CHAPTER 329: SOMETHING IS OFF

Although the inn where they stayed hadn’t installed any magical cooling devices for various reasons, the average strength of those present was above that of an Early Sorcerer. Lowering the room temperature and spending a cool afternoon wasn’t difficult.

Under the cool breeze conjured by the head maid’s spell, Astrid and Amalia took a short nap. After they got up, washed their faces, and freshened up, the clock in the room had already quietly reached four o’clock.

Seeing that everyone had rested enough, Lyra suggested visiting the town’s clock tower and library.

"Library?"

Hearing this word, Astrid spoke up in surprise.

"Does Kost Town have a library?"

In the Valeria Empire, books were relatively expensive means of production. Firstly, they require parchment as a medium, which was costly in itself. Secondly, most nobles disliked leaking the knowledge they held, especially information related to magic.

Therefore, even in more developed cities, libraries were rare public facilities. Larger ones were essentially private collections of local nobles, not open to the common people.

"Yes, during the New Year, I was invited by the town mayor to perform fireworks displays in various places. As a reward, I was granted access to his private library."

As she spoke, Lyra took out a library card she had prepared in advance.

"Of course, I can also bring people along, as long as the number isn’t too large."

There were only four of them in total, so it wouldn’t affect the library’s normal operations.

Hearing this, Astrid nodded gently and softly took Amalia’s hand.

"Then let’s go take a look. I’m quite curious about what kind of books the town library has."

Thirty minutes later, the group arrived at the library Lyra had mentioned. As the largest local noble, the mayor of Kost Town wasn’t so out of touch that he didn’t know about the imperial princess’s arrival.

To welcome Astrid’s visit, he even specially turned on the cooling device he had purchased at the beginning of the year. Nearly a hundred ice attribute crystals worked together, making the entire library cool and quiet, like an autumn night.

Compared to the Royal Library or the Elizabeth Academy of Magic’s collection, the mayor’s library was somewhat small, with only two floors. However, the variety of books was quite comprehensive, covering more or less everything except for materials related to magic.

Skimming through the books, most of which were handwritten and many didn’t even have titles, the specific content had to be inferred from the annotations on the side of the leather-bound covers. Astrid walked and looked around but didn’t find any materials that required special attention. Her luck wasn’t like that of a certain destined heroine who could find her destined weapon in a book.

After browsing for about an hour, Astrid borrowed a book titled Northern Past. According to the annotations, the book told the story of a knight’s wandering life in the territory of Duke Charles.

Without time to personally visit the border, reading the soldiers’ autobiographies was a good alternative.

"Lyra, what did you borrow?"

Seeing the pink-haired girl holding a book in her arms, Astrid asked softly.

Hearing this, Lyra loosened her grip and showed the book’s cover to Astrid.

"It’s The Dragon and the Knight."

After flipping through it briefly, it seemed like something she would enjoy reading.

After hearing Lyra’s answer, Astrid just glanced at it briefly before looking away, then asked Amalia what she wanted to read.

Watching Astrid focus all her attention on her sister, Lyra silently observed, her fingers tightening around the book, her mood somewhat complicated.

Something was definitely off. The old Astrid would have teased her for being so old yet still liking these adventurous, romantic knight stories.

But today, she was unusually quiet...

As Astrid’s former personal maid, Lyra considered herself quite familiar with her. The way Astrid was acting now was strange, especially towards her.

And... it wasn’t the first time...

Although Astrid still talked to her normally and asked about changes in the village and various questions only city people wouldn’t know, like the growth of rice or the feeding of cattle.

But Lyra always felt that beneath this calm exterior, Astrid’s attitude toward her had noticeably changed.

"What’s wrong, Lyra?"

Walking to the library entrance, Astrid looked back at Lyra, who was standing in the corridor in a daze. She brushed her hair and spoke softly.

"Didn’t you say we were going to the clock tower?"

Hearing Astrid call her, Lyra snapped out of her thoughts and replied softly.

"Ah..."

"...Let’s go then."

Could it be... her period?

But according to her understanding of Astrid, her cycle had just ended not long ago. It couldn’t be that fast.

Looking at the visibly distracted Lyra before her, Astrid’s gaze deepened, her cold red eyes flashing with a faint light before fading away.

...........

The clock tower was the tallest and most prominent building in Kost Town. At its top was a clock controlled by a series of precisely crafted gears, broadcasting the time accurately every hour, allowing some of the poorer residents who couldn’t afford wall clocks to know the time relatively accurately.

Climbing up the spiral staircase, the setting sun’s afterglow spilled onto the red bricks of the handrail, turning the smooth, flat edges of the wall into a bright reddish-orange.

The sunlight fell between her fingers, casting long, slender shadows. Perhaps because they were at a high place, Astrid felt the wind element in the air was particularly active. The warm breeze brushed against her skirt, carrying no discernible scent.

"It’s... so high..."

Looking down at the neatly arranged town buildings, Amalia held Astrid’s hand, her black patent leather shoes making light, lively sounds as they stepped on the tiles.

In truth, the overall height of the clock tower was similar to that of the royal castle, even shorter than the highest terrace. However, since the buildings in Kost Town were generally low, not as towering as the royal palace, and the guardrails were low, so low that even Amalia could lean halfway out, it felt naturally high.

Noticing Amalia’s gaze beyond the guardrail, Astrid tightened her grip on the other’s hand, always on guard against accidents.

"Livia, be careful."

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid suddenly remembered that she seemed a delicate, little girl before she actually possessed the combat strength of a Sorcerer. In a sense, she, whose strength was inferior, was the one who should be more careful.

Perhaps this was the deception of appearances... Probably no one in the original story would have thought that the golden-haired, white-dressed, seemingly harmless, soft girl would be a militaristic tyrant...

