King of Chaos (1)
At the exact moment Seong Hyun-jin, under the influence of the aphrodisiac Yeonhui had slipped him, stumbled into Serena's room, Ciela Teraport was holed up alone in her own quarters, tinkering with something.
"It was fine in front of the mana beast?"
"Yes."
She was communicating with her master at the academy, the Demon Star Eleonora, via a portable communication orb—one of the pinnacles of spirit magic engineering.
It was all about Seong Hyun-jin's spirit. Ciela had relayed what he'd discovered firsthand during his experiments, and now she was seeking Eleonora's thoughts on the matter.
"It was fine even in front of the mana beast's corpse. But the instant he used the spirit's power in a place without any mana beasts or their remains... he collapsed right away?"
"No, it wasn't that. The manifested spirit's power wasn't anywhere near that level."
Eleonora phrased it like a confirmation, and Ciela nodded as if to agree.
"At first, I thought it was absorbing mana instead of vitality, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Still, I can't figure out why it was fine in front of the mana beast."
Eleonora fell silent at Ciela's words. Even she had no answers for such an extraordinarily rare case.
"Master."
Ciela, who had called out to Eleonora, paused for a moment before cautiously voicing the doubts she'd been mulling over alone.
"Is this really a chaos spirit...?"
"...Yes, I know."
That much was certain. It was because it was a chaos spirit that he could slice through a drake protected by thick mana in a single blow. And the stories from Serena—who'd clashed with Seong Hyun-jin and his spirit more than anyone—only reinforced that it was indeed a chaos spirit.
"But Master, there are way too many weird things about it for a chaos spirit. Chaos attributes aren't even classified as evil spirits to begin with. Out of all the recorded chaos spirits so far... none have ever harmed their contractors."
Of course, Ciela wasn't entirely convinced herself. But chaos spirits were rare, yes—though not undiscovered. This wasn't the distant past when spirits first began coexisting with humans and lending their power. Spirit studies had advanced brilliantly, to the point where nearly everything about known spirits was understood.
So for a chaos spirit—one that had appeared a few times throughout history, rare as it was—to suddenly be a brand-new type? It wasn't impossible, but it was a stretch. Wouldn't it make more sense if this was some entirely new attribute or entity being discovered, rather than shoehorning it into chaos?
Linking Seong Hyun-jin's bizarre symptoms to a chaos spirit felt less logical.
"You said it yourself, Master. There are far more types of spirits than we know, and they can emerge from virtually anything that makes up the world. Like that destruction spirit that appeared only once in history..."
"There's no guarantee spirits don't use aliases, Master."
Ciela replied, "Spirits don't reveal everything to their contractors right away. You know that."
The communication orb went quiet at Ciela's words. Eleonora seemed to be pondering what her disciple had said.
"Beyond...?"
Ciela asked tentatively, wondering if Eleonora meant what she thought.
"An evil spirit...?"
"...But it hasn't shown that level of power yet."
"According to my junior, it doesn't seem to have any intent to harm him at all. Aside from the vitality drain issue, it listens well..."
"Got it, Master."
Karin.
The name of Seong Hyun-jin's master, Hakodate Karin, made Ciela flinch ever so slightly. To Ciela, who harbored feelings for Seong Hyun-jin, she was the biggest rival by far. Karin might not see her disciple that way, but her mere existence made her the toughest obstacle.
Even to another woman, Karin's beauty was breathtaking enough to steal one's breath away, and as a Palstar Hero, she possessed lofty honors that Ciela or the others could never touch. And considering Seong Hyun-jin's taste for the strong, Karin's martial prowess was undoubtedly his ideal.
In that sense, Hakodate Karin was someone Seong Hyun-jin couldn't help but be drawn to—and Ciela's most dangerous foe.
"...Ah, yes. Got it."
"No, it's fine. I'm doing this because I want to."
Snapping back to her senses a bit late, Ciela ended the conversation. The orb went dark, and she took a moment alone to sort her thoughts.
Deep in contemplation for a while, Ciela suddenly snapped out of it with a realization.
"...Come to think of it, has Junior woken up yet?"
Wondering if Seong Hyun-jin was still asleep, she left her room. If he'd woken and felt better, she figured she'd suggest they go out for some fresh air.
Heading down the hall toward the room where he lay, she spotted maids cleaning and tilted her head.
"Has Hyun-jin Junior woken up? The guest who was here."
"Ah, yes. He already woke up and left for somewhere else."
"Oh?"
Ciela asked the maids where he'd gone, but they shook their heads, saying they didn't know.
"He was already gone by the time we came to clean."
"Ah..."
Ciela felt a pang of disappointment. Resigned, she decided to take a solo stroll and headed to the duke's garden.
