if I extract words with broad meanings, they also seem to be confused. They are anxious, asking what happened and what this means. They say that humans being able to see their forms has not happened since the age of myth.
"...Christina, can you understand their words?"
"They seem to be confused."
Alfred and the others, who could see the fairies, seemed to have noticed this abnormal situation. Felicia and the others, who could not see the fairies, had begun discussing what to do next based on the magnitude of the damage expected from the earthquake, and had not noticed the situation here. Wondering what to do, after thinking for a bit, I decided to take a chance and ask the parties themselves.
"Hey, do you know what happened?"
As words, it was just one sentence. With this single sentence, the buzzing spirits became silent as if water had been poured over them. The surrounding gazes were directed at me all at once, and it was more than just a little uncomfortable. The number of humans in this place is limited, but the number of spirits and fairies had increased to the point where there seemed to be nearly a hundred.
...The ones that are numerous are the translucent, fluffy children?
There are fairies whose forms I cannot see unless I strain my eyes. They are fluffy and floating in the air, with no definite shape. They are amorphous fairies that look like spheres or humanoids.
--A human spoke to us.
--They probably can't hear our voices anyway.
--But that child is staring at us.
--I know that child. The King's precious child.
--Ah, come to think of it.
--Is she not the King's friend?
--The human who hurt the King.
--But the King said we mustn't hurt her.
--The human who taught the King the things we couldn't say.
--The human who will see the King off.
--Then, might she be able to resolve this situation?
"...No, it would be troublesome if you expected that much from me."
I understood that the fairies were discussing something among themselves, but since I felt the atmosphere changing in a suspicious direction, I immediately inserted a correction. They are only at the stage of discussing what happened and seeking information. It would be troublesome if the resolution of this situation were pushed onto me.
When I conveyed that I firmly refuse to have the resolution of the situation pushed onto me, one who was likely a spirit and as large as a human stepped forward. They wore fur that covered them down to their feet, and on their head, they wore what seemed to be a stuffed deer head. They are likely a deer spirit or something of the sort.
"So, do you spirits know what happened?"
When I told them I wanted them to tell me if they knew, the deer spirit's ears twitched slightly. I had thought it was a headpiece, but it seems better to think that the head is a deer.
--That is what we wish to know. The world of spirits was suddenly connected to the world of humans.
"Because the worlds were connected, people suddenly became able to see spirits and fairies?"
--Probably.
According to the deer spirit, it seems that by some hand, the world where spirits dwell and the world where humans dwell were forcibly connected. Because of that, there seem to be humans who can see fairies and humans who cannot. They also gave the view that if they were completely separated, spirits would once again become invisible to human eyes, and if they were completely joined, spirits would become visible to everyone. Regarding the humans who can currently see them and those who cannot, the spirit said it was likely a coincidence.
...And now I feel like you are a prime suspect, Camille-san!