There were things known as Masterpieces.

Forty-seven weapons forged by the primordial blacksmith, relics that produced phenomena akin to miracles. Since ancient times, opinions had differed over whether to classify them as weapons or relics.

And understandably so. Some took the form of swords and spears, while others resembled lanterns, monocles, or accessories such as watches.

But everyone agreed that Masterpieces were dangerous. For they harbored Mystery.

Only thousands, tens of thousands of years after their creation was the concept of Mystery defined—by none other than the archmage Merlin. According to her, Mystery meant the following:

「That which is not bound by rules.」

「That which lies beyond common sense.」

Fire burns, ice is cold, shadows fall away from the light... rules so obvious that no one questions them. Mystery was that which was not bound by such rules. In other words, things to which common sense did not apply.

Concepts beyond common sense.

Weapons imbued with those concepts.

How could such things not be dangerous?

It was an extreme example, but there had even been a case in which the Masterpiece Bookmark, wielded by a young child, killed a warrior of Sword Seeker caliber. Its danger needed no further explanation.

Masterpieces disregarded differences in strength.

They shattered common sense and turned the tide of battle.

Without understanding the Mystery within a weapon, fighting someone who wielded a Masterpiece became a grueling affair. That was why most warriors avoided opponents with Masterpieces, especially ones that were little known.

It was a rational decision.

One needed to understand a Masterpiece's Mystery to prepare for the unexpected, but generally, the only way to discover it was to get the shit beaten out of you. And most who fell victim to a Masterpiece died.

Masterpiece No. 4, Bookmark. Sixty-eight knights had lost their lives before its Mystery was uncovered.

Naturally, no warrior wanted to be one of those sixty-eight. The wise choice was to wait until someone else gave their life to uncover a Masterpiece's Mystery.

... Of course, it went without saying.

"It's heat haze."

There were always exceptions in this world.

Some people could see through a Mystery after witnessing it only once, without needing to get beaten over and over. This archmage, for example.

"The Mystery in that Masterpiece is heat haze."

The archmage who had defined Mystery.

Merlin explained it to Najin.

"It confuses your vision and your senses. But the two don't happen simultaneously. Looking directly at the flame disrupts your vision. Stepping into the flameshadow on the ground disrupts your senses."

Looking at it, stepping into its shadow, or being swallowed by it.

"Unfortunately, you can't avoid the shadow here."

Merlin clicked her tongue.

The enemy likely had several reasons for hiding in the underground waterways, but this place was an exceptionally favorable environment for using that Masterpiece.

"But that doesn't mean there's no way around it."

"You remember what I told you before, don't you?"

As he ran toward Pauve, Najin answered inwardly.

He remembered. And he knew what she was about to say. Najin opened his eyes. At the same moment, he became aware of the current flowing through his body.

It was the starlight that had dwelled within him ever since that day.

Hidden, invisible to everyone, yet unmistakably present inside him. Starlight more brilliant than anything else in the world flowed through Najin's body.

"Your body is practically Excalibur's sheath."

"It would've been hard to sense it when you were an Expert..."

Merlin smiled.

"But you can feel it now, can't you?"

He had grasped a fragment of his mental image. He stood at the threshold of Sword Seeker. In that process, his soul and body had unmistakably grown—and growth was also a process of becoming aware of what lay hidden within.

Now he could feel it. The light dwelling in his soul.

It was something he could not yet wield. Starlight far too vast and powerful. But he could grasp a little of it, a mere handful. That handful could not envelop his entire body. He could use it only within a limited area.

And he had already decided where.

Starlight filled Najin's eyes.

His platinum-colored eyes stared straight into the flame burning in the lantern. The instant the spreading flameshadow swallowed him, his senses were thrown into turmoil—but his vision remained steady.

"Excalibur exists above Masterpieces."

"The Sword of Stars is a concept that stands above everything. How could some measly Masterpiece ever measure up to Excalibur?"

For Excalibur was a concept of a higher order than Masterpieces.

Merlin grinned, and Najin sprinted.

His senses were a muddled mess, but his vision was perfectly clear. His body moved contrary to his intentions, yet he could see those movements with his own eyes. Correcting them was not difficult.

BOOM!

Najin kicked off the ground and accelerated.

Pauve's eyes widened as Najin closed the distance at terrifying speed. He was charging straight at her after staring into the Masterpiece?

"You crazy...!"

Pauve swung her staff.

The circles hovering above her back flashed as she spat out spells. Bone Stakes. Bone Marsh. Spells meant to halt his charge and buy time. The instantly cast spells blocked Najin's path... but he did not slow down at all.

He could see them.

If he could see them, all he had to do was cut them down.

The bone stakes were swept away by Najin's sword aura and reduced to powder. The bone marsh covering the floor, walls, and even the ceiling met the same fate. He never stopped to swing his sword; his swings and his strides were indistinguishable.

