Vol 4. Chapter 93: Why Are You So Rough?
After putting the face towel down, Fennia looked somewhat blankly at Vinny’s back.
Although he was still the same person, she always felt that Lady Saintess’s habits in his male form seemed to have changed somewhat.
They had become more Saintess-like. Fennia did not know whether that was just her imagination. After all, in the past, whenever Lady Saintess was in his male form, although he always wore a mask and acted, the somewhat rough edge to his habits did not seem fake.
“If you keep standing there, no one is going to feed you candy, Fennia.”
“Ah! I’m coming.” Only when she heard Vinny’s voice from ahead did Fennia react and follow him.
“Little Fennia, are you still holding up?” Amisha walked out from the kitchen, seeming to have already known about Fennia’s behavior. Looking at the heavy dark circles under Fennia’s eyes, she asked.
“Of course. It was only one night.” Fennia shook her head, indicating that it was nothing.
Very soon, Luna also finished washing up, dressed properly, and walked out of her room. This eldest daughter of the Haukekai Family maintained her bright, elegant, and proper appearance in front of others at every moment.
“Miss Fennia seems to have entered her role quite quickly.” At the dining table, Luna saw Fennia’s state at a glance and guessed what she had done last night, an expression of clear understanding on her face. She did not blame Fennia.
Even if something unexpected happened, Luna had methods to cover for it. But Fennia’s attitude of being overly serious to ensure the Saintess’s safety was entirely qualified. Rather, that was precisely the attitude a Saintess’s guard needed.
She knew perfectly well that Fennia had stood guard outside Vinny’s door last night.
Vinny also did not know what to say. He glanced at Fennia. “Be careful. Don’t let your face fall into your plate while we’re eating.”
“Don’t worry, Lady Saintess. That won’t happen. I really am not tired.” Fennia shook her head.
The group began eating breakfast.
“Lady Saintess, how does today’s breakfast taste?” Seeing Vinny pick up his utensils, Amisha asked expectantly.
“Mm-hm. It’s very good.” While praising her, Vinny also teased, “Amisha, among all the girls I’ve met, you’re the best at cooking. Your skills are amazing. Whoever marries you in the future is definitely going to be very lucky.”
“Uu.” Amisha hugged her staff and lowered her head, saying nothing.
After breakfast, the group rested briefly before putting on cloaks and setting out.
Luna had thought things through carefully. These cloaks were a common type used by travelers. Even wearing them openly would not arouse anyone’s suspicion or attract too much attention.
The station of this little town was located outside the town. The Tyrel Empire also had quite the air of the ancient Empire, placing great importance on transportation. Beside the station was a military post and a watchtower, which could ensure to the greatest extent that travel routes were not disturbed by bandits.
Before long, the carriage arrived. After Luna showed the tickets, the group boarded the carriage.
Vinny glanced at Fennia sitting beside him. Although he could sense that she was quite sleepy, her gaze was still serious. She spread her perception to inspect the carriage, afraid of missing any detail.
If a person kept their nerves tense and focused their attention all the time, that person would become very tired.
Vinny thought, Fennia couldn’t have maintained this alert, guarded state for the entire night while standing watch outside his door, could she??
It seemed the incident at Kamov Mountain last time had affected Fennia even more deeply than he had imagined.
Aside from that, Vinny also sensed that Fennia’s perception had become stronger. Compared to before, it was a qualitative leap, a major step up.
This reaction—could it be??
“Fennia, has your realm improved?” Vinny asked hesitantly. “You advanced to the Magus realm??”
“Huh? Yes. Lady Saintess already sensed it? As expected of Lady Saintess. You saw through it at a glance!” Fennia froze for a moment, then said with a face full of reverence. “That’s right. After this practical assessment, I gained many more insights. Combined with some guidance from Lady Luna, I successfully advanced to the Magus realm.”
Mm. Fennia was also a one-in-a-hundred genius.
By one in a hundred, Vinny meant within Carillian Academy. Even among so many geniuses, Fennia was one of the outstanding ones.
Advancing to the Magus realm in only her second year had already surpassed most students, even at Carillian Academy.
