Youngest Sword Seeker (6)

"I address the Sun of the Empire."

Najin lifted his head and looked upon the Emperor of the Empire, seated at the highest place. His sunset-colored eyes shone.

"I have no intention of belonging to any faction. If there is a place to which I must belong — if there is a title that must be spoken before my name —"

The words he had turned over in his mind again and again. The phrases he had daydreamed of countless times. And so the sentences he had committed to memory left his lips.

"—it would be none other than the title of knight. And when I say knight, I do not mean a knight who serves a particular house or lord."

"Oh?" The Emperor let out a quiet laugh, for he already had a sense of what Najin meant to say.

"A knight for the sake of knights. A knight for the sake of humanity. A knight who does what must be done. I mean the honorable knights who, a thousand years ago, crossed the Continent with King Arthur at their head."

"A true knight. An Atanga, then."

This was not a reference to the existing Order of Atanga. It was the name history had given to those who were their origin — the honorable knights who had raced across the world alongside King Arthur.

"Just so."

Najin affirmed the Emperor's words, and continued.

"What I desire is the right to be called Atanga. And that right cannot be bestowed by anyone. It is something I must prove for myself."

No noble in the world, no faction, not even the Emperor himself could simply attach the name Atanga to someone. Even the knights of the Atanga Order only called themselves knights of Atanga; they never used the word Atanga alone. For there was such a thing as the right to be called Atanga — a right conferred by the world and by history.

"And so no faction holds any meaning for me. They are meaningless."

"You mean to walk alone, then. In that case — where does that path lead? I have yet to hear it. Toward what place you mean to go, and what you mean to achieve."

Speak, then. Point to the road you will take.

The Emperor issued the challenge, and Najin smiled as though he had been waiting for those very words.

"I belong to Cambria, but I have no intention of remaining in Cambria forever. A few months at most. I will leave Cambria and head beyond the Continent."

Beyond the Continent.

"Before long I will make for the Demon Realm. I will cut down the demons that threaten the Empire and humanity. In the end I will turn my blade upon the great evil called the Demon King. And I will not stop there."

"And after that?"

The Emperor asked, and Najin answered.

"I will walk into the battlefield of the stars. I will cast down the defiled stars. And I mean to hang stars of my own in the sky, one by one — just as the great hero did a thousand years ago."

"And after that journey?"

"Is it not already decided?"

The tone was somewhat irreverent, but the Emperor did not rebuke him. Instead he threw back his head and laughed aloud.

"As you say. It is decided. The land of the Abyss — Kamran."

Najin affirmed it with silence.

The Emperor understood what Najin was trying to say, and understanding it, he laughed. The boy was declaring that he would walk the same path as Arthur. That he would tread the road so many heroes had walked before him.

To call it a path of thorns was not enough. It was a road so thick with hardship and trial that even death itself seemed a light thing — a road far too vast for any mere human to endure.

"A harsh and brutal road."

Eldwin wore a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bitter smile.

"Why walk such a path? Countless people would pay any fortune to claim you. If you wished it, gold, beautiful women, power — any number of sweet things could be yours."

"They are not sweet to me."

Najin spoke without a shred of hesitation.

"They are also woefully insufficient to quench my thirst. What I desire is only honor and pride."

What an Atanga must possess. What a hero and a knight must hold in their heart.

"And the stars. Nothing else."

The Emperor glanced at Gerd. Gerd nodded — not a single point of falsehood. Anyone who lied before Gerd's eyes could never slip past his senses.

And so the Emperor felt pure admiration. Hollow words. An empty ideal. And yet here was someone who spoke them with complete sincerity. It was a kind of human that had gone extinct in this age. Even as he felt astonishment at that fact, the Emperor fell silent. Words alone held no value. Even if every one of them was sincere, an unproven string of phrases meant nothing.

But the Emperor knew. There was exactly one value Najin had already proven — and it could be found in the trail he had left over the past half year. The incident involving a knight of Atanga. The Royal Guard, having dug deep into that affair, had obtained several testimonies from the Atanga knight himself.

