Who Am I? (3)
The iron bars of House Arbenia were sturdy.
That was only natural. Why would the bars guarding a ducal house be flimsy? Made from material that would not easily bend or break, they had protected House Arbenia for many years.
And today, those bars faced sothing.
Sothing far from ordinary.
"Good to see you, Najin. It has been a while. Nothing major, but could you open this door for ? We have sothing to discuss."
Soone was gripping the bars with both hands. Just that was enough to make them creak, as if they were crying, "I suppose this is where I end, my Duke." Of course, no one could bla the bars for failing in a situation like this.
The person holding them was Yuel.
Yuel Razian, the Inquisitor General of the Starblood Sect.
One of the few Sword Masters on the continent.
Who could possibly stop a Sword Master once she decided to move? In the end, with a crunch, the bars gave way under Yuel's grip and snapped like ribs. At the awful sight, Najin shut both eyes tight.
"Would it not be better if you opened the door for ?"
"Yes, I will open it, so please stop crushing the bars."
"Ah."
"My apologies," Yuel said, releasing her hand. Najin gave the mangled bars a brief mont of silence, then opened the door. May they be reborn in their next life as bars in a peaceful house where no Sword Master ever visits...
"So what brings you here? You ca all this way without even sending word."
"A duel."
"...Then of course this must be an extrely important and grave visit for the safety of the Empire and the sect."
"It is a duel."
"Is this about demons, by any chance? Ah, of course I should cooperate. I am very positive toward the Starblood Sect..."
"Najin?"
Blink. Yuel slowly closed her eyes, then opened them. Her long lashes lifted like curtains. Behind them, blood-red eyes stared straight at Najin.
"I did not co here for sothing that trivial."
Najin was about to argue that imperial security was not trivial, but the mont he opened his mouth, Yuel tilted her head about thirty degrees.
Blink.
Her eyes closed and opened once again. Madness glimred in those crimson irises. Along with silent pressure telling him to cut the nonsense and get to the point.
"It is a duel, Najin. A duel where life and death cross, blood sprays, and flesh is cut."
"..."
Najin let out a sigh.
What had to co had finally co.
2.
Najin rembered his first eting with Yuel. After they put down the dark mage Fauve, Yuel, back when Najin was still a Sword Expert, had told him this.
"You have the talent to reach Sword Master. At that age, with that level, you will surely stand where I stand before long."
You have talent.
You can absolutely beco a Transcendent.
"When that day cos, I will ask you for a duel once more. I hope you will not refuse then."
And when that day cos, I will challenge you, so I hope you do not refuse. No, you will not be able to refuse. Najin rembered exactly how Yuel's eyes had said that.
"Then I will wait."
Eyes intoxicated by the future, as if she could barely contain her excitent for that day.
Next.
After the subjugation of the Demon King of Lantation and the Praise Horn, Yuel had asked Najin if he was the one who drew Excalibur, then said this.
"I was simply curious, Najin. If you truly drew Excalibur, then I must duel you. I am very curious what sound it makes when I strike Excalibur."
Najin pressed his throbbing temple with his fingers and looked ahead. Yuel was staring at him.
"..."
"..."
Silence hung in the room. A tea table sat between them, loaded with black tea and snacks, but Yuel did not touch any of it. Yuel was the one who finally broke the silence.
"Najin."
"Yes."
"When will we duel?"
"Were you serious?"
"I am always serious."
Najin sighed. At a glance, Yuel looked like a lunatic, and she was, but she was at least a socialized lunatic. In other words, she clearly separated what she could do from what would get her killed if she did it.
For example, if she carried out random mass slaughter?
The continent's Transcendents would co for her together.
She would not survive that, and instead of living a pleasant life she would be dragged into the afterlife, so she restrained herself. She suppressed her killing intent and hunted only criminals she could kill without consequences.
Challenging the strong worked the sa way.
If she marched up and swung her sword first, the aftermath would be hard to handle, so she used the excellent thod of duels and challenged people that way. Just like she was doing to Najin now.
'Even so.'
