Welcome to My Star
There is a memory that refuses to fade. Even after all this time, the scene remains vivid, carrying the scent of fresh grass.
—Always remember this, Irene.
A warm hand gently stroked her hair. Her master smiled softly. Back then she would turn away, grumbling that the lectures were annoying, but now even that felt like a precious memory.
—There will come a day when you want to give up. Life is like that.
The voice was calm, carrying the echoes of a young fox’s childhood beneath its aged timbre.
—Irene.
—The world is a storm at dawn.
—No matter how desperately you run, misfortune will find you eventually.
Wrinkles gathered at the corners of the old man’s eyes, filled with affection. Lying on his sickbed, he struggled to sit up and continued.
—It will hurt. It will be terrifying, heartbreaking, and lonely… You may even want to collapse.
—You may fall to your knees before the raging storm.
—That is what life is. But, Irene—
—This master hopes you will not surrender.
—Become someone who does not bow. Even in the face of a raging storm, raise your head and swing your sword.
—It is fine if unreasonable forces block your path.
—It is fine if everything you are is denied and only a pitiful tremor remains. Just do not bend what you believe is right. Be a pine that stands against the storm rather than a reed that bends in the wind. That is the sword I taught you.
—Swing your blade toward the storm.
—Cast aside cowardly comfort and become the first tree to break. This is your master’s final lesson.
The most important things are invisible. You must always see with your heart. Even when waves crash at dawn, life goes on.
—Just as ancient sailors once found their way by the stars, life requires a direction to move toward.
—So, Irene—
Her master had said those words. Even now, the voice remained perfectly preserved in a corner of her memory, serving as a signpost on a path filled only with wandering, supporting her fragile self.
—Find your own star.
It had always been that way. She had wanted to be like him.
It was quiet.
‘······.’
Nothing could be heard. In a world where only death-like silence had descended, the fox stood alone in the darkness.
Her body was battered beyond recognition. Irene staggered. Her legs had already lost all strength, yet she barely managed to keep her balance. Only exhaustion remained at her fingertips. She clung desperately to her fading consciousness.
“Haa, haa······.”
Her breathing reached her chin. As she gasped roughly, a voice broke the silence.
“You look exhausted.”
What appeared in her blurred vision was the enemy—an overwhelming presence that seemed to embody every injustice in the world. A mischievous taunt whispered in her ear.
“Just moments ago you were demanding we see this through to the end… How will you manage if you can’t even lift your sword?”
The shadow curled his lips. It was an obvious sneer, but Irene gave no reaction. She felt no need to.
It was a strange feeling. Her heart was utterly at peace. Even the provocation that would normally have ignited her anger only caused a faint ripple.
The girl simply breathed.
‘······.’
Was she becoming detached now that death was before her? An indescribable warmth lingered. Her heartbeat. The pulse rang out with unusual clarity.
Clack-.
She readjusted her grip on the sword she had been using like a cane. Her palm wrapped around the hilt. For a brief moment, a tingling sensation spread through her entire arm.
‘This feels strange.’
Something seemed just out of reach. Irene pushed the vague thoughts aside and lifted her heavy head. There, fate awaited her.
‘Death.’
For a moment, the girl’s shoulders trembled. She was afraid, after all. Yet the steps that refused to retreat had a reason strong enough to carry her forward.
—This master hopes you will not surrender.
The lingering lecture echoed in her ears. Irene let out a small laugh. To think those were the words that came to mind at a time like this.
‘Of all things.’
She hadn’t understood them back then, but now she thought she understood a little. The important things are invisible. You must always see with your heart. It is fine to be blocked by unreasonable storms. It is fine if every step you take is denied.
—Just do not bend what you believe is right.
—Cast aside cowardly comfort and become the first tree to break.
Even at dawn, life continues. As long as the star you hold in your heart does not waver, the world will not break. It is simply a matter of moving forward with a single ounce of will.
“I—”
A shabby courage. Even if it looked like worthless scrap to others, to the girl it was the only compass of her life. A single light flickered.
“I’m still alive.”
The moment of realization.
Crackle-!
Sparks flew from her fingertips. Following the tingling thrill, a faint glow swallowed the sword. The radiance grew clearer.
“Oh?”
The watching serpent let out a sound of admiration. A brilliant scene unfolded. Before long, the light covered the rusted blade and brightly illuminated the surrounding darkness. Pure white fragments danced in the air.
What was this unfamiliar power? It was the first time she had grasped such a sense of omnipotence. It felt as though she could cut through anything now.
Awakening comes suddenly.
Whooooosh-!
Amid the roaring noise, the fox raised her sword. She focused solely on the blade. She poured every ounce of energy within her body into a final explosion. She intended to pour all her remaining strength into this last attack.
—Find your own star.
This was the star the girl had chosen. Irene resolved herself for the end and spoke to the stranger standing before her.
“Welcome to my star.”
