BPOTWC Chapter 12

Clarisse smiled at the mortified Benson and set about remaking the snowman's face.

Putting in the nose was left to the Duke of Sheridan.

And so the small, splendidly finished snowman was proudly stood up in front of the ducal manor's main gate.

"You truly did well, Clarisse."

At the words the Duke offered as he set the snowman down, Clarisse was rather taken aback.

She'd never once imagined she'd be praised like this, simply for doing an outdoor activity for her health.

"Ah—ah."

Clarisse knew that now was precisely the moment to answer with "Thank you."

But no words at all would come from her lips, frozen still with joy.

'...Did well.' ...He'd said that.

To hear that—about something she'd done with her own two hands... This was, maybe, the first time.

'I... did well!'

Clarisse felt as though she were floating up into the air.

Until now, no matter what she did, she'd only ever been treated as a bothersome child.

"Are you... unwell somewhere?"

When Clarisse said nothing at all and simply gazed up at him blankly, Maximilian narrowed his eyes and asked.

"No, not at all!"

Clarisse waved both hands hastily.

"I'm just too happy. Being praised is really a wonderful thing! My heart is still pounding."

"...I—I see."

"And I'm never going to fall ill. I'm going to grow up healthy and become eighteen."

At this the Duke seemed to think something over privately, then answered in a tone that had gone somewhat stiffer.

"Hm, indeed. Then perhaps you ought to go inside now."

At his suggestion, Clarisse clasped her hands together and answered carefully.

"Would it be all right if I had a little more outdoor time?"

"Do you mean to make more snowmen?"

"No, not that. I wanted to go see the bell tower."

To be precise, she meant to tell the outer wall that she'd made a snowman, but Clarisse chose not to mention that particular part to the Duke.

It was because of the warning her brother had given her, back in the kingdom.

"You talk to stones? What foolishness is this."

"Don't go telling anyone that anywhere. They'll say the princess isn't just a fool but a madwoman, on top of it all."

Clarisse didn't want to hear anything like that from the Duke, who was praising her now.

And so she decided that she would reveal only that she was friends with the stones, and would never, under any circumstances, mention that she actually spoke with them.

"Go on, then. But you're to come back inside before the sun sets."

"I will."

Clarisse quickly bowed to the Duke and set off at a trot toward the bell tower.

Was it because she'd been told she'd done well?

Somehow her two feet felt terribly light. Light enough that the scrunch-scrunch fart-sound rang out quick and cheerful from her heels with every step through the piled snow.

'Outer Wall will surely be happy too.'

Yesterday he'd seemed to be feeling down after hearing those sad words from the soldiers, after all.

'It might be a small snowman, but it's one the Duke himself praised, too.'

Clarisse recalled Maximilian's words—that she'd "done well"—once more. Somehow both her shoulders filled with strength.

"Hello!"

Having arrived at last beneath the bell tower, Clarisse laid a hand on yesterday's stone and offered her greeting.

"......?"

But somehow no answer came back.

Was he still sulking, perhaps?

"Um, um... I came because I had something to tell you..."

Clarisse trailed off, stammering, and then recalled something she'd learned only the night before.

'I'm rather embarrassed to say, young lady. When my mana grows scarce, I tend to nod right off to sleep.'

"Have you fallen asleep, by chance?"

Clarisse tried speaking again, but there was still no response.

"What do I do. How do you wake up a sleeping stone..."

She didn't know.

Just as she was about to say as much, one particular fact suddenly occurred to Clarisse.

Mallangie.

Mallangie usually kept the shape of an ordinary pebble, but for some reason, whenever Clarisse gave him a kiss, his shape would change.

"But I've never kissed a stone this big before."

She'd only ever touched it like this and talked with it, that was all.

Clarisse thought it over for a moment, then realized she was wasting time on something pointless.

'Wasting time just thinking about it—pointless. Try it. If it doesn't work, fine.'

Having reached her decision quickly, she went ahead and pressed a quick kiss to the stone's surface.

〈......What?〉

But to her surprise, an answer came back at once.

Clarisse was so delighted that she wrapped both arms around the stone and bounced on the spot.

〈It's not even the full moon yet—why is mana suddenly flowing? And this is really good energy, too...〉

Not fully awake yet, the stone rambled on incoherently, and Clarisse greeted it cheerfully.

"Hello!"

〈Wha—gah! You trying to break out today of all days?!〉

"Absolutely not! In any case, I'm glad you've woken up, whatever the reason."

〈D—don't tell me it was you?〉

"Me?"

〈How dare you shove your mana into me, uninvited! You're not even my master—who the hell do you think you are!〉

"I—I'm sorry. But I didn't shove any mana, I—"

〈Ha? Feed me a little sweet, lively mana and think I'll just roll over and call you master? Don't make me laugh!〉

She hadn't given him anything like that, though...

Clarisse, unsure how to answer, decided simply to say what she'd come to say in the first place.

"I made a snowman."

〈You scheming little sycophant! Did those inner-wall traitors go tattling to you that I'd be proud of that wicked little scheme?〉

"Aren't you happy about it?"

〈I'm so appalled I can hardly be anything but furious!〉

"But I heard that a snowman children made in front of the entrance is something for any building with a roof to be proud of."

〈That idiot inner-wall bastard's still spouting ancient history like that. Bet a few of their corners melted clean off in some fire by now.〉

"It hasn't melted a bit. It's a wonderful stone."

