#7
After leaving a record of going out at headquarters.
When I showed my frontier student ID to the warp gate leading to the capital Helios through the entrance gate of District 2, I was able to purchase a pass at almost half price.
It was the last three weeks out. Citizens of various ages filled the road, not teenagers.
The lively vitality is very pleasant. A wind of just the right temperature blows, and brightly colored petals budding the sweet scent of spring flutter in one corner of the landscape.
The streets were very busy on the weekends, so I almost got lost in the crowds a few times – but eventually managed to find the warp gate to the Star of Akasha.
“… wow.”
That’s how the giant horse tower arrived.
The place I headed was the entrance to the 3rd Horse Tower.
If the positions of the three horse towers constituting the star of Akasha are connected with a line, it becomes a triangle, and the third horse tower was located to the east of them.
‘This is Akasha’s star.’
In the center of the arched entrance, the emblem of the etheric school flutters in the wind.
The majesty of the building, erected high above the ground as if it would break through the sky, was enough to make me numb when I looked up at the horse tower with my head bent.
You can’t even see the spire above the clouds.
It looks like floating stones are spirally wrapped around the tower. Although it was seen from a distance, the size of the tower was enormous. I had no idea how wide the inside was.
There were several wizards wearing robes around. As they entered the entrance without any problems, it was clear that they were mostly wizards belonging to the Star of Akasha.
To belong to the Magic Tower, which is said to be at the pinnacle of human magic. Their pride was probably the highest in the world, equal to the level of the horse tower.
“after.”
He let go of the tension in one breath.
Basically, individualism was rampant, so they were wizards who did not pay much attention to others except themselves, but there were quite a few people who secretly cast their eyes on me.
Is it because the outsider tea is definitely out there? Rather, it had to be bolder. With her chest open and powerful walking, she approached the figure in the robe near the entrance.
and.
“Please state your affiliation and identity.”
“Ah, I… … ”
“Are you a visitor?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a pass?”
“no.”
“Do you have an invitation?”
“no.”
“Are there any other means to prove your identity?”
“Not even that.”
“Then go back. Why did an outsider who has absolutely nothing to do with Akasha’s star come here?”
The entrance was cut.
#8
“… … Yes? Note?”
Just before.
Realizing that I was just a student with nothing, the man frowned and waved his hands.
Maybe even the seeds won’t work, but I wanted to submit this one, so I took out my Frontier student ID from my pocket.
The man seemed to be startled for a moment, then showed a consistent attitude again. I guess my student ID was just weird.
‘It’s difficult.’
What’s wrong with going back like this?
Elena didn’t even teach me how to enter Akasha’s Star. I just handed him a handwritten scribbled note. He said that if it was one of these, the 3rd matota master would do whatever I asked for. But I don’t know how to use this.
So you say you brought a note.
The man now has that expression, so what does he mean? He had the same stupid face. No matter what the note you have, it sounds like you want to hear a voice.
“Wait. this… … ”
After taking out the folded note and unfolding it.
“This… … ”
I opened my eyes when I showed it to the man.
I thought to myself.
‘Can you read that text?’
The letters Elena engraved were completely unreadable to me. However, the man was looking at the note with his eyes narrowed, concentrating on his forehead. Occasionally, his eyebrows twitched.
Indeed, Akasha’s star.
He seemed to be able to read texts he had never seen before.
“What is this?”
“… … ”
“Don’t make any fuss and go away. We’re not that lazy. Just because he’s on duty on the weekend doesn’t mean he’s good enough to play around with a child like this.”
Perhaps he thought he was making fun of him because he couldn’t read texts, so the man shot at me with a ferocious tone of anger.
I said calming him down.
“This is, in fact, a note from High Honorary Elena Crymore.”
“… Yes? If it’s Elena Crymore, are you talking about that war hero, Elena?”
“Yes Yes. Right. He… … ”
“Why is he writing you a note?”
“Because I’m Elena-sama’s junior, I had to get help for a while. So if you take this note and go to the Star of Akasha, you will be able to meet the Master Matap… … ”
“… … Master Matthew?”
The man asked after a brief silence.
“Archdeca, are you talking about Tetra Crowley, the 3rd mafic lord?”
“you’re right.”
A hierarchy beyond ‘deca’, which means tenth rank. The realm of that heaven and earth is called ‘Ark Deca’.
At the present time, there was only one person on the continent of Altima with the title of Arc Deca, except for Tetra. Characters on the verge of becoming a living myth beyond history.
The man guarding the entrance has an unappealing face. If a young blue-eyed guy like me said he came to see Mt.
—Tetra? Why is the name of the master mage appearing over there?
—By the way, is it already a year? Time goes so fast yeah
—The etheric school is so strange. The position of the head of the school, the head of the Order, is almost always vacant, but it does well.
—Man, that is now becoming a thing of the past. Even within the school, there were quite a few people who were dissatisfied with her actions. If it goes on like this, the 3rd Matoshi Master will no longer be able to maintain his position.
