Sword Seekers. Seekers of the sword.

I declare here and now that the fierce beasts bearing that name must be kept under strict control. Their martial power is far too dangerous for any one individual to possess. Alone, they can fight dozens of knights. Dozens, I say! Dozens!

Surely none have forgotten that atrocity which outraged heaven and earth, when a single Sword Seeker infiltrated Arhebts and butchered its lord, his retainers, and his knights to the last man.

Ah, Arhebts!

Remember Arhebts, that loyal servant of the Empire!

Sword Seekers are those who fight dozens of knights alone and sweep aside well-trained soldiers by the squad. Can we call them individuals? They are already armies unto themselves!

Just as the private armies nobles may possess are strictly limited and regulated by the Empire, Sword Seekers too must submit to imperial oversight. At the very least, we must know of their existence.

I therefore propose the introduction of the Arhebts Special Act. Its provisions are as follows.

To ensure the tragedy of Arhebts never recurs, combatants of Sword Seeker caliber shall be compelled to disclose their martial abilities and identities. Those who set foot in the interior, rather than the Battlefield of Stars or the front lines of the Demon Realm, 'must' disclose this information.

Should you refuse,

you shall learn why the Empire is called the Empire. This is a warning, but also an act of mercy. If you know honor and pride, come of your own accord to the heart of the Empire...

* * *

“And that concludes the Arhebts Special Act.”

Dieta closed the history of the Empire as she spoke.

“It was enacted by the Empire's fourth emperor, Kalitz Pendragon. Under this law, combatants of Sword Seeker caliber must disclose their personal information.”

“What sort of information?”

“When they became a Sword Seeker, what weapons they use, what form their sword aura takes. Immediately after the bill was introduced, they disclosed everything, including their weaknesses, but I've heard they no longer go that far now, hundreds of years later.”

She tapped the table.

“Their real name and age, the weapons they use, and when they attained their rank. As I understand it, those are the main things they establish. The law was meant to draw out 'hidden powerhouses' in the first place.”

The Empire had been in turmoil at the time. Powerful individuals lurked here and there, causing problems both large and small. Dieta explained that the law had been enacted to resolve those problems.

“From a nation's perspective, nothing could be more dangerous than raw, unregulated force.”

Najin, who had been listening quietly, nodded.

“So that's why most Sword Seekers voluntarily disclose their personal information and rank.”

“More or less. Nothing could be more frightening than being branded a 'dangerous individual' by the Empire. Even the most formidable Sword Master can't turn against it.”

Yuel Razian was an example of that.

Najin smiled bitterly as he recalled a conversation he had once had with her. He had felt it when he saw the imperial capital, too: the Empire was like one enormous wall.

“And your case is special.”

As Najin reflected on that, Dieta continued. She tapped the documents recording his activities over the past six months.

“You appeared out of nowhere in Cambria, the City of Opportunity, and accumulated achievements and rumors at an astonishing pace. Slaying the Demon Knight, dueling the commander of the ducal House Arbenia's knights, slaying the dark mage Pauve...”

And becoming the youngest Red-rank adventurer, too.

Every one of those incidents was bound to draw attention.

“People are already saying you'll become a Sword Seeker before long. Even if you try to hide it, you can't really keep it hidden anymore. It's only a matter of time before the Empire's central authorities take an interest in you.”

She was right.

They had refrained from intervening only because Najin's identity was registered in Cambria and he was under the Cambria Foundation's protection. But if he became a Sword Seeker, that would change things.

“They may already be making their move. We dealt with the attack a few days ago without leaving witnesses, but if the Empire makes a determined investigation, it might uncover evidence. Then your rank will be exposed.”

The Sword Seeker-caliber combatants who had attacked Najin had either disappeared long ago or were nominally attached to the battlefield, their whereabouts unknown. Dealing with them had therefore left little trace, but...

'We can't be certain.'

There was no knowing what might happen, and above all, no knowing how the order would respond.

“We don't know what means the order will use to pressure you. And a way to counter that would be...”

“To make the first move ourselves.”

“Exactly.”

Dieta snapped her fingers.

“You already have people's attention, and above all, you're young. I don't know your exact age, but you're under thirty, aren't you?”

Even his false identity put him at twenty-eight.

And the youngest Sword Seeker in history had been thirty. The moment Najin revealed that he had attained that rank, the attention he would receive would be impossible to predict.

“Even the Sword Saint, hailed as a once-in-an-era genius, became a Sword Seeker at thirty. That alone was an incredible record, breaking one that had stood for hundreds of years.”

Yet now someone had appeared to break that record.

It was an event momentous enough to turn the Empire upside down.

“The Order of the Sword, nobles of every kind, commanders on the battlefield, the Empire's central authorities—they'll all be watching you. Once that happens, the order won't be able to touch you so easily.”

If it made a wrong move against Najin, all the attention focused on him would turn straight toward the order. However vast its power, it could not escape the Empire's scrutiny.

“That's everything for now, but...”

Dieta trailed off. Having finished her explanation, she narrowed her eyes at Najin, suspicion filling them.

“Surely you can tell me at this point? Najin, just how old are you?”

“...”

“I can hardly believe it, but you're not really younger than me, are you? You are at least twenty, right?”

Najin averted his gaze.

Dieta's eyes wavered.

“Really?”

2.

The Arhebts Special Act.

Najin faithfully followed its procedures. He notified the Central Guild that he had become a Sword Seeker and sent a letter to the Empire's central authorities through the Cambria Foundation.

Then he learned just how quickly the Empire could act in matters like this.

