Chapter 371

The eight beams of light emitted from the magic circle formed pillars that supported the summer sky.

The constellations of the northern crown, Hercules, the right angle, the southern triangle, the scorpion, the dragon, the serpent bearer, and the phoenix.

With just two quadruple castings, light illuminated all the constellations.

Cecilia, who was watching, was left speechless.

“Beautiful…”

The barrier of Stella, having met the release conditions, began to crack, and the boundary layer gradually faded.

The gleam that disappeared along with the barrier.

Only a dull dot of white light and the vast black canvas remained.

“When you look at the night sky, you know? You realize you don’t need to long for things that are so far away. There are so many bright stars in the universe, and after all, half of the day is sunlight, right?”

A smile formed at NaeMe’s lips.

She picked up the wand that had fallen to the ground and dusted off the sand.

“How… how did you do it?”

“Hmm?”

“Quadruple casting. How…”

“Then how do you perform a triple casting?”

Cecilia couldn’t answer.

Because she could just do it too.

A mysterious feeling arose within her.

She now felt what those who looked up to her exceptional talent must have felt.

“Cecilia. It feels so wonderful as a child, right? But in reality, it’s nothing? No matter how bright a star is, if it’s far from Earth, it’s just one of the many common stars in the night sky.”

“Like the Behemoth in the tail of the dragon?”

“I don’t know what that is, but it must be a really bright star, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s a hypergiant that’s five million times brighter than the sun.”

“Just like that. There aren’t many people who have the luxury to admire the stars in the night sky. Most people live looking only at the sun. So, Cecilia, I hope you can always be a warm sun for someone in your future life. Your talent shines brightly enough already, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

Cecilia responded in a small voice.

NaeMe stood on her toes and gently patted Cecilia’s head.

Watching her, Cecilia thought it was so unexpected for her age.

“I’ll let you have a match with me anytime when you join our clan.”

“Hey NaeMe, I’m sorry for making promises without asking, but actually, I’m already affiliated with the Foundation, so clan activities are a bit…”

“It’s okay. I kind of expected that.”

“Sorry.”

“Then what about at least adding your name?”

“Huh? Is that allowed?”

“The clan and the Foundation are both operated under different national laws anyway. It doesn’t really matter. And as I mentioned before, the clan I want to create is one that gives hope to many people. If you work hard in the U.S. and one day come up with a good project idea, you can always let us know. We’ll always seriously consider the opinions of clan members.”

Cecilia lit up with a bright smile.

A match with NaeMe, a seemingly fun group.

There was no reason for her to refuse.

“Okay! Put my name down! I’ll think about it hard when I get home!”

“Huh? That’s the promise we just made, no changing it.”

“If you don’t believe me, I can record it hehe. And just wait, I’ll definitely succeed in quadruple casting beautifully someday!”

Cecilia accepted NaeMe’s invitation with determination.

* * *

Businesses grow on capital.

Likewise, clans can only grow if they are supported by talent.

Major clients investing in clans are the government and companies.

To be well-regarded by them, it was of utmost importance to enhance the name value of the organization.

Recruiting students who participated in the Academy対抗赛 and having Katsuhuta School sweep various competitions in Japan with its disciples were all to elevate honor.

Thus, Cecilia’s recruitment was an unexpected major gain for me.

There was originally a different goal.

Kamikita Emika, nurtured with great care over a long time.

After the finals, I would take her name along with the victory.

Are they really going to deny multiple memberships in Katsuhuta School?

That’s something I can threaten by using the copyrights of ‘Adella’ and ‘Demon Lord’s Horn.’

Through this tournament, I was able to understand the utility of the two unique magics, and I was convinced that Japan had not yet found a substitute for unique magic.

Once they taste the sweetness of victory, they will never want to give up that position.

“Let me in too.”

“Huh? Oh?”

While I was planning the future activity policies of the clan, Ban So Wol suddenly interjected.

“I’m currently filling out the clan registration form.”

“I know.”

“Why are you, older sister? With your skills, you would be accepted into either Onnuri or Laon Clan.”

I asked back in confusion.

For Ban So Wol, there’s an attractive option guaranteed by the Aspen Foundation, and if she stays in Korea, she could choose from the Four Great Clans.

“The Demon Lord’s Horn. That can be developed further, right?”

“The Demon Lord’s Horn?”

“I once used the five-circle original version. I saw a brief blue line in an otherwise pitch-black field of vision.”

“Oh, surely not.”

“I vowed to myself not to be discouraged even if I can’t see. That mindset still hasn’t changed. But… if I could see again, I would really want to see it one more time.”

Our eyes are sensitive enough to detect a single photon, but we have no ability to actually see the flow of mana.

However, an advanced form of the Demon Lord’s Horn visualizes mana information in real time.

The fact that she saw a blue line despite having complete damage to her optic nerve was no mere nonsense.