A single phrase rang out briefly. The girl steadied her stance and swung her sword without hesitation. In the next instant, the entire passage lit up brilliantly. It was a beautiful, flashing strike.
Kwaaaaa-!
A golden line carved through the pitch-black darkness. A swift streak of light. The serpent tried to dodge in surprise, but the fox was faster. The blow reached the boy.
‘It connected.’
The thought flashed through her mind. Just as she was about to cut him down without the slightest delay······.
“That’s enough.”
The serpent’s lips moved. As if he had never been surprised, he gazed at the fox with a relaxed expression. For the briefest moment, his narrowed eyes opened.
“You pass.”
Pure white pupils. When the boy and girl’s gazes met, a large crack appeared in the perfectly intact air.
Crack, crackle-!
Like a mirror shattering. The world surrounding them crumbled into pieces. An unbelievable sight. As the girl stood frozen in shock, the boy whispered.
“It’s time to wake up from the dream.”
Crack-!
The inverted world returned.
Crack-!
When her darkened consciousness returned, Irene was standing in the passage. Her vision flickered. The girl stared blankly, question marks floating in her eyes.
“······Huh?”
She seemed unable to grasp the situation. Watching the fox’s face fill with confusion, I let out a small laugh.
‘She must be disoriented.’
Until just moments ago, Irene had been trapped in a fabricated world. She had been locked in an illusion spell I had created to feel like reality, fighting a desperate battle for survival. In short, she had been deceived by a Lie.
I hadn’t moved from the beginning. More precisely, not since the moment Irene shouted for the young foxes to run and charged at me. The girl had been imprisoned in a mental world.
“Did you enjoy your little dream?”
I offered a cheerful good-morning greeting. In reality, almost no time had passed, so it was still dawn.
“What is this······?”
The fox muttered, frozen in place. It didn’t take long for her to understand the current situation and turn pale. Black eyes stared at me.
“······Illusion magic?”
“Correct.”
“That’s impossible… I didn’t feel any sense of incongruity at all.”
“Haha, I’m a little special, you see.”
After all, I was someone capable of bringing about the world’s destruction single-handedly. At least according to the original novel. I leisurely scanned the girl with my gaze. Her pupils were strangely unfocused. The aftereffects of the hypnosis still lingered.
While waiting for Irene to collect herself, I recalled the previous scene.
—Welcome to my star.
Behind the straightforward line, the girl unleashed her sword strike. Watching the rapidly approaching radiance filled me with a dizzying thrill. I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
“I was impressed.”
[The target’s emotions are fluctuating violently.]
(Despair → Will)
[Due to the sudden emotional change, a large amount of Lie has been recovered.]
[Current remaining output: 100.0%]
Thanks to that, my output was completely restored. It had been a while since I’d filled it all the way. The feeling was new. It meant the emotions had been that intense.
As I stood there savoring the afterglow, a sharp scream suddenly struck my ears.
“Hey, kids?! Come to your senses…!”
She must have noticed the young foxes behind me. The children were sprawled unconscious on the floor. Irene wavered for a moment. Then eyes filled with fury turned and pierced into me.
“You bastard! What the hell did you do to the kids?!”
“Now, now, please calm down.”
“You even went after children this young······!”
“They’re simply asleep.”
“······.”
The girl hurriedly checked the foxes’ condition. Only after confirming that all ten children were safe did she withdraw the venom from her gaze. Caution remained, of course.
“······What do you want?”
Irene asked in a trembling voice. Since I hadn’t harmed the defenseless children, she seemed to have concluded that I didn’t intend to kill them. The will to fight had also disappeared from her eyes. I smiled as kindly as possible.
“First, put down your sword.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Hmm~ If a fight breaks out here, the little ones might get caught up in it.”
“······Damn it.”
Clang-!
After a moment of hesitation, Irene finally disarmed herself.
“Good. It seems we’re ready to talk.”
“······.”
“There’s no need to be so tense. I actually harbor some goodwill toward you.”
“Goodwill······?”
“Yes. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
I raised both hands. It was a timid gesture offering peace. If I had truly intended to kill the foxes, I possessed the power to annihilate them all with a single wave of my hand. Irene had no choice.
“······What kind of conversation are you trying to have?”
“A good question.”
I stared at the fox with sly eyes. In her flickering vision, the image of her showing the fragments of awakening remained vivid. Even at the edge of a cliff, the girl had not lost her dignity.
‘How admirable.’
A swordsman whose heart would not break. It was a cliché, childish story. And yet······
I loved stories like this to the point of madness.
—Welcome to my star.
A star. What a wonderful thing to say. Especially coming from her. Because she was someone who truly shone like a star. Humans naturally desire to possess the light they themselves lack. I was no different.
“I would like to purchase your star.”
I had decided to make the girl mine.
“Won’t you let me tame you?”
A vague question. I extended my hand politely. Like the little prince taming the fox for the first time, I wore a pure smile.