Celestine Incident: Prelude (1)
The final written exams passed in the blink of an eye. True to its reputation for swiftness, the school released the results immediately afterward. Eidel had taken first place once again. Everyone accepted it as a matter of course—everyone except one person.
“……Damn it.”
Zernya ground her teeth as she closed the grade report window. Despite her meticulously crafted plan, she had failed to reclaim the top spot. A single question. That one-question gap had erected an insurmountable wall between first and second place.
Zernya’s gaze drifted toward Eidel and his companions.
“Big brother, first place again?”
Seti was lavishing praise on her brother with an excited smile. She hadn’t even placed first herself, yet she wore the expression of someone who had. How could she do that?
Zernya couldn’t understand it.
“Eidel really is amazing at studying……”
Beside Seti stood Rustilla, the one who had inflicted such humiliation on Zernya during the midterms. The girl who had awakened stellar sword energy. The one chosen by the stars, yet whose nose was far too high in the air.
Zernya furrowed her brow and adjusted her scarf.
Rustilla spoke. “……I wish I could have done better, like Eidel.”
“It’s fine. You’re doing plenty well already, Rustilla.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Besides, your strength is in practical skills.”
Eidel comforted Rustilla, who had underperformed on the written exam. Rustilla, in turn, listened with her mouth hanging open in a silly grin. Watching the two of them radiate such sickening sweetness made acid rise in Zernya’s throat.
Why on earth was she seeking comfort from someone else for her own shortcomings? Was she an idiot?
“……How annoying.”
The words slipped out before Zernya realized it.
Seti lagged behind her in every category—written and practical alike—so Zernya felt no real sense of inferiority. But Rustilla? Zernya hated to admit it, yet this was the opponent who had once defeated her. Seeing that same opponent act so amicably toward Eidel instead of burning with competitive spirit irritated her to no end.
Worse still, Rustilla kept closing the distance with casual physical contact and occasional offerings of candy. Even if she could force herself to accept everything else, she simply could not comprehend what Rustilla was thinking with that behavior.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
At the pulsing sensation near her chest, Zernya turned on her heel.
“Damn it……”
Arrhythmia. Her heart wasn’t in good condition. Merely watching Eidel and Rustilla converse was enough to shatter her otherwise stable condition. She needed to take the final exam in peak form. Zernya forcibly tore her gaze away from the pair.
“Miss Adelbein, there you are.”
“Teacher Harrington?”
“Here, draw one.”
Her homeroom teacher, Kendra, held out a lottery box.
“You said the exam would rotate through the ships, correct?”
“That’s right. Draw number one and it’s ships two-three-four in order; draw number two and it’s three-four-one……”
“I already know.”
Zernya cut Kendra off and snatched a slip in an instant.
[Ship 3]
“You’ll start with ship three, then four, one, and two in that order. Got it?”
“……I told you I already know.”
After drawing the slip, a sudden curiosity struck her. What number would Eidel draw? If he happened to draw the same number three as her, that would be ideal. Then an immediate comparison would be possible in every exam.
“……”
No—what was she even thinking? None of that mattered. Reclaiming first place in the end was the only priority. Zernya calmed her mind and body while chewing over her defeat.
This time, she would win. She had decided she absolutely would.
The practical portion of the final exam was held at an external location—the Celestine 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ships. They were Federation warships equipped with countless pieces of combat gear. However, they had been constructed roughly twenty years ago. Calling them state-of-the-art vessels would be a stretch. That was probably why they could be stationed here instead of on the front lines. In any case, it was obvious they were a concentration of scientific technology, generously loaded with physical measurement devices and training equipment.
Thump. Thump.
Rustilla’s heart raced wildly as she looked up at the four ships floating in the sky.
“They’re impressive.”
Eidel approached and spoke.
“To think we get to take the practical exam on ships like those—I’m glad I came to Stellarium. Don’t you think?”
“……Yeah.”
Rustilla nodded shyly. Her pounding heart showed no sign of settling.
‘It’s thanks to you,’ Rustilla wanted to say to Eidel. His advice the day before the interview had allowed her to pass. She had also received help during the reassignment exam and the midterms.
“…Ugh.”
She bit her lip. The memory of the reassignment exam had suddenly surfaced. The sensation of their skin touching by the campfire that night rippled through her mind like a wave. It felt as though she were swimming through fluffy clouds.
Rustilla shook her head furiously. She looked up at the sky again.
“……Celestine.”
Emotion welled up inside her. The Celestine-class ships held great significance in Rustilla’s life. Only ten years ago, when she still lived in the western region, Laplace’s forces had invaded from the frontier. She had lost her hometown friends, several relatives had died, and the planet she lived on had been reduced to a wasteland. The very ships that rescued Rustilla and her family—when they had thought their end had come—were those Celestine-class vessels.
“……”
After retracing the hazy memory, Rustilla opened her mouth.
“Eidel.”
“What?”
“……Do well on the exam.”
Eidel nodded in reply.
“You too.”
Rustilla smiled brightly. Outwardly she smiled, but her heart was in turmoil. Something felt off. She had clearly had more to say, yet once again she had only managed a perfunctory greeting. It was a natural exchange between friends, but lately Rustilla had begun to feel that this level of interaction was no longer enough.
— The God of Purity and Tenacity smiles gently.
— You have received a 5000-coin donation!
Feeling unsettled yet unable to think of anything else, Rustilla watched as Teacher Kendra appeared and held something out.
“Your turn, Miss Kersil.”
