Ch.132Demon Hunt (6)

Zarkan’s neck was severed.

His head, having lost the neck that supported it, could not withstand its own weight and fell to the ground. The ground, which had melted moments ago from Zarkan’s spell, was mushy, and Zarkan’s head sank into it with a “splat” sound, meeting no resistance.

That was Zarkan’s end. The final moments of a black mage who had lived for over 100 years were pitiful. Though few deaths are not pitiful in this world, Zarkan’s end was a bit more wretched than that of other humans.

Crumble.

The headless body of Zarkan disintegrated.

Humans leave their bodies behind when they die. But those who have made deals with demons leave nothing behind. Their souls and bodies were offered long ago as the price of their bargain.

A death that leaves nothing behind. That was also the price for abandoning one’s beliefs and choosing the easy path.

“In some ways, that Fallen Knight you killed long ago might have been luckier.”

Merlin, who had been watching, said.

“At least he left a corpse behind.”

Bernhagen, whom Najin had killed with Excalibur.

Excalibur had cut down the very demon that had contracted with Bernhagen. With the contract nullified, Bernhagen was able to die as a human. If meeting Najin was his misfortune, then being able to die as a human because of that meeting was his fortune. That’s what Merlin said.

‘Is that really fortune?’

“Depends on how you look at it, I suppose?”

Najin briefly shook his sword clean.

In any case, Najin had won. He had won using only his own strength, without drawing Excalibur. Feeling his own growth, Najin couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

It was while he was feeling this pride.

A light briefly flickered at the edge of Najin’s vision. A black mage who had survived the chaotic battle… no, could it really be called survival? A black mage who was dying from excessive bleeding was pointing the tip of his staff at Najin.

Just as Najin was about to respond.

Snip.

The black mage’s body split apart. A single line had bisected both the black mage and the ruins of the building where he had been hiding. As if that wasn’t enough, the ground was carved in a straight line. The sound arrived a beat later.

SCREEEEEECH!

A sword energy that had surpassed the speed of sound. A sword energy that had been fired from the top of that castle, traversing hundreds of meters. Standing in an awkward position, having stopped mid-movement, Najin blinked. It was a sight difficult to comprehend even with his own eyes.

‘I’ve been thinking this a lot lately.’

“Hmm?”

‘Isn’t the gap between a Sword Master and a Sword Seeker too extreme?’

“Would a transcendent be called a transcendent for nothing? The process of rising from Sword Seeker to Sword Master isn’t divided into three stages for no reason. There are actually about three stages in between.”

Sprouting, Blooming, Full Bloom.

The three processes a Sword Seeker must go through to become a Sword Master.

“You know, Roseline Askarlo? That mercenary captain you’re friendly with. She’s a Sword Seeker too, but she sliced up other Sword Seekers three-to-one. The only difference is that she’s gone through Sprouting.”

‘That’s right.’

“That’s how it is. With each stage you climb, it becomes harder to consider them as being on the same level.”

After that, Merlin continued.

“It’s the same with mages, oh speaking of mage circles? The concept of mage circles isn’t actually properly established. It was established by a genius mage, and who was that? None other than the one talking to you right now…”

He rambled on about facts Najin hadn’t asked about, and as always, Najin let it go in one ear and out the other. As he was doing so, he heard a “tap” sound from far away.

Juel, who had leaped from the top of the fortress, landed gracefully in front of Najin. Unlike Zarkan’s noisy landing earlier, hers was elegant. Only her snow-white hair swayed slightly, without even disturbing the hem of her clothes.

“Well done.”

She looked at Najin.

Though her face was expressionless like a doll’s, there was a faint smile on her lips. She then clapped her hands.

“It exceeded my expectations. It was an excellent battle. My deity is also giving you a thumbs up. He particularly liked the scene where you cleanly split the head, and he’s giving a long and detailed description of it. Yes, I understand. I’ll convey that story as well. What? Yes, yes…”

Juel slightly furrowed her brow.

Looking into the empty air and muttering, she briefly said.

“Be quiet. Shut up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ah, not you. I was speaking to my deity who’s whispering in my ear.”

Watching Juel tap her ear with her palm as if shooing away a bug, Najin felt a strange sense of kinship. Right now, Merlin was also boasting about himself for who knows how many times in Najin’s ear.

And people who live with constellations chattering beside them all year round learn to listen to the voice of the constellation with one ear and let it out the other.

Juel and Najin were examples of this. The two of them lightly chewed on the voices of the stars in their ears as they looked at each other and conversed.

“It was a good spectacle. You seem to enjoy that kind of battle. Battles that utilize terrain, battles that create variables. I also enjoyed such battles before I reached the realm of Sword Master. It reminds me of old times.”