CRRRSH!

Every swing swept away great masses of bone. Pauve's spells were obliterated without delaying Najin's steps for even a single second. Seeing him charge at her with his eyes wide open sent a chill through her.

What was he?

What in the world was he?

2.

Pauve felt a chill.

Her Masterpiece should have thrown his senses and vision into disarray, yet he was kicking off the ground and running as though it had no effect. He smashed straight through the spells she sent to hold him at bay, closing the distance at terrifying speed.

'What...?'

The spells intended to buy her time to chant a Third-Circle spell or higher had not bought even a single second. By the time she blinked, he was already right in front of her.

CLAAANG!

Najin's sword shattered Pauve's veil. As it broke, the Veil of Rejection generated repulsive force, but nothing changed.

"Gah!"

He seized her collar and hurled her away, even exploiting the delayed pulse of repulsive force. Pauve realized she was being driven into a corner, farther and farther from her main force.

'This crazy bastard...'

She cursed inwardly.

Normally, the Veil of Rejection was by no means a spell one could use so freely. Maintaining a protective spell occupied a circle, reducing combat capability, and consumed spell-processing capacity as well.

That was why, for most mages, protective spells were simply insurance against emergencies.

Walking around wrapped in multiple layers of protective spells was possible only for archmages of Six Circles or higher, with circles and processing capacity to spare. Yet Pauve could use the Veil of Rejection repeatedly... thanks to the artifacts she wore.

'The artifacts hidden by Kephalon, the Seven-Circle dark mage.'

Kephalon's workshop, concealed in these underground waterways, was overflowing with such artifacts. Just look at what she had obtained in only a few days of exploration. Only the favored disciple of a mage tower master could wear artifacts of this caliber.

Artifacts this impressive in mere days. That was why Pauve did not want to abandon the workshop.

Still greater artifacts surely lay hidden in its depths. That was why she had chosen to intercept her pursuers. She believed that, if she bought enough time, she could advance her attainment here.

Buy time, advance, and leave the city.

That had been Pauve's original plan. But now it was being shaken to its foundations by the crazed swordsman charging at her.

'I shouldn't be losing. Why? Why is this happening?'

Cold sweat ran down Pauve's skin.

Her threat level was publicly known to be Four Circles, so even at most, they would surely send a warrior of Sword Seeker caliber.

And she was confident she would not lose to a Sword Seeker.

A Masterpiece, numerous artifacts, dark mage followers, and a horde of corpses. With that much strength and so many unpredictable advantages at her disposal, she had believed she could easily handle a Sword Seeker. So what was happening?

CLAAANG!

Another Veil of Rejection was stripped away.

"Urgh!"

Once again, she was hurled away.

By the time she regained her bearings, almost all the artifacts she wore had shattered. Artifact after artifact had broken after paying the price for the Veil of Rejection.

She had four uses left at most.

And even that number was dwindling rapidly.

Pauve gritted her teeth and chanted. Holding him at bay was useless. Better to accept that the veil would break and land a blow instead. Her circles turned blood-red.

Third-Circle magic, Blood-Red Ray.

She still had blood extracted from the corpses.

The swirling blood flashed and shot toward Najin. The Blood-Red Ray bathed the underground waterway in red. As befitted a spell of outstanding power even among Third-Circle spells, its destructive force was incomparable to the spells she had used to hold him back.

HISSSSS!

It melted everything in its path.

The surfaces it grazed seethed and steamed, and the waterway walls it struck melted away. A spell that could inflict a fatal wound with even a glancing hit.

Kaufman had countered it with magically inscribed daggers, but Najin had no means to do so. That was what Pauve thought...

What she had overlooked was Najin's physical ability, his reaction speed, and his ability to track movement with his eyes. The instant her staff glowed blood-red, Najin was already moving. Ultimately, the Blood-Red Ray fired from the staff's tip.

Predict its path.

Move one step ahead.

As the light flashed, Najin lowered himself and kicked off the ground. The ray passed over his head with a blast of scorching heat. But Pauve was not simply going to take it. She moved her staff to adjust the ray's trajectory.

It was futile.

Najin's eyes were fixed on the tip of Pauve's staff. Predicting the Blood-Red Ray's trajectory from the staff's movements was not difficult. Kicking off the ground and running along the wall, he closed the distance again.

And then—

CLAAANG!

Another Veil of Rejection was stripped away.

Only three veils remained. Pauve's eyes began to waver. She knew instinctively that she would lose if this continued.

'He's insane.'

She should have been the one holding all the unpredictable advantages, yet he was creating unexpected factors of his own.

She was already far from her main force, and they could not come to help her. She was also too far from the corpses she could use as magical sacrifices to fire another Blood-Red Ray. Her advantages were disappearing one by one.

