The carriage began to move.
A short while later, the central gate terminal of Lumina Port proved far larger than I had expected.
Countless people were coming and going, and knights and officials were stationed at each gate leading to various destinations.
Merchants, nobles, envoys, academy students, even people who looked like magical engineers.
All sorts of people were moving toward their respective destinations.
I looked around from within Elysia’s arms.
The flow of mana was strong.
But it did not feel as rough as before.
I wrapped myself in a thin layer of demonic power.
Mana brushed past the tips of my fur.
It tickled a little, but it was fine.
Iris was waiting in front of the gate.
Today, Iris was not wearing the academy uniform, but traveling clothes in the colors of House Asteria.
Her silver-blue hair was neatly tied back, and her teal eyes looked a little softer than usual.
Beside her sat a small travel bag engraved with the crest of House Asteria.
When Iris saw us, she bowed her head.
“Thank you for coming, Student Elysia. And Haku.”
I nodded.
Elysia greeted her as well.
“I’ll be in your care, Lady Iris.”
“The journey will proceed as scheduled. After passing through the first gate, we will rest sufficiently in the intermediate stabilization room, then head on to Stellarium.”
Iris’s gaze turned to me.
“Haku, if you feel it is too much, please tell us immediately.”
I nodded with more seriousness than when I ate bread.
That really was important.
The gate opened.
Blue light rippled as though folding space.
From within Elysia’s arms, I spread my demonic power thinly, as if steadying my breath.
Do not block it.
Do not push it away.
Let it flow past.
Elysia’s hand wrapped around my back.
“It’s okay. Let’s go together.”
Her voice made me feel a little relieved.
Iris stood before the gate first.
Then she turned back and looked at us.
“I will guide you all the way to Stellarium.”
I gazed at the light beyond the gate.
The city of starlight and spirits.
Iris’s hometown.
I did not know what awaited us there.
The Asteria family.
The spirit garden.
Noel.
And perhaps clues that would lead Elysia and me to our next change.
I let out a small breath.
And so we followed Iris into the gate.
Space folded.
Mana surged in like a wave.
But this time, I was not swept away.
Silver-pink demonic power wrapped my body in an extremely thin layer, and the flow of mana slid over it and passed by.
A brief dizziness.
A short tremble of light.
And in the next moment, we had arrived at the stabilization room of an intermediate gate hub.
I blinked from within Elysia’s arms.
My stomach churned a little, but I was fine.
I really was fine.
Iris immediately asked,
“How are you feeling?”
I nodded.
I was fine.
Relief spread across Elysia’s face.
“You did well, Haku.”
I folded my ears for no reason.
It was not quite something worth being praised for, but still, it did not feel bad.
The stabilization room was quiet.
As expected of something prepared by the Asteria side,
the room contained blue crystals and small plants that calmed the flow of mana.
I rested for a while on the prepared cushion.
I drank a little of the water Mina had packed and took a bite of soft bread as well.
Iris was about to take out a record board, but stopped when she saw my gaze.
“……I will not record anything right now.”
A truly excellent judgment.
After resting enough, we headed for the second gate.
This time, our destination was Stellarium.
The moment the gate opened, a slightly different scent of mana came from within.
It was calmer than Solea’s mana, cool like starlight, with a flow that seemed mixed with the scent of trees and old paper.
Feeling that energy, I pricked my ears slightly.
Iris said quietly,
“Beyond there is my hometown.”
Elysia nodded while holding me in her arms.
“Let’s go.”
We passed through the second gate.
This time, it was a little gentler.
Partly because I had grown used to it, and partly because the flow of mana on Stellarium’s side seemed more stable than expected.
When the light cleared, a completely different landscape spread out before my eyes.
Tall, elegant towers rose as if piercing the sky.
Silver and teal crystal lamps floated throughout the streets, and the walls of the buildings were engraved with patterns of stars and trees.
In the air, small spirits drifted like clusters of light.
On a distant hill, I could see an enormous mansion, and behind it the shadow of an ancient tree stretching its branches toward the sky.
Stellarium.
Iris’s hometown.
A city of magic and knowledge.
I looked at the scenery from within Elysia’s arms, then blinked softly.
‘Wow…….’
I had no choice but to admit it a little.
It was impressive.
Iris quietly turned around in front of us.
Her face was as calm as usual, but somewhere within it was the ease of someone who had returned home.
“Welcome.”
She said,
“To Stellarium, the Marquisate of Asteria.”
I felt the spirits floating around us turn toward me one by one.
Some retreated as if making way, and some lowered their light as though bowing their heads.
So it happens here too.
I let out a deep sigh inwardly.
Strangely, however, I was not afraid.
Elysia was holding my back, and Iris was guiding the way ahead.
‘Welcome, Haku. And Wolyeong.’
I heard the Spirit King’s voice.
Perhaps I had grown somewhat used to it by now, because I simply let it flow past and thought.
Was it nearly the day of the full moon?
Through experience, I had learned that when I heard the Spirit King’s voice, it was one sign that the full moon was drawing near.
And one thing was certain: I expected that I would see the Spirit King in this place.
Leaving those thoughts behind, I curled my silver-pink tail slightly and breathed in the air of the new city.
The first trip of summer vacation had begun.
Stellarium’s gate terminal had a completely different atmosphere from Lumina Port.
