“You suddenly disappear, then come back, only to leave again the moment you return. It's really hard to get a glimpse of you, isn't it?”

The first thing Najin saw upon returning to Cambria was Dieta grumbling. Arms folded, she gave him a sidelong glance.

“You said you're leaving for the Outer Lands tomorrow?”

“Yes, that's the plan.”

“You could take your time and rest before you go. What's the hurry?”

“Isn't it the busy man who gains more, and the bird that never stops beating its wings that flies highest?”

“Where did you hear that one?”

“It was in the book you lent me last time.”

“I shouldn't have lent you that book.”

With a long sigh, Dieta approached Najin. She adjusted the badge on his clothes, a special badge reserved for him alone.

The badges worn by her contracted mercenaries and the trading company's senior executives bore the emblem of the Snake That Swallows Gold. Najin's did not. His badge bore a bright yellow flower.

Not a gold coin, but a golden flower.

A badge reserved for Najin alone. It was proof that she would give him special treatment, and a declaration that, before him at least, she would be a girl rather than a snake. The girl smiled as she touched the badge with its golden flower.

“Najin.”

“Yes, Dieta?”

“I've given it some thought, and words alone don't seem quite enough. So I thought I'd leave you with something more definite.”

She took a small box from inside her clothes. It clicked open to reveal a pair of rings.

A pair of rings.

Knowing what that meant, Najin's eyes wavered slightly. Surely she wasn't doing this again? As Najin floundered, caught off guard once more, Dieta smiled mischievously.

“You don't think I'd ambush you with another confession, do you? That's not what these mean. They're artifacts.”

“Oh.”

“What's that look for? Are you disappointed? Were you hoping for a confession? I could oblige. Najin, would you...”

“Now, now.”

Dieta chuckled. She handed Najin the ring box and spoke.

“They're made from materials from the red dragon and white dragon you slew. Did you know? The red dragon and white dragon were originally a single dragon. Apparently, that gives them concepts like pairs, matching, and connection.”

Something akin to a form of Mystery.

“These artifacts make use of that property. When we wear these rings, we'll be able to feel that we're connected. It means we'll know the other is alive, no matter how far apart we are.”

Dieta spoke in a complaining tone.

“I'm worried. That's why. It'll be hard to send letters or contact anyone here from the Outer Lands, so I'll have to keep waiting until you come to see me, won't I? Without even knowing whether you're dead or alive.”

“That's...”

“I don't want that. So I need to know you're alive, at least. Make sure you wear that ring. Understood?”

As she spoke, Dieta extended her left hand toward Najin. Holding out her slender white fingers, she smiled.

“Put it on for me. Wherever you like.”

Keeping one hand extended toward Najin, Dieta swept her hair behind her ear with the other. It was night, and they were in her office. Her hair glimmered in the moonlight filtering through the window.

Najin lowered himself onto one knee and gently took Dieta's hand. The moment he touched her, she gave a little start. Her face flushed slightly.

Najin smiled at the sight. He was a little curious how Dieta would react if he put the ring on her ring finger, but treating her feelings so lightly would be disrespectful.

He slipped the ring onto Dieta's index finger. The left index finger—a symbol of friendship and intimacy. Looking at the ring on her finger, Dieta shook her head as though she'd expected as much.

“I'd have preferred my ring finger, but I suppose that'll have to wait. I'll settle for this for now.”

Dieta touched the ring, which had tightened to fit her index finger, and gave a little nod, urging him to put his on too. Najin likewise slipped his ring onto his index finger.

A white ring engraved with red patterns.

Dieta laid her hand over Najin's ringed hand. The rings tapped together, and their red engravings lit up—a signal that they were connected. Soon, warmth emanated from the ring, like the warmth of holding someone's hand.

“Actually, just keeping it on you should work. You're a swordsman, after all. It might get in the way when you swing your sword, and it could be damaged in battle.”

“Still,” Dieta added, “if you find yourself missing another person's warmth, grip the ring tightly. It'll feel something like holding my hand.”

She held Najin's hand tightly. A gentle warmth enveloped his hand.

“What do you think? Isn't it nice?”

“It's an impressive gift.”

“Isn't it? I considered making pendants, but rings felt more symbolic. I'll admit that was deliberate.”

“I suspected as much.”

“So, you don't like it?”

Najin shook his head.

“Of course I do. I like it.”

2.

The day Najin left Cambria, the streets were packed with adventurers and mercenaries. They had all gathered to see him off, or to catch a glimpse of the boy who had written a legend in this city.

Only a year.

Only a year after setting foot in Cambria, the city of adventurers, the boy had become a White Horn adventurer. The youngest Sword Seeker, the bearer of two stars, and the one who had forged a dragon-slaying legend against the red dragon.

Until now, the greatest talent Cambria had produced was the Great Hero Arthur. Now, that boy was being named as his successor. Given what he had accomplished in a single year, such talk was only natural.

And now that boy was leaving Cambria for a greater stage. The Outer Lands, beyond the world.

Najin walked confidently through the people gathered to watch the city's celebrity depart. The adventurers filling the streets burst into cheers. Amid the loud applause and chants of his name, Najin came face-to-face with a nobleman waiting before the carriage.

