Chapter 31: Getting Ready to Go Back to School
That night.
A gentle, cool breeze swept through the courtyard.
In front of me, the Honey Fruit Tree was in full bloom, its dense leaves rustling softly under the caress of the night wind.
I stood quietly on the lawn, tilting my head back to gaze at the vibrant little pink flowers at the treetop, gently swaying in the dim night. A moment later, I put down the water jug I was holding and looked down at my right hand.
With my palm facing up, I brought my five fingers together, spread them out, and then clenched them into a tiny fist.
Whoosh—
I suddenly swung my fist forward.
The cool wind tousled my black hair, making it flutter wildly for a moment before settling down.
Is it just my imagination, or does my punch feel a bit stronger than before? My body also feels lighter.
I tilted my head, pondering, and suddenly changed my footing. The tip of my dainty shoe tapped the ground—
Swish!
The wind whistled past my ears in an instant. Next thing I knew, I was nearly thirty meters away from the fruit tree, standing by the wall on the other side of the courtyard.
Phew—
The gust kicked up dirt, swirling around my feet, and I hurriedly pressed down my fluttering skirt.
Oh no, the lawn…
The lush green grass was whipped up by the wind, its leaves torn off and soaring high, floating down in front of me like little green confetti.
Why am I wrecking my own lawn…
I felt a bit heartbroken.
But I also confirmed that, even if the changes weren’t dramatic, my body… indeed felt more powerful.
Though after finishing off those Ophelia almond cakes, I felt like I had only eaten about sixty percent of a meal.
“Hmm…”
I pondered with my finger on my chin, lightly exhaled, and opened my left palm in front of me while my eyes lit up with a brilliant blue glow.
Crack… crack…
White mist emerged, and sharp, slender icicles quickly formed in front of me, hovering mid-air, dragged by my palm.
The Frost Power seems unchanged… ah, if this Ice Mist spreads more, it’ll freeze the lawn… better collect it, better collect it…
I hurriedly reined in the Power of Order, grabbing the icicle in my hand, examining it closely for a moment, then lifted my other hand and forcefully broke off the two sharp ends to throw away, then popped it into my mouth.
Crunch.
Uh, it’s so hard…
But it tastes delightfully icy and refreshing, just like a popsicle.
“Crunch… crunch…”
…And it quenches my thirst too.
I squinted, munching on the icicle while walking back towards the mansion.
My body feels stronger! In terms of stamina, reflexes, and explosive power, I’m definitely a smidge better than before. In comparison, the Power of Order seems to have stalled at its previous level… but that’s already the peak level of genius in human understanding, right? There probably isn’t much more room for improvement.
As for the Chaotic Power from the Abyss, I’m too scared to experiment. Still, I can vaguely sense that the terrifying power within me… seems to have experienced some new growth.
I really don’t want to know how it’s grown. If possible, I hope I never have to use that power again.
If this keeps up, what will I become…
I’m a bit scared to think about it. Every time I conjure up that thought, my heart instinctively wants to flee…
Anyway! For now, I don’t have anything to deal with… this time… can I say I’ve weathered the worst?
That should be fine…
Just to be safe, I’ll observe for another couple of days.
When I reached the door of the mansion, just as I was about to open it, something suddenly stirred inside me, and I whipped my head around, sweeping my gaze across the densely packed rooftops in the distance.
Row after row of rooftops, silhouetted under the moonlight and the flickering lights, indistinctly outlined, in the tranquil night devoid of a single soul.
?
Just now, I felt like someone was watching me from over there… was it just a figment of my imagination?
Or are people from the Sword of Kanli lurking nearby?
I stared for a while, but still saw nothing.
…Just my imagination.
Even Victoria’s side is quiet; the mansion is dim, with hardly any lights on—she probably isn’t here tonight.
Where could she be heading…?
Creak.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Returning to the living room, I picked up the empty wooden bowl that I had tossed onto the sofa, planning to return it to the kitchen. I then glanced at the two newspapers on the coffee table, briefly pondered, and tossed them into the wooden bowl before heading towards the kitchen.
During this process, I caught a glimpse of the news about the Valen Empire in the newspaper.
War…
I remembered the late Marquis Oliver, that always-smiling little chubby man. On the day of the banquet, my mother met him at the door while Pasifal and I were right there beside her.
Pasifal told me he was a bigwig in the Empire’s west, commanding over three thousand heavy cavalry, and was one of the main targets for my father’s alliances. On the day of the banquet, even before the inner fort gate was opened, he was already there with his family, showing his sincerity.
I was drunk that day. Although I didn’t get much chance to interact with him, I understood that he was a strong ally of Shanter Castle. Now, that ally has suddenly… died.
Since learning this not long ago, I’ve been uneasy, which is why I went to the courtyard to admire flowers and water them, hoping to calm my restless heart. But that didn’t help; I’m still feeling anxious.
Before this, I was mostly holding onto a glimmer of hope.
I thought the terrible scenarios I imagined might not happen… things would continue as they always had, and life at Shanter Castle would carry on peacefully. That was what I hoped for.
But that’s likely now just a pipe dream.
Should I just go back as it is…
But I haven’t heard back from my family yet. The Goat Cheese will probably take some time to return, and now there’s a new Abyss situation, along with Margaret mentioning the Gate of Truth crossing the sea, and soon arriving in Silgaya… all dreadful matters.
What should I do…
Maybe I should just wait for the Goat Cheese to come back and see the letter before making a decision…
Coming out of the kitchen, I ascended to the second floor, feeling gloomy, and curled up in my bedroom. I took a shower, changed into a nightgown, and lay down on the bed with wet hair, closing my eyes.
I thought it would be a long, torturous night, but unexpectedly, I soon fell into a deep, unshakeable sleep, waking up only close to noon the next day.
After lunch, someone from the Sword of Kanli came by the mansion, though it was a face I didn’t recognize. However, he delivered a letter sealed with a wax stamp to me.
Upon opening it, I discovered it was a notification from the Royal Academy.
[
To our lovely and respected Little Girl, Miss Peilo:
Hero of the Royal City, your vacation period ends on March 7th; be sure to return to the academy for classes by the morning of the 8th. While I deeply admire all you’ve accomplished, I know your wounds have healed, so do not attempt to skip school any longer.
Your roommate is very worried about you.
]
Signed, Principal Bersa.
This notification was personally written by Grandma.
But I’m not trying to skip school… I’m just a bit worried about my health! I’m afraid if I experience any more bizarre changes, I’ll have to leave the Royal City quickly…
March 7th is just one day away.
So I stayed home the entire day, basically doing nothing but sleeping and eating. After a day, I felt rejuvenated, and that nagging fatigue completely faded.
Still no sign of Victoria. I haven’t seen her since that day.
Has she gone back to the palace…
Hmph, she leaves without even telling me.
On the evening of the 7th, after packing a few things, I shouldered my little bag and left the mansion, heading to the Royal Academy.
