Return of the Shattered Constellation

[Your Subordinate ‘Jin Prezia’ has appointed the Player ‘Treville Prezia’ as his apostle!]

[Your Subordinate ‘Jin Prezia’ is passing down his Divine Ranks <Cold-Bloodedness> and <Wind Blade> to his apostles in the form of Authorities.]

[The Class of the Player ‘Treville Prezia’ has increased!]

…

[The Prezia Family is now affiliated with the Society <Muspelheim>!]

[Successfully putting one of the Arcadian civilization’s prestigious families under your command has drastically increased the influence of the Society <Muspelheim>.]

…

Now an apostle, Treville trembled as a sense of fulfillment rose from the center of his heart. The emotions he had right now seemed completely different from the time he became Procyon’s apostle, an experience that he couldn’t even find pleasant in the slightest.

He only agreed to become Procyon’s apostle because his sense of duty pushed him to revive his family, not because he believed in Procyon. At the time, he felt nothing but anxiety, thinking he had to use this opportunity to rise through the ranks as quickly as he could.

Treville was naturally still anxious in some ways but not in the same way as before. Unlike when he was Procyon’s apostle, which felt as if he was forcing himself to wear clothes that didn’t even fit him, he now felt very comfortable.

‘... His Soul Frequency matches me too well. Is it because we’re related by blood?’ Treville wondered.

Jin was in a far higher league than Procyon, a mere hound. After receiving power from Odin, Jin continued his cultivation. Moreover, as Chang-Sun’s right-hand man, he shared a lot of Chang-Sun’s Authorities. Since Treville received the same benefit, the sense of relief he had melted his frozen heart like a spring breeze melting snow.

A teardrop rolled down Treville’s cheek. “… I’m sorry.”

「It’s okay. I understand.」

Jin tapped Treville’s shoulder.

“Speaking of which, we should head to Helath now.” Chang-Sun stood up now that their conversation had ended.

The unexpected suggestion made Jin and Treville simultaneously turn to Chang-Sun. Considering Helath was the capital planet of the Arcadian civilization, he was essentially proposing that they march toward where the Imperial Family and other prestigious noble families lived now.

「Aren’t we being too hasty?」

Chang-Sun shrugged. “Is there a reason to delay? We should keep hitting them while they still don’t have the exact details on our forces. Besides, <Horoscope> is dealing with its own problems right now. This is the best chance we’re ever going to get.”

「You do have a point.」

One should be as swift as the wind when mobilizing an army, as quiet as a forest when standing by, as fierce as fire when launching an attack, and as firm as a mountain during defense.[1] The time had come for them to move like the wind and attack their enemies like flames, giving their enemies no time to catch a break.

Having occupied Eos and instigated a fight between Sadalmelik and Chiron, Chang-Sun and the others finally got the chance to fight the Imperial Family without the interference of <Horoscope>.

‘We have to eliminate the Imperial Family first before we can completely knock Arcadia down.’ Jin’s eyes gleamed menacingly.

“But Eos’ warp gates to other planets have all been blockaded. We can’t just fly out to the planet’s atmosphere either,” Arin, who was listening to their conversation, said.

Living up to their reputation of being at the zenith of magic, Arcadia’s planets mostly relied on warp gates for the transportation of people and resources. Now that the Arcadian civilization had lost Eos, the Imperial Family naturally responded fiercely and aggressively.

[The Arcadia Empire has put ‘Eos’ under lockdown!]

Arin showed Chang-Sun and the others the message she had received.

Claaap!

The world around them changed to footage of Eos and what was happening around it. Eos, which was relatively small compared to the other planets, was currently surrounded by numerous spaceships. Above the spaceships, Celestials who seemed to be the <Horoscope> Star Signs were staring daggers at the planet as they exuded sacred brilliance. Their eyes were so full of murderous intent that it seemed as if they would fly at the planet as soon as they were given the order.

[The Central Government and Twenty-Six Planets of the Arcadian civilization are reinforcing the siege on ‘Eos.’]

[Attempting to break through the siege would likely result in considerable damage!]

“I can easily open and close a portal to bring someone into the planet, so it would be easy to get the Revolutionary Army to defend it. However, using a portal to go outside is…” Arin trailed off.

“Difficult?” Chang-Sun deduced.

“That’s right.” Arin smiled bitterly. “The Arcadian Imperial Army is especially angry about being evicted, and the Inspection Bureau has tried several times to enter the planet and observe the state of affairs. How in the world are you planning to break through the siege and get to Helath?”

Chang-Sun and the others would have to destroy the siege if they wanted to get out of Eos. Moreover, if they let the siege be for too long, it would destabilize Eos’ state of affairs. After all, a lack of supplies and a restless crowd would eventually bring a castle down. Although the ongoing chaos had temporarily rendered the people of Eos silent, as its Planet Celestial, Arin would sooner or later find herself in a situation that grew even more precarious over time.contemporary romance

‘The Arcadian Empire is well aware of this. They’re probably planning to slowly suffocate us.’

