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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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I had forgotten due to the Livia incident, but today was the day I eagerly anticipated.
“We will now commence the entrance evaluation. The first and second rounds are individual assessments conducted by the department, and the third round is a comprehensive assessment conducted jointly. Follow me.”
Professor Roman Rager spoke, his eyes gleaming sharply.
That displeased gaze was clearly directed at me.
It wasn’t simply due to jealousy towards my father or dissatisfaction with his son…
“Let’s go, Senior.”
Livia, sitting close to me, almost clinging throughout the class, stuck to me as she spoke, urging me to stand up.
It’s a sight that could be seen as first-year freshmen dating from the start of the semester, so it’s understandable that the professor wouldn’t be pleased.
Unlike the professor, the gazes of other students were closer to envious jealousy.
Still, in any case, we were drawing attention.
Livia was focused on nuzzling her cheek against me, utterly unconcerned with such attention.
‘Well, it’s not particularly troublesome.’
There won’t be any problems with getting attention.
In the first place, the achievements I needed to accomplish included ‘fame.’
Whether it was good or bad didn’t matter.
‘I didn’t want to become famous for eccentricity though.’
If possible, I wanted to become famous for being good at something rather than for notoriety or eccentricity.
Well, that’s a minor point.
What’s important is achieving the goals.
If there was one inconvenience, my arm was uncomfortable with her constantly clinging like this.
When I patted Livia’s head, she brightened her eyes as if happy, whether knowing my thoughts or not.
Her slightly parted lips and fresh smile were indeed cute.
‘I hope she stays like this.’
I no longer think Livia will attack someone out of slight jealousy.
If there’s one thing I’m confident about, the ‘system’ can be trusted.
It doesn’t lie, at least.
Livia’s settings have clearly ‘changed.’
But it’s unavoidable to still feel a bit uneasy.
“Then we will proceed with the first test here.”
Meanwhile, the classroom we arrived at was so large it could be called an auditorium.
It’s because the academy has several such classrooms that it’s criticized for being extravagant.
However, nothing was furnished in the classroom.
It appeared to be just an empty space.
At least on the surface.
“There’s nothing here, Senior.”
Livia said, her eyes wide.
“It’s not that there’s nothing.”
Livia tilted her head at my words.
I already knew what evaluation we would receive here.
“Finally…”
“Although it’s the first, this is actually the most important. I’m nervous. My heart’s pounding.”
Since it wasn’t a particularly hidden background setting, students who knew the information, like me, were quite tense.
“What are we supposed to do here?”
“…There’s nothing here? There must be something, right?”
And the children who didn’t know were in confusion, looking at the empty classroom.
But that’s a big misunderstanding.
This room isn’t empty at all; it’s already fully filled.
Roman stood before such children.
The children looked at Roman with tense eyes.
“Now, we’ll begin the evaluation one by one.”
With those words, Roman snapped his fingers using his thumb and index finger.
Immediately, magical power spread throughout the room.
All the curtains in the room closed with a swish.
Children in confusion could be heard in the room, which suddenly turned pitch black.
As Livia tightly grasped my arm, I whispered that it was okay.
After a moment, a faint light appeared in the darkened room, enough to make out each other’s outlines.
“What is this?!”
“Constellations…?”
That light was magical.
Magical patterns cover the entire room, including the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Brightly shining points were mysteriously twinkling at various spots in those patterns.
Their sizes varied, and the brightness and color of each were different.
“Senior… Could this be…?”
Livia said, her eyes wide.
Indeed, at this point, even Livia could guess.
“That’s right. This is the Stellarium.”
Stellarium.
A star map showing the positions of constellations.
It was a map marking the positions of constellations that have revealed themselves and shone their light on humanity.
And when those lights shine, people know of the birth of those chosen by the constellations.
But it’s just a map.
“Now I understand what they’re going to do.”
As expected of the Assassin Guild’s princess.
Her information-gathering skills were certain, as she seemed to know what we would do next upon seeing the Stellarium.
“But what are they going to do with the Stellarium?”
“Isn’t it just a star map to find hero candidates?”
The confused children only knew the Stellarium as a simple observation map.
