Chapter 399

Chapter 23 A Foolish Little Thing…

After May 5th, the sky suddenly cleared up.

The rain that had been intermittent and persistent since April finally came to an end, leaving the sky of the royal city blue and the clouds white like cotton. The Zaber River shimmered under the summer sun.

A few students continued to trickle back to the academy, and upon their return, they all heard about the public speech given by Cardinal Saint George and His Holiness a few days prior. Regardless of what was said, the image of the two greatest figures standing together could not be witnessed by those who returned late, causing them to lament and regret their missed opportunity.

Sarah sometimes watched them and thought that Sophia might also react similarly when she returned.

After the speech, the academy’s courses resumed their normal pace. The three girls from room 1504 began their daily routine of attending classes, going to the cafeteria for meals, with Peyelo eating the most. She always asked the others to bring back extra food for her, continuing her feast even after returning to their dorm…

Lately, Peyelo had been consuming large quantities of peas: boiled peas, pea soup, pork stew with peas, beef stew with peas, peas cooked with peas—simply put, just peas. She had tried every possible way to prepare peas in the cafeteria and carried a small bag of peas with her at all times, wrapped in brown paper. She would eat them anytime, anywhere, claiming it was healthy.

Nonsense…

Eating dozens of ounces of peas wasn’t enough for her; she also consumed excessive amounts of staple foods and then sweets until she felt full. That insatiable look on her face after overeating… And you talk about health?

I know what you’re thinking…

Peyelo started eating this way after giving a theological speech one morning. The reason? Daisy told her she had been doing this since childhood. Sarah knew exactly what was on Peyelo’s mind; even the naive Daisy probably understood, though everyone preferred not to mention it.

After all…

It’s hard to bear.

But she really does eat a lot…

At first, Sarah couldn’t understand how such a small person could consume so much. Was she a bottomless pit? What was she made of…

For a long time, she had worried that one day she would wake up to find this foolish girl had eaten herself to death. Fortunately, such a horrific event never occurred.

Now, Sarah attributed Peyelo’s extraordinary, unbelievable, almost absurd… let’s call it her eating prowess, to the Pope’s Knight.

Perhaps the Pope’s Knight can eat as much as she does… the stronger ones can eat more… How many dishes must the Sword Saint eat each meal?

These thoughts remained unspoken.

In any case, after the anxious days in the academy, a peaceful and tranquil life resumed.

The bump on Sarah’s forehead from being hit subsided within three days, and the fear she felt never surfaced in front of the other two girls in the dorm.

Occasionally, she would still recall the terrifying scene from a few days ago, during the rainy night.

Panicked crowds fleeing, blood splattering in the raindrops, cold blades at their throats… She remembered the feeling, being so frightened that her legs gave out. For a moment, she thought she might die.

But then, the petite girl wrapped in a cloak suddenly appeared before her. She saved her, her short legs kicking powerfully like a hammer, sending people flying…

They didn’t just fall down; they were sent flying…

Sarah was stunned, not knowing what to do, only feeling cold. Her mind went blank, forgetting even to be afraid. She thought, “That person really flew high…” Then the girl picked her up, soaring higher than they did.

Sarah nearly wet herself.

When the blood warmed and her soul returned to her body, she realized that the fierce girl before her was Peyelo.

This absurd yet seemingly logical realization was hard to accept, even after returning to the dorm.

Throughout the journey, Sarah pretended everything was fine, even comforting the crying Daisy, not wanting Peyelo to notice anything amiss. However, inside, a storm raged—just as it does now—the image of Peyelo resurfacing repeatedly: wrapped in a cloak, kicking people away, releasing ice blocks, jumping over ten meters high…

That night, the city was in chaos, Boswell vanished, and a terrifying monster appeared. Lady Hildegard, the Pope’s Knight, fought it to the death. The tiny hero leaped through the frosty sky… She was like that then too.

Previously, countless childish fantasies filled her mind, but at some point, all the pieces fell into place, forming a coherent story.

