I Have Contracted Too Many Constellations

Chapter 15 Headmaster (2)

Why had I been summoned to the Chancellor’s office?

Actually, I had a pretty good idea.

No, I was almost certain.

‘It must be because of the demonic species.’

The issue currently stirring both inside and outside the academy.

The only reason he would summon someone like me from Class C was because of that.

After all, I was the most directly involved with this demonic species.

I had personally defeated it, so being called was perhaps a natural course of events.

“You must know why I called you.”

“Is it because of the demonic species?”

“Correct. I called you to discuss the reward and to hear about the situation at that time.”

The reason he summoned me was for the reward.

And to hear an explanation of the situation.

I had been wondering when Sergei would give the reward he mentioned earlier.

It seemed they called me as soon as things settled down to some extent.

“I’m sorry that we can’t make it too grand given the current mood.”

Outside, it was right after the funeral.

That somber atmosphere would likely persist for a few weeks.

Because of this, the talk of rewards was also subdued, but I actually preferred it that way.

I didn’t originally like being in the spotlight.

“You took down the demonic species on your own, I heard.”

“I didn’t do it alone. If it weren’t for Jin Juha, it would have been impossible.”

“That Jin Juha would have died without you, though.”

Though the Chancellor’s eyes seemed calm, underneath the surface, a storm seemed to be brewing.

A knight chasing an illusion.

He must have seen countless deaths by the time he reached his age.

An illusion.

In other words, an ideal.

His ideal wasn’t just a sweet dreamlike illusion, but a realistic one.

Don Quixote does not fear the death of his comrades.

‘The Chancellor’s ideal is a world where everyone has a chance.’

In that illusionary dream of his, this academy was his milestone towards his ideal.

The reason he was angry about this incident wasn’t just because a student got hurt.

It was because his milestone had been invaded.

“Before I bestow your reward, could you share your perspective on this incident?”

Before the reward, he seemed to want to hear about the situation.

What should I say?

I pondered for a moment and then answered him.

Even if I couldn’t give a definite answer, I had a bit of a hunch.

“To get to the point, I believe that the demonic species came from outside.”

I had two pieces of evidence.

The first piece of evidence was the creature’s mana and behavior, which were contrary to the nature of the dungeon.

Typically, dungeon creatures possess a singular nature based on their mana.

Small Ents are not particularly aggressive monsters.

They attacked us a lot, but that was because we invaded their territory.

They generally don’t leave their habitats.

Most of the Small Ents we encountered were like that, so it must be the dungeon’s nature.

In contrast, the demonic species was… aggressive.

It didn’t stay in one habitat.

It roamed around ‘hunting.’

That alone was suspicious, but the second piece of evidence was…

“The demonic species hunted the Small Ents.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes. I confirmed it myself.”

While Jin Juha hadn’t been able to check the surrounding corpses properly, I had clearly seen it.

I saw the demonic species hunting the Small Ents.

Dungeon monsters do not attack each other.

This wasn’t an absolute rule but a generally applicable one.

“I see… so that’s how it is…”

At that moment, something settled within the Chancellor’s office.

Not fiercely, but with a gentle, pervasive aura like the sea.

His expression didn’t change, but…

He was undoubtedly angry.

Angry that someone had invaded the place where his illusion was coming to life.

‘How could this be an epic grade?’

The strength of a Contractor is mostly determined by the rank of their Constellation.

This is common knowledge.

However, occasionally, a very few can break this norm.

Synchronization with the Constellation.

The more similar the character and actions of the Contractor are to the Constellation, the more power they can draw out.

Contractors, Avatars are essentially representatives of the Constellations.

The synchronization with the Constellation determines the [Constellation] ability.

‘I don’t have it due to my trait.’

The Chancellor’s rank was S.

The highest rank.

This meant his character was very close to Don Quixote.

The reason he could sit in the Chancellor’s seat despite being of epic grade was because of that.

“…Sorry, I must have lost control of my emotions for a moment.”

After a moment, he exhaled a sigh, withdrawing the aura that had been pressing down.

As if trying to change the atmosphere, the Chancellor moved on to the next topic.

The matter of the reward.

“Now, as for the reward, first of all… as of yesterday, you have been promoted to Class A.”

He mentioned my promotion from Class C to Class A as casually as if he were offering me a cup of tea.

…I had expected a promotion, but…

Having it delivered so directly was a bit surprising.

‘I thought maybe Class B, but straight to Class A?’

Well, considering my abilities, Class A isn’t unreasonable.

Average abilities at C-rank.

Speed at B-rank when using One Thousand Swords.

At this level, I’m a notable figure even in Class A.

The publicly known rank of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Girl is also Legendary.

Even so, I hadn’t undergone a proper promotion test, so I had thought B-class, but the Chancellor was more straightforward than I expected.

‘It’s good for me.’

Class A doesn’t significantly change the classes themselves.

