Sword Saintess (2)
-Swoosh... The world crumbles away. What emerges is an unfathomable, infinite darkness. And woven through it, a brilliant cluster of stars.
The constellations' homeland. The realm of their true forms. The cosmos.
'Just as I remember.'
I'd never seen this in my interactions with the Avatar of the Black Sun, but this was the original cinematic from the game.
-Whoosh!
My body gets pulled somewhere else again. After a moment, I realize we're still in the cosmos, but now there's a solid floor beneath my feet.
"We're here."
Avatar of the Black Sun: H-Hiiik...!
I ignored her terrified reaction and waited for the room's owner to arrive.
-Shimmer...
Suddenly, sparkling dust particles generate from beneath my feet. They swirl together in a rush, intertwining until they form a complete human shape.
Constellation 'Heir of the Lost Star' faces you.
『Heir of the Lost Star』
The alert notified me of the room's owner's arrival.
"..."
A vaguely human form, barely holding its shape. That was roughly what the Heir of the Lost Star looked like. According to the lore, it had suffered massive damage from some past incident and still hadn't fully recovered. That incompleteness was its true, essential form as a constellation.
-Absolute.
A neutral voice echoes through the entire space. The eerie tone, like it's got a built-in mosaic filter, makes me grimace involuntarily.
"Nice to meet you."
-I didn't expect you'd return. We thought you'd left for good.
I had left. To that hellish, infinitely repeating "real life." The agony of waking up early every day, preparing for the grind ahead.
'That was real hell.'
They wouldn't understand, living carefree with a snap of their fingers. The soul-crushing routine of dragging yourself to some job like a cog in a machine, repeating a life you hate.
"But here I am, back again."
I spread my arms wide dramatically. The figure made entirely of cosmic matter watched me, then continued.
-Our child mistook your devotee for an enemy and attacked her. I apologize.
"Oh."
Unlike some, this was a pretty polite response. I closed the status window I'd had open. I'd been ready to gift them a full curse combo if needed, but this made things quicker.
Avatar of the Black Sun: .....
'More friendly than I expected.'
This was a new side, unseen in the game. There, this constellation had always been silent, rejecting interactions with others.
"So, what's this all about?"
-There was a flow of stars. The human made of star clusters lifted their head to gaze at a fragment of the distant cosmos.
"Isn't that your job to manage?"
The Heir of the Lost Star slowly shook their head at my question.
-No one can interfere with the flow of stars.
-Swoosh...
Suddenly, stars beyond the cosmos begin to move. Not just one or two—countless among the myriad stars, shooting toward somewhere as meteors.
'Whoa...'
A rare sight, even in the real world.
'Are all those holy swords?'
Avatar of the Black Sun: Hiiiek...
The Avatar of the Black Sun had been trembling in terror since we arrived.
-The holy swords seek their masters.
"I know."
-But finding a worthy master is no easy task. True heroes are exceedingly rare—miraculous encounters.
That's why some humans deify them alongside constellations.
'Sounds like a tough life for her.'
Constellations without worshippers wither and die; every moment is a desperate struggle. And for one overseeing heroes? With so few devotees already, it must be hell.
'Should've set looser conditions.'
In this rotten world, how many truly good people are there?
-That's why I'm grateful to you.
"...Suddenly?"
-You guided the holy swords and even helped birth a hero.
Her words instantly brought to mind the blue-haired girl throwing a tantrum and the meteor child falling from the sky. Unintended consequences of the system's one-sided "luck."
'Did she know it'd turn out like this?'
If I'd known, I wouldn't have come at all.
-Please forgive our child.
She meant the Sword Saintess, who'd ambushed our precious girl.
"Hm."
I pondered. Eliminating the Sword Saintess here could delay future headaches and the hero's emergence.
'Ah, the handsome big bro...'
That innocent gaze looking up at me pricked uncomfortably.
'She really seemed airheaded.'
Even the prospective hero I'd just met seemed sorely lacking. Heroes always sacrificed something human for their talent—speech, sight, or sanity.
The constellation took my silence as negative and started defending herself.
-...With your power, you could shrug off my curse and recover easily. So I ask you: please.
