Chapter 61

Chapter 61

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 61: Celestine Incident – Preliminary Skirmish (1).

The final written exam passed in the blink of an eye.

True to its reputation for efficiency, the school released the exam results almost immediately.

Once again, Aidel was at the top.

Everyone took it as an expected outcome.

Except for one person.

“Damn it,” Zelnya muttered through gritted teeth as she closed the window displaying the grades.

Despite her meticulous planning, she had failed to reclaim the top spot yet again.

Just one question. That single question created an insurmountable wall between the first and second ranks.

Zelnya’s gaze shifted towards Aidel and his companions.

“Brother, you’re first again?” Ceti praised her brother with an excited smile.

She wasn’t the one who ranked first, yet she wore the expression of someone who had.

How can she display such emotions? Zelnya couldn’t understand.

“Aidel is really good at studying…” Next to Ceti was Rustila, who had brought great shame upon Zelnya during the midterm exams.

A child who had awakened the Dual-Sword energy. She had won by being chosen by the Constellation, and so her pride had grown too high.

Zelnya frowned and adjusted her scarf.

Rustila said, “I wish I had done as well as Aidel did.”

“It’s okay, Rustila. You’re doing well enough now,” Aidel replied.

“Is that so?”

“Of course. And you’re so strong in practical skills.”

Aidel comforting Rustila, who hadn’t done well in the written exam. And Rustila, hearing that, with her mouth agape.

Seeing this made Zelnya’s stomach churn.

Why in the universe would one seek comfort from others for their own shortcomings? Are they all dumb?

“So annoying,” Zelnya unwittingly blurted out her true feelings.

Ceti didn’t feel inferior in any aspect, even though she lagged behind in both theory and practice.

But.

What about Rustila?

Though she hated to admit it, this was someone who had defeated her once before.

She couldn’t stand the fact that such a rival was getting along harmoniously with Aidel instead of showing a fighting spirit to grow further.

Moreover, Rustila was closing the gap with Aidel through light physical contact and occasionally handing over candies.

Even if she tried to be extremely generous in understanding, she couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind it at all.

Thump, thump, thump.

“……”

Feeling the pulsation around her chest, she turned away.

“Damn it……”

Arrhythmia.

Her heart seemed to be in bad shape.

Just seeing Aidel and Rustila talking made her otherwise fine condition feel shattered.

She had to take the final exams in the best state possible.

Zelnya forcibly withdrew her gaze that had been fixed on the two of them.

“Miss Adelwein, you were here?”

“Professor Hemington?”

“Now, draw one.”

Kendra, the homeroom teacher, handed over the drawing box.

“We said we’d do alternate testing with warships, right?”

“That’s right. If you draw number 1, it goes in the order of 2-3-4. If you draw number 2, it goes 3-4-1…”

“I know,” Zelnya interrupted Kendra’s explanation and quickly drew out a sheet.

Bay 3

“Start with Bay 3, then 4, 1, 2 in that order. Got it?”

“I said I know.”

After drawing her lot, something suddenly piqued her curiosity.

Aidel, what number will that guy draw?

It would be nice if he drew the number 3 just like herself. Then, immediate comparisons in all the tests would be possible.

No, why was she even thinking about something like this? Nothing else mattered. Ultimately, reclaiming first place was the top priority.

Zelnya soothed her mind and body, ruminating over her past defeat.

This time, without fail. Because I’ve decided to win, no matter what. The practical part of the final exam took place at an external location.

The practical part of the final exam took place at an external location.

Celestine 1, 2, 3, 4.

These were the Federation’s warships, equipped with countless combat gears.

However, about 20 years have passed since they were built. It was a stretch to call them the latest models now. That’s probably why they weren’t on the battlefield but here instead.

In any case, it was clear that they were a collection of science and technology, abundantly equipped with physical measurement devices and training tools.

Thump, thump.

Looking up at the four ships floating in the sky made Rustila’s heart race wildly.

“Amazing.”

Aidel approached her and said, “Being able to take the practical exam on such a ship, I think coming to Stellarium was a good decision. Don’t you think the same?”

“Yes,” Rustila shyly nodded, agreeing with him.

Her heart was pounding so hard that it showed no signs of calming down.

‘It’s all thanks to you,’ Rustila wanted to tell Aidel.

She had passed the interview thanks to his advice the day before. He had also helped her during the reassignment test and the midterm exam.

“Uh,” she bit her lip, memories of the reassignment test suddenly coming to mind. The sensation of that day, when their skins had pressed against each other by the bonfire, created ripples in her mind like small waves. It felt like swimming in soft clouds.

Rustila desperately shook her head and looked up at the sky again.

“Celestine,” she whispered, her emotions welling up.

The Celestine ships held great significance in Rustila’s life. About 10 years ago, when the Laplace Legion surged in from the borderlands, she lost hometown friends and a few relatives. The planet she lived on turned into a wasteland before she realized it. It was a Celestine-class ship that rescued Rustila and her family, whom she thought would die on the planet.

“Aidel,” she called out, revisiting those distant memories.

“Yes?” he responded.

“Do well on your test,” she said.

Aidel nodded. “You too.”

Rustila smiled faintly. Though she smiled outwardly, her heart was in turmoil. There was definitely more she wanted to say to him, yet today ended with just a courtesy greeting. Such a conversation might be natural among friends, but recently, Rustila felt it wasn’t enough.

‘The God of Purity and Persistence’ smiles gently.

You’ve received a donation of 5000 coins!

It was awkward, but nothing else came to her mind. Suddenly, her teacher Kendra appeared and offered something.

“Here, it’s your turn, Miss Kersil,” Kendra said, holding out a lottery box.

