Two Stars (2)
The sound of clapping echoed from the edge of the forest.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
“Haha, I’ve been caught.”
That voice—I definitely remembered it.
It was the one I’d heard when I ran into Sergeant Müller….
‘Lieutenant Julian Weiss?’
He was an unforgettable man.
The strange person who had covered the fifty-meter distance from the recruit processing center’s main gate in barely two seconds.
The one whose narrow eyes and bright, cheerful smile had looked incredibly dangerous.
The very person Sergeant Müller had warned me never to get involved with.
My instincts were screaming that getting tangled up with him would mean a meaningless, dog-like death—no heat, no attention, just a pointless end.
‘And the one next to him…’
Beside Lieutenant Julian Weiss stood a tall female soldier.
She was floating in midair, wearing an inscrutable smile.
“Lieutenant Weiss, are you bothering the kids again?”
“No, not at all. You know how much I like them.”
“Someone I know… Ha, never mind. Forget it. Talking to you only gives me stress.”
“Does that kind of attitude hurt my feelings, you think?”
“You… getting hurt?”
After their brief exchange, the pair stepped out of the forest and walked onto the training ground.
Though for one of them, “walked” wasn’t quite accurate—it was more like their body simply moved.
‘There definitely wasn’t any magic among the five types that could do something like that…’
Could it be… a Star?
Since Lieutenant Julian Weiss had mentioned the authority of a Star, the woman standing beside him was most likely one too.
To become a Star just because you could float in the air and move around felt pathetic compared to the example Sergeant Müller had given—creating explosives in midair.
The examiner and assistant instructor in charge of our training approached them, visibly tense.
“Long live Her Imperial Majesty!”
“Ah, you don’t need to bother with that kind of formality.”
“No, sir! I apologize for the delayed recognition!”
He’d acted so intimidating and terrifying toward us trainees, yet the moment a Star appeared, he turned into this. Typical military behavior.
“Um… may I ask what brings you here?”
“Hmm? Hmmm? Do we really need a special reason to show up?”
“No, sir! I’m sorry!”
“I’ll answer you. Oh, do you need our ranks and names too?”
Good grief, he even asked if they needed to state their ranks and names.
I couldn’t even guess how much he was trying to ruin the assistant instructor’s military life.
Demanding ranks and names from high-ranking officers who suddenly visited the training camp?
‘…What a suicidal idiot.’
I let out a long breath.
It didn’t seem like Lieutenant Weiss had recognized me yet, and the woman beside him showed no particular reaction either.
Maybe it was just a surprise inspection?
But there was no way one of the empire’s eleven precious Stars would personally go around conducting random checks….
‘No way.’
A single ominous thought crossed my mind.
The conversation I’d had with Lieutenant Julian Weiss in front of the recruit processing center—about recruiting a platoon.
The part where he said he’d decided to take one mage under the authority of a Star.
What if Lieutenant Julian Weiss, unable to find a mage he liked, had come to the rear training camp himself to pick one out?
And what if, of all places, he had come to the camp where I was?
My brain has always turned unusually fast. Right then and there, I began plotting how to sacrifice the other kids and slip away.
The purity of my mana was pathetically low. If I used magic more than five times a day, it would shave years off my lifespan.
I planned to emphasize that fact and steer them toward taking someone else….
But things didn’t go according to plan.
The woman standing beside Lieutenant Julian Weiss suddenly began introducing herself.
“My name is Anke Mauer, rank Lieutenant. The Star bestowed upon me is the Void Star. Nice to meet you all.”
“Um, are we suddenly in an introduction mood?”
“We should at least let them know who we are and what we do.”
“Very well. I’ll do the same. My name is Julian Weiss, also a Lieutenant. The Star bestowed upon me is the Annihilation Star.”
After a brief pause, Lieutenant Julian Weiss continued.
“We’ve come to scout all of you into our platoons.”
“More precisely, to find those with potential.”
“Yes. Well, that’s correct.”
Lieutenant Julian Weiss scratched the back of his head and glanced behind him.
The woman who had introduced herself as Anke Mauer simply shrugged while still floating in the air.
It felt… somehow unnatural.
‘Still, she’s pretty.’
Void Star, Anke Mauer.
Was it too late to describe her appearance?