He had to admit that Carillian Academy’s teaching methods were still very effective. Practical assessments truly improved the students by a great deal, and many students had achieved advancement because of them. Of course, any method that brought considerable gains would come with certain risks. That could not be avoided.
The group rode the carriage for an entire day, only reaching their destination at dusk. After getting off the carriage, Vinny realized something: the carriage was not a direct route.
That made sense. This was an imperial carriage. How could it possibly reach the destination all at once? He had simply grown used to riding Carillian Academy’s carriages and had almost become unaccustomed to this kind of jolting.
They had arrived at a city-state named Falcon City. It was an important large city-state of the Empire with a long history. It was said that most of the city walls had been built during the Tyrelis Ancient Empire.
Looking at this cliffside city built against countless precipices and sheer rock faces, standing among innumerable steep cliffs like stars surrounding the moon, Vinny felt it was exactly like its name: a falcon soaring among barren mountains and cliffs.
Once they reached this place, they only needed to transfer to another carriage to reach the coast near Carillian Academy.
After finding an inn, since it was not yet time to sleep, Luna suggested going out for a stroll. However, she asked Vinny’s opinion, because Luna felt Vinny might not be the type who liked shopping very much.
For someone who did not enjoy it, shopping would feel like torture.
But Vinny did not refuse. Even he himself found that surprising, since he really did not like shopping very much.
The group came to the commercial street. Fennia and Amisha seemed rarely to have visited the commercial streets of big cities like this, and they were full of curiosity toward the dazzling array of goods in the surrounding shops.
That made sense. After all, both of them were believers. Their family discipline was probably very strict in ordinary times. They might not have been allowed to visit this kind of shop, and even if they were allowed, they probably did not have the time.
The three women chatted away in front of Vinny. Vinny followed behind silently by himself, as if he were thinking about something.
Although Fennia and Amisha had rarely visited this kind of big-city commercial street, they were still girls in the end. As long as they were girls, they definitely possessed the passive skill of infinite energy while shopping.
If it had been before, Vinny felt he would definitely have been groaning in misery already. But today was unexpectedly fine. Following the three of them around as they browsed here and there, looked around everywhere, and wandered from place to place actually felt pretty good.
The past few days had been very ordinary. Nothing worth paying attention to had happened. Now that they had reached a major imperial city like Falcon City, it was even less convenient for anyone to make a move. It looked like there should be no Church pursuers after all.
“Let’s look around over there.” Luna pointed at a luxuriously decorated shop.
Vinny looked over and saw the sign of that clothing house. He immediately felt a burst of familiarity.
“This brand—is it Splendid沃 Clothiers?” Vinny recognized it.
“Huh? Lady Saintess knows Splendid沃 Clothiers?” Luna appeared a little surprised.
“Mm. I remember this clothing house is a major brand.” As Vinny said that, he recalled something.
Not only that, it was also operated directly by the Galathus Family.
“It seems Lady Saintess often visits clothing houses and understands them quite well.” Luna smiled.
“No, not really. It’s just, mm, such a famous clothing house, so of course I know a little about it.” Last time, when he and Aesphyra had returned from their practical assessment, they had encountered this very clothing house. He had received VIP-level treatment there. The food had been quite good, and even now, Vinny still remembered it vividly and was deeply impressed.
If not for that, he really would not have known this brand. In the past, he had not understood such things at all. Someone who could not even afford meals could not possibly have had channels to learn about expensive noble goods like this.
Although saying it like this sounded vulgar, the life he wanted was actually exactly that kind of life.
There was no helping it. He had been frightened by poverty as a child, so he wanted to live a somewhat wealthy life. That could not be helped.
Otherwise, he would not have come to Carillian Academy. That had been his original intention in enrolling.
Only now, he did not know whether he was getting farther and farther away from that vision. His life was becoming more and more unstable, and danger was getting closer and closer.
“Let’s go in and take a look.” The moment Vinny saw the two pairs of sparkling eyes belonging to Fennia and Amisha, he knew what they were thinking and took the initiative to suggest it.
“Look as much as you want. If you see anything suitable that you like, buy it. I’ll pay,” Vinny said.
“Huh?? How could we do that? How could we buy things and have Lady Saintess pay for them?” Amisha immediately said.
