Ch.127Demon Hunt (1)

“Come to think of it, what are Stars?”

“A Star is a Star. What else would it be?”

What is a Star?

Having obtained two Stars, Najin was contemplating the nature of Stars. He wasn’t referring to their symbolic meaning. He already knew what Stars symbolized.

‘Proof of achieving great feats.’

Stars are proof that one has accomplished impossible feats, reaching the heavens through trials. This was also the reward for Najin’s life-risking challenges. Najin looked at the two Stars twinkling on his outstretched palm. If he concentrated, he could summon their light like this.

They were beautiful. The Stars he had longed for.

But how should he put it? Najin tilted his head while looking at the Stars.

“How do I use these?”

He had no idea ‘how’ to utilize them. In heroic tales, King Arthur seemed to split the earth and sky with Stars. As Najin pondered this, Merlin spoke with disbelief.

-If we could split the heavens and earth with just two Stars, Arthur and I would have long ago taken the heads of both the Dragon of Abyss and the Witch of Abyss.

“I was just giving an example. Even if not to that extent, don’t Stars allow you to use magic or something? Heroes in tales do all sorts of things.”

-What you’re imagining requires at least four or five Stars. Only when Stars connect to form ‘Constellations’ do their powers amplify.

Merlin traced her finger through the air.

Blue lines followed her fingertips.

-Besides, I can’t explain how to use Stars. It’s different for each Constellation. Remember what I said? Stars are your life, the path you’ve walked.

“Yes, I remember.”

-It’s like me trying to explain ‘how’ to use your mental imagery. You must discover it yourself. It’s not difficult. You’ll naturally come to understand.

The blue lines formed Merlin’s Constellation.

Why was she suddenly showing her Constellation? Having spent considerable time with Merlin, Najin now understood her thought process to some extent.

She’s subtly trying to show off.

He was right. Merlin traced her Constellation for Najin to see clearly. She never missed an opportunity to boast.

-Each Star represents an achievement. So having obtained 11 Stars means I’ve accomplished 11 great feats.

Merlin emphasized the word ‘eleven.’ Najin responded with “Wow, really? That’s impressive,” nodding appropriately. After listening to Merlin’s self-praise for a few minutes, constructive conversation finally began.

-Of course, Stars don’t necessarily measure strength. Having more Stars doesn’t guarantee victory. Stars are simply a means to prove yourself.

“A means?”

-Yes. Traces of your life. The path you’ve walked. They’re both the means and evidence of your achievements.

Merlin stretched out her hand, pointing outside the window.

It was still dark outside before dawn, and countless Stars adorned the dark sky. The night sky that once seemed so distant. But not anymore.

Because his own Stars were there.

Among the countless Stars, Najin could find his own. Two Stars, still faint but definitely shining. These were Najin’s Stars, placed in the sky by himself.

-You’ve engraved your existence as Stars, nailing them to the sky. Until those Stars fall, wherever you are, you can find yourself by looking at the sky.

Merlin smiled.

-There’s an enormous difference between having even one Star and having none. You’re standing at the starting point.

The starting point. There was no need to ask what starting point it was.

-You’ve climbed the first step toward the heavens.

But that wasn’t all.

Merlin narrowed her eyes as she looked at Najin. Though Najin hadn’t noticed yet, changes were occurring in his body. As was common for humans who obtained Stars.

Merlin deliberately didn’t mention this fact. It wasn’t something one could realize through someone else’s words. It was something one had to experience for oneself.

-Anyway, congratulations.

With those words, Merlin added:

-Morning Star.

The Star that heralds the end of night.

Hearing his title pronounced through someone else’s lips, Najin couldn’t help but smile. Morning Star—it had a nice ring to it.

“Now that I’ve earned the qualification, all that’s left is to prove it.”

And that proof would come not here, but in a distant land beyond.

On the battlefield of Stars.

2.

Najin began preparing in earnest for his departure to the Outer Continent. Unlike when he came to Cambria with just himself, traveling to the Outer Continent required some preparation.

Above all, the Najin of then and the Najin of now were different.

When Najin first set foot in Cambria, he was a youngster whose name, let alone existence, was unknown. No one paid attention to him. But now? Countless Imperial citizens were watching Najin. Even beyond the Empire, people were taking notice of his existence.