If Lumina Port was like a massive crossroads filled with people and goods,
the sounds of carriages and merchants,
then this place was quiet and orderly, like the entrance to a vast library.
Thin silver lines were engraved into the floor like constellations, and mana flowed gently along those lines.
Even the magical lamps were not dazzling.
Lights mingled with silver-blue and teal floated in the air, as if the stars of the night sky had been brought into daylight.
I quietly looked around from within Elysia’s arms.
‘This place really is different.’
The density of mana was high.
But it was different from the rough waves I had felt at the magical engineering department or the gate terminal.
It was organized, gentle, and steady in its flow.
Thanks to that, my stomach did not churn.
If anything, it was a little fascinating.
It felt as if my demonic power and the mana were not colliding completely, but flowing while keeping their distance from each other.
“Haku, are you all right?”
Elysia asked softly.
I nodded.
I was fine.
It was a little unfamiliar, but bearable.
After checking my reaction, Iris’s expression eased in the faintest hint of relief.
“I am glad.
Stellarium’s gates are adjusted to reduce the mana burden on outside visitors.
It seems to have some effect on Haku as well.”
I looked at Iris.
Judging by the way she said that, she had probably calculated this in advance too.
She really was thoroughly prepared.
In a good way, and in a slightly burdensome way as well.
When we left the gate terminal, the city’s scenery spread out more broadly.
Tall spires rose here and there, and thin bridge-like pathways connected the spaces between them.
On both sides of the street stood bookstores, magical tool shops, crystal workshops, and small stores selling incense for spirits.
The way people dressed was somewhat different from Solea as well.
Rather than bright colors, there were many shades of silver, teal, and white, and the hems of their clothes were embroidered with patterns of stars or leaves.
What stood out most of all were the spirits.
Small light spirits.
Spirits that bounced like droplets of water.
Wind spirits hiding among leaves.
I had seen spirits in the academy’s spirit greenhouse too, but here, they drifted through the streets far more naturally.
And as expected.
Some of those spirits saw me and stopped moving.
I sighed inwardly.
One small light spirit approached me, then lowered its body slightly midway.
The wind spirit behind it also flowed to the side as if making way.
As if clearing a path for me to pass.
The people nearby seemed to notice the change as well.
“The spirits……?”
“Is it because of that fox-type familiar?”
“Looks like a guest of Lady Asteria.”
Their gazes began to gather little by little.
I burrowed slightly into Elysia’s arms.
No.
It would be troublesome if rumors spread the moment we arrived.
Iris immediately stepped forward and said,
“They are guests of the house. We will not remain long in the terminal.”
At that single remark, the people nearby no longer approached.
It seemed the name of Lady Asteria carried quite a bit of weight in this city.
Elysia carefully stroked my back.
“Haku, it’s okay. We’ll go to the mansion soon.”
I nodded slightly.
‘Yeah. Please, let’s go quickly.’
The carriage of House Asteria was prepared outside the terminal.
If Valerion’s carriage felt solid and free of unnecessary ornamentation, Asteria’s carriage was elegant and quiet.
With white and silver-blue as its base colors, its door was engraved with the crest of a star and an ancient tree.
Inside the carriage, small crystal ornaments had been embedded, and those crystals gave off a soft glow as if stabilizing the surrounding mana.
I was a little tense, but once I actually entered, there was almost none of the queasy feeling unique to magical devices.
‘Oh.’
This was better than expected.
Watching my reaction, Iris said,
“I had stabilization spirit stones placed inside the carriage. The output has been adjusted low so that Haku will not feel uncomfortable.”
It had been prepared again.
Elysia bowed her head as if in gratitude.
“Thank you for being so considerate.”
“It is the responsibility of the one who invited you.”
Iris answered so, but her gaze lingered on me for a moment.
She was probably continuing to check whether I was all right.
I pretended not to notice and looked out the window.
The carriage began to move.
The streets of Stellarium were quiet but full of life.
Students walking with books in their arms, mages with small spirits perched on their shoulders,
artisans polishing crystal ornaments, scholars spreading out constellation charts on one side of the street as they conversed.
The entire city was like one vast research institute.
But it was not cold.
Rather, it had a comfortable atmosphere, as if old trees, light, books, and tea had blended together.
‘So Iris grew up here.’
Somehow, I understood a little.
Calm, quiet, observant, and meticulous.
This city was just like Iris.
The carriage passed through the center of the city and climbed up the hill.
There stood the Marquis Asteria’s residence.
If the Valerion mansion gave the impression of swords, steel, and military discipline, the Asteria mansion gave the impression of towers, libraries, and gardens.
The building, made of white stone, was tall and broad, but not intimidating.
Crystal ornaments like starlight were embedded into its outer walls, and small plants grew by every window.
And behind the mansion.
I saw an enormous tree.
An ancient tree stretching its branches toward the sky.
Among its branches, small spirits floated like starlight.
Even though it was still daytime, the area around that tree somehow looked as if it held the night sky within it.
Before I knew it, my ears had pricked up.
‘Is that the tree Iris was talking about?’
At that moment, several spirits atop the tree turned toward me.
They were very far away, but I felt it.
The spirits were looking at me.
However, it was not fear.
Rather, it was a quiet reaction, as if they had recognized an old guest.
I lowered my body for no reason.
This was burdensome.
Truly burdensome.