Chapter 144
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Stars Born Before Adam
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“Ah... No.”
“If you're wondering whether I've been alive since before the stars were born, then you're half right and half wrong.”
“What does that mean?”
“See that star over there?”
“That one?”
“That star is younger than Leon.”
She stretched out her small, pale hand and pointed at the stars.
“Those stars are born from dimensional flux phenomena. People say stars are formed when cosmic dust gathers over time, but in reality, only a tiny fraction are made that way. Most emerge from massive flows of energy.”
In other words, the stars, planets, and Milky Way lighting up the night sky were all apparently created in a short time by different means.
“We'd suspected as much, but it looks like that's the case.”
To be honest, without memories of my past life, I might not have even questioned it.
But with those memories, the sheer number of stars and the lingering traces of massive planets in the night sky felt profoundly alien.
“Countless stars are born and fade away. The beauty unique to each one might last only a fleeting moment... or stretch across hundreds of millions of years.”
“Hmm...”
“It's the night sky Adam wished for.”
Adam...
“So the myth isn't just a simple fable?”
“It depends on how you interpret it, but... it's not entirely false. The story goes that the God of Death, Adam, and the Goddess of Life, Eve, broke a taboo and were punished by the gods, vanishing as a result.”
At the same time, she reached out, grabbed my arm, and pulled me close.
Without hesitation, she pressed her lips to my cheek.
“Huh?”
“A reward for not lying to me.”
A thank-you for not hiding that I had feelings for her, I supposed.
I'd never intended to hide it anyway.
My hesitation stemmed from my engagement to Isna and concerns that things might be moving too fast.
Luna must have felt a bit shy too, because she darted out of the room right after saying that.
With things as they were now...
I reached into empty space and drew the crimson sword from my subspace pocket.
“Guess it's time to return this.”
In the case of House Mielephon's head, Katsi, it seemed she wouldn't press the engagement issue as long as we kept decent relations.
Sword Saint Osberg might feel differently, but he wasn't the type to force a marriage either.
Sending it by letter felt wrong, so I'd have to deliver it in person.
And so, the next day...
I told Melissa my decision.
“Sigh. That's why I told you to watch your words.”
“...”
“Still, congrats. Luna seems like she'd fit right into the family. Senior Isna's a good person at heart, even if she's a bit odd...”
She was draining my energy.
Isna had said she didn't mind if I took other lovers, but no one would take that at face value.
“Go take care of it quick. If you do it now, even if it's annulled on procedural grounds, it won't blow up into a big deal. Engagements often get messy early on over family agreements.”
Of course, there'd be some backlash, but it was better to handle it sooner rather than later.
“The real issue is those who held back because of the Mielephons.”
“Looks like the royal family already cleaned most of them up. We should be safe for a while.”
With the massive power of Viscount Vidar—who once backed Tibel Cascadia—now reeling, it wasn't a huge concern.
And so, accompanied only by Head Maid Misha, I headed for the Mielephon estate.
No sooner had I sent word that I was coming about the engagement than House Head Katsi replied that she was prepared and to come at my leisure.
“Have you made your decision?”
“I'm sorry. I was the one who brought it up.”
“No need. To say I'm not angry would be a lie.”
The woman paused, Katsi Mielephon, quietly savoring her tea.
“Aren't you a benefactor to House Mielephon?”
“I have no face to show.”
I was the one who'd started it, and I'd turned it official by causing a scene, so she must have felt like she'd been caught off guard.
Yet she showed no real anger.
“You might not realize it, but the lives of a Sword Saint, a house head, and our knights are worth far more than some trivial engagement hassle. Father said that without you, young master, the damage would have been unimaginable.”
She produced a document, as if she'd prepared it in advance.
“This is...”
“The engagement confirmation between Count Cascadia and us. Do you remember what I said before?”
“What words?”
“That even though she's my daughter, I can't read what's in Isna's head at all.”
“Ah. Yes, I remember.”
Riiip!!
In response, she tore the confirmation to shreds without a second thought.
“I want that child to marry someone she likes. I had my suspicions, but in my judgment... this might be for the best.”
Having completely destroyed the paper, she tossed the pieces into the nearby fireplace.
Afterward, I brought out the box containing the sword I'd prepared to return, Electra.