Juel nodded her head greatly.

As if truly satisfied.

“I understand you’ve only recently risen to Sword Seeker. Yet already such achievement? I find myself wanting to see more of your battles.”

“Pardon?”

“You haven’t shown your full strength yet, have you? You seem to be hiding something. I’m not sure what it is, but you still seem relaxed.”

The Sword Master’s eyes narrowed.

Juel glanced at Najin.

“So, I was wondering.”

“Yes.”

“How about a duel with me?”

“…You mean a duel, not a sparring match, right?”

“Yes. I don’t have much faith in my self-control. I’m not confident I can spar well while controlling my power like the Star of Sword. I will limit my sword energy, but I still can’t be certain I won’t kill you. If there’s a possibility of killing the opponent, it’s not sparring, so it should be a duel, right?”

Saying so, Juel stared at Najin.

It was truly a transparent gaze. From the expectation dripping from it, to how clearly one could see what she was thinking beyond that gaze.

‘You want to see my bottom and you’re suggesting a duel? I might die, but still, how about it?’

That’s roughly how Najin interpreted Juel’s words, and Najin was not suicidal.

“So, what do you think?”

“I’ll have to decline.”

“That’s a shame.”

Juel sighed.

She looked genuinely disappointed.

2.

I’ve previously compared black mages to mold, and in Najin’s view, it was an accurate comparison.

After all, the operation to eradicate black mages was similar to cleaning up mold. Simply wiping away all the mold (black mages) that had illegally occupied the wallpaper (city) doesn’t complete the cleaning. The cause must be removed.

You tear off the wallpaper and lift the boards. You replace the moisture-soaked timber. Or, you ventilate to drive out the humidity in the house.

The work carried out after eradicating black mages is exactly the same. You burn all the research materials they left behind. You destroy their workshops and demolish their research facilities. If you don’t do this work, new black mages will come to the same location, shouting, “Is this the place where we can devour those research materials raw?”

Just look at how the workshop left by “Cephalon,” a 7th circle black mage who once terrorized the Empire, was usefully employed by his juniors.

“I heard you’re leaving for the Outer Continent.”

That’s why Najin was walking with Juel.

As she walked, Juel casually swung her sword, and each time she did, a building suspected to be a black mage’s research facility would split with a “crack” sound.

“Yes, I plan to head to the battlefield of stars.”

“I see.”

The split buildings collapsed and disintegrated into fine pieces. Where Juel had swung her sword, only fine dust swirled.

“Then be careful.”

This wasn’t the kind of generic advice anyone might give, like “the Outer Continent is dangerous, so be careful.” This Sword Master, who had reached the realm of transcendence, who had wandered the Outer Continent before, and who still occasionally steps into the Outer Continent, said:

“The Outer Continent. The outside of the world. The deeper you go, the more you will be doubted.”

“Doubted?”

“Doubt about yourself. It could also be expressed as a denial of your existence.”

It was not easy to understand.

As Najin blinked, Juel added:

“You will not age from now on. Are you aware of that fact?”

“I know that when one reaches the realm of Sword Seeker, one becomes free from aging.”

“Yes, warriors or mages who have reached a certain realm do not age. They become free from aging. It’s not complete immortality, but at the very least, they transform into beings infinitely close to immortality, never dying of old age.”

But, she said.

“And the world denies this. Because it’s not natural. Both biologically and from an ecological perspective, this is clearly an error. Being born, dying, returning to nature, and then new life being born again. That is the natural order of the world. From the world’s perspective, both you and I are ‘wrong’ existences.”

Error (誤謬). Something wrong and incorrect.

Incorrect, not in accordance with reason.

“So it rejects us. Pushes us away. To the outside of the world. The place where such people gather is the Outer Continent. Not everyone is like that, but generally speaking, that’s how it is. So it becomes ‘a place where those who should have died are alive.'”

A place infinitely close to the afterlife.

“It’s open to interpretation, but personally, I think of it this way. The Outer Continent is a place that does what the world couldn’t do.”

“What it couldn’t do…”

“The death of those who don’t die.”

She stopped walking.

Standing still, she stared at Najin.

“Do you know how the death of a transcendent occurs?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Transcendents don’t die by ordinary means. Maybe on the continent, but in the Outer Continent, which is free from the rules of the world, they are infinitely close to immortality. But that only applies to ‘physical death.'”

What about non-physical death?

Juel tapped her head with her finger.

“The moment you doubt your existence. The moment you deny your story. And thus, the moment you can no longer trust yourself, a transcendent meets death.”

She lightly swung her sword.

A building split. It disintegrated and crumbled.

