Chapter 32 : That Constellation, That Contractor

“This is truly an astonishing outcome.

It’s not like Palace Star Neriel let her guard down—actually, she even used Spirit Fusion, which is normally only employed by those from the same Four Celestial Stars.

Who would’ve thought it would end like this?

Kim Sunghoon, did you expect this result?”

“Well, to be honest, I thought there was a chance of victory before the match began because the way Lady Iris performed during the school trip left such a strong impression.

But once the match actually started, Senior Neriel’s combat prowess was just… on a whole different level.

It was my first time witnessing a senior-level battle in person, so the impact was even greater.

I honestly thought we’d lost, but then Lady Iris made an unbelievable comeback.

I knew she was amazing, but now she feels like someone who belongs in a completely different world—just like the Constellations.”

“Hmm, Iris Lunai certainly has immense potential and remarkable boldness, that’s true.

But it’s still too early to compare her to the Constellations.

Anyway, a bet is a bet, so I’ll hand over the 1,000 Dallant silver coins.”

Anemoa Dallant pulled out a dark, leather pouch from her robes and handed it over.

However, considering the size of a single Dallant coin, the pouch seemed suspiciously small.

Curious, I opened it—and gasped in surprise.

“Isn’t this a subspace artifact? Just this artifact alone must be worth 1,000 Dallant silver coins. There’s no need for you to pay me double…”

“The Dallant Trading Company values trust more than life itself.

Even if it was just a verbal agreement, I promised to give you 1,000 Dallant silver coins, so it should be paid in actual currency.

Giving you an artifact of equivalent value wouldn’t be proper etiquette.

Please consider the subspace artifact as a gift from me.

After all, showering someone with gifts to win their affection isn’t something only men do, right?

Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Anemoa Dallant gracefully lifted the hem of her frilled dress with both hands and gave a polite bow before walking off with light, quick steps.

Left alone, I was getting excited at the thought of using the Dallant silver coins to buy all sorts of delicious food, when a sudden disturbance broke out in the arena.

Palace Star Neriel, who had a tall frame and golden hair similar to Iris (though slightly paler upon closer look), had suddenly grown deer antlers from her head.

Not only that, but her distinctive green eyes began to emit a fluorescent glow, and the whites of her eyes were completely dyed in a green hue.

The Constellation who had formed a Primordial Contract with Palace Star Neriel—the White Deer, the one who brings forth the birth of life—had descended to this very place.

Worried she might go on a rampage like the Witch of the Underworld did, I watched her closely.

But what came out of Neriel’s mouth was something completely unexpected.

“Iris Lunai, I’ve been observing your efforts closely through Neriel’s body.

You fought splendidly, even without a Divine Armament.

So I have a proposal for you.

I’ll forge a new Divine Armament from my own hooves and bestow it upon you.

Will you make a contract with me?

Of course, you would also receive my authority—the power of life amplification.

It would be a perfect match for someone like you, a martial artist who fights on the frontlines.”

“Th-thank you for the offer, but I already have a contracted Constellation.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about that.

At the Pantheon induction ceremony, an unknown Constellation ignored the usual Karma bidding rules and snatched you up immediately.

I wasn’t present at the time, so I can’t say for certain… but not all Constellations are necessarily benevolent.

Some abuse their superior status to exploit their contractors.

There have even been cases where such Constellations caused serious trouble.

There will come a time when your strength alone won’t be enough.

I’m even willing to cover the penalty for breaking your current contract.

So please, make a wise decision.”

“Th-that’s not true. My Constellation is a very kind and good person. The reason I’ve become this strong is all thanks to them. So… I’d like to pretend I never heard that proposal.”

When Iris rejected the offer more firmly than expected, the White Deer who brings forth life looked slightly flustered.

Then, with a quiet nod, it released its descent state.

Though it wasn’t a long possession and no direct power had been exercised, a Constellation had clearly descended into a physical body—yet Palace Star Neriel showed no signs of fatigue and looked completely fine.

