The weather has become surprisingly clear since the soldiers were dispatched.
The knights who arrived safely at the northern castle wall were welcomed by the Duke, and they succeeded in subjugating the monster without anyone being seriously injured.
In the process, the outer wall perfectly regained the honor of “Sheridan’s Guardian Bell.”
The person in charge of cultural assets in the capital city was excited by this fact and sent an earnest request to allow the great bell to be taken to the royal museum right away.
“Could you install the beacon earlier than scheduled? We will prepare the best place in the history museum for that special bell. It will be the first and most wonderful cultural asset in the museum… Is it okay to read it like this?”
Quentin read the letter from the bell tower. It was Clarisse’s request.
｢Be sure to read the letter to the bell. I’m sure he’ll be happy.｣
“What do you mean the bell is happy?”
Quentin thought it was strange, but he stroked the smooth bell with his palm.
“Are you really happy? Hmm, yeah. But no matter how special the museum treats you, I can’t send you there.”
Before he knew it, his hand stroking the bell was filled with a strange affection.
“Because without you, we wouldn’t know about Sheridan’s crisis. Hmm… Yeah, thank you. It’s all thanks to you. I, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”
Of course, there was no answer.
“…What am I doing?”
Feeling embarrassed, he crumpled the letter from the person in charge of cultural assets into his bosom and quickly went down the bell tower.
Tick.
For some reason, the clock that had been fixed by itself was pointing to mealtime.
“Oh, lunch time!”
Quentin, who had met the only hope of the day, danced down the stairs.
Meanwhile, Clarisse was lying quietly in her room.
The night the bell rang.
The child who was found covered in blood under the bell tower was fighting a cold in her room until today.
When they found a child collapsed outside the mansion, not even dressed properly, the people of Sheridan believed that someone with evil intentions had attempted to kidnap Clarisse, but had failed.
It was natural for them to think so since the child had no shoes on and was covered in blood.
When the order to search for the culprit was given, Clarisse woke up and testified, ‘I wasn’t kidnapped!’, so the situation didn’t escalate.
The child explained the situation like this.
‘I went down to drink water, and I heard a bell. I thought something bad had happened, so I ran to check and fell down.’
And no adult could get angry at a child who lowered her head and said, ‘I was wrong.’
Above all, it wouldn’t have been possible to identify the wrongdoing by questioning a child who is boiling with a cold.
Instead, the Duchess, as the one with a duty to protect Clarisse, warned her with a very scary expression until the very end.
“You should never go out at night, Clarisse.”
The girl nodded her head quickly.
It is truly absurd for a prisoner to leave a designated area on her own.
“It’s dangerous for a child to go around alone without adult protection late at night.”
But for some reason, the reason Brielle added was a little different from what Clarisse thought… It was different.
Until now, Brielle had treated Clarisse as if she were a ‘normal child.’
However, it was very surprising to hear that even in this situation.
She was… a little happy too.
“And most of all.”
Brielle gently stroked Clarisse’s forehead as she lay on the bed.
“It was reckless to jump into the rain wearing only thin clothes!”
“…Yes.”
“Besides, you got hurt this much… Do you know how surprised I was when I found Clarisse?”
“….”
Clarisse had her own ‘justification’ for what happened that night.
Because she had no choice but to protect the Duke.
But as she looked at Brielle, who was so really worried about her, she felt extremely sorry.
“I’m…sorry.”
“Don’t do that again. Okay?”
“…Yes.”
“And I’m sorry, too.”
Clarisse was surprised by the Duchess’s apology and asked, “Yes?” Because she didn’t do anything wrong.
“I didn’t mean to leave you alone even for a moment…I should have stayed by your side the whole time.”
For some reason, Clarisse’s heart began to beat strangely.
Was it the Duchess who was next to the sick Clarisse that night?
“When you woke up, you were surprised that no one was around, right? I’m sorry.”
“I, it’s not like that!”
Clarisse shook her head quickly.
“I didn’t know Madam was taking care of me. Uh… it’s strange…”
“It’s not strange at all.”
Saying so, the Madam slightly rubbed Clarisse’s cheek.
Her hand seemed to be full of affection.
At best, the Duchess wouldn’t pour out such feelings for her sinner…
“As expected… It’s strange.”
“It’s not like that. Now go back to sleep. The doctor said that if you sleep well, you will get better.”
“…That, Madam.”