Najin took a sip of black tea and thought.
'She is soone I can still talk to.'
Separate from the nas people called her, freak, madwoman, killer, Yuel was actually a fairly rational person. Trusting that rationality, Najin spoke.
"What happens if I refuse?"
"Hm, under imperial law, duels must be made by mutual agreent except in certain special cases. If you refuse, I have no ans to force one."
"I see? Then I refus..."
"But."
Yuel tilted her head.
"If you refuse, I will request a duel again. Will you duel?"
"If a duel is refused once, there is at least a ten-day..."
"Do you know the privilege held by the Inquisitor General of the Starblood Sect?"
"Execution of criminals?"
"Yes, and also unlimited duel request rights."
That privilege had not existed at first. But Yuel had joined several battles at the Empire's request, and as paynt she obtained unlimited duel request rights. Exactly for a situation like this.
"I will request a duel until you accept. As many tis as needed."
Imperial laws about trespassing on private property, coercion, threats, none of that was very useful in this situation. Most small laws could be ignored by Transcendents.
"Huu..."
Letting out a long breath, Najin thought.
A duel? If needed, he could do it.
And he was confident he would not die in the duel. Maybe in the past it would have been different, but now, if he fought with Excalibur, he could fight on equal terms. Maybe he could even win.
He still did not know how far he could go while holding Excalibur, but he was sure he would not be helpless.
'I might actually be able to win.'
But winning without injury was impossible. He would definitely be badly hurt sowhere. Against a Transcendent at Yuel's level, he could not imagine walking away with all limbs intact.
"The thing is."
"Yes, speak."
"I am in a situation where I cannot take more injuries."
Najin raised his arm. The mont his forearm, hidden under his sleeve, was exposed, Yuel narrowed her eyes.
"That is?"
"You probably heard the news. I encountered Rebel Knight Mordred in the underground city."
An arm still full of unhealed wounds. Excalibur's recovery power was running at full output, but the wounds still needed ti.
"I am already busy recovering these. If I take even more injuries now... I will not be able to attend the imperial event, right?"
"Ah, you an the pillar investiture ceremony?"
"Yes, that one."
In about ten days, Najin would beco one of the Empire's new Pillars. Which numbered seat he would take was undecided, but receiving a Pillar seat was already settled.
"Let us do this."
After steadying his breath, Najin made Yuel a proposal.
"We duel at the pillar investiture ceremony."
"Hmm. In front of the Emperor?"
"Yes. In front of the Empire's Transcendents."
Yuel tapped her chin once, then again.
"Then I would not be able to cross the line. If the duel gets intense, the First Horn of the Empire and the Sword Saint will intervene. That is far from the duel I want..."
Yuel smacked her lips, disappointed.
"Not an appealing proposal. I have looked forward to dueling you since we first t around two years ago. With the kind of duel you are suggesting, a staged duel, I do not think I can be satisfied."
If needed, she would still do it.
But she clearly did not like it.
If Najin had never received help from her, he would have ended the talk right there, whether she was disappointed or not.
But he owed her a fair amount.
Their first clash with the Carnival King, the conquest of La Mancha, then the subjugation battle against the Demon King of Lantation after that. She might not count those as debts, but Najin did. He had received help, and that was a fact.
"Still, would it not be a waste to end things here?"
"You an?"
Yuel's eyes narrowed. Curiosity, doubt.
In a voice only she could hear, Najin told her his plan ahead. And the story that would unfold soon.
"Oh."
Yuel's eyes curved, narrowed, then closed. When she opened them again, a bright smile rested on her face.
"If that is true, then yes."
Yuel smiled.
"That is a satisfying proposal. If I treat this unsatisfying duel with you as an appetizer... it suddenly sounds much tastier. Yes, not bad."
"Right?"
"Of course, that assus what you said is true, but the you I have observed is far from the type who lies or speaks empty words. Yes, I will trust you."
She held out her hand. Najin gave her a light handshake. He did have to put in so effort to peel Yuel's fingers off the back of his hand, since she clung on with obvious regret, but that was a minor issue.
