Sword aura in which white and gold coexisted.

Najin could have blended the two colors, but he deliberately displayed them separately. The moment he revealed platinum sword aura, he would lose even the slightest room to offer an excuse.

'I could make it entirely white, but...'

That would destabilize the aura's shape. The disturbance would be so slight that most people would never notice, of course, but three Sword Masters were watching him now.

Sword Masters. Transcendent beings who had mastered the weapon known as the sword.

With senses far beyond those of any human, they would see through even the slightest disturbance in Najin's aura. And they would realize at once:

Ah, this fellow is concealing his strength.

The emperor had commanded him to prove his worth. If he deceived the emperor by concealing his strength before him, he would have no grounds to protest even if he were executed without further question. Thus, Najin had chosen to separate the colors without destabilizing the aura's shape.

'Still, I can't deny that it resembles King Arthur's aura.'

-Not necessarily.

Merlin spoke.

-Arthur's hallmark was platinum sword aura. But gold and white sword aura weren't unheard of in history. No one ever possessed both at once, but... Anyway.

She let out a long breath.

-Your aura's shape is different from Arthur's.

-I can guarantee that. I saw Arthur's aura closer than anyone, so I can say it with certainty. They're fundamentally different. Most people wouldn't notice, distracted by that distinctive platinum color, but...

Ever since he had manifested his aura, Najin had felt as though Merlin were standing beside him. It was no illusion. He could see her, however faintly.

It was one of the changes that had come with becoming a Sword Seeker: Merlin's figure, visible to Najin alone.

She pointed at the emperor—the Sun of the Empire, staring at them with wide eyes—and continued.

-The emperor sitting over there is different.

-He may not share Arthur's blood, but he descends from the Wise King Arthur personally chose.

If that brilliant Wise King's blood had not thinned, stagnated, and rotted away with the passage of time...

-He'll recognize it. Nothing matters more to a ruler than the discernment to see through all things.

And if he failed to recognize it?

What if he feared that Arthur's successor had appeared and tried to suppress them? Posing those questions to herself, Merlin gave a derisive snort, her voice turning cold.

-Then we'll have to take it back.

Take what back?

-The Pendragon name, and Britain.

2.

The emperor of the Empire of Britain.

The Sun of the Empire, Eldwin Pendragon.

Eyes wide, he had risen from his seat without thinking. Staging exaggerated reactions to suit the occasion was part of an emperor's daily life, but this time it was no performance. He was so genuinely astonished that his body had moved of its own accord.

'Platinum sword aura!'

No, that wasn't right. More precisely, it was sword aura in which white and gold coexisted. But the aura the boy had drawn took the shape of a constellation.

Aura that resembled platinum in color and took the shape of a constellation.

Anyone who saw it would be reminded of the stars in the night sky. There was no need to explain what star-like sword aura symbolized. Only one person in all of history had possessed such aura.

'Britain's true master, the great hero Arthur.'

The aura blossoming from the boy resembled his. Had his true successor appeared here, a thousand years later? Just as confusion filled the emperor's mind and his gaze threatened to waver...

THUMP

With a single beat, the emperor's heart turned cold.

"..."

His eyes had narrowed before he knew it.

His body had moved first in surprise, but he quickly steadied his breathing. He poured cold water over his confused thoughts and set his mind to work, assessing the situation.

It was a habit cultivated since childhood. His predecessors had taught him that an emperor who stood above all others must never become flustered or overexcited.

Having steadied his breathing, Eldwin calmly studied Najin's aura. His bluish eyes moved slowly. After a few seconds, he was able to reach a conclusion.

'If the colors capture your attention, you might think them similar. But if you examine their foundation...'

They were different. Its shape was clearly unlike Arthur's aura as recorded in history. The aura engraved in the artifact handed down through the imperial family had a different form.

The boy's aura was a constellation.

Arthur's had simply been a star.

That great man's aura had consisted of a single star. A fiercely shining platinum star. One and all, all and one. The boy's aura, by contrast, did not symbolize oneness.

'But...'

He could not deny the resemblance.

When the world saw the boy's aura, King Arthur would be the first person they thought of. That was undeniable. The emperor exhaled at length.

"You may withdraw your aura."

Najin sheathed his sword, then knelt again and bowed his head. His knightly etiquette was flawless. No one present was so petty as to scold him for observing a knight's etiquette when he was not a knight himself.

The emperor felt his head throb.

When he had heard of the youngest Sword Seeker's emergence, he had clapped his hands, thinking a treasure had walked into the Empire of its own accord. But now that he had opened it up, what was this?

'Eighteen years old. The youngest Sword Seeker. Active for half a year. Possesses aura reminiscent of King Arthur.'

Half a year. A laugh escaped the emperor's lips.

'What a coincidence. Half a year.'

Half a year ago, a momentous event had shaken the entire world, in heaven and on earth alike. A historic event: someone had completed the Trial of Selection.

Half a year ago, Excalibur had been drawn.

By someone whose identity was unknown.

People claimed that one of the three Sword Masters active in the interior had drawn Excalibur and that the Empire was concealing the fact. They were wrong. Even now, half a year later, the Empire had yet to find Excalibur's owner. It was merely pretending that it had.

Only the emperor and his closest confidants knew the truth.

'But...'

The emperor looked at the boy before him.

Someone who had set the absurd record of becoming the youngest Sword Seeker at eighteen, begun his activities half a year ago, and possessed aura resembling King Arthur's. By a remarkable coincidence, someone who matched every detail stood before him.

There were reasonable grounds for suspicion.

Was this boy Excalibur's owner?

