Interlude: Rival (2)
“Merlin.”
“Mm.”
“When are you planning to drop the physical manifestation?”
“I’m not?”
Chop-chop. Merlin sliced a neat piece of steak, pushed it into her mouth, and tilted her head. Of course a constellation had no real need for food. So long as she soaked up starlight at the proper intervals, she never felt thirst or hunger.
“Why not?”
“Just because?”
Merlin blinked as if he’d asked something peculiar. There was no particular reason she needed to stay manifested. If anything, there were reasons not to.
Ssshhhk.
Maintaining Merlin’s physical form drew on Najin’s mana, and even now he could feel it being steadily siphoned away in real time. The amount would have left an ordinary mage screeching “Kyaaaaaaah!” as they turned into a desiccated husk, but for Najin it wasn’t much of a burden. And whenever his reserves dipped a little low, Merlin restored them on her own.
“What. You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.”
“Then why?”
She asked with perfect innocence. Najin answered with a silent glance.
Right now the two of them were visiting the imperial capital, seated at one of the city’s most famous restaurants. Which meant Merlin was enjoying a meal in full physical form right in the middle of the capital. And for the record, their table was outside, on the street.
So what, exactly, did he think was going to happen?
“H-hah…”
“Those two over there—could they be…?”
Every passerby who spotted Merlin flinched, sucked in a sharp breath, and did it all over again. A few were so startled they froze solid where they stood. It was only natural. If you asked the citizens of the empire which book they had read most, the Arthurian chronicles would top the list every time—and the figure mentioned most often after Arthur herself was the Staff of Selection, the archmage Merlin.
Anyone would be shocked to see a character out of myth casually slicing steak in the real world. No one dared interrupt a constellation’s meal, of course; they merely watched from a respectful distance. But a transcendent’s keen senses caught every single stare.
Najin regarded Merlin through half-lidded eyes. Even while manifested, the two of them remained linked. Every time her emotions rippled, Najin’s face twitched.
This woman was enjoying herself.
The stares that flew and stuck, the whispers of “Is that the archmage Merlin?”, the murmurs of admiration for her looks, the sharp intakes of breath, the occasional remark that he and Merlin made a handsome pair… At a glance she seemed utterly absorbed in her meal, oblivious to the attention. In truth, with a transcendent’s razor senses, she was reading every last reaction.
“Uh, Merlin?”
“Mm?”
“Never mind. As long as you’re having fun.”
She tried to look nonchalant, but the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward. Najin simply shook his head as if it were nothing. Lately Merlin had seemed out of sorts for reasons he couldn’t guess; if she looked happy now, that was enough.
“Once we finish this, let’s go for a walk.”
“Where to?”
“Anywhere? Just around.”
“Sure. Whatever you like.”
Najin sipped his water and leaned back against the chair. Sunlight poured lazily over the imperial capital; people drifted along the streets in a peaceful scene. He breathed out a long breath.
Two months since the subjugation of the Revelry Emperor.
Before heading back out to the Outer Land, Najin was enjoying a leisurely vacation.
“Lord Dawn Horn.”
A vacation that was long if you called it long, short if you called it short.
“A missive has arrived from the Special Task Force. Regarding the matter you spoke of previously…”
Najin thought:
It was about time the vacation ended.
2.
Every Pillar of the Empire was assigned a tower.
Five towers ringed the imperial citadel. Najin and Dieta were no exception; they received the Tower of Dawn and the Tower of Mercantile Eyes respectively.
“I’ll probably use about half of mine as a trading-company building. It’s right in the heart of the empire, so distribution will be convenient. It should make dealing with the Platinum Tower easier, too.”
How a Pillar used their tower was entirely up to them, so Dieta apparently intended to treat hers as something like a headquarters for her merchant house. Najin still hadn’t decided what to do with his.
Even the Emperor had merely said, “Use it as you see fit. Leaving it empty won’t cause any trouble. The relevant offices will handle the bare minimum of maintenance.”
Najin never spent much time on the Continent to begin with. His main theater of operations was the Outer Land; the Continent was just a place he dropped in on now and then to rest. So he had been mulling over what purpose the tower might serve…
“In that case I’ll send the Special Task Force under my command over to you.”
The fretting did not last long.
“Among the knights of the First Tower there are those called the Special Task Force. They operate outside the empire more than inside it—mostly in the Outer Land. It would look better for them to serve under you than under me, who stays inside the borders.”
Gerd, First Pillar of the Empire.
The old man had been sipping tea when he casually announced, “Take my Special Task Force,” and Najin could only blink.
“Lord Gerd’s Special Task Force… that’s an elite imperial unit, isn’t it? Composed of Sword Seekers who have at least undergone Sprouting.”
“It is.”
“And you’re giving it to me?”
“So it would seem.”
This did not feel like a unit one should be handing over so lightly. While Najin wore a complicated expression, Gerd set down his teacup and spoke again.
“Nothing strange about it. If anything, it would be strange for someone of a Pillar’s stature not to keep private troops. You’ll need them.”
Of course Najin as an individual already possessed combat power rivaling the entire empire, but this was a matter of form that came before any of that. It simply did not look proper for a Pillar of the Empire to have no subordinate force of his own.
“You won’t have to manage them yourself. I’ll send my adjutant over. She’s a clever girl; she’ll carry out her duties without needing specific orders.”
And so the first residents to move into the Tower of Dawn were none other than the empire’s Special Task Force. Gerd’s adjutant Soles, who had overseen them until now, moved in as a bonus.
“I look forward to working with you, Lord Dawn Horn.”
The woman bowed her head. She was the same person Najin had encountered once when Gerd was away. The first order Najin issued to the Special Task Force now under the Tower of Dawn was to track the traces of a certain constellation.