—I guess so. Ttttttt, if he had announced his comeback, he would have appeared briefly at the welcome ceremony, what would deceive the wizards under his command… … eh.
When I mentioned the name Tetra Crowley, it seemed that the gazes that were pressing on me increased considerably. Elder wizards wearing robes pass me by.
The man who looked at the note and me alternately for a while,
“There is no need to deny the authenticity of the note.”
“… … What’s wrong?”
He returned the note to me and shook his head.
“I’m sorry… Master Matthew is not here now.”
#9
It was disappointing.
… … no, what
It wasn’t something unexpected. Because I came here with all of this in mind. I had heard that Tetra was such a newcomer, so even the future where he would return empty-handed without any special harvest had been fully anticipated.
but.
‘The round trip cost is quite expensive.’
Because my bank account wasn’t infinite.
It was better not to walk in vain if possible.
“Do you know when you will be back?”
“Do I know that?”
The man grinned as if it was absurd.
“As you are a frontier, especially an Epic class student, I have been dealing with you with sincerity, but beyond this, I cannot be involved in your affairs. Later, when Master Matap returns, please come back then. Please don’t send me a note that doesn’t even know the meaning of this, and if you really can get help from Elena, please issue a formal temporary pass.”
A clear congratulatory order fell.
From a man’s point of view, the situation was not incomprehensible, so he had no choice but to wander and wander at the entrance of the tower.
‘I can’t help it.’
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect it.
It’s a pity to go back like this… …
“then.”
“What else?”
“Can’t you even leave your name?”
“name… … ?”
The man raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t think that’s something you’re going to tell me, but… … Well, say it once. I will hand it over to the reception desk.”
If I hadn’t been a frontier student, I’d have kicked my ass and kicked it out of the way. I opened the door to a man who poked out his ears and approached him with dry skin.
“This is Ezio Cranil, number 15 from the first year of Epic Class in District 2 of the Imperial Frontier Academy.”
and.
It was the next moment.
“… … Ezio Cranil?”
A voice that repeats my name.
The voice came from a completely different place than the man. Our gaze naturally shifted towards the source.
There was a young man holding a flask full of reagents and a box full of various materials in his arms and shaking his legs as if it was about to break.
“If it’s Ezio Cranil, maybe… … ”
The young man looked at me with long, shaky eyes, and then lifted his eyelids upward as if in disbelief.
It took a moment for me to think of a faint sense of déjà vu like a faded photograph, having glimpsed the deep fatigue beneath it.
The light brown haired young man thumped the heavy box on the floor and let out a few words.
“Rubia’s friend, Ezio Cranil, who was attending Lorsen Academy… … Does that mean you are?”
I ran my hand over my parched lips, and the face behind it was familiar to me.
How did you even recognize me?
It was certain.
“… … Shriel-senpai, are you here?”
Shriel de Laparte.
My academy senior, who entered Akasha’s Star right after graduating from high school, reappeared in front of me with a completely different impression after only half a year had passed.
#10
“Pente Shriel. Do you know anyone?”
“I know. were classmates and juniors. He is also a benefactor who owes a lot of personal debt. I didn’t know we’d meet here… … ”
Shuriel came over to me with her back bent.
There was a hint of suspicion in the eyes that looked at me.
“… … I didn’t even know it was going to change. Are you really that Ezio Cranil?”
“It’s been a while, senior.”
“… … I can’t believe it.”
The reaction that anyone who remembers me during the Lawssen Academy days can say is natural has returned.
I was the one who had to look up at Shuriel the other day. Now that they are at the same level of each other’s eyes, it would be impossible to grasp how much they have grown in such a short period of less than half a year.
“I have a completely different impression. It’s like being replaced with a new body.”
The last thing Shriel saw of me must have been a bloody boy who was on the verge of being ripped into pieces of meat.
A boy who could not even walk long if left alone and would have died on the street.
The boy who did that came back alive, and he has changed so much, so it was natural to feel confused.
Shriel’s eyes, which had been soaked with fatigue for an instant, were dyed with a beautiful color. As if I felt an irresistible curiosity about my unbelievably changed appearance, she scans my body from the bottom to the top of my head and bursts into exclamations of exclamation.
“The spirit and the body have become very strong overall. The aura you can feel from the internal circuit is also terrifying. How could this be? If this is not an area where effort is possible… … ”
There are things in the world that are possible and things that are impossible. Now Shuriel was facing the impossible right before her eyes.
I flinched for a moment in the momentum to even touch my forearm if I stood still.
“It’s not like this. Are you experiencing any difficulties?”
Shriel asked me that question, as if it were reminiscent of me wandering around without going through the entrance.
If the person you need to meet at the tower isn’t there, there’s no reason to go in. However, after coming a long way, it is difficult to go back to this way, and above all, Shriel seemed to have something to say to me.
“That’s because I came to see Master Matap, but he wasn’t there. Even so, I had no way to get in, so I stayed here for a while. My business is gone, so I’m thinking of going back soon… … ”
“no. This is also a relationship, so let’s go in and talk. Wait a minute. Even though it looks like this, she’s a magician belonging to Akasha’s Star. At least one of you will be able to get them inside without difficulty.”
