The Shadow of the Constellation
"Sung Yu-rang."
What on earth did she want to say? Was she unhappy with something from the tactical meeting we just had? For now, the only thing to do was listen. "What is it?"
"You... you have the Crest of the Crow, don't you?"
It was a rather sudden question, but not an unexpected one. I had been using Overload occasionally in recent mock battles. In fact, the very first mock battle where I had defeated her was won by using Overload, so it was actually stranger that she hadn't brought it up until now.
There's no reason to hide it. It was a power I would be using frequently in the future. Since it was a strength I hadn't possessed during the previous incident, it was practically the only power I could use without any reservations. I answered her as calmly as possible. "That's right. I have the Crest of the Crow."
At that, a strange expression crossed her face. "I knew it..."
Her eyes swept over me, and she hesitated for a moment.
I doubt she called me out just to ask about the Crest of the Crow. I couldn't just stand here waiting for her forever. "If you have something to say, don't hesitate. We're on the same team, after all."
At my prompting, she finally opened her mouth. "Could you... show me your archery?"
That was an unexpected request. Still, I had no particular reason to refuse. "Alright. Follow me to the archery range."
The archery range was always open, except in the dead of night. It was left accessible so that any student in the archery class could use it. And I had been using this range until it was practically worn down to the bone.
When did it start? The turning point was definitely the 100th run of the second Trial. I seemed to have become what they call a 'growth junkie.' Though I was still a novice, I had become hopelessly addicted to the training, watching my archery skills improve with every single shot. Consequently, unless I had other business, spending almost all of my free time practicing archery had become my daily routine.
But there was one other guy who was just like me.
He's here again.
It was Wilhelm. He, too, practically lived at the archery range, training day in and day out. Of course, the intensity of his training was on a completely different level from mine.
Small targets would materialize at random positions over the bullseye—likely set up by some kind of magic—and he would shoot them down the instant they appeared. His performance was so flawless that the training almost seemed too easy for him.
"That person is..."
Yoo Seora, who had come with me, recognized Wilhelm as well. However, Wilhelm didn't seem to care about our presence at all. He was entirely focused on his own training.
Now that's what a real sniper looks like.
I decided to ignore him as well. To be honest, I couldn't help but be distracted by him at first, but now I had grown so used to it that it didn't bother me at all. Besides, today I was here to show Yoo Seora my archery, not to train.
Without wasting any time, I unslung the bow from my back and held it out. Then, I drew an arrow from my quiver and nocked it. It was a standard practice arrow, not the holy relic arrows used in mock battles.
"I'll show you now."
I activated my inherited trait on the tip of the arrow.
Overload.
Instantly, a dark aura began to swirl around the arrow. The greatest advantage of Overload was that it could be applied to ordinary objects, not just holy relics. Seeing this, Yoo Seora's eyes widened in clear surprise.
"Here I go."
Steadying my breath once more, I released the bowstring. With a sharp twang, the arrow flew. Even though it was just a regular arrow, the one enhanced by Overload tore through the air with a remarkably loud whoosh and embedded itself deeply into the target.
This should be enough, right?
But for some reason, Yoo Seora stared at the arrow lodged in the target for a long time. Just as I was about to ask if she wanted me to shoot another one, she spoke.
"As I thought, the Crest of the Crow and archery go well together."
Well, obviously. There was a reason why Yoo Seora's standard build was an archery build. Unlike Wilhelm, who was strong but had a fixed ceiling no matter how you raised him, Yoo Seora had no limit to her growth potential, making her far more explosive.
Yet, the current Yoo Seora was stubbornly sticking to a swordsmanship build. Yoo Seora's swordsmanship build was... to borrow the evaluation of Sung Yu-rang, who had failed with that exact build a total of twelve times, completely impractical.
So, I asked her, "Since you said 'as I thought,' it seems you already knew to some extent."
Instead of answering, Yoo Seora simply nodded.
