[643] A Dead End (3)
A star that revolved around intellect, and a satellite that orbited that star in attendance.
When such a dangerous trump was put on the table—too hazardous to be waved about as a joke—Raiman was struck dumb.
The question no one dared voice was on Olivia's lips; she stepped forward.
"I'm Olivia, vice-principal of this school. What business do you have with Shirone?"
"It's nothing major. It's something that happens around the world at this time of year."
Arte bowed slightly and leaned toward Shirone.
"Congratulations. You've been placed among the candidates to receive a Star title from the Ivory Tower."
"Whaaaat?"
Even the advanced students and the graduates gaped.
Everyone who aspired to be a mage knew the magic world was divided into three great lines. Besides the Black and the Red lines, there was the White line. But because the Ivory Tower governed that line, most accepted it only as a fact in a book; only the daydreamers imagined it might touch their own lives.
Olivia, who knew that, stared in stunned disbelief.
"Are you saying Shirone is… the most outstanding graduate in the world?"
She did not know the Ivory Tower's criteria, but historically those who received a Star title were always the absolute best in some field. If the Tower was choosing candidates from students, the candidates should be the best among all graduates.
"This time it's a little different. The top spot is a bit ambiguous. That's why we call it a candidate pool. Shirone ranked fourth by the Ivory Tower's standards, and he will undergo a short test to determine whether he—along with second and third place—suits the Star title."
"Fourth…."
Being ranked by the Ivory Tower meant being the fourth best graduate in the world.
'Shirone, you really are a monster.'
Having seen the graduation exam with his own eyes, there could be no argument, and the next thought was that three people were above Shirone.
"Details can be discussed in a separate meeting. Normally a second-grade resident handles selection, but since they're currently orbiting, I've come myself."
Her tone was gentle, but it was also a plea not to keep a third-grade resident too long.
"Shall we go?"
When Arte raised his fan and pointed to the school building, Shirone glanced at his friends.
Without anyone saying who first, they all nodded. Neid jabbed a finger and mouthed something.
"Hurry up, idiot!"
That desperate expression made Shirone nod automatically.
"All right, understood."
As Arte smiled and turned, Raiman—who had been watching the scene—stepped forward.
"Please wait a moment."
The voice came from behind, but Arte didn't look back; he opened his fan to cover his face.
That alone made his annoyance plain.
"What is it?"
"Even if it's the Ivory Tower, isn't this out of order? Shirone is currently a criminal in the kingdom—convicted of a major crime—"
"Fuu."
Arte exhaled softly and slowly lifted the fan that hid his face.
"Wind bell."
Tinkle. Tinkle.
A clear chime reached Shirone's ears.
The sound coming from the small bell at the tip of the fan felt far too grand for its source, and everyone's faces went rigid as if thinking the same thing.
'Time—'
In that sensation of the world slowing, only Arte's right arm holding the fan seemed to move.
"Executors! Danger!"
Sensing killing intent, the guards rushed past Raiman and drew their swords—just as the fan popped and shoved wind toward the rear.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
When the immense gale hit, the palace guards drove their swords into the ground. It felt less like wind than like a wall being shoved in; flesh felt dragged from bone by the force.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
The palace guard tried to resist with pride, but the windpower was beyond human limits. One by one they lost their footing and were flung into the sky.
Tokey, who hung from Arte's shoulder, pressed both hands to his eyes and watched as grass, trees, people, and carriages were swept past the horizon.
When the gale subsided, nothing remained.
The force had uprooted even tufts of grass; the teachers stood with their mouths open, and a chill ran down Shirone's spine at the sight.
"A Blo-line spell."
But could this really be called a Blo spell?
It was less wind than a typhoon—magic on an entirely different scale. It was no surprise that Gaold came to mind.
"No matter how exalted the Ivory Tower, there are no exceptions."
Arte frowned and fanned himself; the small bells jingled.
It wasn't magic, strictly speaking, but the tinkle made the students flinch and pull their shoulders in.
"It seems the message didn't get through properly. I'll say it again. Shirone is among the candidates to receive a Star title from the Ivory Tower."
It was the same announcement as before, but this time it landed.
"Let us go. I have one hundred eighty-seven tasks in this world left to resolve. I hope Shirone can reduce that number to one hundred eighty-six as soon as possible."
Faced with that tone, Shirone slowly nodded. Arte pivoted precisely ninety degrees and strode toward Alpheas.
"May we use a conference room?"
"By all means."
From the school's perspective, the Ivory Tower stepping in would relieve them of the burden of resolving Shirone's case. The worrying phrase was that he was only in the candidate pool, not a definite pick.
'This might be Shirone's only chance.'
Alpheas watched Shirone and his friends follow Arte and prayed inwardly.
'Please, let him grab this thread.'
In the conference room Shirone looked back at his friends in the doorway and gauged Arte.
"Um, sorry—can my friends come in with me?"
