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If everything is going splendidly in the Fourth World, the atmosphere in the Third World is a little different.

Well, to be precise, there aren’t exactly any significant differences in the Third World.

Now, the country is capturing illegal foreigners who trespass into the capital and sending them back on trains.

And everyone in the capital is in full support of this action.

It really comes down to one simple statement.

If the number of foreigners increases, there won’t be enough food to last through the harvesting season.

To survive, if they see a foreigner, they’ll grab them and drag them straight to the train station.

Then, the police will take them and put them on the train.

In the process, people die.

Some die from the beatings they receive while fighting to avoid capture, and some jump off the train during transport and end up dead on the tracks.

And if that happens outside the city, those who go to clean up the mess are mostly from the Brightshin slums.

If left unchecked, monsters that have learned the taste of human flesh might start raiding frequently.

And it’s poor people doing such grim tasks, so I hear about it often.

Meanwhile, in the area I frequent, such incidents are almost nonexistent.

The Royal Academy and its vicinity are guarded not by the police, but by soldiers, and the area where I live is often patrolled by the police.

If a suspicious person comes up, they’re taken in right away.

However, even in such circumstances, this country is managing to welcome the coming spring with some measure of success.

Here, the weather is mild enough throughout the year that even in winter, rain falls instead of snow, allowing for planting and harvesting come spring.

I know this because Morris and Beatrice live in the countryside.

Villages that are self-sufficient weren’t affected, but there are plenty of merchants coming to buy food, so I often hear about it from Beatrice.

It’s quite amusing how, since Beatrice is incredibly sharp in such matters, Morris’s parents tend to treat her better than him.

Anyway.

It’s clear that as food production increases, the overall situation is improving. In other words, the shock from the event where the Mechanical Devices were trashed is gradually being recovered.

The external attachment tools that spread from the capital are particularly helpful.

Yes. It’s Daegon’s technology.

It’s not entirely new; it simply requires a slight modification of existing technology, so the diffusion has been quick.

Moreover, it has been revealed that not only humans can operate it, but creatures with magic power can also be employed, leading to the emergence of new industries.

Monster hunters, who originally hunted for protection, meat, or certain materials, have suddenly found themselves involved in the energy industry as well.

Thus, the people of this world are gradually changing. They are not risking everything to return to their original lives, but rather adapting to the current situation.

What changes may arise from this, I still don’t know.

The Mechanical Knight School, which collapsed during a riot, is being rebuilt, but it won’t reopen until next year or the year after at the earliest.

By that time, many things will already have changed.

To summarize briefly.

The impact of the societal upheaval is still present, but a new era is on the horizon.

And amidst that gap, the harvesting season is seeping in.

From what I remember at Brightshin, people who were tinkering with machines started being sought after quickly once Daegon-style machines became popular. This includes not only large companies but also the royal family.

Some military weapons have already been replaced with problematic power devices that utilize life force and deployed into action.

Such equipment is being used in the Atlan Fortress City. The reality of monster raids makes it very easy to accept.

If they don’t use them, people will die.

Additionally, if the three harvesting machines from Brightshin were kidnapped under the guise of employment at that laboratory and are working all day while crying that they don’t have time to spend their huge salaries, you can imagine the scenario.

Ah.

And there’s one more change.

“I’m so down…”

Victoria Bet is slumped over on the desk beside me.

Exactly yesterday. The fifteenth day after the school year began.

That day, after class ended, Victoria suddenly came up to me.

“Can we talk?”

I distinctly remember that the entire class went quiet at that moment. Then, Victoria pulled me to a corner of the Royal Academy’s garden.

And she poured out all her feelings.

From how she was scared of me to how I had left without saying anything in Morris’s hometown, she revealed that she honestly didn’t think I would just leave, so she felt hurt, and whether we were truly close or if that scared her.

In the end, she admitted that it was because she feared everyone might disappear before her eyes that she reached out to me.

Then she started sobbing on her own, and I teased her that she was foolish.

In response, she hugged me and made a mess of my clothes. I gently patted her back, and after mumbling for a while, she dashed away bright red to her dorm.

And today, the very next day.

She immediately changed her attitude back to how it was last year.

Ah, humans…

And Polaris is snickering next to me, poking Victoria’s cheek playfully.

“I told you, you’re being ridiculous, didn’t I?”

“Shut up.”

Swish, swish.

Victoria waves her arms.

For reference, it’s afternoon right now.

Last year, except on weekends, it would have been time to head home, but with this new grade, classes have increased, and two days of the week now stretch until the evening.

In other words, it’s break time.

Currently, the classroom is nearly empty. The few students remaining are either strong-willed loners or genuinely resting. And then there are students like Victoria who have no intention of belonging anywhere.

Most have moved to rooms on either wing of the building, shaped like a ‘D.’

This building has a classroom in the center and several empty rooms on both sides. If the student population triples, they would also use the wings as classrooms, but that’s not the case right now.

So the students claim these empty rooms, turning them into their own territories.

And thus, Kanna also occupied one room as her own territory. The reason it’s in the past tense is that with the sudden change in power dynamics, Kanna can no longer use that room.

It seems a few people are sad about that, but Kanna insists it’s more convenient for her. Originally, the largest space at the very end of each wing should be occupied by those of higher rank to adhere to unspoken etiquette.

If one enters out of order, there would always be someone to challenge them with, “Who do you think