Renia Arbaana
Renia Arbaana. "...and so we extract the mana stones..."
I was completely zoned out. I couldn't focus on the class at all. The reason was simple: right now, I wasn't in my right mind. Even when I tried to listen, the content slipped away like fine sand through my fingers, vanishing in an instant. I decided to just give up on this lecture entirely. That was my conclusion and my way of coping.
Who would've thought Karne was from the Arbaana family.
Instead of paying attention to the lesson, my thoughts kept circling back to my close friend Karne and her family background. No matter how I looked at it, the traits I knew about the Arbaana people simply didn't match the innocent, pure-hearted Karne at all.
The Arbaana family was infamous for being far more patriarchal than any other. It was a place where women faced discrimination purely for their gender, no matter how capable they might be.
Maybe Karne doesn't even realize she's an Arbaana.
She might be what people commonly called an illegitimate child. It was a fairly common occurrence in this world. Otherwise, her gentle demeanor made no sense.
That actually lines up perfectly.
The Arbaana family wielded the power of space. Thanks to that overwhelming strength, the men of the house treated everyone else with contempt as a baseline. A few of the more extreme ones even harbored dangerous thoughts—that their power surpassed the imperial family's, that they could change rulers if they wished—ideas that would get their heads lopped off the moment they were discovered.
Wasn't there one in the third year as well?
I recalled that there was an Arbaana member among the third-years. I'd never paid them any mind since our paths wouldn't cross, but since this involved Karne, I figured I should take some precautions. If that person noticed her existence and dragged her back to the family, it would cause serious problems. Especially considering Karne's personality.
"Speaking of which, what's with that girl? She's been acting strange since earlier."
I subtly shifted my gaze toward Mir, who, like me, wasn't focusing on the class at all. The way she scanned her surroundings with burning intensity, as if searching for something, left quite an impression.
Ah. Eye contact.
I hadn't looked away in time, and our eyes met. I wondered what thoughts lay behind the gaze fixed so intently on me. When I gave a small wave in greeting, Mir nodded with a somewhat puzzled expression before turning away.
What was that about?
It really must be him.
Mir fell into thought for a moment as she stared at Zeon, the one whose eyes had just met hers. The insolent bastard who had dared to snatch the Alkest item right out from under her. She'd spent the entire weekend racking her brain to identify the culprit. Among the narrowed-down suspects, the one she personally considered most likely was the very guy sitting over there.
Should I just ask him straight up?
But Mir immediately shook her head, rejecting the idea.
No. Even if it was him, there's no way he'd admit it that easily.
She would have to figure it out herself. Fortunately, she'd already built some rapport with him through conversation, which would make things easier. Starting with sharing lunch and chatting...
"Sorry. I already have plans to eat with someone."
"Uh, uhh?"
Honestly, if that was all, Mir wouldn't have been particularly flustered. After all, who would be foolish enough to be shocked simply because someone wasn't eating with them?
"Zeon!"
"Ah, Karne."
The problem was that the person he was eating with turned out to be Karne standing right in front of her.
Of all people...
Her reaction suggested she knew something about Karne. However, she didn't say anything to Zeon about it. She simply wasn't interested in getting involved in something that wasn't yet confirmed.
"Hehe. This looks delicious."
"Eat plenty."
"Okay!"
Karne ate with a bright, happy smile. Watching her, I felt a strange sensation. The way she consumed the seafood pasta loaded with her favorite ingredients somehow came across as elegantly noble. Or maybe it was because of what Cheonma had said that I was perceiving it that way...
-Isn't it a little too obvious?
"Is it that noticeable?"
-That child is simply oblivious. If it were anyone else, they'd probably choke on their food without even realizing it.
At Cheonma's words, I quietly closed my mouth. I hadn't realized it was that severe.
But it's quiet right now.
The suspicious soul residing inside Karne was currently just quietly observing our actions. Surely that soul must be someone from the Arbaana family too?
Ah. Eye contact.
