9
Chapter 9
"Wow, you're absolutely terrible at this."
"Shut up..."
Here I am again in the training room, receiving one-on-one coaching.
This is how it all started.
While I was crawling on the floor in agony from opening my blocked mana circuits, she approached me as if a great idea had just struck her.
She wanted me to start training.
I strongly opposed the idea, but her logic was simple.
She explained that most people are born with open mana circuits, allowing mana to circulate naturally and grow over time.
Since mine had only just opened, I was no different from a newborn; and since I'd be entering the Demonic Realm, training was essential for survival.
I tried to argue, 'Wouldn't it be better to take it slow? Training too suddenly could cause serious damage,' but she completely brushed aside my concerns, citing the availability of hospitals and clinics.
"I told you to imbue the arrow with mana before firing!"
"I wouldn't know if I've never done it. You probably... from the start..."
...she probably did. Damn it.
I didn't say it out loud, but as if she had heard my unspoken words, she replied with a smug smile.
"Why are your hands shaking so much? Out of energy already?"
"It just feels weird!"
She told me to use the mana in my body, but since it was something entirely new, controlling it wasn't easy. Above all, the sensation of something moving inside me was quite unpleasant. As an average person and not a pro, there was no way I could aim straight while feeling like something was crawling under my skin.
"Just get used to it, rookie!"
"Is making fun of me the only thing you have to do these days?"
"Oops, you caught me!"
"Aren't you a very busy person, Ms. Estella? Don't you have family matters to attend to?"
"My, my, who do you take me for? Of course, I've already finished everything."
"I wish you'd stop being so competent."
"Hey, don't feel inferior. You're dealing with me, after all."
"That's not it."
"Still, I'm a busy woman, so I can only help you two or three times a week. This is a precious opportunity, you know?"
"If you're that busy, we could just reduce the sessions."
"Then I wouldn't be able to do this, would I?"
Just as I was getting used to the sensation and my accuracy was improving, she charged in.
"Oh, for heaven's sake."
"Draw! Fire! And finally, dodge!"
She came sprinting toward me with her sword drawn.
"Oops, you're dead once."
"Twice! In a real fight, they won't be this lenient! Don't just focus on dodging!"
"You have to pull the bowstring! Running away won't get you anywhere. Three times!"
"Four! Excessive movement might help you avoid the current attack, but it only makes you more vulnerable to the next one."
"Once you've adapted to imbuing your shots, I'll teach you how to release all your mana at once. It's actually better to learn that when your mana capacity is low. If used correctly, it'll be a technique that can land a blow even on an opponent stronger than you."
For a month, I received her help two or three times a week, practiced on my own other days, spent time with Luna, and met Double-V in my dreams at night.
And so, time slowly passed.
I trained with everything I had.
So that I could survive the storm ahead.
***
And thus, after a month had passed.
Finally, the day arrived.
"What's with the gloomy face so early in the morning?"
"I just have a lot on my mind, unlike you."
"It won't be that different even after we enroll, will it?"
"I don't know. I think it'll be wildly different."
Estella tilted her head, as if she didn't quite understand what I meant.
"So, what's the deal? Why are you so grumpy?"
"How would you feel if someone told you a terrorist organization you've never heard of was planning an attack today?"
"I think that depends on who's telling me."
"Let's say it's me."
"Hmmmm."
She said this while staring intently at me.
"Since we're friends, I'd probably at least listen."
Friends...
"So, what is it?"
It was a word that felt both unfamiliar and nostalgic.
"Hey, you know the two best ways to piss someone off?"
I hadn't expected anyone here to call me a friend; maybe, like those I once trusted, I had approached her only for my own gain...
"Leaving someone hanging mid-sentence, you jerk!"
"Yikes!"
Estella kicked me right in the Achilles tendon, and I collapsed helplessly.
"I'm against violence."
She caught me as I fell so I didn't hit the pavement, but it still hurt.
"So, what did you want to say?"
"Right, there's going to be a terror attack at the entrance ceremony today. A new group called the Order of Star Carving is behind it."
"What? What's your source?"
I silently pointed to the Stigma on the back of my left hand.
In the original story, there were no characters with prophetic abilities, but I had hoped there might be at least one in history.
"Oh, so you could hear it, like eavesdropping? Is that it?"
If I explained it as eavesdropping now, it would cause problems when I shared information later.
Magic Beasts don't exactly hold meetings before they attack.
"No, I saw it."
Her expression turning to disbelief in real-time proved that, unlike my hopes, there were no such precedents.
"Are you making fun of me again?"
I simply stared at her in silence.
Sensing that I wasn't joking, her expression turned serious.
Then, she took out her phone and seemed to be contacting someone.
"I guess I don't have to go to a mental hospital."
"Not there. I wish it were a mental hospital. I just didn't think this was something I'd hear while walking along."
Soon after, an expensive-looking car arrived.
"Wait, isn't that Lady Estella?"
"Who's that with her?"
Someone recognized her and spoke up.
"Ugh, this piece-of-junk bracelet."
She irritably fumbled with the bracelet on her arm.
Judging by her tone, it seemed to be a perception-blocking artifact.
It explained why no one had recognized her for a month, despite her being a celebrity. I'd wondered about it, but I hadn't bothered to ask.
"I told you to bring one that wasn't so conspicuous, didn't I?"
She shoved me into the car and complained to the man in the driver's seat, who appeared to be a butler.
"You asked me to come urgently, so I arrived as quickly as I could. Ho ho."
The butler slyly deflected her complaint.
"Still, it was a good thing I arrived early. I didn't think the young lady was interested in romance, but to think you've already found a lover..."
