After persuading the mage, Yachaowang resumed his explanation of astronomy.

“There is a reason contracts with stars are considered more difficult than contracts with spirits or demons. Spirits and demons are favorable toward contracts, but...”

Are they really?

Lee Han looked doubtful inwardly.

Still, broadly speaking, it was true.

Spirits and demons were generally favorable toward contracts. They were beings naturally inclined to resonate with, deceive, or draw power from beings of other dimensions.

Stars, by contrast, were neutral.

More precisely, stars were not beings with wills like spirits or demons.

Like divine magic, they were closer to laws.

That was what stars were.

“...Stars require the mage to discover their rules directly and prove their qualifications. But disciple of Osu, I guarantee you this: proving your qualifications in this dimension is far more difficult than proving your qualifications to a star.”

“I see.”

Lee Han almost explained again how he had ended up here, but stopped himself.

Yachaowang probably wouldn’t listen anyway.

In any case, the explanation connected neatly with things he had heard before, so it wasn’t hard to understand.

Unlike contracts built through conversation, persuasion, negotiation, or threats, this was a structure where the mage explored and recognized a star, then proved their qualifications according to that star’s laws.

Even a certain House Head and a certain principal, both of whom disliked divine magic, were surprisingly favorable toward celestial magic.

Since celestial magic proceeded according to laws and rules rather than faith and emotion, it was understandable in its own way.

Maybe they dislike divine magic because they can’t use it themselves.

Just as Lee Han wanted to disparage spirit magic, perhaps those two archmages were the same.

“Disciple of Osu. Do you know of any star contracts?”

“I once read about a mage who contracted with the Blood Crescent Moon.”

Lee Han explained one contract case he knew.

It was a contract discovered by a werewolf mage. When the moon became a red crescent, one had to go to the place where moonlight was strongest, reflect the moon in a cup of pure silver, and drink it.

At first glance, it sounded simple.

But once magic was involved, even the simplest process could become brutally difficult.

Under a red crescent moon, water that reflected the moon in a pure silver cup became a deadly poison that even a capable mage could barely endure.

“Hm. That contract isn’t especially difficult. Even if you borrowed power from a star like that, it would be difficult to receive a high mark.”

“Is that so?”

“Disciple of Osu. I have lived through countless eons beyond even my own memory...”

“...”

Yachaowang once again exuded his authority to persuade Lee Han.

Lee Han grumbled inwardly.

I understand that you’re amazing, but do you have to do this every time you make a point?

“Have confidence. You should be capable of contracting with a far more powerful star.”

“Thank you. To be honest, I had such a hard time contracting with spirits that I’m a little worried.”

“The spirits did that? How strange. Even after you accumulated this much good karma, the spirits still rejected you... Did you perhaps only meet strange spirits?”

He might actually be a good person.

***

For an improvised lecture, the material was extensive and difficult.

However, Yachaowang was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) an excellent teacher, and Lee Han was an excellent student.

“Contracts with stars consist of countless laws, rules, conditions, and proofs. You cannot memorize every individual case, but remembering several broad laws is useful. First, the law of preemption.”

Lee Han had heard of that before.

Surprisingly, some star contracts operated on a first-come, first-served basis. If someone else discovered and contracted with a star first, the next person could not make the same contract even if they fulfilled the same conditions.

“There is also the law of luminosity.”

“The law stating that the stronger the light a star emits, the stronger the contract’s power generally becomes. Is that correct?”

“Correct. The conditions grow more difficult as well... Of course, there are exceptions. I should explain the dark element next, but you likely don’t handle the dark element, do you?”

“I can handle the dark element.”

“Oh. Now you are beginning to resemble Osu’s disciple. Good. Then, regarding the dark element...”

Oops.

Lee Han immediately regretted answering honestly as the lecture suddenly veered off into a lengthy tangent.

After spending about an hour on celestial concepts related to the dark element, Yachaowang finally returned to the main topic.

“...The method I recommend most for you is to use the <Star Guide> to find new stars, or stars that have received relatively little attention. Mages with talent in celestial magic are said to sense compatible stars intuitively.”

“...Can’t I contract with one of those stars floating up there?”

Knowing full well how difficult it was to discover new stars, Lee Han pointed toward the stars orbiting above the dimension.

Yachaowang spoke as though he had expected the question.

“So your greed finally reveals itself? I knew it. Those stars are like tyrants. A single mistake could destroy your very existence. That is why I did not recommend them, but since you are Osu’s disciple, you would surely try to contract with one in secret the moment my eyes were turned.”

“I won’t. Should I take out the <Star Guide>?”

“Hm. Is this denial meant to avoid my suspicion?”

“I’ve taken out the <Star Guide>. Please look at this.”

Lee Han pulled a massive brass telescope from his backpack and quickly assembled it.

Yachaowang instructed him step by step on how to use the artifact.

Then the night sky of Lee Han’s original dimension, not the current one, appeared in the lens.

His consciousness shifted elsewhere.

When he came to his senses, Lee Han was floating in a dark expanse where distant stars flickered.

“!”

Entering this dimension had already been close to moving his soul, and now his vision had shifted again from within it?

—How is this possible?

“It is a very well-made artifact. It enhances performance by transferring the mage’s consciousness into the field of view observed by the artifact. The mage who conceived the idea was creative, and the mage who realized it was meticulous.”

