BANG!
A loud popping sound exploded overhead.
Noah stared down at the princess he had just tackled to the floorboards of the carriage and blinked.
'Was that... a firework?'
'Damn it.'
Still holding the girl down to protect her, Noah couldn't be entirely sure what that glint of light had been.
If it was just a daytime firework, would it have reflected light exactly like a sniper's scope?
What if there really was a sniper hiding up there? What if the firework was just a tactical feint meant to lower their guard before the real shot?
Although, judging by the result, it had only served to put him on extremely high alert.
"Pfft... hahaha!"
Though the tackle was incredibly sudden, the girl didn't panic at all
Seeing the boy's deadly solemn expression hovering over her, she simply burst out laughing.
"Noah, do not tell me you actually thought there was a sniper hiding up in that tower?!"
"Huh?"
"This is the heavily guarded capital of the Vermillion Empire! Who would be foolish enough to try and assassinate their own country's princess right here in broad daylight?!"
Noah froze for a moment.
He quickly scrambled off the girl in embarrassment and looked back up at the distant clock tower.
'So it wasn't the reflection of a sniper's scope. It was just an overly excited tourist on the clock tower observation deck who happened to pull out their smartphone and use the camera flash.'
The rest of the royal parade was a complete success.
Following the planned route exactly, the carriage made a full, safe circuit through the cheering city before returning safely to the heavily guarded gates of the royal palace.
...
Later that evening, after the exhausting birthday banquets had finally concluded.
"By the way, Noah, there is something highly important I wanted to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I... want to study abroad in Japan," Stella said seriously.
Noah tilted his head and looked at her, saying nothing.
He knew absolutely nothing about such international matters.
In fact, his entire understanding of this world was strictly limited to what he could find surfing the internet and his brief experiences in the Vermillion Empire.
Ultimately, he wasn't even totally clear on how many continents there were in this universe, how many countries existed in total, or how many different political factions there were.
From what he had seen online, this world seemed largely similar to the modern Earth society he remembered from his past life, just fundamentally altered by the special existence of Blazers.
But because of that massive variable, he didn't even know the true difference in national power between the various countries.
With the existence of A-Rank Blazers who could effortlessly shatter the balance of power, traditional military strength like tanks and jets meant very little.
The greatest global authority in this world was not held by any single nation, but by three major, overarching factions.
These three powers were:
The League of Mage-Knights, an international administrative organization led by global democracies and composed mainly of smaller allied nations.
The Great Nation Alliance, established by the world's non-League, traditional military superpowers.
And finally, Rebellion, a massive, international terrorist organization that operated entirely under the brutal principle of "Blazer supremacy."
These three factions were collectively known as the Three Great Powers of the World.
"When I turn 15, I want to travel to Japan to attend a Mage-Knight Academy and participate in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival," Stella declared.
'Fifteen... so, in exactly two years,' Noah thought.
'As for the Mage-Knight Academies...'
He remembered reading online that it was the collective name for seven highly prestigious high schools officially recognized by the League of Mage-Knights, where student knights trained to obtain their official licenses.
The "Seven Stars" were historically derived from traditional astrology.
They were named after the seven stars of the Big Dipper: Tonrou, Kyomon, Rokuson, Monkyoku, Bukyoku, Rentei, and Hagun.
The seven Japanese academies named after these stars were the legendary Seven Mage-Knight Academies.
"The Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, huh? Does that mean you want to officially become the Seven Stars Sword King?" Noah asked.
Although it was technically just an annual martial arts tournament held among the seven high schools, the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival garnered a massive degree of worldwide attention, simply because of the immense political prestige the academies held.
As the absolute highest institutions for training student knights, winning the festival meant being globally recognized as the strongest student knight on earth and being bestowed the legendary title of "Seven Stars Sword King."
Without exception, every single past Seven Stars Sword King had gone on to become an outstanding, world-famous Mage-Knight after graduation.
Whether in terms of future career prospects or sheer global honor, the title was the absolute highest achievement a student knight could possibly obtain.
Stella still had a long time before she would graduate and take the official Mage-Knight examination.
Ever since she was judged to be an A-Rank Knight, she had been surrounded by the suffocating aura of a "genius knight" and had received widespread, obsessive attention in the magical world.
Therefore, what she needed wasn't mere fame, but a highly publicized battle of honor to truly prove herself.
The Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was indeed the best stage for her.
If she publicly proved her strength there, the global prestige of the Vermillion Empire would massively grow along with it.
"If we are strictly talking about goals, then yes, I would really like to become the Seven Stars Sword King. But before that, what I want even more is to simply become stronger," Stella said, clenching her small fists.
"Noah, in this country, I... no, we cannot get any stronger. Just safely sparring with each other every morning isn't enough to see how vast and dangerous the world truly is."
The girl's voice was filled with a burning excitement.
"Let's go together! Toward a higher peak! No, toward the absolute pinnacle of the world! Together!"
Stella's eyes sparkled when she said this.
A literal fire seemed to flicker within her irises.
"Are you just inviting me because you're going to miss having a portable air conditioner?" Noah deadpanned.
"You idiot! I am seriously inviting you!" Stella flushed angrily.
"Sorry, I was just joking," Noah smiled gently. "I mean, of course, I will go with you. To see the wider world, right? I am very interested in seeing what is out there, too."
This was the perfect opportunity.
In truth, he wasn't going to just stay safely hidden in the Vermillion Empire forever without exploring this world.
That would be a massive waste of his new magic.
The reality-breaking chance to travel to other universes wasn't something everyone had.
If he didn't have the burning desire to witness the wonders of the multiverse, he never would have awakened the Yog-Sothoth magic in the first place.
Because magic is born directly from wishes.
Just like the soul, Falna magic is the truest reflection of what a person seeks in the deepest depths of their heart.
"But will my age be a problem?" Noah asked.
He was technically two and a half years younger than Stella, rounding up, she was roughly three years older than him.
Calculating the official enrollment time, when Stella was 15, he would only be 12 or 13 in this world.
"It should be perfectly fine if we apply properly! I will figure something out with my Father!" Stella guaranteed confidently.
Knowing her straightforward personality, she was probably just planning to have the King forge his official age on the application.
However, neither the Japanese academies nor the League of Mage-Knights should be able to find out the truth.
After all, he was a completely undocumented person to begin with!