The emperor would not be alone in harboring that suspicion. The same thought would cross countless other minds. Of course, it remained no more than suspicion, with no tangible proof.

'No Constellation noticed anything, and even the master of the Platinum Tower's detailed examination found no connection to Excalibur.'

But sometimes suspicion alone was enough.

From the emperor's perspective, the boy was extraordinarily dangerous. What he had thought was a treasure for the Empire turned out to be a bomb packed with gunpowder.

Depending on the circumstances, he might possess greater legitimacy than the emperor himself. Even without tangible proof of that legitimacy, suspicion alone could furnish a pretext. If the boy fell into the hands of rebels, he might threaten imperial authority.

He had no solid base of support. His origins were unknown. He had not sworn loyalty to the Empire.

There was not the slightest reason to trust him.

He was full of potential to become the seed of enormous strife. The politically sound decision here would be to put a leash on him or kill him on the spot. The ruler of the Kingdom or the Allied Nations would surely reach that conclusion and act without hesitation.

For a ruler, it was the right decision.

But for the emperor of the Empire of Britain, it was unequivocally the wrong answer.

"..."

The emperor sat down and rested his chin on his hand as he regarded Najin. Countless pieces of information were coming together in his mind as he eliminated his options, yet in reality, scarcely a few seconds had passed.

Eldwin Pendragon, emperor of the Empire, recalled the Wise King's last testament, passed down to Britain's emperors... to those who inherited the Pendragon name.

『I merely borrowed his name.』

『I merely agreed to hold Britain in my care for a time, at his request. I am not Britain's true master.』

『He alone is the master of the Empire of Britain.』

The first emperor, Arthur Pendragon.

The second emperor, who had inherited the Empire and the Pendragon name from that great Knight King, was known as the Wise King. He had left a testament to his descendants. Engraved at the heart of the Empire, it had endured for over a thousand years.

『The great Arthur Pendragon.』

『Never sully his name. Be fair. Be just. Be good. Know honor. Live with pride. Though we do not share his blood, we are the great hero's successors. Never forget that.』

『Should you forget...』

『The Round Table shall strip you of every right.』

It was a contract, a covenant, and a warning.

A warning that the moment they acted in a manner unworthy of the Pendragon name, the Round Table in the heavens would intervene directly in the Empire and strip them of everything.

Thus, the emperor always had to be good, fair, and just. The stars above could take away imperial authority at any time.

'Hone yourself.'

Never forget honor and pride. Such was the fate of one who inherited the Pendragon name. Remembering the exhortations he had heard until his ears bled since childhood, Eldwin smiled bitterly. Being emperor really was damned difficult.

"Raise your head."

Still kneeling, Najin looked up. Eldwin met his gaze.

The moment he met those sunset-colored eyes, the emperor felt as though that gaze were piercing through him. It was as if some immense being were watching him from behind them.

'Those are not the eyes of an ordinary man.'

Then again, who in the world would call someone who became a Sword Seeker at eighteen ordinary?

"I have yet to hear your name. I have only read it in writing. Tell me your name."

"It is Najin."

"Yes, Najin. I will tell you frankly that I am deeply troubled at present."

The emperor smiled bitterly.

"Your aura resembles that of the great King Arthur. Though its foundation differs, it is enough to call him to mind. Surely you are aware of that yourself."

The Sword Masters caught their breath at the emperor's words.

They had thought the same thing, but saying it aloud was another matter. Raising such a subject before the emperor could lead to exceedingly complicated problems.

Yet the emperor himself had been the first to mention it.

"If you join a particular house or group, you will give them a pretext. A danger will arise. Of course, the Empire is peaceful now, far removed from strife. We have my predecessors' efforts to thank for that."

The emperor smiled.

"But the flames of rebellion—of strife—begin in the smallest places. And in my eyes, you are a flame. One that may burn the Empire down."

Whether the boy possessed Excalibur or not, that fact remained unchanged. He already shared far too many similarities with Arthur.

"Therefore..."

The emperor looked at Najin.

"Persuade me. Tell me why I should not regard you as a flame."

3.

Ordinarily, Najin would have had to become a knight of the imperial household, regardless of his wishes. That would have been the greatest mercy the emperor could extend.

But the emperor had offered him a chance.

He had told Najin to persuade him.

Najin could hardly fail to understand that. Merlin's whistle sounded in his ears. She murmured that there would be no need to mention the covenant. Leaving her muttering aside, he let out a long breath.

This was the moment.

Najin felt certain that perhaps, here and now, his life would be decided once again. Their conversation would surely be recorded somewhere and inscribed in the Empire's histories. It would be an indispensable part of any future account of his life.

Declaring one's ambitions to the world.

For a hero, it was all but inevitable.

This room was small for a world. Only four people and one Constellation were listening to him. Yet when he considered the weight each of them carried, this place was no different from a world to Najin.

The master of the Order of the Sword, Sword Saint Karon.

The executioner of the Order of Starblood, Yuel Razian.

The First Pillar of the Empire, Gerd.

The emperor of the Empire, Eldwin Pendragon.

The Mage of the Lake, Merlin.

Three were Sword Masters, one was a Constellation, and the other was the emperor. They were certainly worthy of being called great figures. Najin doubted another chance to declare his ambitions before people of such stature would ever come. Incongruously, he felt his heart pound with excitement.

Wasn't this like a scene from a heroic tale?

Najin was still a boy who yearned for tales of heroes.

"I humbly address the Sun of the Empire."

In this moment, he was choosing with his own lips the words that would be written in history.

"I have no intention of belonging to any group. If there is a place to which I must belong, if there is something that must be spoken before my name..."

How could his heart not race?

"It is—"