The banquet hall was filled with nobles, high-ranking officials at the heart of the Empire, and powerful figures. They were all heavyweights who would take center stage in any gathering, yet at this moment, every one of them was merely a supporting player.

Dawnstar, Najin.

The Snake That Swallows Gold, Dieta.

The two who had appeared in the banquet hall were accomplishing near-revolutionary feats in their respective fields—and in an astonishingly short time.

One was a merchant the likes of whom the age had never seen, who had upset the balance among the Empire’s trading companies after centuries of stagnation and claimed a place among the great merchants in a mere four months. The other was a peerless genius overturning the accepted truths built upon a thousand years of imperial history.

Asked to name the two most famous people in the Empire of late, anyone would surely choose them. With both arriving at the banquet together, it would have been stranger if they had not drawn attention.

“Indeed.”

“They make quite a picture together...”

“What a shame. I had gotten my hopes up when I heard the Company Head had yet to find a partner.”

“Were you planning to hang a pearl around a pig’s neck? I should think that would be terribly insulting to the pearl.”

“Are you calling me a pig?”

“I’m saying the Company Head is a pearl.”

“Then doesn’t that mean I’m the pig?”

“Bluntness is unbecoming. Must a maiden spell it out for you?”

“You keep calling yourself a maiden, but you’re hardly a young girl either.”

Some of the male nobles clicked their tongues as they stole glances at Najin, who had secured the place beside Dieta. Several women, including noble young ladies, looked back and forth between their own partners and Najin, then sighed behind their fans.

“...”

Dieta lowered her eyes slightly and listened to the murmurs around her. Though she gave no outward sign, inwardly she was cheering.

Countless powerful people had gathered in this hall, along with plenty of chatterboxes who would observe their every move and spread the gossip. By tomorrow morning, word of tonight’s events would probably have traveled throughout Camelot.

After a single night, everyone would know who Dieta’s partner was—and who Najin’s partner was. Attending the banquet with him was a pleasure in itself, but the rumors that would follow made her even happier.

‘I needed to stake my claim like this at least once.’

With Najin’s stock rising by the day, plenty of nobles had their eyes on him. Far too many were trying to slip marriage proposals into their conversations with him. Here, Dieta had all but made a declaration to those thieves.

Hands off.

Forget any thoughts of making advances on this man. He is my partner, and we are close enough to attend a banquet like this together. Surely you wouldn’t do something so graceless, uncultured, and unprincipled as stealing him away?

Dieta stole a glance up at Najin. Had he interpreted her look differently? When their eyes met, he gave her a small smile. Her breathing nearly faltered, but she barely managed to steady it and answer with a composed smile.

The banquet continued. Guests chatted in their separate factions, nobles hoping to forge connections with powerful figures hurried about, and behind-the-scenes stories about the Empire’s affairs circulated without pause.

“Company Head!”

Someone had arrived late. Though the banquet had been underway for quite some time, no one expressed displeasure at her tardiness.

Who would dare reprimand a pillar of the Empire?

The Ever-Radiant Point, Cypria Gachevska.

Her long blond hair hanging loose, she waved warmly at Dieta. She wore a platinum-colored dress, and smiled as she lifted its hem slightly.

“I love the dress you sent me. It’s been so long since I attended a banquet like this that I was wondering what to wear... I never expected you to send me such a gift! Honestly, all I ever do is receive things from you.”

“I’m delighted you like it. It looks wonderful on you.”

As Cypria chatted with Dieta, her gaze naturally drifted to the young man standing beside her. He was someone Cypria knew as well.

“You’re...?”

“Najin. It is an honor to meet the Fourth Pillar of the Empire.”

Najin bowed in greeting. Cypria was the one who had evaluated his aptitude when he became a Sword Seeker, so technically, they had met before.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you. You know Nayuta, the master of the Gray Tower, don’t you?”

“Yes, I met her once.”

“She and I were in the same class at the academy, and she talks about you quite a lot. Apparently, she’s been writing down all sorts of ideas, saying she’ll give you a new name once you earn one more star...”

Cypria gave him a wry smile. It said, You know what I mean, don’t you? And Najin understood exactly what she meant.

She must be referring to the Gray Tower master’s dreadful naming sense.

He returned her wry smile. He truly wanted to decline that offer. Dawnstar was more than enough.

2.

The banquet was in full swing, and partway through, a casual ball began, allowing guests to dance with their partners. Despite already having a partner, Dieta received countless invitations to dance. Naturally, she refused them all.

There was only one person she intended to dance with.

Taking Najin’s offered hand, she headed to the center of the hall.

“I thought this last time, too.”

Dieta laughed in disbelief as they danced.

“You’ve never had dance lessons, have you?”

“I did learn a little while I was staying in Trevache.”

“That was only a few hours, wasn’t it?”

“I’m a fairly quick learner, whatever it is.”

Najin’s talent shone in any discipline involving movement. For someone who could imitate even a transcendent being’s movements, copying a dancer was hardly difficult.

And as they danced, Dieta was happy.

The star of the banquet. The focus of everyone’s attention. Gazes mingled with envy and admiration. It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale or romance novel, and she was enjoying it in reality, as the leading lady herself. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t happy.

In the end, Dieta, too, was a young woman—one who had dreamed and fantasized about scenes like this at least once.

But in the middle of their delightful dance, Najin suddenly stiffened. Dieta blinked. His eyes, which had been focused on her, had shifted elsewhere. She turned to follow his gaze.