Leaving behind her regret, Rustila drew a lot. After checking her turn, she immediately scanned the room for Aidel. He was checking his lot with Ceti.

“What number did you get, brother?” Ceti asked.

“Bay 4.”

“Ah, shoot, I got 4, too,” Ceti said, pouting.

“What, you don’t like it?” Aidel teased.

“Don’t ask me such things,” Ceti responded, poking him in the ribs.

Bay 4? Rustila blinked and looked at her lot once again.

Bay 2

For some reason, she felt upset at what she picked.

Ceti hummed a tune through her nose, clearly in a good mood.

Bay 4

It was the same number as her brother’s.

While it was unfortunate to be separated from Rustila, having Aidel around was a decent consolation.

Families are supposed to stick together. Unity is survival.

For Ceti, who had always felt like an outsider in Reinhardt, Aidel’s presence was becoming increasingly special. However, she didn’t show this outwardly to him or anyone else.

“What a pain,” she muttered.

Inside the orbital elevator heading to Bay 4, Ceti, now dressed in a spacesuit, spat out a curt remark in front of Aidel.

“What now?” Aidel asked, glancing at her.

“What do I know?” Ceti replied slyly.

“Still sore about the 10 million credits I borrowed from you?”

“…Hmm,” she responded, making a sniffling noise.

The 10 million credit matter had been settled with a promissory note, so it didn’t bother her much. In fact, she would have let it slide even if Aidel had squandered it. She had heard from Sonia that he hadn’t gone to the gambling den with that money, which was good enough for her. Aidel, who wasn’t manipulated by an Outer God, would have surely used that money wisely. She believed that.

But this, too, she kept hidden beneath the surface.

Ceti continued to playfully act huffy and pouty with Aidel.

“Am I upsetting you?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t seem upset.”

“Little brother,” she said, gaining a sense of relative superiority over him. It was a kind of compensation psychology. There had been bad things Aidel had done in the past and times she felt alienated from the family. Hadn’t she endured all that? Now, she wanted to bicker and exchange everyday conversations like ordinary siblings. Simply put, it was a tantrum, a childish one at that.

Aidel gently accepted Ceti’s tantrums.

“What do you want to eat after this?” he asked.

“How about pizza for a change?”

“Good. Let’s add pineapple topping.”

“Can we add olives, too?”

“Pineapple.”

“Ha, tasteless brat.”

In the midst of their hectic conversation, Ceti felt her ears go deaf.

“We’ve arrived.”

Ding! The orbital elevator, packed with about a hundred students, came to a halt.

Welcome to the Celestine Bay No. 4.

The giant battleship, Celestine, stretched hundreds of meters in length, its lights twinkling like stars as they greeted the students of Stellarium.

Ceti and Aidel stepped forward, bathed in bright spotlights.

“Bella?” Ceti’s voice wavered with surprise.

A familiar face emerged from the crowd. “Why are you here?”

“Young master Aidel asked me to be,” Bella replied calmly.

“…That guy?” Ceti muttered, still processing the unexpected reunion. Bella was her personal android, after all.

But it wasn’t just Bella. The sound of footsteps echoed through the bay.

Click-clack, click-clack.

An android dressed in a maid’s outfit approached, her footsteps resonating in the silence. She slightly lifted the hem of her skirt, a gesture of etiquette from a bygone era.

“Good to see you here, young master, young lady,” she greeted with a bow.

“Sonia is here too… How did this come to be?” Ceti’s eyes darted to Aidel, silently demanding an explanation.

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of applause drew everyone’s attention to the front of the bay. Dozens of soldiers stood at the front railing, but one figure stood out. A woman with platinum hair and emerald eyes clapped her hands to command attention.

“Now, everyone! Pay attention to me!”

The students murmured among themselves, recognizing the significance of her dark-colored epaulet.

“Oh, it’s an Omega-grade inspector.”

“Isn’t that one of the Zodiacs then?”

Ceti knew exactly who she was.

Naier Clark.

The Great Omega-class swordsman who had once trained Rustila. She was one of the Federation’s top warriors.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I will be co-hosting the test for Bay No. 4. Forty-eight S-class and seven EX-class individuals present here will be taking on staff roles,” she announced.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the students.

“I understand your surprise. But there’s a security issue. We can’t afford anything to happen to you in this space,” Naier continued, stepping over the railing with ease.

She landed lightly from a height of several meters.

“Is student Aidel here?” she called out, scanning the crowd.

“I’m here,” Aidel responded, raising his hand.

“Could you come here for a moment?”

Aidel walked over, and the two began to exchange a secretive conversation. Ceti tilted her head in curiosity.

She hoped their conversation would end quickly. She was eager to take the practical test. Once the final tests were over, it would be practically vacation time. She planned to invite her brother and Rustila for a party where they could laugh and chat to their heart’s content.

“Hehe,” an involuntary, silly laugh escaped her at the thought.

Suddenly, something swiftly passed beneath her feet.

“……!”

Startled, Ceti jumped.

“Wh-what is it?”

Gulgle-gulgle.

A golden stone rolled smoothly on the ground, its appearance oddly familiar. She had seen it before, after the reassignment test when Rustila and her brother had disappeared for a night.

Thud.

The stone came to a stop in front of her, and at that moment, Ceti’s body stiffened completely. She couldn’t even open her mouth. Not a single word came out.

Sssssh.

The strangely twisted stone rotated half a turn towards her. It felt as though it was staring right at her, even though it had no eyes. The more she looked at it, the deeper she felt herself falling.

“……”

Her mind turned muddled, dizzy. Without intending to, her waist bent on its own, and her hand reached down.

I must pick up the golden stone.

You have received 800 Pron.

Fireworks exploded in Ceti’s head.

“Ah……”

So beautiful.