"Me, with this jerk?"
Estella and I frowned in annoyance at the same time.
"Wait, it's not okay if you're the one who hates it."
She spoke while looking at me.
I replied with a simple sign language gesture representing a mountain with my left hand.
"Ah, you're trying to show me the Stigma."
"No, I'm the one people can't meet even if they desperately want to."
As she spoke with an incredulous look, I retorted with one of my own.
"I'm just not into people who turn your joints inside out during a single sparring session."
"That's just because you're weak."
"Don't you think you should be more considerate of the weak?"
"Even a lion gives its all when hunting a rabbit."
"It was sparring! Sparring! Not hunting!"
The butler, watching our bickering, cut in to steer the conversation back.
"Ahem, I believe you two had something important to discuss."
"Oh, right. Mr. Butler, put up the partition."
"Yes, understood, my lady."
A black screen slid up between us and the driver's seat, completely sealing us off.
"If this turns out to be another prank, I'm not just going to be angry."
"I swear on my parents, it's not a joke."
"You don't have any."
"How can you be so cruel?"
Did I badmouth those bastards too much in front of her? She didn't seem to care much.
"There you go again. Stop changing the subject."
"Tsk... Fine. Anyway, a group called the Order of Star Carving is going to launch a terror attack today."
The Order of Star Carving. As the name suggests, they seek to carve stars.
Their goal was precisely that: to carve stars into the sky.
The leader was originally a scholar in the Holy Kingdom who researched the traits of Constellations and stars.
He studied when their power waxed and waned, and the moment those stars first appeared.
In the process, he discovered one specific way stars are carved into the heavens.
Stories.
He found that a star is carved when a person's story is at its peak. He surmised that most Constellations were born during the Age of Heroes, where chaos allowed stories to shine brightest.
Based on this, he developed a hypothesis.
He believed that carving a star required the attention and interest of others, and the more people remembered a story, the more brilliant the star would be.
Unfortunately, that hypothesis was correct; though they might not have known it, some individuals had already carved their stars into the night sky.
Consequently, the Order of Star Carving sought an efficient way to carve their own stars.
With a star, one can attain a form of immortality, preserving their consciousness in the starry sky even after death.
Not all Constellations are benevolent. People categorize their tendencies as good, neutral, or evil, and the Order focuses on the malevolent ones.
The reason is simple: people pay more attention to and remember shocking stories longer. It's far easier to become infamous through evil deeds than renowned through good ones.
Thus, the Order of Star Carving commits atrocities to carve their names into the sky.
As she listened, Estella interrupted me.
"Wait, that makes no sense. If that's the case, it doesn't explain why Constellations hide their own stories."
She argued that most Constellations' stories are unknown to the world because they hide details that could become their weaknesses.
From the perspective of those who have already become Constellations, their past is indeed a liability, so they seek to keep it secret.
"That's because they've already carved their constellations. If there's only one star, it falls the moment it's forgotten. But if you carve multiple stars, they resonate, preventing them from falling."
No matter what her doubts were, I had to share my knowledge if it meant securing her cooperation.
"They just need to engrave their existence in the minds of people. That's why they use aliases instead of true names and grant Stigmas to chosen ones. Just by being remembered, their power is maintained and might even grow more brilliant."
This tide of fate was too powerful for me to stop alone.
"Besides, we have the Chancellor, one of only five Great Heroes in history. Some fledgling terrorists can't possibly..."
"He can't fight anymore. Well, more accurately, he hasn't been able to for a long time. We're short on time, so I'll explain the details later."
Estella frowned and rubbed her temples, perhaps overwhelmed by the sudden flood of information. But I had to keep going.
I explained how the attack would unfold and answered her questions.
Honestly, it was hard to believe.
"I know it's hard to believe and there's no proof. But you can at least listen. And if things go as I've predicted, just follow my plan."
Seeing my serious expression, she looked bewildered but eventually nodded.
Perfection is impossible, but one can always strive for the best.
I spent the remaining time planning, revising, and refining everything to the best of my ability.
She listened intently to my seemingly nonsensical ramblings. We'd only known each other for a month, but I was grateful she even entertained such wild stories.
"Thank you."
"What's with the sudden sentimentality?"
Because this was the best I could do.
***
Now, we arrive at the Fifth Continent, the only land completely consumed by the Demonic Realm.
To prevent its anomalies from spreading, the primordial heroes cast a Barrier that allows entry only twice a year.
March 1st and September 1st.
Because it only opens twice a year for a single week, and because it symbolizes the current generation's fight for humanity—and the hope of destroying the core of the Demonic Realm—the Academy's entrance ceremony is broadcast worldwide.
"I am currently reporting live from the Academy's entrance..."
"There goes Lady Estella toward the podium... Truly the aura of the top student..."
"The number of Awakened in this generation is significantly higher than last year..."
"Having received the Stigma of a famous Constellation..."
It was a perfect environment for attracting attention.
[Greetings, everyone. Thank you once again for attending this entrance ceremony. I am Marquelion Baltaros, the Chancellor of the Academy.]
The silver-haired, green-eyed Chancellor, Marquelion, stepped to the microphone and began his speech. It was a long, drawn-out address.
In the middle of the speech, the lights suddenly went out.
Then, a spotlight focused on someone who had suddenly appeared.
[Pleasure to meet you, you fools who stand furthest from the truth.]
A cheerful voice echoed as a man walked out, flanked by figures in black hoods.
[My name is Reika. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, so let's get along, shall we?]
As the young man smiled, Estella, who had been on the podium, shot forward like a bullet.
It was a clash between the Divinity evoked by others and the Malevolent Star seeking to carve its own path.