The professors are mostly the same.

But there are some subtle benefits.

Extended training room hours, priority in meals.

And most importantly, honor.

The best thing about Class A is the honor that comes with being in Class A itself.

In this society of Contractors and Constellations, honor grants quite a lot.

While I was thinking that, the Chancellor brought out something even more significant, as if this was the main point.

“The second reward is access to the Academy’s treasury. I will open the B-rank treasury for you.”

The Academy receives numerous donations.

From various countries, from constellations, and from many institutions.

The type of donations isn’t fixed.

There are monetary and human resources.

And among them, artifacts.

The place where those artifacts are stored is the Academy’s treasure vault.

That treasure vault, divided by the grade of the items, was a literal treasure trove.

‘I didn’t expect them to give me this.’

B-rank.

Thinking it was low would be a mistake.

The highest-grade holy relics and S-rank items are so few in number that hardly anyone possesses them.

A-rank items are also highly valuable, used only by well-established Contractors or those belonging to constellations.

B-rank means…

It means having the best items that ordinary Contractors can have.

‘Considering that artifacts are extremely rare…’

Opening the B-rank vault was an incredible benefit.

I was already excited thinking about what I would take.

From what was described in the novel, even C-rank was a treasure trove.

“And finally… is there anything you desire?”

“Something I desire?”

“Yes, as long as it’s not too excessive, I’ll grant it.”

In other words, a limited wish.

As long as it’s not too much, he would grant it.

I probably couldn’t ask for something like access to the Academy’s treasure vault.

The standard wouldn’t be that high.

So something else that would help me….

‘Ah.’

There was one thing.

“Does the Academy have a Broken Dragon Scale?”

A Broken Dragon Scale.

An item to summon the greatest dragon slayer.

#

After the meeting with the Chancellor, I headed straight to the training grounds.

I hadn’t finished practicing the Techniques of the Nine Heavens Sword yet.

As for the Broken Dragon Scale…

‘I need to check.’

It was as expected.

Dragon scales aren’t particularly favored.

There are many valuable things to be obtained from slaying a dragon.

Even a scale fragment is just a piece of a scale.

There are far better things.

And what I needed was a ‘Broken Dragon Scale.’

It wasn’t easy for the Academy to possess something in bad condition.

‘But it’s the best option.’

A Broken Dragon Scale.

The reason I specifically asked for a broken one was because of that.

If it were another part of the dragon or a regular dragon scale…

I would get a ‘Dragon’ as a contracting entity instead of a ‘Dragon Slayer.’

But the Broken Dragon Scale symbolizes defeat for a dragon.

It best represents a dragon slayer.

Of course, it would be best to contract through a holy relic if possible.

‘But there are too few holy relics of dragon slayers.’

Two elements are needed to defeat Fafnir.

I already had the Sacred Fire, so the second one. I needed to acquire the power and ‘epic’ of a dragon slayer…

This isn’t easy.

Most renowned dragon slayers already have Contractors.

Beowulf, who killed the fire dragon in Norse mythology.

Susanoo, who killed Yamata no Orochi.

Marduk, who killed Tiamat.

Additionally, there’s Michael or Indra…

But they are either too high in rank.

Or they are too famous and already have Contractors.

Of the dragon slayers I know, only one didn’t have a Contractor.

‘Siegfried. I need to contract with that Constellation.’

Siegfried.

The protagonist of the Nibelungenlied and the hero who defeated the evil dragon Fafnir.

It had to be Siegfried.

…Of course, this would only be possible if the Academy had a Broken Dragon Scale.

“The vault is tomorrow…”

And the vault.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t enter it today.

Apparently, entering the vault required quite a lengthy process.

The procedures had already started yesterday.

Approval would be granted by tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I would be different from today.

I didn’t know what was in the vault, but since it was B-rank, it would have good items.

As I arrived at the training grounds.

“Jinwoo?”

“…Se-ah? You haven’t gone home yet?”

I encountered Lee Se-ah, who was coming out of the training grounds.

She was drenched, indicating she had been training for quite a while.

“Did your meeting finish?”

“Yeah. It just ended, so I came to train. Did you just finish training?”

“No.”

…..?

Didn’t she come out because she finished?

She looked like someone who had just finished training.

“Because Jinwoo is here. I’ll spar.”

In Se-ah’s eyes, there was a renewed glint of passion.

Why?

Why couldn’t I get rid of this sparring maniac?

Recently, it seemed her training volume had increased even more.

“…Do you have the energy?”

“No, but I have to. To keep up.”

From her words, I could tell why she had been training more recently.

Was it because of the gap between us?

I couldn’t be certain, but…

It seemed she also felt uneasy about the incident with the demonic species.

“Alright, let’s do it. I need a sparring partner anyway.”

And that night.

The training grounds echoed with the heated breaths of a man and a woman until dawn.

Of course, it was just sparring.