I Pulled Out the Excalibur

Raising his head, Najin looked towards the Emperor seated at the highest point. Najin’s sunset-hued eyes shone brightly.

“I have no intention of belonging to any group. If there is a place I must belong to, if there is something that should be called before my name———”

Thoughts he had pondered over many times.

Words he had fantasized about repeatedly.

Thus, the sentences he had memorized, Najin pronounced.

“It would none other be than the title of a knight. The knights spoken of here are not those who follow a particular family or lord.”

Ho, the Emperor laughed, seeming to understand what Najin was talking about.

“A knight for knights. A knight for humanity. A knight who does what must be done. I mean the honorable knights who, led by King Arthur a thousand years ago, crossed the continent.”

“A true knight, an Atanga.”

This was not about the existing Knights of Atanga. It referred to their original beings. History had bestowed upon the honorable knights who rode across the world with King Arthur the name ‘Atanga.’

“Indeed, it is so.”

Najin affirmed the Emperor’s words.

Affirming, Najin continued speaking.

“What I desire is the qualification to be called Atanga. And that qualification cannot be given by anyone else. I must prove it myself.”

No noble, no group, not even the Emperor himself can confer the name of Atanga. The Knights of Atanga themselves only refer to themselves as Knights of Atanga; they do not merely use the word.

If there is a qualification to be called Atanga,

it would be granted by the world and history.

“Hence, no group holds any meaning for me. It is meaningless.”

“It means you intend to walk alone. Then, where do you intend your steps to lead? You have not yet told me. Where do you aim to go, what do you aim to achieve?”

Tell me.

Point me to the path you will take.

The Emperor exclaimed so, and as if he had been waiting just for that, Najin smiled.

“Though I belong to Cambria now, I have no intention of staying in Cambria forever. At most, a few months. I will leave Cambria and head beyond the continent.”

Beyond the continent.

“Before long, I will head to the Demon Realm. I will cut down the demons that threaten the Empire and humanity. Eventually, I will point my sword at the great evil known as the Demon King. And it won’t stop there.”

“What next?”

The Emperor asked.

Najin replied.

“I will step into the Battlefield of the Stars. I will bring down the tainted stars. And, I plan to hang my own stars in the sky, just as the great hero did a thousand years ago.”

“What is next on this journey?”

“It must be destined.”

It was a rather irreverent tone, but the Emperor did not point it out. Instead, he burst into loud laughter.

“Just as you say. It must be destined. The lands of Narok, Camlann.”

By staying silent, Najin affirmed.

The Emperor understood what Najin was trying to say. He understood and thus laughed. He is saying he will walk the same path as Arthur. The path that countless heroes have walked.

It is a path so treacherous that even calling it a thorny path is an understatement. It is a path so filled with great hardship and trials that death itself seems a light ending, too great for a mere human to endure.

“It’s a harsh and rough path.”

Elwin smiled wryly.

“Why choose such a path? Many would pay a fortune to have you. If you wanted, you could have gold, beauties, power… all the sweet things within your grasp?”

“Those things are not sweet to me.”

Najin asserted.

There was not a hint of hesitation.

“They are too insufficient to quench my thirst. What I desire is only honor and pride.”

That which an Atanga must possess.

That which a hero and knight must hold.

“And stars alone.”

The Emperor glanced at Gerd.

Gerd nodded. It meant there was not a single lie. If you lie before Gerd’s eyes, you could never escape his senses.

Thus, the Emperor purely admired.

It was a vain statement. A vain ideal.

Yet, there was someone who truly spoke those words.

It was a human ideal that had gone extinct in this era. While surprised by this fact, the Emperor remained silent. Words alone hold no value. Even if all this was sincere, a string of unproven words holds no meaning.

But the Emperor knows.

There is one value that Najin has proven. It can be found in the deeds Najin has left behind over the past half year. The case involving the Knights of Atanga. The royal guards delved deeply into that case and received ‘several testimonies’ from the Knights of Atanga.