Then, in a corner, she spotted a vaguely familiar figure.
A person was huddled and hiding in the garden corner.
"What are you doing here, Senior Yeonhui?"
"......"
It was Yeonhui.
She lifted her head slightly to see who was calling her. Seeing Yeonhui's face, Ciela gasped in surprise.
"Y-You've been crying...?"
"......I haven't."
It was obvious to anyone she'd been bawling her eyes out, but Yeonhui denied it to Ciela and stood up.
"W-Wait a sec."
Ciela was a good person at heart. She couldn't just let Yeonhui—who clearly looked heartbroken—walk away.
"Wh-what happened? If you're okay with it, you can tell me."
"......"
But even at Ciela's offer, Yeonhui just shook her head slightly.
She brushed off Ciela's hand and said, "...Why would I tell my enemy my weaknesses?"
"......"
With that, Yeonhui walked away. And Ciela had a faint inkling why she'd been crying.
Calling Ciela an "enemy" wasn't true hostility. The only situation where Ciela and Yeonhui could be rivals was over the man they both felt for: Seong Hyun-jin.
"...Did something happen with Junior?"
As that question arose, Ciela spotted another familiar face passing by.
"Ah, Clarice Junior!"
It was Clarice. Walking with her usual expressionless face, she turned at Ciela's voice.
"Did you rest well, Senior Ciela Teraport?"
"Yeah, thanks to you."
After a light greeting, Ciela asked, "Um, sorry, but can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Do you know where Hyun-jin Junior went?"
"......"
And in that instant, Ciela was stunned.
Clarice's usually impassive face had flushed as red as her hair.
"Cl-Clarice Junior? Are you feeling okay?"
"......I don't know."
"Huh?"
"I d-don't know!"
Nearly shouting her reply, Clarice realized her rudeness too late, bowed deeply in apology, and fled.
"S-Sorry!!"
Ciela stared blankly at Clarice's retreating figure as she dashed off, her mind filling with confusion.
"What's up with everyone...?"
She had no idea what had happened.
Seong Hyun-jin, who had fallen asleep in Serena's room, groggily opened his eyes.
"......Huh?"
But the ceiling he saw wasn't from the room where he'd lain with Serena. It was an endless darkness.
Seong Hyun-jin blinked, vaguely recalling this had happened before, and sat up.
"This place..."
It was definitely the space he'd seen in a dream before. All around was pitch black, the same place where he'd floated leisurely.
Unlike back then—when it felt like swimming in a sea of inky liquid—this time, the ground and sky were distinct. Though both were still dyed utterly black.
Back then, he'd definitely heard a woman's voice.
The moment Seong Hyun-jin thought that—
"You've come all the way here?"
The voice he'd heard before echoed again. The difference this time? It entered through his ears, not straight into his mind.
"Looks like the bond between master and me has grown closer."
Seong Hyun-jin turned toward the voice.
He saw no one and tilted his head.
"...Who is it?"
"Pfft, you call that a question, master?"
The unidentified woman said.
"Just think a little—who else would call you 'master'?"
"......?"
Growing more puzzled, Seong Hyun-jin spoke to the invisible presence.
"I don't remember buying any illegal slaves...?"
"......"
The voice's owner went silent at his words—perhaps dumbfounded—and didn't speak for a long while.
"...You really don't know, master?"
"...How would I, when you won't even show your face?"
"Good grief."
The mysterious voice continued.
"Even if I showed myself, you might not recognize me."
With that, a figure materialized in the air. Not like someone stepping out from a dark corner, nor like shedding invisibility magic. It was as if she simply appeared where none had been before.
If anything, it resembled teleportation—but slower, as particles gathered to form a human shape, gradually coalescing into solidity.
Unrealistically snow-white hair, longer than her height. A black dress evoking antique elegance, a thorny crown on her head, and pallid skin—all lending her an otherworldly detachment from reality.
The unidentified woman standing before Seong Hyun-jin slowly opened her closed eyes.
"......!"
Seong Hyun-jin's first impression upon seeing those eyes wasn't that they were pretty or unusual.
It sent chills down his spine.
The red irises were like Serena's, but where hers gleamed like jewels... these looked stained with blood.
His body froze cold.
Startled by the eerie sensation, Seong Hyun-jin asked, "...Who are you?"
The woman smirked wryly at his question.
"See, master? I told you—you wouldn't recognize me even if you saw me."
As if she'd expected as much, she extended a hand delicately.
She tapped her index finger under his chin and said,
"King of Chaos."
"...Huh?"
"That loathsome alias I had no choice but to use back then—the one you always call me by."
The woman said,
"That's me."