Then, she couldn’t resist confronting Peyelo in the washroom.

She asked.

The young girl, unable to hide it any longer, truthfully answered.

Unbelievable.

But it was true.

The Pope’s Knight…

Such a heroic, awe-inspiring figure…

She was actually in the same dorm as me!

She was actually… my friend…

Ha…

Unbelievable.

When faced with facts beyond one’s capacity to handle emotionally, people often feel it’s fake or dreamlike, looking at familiar faces and things, feeling detached and unreal—ever since that night, Sarah had been trapped in this state, struggling to break free.

As dawn approached and she woke from a dream, she would gaze at the clear sky, the pure clouds, the curtains fluttering in the breeze, and the frail figure still sleeping across the bed. Then she wondered if she was still dreaming. After a while, she would pinch her thigh, feeling the pain, and realize that everything was real.

After that night, life at the academy returned to normal—though the visit of His Holiness and Cardinal Saint George was hardly calm—but otherwise, everything seemed back on track.

The girl named Peyelo hadn’t changed much compared to before. She was still a small person, with a face that invited sympathy. She still woke up last in the morning and ate a lot, though her diet now included many peas.

Sometimes, Peyelo would sit at the table lost in thought, eyes vacant, brow furrowed, nails clicking. When Sarah saw this, she wanted to embrace her tightly, pinch her cheeks playfully, or pick her up and spin her around… It was so adorable.

She had done this a few times before, and each time, Peyelo would angrily slap her face or tickle her, but Peyelo couldn’t really win. She was very ticklish, laughing and running away after a few seconds, becoming even angrier afterward. Sometimes, she would blush, pout like a bubble, and glare at Sarah, which was quite amusing.

But now…

Thinking of the girl’s identity, her effortless release of shocking frost, and how she charged fearlessly toward the monster engulfed in flames despite her injuries…

, some overly intimate actions that might provoke the other party were no longer done naturally.

Sarah tried her best.

She made an effort to treat Peyalo with an attitude no different from before, talking to her and telling jokes, with her expression still appearing natural. Because she understood, Peyalo didn’t want to see the estrangement between people caused by their status, so she chose to hide her identity and try to make herself less noticeable… Despite this, she still attracted a lot of attention in the academy.

This short and unremarkable-looking girl, except for her stature, was dazzling everywhere. No matter where she went, she would become the focus of the crowd.

She was too beautiful…

But under that dreamy face, Peyalo’s inner personality was somewhat indifferent.

Sometimes Sarah thought, if others were as beautiful as she was… She was even a member of the royal family of the Valen Empire… Under such superior birth and loved by everyone, if other girls were like her, they might gradually become arrogant, walking in the vanity and materialism of fame every day, gradually falling into the applause and flowers of the people, wishing the whole world knew who she was, and everyone admired her. For a girl from a commoner background like her, they would probably look down on her with their noses…

Sophia sometimes gave off this kind of feeling.

But Peyalo wouldn’t.

Sarah had been with Peyalo for quite some time and could tell, Peyalo wasn’t that kind of person at all.

She didn’t like being the center of attention, and perhaps deep down, she resisted becoming famous, not wanting to distance herself from her peers, friends like her, or elders because she was too eye-catching. She liked simple and quiet days, satisfied with just eating well each day. She dreamed of living that way.

So these days, whenever she went out to class or ate something, as long as it involved a crowded place, Peyalo would first put on a wide-brimmed sun hat—she must have realized that since the last issue of the gazette came out, people had been talking about Miss Silviana. With more topics, naturally, many people mentioned her age and appearance, so she wanted to cover her face, at least not letting anyone see her striking black hair.

Even so, after she returned, the rumors in the academy had grown more numerous. The number of students, especially male ones, who wanted to approach her to confirm something had increased exponentially…

Fortunately, Beaudry was there to shield her.