“In the Outer Continent, beings who deny themselves have their bodies worn down and twisted. They become beings closer to beasts than humans. And eventually, they lose themselves. Oblivion. That’s when a transcendent finally dies.”

Is that why?

Juel raised her head to look at the sky. Looking at the stars filling the night sky, she murmured.

“What do you think is the reason stars burn so brightly? To illuminate the darkness? I don’t think so. Whenever someone looks at their star and reflects on the achievements contained within it, constellations feel their existence distinctly. They become free from the doubt that eats away at them.”

So, she said expressionlessly.

“Please look at me. Please remember me. The light emitted by stars is close to such a plea.”

Najin suddenly looked at Merlin.

She was silent. In Najin’s mind, stories that Merlin had once told him came to mind.

“Constellations aren’t as great as you think. They aren’t as noble as you think, and perhaps they are even more hideous than you.”

“They are those who yearn for the next part of a journey that never ends, with their feet bound to the Outer Continent, to Camlann.”

Was that what she meant? As he was thinking about it, Merlin, sensing Najin’s gaze, spoke.

“What that kid said isn’t everything. That’s not all there is to the Outer Continent, and there are definitely other reasons why stars shine. But…”

Merlin smiled bitterly.

“Most stars are like that. Because there are plenty of stars that were heroes but are no longer heroes.”

‘That’s not bad.’

“What?”

Najin shrugged.

‘Among fakes, the real thing shines more beautifully, doesn’t it?’

Hearing Najin’s response, Merlin blinked before bursting into laughter. Both because it was absurd and because it was satisfying.

Stop.

While Najin was having a brief conversation with Merlin, Juel stopped walking. Then she stared at Najin.

“That’s why your choice is surprising. Most people prepare to leave for the Outer Continent when they’ve lived for about 100 years. At the latest, they head to the Outer Continent when they’re around 120 years old. From then on, their bodies wear down if they stand on the continent.”

But Najin is only 18 years old.

Too young to leave for the Outer Continent.

Hearing this, Najin tilted his head slightly.

“If the wearing down starts from 120 years old, how are you still on the continent, Lady Juel?”

As far as Najin remembered, Juel was at least 150 years old. According to historical records alone, she was 150 years old, and including unrecorded parts, the prevailing theory was that she was about 200 years old.

But if the wearing down starts from 120 years old, how is Juel still active on the continent?

“Ah, I’m an exception.”

To that question, Juel answered as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m a very unusual case, so it won’t be of much reference, but I live simply in the world. Because I live simply, I don’t need to worry, and because I don’t need to worry, I don’t need to doubt myself. I live by practicing the maxim that ignorance and oblivion are blessings.”

Juel looked at Najin with a faint smile.

“I live for immediate pleasure and enjoyment. I don’t particularly have things like world salvation, the profound principles of swordsmanship, secret wishes, desires, or grand goals. I don’t know the exact principle, but it seems that’s why the wearing down doesn’t come to me.”

Listening to that answer from the side, Merlin shook his head. As if there was no answer.

“I don’t know the exact method either. Even from our perspective, she’s an oddball.”

An oddball among oddballs even from the perspective of constellations.

Treated as a murderer and a slaughterer on the continent, and as an oddball in the Outer Continent. Najin couldn’t help but laugh.

“In any case.”

They had already arrived at the main gate of Baldernos.

The cleanup of the city was complete. The eradication operation was over. Stopping at the main gate, standing one step ahead on the path, Juel said to Najin:

“In the Outer Continent, don’t doubt yourself. There will be many who will try to shake you, doubt you, and break you. Don’t waver.”

Or, she smiled.

“Becoming simple like me is also an option.”

“I’ll pass on that.”

“That’s a shame. It was an opportunity to create a kindred spirit.”

Juel, saying so, didn’t particularly look disappointed.

3.

“Ah.”

As Najin was about to leave on a carriage, Juel briefly exclaimed “Ah.” When Najin turned around, Juel, as if she had just remembered something, opened her mouth.

“I almost forgot this.”

Juel extended her hand and pointed to the sky.

Where her fingertip was pointing, there was a massive constellation made up of 10 stars. Stars that shone not in a single color but in various colors, like fireworks.

Pointing at that star, Juel said:

“In the Outer Continent, beware of the Empress of Bliss.”

Empress of Bliss (歡樂帝).

Uttering that name, Juel loosened her collar. The shoulder of the Order’s uniform, which had almost no exposure, slipped down, revealing Juel’s snow-white shoulder.

There was a long scar there.

Tracing that scar with her fingertip, Juel said:

“If asked to name the most dangerous person in the Outer Continent, it would undoubtedly be that one. This scar was also left by that one. So if you meet that one, run away.”

Juel added.

“That is, if you don’t want to become a clown.”