Chapter 40
"Hah, hum-hum!"
Humming a tune, Dan dashed up the stairs to the top floor, reaching the door of the target room in just a few minutes, and energetically raised his arm.
Bang, bang, bang, bang...!
"Celes! Hey, Celes!"
He knocked on the door of Celestia's room on the top floor multiple times while calling out.
At this hour, neither the Marshal nor Colonel Ruget were in their rooms, and since no one else was staying in the exclusive guest rooms for nobles except Celestia, it was deserted. He could knock on the door and shout as much as he wanted without hesitation.
"Celes! Are you not there? Hey!"
Normally, the door would open right away, and she'd greet him with a cold stare, but there was no response or reaction. She should be in her room at this time, so Dan tilted his head in confusion, wondering if she might have gone for an early lunch. He changed direction and raced down to the cafeteria on the first floor.
"...Hmm, not here."
He scanned the still uncrowded cafeteria, but there was no sign of Celestia.
He couldn't just give up like this. What to do? As he grumbled to himself, he caught sight of Celestia's instructor at the edge of his vision.
"Ah, Rick! Rick!"
"...I can hear you without you shouting."
Rick, standing just a few steps ahead, frowned with a displeased look, but Dan paid no mind and grinned broadly while hopping over a table with ease.
"Celes isn't around. Do you know anything?"
"Today's the day to go to the military school, right? Did you forget?"
"No, no, the guys have to gather in the morning for uniform measurements, but the girls are in the afternoon, right? The entrance ceremony is tomorrow anyway..."
"I heard she wanted to see the atmosphere at the military school, so she went early... You didn't know?"
Rick sighed as he looked down at Dan, who had slumped to the floor with his head hanging.
"She'll be back by evening."
"Since Celes will be living in the dorms starting tomorrow, I thought we could have a farewell party with everyone before that... Plus, meat restrictions are lifted starting today, so I planned to go into town for lunch and a farewell party to eat meat."
"Then why not do it after she comes back... Oh, wait, Celes isn't of age yet, is she?"
"Exactly, it's too dangerous to take her into town after dark. Ugh, what should I do? Tom and Sasha are gonna chew me out..."
"Then just do it here. The Marshal and Colonel Ruget are probably planning on that anyway."
"It doesn't feel very special, but I guess that's an option at this point... Can we get meat to go? Or should we splurge instead?"
"...Special feeling."
Ignoring Dan, who started muttering to himself, Rick also began thinking of meat dishes that could be taken out and quickly left the cafeteria.
Passing through the gate into the town of Taurus, the first thing that came into view was Ransheen Fortress. Walking straight to the central plaza, a building resembling a smaller version of the fortress appeared on the right.
That was the military school, where those who would join the National Army in the future were trained.
Entering an alley from the central plaza, the atmosphere changed drastically from the open space. Bookstores, general stores, and shops selling light snacks lined the streets, catering to the needs and preferences of students.
Having no business in this area, I had never set foot here before.
Were the cute trinkets and sweet snacks occasionally seen in the shops prepared for the sons and daughters attending the military school?
Drawn by the unique goods different from those in the main streets, I peered into the shops through the glass while walking slowly. I noticed groups of boys, likely students, running toward the military school multiple times.
Checking the watch on my wrist, I saw I still had plenty of time, unlike the boys who had physical exams in the morning and were probably cutting it close.
Occasionally, I heard urgent voices from behind saying, "Hey...!" but when I turned around and our eyes met, they'd let out a strange yelp like "...Eek!?" and run off as if fleeing.
I'm quite tall, but my hair is long, and my face... it's not sharp like Rudo's.
My chest is a bit lacking, but there's still time for that. Staring at my reflection in the shop window, I nodded to myself that no matter how you look at it, I'm a woman.
From a distance, my height might make me look like a man, so they probably assumed I was one of their peers and called out to prevent me from being late. But up close, seeing my face, they'd realize I'm a woman... probably.
Recalling an incident at the clothing store during uniform measurements, I shook my head side to side.
It's fine. They must have realized their mistake, felt embarrassed, and ran off. I decided to conclude it as such on my own.
Exiting the alley, the famous iron gate of the military school came into view.
Simple yet elegant, and incredibly sturdy, it wasn't meant to keep intruders out but to prevent students from escaping, as Uncle Ruget had told me with a laugh.
I had secretly been looking forward to seeing how impressive it would be...
But in front of that iron gate, a carriage was parked, not only blocking the full view of the gate but also obstructing those trying to enter.
Since it's a place where students come and go, the area around the gate is very spacious, with enough room to park several carriages. There was no need to park right in front of the gate.
"...Nobles, huh?"
Maintaining a carriage is expensive, so mostly upper-class nobles or wealthy merchants own them personally. Lower-class nobles or commoners use rental or shared carriages.
Since Taurus is near the battlefield and far from other towns, visitors are rare. Usually, people rely on cargo or mail carriages to hitch a ride instead of shared ones. However, during this season, for those entering the military school, my father, the lord, specially provides shared carriages from the nearest town, or so he said...
The carriage in front of me wasn't one of those shared ones; no matter how you looked at it, it was privately owned.
Moreover, the attire of the two people standing by the carriage screamed nobility, making them stand out terribly among those dressed simply in shirts, pants, and light jackets.
I had thought there might be at least one third son of a lower noble around, but it seemed these two were of even higher status.
How rare, I thought, conveniently ignoring my own circumstances, and tried to go around the carriage to enter through the gate.
"Hey, you there...!"
A slightly high-pitched voice called out from right beside me. Instinctively, I covered my ears, and assuming the voice belonged to those nobles, I quickened my pace... but.
"Wait...! You, with the silver hair, the long hair...!"
I glanced around briefly, but while there were a few people with somewhat long hair, I was the only one with silver hair. I had no choice but to stop and turn around.
If they were nobles, we might have crossed paths during the social season or exchanged greetings somewhere. I didn't recognize them personally, but since the Rotish family is well-known, they might know me one-sidedly.
Normally, I'd lightly grab the hem of my dress, smile, and tilt my head in greeting, but dressed simply like everyone else, I couldn't do that.
Maybe grabbing the hem of my jacket would look somewhat proper... I thought, and a shiver ran down my spine as I realized I was starting to think like Dan. I rubbed my arms.
"...What is it?"
Though they were the ones who called out to me, the two remained silent for so long that I got fed up and ended up asking what they wanted myself.