The dignified constellations crowded around Iris Lunai as if they were office workers trying to board a subway.
Lacking the confidence to push through that competition, I moved at a leisurely pace and took a spot at the very back of the line.
Then, I stole a glance at Iris Lunai’s face, and as expected, she was truly a sight to behold.
Her dazzling eyes sparkled like pieces of the moon, her golden hair shone brilliantly like starlight, and despite wearing nothing more than a simple tunic, her figure was nothing short of perfection.
‘Truly, the main heroine of the Pantheon of Constellations.’
No matter how advanced holographic technology had become in recent years, there was still an enormous gap between hologram graphics and real-life visuals.
It was almost laughable to think that a constellation could fall for a human, but at this moment, it was undeniable—countless constellations, myself included, had their eyes fixed on Iris Lunai.
“Ah… I-I never imagined so many of you would come looking for me. If it’s not too much trouble, would it be possible to speak with each of you one by one?”
“I, the Guide of the Sun, am here, yet you wish to speak with other constellations? How arrogant. But I like that. I won’t waste words. Form a contract with me. As long as the sun is in the sky, you will become an invincible being, undefeated by any other constellation’s contractor or even the vilest of monsters.”
“Um… so does that mean if I fight at night, I could lose?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“Puhahaha! Iris Lunai, you are truly a rare, innocent child of this world. I, the Witch of the Underworld, shall cast my vote for you as well. If you form a contract with me, you will never have to fight alone again. Even the Demon King would tremble at the undead who will serve you at my behest. And just so you know, being a knight doesn’t mean you must contract with a martial-type constellation. In fact, it’s wiser to form a contract with a magic-type constellation to cover your weaknesses.”
“I, the Hammer of the Earth, shall join in as well. The moment I saw your swordsmanship, I was struck by the urge to craft a divine armament just for you.”
When even the constellation Hammer of the Earth—who had been a giant blacksmith in life—threw his hat into the ring, a stir spread among the constellations.
The Guide of the Sun and the Witch of the Underworld were both notoriously difficult to approach, but the Hammer of the Earth took it to another level.
Unlike them, he had never once participated in the FA (Free Agent) market for constellation contractors.
It wasn’t because he was a lowly recluse like me.
No, he was so renowned that even other constellations requested his craftsmanship for reforging divine armaments.
Yet, he had never bothered to take on a contractor.
With such distinguished constellations competing to flaunt their abilities and win Iris Lunai over, the Pantheon’s initiation ceremony stretched on longer than ever before.
Even after six hours—nearly half a day—of one-on-one interviews, Iris Lunai remained composed and focused, attentively listening to each constellation’s words without a hint of fatigue.
Seeing this, the constellations’ desire to form a contract with her only burned hotter.
And finally, my turn arrived.
“A nameless god… 1602? Does this number hold any significance?”
“That was the year I awakened as a constellation.”
“Wait, if your constellation power dates back to 1602… does that mean you’ve been a constellation for over ten thousand years?”
“That’s right. But being old isn’t necessarily a good thing. The legends of my past deeds have been lost, and I have become a nameless god. That is why I appear so insignificant.”
“That’s not true. I’ve learned that not just anyone can become a constellation. Even if your legend has faded, you must have been a great hero beyond comparison in your lifetime. Please don’t belittle yourself.”
“Thank you for saying that. In that case… would you consider forming a contract with me?”
“Before that, could you tell me what kind of power you can grant me?”
Though innocent, Iris was by no means naive.
She immediately got to the core of the matter with a sharp question, making me pause in thought.
Giving her a power she had to earn through karma collection?
Out of the question.
There were already constellations tripping over themselves to offer her abilities, summons, and divine armaments upfront.
Offering a vague postpaid deal for an uncertain power like the rune language Orin would give me close to zero chance of success.
So, after racking my brain, I finally spoke in a solemn tone.
“To be honest, I am an all-knowing yet powerless constellation.”
“An all-knowing yet powerless constellation?”
“Yes. Having lost my divinity, I can no longer wield true power. However, in exchange, I possess knowledge that even other constellations do not—top-tier information. The past, present, and even the future of this world.”
“Then… Do you know where I come from?”
“Of course. The public believes you are from the planet Grandia, and even Professor Kate Redfield, who recommended you for admission to Pantheon Academy, thinks so. But in reality, you are from the floating continent known as Atlantis. The reason Atlantis and Grandia are considered separate is because Atlantis is not just a continent but a continent-sized airship capable of shifting dimensions, much like Pantheon Academy itself. Am I wrong?”
As soon as I uttered information that neither her peers nor even her professor knew, Iris Lunai’s shoulders visibly trembled.
To me, this was no big deal.
Even without playing the game, all this information was readily available in the setting materials.
“T-Then… Do you also know where my younger sibling is?”
“Which one are you referring to? Your younger brother, Rick Lunai, who’s currently lazing around in the dorms taking a nap? Or your long-lost younger sister, Iris Lunai, who went missing in childhood?”
“…I-Iris Lunai.”
“I know where she is. But I can’t tell you right now. If you form a contract with me, I’ll let you know.”
“That means… is my younger sister alive? Everyone told me to forget about her because she was dead.”
“She is alive. But her circumstances are far from good. If it were my family in that situation, I probably would’ve told them they were dead, too. That would’ve been the kinder choice.”
“Then… let’s form a contract. Right now!!!”
Iris, in a rare show of agitation, suddenly lifted her top.
The stigma spread across her abdomen, from just below her navel to right beneath her chest, was revealed to all.
This might sound inappropriate, but for a brief moment, it reminded me of a womb tattoo, and it was… a little arousing.
But now was not the time for such thoughts.
This could be my first and last chance to secure a constellation contract.
I focused my mind on the image of placing my hand on her stigma.
Although I didn’t physically touch her, I could somehow feel her warmth.
Soon, the ancient script embedded in the stigma began to move as if coming to life.
Then, as the once-chaotic hieroglyphs aligned into an orderly phrase with meaning, the contract was sealed.
‘Alright, it’s done! No turning back now.’
Unlike human contracts, constellation contracts were binding and could not be interfered with, not even by high-ranking constellations.
However, that didn’t mean the other high-ranking constellations would be happy about how quickly and unexpectedly this contract had taken place.
The Pantheon was thrown into an uproar.
They had expected to begin a formal bidding war using karma, the currency of constellations, but instead, an obscure, nameless constellation had snatched up an SSS-tier contractor right before their eyes.
To them, it must have been utterly infuriating.
But I had prepared for this situation.
It wasn’t anything grand—just a simple trick of shifting my consciousness from my constellation self to my human form, Kim Seonghoon.
The already faint presence of ‘Nameless God 1602’ disappeared completely, making it nearly impossible for the other constellations to track me down.
Of course, my link with my newly contracted contractor, Iris Lunai, remained intact, so I could still communicate with her.
“Nameless God 1602, where did you go? You promised to tell me about my sister’s whereabouts—ahhh! I-I’m sorry for forming a contract without permission! But you had knowledge that I desperately needed… Ah, everyone, please stop fighting! The Pantheon temple is shaking because of your energy!”
Rumble! Boom!
Despite being reinforced with powerful protective barriers that could withstand a meteor shower, the Pantheon temple was now trembling from the sheer fury of the other constellations.
While the waiting instructors and Iris’s fan club panicked in confusion, I didn’t even look back.
I bolted straight to the dorms.