Chapter 42

His expression was stained with unmistakable exhaustion. Seeming to sense the gazes pouring down on him, Arkin glanced around, but as if he couldn’t be bothered, he soon leaned his head back against the pillar and closed his eyes. Unlike him, his attire was also noticeably disheveled, but he didn’t seem to care about that either.

“…Yes! Well, anyway… we like cultivating flower gardens and…”

Amalfi continued speaking with her spirits slightly dampened.

“Nephitia.”

Zafiri poked Nephitia in the side.

“That Prince Arkin, isn’t he acting especially weird today? He looks so sensitive.”

“True.”

Nephitia nodded.

Arkin certainly looked different from usual. He was as cold and sharp as someone who had lost all warmth. Up until yesterday, he had been like a model student quietly tending to his own business, but today he was radiating a chilling aura in all directions like a walking block of ice. He hadn’t been a man of many words to begin with, but right now he had an unapproachable, terrifying vibe to him.

What on earth was wrong? Was he sick somewhere?

Zafiri playfully tapped the back of Nephitia’s hand and whispered.

“Is he being cursed because he’s rejecting your destined fate to sleep with you?”

It was meant as a joke, but Nephitia stared at Arkin for a long time out of a sudden sense of worry.

Fatigue and irritation were etched between his slightly furrowed brows.

Had he lost weight? The sharper angles of his jawline and the determination conveyed by his firmly closed lips were still attractive. Yet Nephitia preferred the Arkin of before. The clarity, depth, and tranquility were gone from his eyes; they were murky and clouded, like someone trapped in a nightmare the entire time.

Her heart suddenly felt like it was dropping to her stomach. What if that really was the case?

“In our Astralia, we read the movements of the constellations, and interpret and record the messages of the future they teach us…”

Stella’s boring and monotonous monotone trailed on sparsely, like a single thread crawling along. With a voice that naturally invited drowsiness, everyone’s heads were bobbing back and forth in nods.

“In the beginning, the Great Creator built twelve giant houses in the sky.”

Drawing a single breath, she began to pull words out with a calm voice.

“Among them, the first house is the House of the Ram, containing the beginning of spring and the energy of war; if a red star enters this house, a war breaks out in the kingdom or the eldest son takes up a sword. The second house is the House of the Bull, governing abundance and material wealth; if a golden star lingers here, that year’s harvest is bountiful and the second daughter seizes wealth, but…”

The trainees’ eyes began to glaze over. Pulling like a thread without breaking, her voice continuing at a steady speed and tone induced a fatal drowsiness.

“…The third house belongs to the Twins, and a child born when a silver star passes through here is known to have two faces, gaining the ability to speak truth and falsehood with a single mouth at the same time. The fourth house is where crabs gather, serving to protect mothers and families; if you enter this house when the moon is waxing, it is a good time for a woman to conceive a child, so please take note, and if you enter when the moon is waning, misfortune befalls the house, causing the mother to fall ill or the household to decline, but the method to resolve this is…”

Kaichen let out a wide yawn with his mouth gaping open. Nearby, Elio—who had been enduring it by pinching his thighs over and over—had his head tilted at an angle, right on the verge of plunging downward.

“Uh… The House of the Lion symbolizes royal authority and glory; a child born when a great golden star lingers here is fated to be a leader, but if a black star appears at the same time, that glory is stained with blood, so…”

Whether she knew that no one was listening or not, Stella continued her explanation. Like casting a hypnotic spell, her monotonous and slow voice cut through the space between them, putting everyone to sleep.

“Our fates are determined as the planets pass through these houses; for instance, if the red star of war is in the first house, that person has a hasty temper and loves to quarrel, and is especially prone to injury on the forehead. If the star of love is in the second house, their voice is beautiful and they sing well…”

Guh-ack!

With a loud sound, Seneca jerked up as if startled. Rubbing his half-asleep eyes and looking around, he suddenly wiped away the drool that had slipped down the corner of his mouth, and then burst into a loud clap.

