The first Sword Saint, the swordsman who founded the Order of the Sword, divided mastery of the sword into three broad stages.

Sword Expert.

Sword Seeker.

Sword Master.

These three stages were generally distinguished through sword aura. Nothing else offered such a clear, definite distinction. But that applied only to Sword Seekers and Sword Experts.

Sword Masters were different.

They were something else entirely.

The gulf between Seeker and Master was so enormous that, ever since the three stages had been established, people had suggested there ought to be an intermediate stage between them.

Those who reached the realm of Sword Seeker said it felt as though a gigantic wall stood before them.

The more they trained with their swords, honed their skills, and advanced, the closer they came to that wall. When they finally faced it, it was so immense that they could not see its top, however far upward they looked. Before that wall, countless Sword Seekers found themselves letting out hollow laughs.

Experts, Seekers, and all those labels.

They were overcome by a sense of futility. Had those distinctions been utterly useless all along? Had all their years of training been meaningless? For the immense wall before them told them one thing.

The world was divided into only two.

Sword Masters, and everyone else.

Superhumans who had transcended humanity, and mere mortals.

They reduced even warriors who had reached the rank of Sword Seeker to mere mortals. Such were Sword Masters. Beings unlike any other, whom nothing could clearly define.

「If Sword Experts are distinguished by producing sword aura, and Sword Seekers by imbuing it with a mental image, what distinguishes Sword Masters?」

Someone had once posed that question to the first Sword Saint. He had burst out laughing and replied:

「What the hell is there to distinguish?」

Then he had simply said:

「You'll know the moment they draw their sword.」

「Ah, this bastard's a Sword Master.」

People had tilted their heads in puzzlement when they read that account, but as time passed, the world had no choice but to accept the first Sword Saint's words. There was no better way to express it.

The moment a Sword Master drew their sword, you understood, whether you wanted to or not.

The person standing before you was the pinnacle.

A superhuman who had reached the ultimate limits of the weapon known as the sword.

That had been true of every Sword Master in history, and of the three Sword Masters leading the present age.

... And here, too, was someone experiencing the painful truth of those words.

"Hah, haaah..."

Sword Seeker Roselin Ascalo's instincts had gone beyond sounding an alarm. They were screaming. The man standing before her was a Sword Master. Karon, the Sword Saint.

Even breathing was difficult.

Cold sweat ran down her spine.

Karon approached her, one step at a time. In terror, as though death itself were approaching, Roselin bowed her head. At last, the footsteps stopped. She could feel an immense presence right before her.

Then Karon patted her shoulder twice. Slowly, Roselin raised her head. Beneath his lowered hood, Karon was smiling.

"Ah, now I remember. I was wondering where I'd seen you. You're Roselin Ascalo, aren't you?"

Karon sounded pleased to see her.

"A renowned mercenary who reached Sword Seeker at a young age and even wields a Masterpiece. I've thought I'd like to cross swords with you sometime. A pleasure to meet you. I'm..."

"Ahem!"

Just as Karon was about to give his name, someone cleared his throat behind Roselin. Mid-Ranking Priest Volkman stood there, fidgeting anxiously.

He would conceal his identity and accompany Volkman.

Karon had certainly said so.

Yet Karon seemed to have no intention of actually hiding who he was, and Volkman was breaking out in a cold sweat. If word got out about a Sword Master's unofficial visit, things would become very, very troublesome.

"My apologies. I'm not in a position to reveal my identity..."

"I-it is an honor to meet you, S-S-S-Sir Karon."

"Oh dear."

At Roselin's trembling reply, Karon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He glanced at Volkman with an expression that said he'd been found out. Volkman dragged a hand down his face and let out a long sigh.

"Well, since it's come to this."

Karon let out a short breath.

"Do you know an adventurer named Ivan?"

"... Pardon?"

"I've come here to see him. If you know him, could you arrange a meeting? I'll compensate you, of course."