It was approaching. Death.

The crazed swordsman was coming to cut off her head.

As she was driven ever backward, she spotted the passage to Kephalon's hidden workshop. Using it now would leave traces and ultimately expose the facility... but she had no time to weigh her options.

While fleeing, she struck the wall with her staff.

Black mana coiled around the wall, and with a clunk, a passage leading underground appeared. Pauve darted into it. Najin threw himself toward the door as it began closing immediately behind her.

Then—

THUD!

The door to the workshop slammed shut.

3.

A dark, damp, unpleasant place.

The moment Najin entered the workshop, he felt his senses sharpen. The very energy permeating the space was ominous.

"All dark mages' workshops are like this."

"Looks like this is the workshop that Kephalon guy, or whatever his name is, hid away."

Barely listening to Merlin, Najin pursued Pauve. Though there was not a single light in the darkness, he could see her fleeing figure perfectly clearly.

TAP!

Najin kicked off the ground and brought his sword down at her back. He was growing accustomed to the repulsive force of the Veil of Rejection, so rather than throwing her, he kicked her in the back.

"Urgh!"

Pauve screamed and tumbled across the floor. He heard her strike something, followed by the sound of breaking. Then came the crisp crack of an artifact shattering.

"Two left."

Merlin had been counting the artifacts.

Sword in hand, Najin approached Pauve. The battle had already turned in his favor, and the Masterpiece's duration had expired, restoring his senses. He decided it was time to end this tiresome chase.

"Kh... heh heh..."

At that moment, laughter rang out.

Najin narrowed his eyes. Pauve was laughing as she slowly rose to her feet. Had she lost her mind? No, that did not seem to be it.

"You shouldn't have followed me in here."

Nor was it a bluff.

Laughing, Pauve drove her staff down. Rings began rising behind her. One, two, three... and four.

Pauve revealed all Four Circles.

The light pouring from the rings illuminated their surroundings.

The scene it revealed was utterly horrific. Traces of experiments on living subjects. Materials suitable for use as dark-magic mediums lay all around them, within easy reach.

"Haven't you heard? Step into a mage's workshop, and you won't get to die easy."

A mage's workshop. Their home ground, prepared with countless magical formulas. And this particular workshop had been built by Kephalon, a Seven-Circle dark mage.

"It's all over, you crazy swordsman."

Pauve grinned and swung her staff.

As mana spread out from her, the mediums scattered throughout the workshop began flashing. Four rings spun violently, immediately weaving a spell.

Sparks flew from the circles as they rotated with the aid of the mediums and artifacts. It was coming. An enormous spell with power at least equal to the Fourth Circle.

Yet Najin stood expressionless before the spinning circles. Who wouldn't know that entering the workshop would put him at a disadvantage? He had chased Pauve straight inside because he could win even with that disadvantage.

WHIIIIINE!

The noise of surging mana echoed through the space.

But Najin paid it no heed. He was listening to the voice resounding within him.

"Drawing Excalibur isn't a good idea."

"A facility like this can't conceal Excalibur's light. It would take something like a high-ranking demon's authority to hide it, even briefly."

"But," Merlin said with a smile.

"It's enough to hide your sword aura."

Najin let out a short breath.

Closing his eyes, he raised his sword high. As he grasped a fragment of his mental image and walked through it, he had realized that his mental image was somewhat peculiar.

The landscape at the heart of a mental image.

The powerful memory manifested as sword aura.

Normally, there should have been only one, but Najin's mental image held two. One was a snow-white star hanging low. The other was a platinum star hanging high above.

'What I've always called upon...'

Was the snow-white star. His snow-white sword aura.

He could not bring out the other in front of people, and when acting as a knight, the snow-white star was more fitting.

'But...'

What he was doing now was cutting down a dark mage—slaying something wicked and sinister. Najin knew that snow-white sword aura was not best suited to such a task.

Now he called to mind the highest star.

The platinum sword aura he had not had an opportunity to summon until now.

Within Najin, Merlin watched. The star high in the sky shone fiercely, then was drawn somewhere. Watching it, she closed her eyes. The star had been drawn into the single sword Najin held.

The sword aura's form changed.

Its nature changed.

The sword aura blazing platinum resembled a star. Created by a boy who yearned for stars in a place where no stars could be seen, it was beautiful and poignant.

"...!"

Poignant starlight filled the dark mage's workshop.

The instant Pauve saw the platinum sword aura, her eyes flew wide open. Even someone ignorant of swords knew what platinum sword aura meant.

Sword aura granted to only one person in all of history.

The sword aura King Arthur had wielded was there before her.

Its meaning was simple and clear. Facing that platinum sword aura, Pauve realized.

Hunter and prey had traded places.

From the very beginning, she had been nothing more than prey.