Avatar Contract - (3)
The avatar I'd just contracted with went berserk, unable to adapt to the constellation's power, and ended up flying all over the sky. The minor commotion on a remote planet in the Super Galactic Empire Federation was quickly brought under control. Fortunately, it all ended with the exhausted avatar plummeting from the air, so there were no major casualties. The planetary government officials let out sighs of relief. Yuna, who was released from the hospital after some simple treatment, wore an awkward smile on her lips. The people who heard the news that an avatar contracted with a constellation had appeared on their planet reacted the same way.
The anonymous community posting site—something called the planetary network, I think. The reason I ended up browsing the Ratan locals' community out of nowhere was simple. It was because of Yuna, who was staying in the government-provided residence before heading to the planet Kairon for the mandatory training all avatars receive.
"Heh. Hehehe..."
A beauty with a palm-sized electronic device rolled around on the pristine white bed, letting out a sleazy chuckle. Her face brimmed with anticipation as she searched for keywords like "avatar" or "constellation." Her dopey grin whenever she found news or reactions that suited her fancy was kinda cute. She looked every bit the ordinary citizen like that. Well, that's what drew me to contract with her in the first place.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster praises that its first avatar is cute.
"...Hic! C-Constellation. This is! I mean..."
Had she forgotten I was watching for a moment? The electronic device slipped from her hand with a clatter, her sleazy smile vanishing. Thinking she'd shown an embarrassing side in front of her constellation, her face flushed beet red as she covered it with her hands and trembled.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster says it's natural to rejoice in gaining fame.
"Ughhh. You've been watching from the start?!"
Yuna made a pouty face up at the empty air. She'd said she was 21, right? In my previous life, she'd be in college. But in this far more advanced world, she was about to fight space monsters. She had been mulling over a career fighting the monsters that killed her parents anyway, but I hoped our contract wouldn't drag her into even more danger. I just hoped the Cosmic Power I gave her would help. According to the excited planetary official after her rampage settled, it seemed like a power with tremendous potential.
"I forgot to mention earlier, but thank you so much for contracting with me. The power you bestowed feels like a new ability not in the database, but they say it's highly advantageous in combat too..."
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster cheers on its avatar.
No need to worry about job hunting anymore.
Time passed, and the day came for Yuna to depart for Kairon Planet. Not long after arriving at the government residence, she'd often meditate or move her body to draw out the power I'd given her, but after a warning—well, more like a stern advisory—she stopped.
"Avatar Yuna, if that power from your constellation rampages again, there could be casualties."
"Eek."
"It might be best not to try drawing it out until you reach Kairon Planet..."
After that, her routine became rolling around on the comfy bed, popping up briefly for interviews or broadcasts, then rolling around some more. A sharp-looking official sat in front of Yuna, explaining.
"To reach the northeastern star system where Kairon Planet is, you'll board a ship with a warp engine for a long-distance warp. Head to the Albeta-182 star system first, then catch a ship from there to the northeastern system."
"I knew the avatar training planet was far, but... that far?"
Interstellar navigation, or star-to-star travel as it's called, had become reality. Humanity in this era of space pioneering had invented warp technology to leap through space. Most spacecraft were equipped with warp engines that could skip over thousands of light-years, now commercialized as everyday reality. Of course, in a world with constellations, science often blended with their authorities or magic.
"There are ships with magic-engineered warp drives processed from mana concentrates, but I wouldn't recommend it for you, Avatar Yuna. It could clash with the Cosmic Power that Whispering Star Cluster bestowed."
"Um, but what about the cost? I don't have a ton of credits."
"No worries. The planetary government will cover all expenses."
This was a world where transcendent constellations truly existed. Instead of singers or idols, avatars contracted with constellations filled those roles, and famous ones were treated like celebrities. There was that Galaxy Spirit called Silent Starlight, right? Faces of avatars supposedly contracted with it floated around the networks.
And so Yuna boarded the spaceship. She might know it intellectually, but this was her first time in outer space. She spent ages gawking out the window. I'd once gazed at the universe with fascination too, after turning into a body of swirling starlight. Now it bored me to death, so I forcibly dulled my senses and busied myself watching my avatar in this dimension.
"Are the stars ruled by you, Constellation, that beautiful too?"
After checking on her daily and chatting, she was starting to treat me a bit more familiarly. Maybe because it was an era of space exploration and demystifying gods. She didn't revere me like some untouchable monotheistic deity, which was nice.
Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster says it does not rule over stars.
"Huh? But the other-dimensional constellations are all Planet Spirits, aren't they?"
Only beings above Planet Spirit level could explore other dimensions, but apparently none of the ones who'd made avatars here had been Galaxy Spirits or higher. When I stopped sending messages, she whispered skeptically into the air.
"No way... Constellation, are you maybe a Galaxy Spirit... ruling an entire galaxy?!"
Would she believe me if I said I floated in a space where galaxies looked like dust? That even the goddess called a Galaxy Spirit here wanted to submit to me? Ignoring my avatar's incredulous face, I didn't want to show off in a world that called something like Naiserria "great," so I kept quiet for now.
"Nah... no way, right? You're joking, Constellation? Hehe."
Someday, I might tell her.
Albeta-182 Star System. A star system packed with warp gates to reach the federation's remote planets. Unlike warp engines embedded in ships, these warp gates supposedly let you arrive at a fixed destination in a single leap. Warp-engine ships handled short- and mid-range jumps, while gate-transiting ships managed ultra-long distances. Maybe that's why the massive fleet heading to Kairon via warp gate was crammed with avatars.
There were tons of mortals across the galaxy contracted with constellations. The space around me was a sea of avatars marked in red. Makes sense—Kairon drew avatars from everywhere. Humans were the majority, but plenty of aliens too. A four-armed species. One with a square blue head. Humanoids with split pupils and three horns, and more.
"Great tribal god, I shall meet your expectations."
"Constellation, I have a question about the authority you granted last time."
"How human-made warp gates work? Hmm. If you want, I can ask someone involved."
"Hmph. Just like a bumpkin from some backwater planet—can't even properly digest your constellation's authority."
"Watch your mouth, you shaved ape? Duel me when we land."
Amid all these chattering avatars, my first one—
"Avatar, please refrain from using dangerous abilities aboard the ship."
"Ahh! Y-Yes! Sorry!"
—was flashing a small smile while testing Cosmic Power in her hand, only to shrink back after a crew reprimand.
...Yeah. It's her first superpower, so she wants to play with it a bit.