35. Inter-School Competition (3)
The inter-school competition was held in a different place every year.
The year before the year before last, it was at Kaikaren Private Magic School.
The year before last, at Starflower Tree Magic School.
Last year, at Molondo Magic School.
This year’s inter-school competition would be held at Stella Academy.
Thanks to that, Stella’s students could not help but be extremely busy preparing for the competition.
Naturally, it was not unpaid work.
Students who helped with preparations for the inter-school competition were given quite a lot of compensation and benefits, so among the students enrolled at Stella, it had become famous as a “sweet part-time job,” and many commoners had remained behind during summer vacation specifically to work.
Of course, regardless of whether such things were happening or not, there were also those who simply continued doing their own thing.
Thud!
“I brought them.”
Stella Magic Library.
Flame placed a towering stack of thick books on top of the table.
It was incredible strength for such a small frame, but the other two girls seemed not to care in the slightest as they each pulled one book toward themselves and began reading.
The Twelve Divine Moons.
The beings Eizel, Hong Biyeon, and Flame had gathered to investigate were the Twelve Divine Moons, beings referred to as legends.
They had guessed that those beings—who had suddenly fallen asleep a thousand years ago and now existed only in the form of faith—were the key to the destruction of the world.
The twelve clusters of light shown in the Star Archive.
No matter how they thought about it… those were undoubtedly traces left behind by the Twelve Divine Moons.
On top of that, the girls had decided to share with one another the information and incidents each of them knew.
Flame spoke first.
“…If Baek Yuseol really regressed through the power of Silver Age November, then he won’t be able to tell us that fact.”
“Why not?”
“It’s similar to how the moment you try to tell someone the knowledge we saw in the Star Archive, you get stopped. The instant he reveals something from the future, the prohibition against divulging heavenly secrets could erase his very existence.”
No one questioned why Flame knew that.
It was out of mutual respect.
“So that means it’s impossible to talk directly with Mr. Baek Yuseol about this.”
“That’s right. That Ahjussi… won’t be able to answer anything. Maybe he’ll even avoid us because we’ve found out the secret. If knowledge of the future leaks to us by mistake…”
Eizel turned pale, because she had vividly experienced what almost happened.
“…Principal Eltman collapsed coughing blood while trying to use magic to hear the secret of the Star Archive. That is absolutely not the right choice.”
“To that extent…”
At the thought that even Eltman Eltwin—someone who could be called the strongest in the world without exaggeration—had not been able to endure it, the girls’ complexions darkened.
Next came Hong Biyeon.
“You do remember the last day of the Familiar Contract Ceremony, right?”
“Of course.”
“I nearly died…”
“At that time, I saw something quite strange. After Baek Yuseol brought Professor Meizen down and then lost consciousness… one of the Twelve Divine Moons, Crimson Spring March, was holding that commoner in her arms.”
“W-what did you say?”
“One of the Twelve Divine Moons… personally revealed herself?”
That was a fairly shocking story, so Flame’s and Eizel’s eyes widened.
“Yes. It was definitely Crimson Spring March. I didn’t even know much about that existence, but strangely enough, the moment I saw her, I knew. That one is one of the Twelve Divine Moons. A being who governs the power of the heart…”
Why would such an existence be holding Baek Yuseol?
What kind of relationship had passed between him and Crimson Spring March?
…If that were the case,
was Baek Yuseol really traveling the world in order to gather the Twelve Divine Moons?
“No wonder… he always used to go out every weekend.”
“I wondered where he kept going, but while handling his school schedule, he was traveling the world on weekends.”
All over again, they found themselves thinking he had truly incredible stamina.
Or perhaps… was the reason he always nodded off in class that he was dealing with such a brutal schedule every day?
“That makes sense too. With the kind of knowledge he has… there’s no reason he would need to attend the academy in the first place.”
“Exactly. If anything, it feels like even traveling the world gathering the Twelve Divine Moons wouldn’t be enough for him, so is there really any reason for him to maintain a school life at all?”