“You all swore loyalty to me, so you’re my subordinates now. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to cover my subordinates’ expenses?” Vinny joked half-seriously. “Although I’m not wealthy enough yet to pay you wages, so I can only owe those for now.”
“No, no, no. That definitely won’t do. How could we let you pay, Lady Saintess? Besides, you don’t have that much—”
“Miss Fennia, let’s go. Don’t say any more. This is Lady Saintess’s kindness. We cannot let it go to waste.” Compared to Fennia and Amisha’s helpless uncertainty, Luna accepted it very calmly. Her lips lifted slightly, and her beautiful legs in white stockings stepped forward as she entered the shop, though she did not lack that bit of money at all.
“Huh?” Fennia and Amisha were troubled, but when they saw Luna accept so easily, they were very surprised and could only follow.
“Lady Luna, are we really going to?”
“This is Lady Saintess’s kindness. Lady Saintess must hope that the two of you can accept it as well.” Luna smiled warmly at the two walking beside her.
“Is this really okay?” Fennia still felt somewhat embarrassed.
Luna did not explain. She merely laughed softly and walked into Splendid沃 Clothiers.
Compared to Fennia and Amisha’s inexperience, Luna clearly understood people’s hearts much better.
“An honor to meet you, noble young ladies. Welcome to Splendid沃 Clothiers. May I ask whether you have a VIP card for our shop?” After they passed through the luxurious glass doors of Splendid沃 Clothiers, a young female attendant in proper attire, speaking in a gentle and pleasant tone, walked up to the three of them and bowed respectfully.
“Sorry, we don’t.” At this moment, Vinny, who had been following behind the three of them, walked in with both hands in his pockets. “Please provide shopping guidance services for the three of them. Several of them are visiting your clothing house for the first time.”
“Very well. I understand, honored sir.” The young attendant looked Vinny over and nodded to indicate that she understood.
“May I ask what styles the three of you require? Dresses? Trousers? Short shorts? Corseted skirt ensembles? Are they for everyday wear, or for banquets?” the young attendant asked.
“Ah, just get me something simple and convenient for training.” Fennia was completely lost and could not help saying that.
“My apologies, noble young lady. Your description is somewhat too general. Could you describe it in a little more detail?” the girl asked.
“A little more detail??”
“For example, what kind of dye do you like? What fabric? What type? You may tell us. Our shop is the largest in Falcon City, so our stock is still quite sufficient,” the young attendant said politely and patiently.
“Ah, dye? Fabric? That’s so complicated.” Fennia scratched her head in confusion. “Buying clothes is this complicated? I thought you’d just take us around, and whichever piece looked nice at first glance, we’d choose that one.”
“Is your lifestyle really that rough?” Vinny said, amused. “I’m starting to wonder if you’re actually a boy.”
“U-uh.” Fennia was very embarrassed, while Amisha laughed secretly from the side.
“But I think you should still listen to the shopping guide and choose something good. Otherwise, it would be too much of a waste,” Vinny added.
“Miss Fennia, describe the kind of clothing you want to the guide, such as the color and how you want it to feel when worn.”
“What color? Mm, let me think. White? I think white looks better. As for how it feels when worn, mm, comfortable is enough, right?” Fennia said.
“Your requirements are way too low.” Vinny clicked his tongue.
Although Fennia’s requirements were very general, as a professional trained by Splendid沃 Clothiers, the shopping guide was highly professional and still listed many garments that matched her description.
Fennia had not expected it at all. She had clearly just wanted to casually choose one piece, and her requirements were already difficult enough, yet the other party could still find a pile of items that met her conditions.
Very soon, Fennia grew somewhat tired of it. The initial novelty had also been worn away. Compared to clothing, she preferred visiting weapon shops, equipment shops, and the like. Those things that clanged when knocked together lit up her eyes more.
However, in order to keep Lady Saintess from feeling that she was not very girlish, Fennia still chose one that suited her taste.
Compared to Fennia, Amisha seemed much more girlish. She was full of curiosity toward those beautiful clothes. Her bright, lovely eyes looked as if she wanted to try on every single piece.
As for Luna, she was very practiced and did not seem like this was her first time here at all.
Very soon, the three of them had chosen their respective outfits.