That’s true.
The Stellariums installed elsewhere indeed only have such functions.
But the Stellarium installed in the academy had a more special function.
“One by one, you will now begin communion with the constellations.”
Roman opened his mouth, looking around at the children.
“Com…munion?”
“Finally, I can touch my constellation!”
The children were divided between those puzzled due to lack of information and those excited.
This was why the academy was established in this rural area instead of the capital, where it could have been installed.
According to the novel’s setting, this place was one of the few locations where the power of constellations gathered so the academy’s Stellarium could have the power to communicate with constellations.
I had tried to communicate with constellations a few times before coming to the academy due to some doubts, but I failed and gave up.
I could only confirm that contact with constellations was impossible outside of a few places, including the academy.
The entrance evaluation is an essential test to assess students’ grades.
They adjust the grades and differentiate the educational curriculum based on how much ability those admitted to the academy have accumulated and what level of achievement they are currently at.
It’s impossible in the academy for everyone to receive the same education.
If one or two levels differ, they can help and pull each other up, creating a virtuous cycle.
But if students with significantly different levels study together, they’ll only hold each other back rather than develop, won’t they?
The levels among hero candidates often spread out so much that they couldn’t help each other.
Generally, the first factor determining that level was decided through the constellations.
It was believed that the upper limit of ability that could be reached differed depending on whether the hero candidate was chosen by a high-ranking or low-ranking constellation.
Of course, since this world isn’t a game, it’s difficult to gauge objective ability scores.
It’s just that those constellations up there gauge how promising this child is and how much that one is likely to grow.
That’s how it is.
Of course, I’m a bit of an exception since I can see statuses.
“…I might be able to turn things around in one go this time.”
“I wonder if my synchronization rate might be high?”
Meanwhile, some children’s eyes were sparkling.
Children with low-ranking constellations were significantly heightened with expectation.
Although constellations were classified as high-rank or low-rank, no human could receive all of a constellation’s power anyway.
Therefore, how well one could inherit part of that power in this world was also important.
In the academy, the measure to gauge this was called ‘synchronization rate.’
Even with a low-ranking constellation, if the synchronization rate is high, receiving and using part of the constellation’s power is possible.
A child chosen by a low-ranking constellation with a high synchronization rate could become stronger than one selected by a high-ranking constellation with a low synchronization rate.
If that happened, it was essentially hitting the jackpot. It meant gaining the opportunity to rise to the upper ranks in the academy in one go.
‘There are exceptions though.’
Occasionally, people like Yuria showed excellent abilities despite being chosen by a low-ranking constellation and having a low synchronization rate.
In such cases, it’s closer to pure talent.
It’s not for nothing that Yuria is called a genius.
‘The problem is that it’s a limit.’
Thinking about the novel’s progression, Yuria must have already reached the end of the power she could achieve.
That’s why when she was attacked by Livia before, Yuria couldn’t use any of her constellation’s power.
Thinking about how unfortunate she was, I felt slightly sorry for Yuria.
A troubled family background and now an insurmountable wall.
‘She was a villain, but she was pitiful.’
I briefly recalled Yuria, then erased her from my mind.
Leonhart Deinhart, essentially the protagonist of “The Hero of Salvation,” was chosen by the highest-ranking constellation.
‘Gaunis’ – that was the name of my constellation.
‘I remember it had a very arrogant personality.’
I recalled the constellation from the novel.
Remembering that constellation that liked to snack, I frowned at the gradually intensifying headache.
Still, my heart was secretly pounding.
After all, I was about to witness and experience firsthand a critical scene from the early part of the novel where one acquires a unique ability through communion with the constellation written in the Stellarium.
And also, there was something I wanted to do when meeting the constellation.
It had been something I wanted to do for a long time.
“Now then, when your name is called, step forward one by one.”
As Roman called out a student’s name, a boy who was called stepped forward hesitantly.
Roman told the boy to close his eyes and chant a complex spell.
“O you who form the star cluster, I call upon the name of the great star here.”
With those words, the map filling the room began to move like waves.
After a moment, the light of the constellation that had chosen him stopped above the boy’s head.
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