She had hair similar to mine, wore a uniform similar to mine, and was tall enough to pass for a model.
It wasn’t pure white—there was a faint blue tint to it.
Her eye color was a moderate amber. Since it wasn’t my preference, it made me slightly uncomfortable.
I’m telling you, I’m not interested in women.
While I was busy evaluating her looks and mentally adding her to my list of potential toys, one brave trainee raised a hand.
“Yes. Trainee over there, do you have a question?”
“I don’t understand what ‘potential’ means.”
“Hmm….”
Lieutenant Weiss naturally shot a glance at Lieutenant Mauer.
With a deep sigh, Lieutenant Mauer seemed to decide she would answer the brave trainee’s question instead and stepped forward.
“Potential means exactly what it sounds like. We’re going to intensively manage trainees who have the chance to become the next Star.”
“…In your platoon, ma’am?”
“That’s right.”
“How do you determine potential?”
“And why exactly should we tell you that?”
“…I’m sorry.”
The trainee immediately read the room and apologized to Lieutenant Mauer.
She didn’t seem to like his quick submission, because she stared at him intently.
The fine hairs on his skin stood on end.
His still-young skin, which hadn’t even lost its baby fuzz, broke out in goosebumps.
“It’s fine. I’ll let it slide once. I’ll even explain. I’m in a good mood today!”
The suffocating atmosphere eased, and everyone let out the breath they’d been holding.
I instantly understood why those granted the title of Star were treated as strategic weapons even when acting alone.
It wasn’t simply because they could use one special type of magic.
It was because you could instinctively feel they were beings slightly removed from humanity. That was what made them Stars.
“There are mages with particularly high potential to become Stars.”
“Right. Can’t you kind of tell just by looking at us?”
“Julian, shut your mouth.”
“Yes, ma’am… As you command.”
“Mages with potential all share one common trait. And that is….”
“They’re all crazy!”
Lieutenant Weiss couldn’t resist cutting in and burst out laughing.
Lieutenant Mauer quickly flew over and tried to punch him in the head.
But Lieutenant Weiss had no intention of taking it lying down; he immediately twisted his head to the side and dodged the fist.
Countless Type A and Type B spells activated and vanished around the two of them.
…In a single instant, at least ten spells had gone off simultaneously.
‘So that’s what a Star is.’
As if their earlier exchange had been nothing more than playful banter, the pair quickly smiled again and brushed off their hands.
“I’ll continue. We came here looking for slightly twisted humans.”
“Correct. Twisted humans have a higher chance of becoming Stars.”
“For example, I—who received the title Void Star—created a spell that lets me walk through the sky. The funny part is that I hate high places.”
“I was granted the title Annihilation Star and created a spell that destroys everything in a straight line of sight. Yet in reality, my personality is that of a pacifist and philanthropist.”
Lieutenant Mauer snorted the moment Lieutenant Weiss finished speaking, but it seemed to be mostly true.
In other words, those who had reached the level of Star had personally developed a single spell.
Yet for some reason, that spell manifested something they normally hated.
If that was the case….
‘If I become a Star, will I end up with a spell that turns me invisible?’
Ugh, I really didn’t like that.
Becoming transparent meant other people couldn’t see me, and if they couldn’t see me, they wouldn’t pay attention to me.
It was the worst possible magic.
Clap!
Lieutenant Julian Weiss clapped his hands loudly to draw everyone’s attention.
“Anyway, that’s why—if any of you wish to join my assault platoon, please raise your hand.”
“Likewise, anyone who wants to join my reconnaissance platoon, take one step forward.”
I learned this later, but mage officers granted the title of Star are usually promoted from Lieutenant to Captain.
They typically command a single platoon, and that platoon exists solely for one person.
Everything is built for the Star, revolving around them like a planetary system orbiting a sun.
They have no superiors.
One senior sergeant or staff sergeant.
Two or three signalmen.
An escort squad, grenadiers, machine-gun squad, engineers, medics, and a few mages are assigned.
Naturally, all of this could be freely adjusted according to the Star platoon leader’s preferences.
And now we come to the main point.
Lieutenant Julian Weiss slowly scanned the faces of the trainees.
Then our eyes met.
Please, please don’t recognize me.
I prayed desperately inside, only to realize once again that there was no god.
“Oh…! So you’re here!”
I was screwed.