The Sage’s Robe

At seven in the morning, Ailin knocked on the door precisely.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Ziyao gently nudged the blonde loli beside her.

They had been sleeping together for several days now, and Ziyao had gradually grown accustomed to the soft, warm girl lying next to her.

“Good morning, Ziyao,” Aiya said, a healing smile gracing her lips.

Oh.

Ziyao felt her heart pierced directly. How could such an adorable child exist?

Gently nuzzling Aiya’s cheek, Ziyao bounced off the bed with a look of utter contentment.

With such a delightful loli right before her, she truly couldn’t resist.

‘It’s definitely not because I’m a pervert, okay?’

Opening the door for Ailin, Ziyao then headed to the room next door, a place she had only stayed in a few times before.

Elena had rested there yesterday.

Bang—

“Wake up, Elena!” Ziyao’s approach was far less gentle than Ailin’s.

She slammed her fist against the wooden door, shouting with impressive vigor.

There was no other way; without her magic, she couldn’t even defeat Aiya. If she used any less force, Elena probably wouldn’t hear her at all.

“I know!” Elena’s voice called from within.

“Then I’m coming in.”

“Oh.”

As the door swung open, Ziyao’s gaze was immediately drawn to Elena, who stood clad in pajamas.

The soft pink color seemed quite mismatched with Elena’s usual earnest, somewhat clumsy demeanor.

Ziyao was more accustomed to seeing Elena in her knight’s uniform; this version of Elena lacked that familiar spirit.

“Is Ailin helping Aiya change?” Elena inquired.

Ziyao rolled her eyes. ‘Isn’t that obvious? Why else would I be here?’

After all, those formal gowns were genuinely difficult to put on. Without assistance, Ziyao estimated it would take her an entire day to manage.

This was precisely where Ailin, the perfect maid, proved invaluable.

Today, she would need to help these two princesses into their formal attire three times—a truly monumental task.

Fortunately, Ziyao and Raphael did not require her help. Otherwise, Miss Maid might seriously consider resigning.

Raphael was scheduled to wear the Church’s exclusive Saintess Robe today. Unlike her usual clothing, the Saintess Robe was incredibly easy to don.

It was, after all, simply a long white gown.

In fact, all of the Church’s standard uniforms were quite simple. It was said that this was because the past few Popes had a distaste for extravagance.

“Clothes? As long as they’re wearable, that’s enough,” the current Pope had retorted to those priests who wished to make the Church’s uniforms more ornate.

Of course, the primary reason was that the Church was poor.

Times had changed. Now, the Church relied on healing spells to earn money. If they were to alter the uniforms, how much would that cost?

Ziyao’s Sage Robe was even more convenient; one simply slipped it on, and it was done.

The black robe, embroidered with blue and gold lines, exuded an inherent nobility, symbolizing the Sage’s esteemed status.

A small emblem was stitched onto the right chest of the robe—Ziyao’s chosen mark as a Sage.

Furthermore, the robe was adorned with numerous magical patterns. Simply by observing them, one could discern Ziyao’s honorable title.

This also served to prevent any thoughtless individuals from offending a revered Sage.

However, one still needed to wear clothes *underneath* the robe.

‘Go commando? Are you kidding me?’

Thus, Ziyao had prepared a blue plaid shirt for herself, paired with a matching short skirt.

The Sage Robe’s hem was long enough to cover her legs completely, so she felt no self-consciousness.

Her reason for coming to Elena’s room was to change her clothes.

The room next door was occupied by Aiya, and she certainly couldn’t change in the hallway. So, there was only one place left, wasn’t there?

“Hey, Ziyao, how old are you exactly?” Elena couldn’t help but ask, observing Ziyao’s undeniably flat figure.

Although Ziyao had always claimed to be around twenty, her appearance made it incredibly difficult to believe.

Aiya, due to her physical condition, hadn’t developed much, but even she was slightly more prominent than Ziyao.

‘Could Ziyao actually be in her teens?’

‘But she’s already a Sage!’

‘Is this the power of a genius?’

‘Terrifying, truly terrifying.’

Watching Elena lost in thought, Ziyao tilted her head. ‘What could this simpleton be pondering?’

‘Eh?’

‘When did I become so girlish?’

Ziyao detected a subtle anomaly. ‘Would I have made such a gesture before?’

‘Certainly not.’

But now, it felt almost like an instinctual reaction.

‘Tsk…’

Ziyao tapped her small head with a clenched fist, temporarily setting aside her doubts. More important matters awaited her today.

Quickly dressed, Ziyao spun around in front of the mirror.

“Perfect.”

She assessed herself with this single word.

Then, she retrieved her Sage Robe and enveloped herself within its folds.

The black robe and silver hair shimmered in harmony, imbuing the young girl with an aura of nobility.

Flowing like liquid, the blue lines subtly conveyed to onlookers that the robe’s owner was an exceptionally esteemed mage.

“How is it? Does it suit me?” Ziyao approached Elena, seeking her appraisal of her attire.

“It’s truly beautiful,” Elena exclaimed, her mouth agape. She had never imagined that a mere robe could make Ziyao radiate such brilliance.

If yesterday she would have dared to playfully tackle Ziyao to the ground, today, even with ten times the courage, she wouldn’t dare.

The current Ziyao emanated an overwhelming aura of condescension, as if she looked down upon everything.

She seemed like a lofty deity.

‘Is she… dumbfounded?’

Ziyao waved a hand in front of Elena’s eyes, rousing the silly girl from her reverie. “Elena, am I really that beautiful?”

“Yes,” Elena nodded without hesitation.

Previously, her own younger sister was the cutest in her eyes, but today, Ziyao had also claimed a spot.

She now stood beside Aiya, sharing the throne of cuteness.

‘Uh, it’s not that serious, is it?’ Ziyao returned to the mirror, utterly bewildered. Why couldn’t she see it herself? This wasn’t…

‘Eh?’

‘Am I really that imposing?’

‘Why does my entire demeanor change when I put on the Sage Robe? This isn’t right.’

Just as Ziyao stood scratching her head in front of the mirror, Ailin opened the door and entered.

“Princess Elena, it’s your turn. And… oh?” The maid was also a little stunned. “Miss Ziyao, this Sage Robe… it truly suits you marvelously.”

Even Ailin had said so, making it seem that there truly was some kind of chemical reaction between her and this grand robe.

Ultimately, the outcome was acceptable.

She was wrapped up snugly, and if others found her beautiful, it wouldn’t cost her a single ounce of flesh.

On this point, Ziyao was quite open-minded.

Who wouldn’t want to look a little better, be a little more popular?

Still, the artisan who crafted this Sage Robe was truly a master.

****

“Achoo…” The green-haired girl sneezed.

“You can catch a cold?”

“Someone must be talking about me,” she mused, a faint smile gracing her lips as she recalled the small gift she had prepared for an old friend.

‘I wonder if she’ll like it?’