"Ah."
Yuel, about to leave, turned back to Najin.
"Still, soday, not now, I ask that you fight in a true life-or-death duel."
Yuel's hair shone white in the sunlight. Brushing it back and smiling with complete innocence, she said,
"Because with you, perhaps I might be able to end it without killing."
"What do you an by that?"
"Exactly what I said. Right now, my desire to fight you for as long as possible is stronger than my desire to kill you."
As she said that, Yuel tilted her head. As if she herself did not understand what she had just said. As if this were the first ti she had ever felt that emotion, she blinked.
"Hm, strange. A slip of the tongue. Forget it."
Touching her chin, Yuel left.
As always, she was soone who did whatever she wanted.
3.
About ten days passed.
A minor incident occurred in which imperial historians scread, sang of the apocalypse, and added one line to the records saying they had overwhelmingly broken the youngest-ever record for complete hair loss, but no one paid them much attention.
Likewise, the Grey Tower, which loved to sing of life's leisure, was full of endless wailing, and morials for fallen constellations continued...
During all that, another absurd incident happened. Nayuta, the Grey Tower Master, shouted at a drinking table, "The Star of Dawn! I nad that star! Who am I? The great archmage Nayuta, the one who coined the Excalibur owner's epithet!" then got subdued by the Platinum Tower Master.
And then, that day arrived.
Around the ti the winds of war cald and the continent stabilized again, the imperial family announced one fact. News loud enough to shake not just the Empire but the whole continent.
Two of the Five Pillars of the Empire had died.
And so two seats beca vacant.
The announcent said one of those seats had been filled, and that the one filling it was Najin. In truth, considering who Najin was, it was only natural.
'Who am I?'
"The youngest seven-star, the youngest Sword Master, the first to regain the title of Free Knight after a thousand-year gap, the one who selected Excalibur, and an unmatched genius who even drove off the fearso Rebel Knight Mordred."
rlin recited all of it in one breath. She looked at Najin with dead eyes. Najin nodded with satisfaction.
"What am I compared to the great archmage rlin-nim."
"I'm sorry."
"What is there to be sorry for?"
"No, just... I am sorry..."
Najin smiled brightly. rlin had bragged about Najin 178 tis so far, while he was still only at 98. He planned to do it 80 more tis, then stop.
...Anyway.
The impact of Najin's titles and records was enormous, but that alone was not why he was chosen as an imperial Pillar.
Najin had stopped the Carnival King's plan.
He had exposed her identity.
He had prevented Mordred from crossing into the continent.
If Najin had not stopped Mordred, the war would have lasted much longer, and the continent would have turned into a sea of flas. If things had gone according to the Carnival King's plan, the Empire might already have beco ashes.
Najin had stopped all of it.
Because those achievents were recognized, and considering the special nature of him drawing Excalibur, the Empire granted Najin a Pillar seat... but did not assign it a number.
"Who would dare assign an order to the greatest knight, heir to great Arthur's will?"
The Emperor said that and smiled.
"There is a seat we have left vacant, waiting for the day soone who drew Excalibur appears."
A seat that was both an imperial Pillar seat, and.
"Cornerstone."
The one who laid the foundation of the Empire, and further, of humankind.
The being who made today's Empire possible.
Waiting for the day that being returned, the Empire had left one seat open.
"Then, rlin."
Najin strapped Excalibur, which he had drawn, to his waist. When he lightly tapped Excalibur's hilt, leaking starlight took the shape of a person.
"Shall we go?"
"Haa, you really..."
rlin jabbed Najin's side with her elbow.
"Just try doing that in front of everyone."
"There is no reason I cannot."
By the ti he got to, "Who am..." rlin's face had turned bright red and she clamped his mouth shut. This ti she had a physical body, so fortunately she could actually cover his mouth.
Huu. rlin sighed and kicked Najin in the shin.
"Just walk already."
Najin started walking.
Past the long corridor, toward the center of the Empire.
Toward the imperial square where the audience would be lined up.
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