After officially becoming a member of the “Star Seven,” Celes was personally led by Kurokami Akane through the Star Garden—an area strictly off-limits within the academy—toward the Star Tower located at its very center.
Along the way, the noble students in the garden, some leisurely strolling and others whispering under the pavilions, all turned their gazes simultaneously toward this newly inducted Star Member.
The air was thick with barely concealed murmurs.
“Look, that’s the newly added No.7, Celes…”
“Who would have thought a commoner would really make it…”
“Her ice magic is seriously strong. You all saw the trial just now, right?”
Although a tiny number of conservative noble students who still believed in bloodline supremacy cast scornful and disdainful looks at Celes, the vast majority spontaneously paused their activities to give her warm and sustained applause.
Their faces wore smiles that ranged from sincere to polite, while their minds rapidly calculated how to get closer to this promising new Star Member and establish a good relationship.
After all, in this world where magic reigns supreme and nobles are everywhere, lineage and background are certainly valuable assets, but what truly decides status and respect is absolute strength.
Having witnessed Celes’s splendid and powerful frost magic firsthand—especially the “Absolute Zero” domain that seemed to rewrite the rules of the environment—no one dared to underestimate the terrifying potential possessed by this girl from the commoner class.
Although Celes lost to Kurokami Akane in the recent trial, she was only a first-year student.
For someone her age to achieve such accomplishments, her future growth was simply limitless, and her prospects might even surpass many current Star Members.
A few clever noble female students couldn’t resist trying to approach Celes to get acquainted.
However, just as they took a step forward, their more cautious companions quickly pulled them back and silently gestured toward Kurokami Akane, who was leading Celes ahead with an icy aura that kept everyone at bay.
“It’s best not to go. Didn’t you see it’s Chairwoman Kurokami herself leading her around? Showing up now would only be embarrassing.”
The girls looked at Kurokami Akane’s forbidding back and reluctantly withdrew, watching as the two figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
They silently decided to look for another opportunity.
Kurokami Akane, with her uniquely emotionless tone, systematically introduced the various functional areas and facilities within the Star Garden—the Meditation Flowerbed for peaceful reflection, the Training Field for simulating different magical environments on a small scale, and the Rest Area offering top-tier tea and services.
Celes listened politely, but her expression showed little interest, and her gaze occasionally drifted away.
This was because her reason for striving so hard to join the “Star” ranks was not to use the title to escape her commoner status and enter high society.
Her sole goal was to stand on equal footing with Kurokami Akane, to have the right to speak to her as an equal, and then to formally bring up the matter of Eytin.
So her mind kept rehearsing how to broach the subject with the senior in front of her.
After the brief but sharply uneven battle just now, she was painfully aware of the vast gulf between them.
This was a gap not easily bridged just by becoming one of the “Star Seven.”
Even among Stars, the difference in strength was immense.
Yet for Eytin’s sake, Celes would never compromise or back down.
In the past, she had endured much to avoid trouble—hiding her talents and enduring misunderstanding and criticism.
But now, whenever things involved Eytin and she saw him unjustly burdened because of her, she had resolved never to be weak or retreat again, but to fight bravely.
Thus, after Akane briefly finished explaining the main areas of the Star Garden, she led Celes, whose thoughts were tangled and varied, toward the Star Tower rising at the garden’s center—a symbol of the academy’s highest student authority.
They ascended the spiral staircase all the way to the tower’s top floor and entered the legendary Star Rest Room.
“This is the Star Rest Room, accessible only to the ‘Star Seven.’ Once you become a Star, you gain many privileges, such as choosing whether to attend certain non-core classes based on your own situation, and coming here anytime to rest or handle personal matters,”
Kurokami Akane said flatly as she pushed open the heavy carved wooden door.
Celes’s eyes scanned the lavish room—the soft, expensive beast skin carpet, abstract magical paintings of unclear meaning hanging on the walls, a crystal chandelier casting a gentle glow from the ceiling, and various decorations she couldn’t name but instantly recognized as valuable.
The room was empty at the moment, but its opulence and privileges were evident.
However, Celes felt no fondness at all; she only thought the place was empty and cold.
She just wanted to be with the person she cared about.
As long as she could be with Eytin, even if it were in a dilapidated commoner’s slum, she would consider that the warmest and most beautiful place in the world.
Kurokami Akane seemed unaware of Celes’s complicated emotions and continued briefing her.
“At present, the Chairwoman is not at the academy, and two members are out on academy-assigned missions. Those remaining here—including you and me—make four members total. Aldur and Rosalind, I don’t know where they’ve run off to this time.”
Her tone paused here, and her gaze settled on Celes.
“As per tradition, we will hold a welcome party for you tonight. Remember to come on time.”
Seeing Akane’s matter-of-fact expression as if ready to end the introduction, Celes struggled inwardly but finally took a deep breath and summoned the courage to interrupt.
She raised her head, met Kurokami Akane’s eyes with determination, and spoke clearly.
“Kurokami-senpai, please wait a moment. I… I never cared about the privileges of being a Star, nor do I care about tonight’s welcome party.”
She paused, inhaled deeply, as if gathering all her courage.
“The reason I fought so hard to become a Star member… Senpai, you probably guessed it already. Now that I stand on equal footing with you, I will repeat exactly what I said outside the Star Garden earlier—”
At this moment, Celes’s eyes sharpened, and her voice carried an undeniable force.
“Kurokami-senpai, the workload you assigned to Eytin is far too heavy. This has gone well beyond normal limits. Didn’t we agree before that his main duty as a disciplinary committee member was just to watch over me? Therefore, I hope you will keep your word and reduce his unnecessary tasks so he can… stay by my side.”