The long weekdays had finally passed, and the weekend arrived, but the students of Stella were as busy as ever.
A student who whimsically suggested going out to admire cherry blossoms would never have made it into Stella in the first place.
Why? Because exams were just a month away.
Although Stella always had tests looming overhead, the atmosphere at the start of the sester was different.
Students unhappy with their current classes studied diligently to move up to higher classes, while those already in higher classes focused on keeping their ranks.
This, combined with the pride of attending the most renowned academy, created a subtle atmosphere where everyone naturally dedicated themselves to studying.
During her first year, Fla had been among the elite who set the tone for this demanding academic environnt.
Despite being a commoner, she earned top grades and proudly held the title of being in the prestigious Class S right from the beginning.
When she spent entire days absorbed in her studies, other commoner students felt deeply motivated and tirelessly copied her routine, racing between the library and study rooms.
But now... It was different.
There was a ti when missing even a single day of study would have felt like breaking out in hives.
Calling it 'a ti' felt like it had happened ages ago, but in reality, it was just a month ago.
Now, however, she couldn't focus on her studies at all.
It wasn't that she wasn't feeling anxious.
Despite already possessing enough knowledge to earn multiple doctoral degrees, she knew all too well that even greater effort was required to stand on equal footing with Baek Yu-Seol.
And yet, the reason she couldn't focus - why she pushed herself to go out even on weekends when everyone else was studying - was simple.
'I have to find the lost divine artifact of Silver Autumn Moon...'
It was early dawn. The ti when the first light had just begun to break through the darkness. The sky was still dim and gray.
With tired eyes, Fla quietly exited through Stella's main gate.
Though there were few people out and about at this hour, she spotted a handful of others.
She saw two or three private carriages moving through the streets and slowly made her way to Stella's exclusive carriage station.
"...?"
"Oh! You're here!"
And there, she encountered an unexpected person.
A girl holding a tray stacked high. Rice cakes and cheesy at dumplings in her left hand, and instant ran cups, three types of sauces, and fried shrimp in her right.
Her na was Eisel.
The girl with blue hair tied in a tight ponytail was enjoying an early morning... or rather, a dawn feast. Snacks were piled up high in both of her hands.
"You... What are you doing?"
"Huh? Ehehe, I guess I've been eating a bit more lately?"
"No. You've always eaten a lot... Aren't you on a diet or sothing?"
"Diet? Hmm, well, my weight has gone up a little, but it doesn't feel like I've gained any fat."
Fla instinctively glanced at Eisel's chest and hips.
For so reason, it appeared like all her weight gain had gone to very specific areas.
Seeing Eisel's condition made Fla irrationally annoyed.
"Want a bite?"
"... Should I?"
Of course, annoyance aside, she couldn't resist the snacks.
Fla was never the type to strictly watch her diet, anyway.
Among the three girls in the Class S of second-years, Hong Bi-Yeon was probably the only one who actually cared about maintaining her figure and appearance.
"But how did you even know I'd be here?"
Fla asked while poking a dumpling with a toothpick and bringing it to her mouth.
At this, Eisel flinched slightly before responding.
"Shouldn't you be asking where you're going at this hour instead?"
"Where you're going doesn't even matter. It's obvious you followed ."
"Ehehe."
"Ehehe? Don't laugh like you're feigning innocence and just answer ."
"Uhh..."
Pretending to think for a mont, Eisel then gave a vague yet sohow plausible answer.
"Gut feeling?"
"...?"
"Or maybe... A sixth sense?"
"That's the sa thing."
"It's the ability to intuitively grasp the truth of a situation without relying on analytical reasoning."
"... You just recited the dictionary definition of gut feeling, didn't you?"
"Well, anyway! I'm the only one who noticed that you're worried about sothing, Fla."
"Ugh..."
Still, it's almost eerie.
Was this what it ant to be the protagonist of the novel?
How else could Eisel have predicted that she would co out at this hour?
Well... It wasn't exactly impossible to guess.
Fla had been mirroring Baek Yu-Seol's schedule ever since he started disappearing right after classes on weeknights and heading out early on weekends.