"Then why do you keep using swordsmanship?"
I saw her expression falter slightly. Naturally, there was no answer. She probably didn't even know the reason herself. Or rather, if she had to give one, there was only one possible answer.
Because her Constellation ordered her to.
Her situation overlapped slightly with Elsie's. Elsie was also someone who had escaped a crisis in her childhood thanks to her Constellation. That was why, no matter what, she followed her Constellation's orders.
It's not my place to interfere.
Besides, even if I said something to her here, she wouldn't listen. There were only two ways: either her Constellation changed its instructions, or she realized that her Constellation wasn't perfect.
Why do I keep using swordsmanship?
Yoo Seora chewed on Sung Yu-rang's words. Why indeed was she so stubborn about the sword?
Honestly, at this point, part of it was simply because she had grown accustomed to it. But the origin of it all was undoubtedly that day, ten years ago. The day she had been saved by the entity known as her Constellation.
He had commanded her to master swordsmanship. He promised that if she did, he would make her a hero. And so far, he had kept that promise.
Her swordsmanship was undeniably strong. Although the Stigma of the Crow Merchant Guild was originally meant to enhance the quality of consumables like potions and pills, it also produced devastating effects when applied to weapons. Thanks to that, her swordsmanship was invincible—at least within the mock battle environment of the Hero Academy.
There is nothing wrong with my swordsmanship.
Most swordsmen from other teams couldn't last more than three clashes against her. Right now, using swordsmanship felt perfectly fine. In fact, she was clearly performing better than Sung Yu-rang, who used Overload with archery. Even her instructor, Setia, acknowledged her achievements. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with her swordsmanship.
Right, Constellation?
After a particularly grueling battle where she had barely subdued her opponent after nine clashes, she looked up at the sky. She didn't know where her Constellation resided, but he had always answered her questions. He had always given her certainty. But why...
Why aren't you answering me?
She clenched her jaw, her lips pressing into a tight, hard line.
Today, I had once again taken up a spot in the shade of a tree. Perhaps deciding that my impact on the battles wasn't all that significant, Setia, the instructor of Swordsmanship Class 2 who was in charge of our team's tactics, had practically left me to my own devices.
However, there was one thing that definitely rubbed me the wrong way.
She's a complete failure as an instructor.
Participating in the tactical meetings with her had made it glaringly obvious. She was subtly encouraging Yoo Seora to keep holding onto her sword. Well, that was probably the entire reason she had brought Yoo Seora into her class in the first place.
She must have realized that the penalty of Overload is practically non-existent in mock battles.
She was blinded by her own performance evaluations rather than focusing on her student's growth. I suppose losing to Sigrid of Swordsmanship Class 1 every single year could drive someone to that, but that didn't justify her actions.
Even if the instructor ordered her to pick up a bow, it's doubtful Yoo Seora would have listened anyway...
I watched Yoo Seora eliminate an opposing team's swordsman using Overload. This match was against Team B of Swordsmanship Class 1, led by Instructor Sigrid. Perhaps because the opponent was formidable, even Yoo Seora struggled, exchanging nine clashes before securing the win.
Still, she's definitely strong.
The swordsman she faced was no pushover. Defeating such an opponent single-handedly would surely leave Setia riding high.
But from Yoo Seora's perspective, this might start making her doubt whether her swordsmanship has a hard limit.
With the output of Overload she had just displayed, ten clashes would have been her absolute limit. Nine clashes was dangerously close to that ceiling. She was probably beginning to question her path, even if only a little.
And that doubt, surprisingly enough, is entirely correct.
Yoo Seora couldn't let it remain just a doubt. She had to correct her course. But I wasn't the one who would correct it for her.
Tomorrow's match.
It was against Team 4-B. And Team 4-B... was the team Elsie was on. Yoo Seora was about to face her first real hurdle.
It will be a turning point.
Either her faith in her Constellation would begin to shatter, or her own resolve would break.