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Chapter 104 : Long time no see, familiar person
Chapter 104 - Long time no see, familiar person
“Cough! Cough!.....” It had been a long time since he last returned, and the place hadn't been cleaned by any servants for ages. When Winnie was still here, he only cleaned his own room while in the Vanessa state, leaving the rest of the house untouched. The dust in the house was so thick that Shikondel couldn't stop coughing.
“Ah, the house is even dirtier than I imagined,” Winnie said, covering his nose. Even though this was his home, it felt like there was no place to step.
“Come on in, no need to take off your shoes,” he added. The house was so dirty that it was fine to walk around with shoes on.
How did it get this dirty? Looking at the old living room, Winnie couldn't help but wonder. He remembered it wasn't this bad before he left. Has it changed so drastically in just a few months? Or was it because he had been living in the clean and well-maintained dormitory of Carillian Academy, getting used to finer things and unable to tolerate the rough?
Еn̊ u m̄ â
“Winnie, is this your home?” Shikondel asked, looking at the shabby furniture and decor. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she had entered an ancient house filled with antiques.
“Yeah, this is where I grew up,” Winnie replied. “After my parents passed away, we had a few servants, but they left soon after because we couldn't pay them. The last one left not long ago, and since then, no one has taken care of the place, so it ended up like this.”
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“I see. Winnie, is that the storage room over there?” Shikondel walked towards a sealed room in the living room. Before she could even get close, a strong, pungent smell of cheap alcohol hit her, catching her off guard.
“Cough! Is that... alcohol? Winnie, do you have a habit of drinking?”
“No, no, that's from someone else's stash,” Winnie said, sweating a little. For some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed admitting to his past misdeeds and couldn't help but felt a bit guilty.
Luckily, Shikondel was a bit naive and didn't suspect anything in Winnie's tone. If it were Aesphyra, that little devil, she would have teased Winnie mercilessly.
E̊ n̄ŭm̆а .іď
“The storage room is over there,” Winnie pointed to a direction on the second floor, right across from the stairs.
Shikondel pushed open the door and skillfully took out a mop, bucket, and broom.
As a noble moon elf princess, Shikondel was initially clueless about such tasks. But, as they say, harsh reality forces one to learn things they once were not good at.
After all, reality doesn't go easy on you just because you're not strong enough. The punches that come your way won't be any fewer.
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At Carillian Academy, where Winnie took care of her, Shikondel felt too embarrassed to just freeload and ended up taking on the daily cooking and housework. Plus, she made an effort to learn, so by the end of the semester, she had become quite proficient at these chores.
Of course, Winnie wouldn't just stand by and watch Shikondel do all the work. After putting their luggage by the entrance, he joined her in cleaning.
Еn.u mā . і̂ d̃
After an afternoon of work, they finally managed to make the house look somewhat presentable. There were still some corners they missed, but at least it looked much cleaner now.
Winnie wiped the sweat off his brow. Cleaning the house took less time than he had expected.
“Thanks for your hard work, Dell. I couldn't have done it without you,” Winnie said, looking at Shikondel resting on the sofa. He poured her a cup of water, using some of the only tea leaves they had at home, which looked suspiciously like coal dust.
Well, tea was something only the nobility and the wealthy could afford. Regardless of its quality, it was still tea, and it was the most valuable thing they had in the house.
Shikondel took a sip and almost spat it out. Out of politeness, she forced herself to swallow, tears welling up in her eyes as she struggled to get it down.
“Uh, sorry, that's the only tea we have at home. It's fine if you can't drink it. Just spit it out, and I'll get you some plain water,” Winnie said, feeling embarrassed.
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Shikondel didn't say a word. With a few gulping sounds, she slowly swallowed the extremely bitter tea, then silently put down the cup, staying quietly as if digesting the tea.
Well, even though she had been on the run since the fall of the moon elf kingdom, this was the first time Shikondel had such poor food and drink. That cup of tea almost sent her to the afterlife.
However, Shikondel didn't feel wronged. On the contrary, that tea gave her a clear understanding of Winnie's living conditions. Before, she couldn't fully grasp it just from his words. As they say, hearing something doesn't necessarily make you understand, but experiencing it once makes it clear.
Besides, she thought about how Winnie's family was so poor, yet he still worked hard to support her, an outsider, while he himself was in a difficult situation.
Shikondel's gratitude and affection for Winnie grew even more.
'Virtue + 100.'