In fact, it was Iris who seemed a bit dizzy from the intense magic she had used during the previous match, and Neriel even had to help support her.

“Ugh…”

“Your complexion doesn’t look so good.

I guess your mana reserves aren’t that large yet.

You’ve already proven your worth, so maybe you should consider forfeiting the second round of preliminaries.

If you force yourself and get seriously injured, you’re the one who loses out.”

“Thank you for the advice. But I plan to push myself as far as I can.”

I personally wished Iris would withdraw and take some time to recover her body, but it looked like her strong will wouldn’t be easily swayed.

After several more senior division preliminary matches passed, Iris’s second-round match finally began.

Her opponent was a cat beastkin named Xiaomei.

Like Iris, she belonged to the close-combat martial arts division, but her main discipline was martial arts focused on fists.

The oversized cat paws she wore might’ve looked silly—like something from a mascot costume job—but they were actually Divine Armaments called Nanga Gauntlets.

And Xiaomei was a formidable fighter who regularly ranked in the upper-middle tier of the senior division.

“If I beat the girl who beat Neriel, that means I’m stronger than Neriel, nya! So I’m not going easy on you, nya!!”

“I’ll do my best, senior.”

“I don’t care if you’re my junior—don’t expect me to go easy on you, nya! I’m charging in right away, nya!!”

In her first preliminary match, Iris had spent the whole time dodging arrow attacks.

But since her opponent this time was a close-combat specialist, a melee battle broke out immediately.

Punches and kicks flew at such incredible speed—five to six strikes per second—that even Kim Sunghoon couldn’t keep up with his eyes.

At first, it seemed like a fairly even fight, but then Iris suddenly did a back handspring and quickly retreated.

As she gasped for breath, her complexion rapidly worsened in real time.

Fearing she was experiencing mana depletion, I immediately activated the Constellation’s consciousness.

‘Iris, that’s enough. You’ve done well—now forfeit.’

‘B-but I can still fight. Everyone treats the Nameless King like some phony just because their legacy was lost. I have to climb higher in the Martial Arts Tournament to prove how incredible they really are!’

‘I said stop and surrender. Are you going to ignore me too?’

‘N-no, that’s not what I meant… I understand. I’ll surrender.’

Iris raised her hand and declared her surrender.

At that moment, Xiaomei, who had been charging in like she was about to go for Iris’s throat, twisted her body like a mollusk and shouted in frustration.

“Graaah! I just got my body warmed up and now you surrender, nya?! No one’s gonna recognize Xiaomei at this rate, nya!!”

“I’m sorry, senior. It seems I overexerted myself without properly considering my condition.”

“If you’re sorry, then later you’ll have to fight me in a proper 1-on-1 match in front of everyone, nya!”

“Understood. I’d love to face you again when we’re both at our best, senior Xiaomei.”

A chorus of disappointed sighs erupted from the audience as Iris declared her surrender.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed too, but the truth was, even a single victory—especially against someone like Palace Star Neriel—had already earned her a significant amount of Karma.

More importantly, thanks to the Golden Rule Scale, the Karma Coins I had bet were returned to me tenfold, so I wouldn’t have to worry about Karma for a while.

So I told Iris to get checked at the infirmary and focus on meditation and recovery for the next week, then headed off to the Academy Market.

The Academy Market was a place where one could buy and sell everything from used educational materials handed down by seniors to all kinds of artifacts.

Since the Martial Tournament was in full swing, the market was especially crowded with students, as it also offered artifact rentals for a fee.

‘I should’ve come here before the preliminaries, not after… but well, I didn’t have a single coin back then anyway.’

This was my first visit to the Academy Market since I had used the tiny dignity allowance granted by the academy (mine was low because I was dead last, while Iris received a hefty sum) to buy a secondhand uniform.

Now that the Martial Tournament was basically over for me, there was no point in buying any artifacts, so I focused on purchasing daily necessities to fill up my shabby dorm room.

And to quietly celebrate my single victory, I even bought fried chicken and a fresh cream cake—an extravagance I wouldn’t have even dreamed of before.