Hermann, the Constellation of Omniscience.
They were to pursue the trail of a constellation who had vanished a hundred and fifty years earlier. Even for the Special Task Force, probing deep into the Outer Land was never going to be easy, but…
“In that case it would be best to detour around the northern ruins of Yurell and survey this vicinity.”
“Why detour?”
“Pardon?”
“You can cut straight through there.”
“That area is the sanctuary of the constellation Yusritha; approaching it is not—”
“An acquaintance of mine. If you give my name, they won’t bar your way.”
“Then this road…”
“Ah, before you head that way, stop behind the Kulat Mountains. There’s a cabin on a hill with a flower field. Take a bouquet and some gardening tools that would help with the garden; they’ll welcome you. Tell them I sent you.”
Question: Who, exactly, is going to welcome us?
Answer: Lapis and Anton Quijano.
“…”
“…”
Once their superior changed from Gerd to Najin, the Special Task Force’s standing in the Outer Land began to shift. Constellations that had previously obstructed their passage at every turn now sprang to their feet and cleared the road the moment they spotted the banner stamped with the Dawn Star’s emblem.
“What—the Dawn Star sent people? This way, this way! I’ll guide you myself. Walk at your ease. Ah, mind the stone there.”
Even the prickly ones who used to grumble, “Why should I make way for the likes of you? You dare bring commoners into my sanctuary?” now beamed and welcomed the Task Force. Some even went so far as to escort them personally.
“Safe travels! Be sure to give the Dawn Star my regards!”
A veteran knight of the Task Force (forty-seven years of service), watching a constellation wave cheerfully in farewell, could not hide his astonishment. “I’ve lived a long life, but never thought I’d be seen off by a constellation.”
It was only natural. Gerd was a powerful transcendent, yet because his main stage was the Continent, his name carried little weight in the Outer Land. Mentioning Gerd sometimes earned the reply, “And who is that supposed to be?”
Najin was different.
No one in the Outer Land failed to know the name of the Dawn Star. Whether they felt fondness for Najin or not, the weight the name “Dawn Star” carried could not be ignored.
Who was the Dawn Star? A monster among monsters who had already cast down hundreds of stars. Ever since he set foot in the Outer Land, the constellations had watched stars fall at all hours and felt something close to terror.
“Th-the Dawn Star sent you? Wh-why?”
“If it wouldn’t be an imposition, might we pass along this road…?”
“Ah—ahhh! Is that all? Go right ahead! Walk freely! There are a few wandering dead about, but never mind. Wait here—I’ll just clear them out for you!”
Merely speaking the name of the Dawn Star made even those high-flying transcendents drop flat and open the path.
“The Dawn Star is a mad dog.”
“Cross him the wrong way and they won’t find your bones.”
“Hundreds of stars already brought down.”
“Unless you want a few of your own stars added to that tally, tread carefully.”
“Mind your manners.”
A little slander had been mixed in, but there was no smoke without fire. Even the transcendents who leaned toward malice now clearly understood it was a time to keep their heads down. After the Revelry Emperor, there was no guarantee the next target wouldn’t be them.
“Uh, senior?”
“Yeah. Speak.”
“Were Special Task Force missions always this easy?”
Thanks to all of that, the Task Force was enjoying days of unprecedented comfort. With no need to take detours, their efficiency soared as well.
“Lord Dawn Horn.”
The result:
“A missive has arrived from the Special Task Force. Regarding the matter you spoke of previously…”
In less than two months the Task Force had succeeded in locating the traces of the Constellation of Omniscience that Najin had ordered them to find. Considering the operation had originally been planned on a scale of years, the acceleration was staggering.
3.
Hermann, the Constellation of Omniscience.
A transcendent who possessed ten stars.
God of Mechanical Devices, the Omniscient, the One Who Deconstructs, Lord of Ten Thousand Fortresses, the Analyst, the Mad Scholar…
A transcendent who had already existed a full thousand years ago, in the age when Merlin was active. The one who created the Closed City, Swaepedosi, and the one who had tried to turn Yuel into a Calamity Star. Najin’s next target was none other than Hermann.
He could have explained the reasons at length, but Najin saw no need.
He had made a promise to the lord of the Closed City.
That alone was reason enough to resolve on the subjugation of a ten-star transcendent. In truth, what Najin was looking toward lay beyond the Constellation of Omniscience; Hermann was merely an intermediate step on the way to another star.
“Well, anyway.”
At the summit of the Tower of Dawn, overlooking the empire, Yuel sat beside him.
“I intend to go subjugate the Star of Omniscience.”
“Is that so?”
“What will you do?”
The wind stirred her white hair. Through the swaying strands her crimson eyes narrowed.
“I’m not certain. I’ve heard the story, yet it feels less like my own and more like someone else’s.”
She had discarded her memories. She had begun to accept a portion of her emotions, yet holes still gaped in Yuel’s recollection.
“But.”
Until now she had never once wondered about those holes, nor felt any desire to fill them.
“I’m a little curious.”
That was no longer true. The bracelet hanging from Yuel’s arm chimed softly. Fingering the letters engraved on the metal band, she spoke.
“I’ll accompany you. I find myself thinking it would be more enjoyable that way. Adventures with you are always enjoyable, after all.”
Yuel brushed her hair back. Turning her head to look at Najin, she was smiling. Ever since that day, she had begun to smile at him like this from time to time.
Even to Najin’s eyes, it was a rather charming smile.
He said they would depart tomorrow and was about to rise when Yuel tugged firmly on his sleeve, as if she still had something left to say.
“Najin.”
She stared straight at the man who tilted his head in question.
“And it’s not ‘you.’”
“Pardon?”
“Yuel. Call me by my name.”
“…”
“…”
“Yuel?”
Only then did she release his sleeve.