Clarisse now realized that she had never apologized for not keeping her promise.
She was supposed to be a healthy child during her stay in Sheridan.
“Shall we talk about the rest of the story after you get better?”
“Yes?”
“I enjoy talking to Clarisse, too, but I’ll hold on for now. First, close your eyes.”
She didn’t mean to have a pleasant conversation, but… Clarisse followed madam’s instructions and closed her eyes for now.
“Sleep. Everything… is fine now.”
According to a signal that was quickly delivered thanks to the clear weather, the north was indeed requesting reinforcements.
The Duke’s messenger, who did not arrive until the afternoon of the next day after the soldiers departed, explained the situation in detail. He said that if the mansion bell had not rung, sending reinforcements to the north would have been delayed and a big problem would have occurred.
“…What happened? I thought it was a coincidence that the bell rang earlier, but I guess it wasn’t.”
Brielle expressed her doubts in a low voice as she put Clarisse to sleep.
“You really told me about the crisis. It feels…like someone woke up a bell that had been sleeping for a long time.”
Only the sound of comfortable breathing escaped Clarisse’s lips, who were already deeply asleep.
* * *
“Thank you.”
Ten days later, after safely returning from the northern wall, the first thing Maximilian did was lead his knights and bow in front of the outer wall.
“But how on earth did they know that it rang? Hasn’t it been crying or making weird noises in recent years?”
To Benson’s question, the Duke answered quietly, looking up at the solid stone of the outer wall.
“It may be that we haven’t really noticed. This bell probably always gave it his all. It’s something to be truly grateful for.”
Meanwhile, Clarisse was watching their courteous greetings, with her chin resting on the window of her room.
“Cooh.”
Clarisse shook her head at the words spoken by Mallang sitting on her shoulder.
“Sir Outer Wall is not someone who boasts about his own merits. He’ll definitely take it for granted here. Yes?”
Clarisse asked, looking back at the inner wall.
[Of course, Sir Outer Wall is a great knight who is proud of protecting Sheridan]
“That’s right. It’s more fascinating than that.”
[You mean Clarisse can talk without having to find a special stone and touch it?]
“Eung.”
Clarisse nodded quickly.
In the past, she could only communicate by touching a special stone within the mansion.
But now, no matter where she was in the mansion, the voice of the inner walls echoed in her mind.
[Clarisse is the magical owner of this mansion. It’s natural.]
Is that so? Clarisse felt a little strange. How dare she be the “master” of the mansion when she is only a sinner.
[The outer wall also calls Clarisse ‘Master’]
[When did I?]
The outer wall roared over the open window, but the inner wall simply ignored it and continued the story.
[Now that you are the owner of the mansion, please join us in punishing Sheridan’s sweet potatoes!]
[To entrust a mission to the master, can you still say that you know the subject? Isn’t it because the roof was slightly open that there was some wind?!]
After the outer walls struggled so much, the walls became a little quiet after that.
It seemed like the inner and outer walls were quietly arguing with each other.
Clarisse smiled awkwardly and closed the window.
“Cooh?”
“It’s just that it’s a little strange. Master… to hear that.”
“Cooh.”
“It’s not difficult to share magical power.”
“Cooh!”
Mallang jumped on the desk and got very angry.
He said that the reason Clarisse suffered from a cold for an unusually long time was because she kept losing her magic power to this mansion.
“Because it’s not being taken away. If they do that, then I’m living in this mansion by stealing food and rooms.”
“Cooh.”
“Of course… It’s difficult to think like that. Anyway, the Duke will someday find a really cool Golem Master suitable for this mansion.”
Clarisse slightly muffled her voice, resting her chin on the desk.
So that neither the outer or inner walls can hear.
“I’m just repaying the favor until then.”
Mallang opened his mouth wide as if to say more, but soon became a pebble and was scattered on the desk.
Clarisse gathered Mallang and put them in her pocket.
Just then there was a knock on the door.
[It’s the Duke.]
Thankfully, the inner wall notified her in advance who was coming. It may be to benefit Clarisse’s life, but…
Now she was so nervous that she didn’t even have time to enjoy that convenience.
“Y, yes…!”
When she answered in a trembling voice, the door opened immediately as if it had been waiting.
Clarisse’s shoulders automatically shrank when she saw Maximilian, whom she had not seen in a long time.
His wide-open eyes were scary.
‘I should never make a fuss in Sheridan… The Duke must have been very angry.’