The youngest Sword Seeker.

A boy who had obtained two Stars.

Fame was indeed a tax. Having gained renown across the continent, Najin naturally attracted all kinds of attention. People showed deep interest in his future actions. It was exactly as the Emperor had worried.

“In my view, you are a flame.”

“A flame that might burn down the Empire.”

A being who would make any faction he joined too powerful. If he fell into the hands of rebels, he could become a flame that would burn down the Empire. Najin was a coveted yet dangerous existence to many groups.

A card of immense value if held.

But potentially lethal if in an opponent’s hands.

If they couldn’t possess him, they had to at least prevent him from falling into enemy hands. As numerous factions watched Najin’s movements… he made an announcement.

“I plan to depart for the Outer Continent soon.”

He had no intention of joining any faction.

He would leave the continent for the Outer Continent.

Najin’s declaration caused a great stir. What place was the Outer Continent? It was where countless heroes had gone to become Constellations, and also where many heroes’ graves lay.

Harsh, cruel, barren, and at the same time.

Full of trials between life and death.

It wasn’t a place for a promising talent renowned across the continent. Why would a promising talent who could enjoy wealth and honor by joining any faction go to the Outer Continent? The young man, barely eighteen, wasn’t even forced to go there, so why?

To this question, Najin briefly answered:

Glory without hardship and trials has no value.

He was quoting an ancient hero.

Though many had spoken this famous maxim, few had put it into practice. Words are easy, but action is difficult.

‘Difficult, but…’

-That’s why it has value.

Najin had no intention of becoming a smooth-talking braggart. After his announcement, he immediately began the procedures for departing to the Outer Continent.

Some called Najin stupid, others called him foolish, but even they couldn’t deny that his actions resembled those of heroes from ancient times.

Turning his back on wealth and honor to pursue glory.

While they might call it foolish, they couldn’t call it wrong or perverse. Rather, it was a decision worthy of praise. The first to respond to Najin’s decision were the Imperial court and the Knights of Atanga.

“I do not spare praise for one who turns away from immediate comfort and leaps toward the raging waves. I respect all your choices.”

The Emperor praised Najin’s choice.

“Leaping toward trials. A decision of one who knows pride. Turning away from wealth and honor to pursue glory. A decision of one who knows honor. You who know honor and pride are truly an exemplar of knighthood.”

The Knights of Atanga seemed to be itching to make Najin a knight immediately. But they too knew the position promised to Najin, so they held back their words.

The position the Emperor had promised Najin in the past.

The Emperor had previously declared that on the day Najin fulfilled the ambition he had expressed before the three Sword Masters, he would personally bestow upon him the title of ‘Free Knight.’

Free Knight.

The Knights of Atanga knew the value of this title.

Free Knight was a title given to the Knights of the Round Table who followed King Arthur in the distant past. Unlike the word ‘knight’ which had become increasingly lighter with time, the weight of this title had been heavily preserved for a thousand years.

That was the position promised to him.

All that remained was for Najin to prove himself.

Someday that day would come. Eagerly anticipating that day, the Knights of Atanga salivated. They might witness the birth of a Free Knight for the first time in hundreds of years.

And.

As soon as the Imperial court and the Knights of Atanga made their positions clear, as if they had been waiting for this moment, people everywhere began talking about how admirable Najin’s choice was. These weren’t sincere voices. They were merely trying to ride the trend, so Najin paid them no mind.

Letting their words go in one ear and out the other, Najin prepared for his journey to the Outer Continent, but there was one voice he couldn’t ignore.

“N-Najin.”

With a bang, someone hurriedly opened Najin’s door and rushed into his room. It was Dieta, a girl with pretty brown hair.

A few days ago, after launching a confession attack on Najin, she had been lowering her head and avoiding him whenever he came to see her. Why would she come to him directly now? Had she finally freed herself from embarrassment?

“A letter arrived for you. I, I usually handle most things myself, but this… this I can’t.”

Seeing that she still couldn’t meet his eyes, that wasn’t the case. It was just that something big enough to overcome her embarrassment had happened. She handed Najin a letter.

‘Thorns?’

The letter was marked with a blood-red thorn pattern. The symbol of the School of Blood. But the symbol on the letter didn’t stop there. There was also a sword crossing through the thorns.