W е̌ b n̂ ov̌ êl Е n ù m̀ ӓ
'Current Virtue: 5334.'
Winnie could tell that the tea was indeed terrible, given how much it had affected Shikondel. He quickly poured out her cup and fetched some clean well water.
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Was the tea really that bad?
Winnie poured himself a cup, took a sip, and his eyebrows twitched, but he slowly drank it down.
It was so bitter that it felt like pure bitter water.
Well, literally tasting bitterness.
Ӗ n um.a
Ah well, at least it's tea. Might as well drink it; it'd be a waste not to. Compared to the hardships he's faced, this bitterness was nothing.
“Dell, I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have suggested you come here,” Winnie said apologetically.
“It's fine. It was my choice to come. I wanted to experience the life you used to live. I should be the one thanking you for going through the trouble of bringing me back,” Shikondel shook her head.
"Then, Dell, you can stay in the room next to mine. It used to be my parents' room, but it's been empty for a long time. Everything's been moved to the storage room, and no one has lived there for ages," Winnie said. “Is that okay?”
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“Mm-hmm, that's fine.”
“Then I'll help you move your luggage in later. Let's see, where should we go for dinner tonight...” Just as Winnie was thinking about where to take Shikondel for dinner, the sound of someone ringing a bell came from the yard.
Ẅ ё b̈n̆ о v̇él̂ E_n̄ů m ä
Hearing this, Winnie told Shikondel to wait at home and went out to the yard. There, he found a Wrathful Dragon Knight standing at his gate.
What a rare guest.
Well, not exactly rare. Before he enrolled in the academy, a Wrathful Dragon Knight had visited his home to deliver compensation.
What were they here for this time?
Curious, Winnie opened the rusted iron gate.
“How may I help you, Sir Knight?” Winnie asked.
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“Sir Winnie, tonight is the day when the students of Carillian Academy from the kingdom return home. Therefore, His Majesty the King has arranged a banquet at the palace and hopes that you and the student staying with you will attend,” the Wrathful Dragon Knight said with great respect.
The student staying with him? Did the king know about that already?
Winnie quickly realized that Mirexia must have informed the king before sending the invitation. After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to attend the banquet alone and leave Shikondel at home.
Impressed by Mirexia's thoughtfulness, Winnie accepted the two invitations handed to him by the Wrathful Dragon Knight.
“I understand. We'll be there. Thank you for delivering the invitations personally,” Winnie said. The Wrathful Dragon Knights were the royal guard of the Camella royal family, and having one delivering the invitations was a sign of great respect to the invitees.
The attitude of this Wrathful Dragon Knight was also very respectful. Winnie didn't feel the same disdain he had experienced from the two young Wrathful Dragon Knights before.
Еn̂u m̈.ǎ. i̇ d́
Was it because Mirexia had asked them specifically?
Very likely, considering that Mirexia had been present during the previous incident when he was provoked by the Wrathful Dragon Knights.
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Well, Aesphyra had been there too, but that silver-haired little nut had returned to her family in Gelatus and wasn't in the Camella capital at the moment.
It was quite something. Back then, Winnie and Aesphyra had been sworn enemies, constantly on guard against each other as if they were thieves.
“Dell, we're going to the palace for a banquet tonight,” Winnie said as he walked back into the house, waving the two invitations.
“Huh? The palace?” Shikondel blinked her big eyes, looking confused. “The Camella royal palace?”
W е̂b̄n о̄v̂ е̄l Е ňu ma
"Yeah, which other palace would it be? Today is the day when all the students from Camella return home, so the king decided to hold a banquet and invite all the young nobles from the kingdom. You've been invited too," Winnie said, handing Shikondel her invitation.
Shikondel, who was fluent in the language of Camella, looked at the invitation with her fake name written on it. She seemed curious, though it was hard to tell if she was more interested in the human royal-style invitation or the material used to write the text.
“Let's go. It's about time. Walking there should get us there just in time,” Winnie glanced at the clock on the wall. Well, the watch was of good quality and hadn't broken. At least, it was still ticking, so it must be working.
“Okay,” Shikondel nodded, then looked down at her outfit, feeling a bit awkward. “Winnie, are we going to the palace like this?”
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“Shouldn't we change into formal attire or something?” Shikondel felt it was inappropriate.