“There must be. Through tens of thousands of experiences, he must have found a reason he has to attend school.”
Baek Yuseol.
His school life was both extremely special and completely ordinary.
He stood out sharply because he did not use magic, but his rank in grades always hovered somewhere in the middle.
In other words, he was not attending school because grades mattered.
“Then what’s left is…”
“Human relationships… I suppose.”
If in this life as well he had intended to solve everything with his own strength alone, he would have dropped out long ago and wandered the world, building up his power for himself.
But that method was not the correct one.
The most proper choice for stopping the destruction of the world existed within Stella Academy.
And after entering the school, the people he had shown the strongest interest in were…
“…Us, aren’t they?”
At Flame’s hollow voice, Eizel and Hong Biyeon pressed their lips tightly shut.
She was not wrong.
The three people Baek Yuseol had paid unusual attention to right after entering school were the very ones sitting here.
So that’s how it is…
Since Flame knew of the existence of the original romance-fantasy novel, she could accept it to some degree.
She herself was a transmigrator from another world, Eizel was the protagonist of the original work, and Hong Biyeon was the greatest rival, possessing talent that rivaled that protagonist.
And in addition to that, when they thought about how he had also subtly paid attention to various cadets, including Ma Yuseong, it seemed likely that he had found some kind of possibility in the cadets of Stella.
But the other two girls looked a little puzzled.
Why me, specifically?
That was because they still had no real sense of just how destined they were to become great archmages in the future.
Still…
the fact itself that Baek Yuseol had been subtly paying attention to them from the very beginning pleased them quite a bit, so faint smiles bloomed across the girls’ faces.
The highest peak of the Primordial Mountain Range.
An unnamed ancient castle.
Aide Oranha came here alone in order to meet Kkotseorin, the king who ruled over all fairies and elves.
After passing the minimal guard detail protecting the ancient castle, he reached the top and knelt down, and Kkotseorin made her presence known.
“…You’ve come, Oranha.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Her voice was slightly hoarse.
A long time had passed since she had used her voice.
Since even her voice contained the power of enchantment, remaining silent was unavoidable if she wished to avoid bewitching those around her.
Perhaps because the one and only person with whom she could speak frankly had come, Kkotseorin’s footsteps drew close, right up to the door.
Even so, the door did not open.
Oranha possessed enough curse immunity to meet her gaze,
but if he were exposed to it often and for a long time, there was no telling what might happen.
…Of course.
The claim that Oranha possessed “curse immunity” was a blatant lie.
He had long since been bewitched by Kkotseorin’s magic, but he had hidden that fact tightly away.
Lovesickness?
That was an illness that afflicted only the weak-willed.
If one had found someone to love, then one should harden one’s resolve, sharpen one’s abilities, lay one’s plans thoroughly, and claim that woman.
Why would anyone sit alone, suffering in silence until they died?
Oranha hid every last one of his feelings perfectly.
How many times had there been, when he stood before her face to face, that he wanted to run to her that very instant and confess his love?
If he had not possessed the Trait [Will of Steel],
perhaps he would already have ended up just like all the others.
“What brings you here?”
As he listened to Kkotseorin’s excited voice, his heart pounded in his chest.
As calmly as possible, pretending to be emotionless, he opened his mouth.
“This year’s inter-school competition begins immediately next week. Your Majesty does not need to involve yourself personally, but an invitation has arrived.”
“…I see. I cannot go.”
It was not some especially important matter.
At the very most, it was merely an inter-school competition put on by students, so there was no need for the Elf King to personally show herself.
That would have been true even without the curse.
However, because more than thirty prestigious schools would be participating, it was quite common for kings and high-ranking nobles to attend as spectators, so it would not have been all that strange even if the Elf King did choose to go.
And since Eltman Eltwin—who was said to possess power greater than that of most kings—would personally watch the competition, there were great political reasons to go meet him as well.
“I would very much like to escort Your Majesty to this year’s inter-school competition.”