A sword entangled in blood-red thorns.

It was a symbol that only one person could use.

The closest to the patron deity of the School of Blood, the Matyr of Thorns. The proxy warrior of the Matyr of Thorns. The executioner of the School of Blood, and so on… a woman known by many names.

The murderer, Juel Lazian.

It was a letter from her.

3.

Juel Lazian was cleaning her sword.

Wiping away the sticky blood clinging to the blade with her finger, she exhaled a long breath. Her breath was hot. Her blood-like eyes gleamed red.

…Normally, blood staining a Sword Master’s blade is not a common occurrence.

What is a Sword Master? They are transcendents who can effortlessly release sword energy and cut down enemies from hundreds of meters away if they wish. Foreign substances don’t stick to blades wrapped in sword energy, and even if they did, they would instantly evaporate in the heat of the sword energy.

So there’s rarely blood on a Sword Master’s sword. The phrase “blood stained the Sword Master’s sword” is used as a metaphor for killing someone, not literally meaning their sword was stained with blood.

But when that Sword Master refers to Juel.

The sentence “blood stained the Sword Master’s sword” was not used as a metaphor. Juel Lazian’s sword was always stained with blood. The reason was simple.

Juel deliberately doesn’t use sword energy.

Although using sword energy would make killing opponents easier and simpler, Juel doesn’t do so. When knights once asked her why, she answered:

‘Where’s the pleasure in cutting that way? If you use a sword, you know. The blade cutting through flesh, breaking bones, tearing through organs and emerging from the body. The trembling of the blade. The vibration felt through the hilt. In that moment, I finally feel joy.’

No pleasure in cutting. That was her only reason.

Since few could withstand her sword energy, Juel often limited her own power. If a candy was going to melt away anyway, she wanted to roll it on her tongue for as long as possible.

Isn’t that an insult to your opponents?

The knights wanted to ask but couldn’t. Juel’s sword cut down sinners, heretics, and evil things related to demons. Traditionally, showing mercy to evil things was not the way.

Of course, Juel didn’t think that way.

The concepts of good and evil were vague to her.

Juel didn’t particularly think that black magicians or heretics were great sinners. She didn’t kill them because she considered them evil people. She simply killed them because there would be no repercussions for doing so.

“Haah…”

Juel exhaled a hot breath.

With each breath she took, the scent of blood vibrated. With an ecstatic smile, she thrust her sword into a pile of corpses. With her sword fixed there, she took out a letter from her bosom.

The letter contained news about a boy.

It was information collected by her adjutant.

Juel’s eyes narrowed as she read about the boy’s achievements. A smile formed at the corners of her mouth. Even reading it again, the content of the letter remained unchanged.

“Two Stars simultaneously, and at the age of eighteen? Remarkable. Amazing. Don’t you think?”

Juel said.

It wasn’t a soliloquy. Beside her lay a black magician with his legs cut off. The black magician was trying to escape, crawling on the ground with his hands instead of his missing legs, his teeth chattering.

“Isn’t it remarkable? It’s an amazing feat. My eyes weren’t wrong after all. An interesting boy.”

Juel muttered without looking at the escaping black magician. The black magician considered Juel’s muttering as the monologue of a madwoman. He thought she wasn’t expecting an answer.

“I asked if you don’t think so.”

Juel didn’t think that way.

“I am asking a question.”

“Huk, heok…!”

The black magician moved his hands with all his might. Despite his fingernails breaking and fingertips tearing on the rough stone floor, bleeding, he crawled frantically.

“I’m asking. Isn’t it remarkable? I don’t like repeating myself.”

Juel flicked her finger toward the black magician.

At that moment, the black magician’s fingers began to crumble from the tips. Broken nails crumbled, skin scattered, and bones were ground away. Like dismantling prey.

“AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!”

The black magician screamed in agony as he was dismantled alive. Regardless, Juel asked again.

“Isn’t it remarkable?”

“It’s remarkable. It’s excellent. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, unprecedented…”

The black magician squeezed out every vocabulary he knew to praise a boy whose face he didn’t even know. He continued until he met his death from excessive bleeding. As the black magician’s breath grew fainter and finally ceased, Juel spoke.

“Yes, indeed it is.”

Juel nodded with satisfaction.

“So I must check for myself.”