Time was of the essence in this fight, yet Chang-Sun wasn’t worried. “Why would it be difficult?”

Arin frowned. “What are you planning? Are you going to descend in your real form and tear down the siege? That’s no different from begging the Zodiacs to kill you.”

“This goes without saying, but I can’t reveal my identity yet.”

“What is it, then?”

“Like I said, we’re lucky to have the Prezia Family on our side.”

Arin frowned, unable to understand Chang-Sun’s plan. She turned to Treville, who just shook his head, Even he had no idea what Chang-Sun was talking about.

「Ahhh. So that’s your plan.」Dumbfounded, Jin chuckled. Arin and Treville simultaneously turned to him.

“We would like an explanation.” Arin gestured at Jin.

「The Great Family, the Great Prestigious… Do you know why only a few families in Arcadia have the prefix ‘great’ in their names?」

Arin grumbled, “The Imperial Families and Great Families have always been my revolutionary army’s main enemies, so I didn’t bother giving it a thought.”

「Even an Ancient Celestial wouldn’t know, huh,」 Jin looked at Treville as he solemnly continued, seemingly wanting him to listen closely.「What makes a family great isn’t just long history and tradition. It’s the lasting mark they’ve left in the long history of empires and civilizations.」

Jin’s eyes shone. 「The Great Families’ influence is spread over not only Arcadia’s planets but all over this galaxy. We have secret passageways that lead to and from everywhere for contingency. The same goes for Eos.」

“I-It’s my first time hearing about this!” Treville stammered.

「That’s understandable. My grandfather only told me about it in secret when I became our family’s heir, so Jan likely didn’t get to hear about it.」

Treville’s eyes widened.

Arin’s gaze on Jin sparkled as she asked, “Can we get to Helath without getting detected if we use one of those secret passageways?”

Jin nodded.

「Certainly.」

* * *

[You have arrived at the South Pole of ‘Eos’!]

Jin’s coordinates led Chang-Sun and the others to the southernmost region of the planet.

Wooooosh!

A strong blizzard made it impossible to see ahead. In contrast to the others, who were composed, Treville trembled due to the extreme decline in temperature. He had no time to adjust to the coldness, however.

“This place is…!” Treville murmured.

An abandoned building stood in the center of the snowfield. Jin lightly waved his hand, and a magic circle, which had the symbol of the Prezia Family, on the floor was activated. It melted all the snow covering the abandoned building.

[The warp gate has been opened!]

Paaah!

A blue teleportation portal opened up wide below Chang-Sun and the others’ feet. Arin also entered the circle. “I’m coming with you.”

“What about Eos?” Chang-Sun asked.

With her arms crossed, Arin scoffed, “What do you mean what about Eos? Do you want me to sit something this interesting out? Not a chance. Besides, I have Stasha anyway, so I don’t have much to worry about.”

She sounded as if she trusted that Stasha would do great in leading the Revolutionary Army, which was assembling at Eos as they spoke. “You also said that you’re going to revitalize this galaxy. Shouldn’t I be by your side for that? I can’t miss something like this.”

Chang-Sun nodded as he chuckled, letting Arin do what she wished to do.

「Here we go.」

Jin finished all the preparations and started the teleportation process.

Paah!

The portal soon flashed, showing everyone various sceneries.

[Attempting to teleport from ‘Eos’ to the Planet ‘Helath’ through a Backchannel!]

[Attempting!]

[Attempting!]

…

[Successfully teleported to the Self-Governing Province ‘Prezia’ of the Planet ‘Helath’!]

A vast field of golden wheat replaced the snowfield, dancing along an endless horizon as sparrows flew above them. The scarecrows standing in silence seemed to be welcoming them.

「… We’re here.」

The sight of his home village stunned him. It had truly been a long time since he had returned.

「Nothing’s changed…」

He worried from time to time that his homeland would be totally different from what he remembered by the time he returned, but it seemed it was all for naught.

“The family has always been the same, Granduncle. Our homeland always welcomes us in the same place, looking the same as ever,” Treville said with a smile.

「You’re right.」

“Unfortunately, our homeland is no longer ours.”

「What do you mean?」

“This area is under the Hornan Family’s control,” Treville replied bitterly.

「The Hornan Family? If so—」

“The Hornan Family is no longer the loyal vassal family that you remember, Granduncle. They’re now traitors who sided with the Imperial Family and stabbed us in the back.”

Jin was about to reply when Chang-Sun quickly drew a rune in the air.

“Someone’s coming,” he said, noticing a group of people passing through their proximity.

[A Concealment Rune has been activated!]

Not long after, five riders holding the flag of the Hornan Family made their horses speed up as they passed by Chang-Sun’s group. For some reason, they were heading to… the Prezia Manor.

“Granduncle!”

「Yeah, something’s going on. Let’s go.」

Chang-Sun and the others quickly went after them.

1. The raw is 풍림화산(風林火山). The ancient four-letter idiom came from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. ☜

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