They had promised to help if negotiations started.
"Oh, no. We can wait outside."
Amy waved, but Arte didn't care as long as it would be quick.
"If it helps your judgment, that's fine. Please sit."
Getting a chance to sit with a Star from the Ivory Tower was harder than an audience with a king, so Amy, Iruki, and Neid entered the meeting room with excited faces.
When Shirone sat opposite Arte, Tokey leapt down onto the table and crawled forward.
With his spear-like tail draped over his face, Tokey puffed his jowls in an expectant grin.
"Pleased to meet you. You're certainly different from what your profile suggested."
Whether that was praise or criticism was unclear.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you."
Shirone slipped a hand to his tail, and Tokey nodded as if that were the correct answer.
Shirone then asked Arte, "You said evaluation. Is this a test?"
"Don't worry. It's not a difficult test. The hard part is that two of your competitors have higher Kar scores than you."
"Kar score?"
"I'll explain from the beginning. It's faster to convey it accurately."
Tokey wagged his tail and blue script formed in the air.
They were the records the Ivory Tower had received: first through fourth place.
"These are the records the Ivory Tower collected. Number one, as you can see, is Ra Enemi. His Kar score is 98.7 percent. By rights, he should receive the Star title, but—"
Arte paused and let them take in the figures. Shirone and his friends studied the records.
Indeed, the first-place score far outstripped second-place Dalia Nane's 89.4 percent.
"Ra Enemi… wait, Ra Enemi?"
Shirone's eyes snapped up and Arte nodded.
"Yes. He's the incarnation of Anke Ra that Shirone erased. Chronologically it could be considered a later life, but the Ivory Tower treats this incarnation as being of the previous life. That would explain why there's still no notable movement from Heaven."
Shirone's face hardened.
"If Ra is born, an incident will happen soon. Do you have any contingency plans?"
"Hmm. That's for humans to handle."
Arte flicked his fan and added, "The Last War will certainly be a major event for humanity, but it's not something that requires the attention of every resident of the Ivory Tower. That is my stance. Of course, some Stars are paying attention."
It was hard to understand.
"But if a war breaks out, humanity could be annihilated, right?"
"It isn't simply about life and death. What the Ivory Tower values is the balance of the world. I see war as a process by which balance is restored."
Shirone frowned in disagreement, and Arte tapped the table with his fan.
"I don't oppose Shirone's view. If you care about this, become a Star and work in the Human Safety Enforcement Division. After all, we are humans, too, and we'd prefer to side with humanity when possible."
There was something chilling about that.
Because they were in an interview with the world's foremost institution, Amy changed the subject to avoid conflict.
"So what exactly is the Kar score?"
"It's the Ivory Tower's metric for selecting those fit to become Stars. It's a metaphysical concept that's hard to explain in words, but if I had to define it, it would be perfection."
Iruki tilted her head.
"Isn't everything relative? What standard defines perfection?"
"There is no standard. Perfection is simply perfection."
It was a concept that seemed understandable until you probed it. If Kar truly measured nearness to perfection, Shirone's 88.9 percent was remarkable.
'It means almost perfect.'
That was why he was in the candidate pool.
'But—'
Amy's gaze flicked to Dalia Nane and Jin Seongeum.
If a woman with the surname Jin was from the Jincheon Empire, she would likely be royalty, and Nane's score was a full 0.5 percent closer to perfection than Shirone's.
"What sort of competition would I have with them?"
"Because Ra is the incarnation of Anke Ra, the Ivory Tower made an unprecedented decision. They gave the top three people within the 0.5 percent Kar band a chance. It's simple. You just have to—"
All eyes fixed on Arte's lips.
"Find Ra Enemi."
"Find Ra…?"
"Yes. There's no deadline and no prescribed method. Find Ra and return to the Ivory Tower, and you become a Star."
He spoke as if it were as easy as breathing, but it was far from simple.
Even if they set out to search, they'd have no idea where to begin.
Neid asked bluntly, "Isn't this just dumping work on us under the pretense of a test? The Ivory Tower can't find him, so they want Shirone to?"
"Hahaha! That's not wrong. Currently there are twenty-seven residents who hold Star titles. They're spread across the world, so manpower is scarce."
"What? They say they're short on manpower—"
"But Shirone—"
Arte cut Neid off and leaned forward.
"To become a Star means to gain absolute authority that transcends nations. Even a king would have to follow the standards you set."
That was the Ivory Tower.
"If you can't even find Ra, you can't receive the Star title. So? If you accept the test, I'll notify the higher-ups."
Shirone, who had been half-lidded in thought, lifted his head.
"No. I will not go to the Ivory Tower."
"What?"
His friends stared in disbelief, but Shirone showed no wavering.
Tokey scratched his chin and smiled meaningfully. Arte covered his mouth with the fan and flashed a cold eye.
'As expected, the candidates are—'
They were nearly perfect.