Descent Ritual (2)
"Greetings-wa yo. I am Beatrix, princess of the Balhar Empire-wa yo."
"Ah. Yes. Hello, Princess."
Beatrix, who had rushed over after early graduation from Kairon Planet, and Yuna exchanged greetings.
Though they were hundreds of light-years apart, the mortals' warp technology that transcended space made this possible.
"In any case, you and I are both incarnations of the same constellation-sama-wa yo! Even if I am a princess, I am still a citizen of the Federation! There is no need for formal speech-wa yo!"
"Th-then... should we just talk casually?"
"Of course-wa yo! I recognize you, Yuna, as my dear friend, so let's treat each other comfortably-wa yo! O-ho-ho-hot!"
"...You're saying to be casual, but why are you still using -wa yo?"
Neither of them lacked social skills, so they naturally grew close. Perhaps because they were around the same age and shared the bond of being incarnations of the same constellation.
They dropped the formalities with each other.
"Beatrix is the princess of Balhar Planet, right?"
"That's right-wa yo!"
"Then is that speech pattern a planetary dialect?"
"What are you saying-wa yo?"
"No... it's nothing."
They might have already known a lot about each other through incarnation communities and such. Or maybe it felt like meeting someone from the same distant planet?
Krrrar.
"Is this that summon?"
"Yes-wa yo! It's finally starting to listen to me a bit, so it's praiseworthy-wa yo!"
In any case, both Yuna and Beatrix had gathered in one place.
The second incarnation still seemed to struggle with controlling her hunting dog, but it had improved since last time.
"By the way, I heard rumors that Yuna's punches are said to be one-of-a-kind in the Federation—what kind of feats have you accomplished-wa yo?"
"What?! No way, why is there such crazy gossip spreading!!!"
"The people of the Balhar Empire said on my broadcast that you shattered some man's teeth at the galactic constellation gathering or something like that-wa yo!!!"
"Uwaaa!!! That's all nonsense! Total rumors!"
From that world, there was also a rather impressive-looking mortal—Vivian, was it?
She was there too.
And the ritual created by the government institution known as the Central Avatar Research Institute had been prepared.
Now, perhaps I could descend into that world.
Like those small things different from me.
I could probably shrink my body and move around.
Would it be a bit more interesting to observe up close?
No, descent isn't for fun—it's one of the means to achieve my goal of preserving my humanity.
Don't forget that.
"Then, we shall proceed with the descent ritual for the Whispering Star Cluster-sama. Please stand over here, both of you."
"Understood-wa yo."
"Yep. But..."
A massive ritual circle drawn in vivid colors on the floor of a vast open field.
As Yuna approached it, she opened her mouth in a puzzled tone.
"Why is that con artist—no, that witch here?"
"Come on, customer. I used to be a researcher here once. Of course I used my old connections to get in."
"...?"
"Don't be like that and trust me one more time~ If you think about it, it's practically free service, so nothing to lose, right?"
Selene Arcana, the black witch who had previously failed to summon me, had visited this place.
Yuna eyed her warily, scarred by eight failures, but the witch stuck to her shamelessly.
"Though she falls short of me, Ms. Selene possesses enough intellect to participate in the ritual."
"No. Did you call her, Vivian?"
"I didn't call her. This is voluntary participation."
This time, it should really succeed.
* * *
It was definitely different from the ritual where the black witch had tried to call me.
Though it was in a large building, unlike that indoor attempt back then.
This time, they had borrowed an entire open field for the ritual.
Precious metals. Cores of space monsters. Gems that could hold superpowers. And more.
Piles of invaluable offerings stacked like mountains.
With Vivian, director of the Central Avatar Research Institute; senior researcher John-Jerard; and assistants like Selene Arcana, it might actually work.
"Truly great one, from another dimension I call upon thee..."
⟨ Great Invocation ⟩
The two incarnations stood in the ritual circle.
They drew patterns with Cosmic Power according to the prescribed flow.
At the center of the ritual circle was the offering to me, soon to become my temporary body—an amorphous mass filled with ectoplasm.
Like last time, a pinpoint ritual targeting me.
But this time, no mistakes.
Unlike that immature attempt, now I could perfectly send a fragment of my mind.
Adjusting the size of the spirit to match a mortal's soul was simple.
Compared to my essence, it was easy.
Just shave off dust-sized pieces.
And keep doing so until it matches a mortal's scale.