“Well, we don't have a formal dress in your size,” Winnie thought for a moment. “But it shouldn't be a big problem. Our king is a reasonable man. What can we do without formal attire? Besides, wearing the Carillian Academy uniform to the banquet should be fine. There have been palace banquets to welcome returning students before, and many wore their uniforms.”
Е n ü m̊а̂
If it were the uniforms of other academies, it might be seen as rude or improper, but wearing the Carillian Academy uniform wouldn't cause any issues.
The reason was simple: just wearing this uniform was a symbol of talent and capability, and people tend to be more lenient towards those who are capable.
Originally, Winnie had a very presentable formal outfit, the one Aesphyra had given him. But to avoid making Shikondel feel out of place in her uniform, Winnie decided to forgo wearing his formal attire and accompany her in their uniforms instead.
After moving their luggage into the room, they left the yard, locked the gate, and headed to the palace.
Along the way, Shikondel hid behind Winnie.
Winnie also noticed that there were more people on the street now, and many of them were looking at Shikondel with curiosity or interest.
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What caught the attention of the capital's residents, aside from Shikondel's exquisite beauty, were her distinctly elven ears.
Many recognized her as an elf, and even those who hadn't seen one before knew that human ears couldn't look like that.
Winnie knew that being watched by so many humans made Shikondel nervous. He didn't say anything but silently shielded her, trying to block her from view as much as possible.
For those who were just curious and changed at her, Winnie didn't mind. They were simply interested. But for those who didn't care about bothering others, staring relentlessly, or even with ill intent, Winnie glared back at them, his expression saying, 'What are you looking at? Want to stare at me, the infamous Camella capital's troublemaker? Dare to lock eyes with me for five seconds??'
Perhaps it was because Winnie had gone through several life-and-death trials since enrolling in the academy, but his aura was much stronger than before. His glare made almost everyone look away sheepishly, sneaking glances as they left.
As the sun set, they arrived at the palace gate just before dusk.
Е̇ n̂ u ma
Shikondel's mouth formed an 'o' shape, clearly filled with curiosity and awe at the human-style palace.
Although she had grown up in an elven palace, she had never seen a human palace before, and it was much grander than she had imagined.
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They arrived just in time. Besides them, many noble youths were entering the palace, most of whom were students of Carillian Academy. Winnie recognized quite a few of them.
Too bad Fred wasn't from the capital, and neither were his card-playing friends. They were all in their respective noble territories now.
Shikondel and Winnie lined up at the back, showing their invitations to the Wrathful Dragon Knights guarding the entrance. After a routine check, the knights let them into the palace.
Shikondel still seemed worried about being judged for not wearing formal attire, and Winnie could understand. In a foreign land, being stared at by the locals could be very distressing, especially for someone as gentle as Shikondel.
W е b̀ ṅ.оv е̊l̄ Е nǔ m а̃
However, once inside, she felt much better because she saw many noble youths in the palace wearing the same uniform as her, giving her a sense of familiarity, as if she were back at the academy.
These nobles probably had the opposite thought: they had worked hard to get into Carillian Academy, and it was an honor. Since it was an honor, why not show it off when returning home? It was a matter of pride.
So they wore their uniforms to the banquet.
Of course, not all the happenings were current students of Carillian Academy. There were former students as well.
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What's a former student?
Winnie spotted a familiar face, and that person had already noticed him. When their eyes met, the person walked over without hesitation.
Wе ḃ ṅ о̊v ê l̂ Ѐ nũm̌ă
“Long time no see, Winnie.”
“Yeah, long time no see. I think the last time we met was the last time,” Winnie said with a chuckle, looking at his former rival, Bryan, whom he had eliminated during the academy's entrance trial.
Winnie humorously made a joke in his signature style, his smile showing no hostility towards his former rival, nor any mockery for Bryan's failure to pass the trial and being eliminated by him. There was none of the confidence or bravado he had shown when they first met.
He was calm and composed, even playful.
“...You've changed,” Bryan said after a long pause, looking at Winnie's uniform and finally meeting his eyes.
“Oh? Have I? Heh, so you think I've gotten handsome? Good eye,” Winnie ran a hand through his hair, full of confidence.
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“The current you is far more deserving of the title 'Descendant of the Goddess' than the old you,” Bryan said seriously. He didn't seem to hold a grudge against Winnie for causing him to fail the academy's entrance exam.
In his view, if you're not skilled enough, there's nothing to say. Just work hard to improve, and there will be plenty of opportunities to enter the academy in the future.
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