And because Eisel had been keeping a close eye on her, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to notice.
Even if she didn't know the exact ti, all she had to do was wake up earlier than anyone else and wait.
With limited early-morning transportation and no airships operating at that ti, the carriage stop for the train station was the only logical destination.
And if Fla didn't show up before the airships began running, Eisel could always head over to the airship terminal later without being late.
It was unexpectedly thorough planning for soone like her.
At the sa ti, Fla discovered sothing surprising. Dumplings dipped in tteokbokki sauce were delicious.
"You... Who first ca up with this way of eating? I had no idea it could be this good..."
"I just dip everything I see into sauces. I've even tried dipping blood sausage into chili paste before."
Ah. That's a bit much.
After finishing what was essentially a breakfast feast of snacks, Eisel neatly sorted the trash into bags and carefully separated the recyclables before disposing of them in the nearby bins.
She was unexpectedly neat.
Fla, on the other hand, would have likely stuffed everything into a single bin without much thought.
With their al concluded, a brief silence settled.
Then, Eisel rummaged through her bag and handed a few pills to Fla.
"What's this?"
"You look exhausted."
Saying that, Eisel pulled out a small handheld mirror and showed it to her.
In the reflection, Fla could see the dark circles under her eyes, which had deepened considerably.
Since she hadn't put on much makeup, there was no way to hide them.
"Well... yeah."
Touching the area beneath her eyes, Fla slipped her hand into her pocket and took out a small cube shaped like an octahedron.
It was a Fragnt of Constellation.
Previously, the Knight Commander, Arein, had given her this item, instructing her to access the Star Archive.
At the ti, it was reported that employing this artifact had completely drained its power, rendering it inert.
However, Fla had kept the now-darkened fragnt, believing it to be an important key item.
The Star Archive was said to store not only records of this world but also events that had never existed or had once existed and then vanished.
In other words, this fragnt, which could open a doorway to the tilines of every world, was sothing that defied the natural order of existence.
Although it had lost its power and could no longer let her glimpse into the tilines of all worlds, Fla believed it might still allow her to perform a similar action.
"Hmm... But the carriage still hasn't arrived. Could sothing be going on today?"
"No idea."
Co to think of it, it was strange.
Typically, private carriages would be lined up early in the morning, ready for passengers.
Like taxis...
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When she was younger, she had always been afraid to take taxis alone and would make sure a friend ca with her.
If no one could accompany her, she preferred walking to riding alone.
She couldn't recall why she felt that way.
She only knew that taxis were scary.
Being alone with a stranger had made her uneasy.
Propping her face on her elbow, she rested her knee on the ground and stared blankly at Stella's front gate.
Suddenly.
Zzt!
A sharp sensation pulsed through her head, like an alarm going off.
It wasn't unfamiliar.
In fact, it felt oddly familiar.
It was the sa sensation she felt whenever the angels sent their voices to her.
"... Huh?"
But no matter how long she waited, no voice ca this ti.
Puzzled, she lifted her head right as Stella's front gate swung open and a luxurious, red-ornanted automatic carriage rolled out.
"Huh? Fla, look at that..."
"Yeah... What's going on today?"
Clatter!
If it had been just an ordinary carriage, she wouldn't have paid much attention.
But the Adolevit crest emblazoned on it was impossible to ignore.
After all, there was only one student at Stella who used the Adolevit crest.
The carriage's wheels clicked softly against the cobblestones as it rushed past Fla and Eisel without stopping.
... Only to reverse a mont later and return to the station.
The window rolled down, revealing Hong Bi-Yeon, who appeared unusually disheveled.
"What's this? What's got the princess out so early?"
"... You're not looking too great yourself."
"Thanks for the early-morning proverbs."
Fla twisted a lock of her hair around her finger, noting that Hong Bi-Yeon's condition seed no better than her own. Not that she was one to judge.
After scanning the area briefly, Hong Bi-Yeon suddenly spoke.
"Get in."
Without any hesitation, Fla rose to her feet, marched over to the carriage, flung open the door, and sat down inside.
"... Not even a second of hesitation, huh?"
"Huh? A friend offers a ride... you take it."