Now, I knew many things.
Apostles spiritually connected to me—incarnations, in that dimension?
Two who sincerely wished for my descent.
The ritual circle's size and formation were sufficient.
The offerings as payment... —Zzzzt!Psssh!!!
Way too insufficient.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster says the ritual circle's offerings are insufficient.
"Pardon? Constellation-sama. The offerings are insufficient?"
"But the materials we just used were all top-quality-wa yo...!"
To me, the offerings were definitely lacking.
Last time's failure was due to a comprehensive shortage of everything, but this ritual was purely a matter of quantity and quality.
"Constellation-sama says the offerings are insufficient?"
"Um. Customer? The institute's descent materials are all used up this time, so we might need to wait a bit."
"Then perhaps... my hypothesis..."
The institute director, Vivian, who had been muttering to herself for a while, finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, but it seems we've hit a problem beyond my authority. I apologize to Constellation-sama as well, but may I report this to upper management?"
"Pardon? Director, you mean to the Federation...?"
"Hmmm... this is getting big."
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster says it doesn't mind.
It really didn't matter to me.
* * *
A week later.
As the incarnations stayed at the institute, receiving courteous treatment, someone approached them.
Kiiik—
Beatrix, who had been petting the hunting dog's head, stood up, and Yuna rose from the bed.
At this moment, they were more shaken than ever.
Of course, excluding the time they received the constellation contract from me.
"Greetings. I am High Strategic Secretary No. 13 of the Federation. It is an honor to meet Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster-sama. And of course, I'm pleased to meet you promising incarnations as well."
A man with narrow, elongated eyes.
Upon entering the room, he bowed toward the empty air, then greeted the incarnations.
In mortal terms, he appeared to be in his thirties, holding a small terminal device.
As if to prove his identity, he operated the terminal and showed it to everyone.
"Wha?! Th-that guy from the giant monster propaganda broadcast...!"
"It's really the High Strategic Secretary-wa yo?!"
"I, Vivian, director of the Central Avatar Research Institute, guarantee it. He is indeed the High Strategic Secretary."
Vivian, who had followed behind the man, quelled their disbelieving eyes.
With her guarantee as head of the Federation's top institute, confusion filled the incarnations' eyes.
Who the hell is this guy?
"Ahem. Sorry on our first meeting, but please all sign the Federation confidentiality oaths. They state that you will keep everything about what happens from now on confidential."
"What is this sudden visit-wa yo?! We are all citizens of the Federation, and we have the right to hear a detailed explanation..."
"Of course, Constellation-sama is exempt. Depending on Constellation-sama's will, the confidentiality oaths on the incarnations can be voided."
"Huh?!"
He had clearly come to discuss something important, but the restrictions felt oddly lax.
Or rather, it seemed like he was giving them leeway.
Like he was being considerate.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster is curious about the man's identity.
"Ah! Such rudeness on my part. I was late with my introduction."
The narrow-eyed man opened his mouth upon receiving my will through Yuna.
A deeply polite bow unfolded once more, and tension hung on the incarnations' faces.
"I am High Strategic Secretary No. 13, assigned to assist one of the members of the Super Galactic Empire Federation's Supreme Council."
Beatrix provided supplementary explanation.
At the pinnacle of the Super Galactic Empire Federation sat the leadership.
First, the 57th Alliance Leader, Reinhardt Olim, who decided everything for the Federation.
Directly below him was the Supreme Council, a gathering of councilors selected from across the galaxy under special conditions and abilities.
Only 20 such councilors in the entire Federation.
Even the Alliance Leader could not ignore the Supreme Council's decisions.
"...And there are 20 High Strategic Secretaries assisting each councilor-wa yo. Unlike the councilors who rarely appear publicly, you secretaries are well-known to the public-wa yo."
It was a lengthy explanation, but I got the gist.
The mortals' supreme leader: the Alliance Leader.
Elder statesmen: 20 councilors.
20 secretaries dedicated to assisting each elder.
"For a High Strategic Secretary to come in person and present confidentiality oaths... does that mean perhaps..."
Kiiik.
The door opened once more.
Entering was a shabby-looking hunchbacked man.
Even in a world of explosively advanced science and technology, the leadership aged ordinarily, no different from average mortals.
"Greetings. O divine being from another dimension who holds galaxies at your feet. This old one is Alserian from the Council of Stars."
One of the Federation's leadership, the 20 councilors?