The weather has become surprisingly clear since the soldiers were dispatched.
The knights who arrived safely at the northern castle wall were welcomed by the Duke, and they succeeded in subjugating the monster without anyone being seriously injured.
In the process, the outer wall perfectly regained the honor of “Sheridan’s Guardian Bell.”
The person in charge of cultural assets in the capital city was excited by this fact and sent an earnest request to allow the great bell to be taken to the royal museum right away.
“Could you install the beacon earlier than scheduled? We will prepare the best place in the history museum for that special bell. It will be the first and most wonderful cultural asset in the museum… Is it okay to read it like this?”
Quentin read the letter from the bell tower. It was Clarisse’s request.
｢Be sure to read the letter to the bell. I’m sure he’ll be happy.｣
“What do you mean the bell is happy?”
Quentin thought it was strange, but he stroked the smooth bell with his palm.
“Are you really happy? Hmm, yeah. But no matter how special the museum treats you, I can’t send you there.”
Before he knew it, his hand stroking the bell was filled with a strange affection.
“Because without you, we wouldn’t know about Sheridan’s crisis. Hmm… Yeah, thank you. It’s all thanks to you. I, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”
Of course, there was no answer.
“…What am I doing?”
Feeling embarrassed, he crumpled the letter from the person in charge of cultural assets into his bosom and quickly went down the bell tower.
Tick.
For some reason, the clock that had been fixed by itself was pointing to mealtime.
“Oh, lunch time!”
Quentin, who had met the only hope of the day, danced down the stairs.
Meanwhile, Clarisse was lying quietly in her room.
The night the bell rang.
The child who was found covered in blood under the bell tower was fighting a cold in her room until today.
When they found a child collapsed outside the mansion, not even dressed properly, the people of Sheridan believed that someone with evil intentions had attempted to kidnap Clarisse, but had failed.
It was natural for them to think so since the child had no shoes on and was covered in blood.
When the order to search for the culprit was given, Clarisse woke up and testified, ‘I wasn’t kidnapped!’, so the situation didn’t escalate.
The child explained the situation like this.
‘I went down to drink water, and I heard a bell. I thought something bad had happened, so I ran to check and fell down.’
And no adult could get angry at a child who lowered her head and said, ‘I was wrong.’
Above all, it wouldn’t have been possible to identify the wrongdoing by questioning a child who is boiling with a cold.
Instead, the Duchess, as the one with a duty to protect Clarisse, warned her with a very scary expression until the very end.
“You should never go out at night, Clarisse.”
The girl nodded her head quickly.
It is truly absurd for a prisoner to leave a designated area on her own.
“It’s dangerous for a child to go around alone without adult protection late at night.”
But for some reason, the reason Brielle added was a little different from what Clarisse thought… It was different.
Until now, Brielle had treated Clarisse as if she were a ‘normal child.’
However, it was very surprising to hear that even in this situation.
She was… a little happy too.
“And most of all.”
Brielle gently stroked Clarisse’s forehead as she lay on the bed.
“It was reckless to jump into the rain wearing only thin clothes!”
“…Yes.”
“Besides, you got hurt this much… Do you know how surprised I was when I found Clarisse?”
“….”
Clarisse had her own ‘justification’ for what happened that night.
Because she had no choice but to protect the Duke.
But as she looked at Brielle, who was so really worried about her, she felt extremely sorry.
“I’m…sorry.”
“Don’t do that again. Okay?”
“…Yes.”
“And I’m sorry, too.”
Clarisse was surprised by the Duchess’s apology and asked, “Yes?” Because she didn’t do anything wrong.
“I didn’t mean to leave you alone even for a moment…I should have stayed by your side the whole time.”
For some reason, Clarisse’s heart began to beat strangely.
Was it the Duchess who was next to the sick Clarisse that night?
“When you woke up, you were surprised that no one was around, right? I’m sorry.”
“I, it’s not like that!”
Clarisse shook her head quickly.
“I didn’t know Madam was taking care of me. Uh… it’s strange…”
“It’s not strange at all.”
Saying so, the Madam slightly rubbed Clarisse’s cheek.
Her hand seemed to be full of affection.
At best, the Duchess wouldn’t pour out such feelings for her sinner…
“As expected… It’s strange.”
“It’s not like that. Now go back to sleep. The doctor said that if you sleep well, you will get better.”
“…That, Madam.”
