Silence
Silence
Vice Headmaster Venus guided me to a reception room inside the Central Administration Building.
The reception room had an ordinary layout.
It was equipped with the basic formalities, but the wallpaper and furniture were arranged to create an overall sense of comfort.
"This tea is brewed from Monarch leaves."
[Thank you]
As I stepped into the reception room and took in the layout, Vice Headmaster Venus guided me to the sofa. She even poured the tea herself from a set prepared beside it.
Feeling the plush texture of the sofa beneath me, I picked up the teacup from the table.
Warmth radiated from the cup in my hands.
Looking at the steam curling up from the tea, a faint sense of anticipation rose along with it.
It was a hope I couldn't help but cling to, even though I knew it was impossible.
I lifted the teacup. Careful not to spill, I brought it to my lips.
Before drinking, I cautiously tried to catch its scent.
...
After gauging the temperature for a moment, I tipped the cup. The warm liquid filled my mouth.
...Honestly, I hadn't expected much. The curse was still intact, so how could I possibly taste anything?
With that in mind, I sipped the tea a few times, treating it as nothing but warm water.
Vice Headmaster Venus also took a few sips of her own tea.
After a brief pause, the Vice Headmaster, who had been waiting for me to finish, spoke up.
"For security reasons, I am personally responsible for the management and distribution of important rewards such as artifacts. That is why I have called you here, Cadet Lee Ha-yul."
It was a brief explanation of the current situation.
She must have noticed my silent question about why the Vice Headmaster was handling this personally.
Receiving an artifact purchased with credits requires an in-person visit, but the application can be done online.
I had applied a few days ago and was here to pick it up.
"The artifact you requested is named the Sky Wing Feather, also known as the Heavenly Garment. Its grade is upper-mid. Does this match the information you reviewed beforehand?"
- Nod.
"Then, do you consent to the artifact distribution?"
[Yes, I consent.]
Vice Headmaster Venus nodded and snapped her fingers. Her mana rippled briefly.
-Wooong!
'?'
My Spatial Perception churned. I had shrunk its range to fit the reception room, and now it reacted violently. A powerful resonance echoed, as if rebelling against something.
Startled, I straightened my back.
"Hm."
Vice Headmaster Venus nodded, observing my reaction. Her attitude suggested she had expected this.
"Would you permit me entry?"
'Entry? Permit?'
It was an odd thing to say. Was there something here I could grant or deny entry to?
Just then, my thoughts snapped to my violently churning Spatial Perception—the mana rippling from the Vice Headmaster, and the space-type unique ability she must possess. It felt a particularly strong repulsion from one specific direction...
'Hmm...'
I think of Spatial Perception as a range for gathering information. If I shrink it, the incoming data decreases; if I expand it, the collected information grows exponentially.
Let's consider it from a different angle.
Not just a range for gathering information, but a kind of domain...
With a strange feeling, I subtly tried to harmonize my Spatial Perception.
Not expanding its size, changing the type of information it collects, or filtering what it gathers.
It was a sensation of pushing open a section that kept knocking persistently, parting it from side to side.
-Snap.
At the same moment, Vice Headmaster Venus, who had been watching me, snapped her fingers again. A foreign sensation flooded through my opened Spatial Perception.
Space was artificially torn open. Through the rift, I could feel a space beyond—a space somewhere unknown, clearly outside my current range.
-Bzzt.
A sharp electric jolt ran through my head. The dizzying sensation branded itself into my mind.
'Spatial Movement.'
The Vice Headmaster's ability. I felt it vividly through Spatial Perception.
Something slipped out of the torn space.
It was a blue cloth, so thin and translucent that you could almost see through it, fluttering so delicately it seemed a breath of air would send it flying.
The Sky Wing Feather. Its other name was the Heavenly Garment, wasn't it?
'Oh.'
Seeing the blue cloth settle gently onto Vice Headmaster Venus's arms, a surge of anticipation welled up inside me. I could barely stop myself from bouncing in my seat.
After briefly inspecting the artifact, Vice Headmaster Venus nodded.
She then extended both arms toward me.
I reached out and took the offered cloth.
'Ooh.'
It was soft.
Even with my clothes between my skin and the cloth, it felt impossibly smooth. Was this what it felt like to stroke silk woven by a master artisan?
A wave of emotion washed over me.
This was the first time I'd received an artifact.
I had obtained the Hidden Piece called the Origin Egg, but it hadn't even been opened yet, and above all, it felt more like a gacha ticket.
But the Sky Wing Feather? This felt real.
As I stroked the soft cloth, I carefully pushed my mana into it.
-Woom!
The Sky Wing Feather pulsed. The translucent cloth briefly flushed blue before fading clear again, repeating the process.
It reminded me of a puppy, happily wagging its tail after being fed good food.
A process of gradually being infused with my mana.
Before long, I felt an unfamiliar sensation. It was hard to describe—a sense of unity, perhaps?
'Done.'
I manipulated my mana, directing what was stored in the Sky Wing Feather.
At the same time, the artifact squirmed and then surged up my arm like flowing water.
Finally reaching my shoulder, the Sky Wing Feather spread out wide and settled gracefully behind my back.
It looked exactly like a cloak. It moved according to my will and changed its shape on command.
These were its Shape-Shifting and Remote Manipulation functions.
'Ooh.'
It was a marvelous sensation. A sense of foreignness, as if I had gained a clumsy extra arm.
"The artifact distribution is complete. I sincerely hope this artifact will aid you in carving your heroic legacy."
[Thank you.]
As I was testing out the edges of the Sky Wing Feather, Vice Headmaster Venus offered a formal word of congratulations, signaling the procedure's end.
My mind felt a little more at ease.
Aside from Remote Manipulation and Shape-Shifting, it also had a basic defensive function, so my safety had slightly increased.
