Chapter 30
Born as the daughter of a merchant family, twelve years have passed. Since my family has a fair amount of money, I've never faced hardship, and the people in town are all kind. There are a few mean kids, but I just retaliate twice as hard, so no problem. It takes three days by carriage from the nearest town to Taurus, and since the enemy nation is right under our noses, not many people visit from other towns. So, I can say with certainty.
The miraculous person standing before me right now is not a resident of Taurus!
That long silver hair, tied up casually, is silky smooth. They must put in tremendous effort every day to maintain such beautiful hair! Their skin has a healthy tone, incredibly soft and smooth!
Those sharp, almond-shaped eyes, a high and straight nose bridge, and a face so small it's enviable...! Wait, isn't it the size of my palm!?
"......Um."
They're tall, too, and that white shirt exudes cleanliness, even giving off a faint, pleasant fragrance.
From the elbow to the wrist, exposed by rolled-up sleeves, there are defined lines! Muscles...! They mesmerize with their slender, stylish figure, and then, unexpectedly, muscles... ugh...!
"Young lady...?"
Their melancholic air from earlier was attractive in its own way, but this current vulnerable expression is also amazing!
And, young lady? Wait, me? It's me, right? Being called young lady... I've only ever seen or heard that in romance novels! Is this what they call a gentleman!? No wonder their movements are so refined and elegant!
Ah... even their fingers, floating in the air, are long and beautiful. What is this? Are they human? Are we the same species?
"Um... can you hear me?"
Whoa! Their voice is high-pitched... but that's fine too!
And yet, their limbs are so long... Wait, isn't their waist positioned way too high? It's not just that my legs are short.
"H-Hey, too close. Um, could you step back a bit...?"
Ahh, their smile is dazzling...! They're radiating some kind of absolutely noble aura!!
"Huh, aura...?"
Since they're like a prince, isn't it natural for them to shine and sparkle so brightly? They say you can tell a noble person at a glance.
"Noble aura... sparkling?"
"......Don't look at me like that. There's no way I'm radiating some weird aura."
Ah, their profile is lovely too.
But I want to see that dejected, head-hanging pose from earlier again. That hint of darkness they seem to carry makes my heart skip a beat. I want to protect them, cherish them, surround them...!
"So, with marriage in mind, let's date...!?"
"Are you an idiot!? Your inner thoughts are spilling out completely!"
The girl standing beside me started talking at a furious pace with shining eyes, occasionally getting excited and closing in on me, though I gently held her back with one hand...
Midway, a bell attached to the shop's door chimed, and distracted by the sound, I turned my gaze to the door to see a boy standing there, his face completely pale.
Around the time the girl mentioned something about an aura, the boy's shoulders trembled. While I was talking with Rudo, he must have run right up to us, because he suddenly smacked the girl hard on the head...
The girl, hit with such force that the sound echoed, crouched down on the spot while groaning. The boy bowed deeply, saying, "I'm so sorry."
What on earth just happened...?
For now, to get Rudo and Renato away from this situation, I signaled to Altried with a glance. After confirming the three of them naturally moved away, I turned to the boy who was still bowing his head.
"Please, raise your head."
"......I'm really sorry. Come on, Ellie, apologize too."
"Ugh... I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."
"A little!? What are you doing? They're a noble!"
"Huh!?"
Ellie, who had been glaring at the boy with teary eyes, reacted to the word "noble" and jumped straight up.
"Wait, nobles are like... you know, fat and overweight, or have those arrogant mustaches, right?"
"That's just the people your dad does business with!"
"But I've never seen someone this dazzling before! Oh, compared to the statue of the goddess in the church, who's more divine...? Wait, could they be a god!?"
"That's enough, just shut up."
"There are many nobles who are portly or have mustaches."
Nodding at Ellie, who looked up at me with a smile as if to say, "Right?" I glanced between her and the boy before speaking.
"However, I am a noble."
The boy, who had stepped forward as if to protect Ellie, narrowed his eyes at me warily.
This is a town of soldiers, so letting one's guard down and casually interacting with someone who might be a noble is an act that could lead to punishment for a commoner.
The nobles Ellie, who said she's a merchant's daughter, has met must have been the type to laugh off a bit of rudeness.
But precisely because she's from a merchant family, someone should have taught her that there are people who will tolerate such familiarity and those who won't. Like this boy.
Shrugging at Ellie, who still showed no sign of caution, I smiled at the boy, who kept his body tense and refused to look away from me, before shifting my gaze to the counter.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine. Ellie, make sure to properly thank Ralph for apologizing on your behalf. Honestly, getting involved with Marshal Fielde's grandchild—your father's going to be furious later, you know?"
"Huh!?"
"......What?"
Giving a wry smile to the two who froze at the mention of Grandfather's name, I began filling out the necessary details on the order form placed on the counter.
Surprised that I needed to order uniforms, shirts, gloves, and even a bag, I tilted my head when I came across an item called a dog tag.
"What is this dog tag?"
"Haven't you seen one at the fortress? All soldiers wear them around their necks. They engrave their name, date of birth, and for nobles, their family crest. If they die on the battlefield, it's returned to their family as a keepsake. It's also used to identify someone if they're taken as a prisoner of war."
"Even students need it?"
"Being a soldier-in-training doesn't mean you're safe. You never know what might happen here."
Prisoners of war are treated with honor and aren't subjected to torture or execution, but only high-ranking nobles can hope for release.
The ransom amount is decided through negotiations between countries, and if it can be paid, one can return to their homeland. But commoners and lower nobles don't have the money for that.
For essential figures like a Marshal or a Knight Commander, the country might cover the cost.
Drawing my family crest next to my name and checking that I hadn't forgotten anything, I handed over the order form.
"How many days will it take?"
"At the earliest, a month. If you're in a hurry, I can have it done sooner."
"No, there's no rush... It's just that I need permission to leave the fortress."
"You don't need to come pick it up. I'll have it delivered with the other orders from the fortress."
If they can deliver it, that makes things easier.
In that case... maybe I should buy more.
"Will this number of spare shirts be enough?"
"Let's see... I'd say add two or three more to each category just to be safe."
"Looks like I'll have a lot of luggage..."
"What are you saying? This is on the lighter side. Especially since you're a girl, you're probably still short on a few things. Oh, Ellie!"
"Huh...?"
"Don't just stand there. Since you'll be classmates, teach her a few things."
"Huh, why me? Wouldn't Ralph be better since he's a senior?"
"Since it's about things you'll use in the dorm, it's better to ask someone of the same gender, right?"
"......Same gender?"
So Ellie is enrolling in the military school this year too...
Feeling a bit happy to hear we'd be classmates, I muttered, "Military school?" and Ralph's trembling voice made me burst out laughing.
It seems I must have really scared him...
Since we'll be spending time at the same school from now on, I'd like to get along with them.
Setting down the pen, I slowly turned around, apologized to Ralph for laughing, and gently extended my hand.
"I'm Celestia Rotisch. Call me Celes."
Since neither Ellie nor Ralph moved, I tilted my hand side to side with a "Hm?" and they, like broken toys, jerkily raised their arms, grabbed my hand, and shook it while saying, "Nice to meet you."
"Celes, you're... a girl? Wait, a girl?"
"......No way."
I'll need to have a talk with Rudo, who's laughing with shaking shoulders in the corner of the shop, later.