Ch.49Sword Master, Charon (1)

Fallen Knight, Bernhagen.

Several days had passed since Najin cut him down. During those days, Najin had to spend his time incredibly busy without a moment’s rest, which was something even he hadn’t anticipated.

‘I thought once I completed the request, that would be the end of it.’

As always, he’d planned to receive payment from the Central Guild, fill his stomach with delicious food, and then train. With the insights gained from his battle with Bernhagen, he expected to make progress in his training… With such casual thoughts, Najin headed to the Central Guild, only to face:

Countless gazes welcoming him.

And noble knights waiting for him at the Central Guild.

What Najin had overlooked was that this request was entangled with nobles. Of course, the only request Najin had accepted came from the Knights of Atanga, but… regardless, it was Najin who had cut down the Fallen Knight.

“So you’re the one.”

“I am a knight of House Azbelley. Viscount Triam wishes to express his gratitude…”

The bounty that nobles had placed on the Fallen Knight.

Najin was the one to receive it, and in the process, he naturally drew the attention of numerous nobles and adventurers.

Being summoned here and there.

Promising future meetings with nobles.

Receiving invitations to balls, and so on.

After being dragged around for days to troublesome, cumbersome events where he had to maintain formalities, Najin felt completely drained. Only today, after all that commotion had settled, could he enjoy a leisurely morning.

“Huh…”

On a bench outside his lodging.

Leaning his back against it, Najin gazed at the blue sky. He exhaled deeply in the increasingly chilly weather.

-A rare leisurely morning, isn’t it?

‘Yes, indeed. I didn’t expect it to be this troublesome.’

-Well, it’s still better than you thought, right?

Merlin smirked.

-Thanks to that knight of Atanga, Argo. He read your intentions, so things didn’t get even more annoying, right?

Najin smiled bitterly.

Merlin’s words were true. Najin had subtly expressed to Argo his desire to hide his achievements and conceal his strength. Though that man, who seemed quite skilled, had surely assessed Najin’s abilities…

Argo had turned a blind eye to the fact that Najin was hiding his strength. As if it wasn’t his concern.

He simply announced the incident as Najin had suggested earlier: “Bernhagen was weakened by injuries from the knights pursuing him, and the adventurer Ivan finished him off…”

‘Thanks to that, it ended with just this much.’

Muttering inwardly, Najin pulled out a letter from his chest. While the names of other nobles didn’t stir much emotion in him, this letter was different.

House Trebache.

A letter from Marquis Eldelmar.

It was from the house of Gilbert, the dying knight Najin had encountered while pursuing the Fallen Knight Bernhagen. A few days ago, when a knight from that house visited, Najin had conveyed Gilbert’s last words and said:

Sir Gilbert wanted to be a knight until the very end, and thanks to his help, I was able to hunt down Bernhagen.

Upon hearing those words, the knight from House Trebache expressed gratitude to Najin and promised to relay Najin’s words along with Gilbert’s last wishes to his lord. A few days later, this letter arrived.

“Hmm…”

An exceptionally luxurious letter paper.

When he unfolded the letter embossed with the House Trebache crest, it contained a personal note from Marquis Eldelmar. Though the content was lengthy, its essence was straightforward.

I am indebted to you. I express my gratitude for conveying my knight’s last words. Whenever you visit House Trebache, I shall welcome you as an honored guest.

Marquis Eldelmar didn’t use his authority to force an invitation on Najin. He simply sent an invitation asking him to visit sometime. With a faint smile, Najin carefully tucked the letter into his chest.

Though he hadn’t met him, he thought:

Indeed, like knight, like master.

‘I must definitely visit there.’

Muttering thus, Najin rose from the bench.

While it would be nice to spend a leisurely morning, he was starting to feel restless. After all, he hadn’t been able to train properly for the past few days, being busy with various summons.

Crack. Crack-crack.

Najin took a deep breath as he roughly stretched his body. He intended to start training by first practicing his mana cultivation. When Merlin first taught him this method, he had screamed in pain, but not anymore.

The rough mana raging inside his body even felt ticklish now.

-Well, after experiencing the pain of all your meridians twisting, this much is nothing.

Merlin muttered incredulously.

The mana manipulation technique Najin had used in his battle with the Fallen Knight. That technique of accepting mana beyond one’s limits comes with the pain of twisted meridians and the sensation of one’s insides being torn apart.

