“M-master, Jerry Selpit was a mage through and through. Though he was a terrible person.”

“...”

“M-mages are petty and never forget a grudge, but they never forget a kindness either. You can see that from how he kept me alive, even while dragging me all this way.”

“What am I supposed to do about that?” I asked Haylin as she spoke pitifully.

What was she suddenly getting at? Was she praising the dead dark mage? Had traveling with him made her grow attached despite her hatred?

As I gave Haylin a strange look, she slowly raised her hand.

“Jerry Selpit taught me magic when he took me in as his servant.”

At the same time, I saw grotesque creatures approaching from far away. Enormous creatures, dozens of them even by a rough count.

“I-if you let me stay here, I’ll make myself useful as a mage. Please accept me as a resident.”

The golems were moving in time with Haylin’s gestures.

“W-what do you think?”

I could see her eyes trembling. I met her gaze for a moment, then grinned.

“Welcome to the village.”

And so, a mage who knew nothing of the world became our estate’s newest neighbor.

* * *

Haylin, a curious girl who had lived a harsh life as a dark mage’s servant, joined us as a new neighbor. I had also been willing to let her go free if that was what she wanted. With Jerry Selpit dead, there was no reason to harm her.

But Haylin herself wanted to become a resident of this village.

There were a few things I wondered about.

“Why did you decide to stay here when you have magical abilities?”

So I asked her frankly, without hiding my doubts.

With a mage’s abilities, living in wealth and comfort in the Iron Kingdom would be no difficult matter. Now that no dark mage remained to hold the little girl in his grasp, her life would surely be far happier.

Yet Haylin had chosen to stay here. Her answer to my question was simple.

“If I used this magic out there, I’d die.”

The magic Haylin used was not ordinary. Most of Jerry Selpit’s teachings had been forbidden, and an ominous quality seeped from her magic. If she kept using it in a city, the moment she was caught, the Heavenly Empire’s mages would come after her.

And no being on this continent could evade the Heavenly Empire’s eyes forever. They might escape for a time, but eventually they would face heaven’s judgment. That was why the empire was called the 「Heavenly Empire」.

“B-besides, there’s so much I don’t know. I’m scared to wander the Iron Kingdom alone, and I’m too young to really know how to live on my own.”

The other reason Haylin offered was convincing enough, too. She had been a naive young girl before a dark mage captured her and dragged her through life like a slave. She still did not know how to stand on her own.

“And I like this village because it reminds me of home...”

Children are easily influenced by their surroundings. After living at someone else’s direction for so long, the girl had inevitably become dependent. On top of that, the familiar warmth of our estate’s scenery stirred her trauma. Finally, rather than gamble on an uncertain future, Haylin had chosen to rely on us, finding security in the people who had killed her tormentor and freed her.

That was the objective conclusion my Suspicion reached.

If I simply listed the facts, the situation was favorable. A mage was valuable skilled labor, regardless of their level.

I had acquired a mage with plenty of room to grow. Moreover, she was young and lacked a firm will of her own, so she would faithfully follow my instructions. A traumatized little girl would not easily betray me or leave, either...

「Things have worked out well for you, young descendant.」

Yes, as Liam said, the situation was favorable.

“Yes.”

But though I was full of suspicion, I was not purely cold and rational. What pleased me most about accepting Haylin as a new neighbor was something else entirely.

“Our estate is a lovely place to live. Above all, the scenery is spectacular. If you appreciate that, you have more than enough potential to be our neighbor.”

「...」

Our estate really was magnificent. What a splendid child, to recognize its magnificence.

“When Seolyun arrived in this village, she said it looked like a nice place to live, but that there was nothing here. Yet our estate has quite a lot to boast about. Hahaha.”

「You petty brat. You remember every last word.」

“I’ll remember them for the rest of my life.”

「You hold a grudge as well as any mage, young descendant.」

Master had offered me kind words again today.

“Thank you for the compliment. Hahaha.”

「Hahahaha.」

With Haylin now my new neighbor, the estate’s landscape gradually began to change.

“Y-you said these wardstones came from a high-level orc shaman, right? You can’t arrange them like this. They won’t work properly. This one needs to go to the west—”

For a start, the estate became much safer.

Mages were masters of defense. They were difficult opponents to begin with, but once they settled somewhere and made it their home, they could mount more fearsome defenses than anyone. Haylin installed magical formulas throughout the estate, however clumsily, and rearranged the orc elder’s wardstones.

She also stationed several golems around the estate like guards. The inanimate beings needed no sleep and kept watch without changing shifts.

“I’ll put the remaining golems to work repairing the estate’s old houses or farming. While looking around, I noticed quite a lot of fertile land lying unused.”

At the same time, our stagnant estate slowly began to come back to life. Whether Haylin was trying to prove her worth or simply diligent by nature, she worked quite hard. Thanks to her, I could see vitality returning to the estate for the first time in ages.

“...”

It stirred something in me. For the first time in a long while, I remembered the old days I missed.

The view that had unfolded below this manor, the highest point on the estate. The days when everyone worked together to lead simple lives, never grand but content. Feeding grass to the livestock, milking the cows, sharing milk and meat. The nights when we held feasts on the kingdom’s holidays, drinking, dancing, and enjoying ourselves together.

[“Arhan, come here! Your father has a wonderful story to tell you.”]

Memories of those days came to me unbidden. The shirt of Father’s I wore seemed to carry their scent.