“I'll return this now.”
“Keep it.”
“Pardon?”
“House Mielephon is called the empire's mad dog. Once we bite, we don't let go.”
“That...”
“Now that the engagement's off, I have no intention of interfering with your romance alongside that Luna Vasilin woman by your side.”
She knew about this.
“However, if Isna wants you, I won't stop her from pursuing you. In exchange, we'll handle all issues arising from the annulment, and we promise to maintain close ties with House Cascadia going forward.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Then I'll go speak with Lady Isna...”
“You won't see her right now. She's run off again.”
Wow. This girl really doesn't have a quiet day.
We'd both instinctively sensed there were no real feelings between us. In fact, seeking her out now might even feel deceitful to her.
“Oh, and young master. You caused quite the stir at the Imperial Academy.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems Her Imperial Highness wishes to meet you.”
The imperial family... that was a heavier matter.
The Pascalia Empire's influence over our Bata Kingdom was enormous.
It was only natural that its reach was limited on other continents across the sea, but since Bata bordered the empire, we'd had countless exchanges over the years.
What did that mean?
It meant the empire—and especially the imperial family—exerted direct pressure on Bata Kingdom.
To put it jokingly, within Bata, the Pascalian imperial family even held more sway than our own royal family.
If someone asked how that was possible without us being a vassal state, I'd have no good answer—but in a continent ruled by might-makes-right, superpowers wielded that kind of presence.
Royalty...
The imperial noble I'd met at the Imperial Academy, Eirena Lu Pascalia, came to mind.
She'd tried to act tough on the surface but crumbled instantly under terror she'd never felt before.
Well, that was only human.
The silver lining was that she was still a student and not in a position to bend the imperial family to her whims.
They said the emperor doted on Princess Eirena, but even an emperor wouldn't conduct personal diplomacy.
In the end, I left the house head's reception room without returning the sword.
Then, from behind a distant pillar, a bear doll popped out as if it'd been waiting.
She'd run away but was still hiding in the manor, it seemed.
“Lady Isna, I heard you ran off.”
“Low-level runaways bolt from the estate right away. Experts hide inside instead. Hmm... So you've decided on the annulment?”
How did she know?
No, setting aside her eccentric behavior, she had an uncanny knack for grasping situations.
“I'm... sorry it turned out this way.”
“No need. Wasn't that the agreement from the start? Besides, anyone could tell you have feelings for Miss Luna.”
She extended a hand from her mitten-like doll arm for a handshake.
I gently clasped it, and she shook lightly with a shy smile.
“Remember what I said before? If I like someone, I don't care about engagements or whatever. I'll get them no matter what it takes.”
“That's a bit intense.”
“Truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure myself. But we'll make great friends.”
I think she'd said something like that.
“Lady Isna!! There you are again!!”
“Eek!”
As two maids appeared chasing her from down the hall, Isna freaked out and fled in an instant.
I watched her go in silence, then slowly turned and left the Mielephon estate.
The good news was that Sword Saint Osberg was away from the manor.
After returning from the Mielephons, the next two weeks passed uneventfully.
I devoted myself to training to suppress the Authority Thanatos.
And now...
I sat in place, ignoring the utterly exhausted Melissa sprawled out behind me, as I worked to control the elemental mana rampaging wildly inside my body.
Normally, Luna munching snacks nearby and Head Maid Misha would be there, but Misha had returned to the Mielephons, and Luna—stuffed full—was dozing under a tree.
The only sound was Melissa's breathing; it was utterly still.
“What is this... Magic?”
She must have sensed the mana for the first time in her life as I controlled it.
Melissa bolted upright and poked at my body as she hurried over.
“Hey, what are you?”
“Back off. Touch it wrong, and it'll blow.”
“Whoa...”
Melissa backed away in alarm, watching me warily from about three meters off.
The mana surging chaotically inside me now was elemental mana, distinct from spirit mana.
In other words, the kind mages used.
The stuff that called down lightning, ignited fires, and froze everything solid.
Of course, it was just elemental mana for now—no circles yet—but circles held little meaning for me anyway.
My growth depended solely on my physical condition.
Enlightenment? Training?
Beyond my daily routine, nothing much changed.
That was why I could smash through the wall from Expert to Master in an instant.