“Is that so…?”
Whenever Oranha spoke in such a firm tone, there was always a reason.
Since he was the trusted closest aide Kkotseorin believed in most, she did not rebuke him and instead asked for that reason.
“Why is that?”
“Previously, I told Your Majesty that I had discovered traces of the ‘Spirit-Slayer’ you have been searching for so desperately.”
At the mention of the word most sensitive to Kkotseorin, the atmosphere turned slightly cold.
The temperature had dropped because of the king’s power.
But Oranha did not stop, and he spoke with certainty.
“I believe I have obtained firm proof of it.”
The inter-school competition would be held at Stella Academy.
And there…
Baek Yuseol was enrolled.
Oranha had secretly exerted considerable effort in investigating him from behind the scenes.
He had gone so far as to capture a Dark Mage and interrogate them about Baek Yuseol’s identity.
As a result, the judgment he reached was this.
Baek Yuseol is not an ordinary student.
Baek Yuseol has some kind of force backing him.
He attended school for reasons that were anything but ordinary.
It had certainly been strange that a human who was not even a 9-Class archmage maintained the appearance of a young boy, but that much alone was not enough.
If he can hide dark power, and even hide a corrupted soul… then there’s no reason he couldn’t hide his appearance as well.
In fact, not long ago, he had even personally met those who possessed the technology to alter appearances.
The Crescent Moon Tower.
They were people who quietly operated in the shadows of the world, and because they possessed overwhelming magical technology, such a thing was possible.
Still, what mattered was the fact that changing one’s appearance was possible at all.
Baek Yuseol, too, was undoubtedly attending Stella while draped in such cutting-edge magical technology, hiding every aspect of his identity.
This was not merely his own personal inference.
It was a conclusion he had reached after stirring up numerous Dark Mage groups, digging up the fact that they were taking a deep interest in Baek Yuseol, absorbing all the information they possessed, and personally investigating his every action.
You cannot deceive me.
Oranha, who was counted among the greatest High Elves in history, still vividly remembered the clear spiritual aura he had felt from Baek Yuseol.
A month had already passed since the time he had arranged for Baek Yuseol to carry the Soul Orb on his body.
I can uncover Baek Yuseol’s true identity.
This year’s inter-school competition, in which the finest elite students from every country gathered, could only be called a very special event.
At such a venue, exposing the truth of Baek Yuseol, who monopolized the attention of the public…
that would go beyond merely earning Kkotseorin’s favor.
Politically, diplomatically, and in terms of image as well, he expected it would yield considerable benefit.
“Is… that so…?”
Without revealing exactly who the culprit was yet, Oranha explained his plan only in vague outline, and Kkotseorin accepted it in a trembling voice.
“…I’ll leave it in your hands…”
After saying that, Kkotseorin’s voice moved farther away.
She was trying once more to spend time alone, calming her heart.
Oranha pitied her deeply, forced as she was to remain alone, but the time was not yet right.
Soon, you will let me into that room.
Thinking that, Oranha left his place, and Kkotseorin, left alone, spent her time staring blankly out the small window no larger than a tray.
Spirit-Slayer…
The hatred she felt for that being had not yet subsided.
It was certainly true that she wanted to catch the culprit.
But…
recently, she had learned something even more important.
Iphanel is alive.
Because some gracious someone had saved her, Iphanel was still clinging to life even now.
She still had not forgotten it.
That night when the moonlight fell clear and brilliant across the world.
The sight of that one small young boy standing there in martial robes.
When she met his black eyes for a moment—eyes that seemed to resemble the cosmos itself—she had the illusion that she was being drawn into him.
I have to meet him.
She did not know who he was.
She did not know his name either.
But somehow, some way, she had to meet him.
Far beyond simply owing gratitude for the fact that he had saved Iphanel,
he…
had possessed complete immunity to her curse.
…If someday I can freely go out into the outside world.
I will search for him.
Thinking that, Kkotseorin closed her eyes.
Today of all days…
she was unusually tired.