Because I kept staring, the other side met my gaze as well. We held eye contact for a full ten seconds. At first the soul tilted its head as if wondering if it was imagining things, but now it clearly recognized that I was looking directly at it and wore a face filled with shock.
-Oh my. To think you would discover me. I truly didn't expect this.
Then came a voice I'd never heard before. It must have been the soul speaking to me.
-Yes, this is the first time you're hearing my voice, isn't it.
-H-huh? How??
-If you'd stayed quietly hidden, maybe. But you think I wouldn't notice when you're leaving traces like this?
And of course, Cheonma wasn't one to miss an opening like this. She naturally inserted herself into the conversation with a nonchalant expression.
-Well then. If you want to live, try talking your way out of this.
-You people are all monsters!
-Is that all you have to say? Then disappear.
Crackle.
Purple lightning began sparking from Cheonma's hand. She was about to finish what she couldn't complete earlier.
-W-wait a second?!
-No answer, no mercy.
-If I disappear like this, our little cutie will definitely be in danger too!
"...Master, hold on a moment."
It was an extremely quiet voice that Karne in front of us couldn't possibly hear. But Cheonma, who was right beside me, would definitely have caught it.
-What is it.
As expected, Cheonma stopped her action at my words and turned her gaze. I expressed my gratitude for her restraint and asked the one hiding inside Karne.
"Is this 'cutie' you're talking about Karne?"
-Yes!
"What do you mean when you say Karne would be in danger?"
-I'll answer, but first, just a moment.
Ziiiing.
-There! I've roughly set it up, so now you can speak through thought. It would look strange if you were the only one talking out loud, wouldn't it?
...Is this how it's supposed to work?
It felt similar to Libra's telepathy but somehow different. This one seemed softer and more natural.
-Yes. I can hear you perfectly. So, what would you like me to answer?
I repeated my earlier question about why Karne would be in danger.
-It's simple. Without me, I wouldn't be able to suppress Karne's power.
Suppress Karne's power?
-Those rotten bastards have been running the family I created into the ground. Given how the family operates now, the moment my little cutie's power is exposed, she'll face some very unpleasant things. That's why I'm controlling her power in real time.
-Controlling her power, huh. So that's why you usually stay hidden.
-Correct. Continuously using my power is originally quite burdensome. If I hadn't anchored my soul to the academy's dedicated weapon, even having this conversation would have been impossible.
I turned to look at Cheonma. Intervening in the physical world while in a soul state was something she did frequently as well. And she had mentioned that using this power consumed Karma.
But Cheonma's eyes widened in clear surprise as she stared at the location of the soul—right at Karne's chest—and spoke.
-The world permits that?
-This child resembles me more than any of my other descendants. To the point that I wonder if she might be my reincarnation or something.
-How could there be a reincarnation when the soul is already present here.
-Oh, I thought you'd already noticed. The original no longer exists in this world. I am merely a thought fragment left behind by the original.
That was information I hadn't known. So right now, it wasn't even the original—just a thought fragment intervening in reality like this? Just how monstrous had the original been? It was unlikely, but perhaps on the same level as Cheonma...
I can't say for certain yet, but I also can't completely rule it out.
That's how impressive the display from this soul was. Even Cheonma beside me was shocked enough to widen her eyes like that.
-Exerting power on others while consuming Karma. Just who was your original that a mere thought fragment like you can pull off something so absurd?
-My original's name is Renia Arbaana.
So she really was from the Arbaana family. But Renia Arbaana... The somewhat familiar name made me tilt my head naturally.
-Renia Arbaana... could it be...
-Hehe. Your guess is correct.
Renia Arbaana... Renia... Renia... Ah?
Yes, I definitely remembered seeing that name. And it had been in a history book just a few days ago. The figure named Renia Arbaana I'd seen there was clearly...
-The first head who founded the Arbaana family. That is my original. She was the woman known as the Transcendent of Space who marked the beginning of the Arbaana family.