—It’s certainly creative.

“Hm. Since you omit the latter part, I sense hatred toward the mage who realized it.”

—...

Yachaowang was undeniably a wise and discerning king.

Putting aside the fact that he had recognized Lee Han’s hatred toward Professor Verdus, few mages could explain someone else’s artifact in such detail, as though they had built it themselves.

Natural wisdom, of course, played a part.

So did the knowledge Yachaowang had accumulated over long ages in this dimension, listening to the stories of visitors from other worlds.

That was the power he possessed.

—Just give me the next instruction.

Of course, to Lee Han, Yachaowang was simply a strange yacha who only said what he wanted to say.

His magical ability was excellent, but Professor Verdus’s magical ability was excellent too.

Respect and magical ability were separate matters.

“Keep moving straight ahead. Do you see the asteroid belt? Avoid contact with that region if possible. Twelve hundred years ago, a mage attempted to contract with that asteroid belt. He was a fairly capable mage, but it ended tragically.”

—...

Chilled, Lee Han quickly turned his gaze away from the cluster of asteroids.

—What about that Red Tyrant Star? It’s fairly famous among mages.

When he spotted a star he recognized, Lee Han asked.

Yachaowang’s words from just now had drained his desire to venture any deeper.

“If you intend to contract with such an easy star, why use this artifact at all? You may as well contract with the moon.”

—I thought it was reasonably difficult...

“Move farther ahead.”

Lee Han grumbled inwardly and pushed his consciousness farther outward.

The deeper his consciousness shot into the sky, the stranger and more dangerous the celestial expanse became.

Near the continent, the stars had been pure lights that illuminated and adorned the night sky.

But as he moved farther away, they revealed their true nature, radiating bizarre magical power.

“Do you see that dark shadow in the distance?”

—Yes.

“That is a dark nebula. Merely looking at it can devour a mage’s soul, so be careful.”

—...No, shouldn’t you have told me that first?

“With your abilities, a dark nebula of that level will not absorb your soul.”

Should I just go back?

Lee Han seriously considered shutting off the artifact and finding the easiest possible contract with the moon.

So what if it was a contract that only slightly improved concentration under moonlight? Even that sounded impressive enough to him.

Unaware of Lee Han’s thoughts, Yachaowang continued guiding him through the star chart.

Yachaowang was certainly a skilled star guide. He warned Lee Han of most dangers before Lee Han even noticed them.

“Wait. Look at that star.”

—The Soul-Absorption Star?

“Disciple of Osu. You do not seem particularly talented at jokes. Look at it.”

—Yes...

Lee Han gazed at the star as instructed.

Blue shifted into green, then green into blue.

It was a star that gave off a refreshing, peaceful impression.

—!

Lee Han was startled by the sudden rejection he felt.

—I just felt something like rejection.

“Hm. I see. What you just looked at is one of the Spirit Stars. Mages with talent for spirits often resonate with that star, so I had you test it...”

—...

Lee Han felt an urge to shut off the artifact and swing it directly at Yachaowang.

“You will need to avoid the Spirit Stars from now on.”

—I do have some spirits I’m close with.

“Are those spirits perhaps fearless or violent?”

—!

“I see I was right. That can happen. Even among spirits, they are not all the same.”

Yachaowang was irritatingly wise.

Lee Han had no choice but to swallow his defeat and move on.

“Even if you feel nothing, record it. If every star rejects you, you will need to try various approaches based on your records.”

—I thought you said stars were neutral.

“This sort of rejection is not the same as rejection from spirits. Disciple of Osu, are you perhaps angry because the Spirit Star rejected you? That was not rejection. The conditions simply did not match. From now on, if you prefer, I will say the conditions do not match.”

—...Let’s just call it rejection.

Lee Han suddenly missed Einroguard.

This dimension, where countless mages had fallen, was far too harsh.

Find stars and record them.

Find stars and record them.

Be rejected by Spirit Stars, then find more stars and record those too.

By the time he was so tired he could no longer tell one star from another, a massive wave of light filled Lee Han’s vision.

For a moment, Lee Han thought the artifact had malfunctioned.

—...What is this?!

“Arna! As I thought!”

Yachaowang’s voice rang out, filled with admiration.

Lee Han, still unable to grasp the situation, asked in confusion:

—What do you mean, as you thought?

“That is the name of the Guest Star Osu contracted with long ago. Since it chose the master, I thought there was a high probability it would choose the disciple as well.”

Guest Star Arna blazed with the most brilliant light of any star Lee Han had seen so far, then dimmed once more.

When his vision returned, Lee Han felt a powerful gravitational pull from the star.

It was the complete opposite of the rejection he had felt from the Spirit Stars.

“It is a powerful star. Demanding in various ways, but worth enduring. You may return now. I will explain the contract method.”

—...Wait. If you had this star in mind from the beginning, why did you make me check every other star one by one?

“If I had introduced that star to you from the start, wouldn’t I have stolen your chance to learn from the others? Come out quickly.”

“...”

Lee Han seriously suspected that the Skeleton Principal had hired Yachaowang as a visiting professor and stationed him here.

How could a being who was supposedly the king of an external dimension resemble an Einroguard professor this much?