Shriel showed a surprising look when he said that he had come to meet the master, but the two of them chatted for a while after holding something to the man guarding the entrance.
OK.
“It is now. You are only allowed two hours, but this should be enough.”
Shriel turns to me and passes between the pillars of the entrance. I don’t know what they did, but it seems they entrusted my identification. Are you also involved? Thinking that a senior who graduated from the same academy was a part of that gigantic tower, Shuriel looked amazing again.
“Thank you, senior.”
“Well, there was just something I wanted to hear from you, whom I haven’t seen in a long time. I have work to do, so I can’t talk for a long time, but… … ”
I walked with Shuriel on the path leading to the 3rd Tower through the white stone statue.
Shuriel was holding the box she had seen earlier. I carefully asked, as I shed Shuriel’s face, which seemed to have lost some vitality compared to me, who had grown so much.
“… … May I hear you?”
Shriel shook her head slowly.
“It’s a burden I have to deal with. If there is any problem after listening to you, the responsibility is shifted to you. Moreover, the items in this box are expensive items that are not mine, so there may be an accident in which the person who is my shooter will hold you accountable. You can’t leave the possibility of such a thing happening to a simple visitor.”
say so though.
“Well, I said okay… … ”
“Right now, it seems more dangerous for seniors to eat. Don’t worry, I’ll hold you tight so you won’t drop it.”
It seemed that his expression thanking you for listening was vaguely revealed, so when he put his hand on the bottom of the box without saying a word, Shuriel was momentarily confused, and eventually handed the box to me.
“Uh… … No kidding. what did you hear… … ”
“Reagents to be used in experiments, materials imported from distant places, and a few theoretical books.”
It’s heavy enough to make an uh-huh sound, but it didn’t consume a lot of energy. Shriel, who was so burdened by such things, wondered if the strength of his forearms was weak. However, looking at Shuriel’s current state, it is understandable that his body is weak.
“My gunner wanted to save on transportation costs, so I have been airlifting myself so far. It must have been about three hours, so I couldn’t help but struggle with my strength… … ”
Shriel smiled bitterly and shook her head back and forth. Every time it turned, there was a terrifying sound. He looked like an old man, pounding his side and back with his fists several times. Why is it that I feel even more pitiful when I see it up close? …
He seemed to be suffering in many ways.
“Can’t we use light-weight magic?”
“Some of the things inside lose their utility if a magical treatment is applied to them. It had to be transported completely without interference from the outside as much as possible. Maybe that’s why you didn’t support me with subspace artifacts… … ”
I see I didn’t know much about reagents, materials, and the world of wizards, so I just nodded.
“by the way.”
Shriel suddenly opened her mouth.
“When I just heard, your affiliation was obvious… … ”
It seemed to be referring to the work at the entrance.
Having guessed what Shuriel was trying to say, I answered with a light nod.
“you’re right. I entered Frontier this year.”
“… … This is also surprising.”
Shriel let out a huh-
“Congratulations on being admitted to the premier academy in the empire, Ezio Cranil. But what I heard wasn’t the end of being admitted to Frontier.”
“Looks like I was lucky.”
“Luck… … Extraordinary talent is also a kind of luck that is born from birth, so it doesn’t seem like it’s wrong.”
Shriel must have known that I was just a mediocre student. That he was an irresistible student who had no common talent. That’s how I entered Frontier. Furthermore, he was proudly admitted to the Epic class, where only fifteen students are selected in a year. I can’t help but be surprised
You may wonder if it’s a bluff or a lie, but it’s Shriel who witnessed the change with my own eyes. The thought of forging the identity of an institution the size of a star in Akasha while talking about the master of the tower. Shuriel must be fully aware that that is a difficult imagination to recreate.
It just takes a long time to accept the unbelievable reality.
Shriel probably has a lot of questions.
what has happened since that day. How the heck could I have survived? What happened to me, who barely survived, that made me what I am today? But most of them were things that even I couldn’t tell the inside story. Even if Shriel asked a question, I couldn’t give a clear answer to any of them.
Shriel also didn’t say anything about how much he was aware of the atmosphere underlying my short answer. Do you think that there must have been a special circumstance involved personally?
“Epic class. Epic class means… … ”
However, Shriel focused on the outcome, not the process.
Shriel pondered for a long time.
He looked up at the sky and muttered.
“Then, the child must be there too.”
“… … ”
I was able to recognize it intuitively without having to add it. Who is the child Shriel is talking about?
“At the same time, news about my alma mater came from all over the world. As many as two of these graduates have produced the future of the empire. The other one is from Lorsen Academy, but he said that his graduation was not recognized because he dropped out… … ”
Shuriel staggered, blurring the end of her words.
next moment.
“okay-.”
As if to shake off the complicated energy in the tone of voice.
smile bitterly
“… … Rubia, how are you?”