"Spend your time on more meaningful things."
Xinyan had heard this phrase, Kuki Shinobu had heard it, Nilou had too. Everyone had experienced their passions being dismissed as meaningless.
In Sumeru's Akademiya, such words would be widely accepted. To the academic elite, these things were utterly insignificant.
Those old scholars could only reap profits from "knowledgeable" geniuses. Artists like Nilou, whose work didn't align with their interests, were disregarded.
If they couldn't harvest your "crop," how could that do? Couldn't you do something meaningful?
Alhaitham couldn't accept the Akademiya's logic.
Alhaitham loved knowledge and reading, but reading was never the entirety of life.
How do you judge whether someone's actions are meaningful? Don't judge—meaning belongs to the individual.
Don Quixote's deeds might seem meaningless, even absurd, but to him, were they?
Fischl's parents read with aching hearts. They hadn't realized their words would hurt Fischl so deeply…
Adults, having grown up, often lose sight of "childhood." To them, such fantasies seemed "childish," and growing up meant adopting a "grown-up" demeanor.
Even if it meant pretending, one should act like an "adult."
But from an outsider's perspective, things looked different. Wasn't their child exceptional?
Tartaglia sighed. That's why children's dreams are the most fragile things. Even with careful nurturing, they can shatter…
And a shattered dream is hard to piece back together. Like waking from a dream, it's nearly impossible to return to it.
Tartaglia didn't end up fighting with Signora. Their earlier exchange was just routine teasing—nothing unusual.
Venti read intently. His own story was deeply tied to childhood. That prop wasn't used to see Fischl's story, but if it had been, it might've shown nothing.
Had her childhood shattered? Had her childhood companions vanished?
Not at all. Quite the opposite—Fischl had created her own "childhood," crafting her own dream.
She didn't need others; she guarded this world herself. Oz, her childhood companion, was born from her fantasy world.
It was because of Oz's emergence that Little Amy became Fischl again.
Oz came from the fantasy world to reality, and the group returned from the fantasy world to reality as well.
As soon as they returned, they saw "Arnold, Who Longs to Be Asked for Directions."
He had come specifically to tell them about the "third volume." That book was at the top of the royal castle.
His eagerness was, of course, because Mona was there.
Oh~ my dear Lady Mona, you are light, you are lightning, you are the only myth! I love only you!
You are my superstar!
[Arnold: "Dear lady, you need not do anything for me. Your beauty is the greatest reward. I shall offer you the answers you seek."]
["Your countenance is so enchanting and full of wisdom."]
Indeed, Mona was truly beautiful, increasingly so the more you looked. But she didn't care for this fawning raven. After getting the information, she was ready to leave.
Mona left, and Arnold sighed in melancholy, still pondering: How can I win Mona's favor?
[Arnold, muttering to himself: "Lady, would you like to have a coffee with me? If coffee's not your thing, tea, milk tea, hot cocoa—anything's fine!"]
["If you're not willing, that's okay too. You can have a drink alone, and I'll accompany you from afar. If you're happy, I'll be happy too!"]
Arnold could practically be called "The Most Devoted of the Immernachtreich."
If this truly reflected Fischl's inner thoughts, just how much did she want to be close to Mona?!
No wonder Fischl would dip into her little savings to treat Mona to good food.
But Arnold was kind of cute in his own way, and no one really disliked him.
Some readers even quite liked him. A Night Raven statue saying such things was undeniably adorable.
Sadly, Mona wasn't among his admirers. Neither in the story nor in reality was she interested in him—her curiosity lay solely in the story's continuation.
This time, the group searched for the third volume and encountered the two guard Night Ravens in the royal castle again.
For some reason, they no longer believed the Traveler and the others, stubbornly refusing to let them pass.
They even said, "Her Highness the Prinzessin doesn't know small fry like you."
They'd been so respectful before, but now it was like they were completely different ravens.
Arrogant before, respectful after, then arrogant again—they were really flipping back and forth.
For someone with a bad back, switching between haughty backward leans and respectful forward bows would be unbearable.
The guard Night Ravens in the story were currently in their "haughty backward lean" mode, mocking them.
[Before the Night Raven could finish, Fischl appeared: "What didst thou just say? Who are the small fry?"]
Fischl swooped in like a dragon king coming to the rescue, domineeringly dismissing the two minor guards.
She truly valued the five-person party and planned to stay with them for life.
But she was just a chuunibyou—could she bear the weight of "other people's (her own)" lives? That'd be tough, wouldn't it?
Little Amy didn't actually want to face this illusion, but she couldn't rest easy about her friends, so after searching for a long time, she finally showed up.
Though the issue with the blocking Night Ravens was resolved, some sharper readers still felt something was off.
Why did these two Night Ravens suddenly not recognize them? Calling the Traveler and others small fry—the change was too drastic! Who gave them the nerve?
The Fischl in the book explained that her reluctance to face the illusion wasn't due to the "embarrassment of a diary being read" but because there were other troubles within.
The group didn't care. They were only thinking of themselves, eager to uncover the story's ending.
The third volume still featured the Fischl Royal Castle, but this time the illusion was grand yet fragile. The sky above the castle looked cracked, as if it might shatter.
[Fischl: "Hmph… grand yet fragile, vast yet timid… it fills me with awe and disgust!"]
What she meant was: It's so big, I'm getting 3D dizziness.
The group moved forward and found a model of a castle. This was the castle model Fischl had accidentally knocked over and broken in her childhood, overwhelmed by sadness.
It was like Little Amy's childhood "dream" that had shattered, and now the group had to piece it back together.
Her "castle" had broken, and the sky in the space they were in now also seemed shattered, as if they were truly within her "castle."
It seemed this dream had fulfilled Fischl's wish, allowing her "narrow paradise" to be displayed.
Would it be a sweet dream?
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Venti: About Fischl
"Her 'narrow paradise' is her freedom, isn't it? She's pretty amazing, don't you think?"