Chapter 181: Unreal (6)

Chapter 181: Unreal (6)

Looking at the sight of a pillar of white light falling at the top of the New York Empire State Building...

... The fragmented soul of Abeline Staberg closed his eyes.

"It's a failure."

He knew this would happen. Although he could absorb all magic, he couldn't resist the natural force.

Even as the boy fell into the world he had created, he couldn't resist properly.

He never thought he'd witness the destiny passed down in legends firsthand...

During the fifty years he slept in the fragmented realm, the outside world had changed drastically.

A boy born with a special destiny.

Child of the Constellation.

Even girls blessed by the heavens.

Abeline Staberg’s fragmented soul captured the scene of Edna and Baek Yu-Seol embracing each other one last time before being swept away by the pillar of light.

They would return to reality now and continue their daily lives as usual. They might cry, laugh, get angry, and fight sometimes, but still they would spend happy days together.

"It's truly beautiful. Yet pitiful."

Why did fate intertwine them so inevitably?

If a god exists, what’s he thinking about?

Sadly, he couldn’t see the future.

"I... will now disappear."

He felt his presence slowly fading away.

Was he really worthy of devouring the Child of the Constellation at such a cheap price?

In the first place, it was a bad idea for a mere soul fragment of a mage to touch the divine being.

Perhaps it was fate to end up like this the moment he dared to devour her.

Still, he was satisfied. He had seen her world with his own eyes.

It was truly magnificent, astonishing, and beautiful.

Although there was no mana, a mysterious world was built beyond the Aether World with just the energy of electricity.

It was called Earth.

This was the home of the Child of the Constellation.

If the sight he saw in his final moments was this beautiful world, perhaps death might not be so bad after all.

With those last thoughts, Abeline Staberg’s fragmented soul closed its eyes.

——

She felt her eyelids weighed down by thousands of tons.

Even if she tried to force them open with all her might, they wouldn’t budge.

Let’s think about it.

The eyelids wouldn’t budge. Though, was there really a reason to force them open? Why resist the body like this?

*'So sleepy...’*

Edna gave up trying to open her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

"Shh, please eat quietly. It'll be trouble if they catch us talking in the ward."

"You ate more, didn't you?"

"I, I was worried you might have trouble eating quickly..."

"I have no trouble at all."

"Oh. Well, I decided to eat it, but... no. I tried to let go, but I couldn't.”

Constant chatter echoed in her ears and the scent of pizza stimulating her nose kept Edna from falling back asleep.

Suddenly!

Eventually, unable to bear it, Edna sat up and blinked her eyes.

Though her muscles trembled throughout the process, such minor pain couldn't stop her anger.

"What are you guys doing?"

she quickly straightened up and asked.

As Edna’s hollow voice spread, Eisel and Anella, who were munching on pizza in the middle of the ward, stopped in their tracks with wide eyes.

... Awkward silence.

Eisel felt embarrassed for being caught eating in the ward. She lowered her head deeply and blushed, while Anella awkwardly chuckled and made excuses.

"Um, I didn't know... That you shouldn't eat pizza in the ward."

Anella had lived a life completely different from ordinary humans.

Since becoming a dark mage at a young age, she had no common sense about facilities like hospitals. After all, she had only witnessed the grimness of ruins everyday.

Because of this, when she brought pizza to Edna’s ward under the guise of visiting the sick, Eisel scolded her loudly...

Ironically, pizza was Eisel’s favorite food.

In the end, she couldn't resist its temptation, leading to this situation.

"I can't believe... "

Edna let out a deep sigh.

"Eat. Don't worry about it. I have been through life and death, so why fret on pizza?"

"Mm..."

While Anella cautiously glanced around, she still brought the pizza to her mouth, but Eisel didn’t want to embarrass herself further. She backed away slightly.

"Sigh..."

Edna lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Is your body feeling better?"

Eisel asked as she pulled a chair over and sat down next to the bed, but Edna shook her head.

"No. My whole body feels like it's about to fall apart. Maybe I'm just getting old."

"... Aren't you only seventeen?"

"I mean mentally."

It wasn't a wrong statement.

Considering both her past and present lives, she must be quite old.

"Nom."

While Anella obliviously munched on the pizza alone, Eisel and Edna remained silent for a while.

"How long has it been since I fell asleep?"

"About three days..."

"I see."

For what could be considered a short time, they formed a team and investigated the rumors about the Seventh Main Tower, and experienced many incidents.

They learned that there truly was a hidden world within the Stella Academy which was filled with numerous ghosts and dangers.

Ultimately, they faced off against dark mages and emerged victorious.

"What happened while I was asleep?"

Eisel slowly recounted the aftermath of the incident.

"Right after you and Baek Yu-Seol returned, the professors stormed in. The moment the mirror shattered into pieces due to the sudden wind, detailed investigation became impossible, and Professor Chekeren vanished, so they couldn't arrest him."

