Chapter 104

The door to the reception room, which had been firmly closed, swung open. The reception room, provided by the imperial household for comfort, was overly spacious and ornate for just a few people to sit in, but considering the individuals occupying it, it was hardly excessive.

It was far too cramped to contain three transcendent beings.

As the door opened, Karan chuckled and muttered, “He finally arrives.”

Yuel silently turned to look behind her. There, just entering through the door, stood an old man. Yes, an elderly man.

If the common world regards the elderly as wise beings bearing the passage of time…

In the world of warriors and mages, ‘elderly’ merely referred to those who had lost to the passage of time, a word used for losers. Subjects not of reverence but of ridicule and mockery. This was because the moment one reaches the realm of a Sword Seeker, they become completely free from aging.

They are liberated from aging,

Their bodies remain in their prime,

And their lifespans significantly extend.

Thus, in their world, the term ‘elderly’ simply referred to losers who had aged without reaching the realm of a Sword Seeker. However, there are always exceptions in the world.

“……”

The elderly man standing there now was one such exception.

His hair was pure white. If Yuel’s white hair was like beautiful silk, the old man’s hair was like sand rolling across a wasteland. And not just his hair. The wrinkles on his face and skin were telltale signs of the passage of time.

But that was it.

The old man’s back was not hunched. His shoulders were not rolled forward, and his eyes were not clouded. He was not a victim of time’s flow but a giant who staunchly held his ground within it. That was the impression Najin got from the elderly man.

Indeed, he was also physically robust.

“Make way.”

The Empire’s Sword Master, Gerd, spoke up.

“Would you step aside, Yuel, Karan?”

At his request, Karan shrugged and stood up. They had enjoyed and conversed enough. Yuel also silently stood. Both respected Gerd.

This was the Empire,

And Gerd was a pillar of the Empire.

Though transcendent beings stood on the same level, it was customary among them to give Gerd the highest respect in the heart of the Empire. Conversely, within the headquarters of the Order of the Sword or the Starblood Sect, Karan and Yuel received respective honors.

A consensus reached to reduce friction among transcendent beings. Following this rule, Yuel and Karan made way.

“Don’t scare him too much, Sir Gerd.”

Muttering this, Karan left.

As Yuel and Karan departed, Gerd waved his hand lightly. Just that gesture evaporated the smell of liquor vibrating through the room. In an instant, the air cleared.

“This place is too cramped.”

Gerd murmured.

Before Najin could respond, Gerd stomped his foot on the ground. With a deep, resonating sound,

Swoosh.

Something overpainted the scenery above the reception room. Najin’s eyes widened. As if new paint had been sprinkled over a finished painting, a new landscape was overlaying the old one in the reception room.

Despite the doors being closed, wind howled in.

The rushing wind made Najin frown. His hair wildly tossed about. Following the wind came a flash of light. Slowly opening his eyes, Najin found himself no longer in a confined reception room.

An open plain stretched to the horizon.

The sound of the footstep boomed,

Followed by mana bursting from within the reception room, shaking the building. Those outside, unable to withstand the mana, collapsed one by one, while only two reacted to it.

Sword Saint Karan and Inquisitor Yuel.

Both turned their heads simultaneously. Their swords drawn instinctively, not through deliberation but an unconscious reaction. Realizing they were outside the affected area, they exhaled briefly.

“Gee…”

Karan frowned.

“He’s really going overboard with his territory. As always, what a foul-tempered old man.”

“I agree,”

Yuel responded expressionlessly.

“It’s explicitly illegal to expand a sword domain in the heart of the Empire. Even if the First Sword of the Empire holds extralegal powers, it’s an abuse of authority that could be challenged depending on the circumstances.”

“Who in the world would actually hold the First Sword of the Empire accountable?”

“The Sun of the Empire could.”

“The old man must have moved because the Emperor permitted it. That’s the kind of person he is.”

Karan appeared visibly displeased as he flicked his sword tip, scattering the landscape that had formed on the blade’s edge. Yuel performed a similar action.

Had the space attempted to engulf them as well, Yuel and Karan would not have hesitated to swing their swords. This was clearly a provocation, an act of aggression.