Sword Master Karon.

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

A request from a man counted among the most powerful figures in the world.

Of course, to Karon, whose head held nothing but swords, it was a casual request made without much thought, and he would probably have been perfectly fine with a refusal... But that was only Karon's perspective.

"I'll do everything in my power!!!!!"

To Roselin, this was a top-priority mission she had to complete as quickly as possible, even at the risk of her life. It wasn't merely a bolt from the blue. It was an archmage's Meteor falling on her head.

"To arrange that meeting...!!!"

And that was how things had arrived at the present situation.

2.

Led by Roselin's hand, Najin arrived at the Red Eye Mercenary Company's headquarters. The moment he opened the ground-floor door and stepped inside, every mercenary gathered there turned to look at him.

"Ah!"

"He's finally here!"

"Hurry, Commander, hurry...!"

They looked at Najin as though he were their savior. Cheering at the prospect of finally escaping the suffocating atmosphere, they pushed him toward the stairs.

"He's waiting in the office on the top floor. Hurry! As fast as you can...!"

Najin had no idea what was happening, but he had little choice but to let them push him along. As he climbed the stairs, he glanced back to see Roselin slumped in a chair the mercenaries had brought out, gasping for breath.

"Guys, I've been through so much."

"This is so fucking exhausting..."

With Roselin's lament and the mercenaries' agreeing voices fading behind him, Najin continued upstairs. Sword Master Karon had come looking for him. He had no idea why.

'Could he have realized I drew Excalibur?'

"I can assure you, that's impossible."

Merlin's answer was firm.

"Even I didn't notice it. At this point, I do think there must be something about that underground city you lived in..."

After a moment's thought, Merlin added:

"Anyway, unless the Order tipped him off, there's no way he'd know. And Karon isn't someone who lets the Order push him around in the first place."

'Do you know much about the Sword Saint?'

"I do. He was originally the likeliest candidate to draw Excalibur."

Of the three candidates, Sword Saint Karon had been the strongest prospect. That was why Merlin knew a fair amount about him.

「That man Karon resembles the first Sword Saint.」

「In personality, rather than swordsmanship.」

「Essentially, he takes no interest in anything other than the sword. That makes me like him all the more.」

In Bedivere's estimation, he was a man who knew nothing but the sword.

Bedivere had judged his nature to be upright; he simply placed the sword above all other values.

'I suppose I'll have to meet him to find out.'

Najin steadied his breathing and continued forward.

Now that Karon had already come looking for him, running away was not an option. He had no sense of just how powerful a Sword Master was, but at the very least, he doubted he could escape one.

Reaching the office door on the top floor, Najin raised a hand. He knocked twice, then pulled the door handle.

As the door opened and he was about to take a step inside, his senses snapped to attention. An uncanny sensation raced down his back like lightning. His eyes flew wide, bloodshot in an instant.

"Ah, you're finally here."

A voice reached him.

Najin looked toward it. Someone sat beside a familiar face—Mid-Ranking Priest Volkman.

A young man who looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties.

With his robe removed and his face fully revealed, Najin instinctively knew that this was Sword Saint Karon. Though the man was not projecting his presence, merely sharing a room with him set Najin's senses clamoring in alarm.

"... My name is Ivan."

Najin spoke after barely managing to steady his breathing.

"I heard you were looking for me."

"Mm, indeed."

Karon rose from his seat.

"A pleasure to meet you. You may already have heard, but my name is Karon. Now that we've made each other's acquaintance, let's shake hands."

He extended his hand to Najin.

It appeared to be a simple offer of a handshake, but Najin could hardly help breaking out in a cold sweat.

Who was the man before him?

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

His honorary titles and power alone easily surpassed a duke's. Depending on the occasion, he could even dine at the same table as the empire's sun.

People said that however skilled a warrior might be, they could not gain power without engaging in politics... But that problem arose only because they were not skilled enough. Once someone possessed the martial strength to overthrow a nation single-handedly, power and titles came of their own accord.