“W-well done! That was quite, er, an informative time!”

Released from the spell of sleep one by one, the trainees clappingly and roughly joined in out of confusion. Standing blankly, Stella rolled her eyes once and slinked back to her seat like a ghost.

Rubbing his eye sockets and letting out a big yawn, Seneca hurriedly called out the next person.

“Now, next, next! Zafiri.”

As Zafiri stepped out with an elegant gait and began his introduction, vitality gradually returned to the group.

“Iivika is a free kingdom of vines.”

His voice was as sweet as honey.

“Though I’ve already heard a few whispering about our culture.”

Zafiri smiled leisurely and winked toward Petra.

“Actually, because we do our absolute best for each other every single moment, we live well even without tying ourselves down with things like marriage or partners.”

With a bewitching smile, Zafiri looked around at everyone.

“Anyway, our Iivika does not demonize bodily pleasures. That is part of life, and a blessing. We believe that expressing things naturally is healthier than suppressing and holding them back. Isn’t it better to properly release things rather than holding back and holding back until you explode? There are simply times when people need more freedom.”

After a few more people’s turns passed, Petra triumphantly stepped forward.

“Now, listen closely. I am very delighted to introduce the history of our Stoneguard.”

As if she had been waiting for this very day, Petra introduced Stoneguard in a vigorous voice. True to form, the stories of the Rock Kingdom’s ancestors boasted a narrative so overwhelming it was staggering just to hear it. From the legend of the founding king who carved a city into a massive rocky mountain range barehanded without any tools, to the story of an empress who built a stone-walled fortress, and the heroes who supposedly conquered the world with a single pebble…

Everyone was getting ready to applaud, thinking the lengthy boast session about historical figures had finally come to an end. However, Petra’s presentation did not stop there.

“Our Stoneguard is the kingdom possessing the continent’s finest mines. Among them, the most important is naturally the magma stone.”

Looking around with an air of smugness, Petra quickly continued.

“Of course, aside from that, you all probably already know that diamonds, rubies, emeralds—every gem in the world—pour out from Stoneguard’s mines.”

Once again, a lengthy discussion about Stoneguard’s mines continued. Whether to call it thorough or simply persistent, Seneca dropped a few hints, but Petra’s boasting of her homeland stubbornly dragged on. Thanks to that, the trainees even managed to learn which region’s jerky Stoneguard miners preferred to eat.

“I’ve really only managed to scratch the surface with today’s introduction. Does anyone have any questions?”

Naturally, not a single person raised their hand. With dark circles under his eyes, Seneca clicked his tongue and let out a long sigh.

“Good work… Next and last is Kepet.”

Nephitia was called, but Arkin did not open his closed eyes. Even with his eyes shut, her face and expressions would likely be vividly clear in his mind anyway. Above all, right now he lacked the confidence to look at Nephitia’s face.

Hm, clearing her throat, Nephitia drew in a small breath and began to speak.

“I am… Princess Nephitia of Kepet. I received a special oracle from the Sun God and…”

Arkin kept his eyes closed. The brilliant heritage of the Kepet dynasty, stories of how remarkable Nephitia’s ancestral monarchs were—such accounts traveled to him on her voice. More than the content itself, her soft, calm voice was pleasant to listen to. It even gave him the sensation that his lingering headache was washing away and his body was relaxing lethargically. As if some kind of power resided in her voice…

Yet that single phrase in particular drove itself straight into Arkin’s heart like a blade.

“The sixteen meritorious subjects who helped establish the nation offered their sons to the monarch as consorts, so…”

…Consorts?

The nerves that had been standing on end like knife edges were just beginning to calm down when Arkin’s eyes snapped wide open.

He stared blankly at Nephitia, doubting his own ears. What on earth did I just hear?

Nephitia continued airily.

“…Since they are sixteen healthy men who have cultivated their bodies solely for me, I too shall obtain an heir through their loyalty.”