Chapter 244

Chapter 31 Preparing to Go Back to School

That night.

The wind that blew through the courtyard was gentle and cool.

The honey fruit tree in front of me was in full bloom, its leaves rustling softly under the caress of the night breeze.

I stood quietly on the lawn, looking up at the treetops, watching the delicate pink flowers sway slightly in the hazy night. After a moment, I put down the water壶 in my hand and looked down at my right hand.

My right palm facing upward, my five fingers as smooth as jade were spread out and then clenched into a small fist.

Whoosh—

I suddenly swung a punch forward.

The cool wind swept through my black hair, fluttering it before it settled back down after a short while.

I wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but I felt that my punch was stronger than usual, and my body felt lighter.

I tilted my head and thought for a moment. Suddenly, I changed my steps, and the tip of my little leather shoe touched the ground—

Sss!

The sound of the wind by my ear vanished instantly. In the next moment, I was already nearly thirty meters away from the fruit tree, appearing at the wall on the other side of the courtyard.

Whoosh—

The strong wind carried the soil, spreading outward from beneath my feet. I hurriedly used my hands to press down on the hem of my skirt that had risen up.

Ah, the lawn…

The lush green grass around me was cut off by the flowing air, rising more than half a person high and gently falling in front of me.

Why am I destroying my own lawn…

I felt a bit heartbroken.

But at the same time, I confirmed that although the changes weren’t particularly significant, my body…was indeed stronger than before.

Although after eating those Opera Almond Cakes, I felt about six-tenths full.

“Hmm…”

I tapped my chin with my finger and pondered for a moment. I exhaled lightly, and my left palm opened in front of me, the blue light in my eyes shining brightly.

Creak… creak…

White mist rose, and long, sharp ice spears quickly formed in front of me, suspended in mid-air by my palm.

The power of frost didn’t seem to have changed… ah, the frost mist was spreading and would soon freeze the lawn… better put it away…

I hurriedly retracted the order force, grabbed the ice spear, and looked at it seriously for a moment. I raised the other hand and forcefully snapped off the sharp tips at both ends, then bit into it.

Snap.

Uh, it’s so hard…

But the taste was icy and refreshing, like a popsicle, and it was very delicious.

“Snap… snap…”

…and it could quench thirst too.

I squinted my eyes, biting on the ice spear as I walked back toward the manor.

The physical training force has improved. This body, whether in terms of stamina, reaction speed, or explosive power, is a bit stronger than before. Compared to this, the order force remains at its original level… but that seems to be the top-level genius in human cognition, and there probably won’t be any further improvement.

As for the chaotic power of the abyss, I dare not try it. But I can still faintly sense that the terrifying power within me… seems to have grown in some way.

I don’t want to know exactly how it has grown. If possible, I hope I never have to use this power again.

If things continue like this, what kind of person will I become…

I’m a bit afraid to think about it. Every time I think about it, I subconsciously choose to avoid it…

Anyway! For now, I don’t have anything urgent… this time… should we say we’ve overcome the difficulty?

It should be fine now…

Just in case, I’ll observe for another two days.

Walking to the entrance of the manor, just as I was about to open the door, something moved in my heart, and I suddenly turned my head, scanning the densely packed rooftops far away.

The rows of rooftops, faintly outlined under the moonlight and lights, were empty in the quiet night.

?

Just now, why did I feel someone was staring at me over there… was it an illusion?

Or was it…

The man with the Sword of Canri was nearby?

I stared for a while but found nothing.

… It must have been an illusion.

Even Victoria’s place was quiet, with few lights on in the mansion; she probably wasn’t there tonight.

Where could she have gone…

Click.

I pushed open the door and entered the house.

Back in the living room, I picked up the empty wooden basin that I had casually thrown on the sofa and prepared to put it back in the kitchen. Then I looked at the two news reports on the tea table and, after some thought, picked them up and threw them into the wooden basin as well before heading towards the kitchen.

During this process, I saw again the news about the Valen Empire.

War…

I remembered the late Marquis Oliver, that always-smiling short and plump man. On the day of the banquet, when my mother went to the entrance to receive him, I and Pasifale were standing by.

Pasifale told me that he was a great nobleman in the western part of the empire who commanded over three thousand heavy cavalry, and was also the main target of Father’s attempts to gain support. On the day of the banquet, even before the inner castle gates were opened, he had already arrived with his family, showing great sincerity.

That day I was drunk. Although I didn’t have much chance to interact with him, I understood that he was a powerful ally of Shantel Castle. Such an ally had suddenly died.

Ever since I heard this news, I had been restless, so I went to the courtyard to admire the flowers and water them, hoping to calm my anxious heart. But it didn’t help; my heart was still racing quickly.

Before this, I had always held out hope.

Perhaps the terrible situation I imagined wouldn’t happen… Everything would remain as it was, and life at Shantel Castle would continue steadily. That was what I hoped for.

Now it seems that hope has likely faded.

Should I just go back…

But I haven’t received any reply from my family. It will take some time for the goat cheese to return, and now there’s a new abyss here, and Margaret mentioned the Door of Truth crossing the sea to arrive at Silgaya… All these are bad things.

What should I do…

Maybe, wait until the goat cheese comes back, read the reply, and then make a decision…

After coming out of the kitchen and going upstairs, I sank into my bedroom feeling downcast. I took a bath, changed into a nightgown, and lay on the bed with wet hair, closing my eyes.

I thought it would be a difficult night, but I fell asleep quickly and didn’t wake up until almost noon the next day.

After lunch, someone from the Sword of Canri came to the mansion; it was a face I hadn’t seen before, but he brought me a letter sealed with a stamp.

Upon opening it, I found it was a notice from the Royal Academy.

[

To our lovely and respectable Miss Peylo:

Little hero of the capital, your leave of absence ends on March 7th. Please be back at the academy early on the morning of the 8th to resume classes. While I deeply respect all you’ve done, I know your injuries have long healed, so don’t use this as an excuse to skip school.

Your roommate is very worried about you.

]

It was signed by Principal Bertha.

This was a notification written personally by Grandma.

But I wasn’t using it as an excuse to skip school… I was just a bit concerned about my health, afraid that some inexplicable change might occur, and if I couldn’t control it, I would have to leave the capital immediately…

With only one day left until March 7th.

So I stayed home for a whole day, mostly sleeping or eating. The next day, I felt refreshed, and the faint sense of fatigue completely disappeared.

Victoria still hadn’t returned. Since that day, I hadn’t seen her again.

Did she go back to live in the palace…

Hmph, she didn’t even tell me.

On the evening of the 7th, I packed lightly, carried a small backpack, and left the mansion for the Royal Academy.