It was the lottery box. Setting her disappointment aside, Rustilla drew a slip. After confirming her number, she immediately glanced in Eidel’s direction. Eidel, who had drawn earlier, was checking his slip together with Seti.
“What number did you get, big brother?”
“Four.”
“Ah, crap, I got four too.”
“So you hate it?”
“Don’t ask me that.”
Seti poked Eidel’s side repeatedly while joking around.
Number four? Rustilla stared at her own slip again, as if trying to wash her eyes clean.
[Ship 2]
“……”
For some reason, her mood had soured.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”
Seti hummed a little tune. She was in an excellent mood right now.
[Ship 4]
The same number as her brother. It was unfortunate that she had been separated from Rustilla, but having Eidel was more than enough. Family members were supposed to stick together. Sticking together was how you survived. To Seti, who had been drifting on the outskirts of the Rheinland family, Eidel’s presence was becoming increasingly precious. Yet she did not show it outwardly.
“This sucks.”
Inside the orbital elevator heading toward Ship 4, Seti—now changed into a spacesuit—spoke bluntly to Eidel.
“Now what.”
Eidel shot her a sidelong glance.
“Dunno.”
Seti replied with a sly grin.
“Still annoyed that you borrowed ten million credits and haven’t paid them back?”
“……Hmph.”
She let out a nasal sound and looked at Eidel. The ten-million-credit matter was fine since they had even written a promissory note. In fact, she had already decided that even if Eidel never repaid it, she would let it slide. Sonia had told her he hadn’t gone near any gambling dens at all. That was enough. Eidel, no longer under the influence of an Outer Deity, would surely have put that money to good use. She held that belief. But she didn’t reveal that either.
Seti continued to act sulky, going “Hmph, hmph,” while teasing Eidel.
“Do I seem upset?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not upset, though.”
“Little sister.”
She gained a relative sense of superiority over her own brother. It was a kind of compensatory psychology. There had been all the bad things Eidel had done, and the way she had been sidelined by the family. She had endured all of it. Now she simply wanted to bicker and exchange ordinary conversations like a normal pair of siblings. In short, she was being petulant.
Eidel accepted Seti’s petulance with gentle patience.
“What do you want to eat after this is over?”
“How about pizza for the first time in a while?”
“Sounds good. Let’s add pineapple topping.”
“Can’t we add olives instead?”
“Pineapple.”
“Ha, you tasteless brat.”
While they were chatting away, Seti felt her ears pop.
“We’ve arrived.”
Ding!
The orbital elevator carrying over a hundred students came to a stop.
[Welcome aboard the Celestine 4th Ship.]
The massive battleship Celestine, hundreds of meters tall, greeted the Stellarium students with lights sparkling like starlight. Bathed in bright spotlights, Seti and Eidel took one step after another.
“Bella?”
An unexpectedly familiar face appeared.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, Master Eidel instructed me to come.”
“……This guy did?”
Bella was Seti’s personal android. But she wasn’t the only one. Click, click. An android in a maid uniform approached, the sound of her shoes echoing. She lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and performed an archaic curtsy.
“It is good to see you here, young master, young miss.”
“Sonia’s here too…… What’s going on?”
Seti shot Eidel a meaningful look, demanding an explanation. At that moment, applause rang out from the front of the group.
“Everyone, attention please!”
Dozens of soldiers stood along the forward railing. The one who had clapped to draw everyone’s attention was a woman with platinum-blonde hair and emerald eyes. Students murmured upon noticing the jet-black epaulets she wore.
“An Omega-class swordsman.”
“Isn’t that one of the Twelve Zodiacs?”
Seti knew exactly who the woman was. Naier Clark—the Great Omega-class swordsman who had instructed Rustilla in swordsmanship. One of the Federation’s greatest military assets.
“Everyone, I will be jointly overseeing the exam on the 4th Ship. The forty-eight S-class and seven EX-rank individuals present will serve as staff.”
“……!”
“I understand your surprise. There are security concerns, after all. We also cannot allow any harm to come to you while we’re in space.”
Naier spoke as she stepped over the railing, landing lightly from a height of several meters.
“Is there a student named Eidel here?”
She was looking for Eidel for some reason.
“I’m right here.”
Eidel raised his hand.
“Could you come over here for a moment?”
The two began exchanging what seemed to be a secretive conversation. Seti tilted her head. What on earth was that about? She hoped their talk would end quickly. She wanted to finish the practical exam as soon as possible. Once the finals were over, it would essentially be vacation. When vacation started, she planned to call Eidel and Rustilla over for a party—laughing and chatting to their hearts’ content.
“Hehe.”
A silly laugh escaped her without her realizing it. Then—
Swish.
Something darted past her feet at high speed.
“……!”
Startled, Seti jumped back.
“Wh-what was that?”
Plop, plop.
Something that looked like a golden stone was rolling around her, sliding smoothly across the floor. It wasn’t the first time she had seen it. After the reassignment exam, when Eidel and Rustilla had gone missing for a night, she had seen it once before.
Clunk.
The stone that had been rolling wildly came to a stop. In that instant, Seti’s entire body went rigid. Her mouth wouldn’t open. No words came out.
Swish.
The strangely twisted stone rotated half a turn. It had no eyes, yet she felt as though it was staring straight at her. The longer she looked, the more she was drawn in.
“……”
Her mind grew hazy. Without intending to, her waist bent forward of its own accord. Her hand reached downward. She had to pick up the golden stone.
— You have received 800 Fron.
Fireworks exploded inside Seti’s head.
“Ah……”
It was beautiful.