Ch.3Star Sword, and the Voice (1)

I didn’t change my clothes deliberately.

I walked through the streets still wearing the blood-soaked postman’s uniform. As it was time for shops to open, merchants began emerging onto the streets one by one.

Tap.

I walked silently among them.

Those whose eyes met mine flinched, their shoulders trembling before they quickly turned away. They pretended not to see me. Of course, they knew I was Ivan’s hunting dog.

In these streets under Ivan’s protection, he was both the fence and the absolute ruler.

Ivan protected and showed mercy to those who followed his rules. But if anyone crossed the line, he punished them thoroughly without the slightest mercy. He often warned those who had grown accustomed to his kindness.

Don’t cross the line by taking his mercy for granted.

Trashing Trixie’s tavern today and walking through the streets covered in blood without changing clothes were extensions of that warning. Ivan had instructed me to behave this way.

“Things have gotten lax lately.”

“I see signs of people trying to cross the line.”

“While you’re dealing with Trixie, scare them a bit, Najin.”

I was simply following his orders.

“Eek…”

A merchant who met my eyes while walking down the street backed away in fear. He was someone who usually hung around with Trixie, walking a tightrope on the line Ivan had drawn.

“……”

I stared at him silently.

The man’s gaze moved to my blood-caked clothes, then to the sword hilt hanging at my waist.

Tap.

I passed by him silently as he trembled in fear. There were no orders from Ivan to deal with him yet. I could only hope this would serve as a proper warning.

‘Please.’

Don’t cross the line.

Don’t irritate Ivan. The more you do, the more work I have, and the more unnecessary killing I must do. And that’s not particularly enjoyable.

It’s messy, sticky, and unpleasant.

It’s different from moral guilt. It just feels like shit. I especially hated the awkwardness of facing the families of those who died.

“Hoo…”

I sighed deeply as I continued walking.

After walking for some time, I stopped and looked up at my destination. There stood the busiest district in this underground city, built with only the finest things.

Brilliant and gaudy mineral lamps.

Luxury items made from refined minerals.

Goods, food, and fabrics from the upper town.

This was the center of the underground city Attman, a kind of gateway where they sent mined minerals up to the upper town and received goods in return… and where the only passage to the upper town existed.

Tap.

I walked toward the most splendid building among them. It was the residence of One-Eyed Ivan, the ruler of this district and my employer.

2.

One-Eyed Ivan.

Before falling to the underground city Attman, he had been a knight and a swordsman who had reached the level of Sword Expert. Though he had fallen, he was still a powerful fighter who could unleash sword energy.

A powerful person like a knight will stand out wherever they fall. Ivan was no different.

He quickly took control of the underground city.

Ivan pushed out Dusk Horsey, the former owner of the bustling district, to the outskirts of the city and took his place. He built up his power by thoroughly crushing those who challenged his authority. It was the beginning of a long civil war.

‘I don’t know the details, but…’

I knew that the civil war had ended long ago, and Ivan had emerged victorious. Even after several years, Ivan remained the de facto ruler of this city.

‘And.’

He was also my master and employer.

Ivan was the one who took me in when my parents abandoned me and taught me how to survive in this city. Mostly methods of killing people, but still.

“Ivan, are you in?”

Knock, knock, I knocked on Ivan’s door.

Soon, a voice from inside told me to enter. When I opened the door and stepped into Ivan’s office, I saw a middle-aged man wearing an eye patch over his right eye.

Broad shoulders. Arms covered in scars. White hair showing sparsely among his jet-black hair.

This was Ivan, the master of this office. Ivan glared at me with his one remaining eye, arms crossed. It was a fierce gaze that looked like it could tear a person apart. But the moment his gaze met my face.

“Oh, it’s you, Najin!”

Ivan’s expression softened completely.

With a hearty laugh, he banged the table roughly.

“I thought Dusk’s bastard had sent an assassin! Why are you covered in so much blood? I thought you’d cut off the heads of everyone downstairs and got tense.”

“You didn’t look tense at all.”

“Hey kid, can’t you see? I’m sweating.”

Ivan pointed to his nape as he shouted.

All I could see were small scars. I shrugged and took off the postman’s coat and hat.

“You told me to scare them a bit, Ivan.”

“Did I say that?”

“Isn’t it too early for dementia?”

“I’m joking, joking.”

Ivan lit a cigarette and gestured with his chin. It meant I should report how I handled the job. I sat on the sofa in the office and began my story.

“As you predicted, Trixie was in contact with Horsey. I saw some of Horsey’s men there.”

“I knew it.”

Whoo, Ivan muttered as he exhaled gray smoke.

