Farewell
Team [Moment of Eternity].
Though numbering merely four members, every single one of them was the absolute strongest—a strike force composed entirely of peak-tier incarnations so rare that finding even one was a miracle. Their might defied comparison with other hunters or guilds. On one occasion, a massive guild had dared pick a fight with them, only to be utterly obliterated by a single member of Moment of Eternity. For that reason, they were treated as an untouchable force in the industry, someone nobody in their right mind would ever cross. And yet...
"I can't take this anymore!"
"Are you really going to keep acting like this?"
"Learn to compromise for once!"
"...I honestly have no idea what goes on inside that head of yours."
Right now, at this very moment, there was someone turning the stomachs of these four women inside out.
Inside the headquarters of Moment of Eternity—a secluded building whose location was known to only a tiny handful of people despite housing the nation's most famous team—all four members were gathered in the main room.
"What exactly is it that displeases you so much?"
Lee Miri was the first to speak. Dressed in a sharp black business suit with cascading long black hair, she served as the team's leader. As the eldest of the four, she possessed tall, mature, striking beauty, but her gaze was razor-sharp and frigid. Yet Miri's icy glare was not directed at any of her teammates. She was looking at the 'fifth' presence in the room.
Long silver hair, pale alabaster skin, and piercing blue eyes. He was stunningly handsome—rivaling any woman—and dressed in aristocratic finery. An unreal-looking man, straight out of a fantasy novel. Even measured against the extraordinary standards of incarnations, he gave off an aura that was distinctly ethereal. And with good reason: he was not human at all.
He was a constellation.
The Constellation [Aethel].
He was the true identity behind the mysterious patron who had claimed all four members of Moment of Eternity as his incarnations, yet whose name and existence remained completely hidden from the rest of the world. Absurdly enough, this transcendent being was currently sprawled across the living room sofa of his incarnations' home. This was the deepest secret Moment of Eternity had guarded up until now: for reasons known only to himself, their patron possessed the unprecedented ability to descend to Earth whenever he pleased.
Aethel had stayed by their side long before the team rose to fame. Unlike other mortals who merely received one-way divine notifications from beyond the veil, they had constantly lived and traveled alongside their patron. What had once been a miraculous blessing, however, had now deteriorated into the root of endless friction. Spending so much time under the same roof had bred excessive familiarity; none of them treated him with the reverence due to a god anymore.
"Allow me to state our case once more," Miri said, keeping her cold gaze fixed on Aethel as she repeated what she had already argued earlier. "From this point forward, I intend to officially establish a guild. No matter how elite our strike force is, four people have obvious limits. That is why we must transition from a four-man team into a proper guild and expand our roster."
While Moment of Eternity was unrivaled as a small elite unit, at the end of the day, there were only four of them. Miri had long insisted that expanding their numbers was imperative for the future. Every time she brought it up, however, Aethel's answer never wavered.
"No."
"This isn't merely for our sake. It will serve as the cornerstone for Korea's future, and indeed the entire world's—"
"Hey, Lee Miri."
Lying across the office sofa with utter disinterest, Aethel cut her off sharply.
"I'm the constellation here. If I say no, what are you gonna do about it?"
"...Could you at least explain why you're so opposed to the idea?"
When she refused to back down, Aethel pushed himself up with a heavy, reluctant sigh.
"Giving out sponsorships isn't the problem. The problem is living under the same roof while sponsoring dozens, hundreds of guild recruits. My identity would get exposed in an instant. It would be pure chaos."
"Couldn't you simply keep your physical identity hidden and sponsor them through system messages? Publicly, you could just pose as our investor or manager."
"You really think that'd work? You're talking about recruiting hundreds of people. You seriously believe I can hand out divine sponsorships right under their noses without getting caught? I'm against it."
"Then it seems you are the only one who opposes this, Aethel."
Hearing Miri's cold declaration, Aethel glanced around at the rest of the team. The first one his eyes landed on was Kim Hana. She had the smallest frame among the four, with a delicate, undeniably adorable appearance. Her attire was a white fantasy-style dress used as hunter gear, and her hair was a pure, snowy white that was rare for a Korean. While not quite on Aethel's level, she possessed a distinctly fairytale look.
"I'm in favor of it too," Hana murmured in a hesitant, troubled voice. "I've thought a lot about this, and I truly believe it's for the best. Your blessings work most effectively when shared with many people, Aethel. If we had the support of all those recruits, I could save so many more lives."
Hana was famous across the entire industry for her gentle heart. As a dedicated healer specializing in recovery magic, she was revered by the public as the 'Saintess.' Knowing her nature all too well, Aethel simply clicked his tongue.
"Figures. You just bought into Miri's sweet talk about doing it for humanity without giving it a second thought. ...By the way, didn't it ever cross your mind to help the guy sitting right in front of you first?"
"Th-that's...!"
"Whatever. Forget it."
Cutting Hana off before she could stammer out an excuse, Aethel turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Angelica. Why on earth are you voting yes?"
He called out to the woman sporting a blonde bob cut, wearing a crisp white blouse paired with a blue miniskirt. Angelica. A young woman of mixed Western descent with lovely features, she held a role that defied her refined appearance: she was the team's frontline tanker. A premier shieldbearer, a high-class beauty, and the heiress of a wealthy family to boot, the glamorous woman offered a smooth, charming smile.