〈Then go inside and go play with that idiot! Don't you dare go kissing me on a whim again! It's not as if you're going to give me mana forever!〉

"Well, that's true, but..."

〈.........〉

"I can only be here until I'm eighteen. After that, I die."

〈I know that already! You human runts are all weaklings, dead again before you know it!〉

"........."

〈Get away from me right now. I'm going back to sleep! That ugly little snowman you made isn't anything to be proud of, not one bit!〉

Feeling somehow guilty, Clarisse couldn't bring herself to say anything more, and went back to the manor.

And that night.

Since the full moon was still several days off, all the stones that could hold mana had gone to sleep, thoroughly drained of energy.

...Though the outer wall's circumstances, of course, were different.

〈He's got mana to spare, it seems.〉

At the inner wall's remark, the outer wall gave a scornful "hmph" and grumbled.

〈Giving mana without so much as asking—what a cheeky little brat.〉

〈But surely it has been a great long while since you last received mana from a human? I confess myself quite envious, if I may say so.〉

〈If I'm so starved I'd take mana from someone who isn't even my master, I might as well fall right off this wall and die.〉

Even at such a cutting remark, the inner wall never once grew angry.

〈Clarisse shall make a truly splendid Golem Master, if I might be so bold. Her gift fairly glimmers—quite beautifully, if it please you.〉

〈And what good does that do.〉

The outer wall went on grumbling.

〈She'll be dead soon enough anyway... won't she.〉

〈A short lifespan is simply what it means to be human. Truly, Sir Outer Wall, the trouble with you is that you like humans far too much.〉

〈L-like them? Who does?!〉

〈That attitude of yours—refusing mana unless it comes from your own master—is exactly like a human, you know. We stones would never behave that way.〉

〈The moon gives me all the mana I need! I don't need anything more than that!〉

Even though he could no longer even manage to ring his bell properly.

The inner wall chose not to say anything that might hurt him further.

He himself, after all, likely understood that better than anyone.

Long ago, they had been gathered together by a great Golem Master and made part of this manor under a special charge: guard Sheridan.

The outer wall had sensed the presence of monsters carried on the wind and rung his warning bell to prevent crises from reaching Sheridan, many times over.

The inner wall watched over the lives of the people within the manor, and whenever some emergency arose, would call upon the outer wall to ring the bell.

Because the number of times the bell rang changed depending on the nature of the crisis, people had once praised Sheridan's manor as the finest of all buildings, one that could warn them precisely of danger beforehand.

But that standing, too, had gradually faded with the passage of time.

Ever since relations between the Mage's Tower and the royal family had soured, they had not once met with a Golem Master.

What was more, according to rumors carried on the wind, it seemed that the very existence of Golem Masters could no longer be found anywhere in this land at all.

〈She is a most precious child to us. She may well be our very last chance—surely Sir Outer Wall understands as much himself, by now?〉

〈.........〉

〈At this rate, we shall end as nothing more than common stone—nothing at all.〉

Some of the special stones that made up the manor had already lost all their power and crumbled away, becoming part of the garden soil.

〈I'd rather that, truly. Better than waiting on a master who'll never come back at all...〉

〈Sir Outer Wall!〉

〈Quiet.〉

〈I wish to live. I wish to live—by whatever means it takes—for a long, long time, so that Sheridan Manor might—〉

〈I said, quiet.〉

〈I won't!〉

〈Someone's loitering around that snowman.〉

At his sharply guarded remark, the inner wall fell silent at last.

〈Their movements are strange.〉

〈A thief, perhaps?〉

〈Who knows. Might be some spy from a rival house, daring to come after my snowman.〉

The inner wall thought of saying that no one would ever do such a thing, but simply laughed to herself instead.

He'd made such a fuss about hating the thing, and now, the moment someone lingered near it, it was suddenly "my snowman."

〈Judging by the way they're skulking about, they're probably looking for a way in past the patrol's notice. Fortunately the snowman hasn't been harmed. The red carrot nose is safe too.〉

〈What are you feeling relieved about? Ring the bell, quickly!〉

〈What are you even talking about.〉

The outer wall recalled the sound of the bell he'd rung with all his strength, not so long ago.

He had absolutely no desire to make that pathetic sound ever again.

〈The knights will notice on their own soon enough, even if I do nothing. Besides, it's not even confirmed yet that this is a suspicious person.〉

〈Sir Outer Wall, you are a knight! You have a duty to protect this manor!〉

〈What do you want from me?!〉

The outer wall burst out.

〈Everyone just mocks my bell anyway. Does it please you that much, watching me turn into a laughingstock?〉

〈To be so fearful of mockery that you'd withhold warning from Sheridan Manor in its hour of danger—you ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself, truly.〉

〈I'm already ashamed! I just want to turn into a plain lump of rock and disappear! Is that what it'll take to satisfy you—me ringing with that hideous sound again?!〉

〈Things might be different now that Clarisse has given you mana.〉

〈Hmph, that booger-sized scrap of mana? Won't do a damn thing. Want me to prove it?〉

He let out a long sigh, then muttered in a voice drained of all vigor.

〈Guardian stone of the outer wall, there's an intruder—ring the bell twice, at once. As if that's going to—〉

Before the outer wall could even finish his grumbling complaint—

A solemn, tremendous bell toll tore through the deep darkness and began to reverberate, heavy and resonant, through the entire manor.

〈Wh—what—?〉