And since it was powered by my mana, which was known for its high purity, I needed to test for any synergistic effects.
I could experiment with the rest on the way.
There was nothing else to do here. I gave her a nod of thanks for her efforts, and Vice Headmaster Venus held out her hand.
Wondering what it was, I saw a magic tool similar to the bracelet I'd received during Dungeon Practice.
"This is a Perception-Obstruction Magic Tool."
What was this? As the question crossed my mind, the explanation continued.
"The attention directed at you, Cadet Lee Ha-yul, is far greater than you might imagine. I strongly recommend you keep this on you to avoid any unpleasantness."
'Ah.'
I had meant to grab one before going out, but the Vice Headmaster had taken care of it first.
Thanking her once more with a bow, I left the reception room.
* * *
A quiet stillness settled over the reception room.
It was the same stillness as always, an atmosphere she was well accustomed to.
Venus, the Vice Headmaster of Siyoram, took a sip of her remaining tea.
Kept warm by magic, the tea heated her mouth as its subtle fragrance spread. It was a scent known to sharpen concentration.
As she did, she recalled Lee Ha-yul, who had just bowed and left.
After receiving the artifact, the way the corners of his lips had twitched as he manipulated it had been like watching a child delighted with a new toy.
Then he had hurried off, as if eager to get going. He was probably heading straight for the Gate Terminal.
'Hm...'
Venus was generally opposed to Lee Ha-yul's external activities.
Right now, Lee Ha-yul was frail. His potential aside, that was his current state.
His potential was beyond question.
He was an existence that the five Tower Masters had found by devoting their whole hearts. Given time, he would surely reach the pioneering stage, and perhaps even beyond.
But at this moment, he was not at that level. He needed time.
He needed a place where his life could be guaranteed safety from enemy threats, where he could cultivate himself in peace and stabilize his soul and mind.
That place was Siyoram.
From its very inception, this place was a special cradle built for the sake of a single person.
In Venus's opinion, letting Lee Ha-yul go outside now was a poor choice.
And sending him without a single guard was even stranger.
"......"
But what she thought didn't matter.
Venus set her teacup down and snapped her fingers.
-Snap.
The sunlight that had filled the reception room vanished. The glass windows that let the light through were nowhere to be seen. The table was gone as well.
To be precise, every aspect of the environment changed. The only thing unchanged was Venus herself.
Spatial Movement. An ability she had expanded from her unique ability.
Unfazed, Venus rose to her feet. A wooden chair, not the reception room's plush sofa, creaked as it rocked back and forth.
Venus scanned her surroundings.
It was a darkness that sunlight could not penetrate at all.
Stillness filled the space. It was a completely different kind of stillness from the one in the reception room.
The stillness in the reception room belonged to the realm of the ordinary. It was a common, comfortable kind of quiet.
This place was different.
It did not belong to the realm of the ordinary. It was not a stillness one commonly felt; the impression it gave was eerie.
Venus took a step.
The space rippled with her movement.
The darkness filled every direction, making it impossible to tell with the naked eye whether there was a floor or ceiling, but she knew exactly where to go.
The walk did not last long.
She stopped somewhere, her eyes closing once before opening again. Her half-lidded violet eyes fixed on a certain direction.
Just then, Venus's eyes glowed. Over their dim violet base, countless constellations endlessly rose and set.
Venus's eyes read the stars. In this place where no night sky was visible, she read fragments of the future through them.
There was a small star. A star destined to shine brighter than anything else.
An Ominous Star was approaching that little star.
Compared to the true threats the future held, it was laughable, but to the star as it was now, it was incredibly dangerous.
Would Lee Ha-yul be able to overcome the Ominous Star? When the potential of the future and the strength of the present were so drastically different, was it right to leave it alone?
And even if he could grow just by staying in the cradle, was it correct to let him plunge into trials on his own?
"Cadet Lee Ha-yul has received his artifact and left for the outside. Will you not stop him?"
No answer came.
"If you will not stop him, how about assigning him a minimal guard? At least they could prevent the worst-case scenario."
Once again, there was no answer. Venus did not find this strange. She continued, as if it were only natural.
Venus was the proxy for the Headmaster, who never appeared in public.
The Vice Headmaster's role was to represent the Headmaster's will, not her own.
What mattered was the Headmaster's will, not the Vice Headmaster's.
But the Headmaster, silenced by a curse, could not convey her will.
Venus always came here to ask questions that would never receive a proper answer.
And so, Venus could only ever act by surmising the Headmaster's will based on the scant information she barely managed to receive.
No answer came.
Venus fell into contemplation.
Personally, she did not welcome Lee Ha-yul's outing, but she had permitted it. And she had assigned no guard.
It was because of the will the Headmaster had barely managed to convey before.
But now... now that she had read the stars and sensed the Ominous Star, she was troubled.
Her job was to predict the Headmaster's intentions. Yet after seeing the Ominous Star, she couldn't make a proper judgment.
Then it happened.
『Do not interfere.』
"......!"
A faint, fragile voice resonated through the space.
It was so faint that if not for the absolute quiet void of all other noise, no one could have noticed it.
『Observe. Watch.』
Yet at the same time, the voice was imbued with the overwhelming stature of its being. Even if this place had been filled with noise, everyone would have heard this voice.
Faint yet powerful. At the contradictory sensation of the voice, Venus's perpetually drowsy eyes flew wide open.
The Headmaster had temporarily broken the silence. Not just a vague expression of will, but a clear articulation spoken with a precise voice.
It was a will expressed while enduring the backlash of the curse.
"...Yes, I understand."
Collecting herself from her bewilderment, Venus bowed toward the source of the voice.
The Headmaster had endured the backlash to convey this will.
It was right to set aside her own judgment and follow the Headmaster's words.