The testimony of a knight of Atanga. The Emperor knew precisely how much that was worth. Their word, at least, could be trusted. The minimum conditions had been met.

The Emperor of the Empire, Eldwin Pendragon, regarded Najin with a faint smile. After a brief silence, he spoke.

"I have heard your ambitions well."

Eldwin let out a long breath.

"But there is a flaw in your words. You know it yourself, I trust. By your own admission, you still lack the qualifications. You have not yet proven them with your own life."

Najin was silent. It was a direct hit. He had declared his ambitions — but they were ambitions alone. He had proven nothing.

"Unproven words. Ambitions full of nothing but bluster. My trust is far too heavy a thing to place upon the hollow speech of one without standing. Especially given the nature of this seat."

Eldwin smiled wryly and gestured toward the throne. The office of Emperor was far too weighty a thing to be decided by personal likes and dislikes. That was the meaning in the gesture, and Najin agreed.

The Emperor had stepped back far enough. Now it was Najin's turn to offer a compromise.

Just as Najin was about to open his mouth, the Emperor continued — as though to say his own words were not yet finished.

"And so I will give you a chance."

The Emperor smiled.

"I will watch you. Not I alone. The entire Continent will watch you and pass its judgment. The world's evaluation shall be my evaluation — and my choice."

And then the Emperor exhaled.

"If you fail to prove your worth — if you choose the wrong path — if you fail to keep the words spoken in this place and abandon the way of the knight — then I will place a collar around your neck at once."

A knight of the Imperial House. Or a hunting hound.

"But if you prove your worth — if you finally seize ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the right to be called Atanga…"

Eldwin smiled, as though he truly looked forward to that day.

A Free Knight recognized by the Empire and the Imperial House. One who need obey no one's command, who held only the right to do what he himself judged right. It was the rank once granted to those who followed Arthur — the rank held by those gathered under the name of the Round Table.

Najin's eyes went wide. It was a proposal he had never imagined. He had shown no proof of any kind, and yet the Emperor had imposed no conditions. He had merely said he would watch. Najin bowed his head and offered his thanks — not as empty formality, but in genuine sincerity.

"As I said before — a swordsman is one who proves himself with the sword. You must prove yourself with yours."

"Gladly."

"I will be watching. Remember that the Empire has its eyes upon you."

With those words, the Emperor rose from his seat.

"The Empire is going to get noisy."

Walking the corridor, the Emperor muttered. A step behind him, the Empire's Sword Master, Gerd, spoke.

"Was it wise to let him go so freely?"

The Empire's First Blade. The old man who worshipped only two things — the sword and the Empire — offered his counsel. As the Empire's first pillar, a certain measure of bluntness was permitted him. He spoke without restraint.

"He is a dangerous man. Dangerously so."

"I know, Sir Gerd."

"I believe it would have been prudent to put at least a minimum safeguard in place."

"You are right. I will not deny it."

Under ordinary circumstances he should have bound the boy with something — a blood oath, a soul's vow, anything at all for a shackle. But the Emperor had not done so.

"That boy is a seed of chaos."

"Listen, Sir Gerd."

Eldwin spoke quietly. A man who had ascended the throne young, he held respect for Gerd, who had served the previous emperor and the one before that. And so he spoke in a gentle voice.

"I said I know. I am telling you that I acted as I did knowing full well."

Gerd bowed his head in silence — an apology for overstepping. The Emperor waved a hand and smiled wryly.

"Your criticism is sound. Had the imperial authority been shaky, had the Empire shown signs of fracture, I would have done exactly as you say. But the Empire of today is firm. After the Great Purge of a hundred and fifty years ago and several incidents since, has imperial power not stood higher than at any time before?"

He spoke as he walked.

"You, the Empire's sword, uphold the Empire, do you not? Is the Empire of today so frail that a mere flame like that could burn it down?"