“Trixie likes to play on the line, but he’s not brave enough to cross it. And suddenly he crosses the line so blatantly?”

He tapped the table repeatedly.

“He must have someone backing him. So how many were there?”

“Thirteen. About half of them looked like Horsey’s family.”

“And?”

Ivan’s lips stretched into a long grin. Facing Ivan who was looking at me with interested eyes, I answered briefly.

“I cut off an arm or leg from twelve of the thirteen, and left the cleanup to Kavin, who still had all his limbs intact. I killed Trixie.”

“Without a scratch? All thirteen?”

I nodded, and Ivan laughed out loud. A rough laugh that made the office resound. After laughing for a while, Ivan exhaled deeply.

“Heh, I would’ve loved to see Trixie’s face. Well, if he gathered thirteen men, he probably thought it would be enough to take down one youngster.”

“Trixie said the same thing.”

“What a lunatic.”

“Trixie?”

“Not Trixie, you. I mean you.”

Where did such a monster come from?

Muttering like that, Ivan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. The sound of sizzling filled the room.

“I’ll call you if I have another job. Until then, take a rest. Oh, and…”

As if remembering something, Ivan stroked his chin.

“Stay away from the plaza for a while.”

“The plaza?”

“Yes. They’ve sent people from the upper town. Because of the Trial of Constellations that will soon appear in the plaza.”

Trial of Constellations. Constellations, that is, stars.

Hearing the word “constellations,” I reflexively asked:

“…What’s the Trial of Constellations?”

“Ah, you haven’t seen it before? It’s a kind of event that happens every 13 years.”

Thirteen years ago, I was five years old.

It was natural that I didn’t know. I nodded and listened to Ivan’s words.

“Do you know who the Constellation, the Sword of Selection is?”

“Arthur?”

“Yes, King Arthur. You know the most famous legend related to that Constellation? The one about pulling the sword from the stone.”

I knew it.

Excalibur, the legendary sword stuck in stone. The sword that marked the beginning of Arthur’s legend, and later became the shape of the constellation (star sword) that Arthur engraved in the sky.

“The Constellation, the Sword of Selection, brings trials to the entire continent every 13 years. A simple and clear trial to pull the sword from the stone. In fact, it’s called a trial, but it’s just an event. Because for hundreds of years, not a single person has been able to pull out that sword.”

Ivan shrugged.

“It’s just… a way to widely spread their legend and periodically imprint it on people. Since the sword appears in every populated city, it also appears in this underground city.”

That’s exactly the problem.

Ivan clicked his tongue and said:

“Even though it appears in all sorts of cities, it’s still a sword made from Arthur’s starlight. A sacred relic. Do you think the upper town would sit still when such a sacred relic appears in a trash neighborhood like this?”

Considering how the upper town views this city, the answer was obvious.

“They won’t let anyone touch the sword.”

“Exactly. Every time this period comes, the Order that serves the stars goes into a frenzy.”

“Do they execute everyone who approaches the sword for blasphemy?”

“Something like that. Usually they don’t go as far as execution, just beat them up thoroughly… but depending on the case, your head might roll on the spot.”

Ivan shook his head as if disgusted.

“That’s brutal.”

“Right? So try not to go near the plaza. Guards sent from the upper town will be guarding the sword all day.”

“…When does the sword appear?”

“Najin.”

Ivan looked at me quietly.

There was no playfulness in his eyes like before. As a senior who had lived longer than me, Ivan advised:

“It’s better not to do anything that might upset the high-ranking people living in the upper town. Remember that.”

He pointed to his eye patch.

Pointing to his right eye that was taken when he was banished from the upper town to this city, Ivan smiled bitterly.

“Live within the drawn line. If you cross it, life becomes hard.”

Probably Ivan’s own experience.

I reluctantly nodded.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. You can go now.”

Just as I was about to leave the office.

“Najin.”

Ivan stopped me.

With his chin resting on his hand, Ivan said abruptly:

“The Trial of Constellations begins at midnight tonight. If you’re in a place with a good view, you might be able to see the sword being ‘stuck’.”

I tilted my head.

Ivan sighed and added:

“The window seat at Taria Tavern in District 31 is the best spot. Use my name. They should give you a seat.”

Understanding his meaning belatedly, I smiled.

After slightly bowing to Ivan, I ran out of the building.

3.

Taria Tavern near the plaza.

The tavern was crowded with people who didn’t want to miss the event that came once every 13 years. It couldn’t be helped. This was one of the few opportunities in life given to those who had fallen into this city and forgotten the sun and starlight.

An opportunity to see stars.

An opportunity to remember the scenery of the outside world they had forgotten.