"Because there's no profit in this, Master."
Even though she still called him 'Master' out of deference to his divine status, the substance of her words was utterly cutthroat. Caught off guard, Aethel stared blankly at her.
"Profit? Money?"
"You're well aware that my family is our largest sponsor, aren't you? No matter how much capital they pour into four people, we can't break even. We need to restructure into a corporate guild if we ever hope to recoup the investment."
"...Well, I didn't see that coming."
Faced with such a brutally practical reason, Aethel could only muster a dry scowl.
"Wait a second. If it's just money, I could probably come up with—"
He attempted to negotiate, but an irate voice cut him off mid-sentence.
"Will you just give it a rest already!"
The one shouting at the top of her lungs was the final member of Moment of Eternity. A girl with long black hair styled into twin tails, wearing an ebony dress. She was their damage dealer, Yu Heuk-ri. Heuk-ri was another stunning beauty, sporting a youthful face matched with the slenderest, most toned physique of the four.
However—
"We've already made up our minds! Why do you have to be so damn difficult about everything?!"
As evidenced by the brazen, disrespectful tongue she used with a divine constellation, she had a notoriously volatile temper.
"The team hit a wall, so we don't have any choice but to expand into a guild! We're doing this because our backs are against the wall, so why do you keep whining that you don't want to?!"
"I have my own unavoidable circumstances."
"And what are those, huh?!"
"I want to slack off without a care in the world and zero responsibilities."
"Hah?!"
Looking at the flabbergasted Heuk-ri, Aethel drove the point home.
"Besides, didn't you girls make a promise to me? If my identity gets leaked, it'll become a huge headache, so you promised never to do anything that would put me in an awkward spot. In exchange, I gave you four extraordinarily powerful skills."
Aethel reminded them of their pact. True to his word, he had sponsored each of the four with overwhelmingly potent skills. But—
"Yeah, they were powerful back then. The problem is they're completely useless now."
Heuk-ri sneered derisively. The skills Aethel bestowed had certainly helped—in the early and mid stages of their climb.
"To a struggling newbie, sure, they might be god-tier. But once you reach our level, they're practically irrelevant." Heuk-ri explained with a faint, mocking grimace. "The skills we picked up along the way on our own are way better than the ones you handed down."
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so'?! This is actually a great deal for you! If you hand out your blessings to the new recruits, you can finally feel like a real constellation again!"
Miri nodded in agreement with Heuk-ri's fiery outburst.
"She's right. With your patronage, numerous recruits will grow at an explosive pace, and among them, new powerhouses on par with us may emerge."
Miri laid out her reasoning with cool, logical composure, but—
"Fuck off."
The response she received was laced with raw irritation.
"Spouting utter nonsense with straight faces... Expanding a roster blindly never works out. It's bound to blow up in your faces."
"We haven't even tried yet. How can you be so certain?"
"Did your IQ take a sudden nosedive? I'm a constellation. Obviously I know things you mortals don't."
A constellation. Living under the same roof, chatting and bickering like housemates, it was easy to forget—but he was, in fact, a transcendent being. When an entity beyond mortal comprehension said such a thing, even if it sounded like pure stubbornness, it was hard to dismiss outright.
"Drop this idea while I'm still asking nicely."
"...And if we refuse?"
"Then you'll have to do it without me."
A flat, unyielding ultimatum. For a split second, Miri and two of the others flinched, visibly shaken. But one of them didn't.
"Fine! Then get the hell out!"
Her temper flaring, Heuk-ri screamed at the top of her lungs.
"What are you, a five-year-old?! Threatening to run away from home like a spoiled brat?!"
"...It's not a threat."
"Then pack your bags and leave! See if we care!"
Heuk-ri let out a haughty snort. Despite her harsh words, she was utterly convinced Aethel would never actually leave them.
"Where are you gonna go anyway, huh? You're the one who told us you can't use your real power down on Earth and that you're full of restrictions!"
Heuk-ri smugly brought up the constraints Aethel had confessed to them. It was a miracle in itself that a constellation could walk among mortals like this; in his human avatar, unleashing true divine authority was impossible.
"You can't even use your power properly, so what the hell are you gonna do out there on your own?"
Heuk-ri flashed a triumphant, mocking grin, only for Aethel to casually toss back:
"On the bright side, at least you won't be around."
"What?!"
With that nonchalant reply, the last shred of Heuk-ri's rational composure snapped completely.
"...Fine! I don't need you either! I'm sick and tired of this! If you're gonna keep being such a pain in the ass, just get lost!"
Words spat in the heat of blind rage. But—
"All right."
Aethel stood up and walked toward the door without the slightest hesitation.
"Huh?"
"W-wait a minute!"
Thrown off by his sudden compliance, Hana stared blankly while Miri urgently called out for him to stop. Aethel ignored them completely.
"I-if you walk out that door, we really will find another constellation!"
Belatedly realizing what was happening, even Heuk-ri shouted in panic, trying to threaten him back. Aethel's answer was simply turning the doorknob.
And then—
"Well, looks like my peaceful vacation in the mortal realm has come to an end. What a shame."
Leaving behind words that didn't sound the least bit regretful, he vanished through the doorway.
"...Did we really just banish our own constellation?"
Staring at the closed door, Angelica murmured in stunned disbelief at the unprecedented catastrophe that had just unfolded before their eyes.