Ultimately, it is our brain that finally perceives visual information.

Ban So Wol gently grabbed my arm.

Even if there’s a virtual reality capsule, the struggles of reality won’t disappear.

A heaviness settled in my heart.

“With just a bit of modification, seeing is not out of the question.”

Upon hearing that, her face brightened.

“But I don’t know how long it will take until we can scale down to a dimension lower than five circles.”

There remains the massive issue of commercialization.

A cost of ten million won a day means maintaining it for a year would cost several billion won.

“No matter how long it takes, it doesn’t matter. And you always find an answer, No Name.”

She displayed a trust that was almost assured about me.

Though she spoke in a calm, serene tone, each word she uttered carried a heavy emotion.

Caught up in an atmosphere that couldn’t be dismissed as a joke, I drew a circle on her palm.

“…!”

“I’m just saying this, but bringing Shin Yeon Ho oppa along with the set is probably not going to be easy, right?”

Lately, news about Shin Yeon Ho had completely stopped.

I hadn’t heard anything about them breaking up.

He’s already a prioritized candidate of the Laon Clan, so it must be challenging to reach that point?

“Yeon Ho is in the military now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

He was fulfilling the sacred duty of national defense.

I should probably write him a handwritten letter later to apologize.

* * *

“Yay! NaeMeaaaaaa!”

A girl wearing a straw hat, black sunglasses, and a sky-blue Hawaiian t-shirt rushed in with a single leap.

She stuck her arm under my armpit and effortlessly lifted me into the air.

The world spun around the golden hair.

“Don’t you miss your older sister?”

“Saetbyeol, put me down before I get angry.”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that to your older sister! You should say, ‘Saetbyeol, older sister~!’”

“Ugh.”

Adella stuck out her tongue and made an obnoxious face.

Looks like she wants to be treated like an older sister in front of others.

“NaeMe really had an older sister!”

Ban So Wol, in slippers, came out to greet and was left wide-eyed.

“Hello! I’m NaeMe! You can call me Saetbyeol!”

“Oh yes, I’m Ban So Wol.”

“Where’s your dad?”

“Parking the car right now. Oh, here he comes!”

Professor Chun was walking toward us on the heat hazed road from a distance.

In this hot weather, wearing a striped shirt, navy slacks, and brown shoes, it seems he doesn’t get hot at all.

I was a bit worried he might get angry right as we met, but fortunately, Ban So Wol’s parents came out at a good timing, so I was spared a crisis.

Who would spit on a smiling face?

I shifted my tone back to normal and waved my hand cheerfully.

“Long time no see, Dad!”

Professor Chun relaxed his frown and smiled brightly, waving back the same way.

“Have you been well without causing any trouble for the homeowners?”

“They were really sad to hear I was leaving. You should have a chat with them.”

Then, the Consul Ban Il Gwon rushed out almost barefoot.

He seemed older than Professor Chun, yet treated him with a lot of respect.

“NaeMe, hurry up and pack up.”

“Yes! Saetbyeol, come on. Follow me to carry the luggage.”

“Oh, Professor! You shouldn’t! How about having a cool cup of coffee inside before you go?”

“It’s okay. I am grateful for you taking care of the child all this time.”

“No, no! NaeMe is so capable! My wife adores NaeMe even more than So Wol!”

While I was engrossed in Ban So Wol’s parents, I secretly approached Adella and asked her.

“Saetbyeol, Dad wasn’t really angry, right?”

“Hmm, not particularly? He didn’t show any signs of that.”

It was worth it to keep up with daily video calls.

“What about the hotel?”

“I booked it toward Tokyo. Older sister, you’re going to watch the finals anyway. Wow, your execution power is impressive! I was really surprised when you said you were suddenly going to Japan!”

“Thanks to that, you also get to go on a trip to Japan, right?”

“Yeah!”

There’s definitely a connection with Adella.

After a brief fist bump with her, I picked up the luggage again.

We exchanged regretful goodbyes with Ban So Wol’s family.

Woof woof-!

The Golden Retriever from next door, with whom I had a frisbee friendship, dashed up to the fence as if it knew I was leaving.

Ten days in Fukuoka passed in the blink of an eye.

I loaded all the luggage into the trunk and was about to get in the passenger seat as usual when Adella suddenly blocked my way.

“No, no. Our hardworking older sister should sit in the best seat.”

“Are you going to sit in the passenger seat? Well, fine.”

“Hehe.”

Leaving behind Adella with her meaningful smile, I opened the back door of the rental car.

And on the back seat of the passenger side was a very familiar and slightly irritating item sitting there.

“What is this…?”

“Tada! In Japan, child seats are mandatory! Hahaha!”

“NaeMe, we’re about to leave so you should get in quickly. We’re both hungry since we didn’t have lunch.”

“I feel like I’m going to die of hunger…! Why is it weird that a baby sits in a baby seat? Heheh!”