A request. She'd conceded a lot from her side.
'Must be important.'
"Why'd the Sword Saintess attack? What was that about?"
A beat later, the Heir of the Lost Star answered.
-A misunderstanding. The aura of the Black Sun's Avatar deep within you.
"Ah."
Avatar of the Black Sun: Ah.
Did the community leak into the human realm? News to me.
'But even so.'
I didn't expect the Sword Saintess to pick up on something that subtle. Hidden NPC stays hidden, huh.
-That child is special. Exceptional senses and talent for detecting constellations.
So that's it.
-She mistook your devotee for a Black Sun lackey.
"Hm, got it."
The story checked out. The Black Sun were total scumbags. Laughable coming from me after taking her in, but the world's hatred for them was venomous.
'Karma, all of it.'
Who told them to act like assholes? When the constellation's rotten, so are the devotees.
Avatar of the Black Sun: .....
I eyed the sparkling figure, ignoring the speechless Avatar.
"So?"
-.....
"She misunderstood, attacked our devotee. Lucky she dodged since she's one of ours—any other cult, and you'd have a dead follower on your hands. You know that, right?"
-I know.
"Exactly. So I figure some compensation's in order."
Even if humans are lesser than constellations, my devotees are my cherished kids. One of them—our precious girl—nearly got hurt over a stupid mix-up.
Truth be told, I'd been ready to hit the curse button since arriving.
'Outrageous.'
Public and private must be kept separate. Even this slightly dim constellation should get that.
-Your demand is reasonable.
"You think so too?"
-You've helped me three times, yet I nearly harmed your devotee.
Three times. Meteor once, the girl once.
'What's the third?'
-The first was saving Regarium's princess.
"That was connected to you?"
-Not hero or saintess material, but related to my domain.
『Child Blessed by the Stars (S)』
That wasn't game lore.
'It connects like that?'
I'd suspected with the "star blessing" stuff, but it's real? Adds another grudge point.
"Now I'm even more pissed."
-What do you want?
"What I want."
I thought it over. I'd achieved everything as a constellation; left were object control and devotee meetups. My happy leisure life.
'Nothing she can offer.'
Conclusion: nothing useful from her. I didn't need holy swords or heroes—I'm beyond that.
-I'll give you a holy sword.
"...What?"
-No matter how times change, core value endures. You'll need it someday.
"Wait, can you just hand those out?"
-If the holy sword chooses you, yes.
The holy sword chose me, not a hero?
"What about the kid then?"
-On that note, I have a proposal.
The Heir of the Lost Star raises a hand, summoning a cluster of radiant light.
-Tssip.
The shimmering light takes the form of a sword, imbued with meaning.
A holy sword. The hero's weapon against evil, manifesting in our space.
"Nah, I don't need it."
-I haven't said anything yet.
"Put it back."
-This holy sword wants you.
"You're kidding."
Damn. What would I even do with it? Heroes play with those; it's meaningless to me. My warehouse was full of similar gear—purely for collection, otherwise junk.
"Don't need it, so refund and give it to some human."
-I can't. It strongly desires you.
"This is insane."
Never thought I'd get love calls from weapons too. Unilateral, even after I say no. Reject to the end, and I'd wreck the whole arsenal?
-Please. Take it.
Now openly begging.
'That important, huh.'
Avatar of the Black Sun: From their perspective, a holy sword and a hero are precious assets.
Constellation 'Heir of the Lost Star' requests a trade with you.
"..."
I ran a quick simulation. No gear more iconic to humans than a holy sword. Holding one makes you an instant superstar.
'But my leisure life?'
My perfect vacation retreats a step under the weight of "constellation dignity." In exchange, the thrill of devotees swooning over a cool, sparkling sword.
Two worldlines clash in my head. As I agonized, the sparkly constellation spoke again.
-And my proposal isn't just about the holy sword.
"Then what?"
-That child.
"Who?"
-The girl you met. The mysterious one who clung to your waist out of nowhere. The blue-haired human with hero potential.
-Can you take her in?
"...?"
My thoughts froze.
-Of course, the Sword Saintess by her side too.