"F-Friend...?"
"Wait for ee! I have so much stuff to pack...!"
Eisel hurried after them, struggling under the weight of her massive luggage.
Even though it was clearly a spatial-expansion bag, its size hinted at an absurd amount of gear stuffed inside.
"Geez, what the hell did you bring all this stuff for?"
Fla grumbled as she helped Eisel with the luggage.
Eisel, however, responded with a dignified expression.
"You never know when or where sothing might happen. A lady must always be prepared to handle any situation!"
"So why the hell did you pack a wine opener...?"
"Ah! Don't touch that!"
Snatching the bag away from Fla, who had begun rummaging through it, Eisel set it securely in the corner of the carriage.
Hong Bi-Yeon quietly observed their antics before finally speaking.
"So?"
"Wow! Could you be any shorter with your words? Would it kill you to say sothing like, 'So where should I take you, Miss Fla?'"
"Get out."
"We're heading to Osbolt Station."
Resting her chin on her palm, Hong Bi-Yeon smirked slightly.
"What kind of trouble are you up to this ti?"
Osbolt Station was located in the northwestern region of the continent. It was a place rarely visited by students. As a result, it wasn't a busy stop compared to others.
"Well, let's just say it's important."
"... Like last ti?"
"Maybe... Even more important than last ti."
At that, Hong Bi-Yeon turned her gaze out the window, still resting her chin on her hand.
Before the conversation could fade, Eisel, who hated awkward silences, quickly jumped in.
"Now that I think about it, you seem to have your own plans. Are you sure you're okay giving us a ride?"
"I'm not okay with it. I need to go to Rockbells Station."
Rockbells Station was located in the exact opposite direction of Osbolt.
Since Hong Bi-Yeon had made the offer herself, Fla couldn't call it inconsiderate, but she still felt a pang of guilt.
"I thought you were heading to the royal palace."
"... No, not that."
Hong Bi-Yeon pressed her lips tightly together.
There was no way she could admit that she had been heading to a temple to have her condition checked.
Not a hospital. A temple.
For soone like her, who refused to believe in superstitions or faith, even considering such a thing was a blow to her pride.
'They said the only way to bring the fever down is through a blessing...'
Her body was still burning up.
With regular dicine failing her, a divine blessing seed to be her last resort.
Whether Fla had caught on to this or not, she suddenly leaned forward and poked Hong Bi-Yeon's forehead.
"Ugh... What the hell are you doing?"
Unlike usual, Hong Bi-Yeon couldn't even get angry properly or put up much resistance.
As expected, her condition was serious.
When Fla gently lifted the front of Hong Bi-Yeon's collar, she noticed beads of cold sweat forming on her skin.
"... You're pretty impressive, acting like you're perfectly fine. Just hang on a bit."
With a sigh, Fla pulled out her staff, closed her eyes, and began chanting a spell.
All at once, a small magic circle flared into existence... only to burst apart with a commotion, morphing into a set of wings.
"Do you always have to make such a racket while casting magic...?"
Fla was probably the only person in the world who could make healing magic this loud and dramatic.
Those glowing wings floated above Hong Bi-Yeon's head, gently circling before settling over her.
Almost imdiately, her pale complexion brightened, and her condition visibly improved.
"You... Were you cursed or sothing—? No, never mind. Forget it."
Fla had blurted the question without thinking, only to recall that Hong Bi-Yeon truly was cursed.
She imdiately fell silent.
Noticing this, Hong Bi-Yeon gave her a knowing smile.
"You're so transparent. You know, but you're awful at pretending you don't."
"... Still, don't worry about it. The reason I'm sick is because I'm in the process of purifying the curse."
"... What? Purifying a curse?"
That wasn't in the original story.
In the novel, Hong Bi-Yeon had always been portrayed as soone living on borrowed ti.
Hah.
"I see..."
Then again...
Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't have just left her to die, would he?
That thought unexpectedly reassured Fla, prompting a soft, amused chuckle.
'Still, I can't just sit back and do nothing.'
Now it was her turn to help him.
With that determination in her heart, Fla steeled herself for what lay ahead.
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