“He knows pride, that boy.”

“It’s rare to discuss the knightliness of the old knights. It’s even rarer for someone to sincerely speak of it. And even more so for one to act upon it.”

The one who encountered the boy.

Knight of Atanga, Argo, testified with a smile.

“But he was there.”

“The boy held pride. Though he did not possess honor, he knows what honor is. This is guaranteed by me, Argo of the Knights of Atanga.”

“Isn’t this testimony sufficient?”

The testimony of a Knight of Atanga.

The Emperor knows how much value that holds. Their word can be trusted. It meant that the minimum conditions had been met.

The Emperor, Elwin Pendragon.

He looked at Najin with a thin smile. After a moment, the Emperor spoke.

“I have heard your aspirations well.”

Elwin exhaled deeply.

“But there is a flaw in your words. You know it, right? As you said, you still lack qualification. You have not proven it through your own life.”

Najin remained silent. It hit the mark.

Najin had stated his aspirations. But they were just aspirations, none of which had been proven yet.

“Unproven words. Ambitions full of vigor. The vain words of an unqualified man do not warrant my trust. This position is too heavy for such a man.”

Elwin smiled bitterly and gestured towards the throne.

The position of Emperor was too heavy to make decisions based on personal likes and dislikes. The gesture carried that meaning. Najin agreed with this opinion as well.

The Emperor stepped back sufficiently.

Now it was his turn to offer a compromise.

As Najin was about to speak, the Emperor continued, as if his words were not yet finished.

“Therefore, I will give you an opportunity.”

The Emperor smiled.

“You will be observed. Not only by myself. The entire continent will watch and judge you. The public’s judgment will be my judgment, my choice.”

And, the Emperor exhaled.

“If you fail to prove your worth, if you choose the wrong path, if you do not keep the words you have spoken here today and give up the path of the knight, I will immediately put a collar around your neck.”

The royal knight, or perhaps a hound.

“But if you prove your worth, if you finally obtain the right to be called Atanga——”

Elwin smiled.

As if he truly looked forward to that day.

“I promise you the title of a free knight and the right to engrave the emblem of Britain. You know what that means?”

The free knight recognized by the Empire and the royal family.

One who need not follow any lord’s commands, but only do what they themselves deem right. The title once given to those who followed Arthur, gathered under the name of the ‘Round Table.’

Najin’s eyes widened.

It was an offer he had not imagined.

Despite showing no evidence, the Emperor placed no constraints. He merely said he would watch. Najin bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to the Emperor. Not merely as a formality, but sincerely.

“As I said before, a knight proves with a sword. You, you must prove with your sword.”

“As you command.”

“I will watch. Remember that the Empire is watching you.”

With those words, the Emperor stood up from his seat.

“The Empire will become noisy.”

Walking down the corridor, the Emperor muttered.

Following a step behind him, the Empire’s Sword Master, Gerd, spoke.

“Is it wise to let him off so freely?”

The Imperial First Pillar. An old man who only believes in the values of the sword and the Empire, he spoke frankly to the Emperor.

“He is a dangerous individual. Utterly so.”

“I am aware, Sir Gerd.”

“It would have been better to have set at least a minimum safety measure.”

“Your words are correct. I will not deny that.”

Originally, at the very least a blood oath, a soul pledge, something to serve as a shackle should have been placed. But the Emperor did not do so.

“That boy is a seed of discord.”

“Listen, Sir Gerd.”

Elwin spoke softly.

An individual who ascended at a young age. He respected Gerd, who had served the previous and the one before that Emperor. Out of respect, the Emperor spoke in a gentle voice.

“I have said I am aware. I am saying that I acted knowing that.”

Gerd bowed his head in silence.

It was an apology for his presumptuous remark. The Emperor waved his hand dismissively and smiled bitterly.

“If the imperial authority was wavering and signs of division appeared in the Empire, I would have done as you said. But the current Empire is steadfast. After the Great Purge 150 years ago and several incidents, is not the imperial authority stronger than ever?”