"Is that so..."

"Yeah. I feel happy."

Very much so.

——

The moonlight invaded through the swaying curtains.

Her silver hair shone even brightly today.

Even though the moon hadn’t risen yet, why did the stars appear first?

"Hmm..."

Hong Bi-Yeon slowly opened her eyes. Her ruby-like eyes gradually took in the world.

"Princess!"

Someone exclaimed as they abruptly stood up from their seats.

Just the slight noise and stress made her feel an immense headache, so she furrowed her brow.

Notify the doctor immediately.

Call the nurse.

... The princess has awakened.

Even amid the commotion made by the faction members, Hong Bi-Yeon maintained her composure.

*‘Ah... I've been asleep for a long time.’*

It wasn't difficult to deduce that fact from their reactions alone.

Having lost all her magic in an instant, it was inevitable that she had been asleep for a long time.

*‘... But still, I'm alive.’*

Every morning, when she opened her eyes, this was her first thought.

*‘Today too, I'm alive.’*

*‘It's extravagant, but then I should live diligently. I might not wake up tomorrow.’*

As she struggled to sit up, the girls from the faction rushed to support her.

The sensation of her hair cascading down her neck like a silver waterfall felt particularly irritating today.

Despite being asleep, someone must have consistently taken care of it as her hair was still as soft as ever.

"Water."

"Here you go!"

Taking the bottled water, she replenished her moisture calmly and gracefully.

"What should we do, Princess...?"

"Are you feeling very tired?"

"My head hurts, so..."

"Got it! I'll be quiet!"

*‘I guess she couldn't have avoided such a spirited response even in a hospital room.’*

The faction members quietly made a fuss, summoned nurses and doctors to take care of Hong Bi-Yeon.

Amidst all this, as the door to the room opened...

"... Hello, little sister? Long time no see?"

Why did Hong Si-hwa, the leader of Adolveit’s Magic Knights, barge into the room?

"W-What is this..."

"What are you doing!"

The faction members tried to block Hong Si-hwa's way, but they couldn't resist the true strength of the magic warriors.

"Don't be too wary. I came to protect my little sister today."

"... Protect? Nonsense."

As Hong Bi-Yeon frowned and spoke, Hong Si-hwa exaggeratedly expressed a pained look and hugged herself with both arms.

"Your sister came all the way here to find you, and if you're so dismissive, your sister will be very sad~"

"Just tell me why you came."

The headache persisted like an annoying fly, but even amidst that, Hong Si-hwa came to cause a commotion.

Her stress soared to its limit.

"Purpose? I told you. I came to protect you."

"So what does that mean..."

"It's a royal decree."

"What?"

*‘Did His Majesty issue a direct order?’*

Only then did she realize that something was amiss.

*‘Why did Hong Si-hwa bring the Magic Knights here in the first place?’*

Wasn't the reason obvious?

"Stella Academy is currently deemed too dangerous. Remember when our little sister was kidnapped? His Majesty hopes for our little sister's return."

"But..."

"Still, I thought you'd stubbornly stay here~ But! How can your sister watch you stay in such a dangerous place? I directly requested His Majesty. Since our little sister is in a risky situation, wouldn't it be better to protect her in the kingdom, even if only for a short while?"

Despite Hong Bi-Yeon’s face turning pale, Hong Si-hwa continued speaking with flushed cheeks.

"It won't be long~ Just until the principal takes some action? Yeah. Let's spend just the summer vacation in the royal palace. And... um. If that's not enough, well, maybe we should give up a semester, but it's better than staying in a dangerous place, isn't it?"

It was a lie.

Once she returned to the kingdom, she would never send Hong Bi-Yeon back to Stella.

It would go beyond simply undermining Hong Bi-Yeon career; it would be a declaration to oppress and restrain her.

Currently, the royal palace was hell for Hong Bi-Yeon.

No one wanted her and no one was on her side.

Ultimately, leaving Stella meant...She wouldn’t be able to meet someone she cou only see there again.

*'Not yet. Not yet...'*

She must be at Stella.

She had planned to establish herself enough at Stella, prove her abilities and expand influence.

But Hong Si-hwa wanted to deprive her of that opportunity itself.

"Don't want to? Can't help it. It's a royal decree, you know?"

Like driving a wedge into her chest, Hong Si-hwa declared it as if it was a simple thing.

It was an order that couldn’t be disobeyed.

Resistance was futile.

However, 'Do I seem like I'll just quietly accept imprisonment like this?'

She was no longer the old Hong Bi-Yeon.

Having enrolled at Stella and met many people, she had changed completely.

She had no intention of quietly accepting imprisonment like a bluebird in a cage.

She wouldn’t bow to Hong Si-hwa's will...

Not at all.",