That talkative guy, who had only occasionally interacted before, had since taken on the role of Peyalo’s protector after the sermon in theology class. Originally, this wasn’t much of a problem. There were many secret protectors whom Peyalo didn’t know about, but Sarah did. Some bored students by Lake Ceylon had formed an organization called something like the “Angel Protection Association” or something similar. This association didn’t do anything else but be the most proactive in giving gifts to Peyalo, regardless of whether she wanted them. They were self-centered, finding those who excessively adored Peyalo—there were many—and then finding opportunities to corner them, either reasoning with them or beating them up, threatening others not to get close to their little pixie.

What puzzled Sarah most was that there were girls in this association.

It was simply absurd…

Peyalo usually didn’t care about these things. She generally ignored those who sent her flowers and gifts or always ran over to chat, but she showed no obvious resistance to Beaudry, at least on the surface.

Not only that, during one abyss class, Sarah noticed that the two were whispering behind her back.

What were they doing…

Sarah certainly didn’t think Peyalo had fallen for Beaudry. If a girl were in love, it wouldn’t be like that. She found it strange, but after a few days, she gradually got used to it.

She thought about Beaudry’s identity. He had told her that his father was Nick Williams, the commander of the Holy Church’s Third Knightly Order, and his grandfather was even more impressive—the Cardinal George who had recently arrived, a legendary figure of the church.

In terms of status, no one in the academy could be more noble than Beaudry…

Although that guy seemed completely indifferent to it…

And Peyalo was a Papal Knight.

Perhaps compared to herself, Beaudry was truly someone she could talk to…

Thinking of this, Sarah felt a bit dejected.

But she quickly regained her spirits.

Peyalo had said herself that she was her friend… Their relationship was much closer than with Beaudry…

In this academy, she was the closest person to Peyalo…

Miss Silviana…

Hmph…

…

Leisurely days passed one by one.

On this morning, Sarah opened her eyes and found herself the first one awake again.

She patted her face, got off the bed, and felt the dormitory stuffy, with sweat making her sticky. She walked towards the direction of the rising morning light, planning to open the window for ventilation, but her gaze unconsciously fell on Peyalo’s bed.

The bed was in disarray…

The smooth sheets were crumpled, looking very expensive, and the blanket was rolled up at the foot. The girl wore thin pajamas, her body curled up like a shrimp, her delicate face turned towards her, her brows knitted together, her eyes tightly shut. Her messy black hair stuck to her face, dampened by sweat, her long, curly eyelashes fluttering, her thumb in her mouth, her eyes rolling under her eyelids.

She hadn’t woken up yet.

And it seemed she was dreaming.

“Mm… Mmm… Mom… Captain…”

And mumbling incoherently in her sleep…

Mom and Captain…

What was she saying?

Sarah couldn’t help but lean closer, wanting to hear what the Papal Knight was saying. But just as she took two steps forward, she saw the sleeping girl suddenly move.

She kicked her legs on the bed, rapidly, her eyes still closed, but her brows furrowed deeper, revealing a hint of anxiety on her face. Her fair arms swam like a boat, as if swimming in her dream, her movements large enough to shake the bed, creaking.

Sarah was startled and couldn’t help but let out a soft “Ah,” stepping back. Then she saw the girl open her eyes.

Those black eyes, initially hazy, clearly not fully awake, inexplicably thinking she was holding something, her first action upon waking was to bring her palm to her mouth and bite.

Then she bit nothing.

The girl was confused, staring at her palm dazedly, scratching her fingers, stunned for about two seconds, then looked at her standing beside her.

Her eyes gradually cleared up.

“Aah!”

She was startled by herself, her face tightening, sitting up abruptly from the bed, hands protecting her chest. Due to panic, she hit her chest hard, making a “thump.” Once she saw the person in front of her, she seemed relieved, then got angry: “Sarah! What are you doing! Standing there, you scared me to death!”

“Pfft—”

Sarah laughed.

What Papal Knight… she thought.

A silly girl…