THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"H-how? How did you know?" Frankher's eyes are showing a lot of emotions right now. There is disbelief, admiration, and fear as well.

"Well, maybe the smell." I can't really say I can sense crystals inside Longinus, right? "There was a particular smell I noticed when we fought in the Grandcross mansion. I thought it was related to people that have been converted. And now, it is confirmed. Though, I wonder why she didn't speak."

"I see."

"My, my. You have a dog's nose. That's impressive." That's a completely unnecessary comment, Rebecca..

"I can't feel anything so my other senses are just more developed. That's all."

Well, at least, with that. There is no need to justify myself if I encounter any other Longinus men. But I thought she would transform like the students from Mohana when I discovered her. Did she not want to because she was forced to become this? Then that would mean she still had a certain degree of freedom.

"But still…She didn't look like a Longinus at all." William picks up the crystal and looks at the way it shines weirdly. It has that dark color to it that seems almost possessive.

"It is filled with Regas. So that's how they operate." Rebecca walks to him and observes the crystal from every angle.

She frowns so hard while looking at it her face becomes a bit scary. Is she angry?

"Saintess, I believe we should immediately talk to the pope and the high commander about this."

"We will, obviously. Sir Frankher, will you come with us? This is a rather serious matter. Also, mister Dragonroad, refrains from killing people immediately, like that."

"I will try." 

"No, I am sorry. There are some things I must take care of first."

You are right Frankher. The first thing to do is handle your spies' network. I don't know if they are just doing a sloppy job or if Veronica's spies are that much smarter and stronger. But this is the second time I see the Koersombre failing to detect an intruder. The first time being with Tatiana.

In fact, Tatiana's case was even more absurd since she didn't change her last name at all. Maybe he wasn't suspecting Veronica at the time so he didn't pay much attention to it. In any case, he will have to be way more careful now. We will all have.

"May I help in any way, sir?"

"Yes, of course."

A butler and two maids come over as we finish speaking. They are a bit late if it is about what just happened.

***

After Rebecca and doggy left, Frankher and I go to his office at the eternal academy. Then he calls his secretary and a knight inside.

"Sir, is there a problem?"

They both come and stand next to me.

"Yes, there is." Frankher immediately looks at me, waiting for me to confirm if any of them is a Longinus.

"They aren't part of it, don't worry."

"Good. Listen carefully. We have breaches in our defense. It would the Floras kingdom has sent a massive amount of spies into our kingdom. So much so that even my home had a spy that I discovered just today."

No way. I have been checking the backgrounds of hired people even more carefully since the incident with Tatradum!" The secretary immediately goes off. So, she is the one who is in charge of that, huh.

"Sir, I don't think our spies have failed to their task so far. Nor do I think they are lacking in any way." And the knight is in charge of spies.

"Even so, the fact that there was a spy into my own home means there has a failure in our system. We must immediately add new measures and counterattack fast. Veronica is a very shrewd person."

"Sir, I understand what you are saying, but as you know, I have hired more than ten people over the past three years just to double-check t-"

"We will have to investigate each of them again. Same thing for the spies. There is war going on right now and we cannot afford to lose on that side or we will lose everything. I will talk with the king and the other nobles as well. In the meantime, I want you to cooperate with the Star of Mercuria to sniff out any of those double agents that are mining our progress. This is an order."

"Yes, sir!"

We all answer then the two of them leave with bitter faces. After they teleported back, I sit with Frankher and start eating. I am constantly hungry ever since I woke up.

"It's good to see that you still have the appetite."

"You think so, sir?"

"Yes. My daughter has been eating less and less ever since the death of your classmates. I have been begging her with everything I have but there isn't really anything I can do about this. She herself must find the strength to move on."

"What about Peter?"

"Well, my pupil seems to be…how should I say it…"

"Hesitant?"

"Yes. So you have noticed."

"Somehow."

"Although their feelings are clear and mutual and I don't disapprove of them yet. It seems he is afraid of something."

"Yet?"

"If he wants to have my daughter, he will have to show me his convictions. Through his actions, that is."

"I see." Well, good luck, Peter.

"There are some things that bother me."

"Is it about me again?" You are still suspicious?

"Yes, it is but not in the way you think. You remember that you brought back two people from Onklah, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"One of them, the little girl, died of an infection. By the time we noticed, it was too late for her."

"Healing cannot help with that?"

"Sadly, healing is also powerful. Even the Saintess and the pope have difficulties growing back severed members or curing high poisoned bodies. Your fingers are proofs of it."

"I see."

"Though it is a different case if the severed part is still there but that's not the point. The more important is the other person, the man. From what he told us, he was a citizen of Onklah and was made prisoner by the Grandcross family under a royal decree. They took a sample of his blood and threw in a black liquid inside in front of him. After that, they locked him up until you guys came. Does it make sense to you?"

"Yes." So that's what they do. They test your blood, surely to see if it is compatible with the Longinus blood. But now, did they lock him up because it was incompatible or compatible? "Sir, for how long was he locked up?"

"He doesn't remember himself so it should have been long enough."

"I see. Concerning the black liquid he spoke of, it is called the 'Longinus blood' by those who are cooperating with the Longinus. They used it on me when I got kidnapped. The wounds I had on my hands were caused by that." The scars are still there as well. Even though I got healed and burnt and healed again, they didn't leave.

"The 'Longinus blood'…It sounds creepy."

"It is a powerful weapon that disrupts the flow of your Angas and poisons you as well."

"I see. It is certainly a troublesome weapon then. If we can get a sample of it, we should be able to find a countermeasure to it."

"I don't think Veronica will let circulate freely like that. The only way is to find a still active place where she is conducting her research."

"How can we when she is sabotaging our network. That woman has only let slip the pieces of information that doesn't care about ever since the beginning. We have always been dancing in the palm of her hands."

"We will have to do our best to change that."

"We must, indeed. Now the most important issue."

"There was something more important than that?"

"Yes. What are you going to do about school?"

"What?" What does he mean?

"You intend on participating in the war, right?"

"Yes, of course." I have to find and kill Tatiana after all.

"Then are you going to drop off the eternal academy?"

"Well, I don't know. Can't I come back after the war-"

"Don't be such a simple-minded. Do you have any idea of long this war will take?"

"N-no."

"It could go for a decade, worse, for decades. It is not just four kingdoms involved. Behind the scene, others are acting as well, trying to bring the profit on their side. And the best way for that is for the war to continue as long as it can. Plus, the allies of today could become the enemies of tomorrow. Nivaneilhm could very well become an enemy, stabbing us in the back. No, in fact, even leaving all that aside, you could very well die tomorrow."

"Sir, I am not sure I understand your point."

"My point is you must make a choice. A hard one, a good one. If you leave this school now. Consider that you dropped out from the eternal academy."

Well, that was unexpected.