Clarisse now realized that she had never apologized for not keeping her promise.
She was supposed to be a healthy child during her stay in Sheridan.
“Shall we talk about the rest of the story after you get better?”
“Yes?”
“I enjoy talking to Clarisse, too, but I’ll hold on for now. First, close your eyes.”
She didn’t mean to have a pleasant conversation, but… Clarisse followed madam’s instructions and closed her eyes for now.
“Sleep. Everything… is fine now.”
According to a signal that was quickly delivered thanks to the clear weather, the north was indeed requesting reinforcements.
The Duke’s messenger, who did not arrive until the afternoon of the next day after the soldiers departed, explained the situation in detail. He said that if the mansion bell had not rung, sending reinforcements to the north would have been delayed and a big problem would have occurred.
“…What happened? I thought it was a coincidence that the bell rang earlier, but I guess it wasn’t.”
Brielle expressed her doubts in a low voice as she put Clarisse to sleep.
“You really told me about the crisis. It feels…like someone woke up a bell that had been sleeping for a long time.”
Only the sound of comfortable breathing escaped Clarisse’s lips, who were already deeply asleep.
* * *
“Thank you.”
Ten days later, after safely returning from the northern wall, the first thing Maximilian did was lead his knights and bow in front of the outer wall.
“But how on earth did they know that it rang? Hasn’t it been crying or making weird noises in recent years?”
To Benson’s question, the Duke answered quietly, looking up at the solid stone of the outer wall.
“It may be that we haven’t really noticed. This bell probably always gave it his all. It’s something to be truly grateful for.”
Meanwhile, Clarisse was watching their courteous greetings, with her chin resting on the window of her room.
“Cooh.”
Clarisse shook her head at the words spoken by Mallang sitting on her shoulder.
“Sir Outer Wall is not someone who boasts about his own merits. He’ll definitely take it for granted here. Yes?”
Clarisse asked, looking back at the inner wall.
[Of course, Sir Outer Wall is a great knight who is proud of protecting Sheridan]
“That’s right. It’s more fascinating than that.”
[You mean Clarisse can talk without having to find a special stone and touch it?]
“Eung.”
Clarisse nodded quickly.
In the past, she could only communicate by touching a special stone within the mansion.
But now, no matter where she was in the mansion, the voice of the inner walls echoed in her mind.
[Clarisse is the magical owner of this mansion. It’s natural.]
Is that so? Clarisse felt a little strange. How dare she be the “master” of the mansion when she is only a sinner.
[The outer wall also calls Clarisse ‘Master’]
[When did I?]
The outer wall roared over the open window, but the inner wall simply ignored it and continued the story.
[Now that you are the owner of the mansion, please join us in punishing Sheridan’s sweet potatoes!]
[To entrust a mission to the master, can you still say that you know the subject? Isn’t it because the roof was slightly open that there was some wind?!]
After the outer walls struggled so much, the walls became a little quiet after that.
It seemed like the inner and outer walls were quietly arguing with each other.
Clarisse smiled awkwardly and closed the window.
“Cooh?”
“It’s just that it’s a little strange. Master… to hear that.”
“Cooh.”
“It’s not difficult to share magical power.”
“Cooh!”
Mallang jumped on the desk and got very angry.
He said that the reason Clarisse suffered from a cold for an unusually long time was because she kept losing her magic power to this mansion.
“Because it’s not being taken away. If they do that, then I’m living in this mansion by stealing food and rooms.”
“Cooh.”
“Of course… It’s difficult to think like that. Anyway, the Duke will someday find a really cool Golem Master suitable for this mansion.”
Clarisse slightly muffled her voice, resting her chin on the desk.
So that neither the outer or inner walls can hear.
“I’m just repaying the favor until then.”
Mallang opened his mouth wide as if to say more, but soon became a pebble and was scattered on the desk.
Clarisse gathered Mallang and put them in her pocket.
Just then there was a knock on the door.
[It’s the Duke.]
Thankfully, the inner wall notified her in advance who was coming. It may be to benefit Clarisse’s life, but…
Now she was so nervous that she didn’t even have time to enjoy that convenience.
“Y, yes…!”
When she answered in a trembling voice, the door opened immediately as if it had been waiting.
Clarisse’s shoulders automatically shrank when she saw Maximilian, whom she had not seen in a long time.
His wide-open eyes were scary.
‘I should never make a fuss in Sheridan… The Duke must have been very angry.’