"Never."

"Indeed. I am the Emperor of the Empire — but before I am Emperor, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠am Eldwin Pendragon. If I am to doubt a boy who declares he will become a hero and clap him in chains… how could I go about bearing the name Pendragon?"

Eldwin Pendragon smiled.

"If it still worries you, watch him yourself. I did tell the boy the Empire would be watching, after all. If you, the Empire's sword, are not the Empire — then who is?"

The Emperor flicked his sleeve. You look thoroughly worked up — if you mean to go to that boy, then go. Gerd smiled bitterly at the young Emperor's gesture and bowed his head.

"Your Grace's kindness…"

"Enough, enough. Just go already."

Having put the blindfold back on and been led out of the imperial palace and into the reception chamber, Najin let out a long breath. He felt as though every last drop of strength had been wrung from his body.

That went surprisingly well.

—Right? This emperor fellow's not half bad.

He agreed. Even Najin had not expected things to go this smoothly. Smoothly enough that he found himself thinking the Emperor might remain an ally even if the truth about Excalibur came out.

—Still. Too early for that.

That's true enough.

Najin smiled wryly. Having the Emperor as an ally would be reassuring beyond measure — but it was still a little early to reveal Excalibur. The moment Excalibur was made public, a great war would break out.

The Empire presented a united front, but not everyone obeyed the imperial will. Not every Sword Master gathered beneath the Emperor's banner. Those who worked in the shadows, those who plotted rebellion, those who colluded with demons — they existed in every age. They were merely waiting for their moment. When the time came, they would rise.

A steadfast ally the Empire might be, but even the Empire could not prevent a great war. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The moment the owner of Excalibur was revealed, the fallen stars would gain their cause. The cursed ones of Kamran would seethe, and demons and dragons would sing of wrath. It would be the beginning of a great war that split the world in two.

And even a Sword Seeker — a single individual was powerless before war. Those who could hold their ground without being swept away by the tide of war were beings who had transcended humanity: constellations, superhumans, the transcendent. Becoming a Sword Seeker had allowed him to reveal a certain amount. But he had no intention of unveiling Excalibur just yet.

Of course, I'll still draw suspicion.

—Without hard evidence, the constellations can't move. And if the constellations can't move, there's no real problem. Right?

Najin nodded.

Still. A long road ahead.

—Listen to the youngest Sword Seeker, talking like he's got it so hard.

Najin laughed at Merlin's jibe.

How long had he waited in the reception chamber? The person who had summoned him opened the door and entered. It was exactly who he had expected.

"A pleasure. It's been a month."

Sword Master Yuel Razian. She looked at Najin and waved — and in that hand she held a bottle of liquor. She set it down on the table before him with a solid thunk.

"Care for a drink?"

"I must respectfully decline."

Had she not told him last time that it was a spirit so fierce even a Sword Master felt a searing pain? If the current Najin drank it, his throat would likely cook itself raw.

"What a pity."

She did not look the least bit pitying. Still expressionless, Yuel rummaged in her coat and produced a cup and some side dishes. The motions were remarkably swift — and for some reason, they reminded him of Caron.

Caron, who paired jerky with cheap liquor. What Yuel produced, however, was the finest sacred wine and the finest accompaniments. Laying out delicacies presented to her by every manner of establishment, Yuel began to drink. Summoning someone only to start drinking on the spot was eccentric, but Najin knew what sort of person she was, and so he waited in silence.

"Hahh…"

Yuel set down her cup and let out a long breath.

"Najin. So your name is Najin. You lied to me that day. Twice, no less."

Yuel narrowed her eyes. Her blood-red irises gleamed ominously.

"One was your name. The other was affirming that I was the first Sword Master you had ever met. Sword Saint Caron already knew of you. And according to imperial intelligence, he made contact with you before I did."

Yuel Razian smiled.

"Explain yourself. I will give you the chance."

It was an exceedingly beautiful smile — and an exceedingly dangerous one.