A carriage arrived at Cambria's entrance a mere half day after he sent the letter. Considering that the journey from Britain to Cambria took three days with an ordinary hired coachman, it was an astonishing speed.

But the surprises did not end there.

The carriage that arrived at Cambria's entrance bore the imperial family's crest alongside the emblem of the Empire of Britain.

The Arhebts Special Act was administered by the imperial family.

Naturally, they were involved in its enforcement. The adventurers murmured among themselves at the carriage's appearance. How often in a lifetime would they have the chance to see a carriage bearing the imperial family's crest?

Who was it? What business did the imperial family have here?

What in the world had happened?

The bewildered adventurers' voices grew louder. Moreover, the armor of the knight guarding the carriage bore the imperial family's crest. Everyone knew that only one force was permitted to display that emblem.

The Royal Guard.

The sword of the Empire, loyal to the imperial family.

The Royal Guard and an imperial carriage. Realizing this was no ordinary matter, the adventurers gradually turned their eyes toward a single spot. Someone was making his way through the crowd toward the carriage.

The Red-rank adventurer, Ivan.

He crossed through the crowd and stopped before the carriage. Then he knelt before the Royal Guard and bowed his head, showing due respect to a knight representing the imperial family. The Royal Guard nodded in satisfaction and opened the carriage door.

With everyone's eyes on him, Najin climbed aboard. Even after the carriage departed and disappeared from view, the adventurers remained gathered at the city's entrance.

Someone among them muttered,

“We'll have another White Horn adventurer.”

* * *

Soltis of the Royal Guard.

Soltis was none too pleased with the situation.

Having served the imperial family loyally for many years, he knew perfectly well that the Arhebts Act was not normally enforced with such fanfare or haste.

That was only natural.

One did not become a Sword Seeker overnight, nor could one attain that rank without any warning signs. Thus, when someone reported becoming a Sword Seeker, the imperial family would act with the thought that it was about time.

But not in this case.

There had been neither warning nor precedent.

A Sword Seeker had appeared out of nowhere. Moreover, the age registered with the Cambria Foundation was a mere twenty-eight. It was only natural that the department responsible for the Arhebts Act had been thrown into an uproar.

'Of course, there's a good chance the information registered with the Cambria Foundation is inaccurate.'

Identity registration was relatively unrestricted in the City of Opportunity, and false identities were commonplace. The details would therefore have to be verified again at the mage tower... but if, by some chance, that identity was accurate,

this would be an event capable of turning the Empire upside down.

That was why the Empire had hastily dispatched personnel. It had even taken the unprecedented step of mobilizing the Royal Guard. The event was that astonishing.

“...”

And the person at the center of it sat before him.

Soltis looked at the young man sitting opposite him. A young man—or a boy? As was typical of those who had become Sword Seekers, it was difficult to judge his age by appearance alone.

But he did have documents concerning this individual.

The campaign against the Demon Knight, the duel with the commander of the ducal House Arbenia's knights, the slaying of the dark mage Pauve... Reviewing those major incidents, Soltis was inwardly impressed.

'Not bad.'

The material on the Demon Knight campaign was particularly striking. Atanga's order of knights had spoken up for the young man? That was remarkable. Reviewing the documents he had skimmed on the way here, Soltis glanced at Najin. Come to think of it, he had knelt before him and paid his respects.

His displeasure with the situation aside, his impression of the young man was quite favorable.

“Though idle conversation is ill-advised...”

Soltis therefore spoke. He liked the young man before him and thought he could offer a word or two of advice.

“Let me offer one piece of advice: speak only the truth at the mage tower. Even if you've assumed a false identity, you must disclose your real age and name there.”

They probably were not his real age and name.

Assuming a false identity was a grave crime, but for those who began their journey in Cambria, there were cases where it was tacitly overlooked depending on the circumstances. This young man's case would likely be one of them.

Ivan, twenty-eight.

That was surely a false identity.

Hadn't even the great Sword Saint become a Sword Seeker at thirty? Someone capable of breaking that record could not possibly appear out of nowhere. Soltis was certain of it.

“If you maintain a false identity even at the imperial family's mage tower, your offense will be all the graver. Remember that.”

“I will.”

“Still, you won't escape a reprimand. You should at least have written your real age when you submitted the documents, shouldn't you? Your identity was bound to be uncovered anyway. Drawing attention like this will only harm you.”

“I didn't think that far ahead. I was so happy to have advanced.”

Najin smiled sheepishly.

Well, he was someone who had become a Sword Seeker without any substantial backing. He probably had few people around him who could offer advice. Soltis nodded emphatically.

So he had indeed assumed a false identity.

Soltis had been dispatched here to account for a remote possibility, but it was just that: a remote possibility. Something unlikely to happen under normal circumstances.

'Becoming a Sword Seeker out of nowhere is surprising enough, but breaking the record for the youngest? That's absurd.'

The department in charge had merely overreacted.

With that thought, Soltis closed his eyes. Of course, he was mistaken. They had reasons for reaching their conclusion, but Soltis, who had received his assignment in haste, had been given only basic information.

'But if this really is true...'

In the rattling carriage, Soltis merely indulged his imagination. What if the young man before him truly had become a Sword Seeker at twenty-eight?

The Empire would be turned upside down.

And they would be summoned.

To assess a talent without precedent.

'Who?'

The Empire's Sword Masters.

The superhuman beings who had reached the pinnacle of the sword.

Of course, nothing of the sort would happen, but Soltis chuckled as he imagined the three Sword Masters gathered in one place. There could be no spectacle to rival it.