Najin had endured that pain with a clear mind and continued fighting. Even Merlin had to be amazed at such formidable mental strength.

-So, have you figured something out?

Najin’s aura while cultivating mana seemed unusual. Noticing this, Merlin asked, and Najin smiled.

‘I never understood what it meant to imbue sword energy with imagery, or what it meant to reach the level of a Sword Seeker…’

Najin said:

“But now I think I understand.”

Najin infused mana into the sword he drew.

What he envisioned was a knight’s sword. Then, pure white sword energy, completely devoid of platinum particles, enveloped his blade. It was complete sword energy, not just fragments.

Originally, when drawing complete sword energy, platinum-colored energy would appear, so Najin had been limiting his sword energy.

But not anymore. Platinum-colored sword energy and pure white sword energy. He could now distinguish and handle the two types of sword energy. This meant he could freely unleash sword energy without worry. Satisfied with this realization, Najin swung the sword energy back and forth.

The platinum-colored sword energy was drawn by envisioning stars.

And the pure white sword energy was drawn by envisioning knights.

‘Is this what it feels like to imbue sword energy with imagery?’

With just a bit more progress, he felt he could even change the form of the sword energy. Watching this, Merlin sighed for what must have been the umpteenth time.

-Now I’m not even surprised anymore…

Distinguishing and using different sword energies.

Changing the color of sword energy according to imagery.

Quite obviously, these weren’t feats that a Sword Expert-level warrior could perform. They were techniques that even Sword Seeker-level warriors found challenging, requiring at least that level of skill to attempt.

Distinguishing and handling sword energies.

Projecting a single imagery is difficult, and forming that imagery requires tremendous effort. Handling two such imageries, and distinguishing between them, couldn’t possibly be easy.

Yet he accomplishes difficult tasks with ease.

Watching Najin do this made Merlin chuckle involuntarily. With a laugh, Merlin observed the pure white sword energy that Najin was swinging around.

Whoosh, whoosh…

As Najin was swinging his sword in the air, training, someone leaped over the wall and landed in the training ground in front of Najin’s lodging.

“Who…”

The figure who stepped into the training ground.

When Najin turned his head to see who it was, he tilted his head in surprise. It was a completely unexpected visitor.

“Roseline?”

“Y-yes, yes. Kid, it’s been a while…”

The leader of the Red-Eyes mercenary group.

The apex of the city, Roseline Askarlo.

She answered with a trembling voice. It wasn’t just her voice that trembled. Her eyes were also shaking wildly. As if she were terrified.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

She approached Najin with quick steps and firmly gripped both his shoulders. Even Najin couldn’t help but be bewildered by this situation.

“What is it?”

“Y-you have a visitor. You need to go quickly. They’re sitting in my mercenary group’s headquarters right now…”

Shaking eyes. Trembling voice.

Roseline spoke rapidly while gripping Najin’s shoulders tightly. As if begging him to save her.

“The visitor is looking for you… quickly, please come with me…”

Her tone was almost pleading.

Najin nodded for now. Only then did Roseline exhale deeply, as if relieved.

Grip.

Roseline grabbed Najin’s hand and pulled him outside the lodging. Being dragged by her, Najin couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. Who was standing before him right now? Roseline Askarlo, known as the apex of this city.

A skilled warrior who had reached the level of Sword Seeker.

A holder of an honorary noble title.

The leader of the Red-Eyes mercenary group.

Who could possibly terrify Roseline, whom even nobles dared not touch? Moreover, who could this person be, looking for him? Unable to contain his curiosity, Najin finally spoke.

“Who exactly is this visitor that has you acting like this?”

“…”

Roseline didn’t stop walking.

She turned her head swiftly to meet Najin’s gaze and said with a tearful expression:

“…Sir Charon.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Sword Master, Sir Charon…!”

Charon, the Star of Sword from the Order.

A Sword Master with six stars.

Roseline was telling him that a person who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship was looking for him.

2.

A few hours before the incident.

Upon hearing that the trade route primarily used by the Garchea Merchant Group had been occupied by monsters, Roseline immediately mobilized her mercenary group and headed to the location. Since they were sponsored by the Garchea Merchant Group, they had to handle such matters.

When she arrived, what she encountered was a path covered in debris as if from a landslide… and monsters occupying the area around that path.