That was true of Gerd, the empire's Sword Master.

Of Yuel Razian, the Order's executioner.

And of the man before him, Sword Saint Karon.

Such a man was offering him a handshake. But who was Najin? A man who hadn't cowered even before Merlin, a transcendent being of the night sky. Steadying his breathing, he accepted Karon's hand.

"Volkman told me about you. I hear you're an extraordinarily talented swordsman..."

Karon smiled as they shook hands.

"There's no great reason I came looking for you."

An unguarded smile. Eyes that laid his intentions bare. Karon was looking only at the sword strapped to Najin's waist.

"I thought I'd cross swords with you. I could have summoned you to the Order of the Sword, but that would draw too much attention to you... Well, I'll have to settle for this."

Karon shrugged.

"That's all I have to say."

"... Pardon?"

"You don't have anything else to say either, do you?"

Anything else you want to ask? If so, get it out quickly. Faced with Karon's attitude, Najin tilted his head in puzzlement. Behind him, Volkman merely smiled wryly.

"If there's nothing else..."

It did not take Najin long to understand the meaning of Volkman's wry smile.

"Let's exchange a few blows. Follow me outside. I spotted a good place on the way into the city."

With that, Karon gathered his belongings and got up.

Of course, those belongings amounted to only the single sword he had propped against the wall. Najin blinked blankly.

Sword Master Karon.

A figure of his stature had come looking for Najin solely because he wanted to cross swords? It was not an easy explanation to accept.

'Surely he has some other motive...'

While Najin was watching Karon for clues, Karon flung the door open and turned his head sharply.

"What are you doing? Come along."

With his sword resting on his shoulder, he urged Najin forward.

He looked restless, as though he could not bear to wait another moment to cross swords. Volkman approached Najin, who was still struggling to keep up with the situation, and whispered:

"... He's always like this."

"Pardon...?"

"I'm sorry about this. Still, it's an opportunity that will benefit you, so do forgive me."

Volkman patted Najin on the back.

3.

After a short carriage ride, Najin, Karon, and Volkman passed through the forest and arrived at a wide-open clearing, where they disembarked. Karon had not said a single word during the journey.

As though no further conversation was necessary.

As though any questions he had would be asked with his sword.

Once out of the carriage, Najin glanced toward Karon. Standing across from him, Karon was warming up lightly. He swung his arm in a circle and let out a short breath.

Then came a metallic sound.

CLANG

He drew his sword, but did not keep it in hand. Instead, he planted it in the ground and held the scabbard. After swinging the scabbard through the air a couple of times, he seemed to get a feel for it, then swept it forcefully through the air.

CRACK

A deep, straight furrow split the earth.

Najin's eyes widened. He could not understand what trick Karon had performed. He hadn't seemed to coat it in sword aura, so how on earth...?

As Najin stood bewildered, Karon rolled his wrist and smiled in satisfaction, as though that would do. Then he turned sharply to Najin.

"What are you doing? Draw your sword."

He gestured with the scabbard as he spoke.

Najin had just seen Karon carve deep into the earth with a casual swing of that scabbard. He could clearly picture a future in which one unfortunate blow killed him on the spot.

... Was he trying to kill him rather than spar with him?

It was a reasonable suspicion for Najin to entertain. With a sigh, he drew his sword with a metallic clang. Whatever the circumstances, this was still a valuable opportunity.

"Then, I look forward to learning from you."

An opportunity to experience the pinnacle.

He could not keep up with what was happening, but since things had come to this, he would squeeze every last benefit he could out of it. With that resolve, Najin settled into his stance.

"I guarantee you're the only lunatic who'd stand before a Sword Master and think about squeezing him for everything he's worth."

'Sorry? What did you say?'

"Nothing. Just keep doing what you're doing..."

As Merlin's incredulous voice sounded in his ears, Najin took a step forward.