But the space was confined to within those doors. While still displeased, there was no concrete reason to formally protest. Karan exhaled deeply and sheathed his sword. There was only one reason Gerd would cause such a disturbance.

‘He’s trying to see the bottom.’

Karan had been subjected to this before. The old man had a penchant for scraping the bottom and seeing it with his own eyes whenever he encountered talented individuals. That was why he had warned him to scare him just enough.

“As expected, it went in one ear and out the other.”

Karan clicked his tongue.

While he respected the old man’s reverence for the sword, he did not admire his personality. A madman who knew nothing but the Empire and the sword. Karan reaffirmed his assessment as he shook his head.

“That’s why they say I’m the most normal one.”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“……”

Karan silently looked at Yuel.

One was a blood-thirsty murderer. The other, a madman obsessed only with the Empire and the sword. Being lumped together with them brought a fresh sense of injustice.

“It’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

Karan sighed and trudged away. As he walked, he suddenly looked back and chuckled.

‘Looks like he’s trying to check the bottom…’

His unofficial apprentice. Karan snorted as he thought of Najin, whom he had taught swordsmanship a few times.

‘It won’t be that easy.’

Would that fledgling really let himself be so easily unraveled? If underestimated, he might just deliver a surprising blow. With that thought, Karan left the scene. It seemed his help wasn’t needed anyway.

Blinking, Najin saw an expansive plain.

He took a deep breath. The air was different from before. It wasn’t an illusion. Or perhaps it was a high-level illusion spell…

-That’s not it.

If it were some trickery, Merlin would have sensed it. That left only one possibility. The exclusive realm of transcendent beings who had reached the realm of a Sword Master, known by many names, as Karan had once explained.

Painting one’s mind upon the world.

Standing in one’s own crafted world.

Najin exhaled deeply as he looked ahead. There stood the owner of this world. Gerd was gazing at Najin with cold, sunken eyes.

“You’re not surprised.”

“I’ve seen too much to be surprised anymore.”

Najin quickly responded,

Feeling somehow that he shouldn’t be overwhelmed. He steadied his breathing and stood upright. The exits? A way out? It likely wasn’t possible for Najin at this moment.

‘He’s not planning to kill me.’

The First Sword of the Empire.

The Emperor’s intentions would not involve such actions. Nor did it seem likely that the Emperor would approve of such things behind the scenes. There was simply no need for such tactics.

So then,

“May I ask why?”

Najin faced Gerd squarely.

Meeting his gaze, Gerd began to speak.

“The Emperor said he would watch you.”

“I remember. He did say that.”

“And I am the First Pillar of the Empire. When the Emperor says the Empire, that includes me too.”

It wasn’t incorrect.

But it wasn’t quite right either. Najin frowned. There was nothing to gain from being too forward in front of the Empire’s Sword Master, but he wasn’t inclined to just bow his head either.

“What have I done? I haven’t done anything yet. Aren’t you being a bit hasty?”

“Better early than late.”

“What do you want to see from me?”

“What you’re hiding.”

The old man pointed at Najin.

“You haven’t shown everything to the Emperor. I sense it. That you’re hiding something. I need to see it.”

Essentially, he wanted to shake him down.

Watching someone so openly express this desire, Najin couldn’t help but chuckle. Why does everyone seem so eager to shake him down?

-Being a genius, one inevitably attracts others’ envy and jealousy…

‘Merlin said the same.’

-I… it was different… It wasn’t jealousy. I just had to check, and I apologized later…! Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?

‘Just kidding. I know.’

As Merlin grumbled in a hurt tone, Najin narrowed his eyes. Something hidden? Of course, there was. But it was something he could never show.

‘Is this a person I can reason with?’

At a glance, he seemed more normal than Yuel. Najin carefully selected his words.

“Everyone has secrets they live with. The value of strength lies in its concealment.”

“Fair point.”

“Therefore, I cannot show you.”

“You’re not denying you’re hiding something?”

“Denying it would be pointless, wouldn’t it?”

Gerd nodded.

As if he appreciated the response.