“Tsk, clearing the path will take some time…”

Dealing with the monsters wouldn’t be difficult, but restoring the collapsed path would take time. After roughly estimating the situation, she turned around.

There, in front of the blocked path, were merchants from the Garchea Merchant Group, sighing with their carriages parked. They seemed to be returning from a trading journey. As Roseline was about to walk towards the carriages to briefly explain the situation, she noticed something.

“…Huh?”

She spotted individuals in peculiar attire.

Two men in priestly robes among the merchants. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be priests from the Order of the Sword.

“Who are they?”

“They’re priests who were accompanying us on our way back from selling daily necessities to the Order of the Sword. They said they had business in Cambria.”

The merchants replied.

I see, thought Roseline as she was about to pass by them. That’s when she felt a chilling gaze. A gaze that seemed to pierce through her. Roseline quickly turned her head.

There stood the two priests from the Order.

One middle-aged man and another of indeterminate age with his face deeply hidden under a robe.

The gaze she felt came from the priest wearing the robe. His eyes were directed at the masterpiece, Echo, that Roseline carried on her back. Not appreciating that gaze, Roseline spoke sharply:

“…You seem quite interested in masterpieces?”

The man wearing the robe let out a short “Ah.”

“I apologize. The sword has an interesting form, so I was a bit curious.”

He smiled awkwardly.

“Are you the mercenary hired by the merchant group? I heard the path is blocked and the carriages can’t proceed.”

“That’s right. It will take some time, so priests, please rest comfortably…”

“It will take some time, you say. How long?”

“…Pardon?”

Roseline narrowed her eyes.

She didn’t particularly like the priest’s attitude, but she decided to answer anyway.

“It will take about half a day.”

“That’s problematic. Hmm, that won’t do.”

The priest smiled bitterly.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry. Excuse me.”

He brushed past Roseline. As she was about to ask what he meant, the priest drew his sword with a clang. His drawing stance was incredibly smooth and perfect.

Indeed, he must be a priest from the Order of the Sword.

His stance is quite well-formed…

Just as Roseline was thinking this, her eyes widened. The presence that wasn’t felt earlier suddenly pressed down on the entire area the moment the priest drew his sword. All the mercenaries stopped in their tracks. The chattering merchants fell silent.

A strange sensation as if time and space had been frozen.

In that sensation, only the priest moved. He walked past the frozen mercenaries and stood at the front. The debris-filled path and the monsters standing on it. Despite his approach, the monsters didn’t even blink.

They weren’t permitted to blink.

To breathe.

To move.

Among the frozen beings, the priest swung his sword. The action of swinging and sheathing the sword was indistinguishable. By the time one thought he had swung his sword, it was already back in its scabbard. Immediately after, the pressure and oppressive aura that had been pressing down on the area vanished in an instant.

Slice.

What was heard was a quiet cutting sound.

Just a single cutting sound. There was no sound of monsters being split, of the ground being shaken, of dirt mounds being shattered… No sound was heard.

After that single cutting sound, only the result remained.

The dirt mounds and debris blocking the path, the monsters occupying them, all of it had vanished without a trace. As if magic had been performed. The merchants with wide eyes were astonished, and the mercenaries exhaled their held breaths with bulging eyes.

None of them understood what had just happened. They only recognized the result: the priest had swung his sword once, and the debris and monsters blocking the path had disappeared without a trace.

“Uh, uh, uhhhh…”

Only Roseline.

Only Roseline, who had reached the level of Sword Seeker, understood even a fragment of what had just happened.

The moment the priest swung his sword, Roseline saw it.

A flash of light in a fleeting moment.

It was closer to a massive cluster of light than sword energy. Sword energy with an absurd output that no human body could possibly handle. The moment the sword was swung, the sword energy came down like a guillotine on everything in its path.

That was the end.

Everything touched by the sword energy disappeared without a trace. Only the very fine particles floating in the air were evidence that monsters and dirt mounds had existed here.

‘I couldn’t even see it properly.’

Even Roseline, with her good eyesight, only perceived a momentary flash of light passing by. This realization sent a chill down her spine. Belatedly, Roseline looked at the priest wearing the robe.

He was also looking at her.

The face visible through the robe.

Roseline Askarlo knew that face. Her complexion rapidly turned pale. Because she had realized the identity of the person standing before her.

The Star of Sword from the Order of the Sword.

A being who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Sword Master, Charon.