As he moved, he spoke.

“Is not the Empire’s sword, you, upholding the Empire? Is the current Empire so frail that it would burn up at just such a flame?”

“Certainly not.”

“Right. I am the Emperor of the Empire, but before being Emperor, I am Elwin Pendragon. How could I, shouting the name Pendragon, doubt the words of a boy declaring to become a hero and put shackles on him?”

Elwin Pendragon laughed.

“But if you are still worried, monitor him yourself. What, I told the boy that the Empire would watch him. If you, the Empire’s sword, are not the Empire, then who is?”

The Emperor flapped his sleeve.

It seemed like his body was getting quite heated, go see that boy if you’re going to. Gerd, with a bitter smile, bowed at the young Emperor’s gesture.

“It has been decided.”

“Enough. Just go and see him.”

Once again blindfolded and led out of the imperial palace and into the reception room, Najin exhaled deeply. It felt as if all the energy had been drained from his body.

‘How well it went.’

-Indeed. This Emperor seems quite decent?

Najin agreed. He hadn’t expected it to go this well. Even if it became known that he possessed Excalibur, it seemed likely the Emperor would remain an ally.

-Still, it’s too early.

‘That it is.’

Najin smiled wryly.

Having the Emperor as an ally would certainly be reassuring, but it was still too early to reveal Excalibur. After all, revealing Excalibur would spark a great war.

The Empire advocates unity, but not everyone follows the Emperor’s orders. Not all sword masters rally under the Emperor’s banner. Those plotting in the shadows, those scheming rebellions, those colluding with demons exist in every era.

They are merely waiting for the right time.

When the time comes, they will rise up.

While it’s reassuring to have a strong ally, even the Empire cannot stop a great war. The moment the owner of Excalibur is revealed, the fallen stars will gain a cause. The cursed ones of Camlann will stir, and demons and dragons will sing of rage. The beginning of a war that splits the world.

And even as a Sword Seeker.

An individual is powerless before a war.

Only those who transcend humanity can maintain their place in the face of war. Beings like saints or superhumans. He had revealed himself as a Sword Seeker only to some extent, but he had no intention of revealing Excalibur yet.

‘Of course, I will be suspected.’

-Without concrete evidence, the stars cannot move. If only the stars do not move, there should be no problem. Right?

Najin nodded.

‘But still, the road ahead is long.’

-The youngest Sword Seeker sure talks a lot.

At Merlin’s tease, Najin laughed.

How long had he waited in the reception room? The person who had summoned Najin to the reception room opened the door and appeared. It was the person he had expected.

“Pleasant to see you. It’s been a month.”

Sword Master, Yuel Razian.

She looked at Najin and waved her hand, holding a bottle of liquor. She set the liquor bottle down in front of Najin with a thud.

“Care for a drink?”

“I respectfully decline.”

The potent liquor that even a Sword Master would find painful, hadn’t you mentioned it last time? If Najin drank it now, his esophagus would likely sear.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Her expression was anything but regretful.

Yuel maintained her expressionless face as she clumsily pulled out a liquor cup and side dishes. Her movements were exceedingly swift, and for some reason, Karan came to mind.

Karan, who used to gulp down cheap liquor wrapped around jerky. However, what Yuel brought out were top-quality liquor and side dishes.

All sorts of snacks offered to her by various companies were spread out as Yuel began to drink. It was strange to see someone start drinking immediately upon calling someone over, but knowing that Yuel was such a person, Najin silently waited.

“Hmm…”

Yuel put down her liquor cup and exhaled deeply.

“Najin. Your name was Najin, huh. You must have lied to me back then. Two lies at that.”

Yuel narrowed her eyes.

Her blood-colored pupils ominously shone.

“One was your name, the other was affirming that the first Sword Master you met was me. Karan already knew you. And, according to the imperial intelligence, he had made contact with you before me.”

Yuel Razian smiled.

“Explain yourself. I’ll give you a chance.”

It was a very beautiful smile, and a dangerous one at that.