“The oath you shouted before the Emperor was sincere. Even if one day your convictions may waver, for now, you are acting to uphold that oath. The vigor, spirit, and resonance of your soul when you spoke that oath. I trust that.”

A friendly tone.

Gerd’s eyes were gentle.

“But this is a separate matter.”

The old man narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, a murderous intent overwhelmed Najin. Unlike Yuel’s indiscriminate, unconscious killing intent, it was a massive intent focused on crushing a single target. Najin’s eyes blazed.

Thud.

Najin instinctively stepped back and gripped his sword hilt. And then, as if he had been waiting for that moment, Gerd, who had withdrawn his killing intent, pointed at Najin holding his sword.

“The stance of holding a sword. Your hand that moved in an instant. The hand that stretched back as you stepped back.”

Gerd pointed with his fingertip.

Najin had grasped the sword hilt with his left hand, but Gerd was pointing at Najin’s right hand. And Najin’s right hand was aimed at the air, as if ready to draw something from it at any moment.

“You add to my suspicions.”

The Empire’s Sword Master exhaled deeply. The old man standing firmly on the shaking plain questioned.

“Are you the owner of Excalibur?”

Are you the owner of Excalibur?

Hearing that question, Najin was not flustered.

Until now, no one had suspected him, but the situation had changed. Anyone could doubt him now. He had made enough of a mark to warrant such suspicion.

‘Though the action was a mistake.’

It could still be salvaged.

Najin steadied his breath and lowered his hand. How should he act? How should he escape this situation? His mind raced.

The First Sword of the Empire, Gerd.

What kind of person was this old man?

『A man who has thrown everything away for the sword and the empire.』

『The old man’s only revered values are the sword and the empire. He gave up his lover, his children, his life, all of it.』

Words Karan had once spoken.

Records about Gerd seen in books. A human who only revered the sword and the empire. Thus, the sword.

A person who had dedicated his life to the sword. A swordsman.

Using this as a basis, Najin crafted his sentences. Historically, devising ways to survive against strong opponents had been Najin’s specialty.

The opponent’s interests. Convictions. Values.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Using these to navigate the situation.

“Sir Gerd.”

“I asked a question. Answer it.”

“I may be insignificant compared to you, but I am also a swordsman.”

Najin smiled.

“When has a swordsman ever settled matters with words rather than a sword? If you have a question, ask with your sword. That is the way of a swordsman.”

Gerd’s eyes shifted.

Though he did not speak, his lips moved. Najin did not miss that movement.

“While there’s a vast difference between you and me, aren’t we both swordsmen in the end?”

Najin fiercely drew his sword.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, Sir Gerd, not as the First Sword of the Empire, but as a swordsman who has reached a transcendent state.”

At Najin’s challenge, Gerd could no longer contain his laughter. Najin was not challenging the First Sword of the Empire, who sought to evaluate variables for the safety of the Empire. He was approaching out of mere interest, wanting to clash swords with a talented individual, the swordsman Gerd.

‘Want to see the bottom?’

Then ask with your sword. Isn’t that the way of a swordsman? That’s what the boy in front of him had said.

Gerd understood the intention.

He found it absurd, and because it was absurd, it was interesting, and because it was interesting, laughter escaped his lips. Challenged to a duel? Me? How long had it been since he had been challenged to a duel after reaching a transcendent state?

“Hah.”

With laughter, Gerd’s expression broke. The mask he had worn shattered. Hidden behind the mask was a madman who had thrown his life away for the sword.

Facing the madman, Najin smiled.

“But it can’t just be a trampling duel for me to show my bottom cards, can it?”

“Right. Are you asking to set terms?”

“If you could refrain from using only the exclusive rights of a Sword Master, that would be sufficient.”

Gerd laughed.

“You’re quite cunning.”

“I’d appreciate being described as clever.”

The Empire’s Sword Master drew his sword. The situation seemed enjoyable to the old man as he smiled, but as he drew his sword, Najin felt every sensation in his body sharpen. It was chilling. Terrifying. His instincts screamed.

‘If you’re looking to uncover my bottom cards.’

But Najin smiled.

‘You’d better be prepared to be uncovered as well, Sword Master of the Empire.’