The head of House Trevache.

Marquis Edelmar was waiting for him.

“Well, who do we have here? Is this not Trevache's eternal friend, the romantic currently ranked as the most sought-after suitor among noble young ladies?”

“... Pardon?”

“Hmm? Have you not heard that the young ladies who came to see the play starring you and Miss Dieta have become your ardent admirers? You must have received quite a few love letters.”

There were letters like that?

Najin turned his gaze. There was one person who managed all his incoming letters, and, by a remarkable coincidence, that person had brown hair and bright yellow eyes and was standing beside Marquis Edelmar right now.

“I wouldn't know anything about that...?”

Muttering those words, Dieta avoided Najin's gaze. The marquis burst out laughing at the sight.

“What a heartbreaker. Well, with such fine looks, skill, and romantic flair, it's hardly surprising. Isn't it the lot of an exceptional man to steal the hearts of countless ladies?”

Then he whispered to Najin.

“Be careful. A forsaken lady's blade is a little sharper than a Sword Master's.”

“... I'll remember that.”

It was advice worth engraving into his bones.

After that light exchange, Marquis Edelmar cleared his throat and nodded to Najin. Najin slowly lowered himself onto one knee.

“As a founder of the Cambria Foundation and a patron of Cambria, I, the lord of Trevache—I, Edelmar Trevache—hereby declare on behalf of the great Sun of the Empire.”

He spoke to Najin, or perhaps to every adventurer in the city.

“Your feats are worthy of praise. The deeds you have carved out with a single sword shall be inscribed upon this city's most enduring monument and remembered forever. Just as King Arthur's were in ages past.”

The monument at the heart of the city.

It was covered with records of the feats accomplished in Cambria by those who had passed through it. Najin's name and story would be recorded there as well.

“We pursue profit. We covet gold. But that is not all an adventurer is. Adventurers may covet gold, but they do not forsake loyalty, and they understand romance. You have been an excellent adventurer and mercenary.”

Marquis Edelmar raised his voice.

“And now, you seek to become a hero. Your path to that distant land, beyond the world, to the Outer Lands, will be harsh. Such is the path to heroism. It will be filled with trials and adversity, and countless hardships will descend upon you.”

“But,” the marquis said with a smile, “go forth with pride. Pursue honor. Do not forget the romance you have learned in this city. Honor, pride, and romance. So long as you remember these three things, your path will always be right. Walk the right path, boy.”

The marquis held out a hand to Najin.

“Rise, and become a hero.”

Najin took the marquis's hand and rose.

“May your path be filled with blessings. May you gain shining stars and become a Constellation.”

He stepped aside.

A carriage waited there with its door wide open. A carriage that would travel to the Outer Lands without stopping. Najin bowed to the marquis and smiled at Dieta.

“Give him your acclaim.”

Thunderous applause resounded through the city.

They chanted the name of the boy who had come to the City of Opportunity, seized his opportunity, and made his name known. When he had first set foot in the city, no one had known Najin. As he left, everyone knew him.

Najin.

Dawnstar.

The star that heralded the end of night.

Amid the acclaim, Najin boarded the carriage. With him aboard, it set off for the Outer Lands.

3.

As the carriage rolled onward, Najin closed his eyes and focused inward. His mental image welcomed him with the landscape of the underground city. Within that clearer, more expansive landscape, its very first resident awaited him.

That resident seemed none too pleased with her landlord, casting a disapproving glance his way.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You were just thrilled to bits, weren't you?”

“Pardon?”

“The ring. You got a ring and you were, oh, just beside yourself with joy.”

“What are you talking about now?”

Ignoring the pouting Merlin's words, Najin plopped down beside her.

“You said you'd tell me about the Outer Lands, didn't you?”

“Whew...”

Merlin let out a long sigh before speaking.

“The Outer Lands. More specifically, where you're headed now is farther in than where you went last time. It's what they call the Battlefield of Stars.”

“Is that where the Constellations dwell? The place you showed me in a vision when we first met?”

“Yes, that's the place.”

The visions she had shown him on the day they first met. The weight Najin would have to bear. He tried to recall those visions, but there was no need.

SNAP

For when Merlin snapped her fingers, the vision unfolded before his eyes.

Stars were born, and stars set beyond the horizon. The stars already settled in the sky jealously guarded their territory, toying with countless rising stars and sending them plunging beneath the earth. Fallen Constellations stared at Najin, trying to crush him beneath their immense presence until he crumbled.

Transcendent beings seeking to deny the very foundation of his existence.

Yet unlike before, Najin did not crumble. He merely deflected their gazes. Now he, too, had stars. His stars shone in the sky, and he would not collapse beneath another's gaze.

The vision shattered. Watching Najin break free of it in an instant, Merlin smiled in satisfaction.

“Now you understand what it means to be qualified, don't you?”

“Certainly.”

“That Sword Master told you this recently, too, but the most important thing in the Outer Lands is not to waver. Not to deny yourself.”

“And,” Merlin added, “how to use your stars.”

She gestured, and starlight leapt from her fingertips.