To seize this opportunity, residents of the underground city were willing to pay twice the usual amount for a seat. Among them, window seats were especially expensive.

“……”

A window seat at Taria Tavern.

The best spot with a clear view of the plaza. Najin sat there with a drink to wet his throat and a worn fairy tale book on the table.

The legend of Arthur.

With the last page of the fairy tale book open, Najin quietly waited for the time. Only a few minutes remained until midnight. Najin swallowed dryly and stared intently out the window.

Stars, starlight, constellations.

The only fascination that the boy from the landfill, who had no interest in anything from the outside world, couldn’t let go of. Though the stars hadn’t fallen yet, the boy’s eyes shone like stars.

‘1 minute.’

Najin counted in his mind.

One minute passed, feeling like an hour. When about ten seconds remained, Najin exhaled deeply and widened his eyes.

Clang, clang, clang……

Along with the bell sound echoing through the tavern.

People’s cheers erupted. Najin immediately looked up through the window at the ceiling of the underground city. The ceiling of the underground city, which usually had only dim minerals precariously embedded, was now brilliantly shining.

Tiny cracks in the ceiling.

Gaps created by stone erosion over the years.

Platinum-colored particles leaked from these tiny gaps that not even sunlight could penetrate. A light of a color he had never seen before. Najin belatedly realized that this was starlight.

Flash.

The abundant starlight brightly illuminated the minerals embedded in the ceiling. Though it was deep night, the underground city was brighter than ever.

Beautiful. Najin thought so instinctively.

For the first time in his 18 years of life, Najin witnessed starlight. The sentences from the fairy tale he had read countless times echoed in his mind. Brilliantly shining platinum-colored starlight.

Ah, Najin sighed instinctively.

Soon, the starlight leaking from the ceiling began to gather. What was formed from the gathered brilliant starlight was a sword. The sacred sword worshipped by the Order, and the star sword forged from starlight, Excalibur.

Excalibur began to fall with brilliant starlight. Trailing a mass of platinum light, Excalibur plummeted from the airspace of the underground city toward the plaza.

Though he had never seen one, Najin thought that a shooting star must look something like this.

“Wow…”

Sighs erupted from all over the tavern.

This place was filled with people who had spent fortunes for this brief spectacle that lasted not even a few minutes. Those who witnessed the starlight they had forgotten, had been living without remembering, groaned and longed for the past.

After a short fall, the sacred sword stuck into the center of the plaza.

When Excalibur pierced the ground, it made no loud noise. Only a heavy sound like a solemn bell swept through the underground city.

‘…Ah.’

Najin saw the sword stuck in the center of the plaza.

Though it was too far to see clearly, the blade of that sacred sword surely had constellations engraved on it. The constellation of Arthur, who once raced across the continent with a sword in hand.

I want to see it.

I want to see it a little closer.

The boy’s eyes shone. Whether it was because of the starlight scattered by the sacred sword, or because the boy’s eyes themselves were shining, was unknown. As Najin pressed his face against the window, he felt something strange.

‘…What is it?’

An inexplicable sense of discomfort.

No, it was different from discomfort. Something stirred deep inside. The stirring soon became words, sentences, filling Najin’s mind.

A single sentence filling his mind.

Pull out the sword.

Najin couldn’t understand why such a sentence came to mind. He shook his head to clear away the vain delusion that had appeared in his mind. Am I crazy? If I touch that sword, not only my hands but also my head would be cut off.

Click, click!

It was then.

Thud.

Soldiers emerged from somewhere and surrounded the sword stuck in the ground. The sword imbued with starlight was no longer visible, hidden behind their armor. Sighs full of disappointment poured out from all over the tavern.

‘Let us see it a little longer.’

Najin also clicked his tongue, glaring at the soldiers.

It’s not like it would wear out from being looked at. Why are the upper town people making such a fuss? Thinking this, he slowly rose from his seat.

Najin’s eyes, which had been shining with starlight, had now regained their original color and temperature. The cold, resigned eyes of someone who had given up. Najin silently left the tavern.

The starlight that Najin had encountered for the first time in his life left his side in an instant. More precisely, it was blocked by the dividing line between this underground city and the “upper town.” Najin suddenly thought that the soldiers surrounding the sword were no different from the ceiling of this city.

“Sigh.”

Najin exhaled.

Dreaming vain dreams only makes life tiresome. That was what his two masters, Offen and Ivan, always said. Chewing on that sentence, Najin tried to organize his thoughts.

He tried, but.

Even as numerous words were washed away, one sentence firmly held its place.

‘Pull out the sword.’

A single sentence that neither faded nor settled.

Najin chewed on that sentence that endlessly circled in his mind.