As her thoughts flowed, Amalia obediently nodded and leaned closer to Astrid.

Facing the setting sun, with the rhythmic sound of heels tapping on the tiles in her ears, Lyra followed the two sisters, watching the shadows overlapping on the wall, her blue eyes showing a hint of complexity.

If only... she could be like Princess Amalia...

To hold hands with Astrid, to walk together, without needing any excuse, or rather, her desire to do so itself would be an irrefutable reason for the former.

This wasn’t the first time Lyra had thought this, so after a brief moment of uncertainty, she raised her eyes again, her hands smoothing her skirt, her white-stockinged legs swaying back and forth as she followed Astrid and Amalia’s steps.

Elise, standing beside her, noticed the fleeting look of disappointment on Lyra’s face and glanced at Astrid and Amalia walking ahead, remaining silent.

Even though she was no longer a maid, Lyra still habitually followed behind Astrid with her, her steps perfectly matching the noble etiquette she had taught her.

It seemed she really liked her former maid identity... Perhaps because it kept her close to Astrid?

Elise wouldn’t interfere too much in matters of the heart. Her only duty was to protect her lady from harm.

After walking up a long spiral staircase, Astrid and her group reached the top of the clock tower. Inside the open pavilion, a huge metal bell stood steadily.

Below the bell was a large transparent glass panel, with an equally large clock fixed in the center. The sides weren’t covered with solid metal but were replaced with transparent magical devices.

Countless exquisitely crafted gears crisscrossed within, their teeth meshing and separating, the whole thing resembles a highly coordinated, rhythmically breathing mechanical beast.

Looking down through the glass at the internal structure of this central building, watching the gears embedded in the clock quietly operate, the hands shifting and moving steadily, time seems to have a clearer scale at this moment.

"The town clock is surrounded by defensive magic circles. Without the corresponding magic circle sequence to unlock it, only attacks above the level of a peak Magnus can break through, so it’s rarely guarded."

Feeling the dense magical fluctuations in the air, Lyra explained softly.

"The clock above will be struck the moment the hour hand points to a number, producing the corresponding number of chimes."

"This combination of gears and magic replaces the old bell-ringers and makes the time broadcast more accurate."

So, strictly speaking, magical machinery had already appeared in people’s lives, but the integration of machinery and magic was low, far from the later inventions.

"You’re explaining it so thoroughly... Did you do a lot of preparation before coming, Lyra?"

Listening to the girl’s clear, pleasant voice, Astrid looked at the clock in the glass and spoke softly.

Lyra hummed in acknowledgment, her tone gentle.

"I did make some plans before..."

What Astrid didn’t know was that this plan wasn’t something Lyra had recently prepared. Instead, she had started planning it during the last New Year when she went home alone.

To make Astrid like this place, Lyra had put in a lot of effort, including the library card, the clock tower, and the natural scenery worth seeing near the village.

"You’ve put in a lot of effort." Astrid said softly, then continued holding Amalia’s hand, watching the gears meshing and turning behind the clock.

Hearing this, Lyra pursed her lips, her eyes shimmering.

There’s no need to be so polite with me...

Compared to Astrid’s polite response, Lyra actually wished she would use a different tone.

For example, "Oh? So Lyra values this trip so much? Or is it that you value me particularly?", or "Lyra is indeed a very meticulous person. As a friend, I’m a bit flattered."

These were the kinds of things Astrid might have said in the past, but now it has become a polite and restrained "You’ve put in a lot of effort."

Something was definitely different... What was it...

Lyra pressed her legs together, her light pink hair drooping slightly as she bit her lip, puzzled.

Had something happened that she couldn’t tell her about?

Unlike the inwardly conflicted Lyra, Astrid, who was out for a stroll, quietly impressed the crystallization of human wisdom beneath her feet, not paying attention to the young girl’s heart full of uncertainty beside her.

Apart from the exquisitely crafted clock, the view from the top of the clock tower was also a highlight. After watching the clock for a while, Astrid and Amalia turned around, using the high platform to look down at the town.

Under the intoxicating sunset, the bricks and tiles of Kost Town reflect a light orange glow, stretching out like a beauty draped in a veil, adding a touch of mystery.

In the twilight, the evening breeze carries the scent of roses swept through the streets and alleys, the scattered windows reflect the hues of dusk, like dots of light in an orange-red sea.

Looking down at the unobstructed view of Kost Town, Amalia blinked her long lashes, her wine-red eyes, seemingly inherited from Astrid, reflecting the streets and buildings.

This was the view from a high place, completely different from the quiet solitude of the castle.

The bustling crowd, the carriages and horses coming and going, the bricks and tiles gilded with light, and the endless fiery clouds.

When Hibbort Valeria stood at the highest point of his palace overlooking Post City, did he see a view similar to this, but even more magnificent?

Half a minute later, Amalia speaks softly.

"Sister, can I sit up there?"

The black-haired girl pointed to the stone guardrail in front of her, her cool eyes looking at the gentle princess holding her hand.

Seeing the longing in Amalia’s heart, Astrid glanced at Elise, ensuring she was keeping an eye on them, and replied softly.

"You can, but still be careful."

With that, Astrid let go of her hand, crouched down, and slid her arm under Amalia’s legs. Astrid exerted a little force, one hand supporting Amalia’s back covered by the princess dress, the other holding her two white-stockinged legs, gently placing her on the guardrail.

With her lower body suspended, her vision broadened again. Amalia swung her legs slightly, her matte black patent leather shoes drawing graceful arcs in the air.

The breeze brushed through the girl’s loose black hair, carrying a faint scent. To prevent Amalia from falling, Astrid wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist from behind, holding her close.