Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Divine Relics and Goat Cheese
***
This "why" ultimately didn't lead to any conclusion.
The girls' private conversation continued until the night deepened, and from the lawn gardens on both sides of the road outside the tower, the faint sound of pleasant insect chirps could be heard.
Only then did they fall asleep one after another.
The next morning, a breeze stirred the clouds.
After waking up, I didn't linger in bed. Rubbing my eyes, I climbed down from my bunk and walked to the window, pulling the curtains open in one swift motion. Morning light brushed across my face and flooded into the room, making me squint one eye.
Goat Cheese, standing outside, was nodding its little head drowsily, even it hadn't fully woken up yet. The other three girls in the dormitory had chatted until so late last night that they were naturally still sleeping soundly.
Opening the window, fresh fragrant air flowed into the room, making me feel refreshed and relaxed. I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Sensing the movement, Goat Cheese turned its head sideways, staring at me with its crimson eyes before opening its beak.
"Shh!"
I quickly placed my index finger on my lips, gesturing for it to be quiet.
It still felt a bit early. If nothing unexpected happened, the opening ceremony later would surely involve the academy instructors giving their long and tedious speeches, and we'd probably have to stand there for quite a while. Better to let them sleep a bit longer.
Goat Cheese was very clever and immediately closed its beak. It hopped twice on the windowsill, then with a whoosh flew away. I guessed it was probably going to find something to eat.
But speaking of which, raising it was really worry-free. I never had to manage its food, drink, or droppings, didn't need to prepare a birdcage, and didn't worry at all about it getting lost. No matter where I went, I'd always see it on the windowsill steps the next morning. That silly bird seemed very good at recognizing people, though I had no idea what method it used... By smell? Wouldn't that make it like a dog... Even though it flew so fast during the day that you couldn't even see its shadow, how exactly did it find me?
...Wait, something's not right.
My eyes suddenly widened. I looked up at the barrier high above in the sky, which was currently rippling like water, illusory yet incredibly real. The "eggshell" of the Royal City had existed for hundreds of years and had never been closed even once.
So how exactly did Goat Cheese get in?!
Wasn't it said that you needed a badge... that thing called "Divine Relic," only with that thing could you enter? Or does this barrier only work on people and not on other creatures... No, that doesn't make sense either. If that were the case, why did they make us switch to horned carriages when entering the city?
Ultimately, what standard does this barrier use to make its judgments? If it's based on Divine Relics... obviously Goat Cheese doesn't have one. In fact, any bird in the entire city shouldn't be able to fly in... right?
I suddenly remembered the flock of birds I saw in the sky when Carlos was leaving, they did seem to fly past outside the barrier. In other words, this is a city without birds... Are there any? Well, I've never noticed any.
But if there really aren't any, then Goat Cheese...
"Mm... Peylo, what are you doing..."
A murmur that sounded like it was still in a dream interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to see Sophia lifting her head groggily from under her covers, looking at me somewhat confused, one arm propping herself up halfway. The blanket slid from her shoulders, and beneath the collar of her silk-thin nightgown, I could see a deep valley and half of what sat at the peak...
I casually averted my gaze.
"Just spacing out... Why are you awake?"
"Mm—" Sophia stretched lazily, then raised her hand to pat her cheeks, trying to wake herself up a bit. "I wake up around this time every day, it's long become a habit. But you, don't you want to sleep a bit more?"
"Can't sleep anymore."
The dormitory had a shared wardrobe that, when opened, had exactly four compartments. After drawing the curtains again, I opened my compartment and took out the school uniform I had placed inside last night to change into. After washing up and using the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror.
The uniform was quite pretty, fitting Isenbell's aesthetic, and the size was just right. A pure white stand-collar mutton-sleeve blouse with a blue bow tie, a leather corset tightly wrapped around my soft abdomen, paired with a blue-white puffy swallowtail skirt. The back of the skirt reached the back of my knees, with knee-padded three-quarter lace leggings underneath.
I nodded with satisfaction.
As expected of me, I can easily pull off any outfit.
By the time I came out of the bathroom, the other two had already woken up and were changing their clothes. Seeing me, they exclaimed in admiration.
"Wow, so pretty."
I placed my hands on my hips and tilted my head back: "Of course."
"Not very modest, are you, little Peylo? I was actually praising our uniform."
I looked at her somewhat annoyed.
"But you look even better!"
"Hmph~"
That's more like it.
"Sarah, just shut up already. Please look at yourself, you're making a perfectly good uniform look like you've been wandering for years." Sophia was sitting at the vanity combing her hair and couldn't help but comment when she saw in the mirror how Sarah had put on the uniform all crooked.
"No, I think my skirt waist is a bit too small... Can I exchange this?" Sarah said while adjusting her skirt hem.
Hearing this, Daisy also frowned slightly. She tugged at her collar and then adjusted her corset with her hand, looking quite uncomfortable: "Me too... I feel a bit stuffy in the chest."
Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Just deflate your big chest."
"Pfft—, hahaha!"
Sophia couldn't hold back her laughter. Daisy could only blush and stop talking, silently turning her back to unbutton the topmost button of her shirt, then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing this little gesture made me smack my lips.
Tch, what's so great about being big? You deserve to be uncomfortable...
"I wonder if the academy cafeteria's breakfast is good..."
"It shouldn't be too bad, this is the Royal Academy... Even if it's not good, you have no choice. You can't starve yourself, can you?"
"Then can't we go outside—"
Bang bang bang—!
Before Sarah could finish her sentence, a rough and urgent knocking on the door interrupted her. The sudden loud noise startled everyone. Daisy, who was closest to the door, let out a "wah" and stepped back two paces, her whole body tense with wide eyes staring at the door, like a frightened little rabbit, just short of jumping up.
Immediately after, Fat Granny's hoarse yet loud grating voice came from behind the door: "Wake up, wake up!"
The still-shaken girls breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Sophia patted her chest: "My goodness, that scared me..."
"I thought... it was some male student..."
Daisy's voice was trembling as she spoke, looking like she was about to cry from fright. Mm... this girl seems to be rather timid.
"Our dorm manager is so fierce."
"Shh, be careful she hears you!"
The "bang bang bang" knocking sounded again. I quickly called out: "Granny, we're up!"
"I'm here to notify you, you have 20 minutes left until assembly. Get ready immediately and head to the academy's training grounds. If you're late, you'll be running 20 laps around the training grounds first."