CLICK.

Najin was looking toward the entrance, where a late-arriving guest stood. No, strictly speaking, this was no guest. Neither Dieta nor any of the trading companies hosting the banquet would have invited that person.

‘Why is that being here?’

Dieta’s eyes widened as soon as she recognized him. She was not alone; the other company heads reacted in the same way. This was someone none of them had expected.

Someone who had not been invited.

Yet he was far too important for anyone to point that out. As he stepped into the hall, the banquet fell silent, if only for a moment.

“... Lord Eurypylus?”

Someone murmured his name.

Eurypylus. That was the name of the man who had entered the hall. But he was better known by another title.

The Lighthouse Keeper, Eurypylus.

Champion of the Lighthouse That Illuminates All Things, patron deity of the Order of Star Radiance, and guardian of the lighthouse that symbolized the order. A being who had remained unmoving for centuries had suddenly appeared at the banquet.

He had last appeared outside roughly fifty-seven years ago. His arrival was more than enough to silence the hall. Through that silence, Eurypylus walked.

CLICK.

He stopped before Najin, raised a hand, and pointed at him as he spoke.

“Are you Najin?”

3.

Are you Najin?

Najin did not answer immediately. He simply met Eurypylus’s gaze.

Pure white.

Those were the words the man brought to mind. His hair was snow-white, and his clothing was white as well. His hair, his clothes, his skin—everything was white. Only his golden eyes were not.

Eurypylus.

Najin knew that name. He knew the man’s appearance, too, because he had investigated him before. Naturally, he also knew what sort of being stood before him.

A champion who represented his order, like the executioner of the Order of Starblood or the Incarnation of the Order of the Starbody. Eurypylus was the Lighthouse Keeper, champion of the Order of Star Radiance.

‘The Order of Star Radiance.’

As Najin turned the order’s name over in his mind, turmoil stirred within him. He did not let it show. Instead, he glanced at Dieta beside him. She silently shook her head, then mouthed that this was an uninvited guest.

After a brief silence, Najin spoke.

“Yes, I am.”

“I have something to say to you. That place will do. Follow me. This is not a suitable place for a conversation.”

Eurypylus pointed toward the garden, then started walking without even waiting for an answer. Najin spoke to his retreating back.

“I must decline.”

Eurypylus stopped and turned back. His expressionless face changed. He frowned at Najin, who paid no heed to that look and said his piece.

“I have nothing to discuss with you. And I have even less intention of associating with a guest who was not invited to this banquet.”

“Do you not know who I am?”

“I do. You are the Lighthouse Keeper, are you not?”

“And knowing that, you still refuse?”

“Does your being the Lighthouse Keeper give me a reason to obey your orders?”

Najin spoke with disbelief.

“I am not a priest of the Order of Star Radiance. This is not the order’s sanctuary. This is the Empire, and this is a banquet hall. You are an unwelcome intruder. Leaving with you now would be discourteous to those who hosted this banquet and those enjoying it.”

Najin frowned.

“I find it offensive that you speak as though I must obey simply because you say so.”

The Order of Star Radiance had more followers than any other order, and the man before him was a towering figure whose rank was second only to its patron deity. Najin knew that perfectly well.

Most people would obey without a word if someone as important as an order’s champion demanded something. They would do so out of fear of making an enemy of the order, or out of respect for its authority.

But Najin had no need to do that.

He was already at odds with the Order of Star Radiance. And even if he respected the Lighthouse Keeper’s authority, he had no reason to submit to it.

“So I must decline.”

His refusal was unequivocal.

His words and behavior were outrageously arrogant, and depending on the circumstances, could even constitute blasphemy. But Najin had not acted thoughtlessly or impulsively, driven by his loathing for the Order of Star Radiance.

He had pointed out that this was the Empire.

This was the Empire, and Najin was under the protection of its foremost warrior. Giving him orders and treating him rudely was tantamount to challenging that warrior’s authority.

Moreover, this was Camelot, the imperial capital.

Gerd’s gaze reached this place, which meant his sword could reach it as well. Najin’s eyes spoke for him: Go ahead, if you dare.

“...”

Eurypylus’s brows angled more sharply. Frowning, he involuntarily looked up at the sky. Eight stars shone there—the stars of Gerd, the Empire’s foremost warrior.

Was he conscious of that starlight?

The Lighthouse Keeper glared at Najin with a frown, then lightly stamped his foot. A ripple spread from where it touched the floor, shutting out the surrounding sound so no one could overhear their conversation.

“Insolent. Do you think another’s stars are yours simply because you have their protection?”

“Surely that is better than serving a star without even knowing what it does?”

“Are you insulting Star Radiance?”

“Insulting it? To belittle something, there must first be something worth looking down upon. Why should I bother lowering what is already at rock bottom?”

Najin gave a sly smile. Eurypylus’s eyes narrowed.

“What gives you the confidence to speak so...”

“As I said,” Najin interrupted, “this is the Empire. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Let me ask you this. I am the Lighthouse Keeper of the Order of Star Radiance. Even if that man Gerd protects you, do you think he would defend you at the risk of a conflict with our order?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I am not threatening you. I am merely stating facts.”

Najin laughed at that, as though the very notion was beneath contempt.

“The Empire’s foremost warrior seems to think otherwise.”

Eight stars shone atop the First Pillar Tower.