The absurd stories I had listened to while leaning into Father’s arms before a warm campfire. Father laughing like a boy, and Mother giggling with delight. The barbecue that released a delicious burst of juices when I tore off a handful, and the stew kind Mrs. Herpe had made. The steward who brought me a blanket when I began nodding off, and the fireflies that gently settled on my cheeks...

“Little Gladiator.”

But those days would never return. Time gone by could not be brought back.

“All the urgent business is finished now, right?”

I closed my eyes once and opened them again, and the wavering scene vanished. In its place, I saw the empty village and Haylin busily moving about. Instead of the people I missed, I saw Seolyun tilting her head, her face expressionless.

“I want to know how much stronger you’ve become. Cross swords with me.”

Yes. A brief moment was always enough to spend lost in memories. In the end, what I had to do was already decided.

“Very well.”

Move forward.

Higher, ever higher.

* * *

Quite some time passed after Haylin became our new neighbor. While she worked diligently as a member of the village, I did not idle either. My days consisted mostly of training and sparring.

“That’s tricky to deal with.”

Even after gaining a powerful physique, I did not stop my daily training. Liam said that if I put down my sword for even a single day, my body would grow stiff. I took Master’s advice to heart.

“There’s a different weight behind your blade when our swords meet. You’re not easy to handle now, even without that bizarre technique.”

Once my training was finished, I spent my remaining time crossing swords with Seolyun. She was a good sparring partner and sometimes became my teacher as well. As I was always reminded, she was a genius.

Her perspective on swordsmanship differed from mine. That often proved helpful.

“I hope I can beat you through pure skill someday.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

As I repeated that routine, my swordsmanship grew steadily more consistent. I adapted to my rapidly grown body, learned how to use 「Wildness」 against fellow swordsmen, and picked up various little tricks.

“Little Gladiator, you certainly improve quickly, but you still fight like a novice.”

I sparred with Seolyun many times. Those bouts took several forms: full-combat sparring with real swords, using everything at our disposal; practice bouts with wooden swords, exchanging techniques; and instructional bouts in which one of us accommodated the other to help develop a technique.

I never once defeated Seolyun in our practice bouts with wooden swords. Her talent and technical mastery were incomparably greater than mine. In full-combat sparring, however, I won more often.

The line contained within the blood of steel was practically cheating, and consuming 「Wildness」 had widened the physical gap between us.

One day, Seolyun said this:

“You have a talent for down-and-dirty brawls.”

“Down-and-dirty brawls?”

“You’re like a different person when we exchange techniques and fight by the rules compared with when we don’t.”

“...”

“In a desperate fight where we both have to throw everything we have at each other, you become insanely strong.”

I knew that myself. Brushing the dirt off her body, Seolyun said,

“Let’s spar again.”

“Very well.”

As time passed, I was steadily growing stronger. Seolyun’s swordsmanship, too, grew sharper by the day.

How much time had passed like that?

「Young descendant.」

Liam spoke to me out of the blue.

「Isn’t it about time you reached greater heights?」

“Greater heights?”

「Wings.」

Liam uttered that brief yet powerful word.

「How long do you intend to keep running? You must soar up above.」

Those words were enough to seize my attention completely. Liam grinned after saying them. Then he repeated the words he always said.

「The time has come to consume a new sword, young descendant.」

* * *

Late that night, long after sunset, Liam chased away every trace of my sleepiness.

「The blood of steel flows through our bodies. And within the blood of steel dwells Mana like steel itself. To become a sword beginner, you forged a heart of steel. A heart so hard that no collision could leave even a scratch.」

“Yes, I remember.”

「And what happened after you became a sword walker? You traced a line. A path of steel unlike anyone else’s, which no one could obstruct.」

As Liam said, what I had gained upon reaching each rank was far from ordinary. The quality of ‘steel’ passed down in Caravan blood granted various unique powers.

「It will be the same this time.」

“...”

「And far more dramatic than before.」

As I always said, Master never lied about swords.

「For the blood of steel flowing through our bodies only reveals its true power once wings sprout.」

Naturally, this time would be no exception.

「But the greater the reward, the harsher the road to it.」

“When has it ever been easy?”

「True enough. But from this point onward, it will be incomparably harder than before.」

Liam looked down at me. His gaze was colder than usual. Like steel.

「Do you know? The rank of sword runner is a wall that brings countless swordsmen to despair. This is where the true realm of talent begins. That is the weight carried by the word ‘wings.’ Ordinary mortals whom the gods have not chosen cannot take flight, even if they devote their entire lives to it.」

Liam’s words were not unfamiliar. I knew a knight who had devoted his entire life to that pursuit, only to despair before that wall. My kind neighbor, who had become a part of me, and who had never risen beyond 「sword walker」 even at the moment of his death. Twilight’s former owner.

Petel.

“I know.”

Having glimpsed his memories, I understood Liam’s words. Having devoured that despairing knight’s life and final moments, I could answer.

After hearing my reply, Liam remained silent for a moment before speaking.

「For us Caravans, taking flight is even harder. The blood of steel flowing through our bodies never grants power without hardship. Your suffering will be incomparable to that of ordinary swordsmen.」

“That’s all right.”

「I warn you. It will be a truly horrific ordeal. Even your strength of will will struggle to endure it. You will want desperately to give up, and you will regret ever taking up a sword.」

“Perhaps I will. But that’s all right.”

Master did not lie about swords. Nor had he ever given me such a chilling warning.

The one standing before me now was not the friendly master with whom I traded jokes, but my distant ancestor, the great swordmaster Liam Caravan. His warning, cold as a blade, inspired fear.

I was tense. Afraid, because I did not know what would happen.

But I could not retreat. Even afraid, I had to move forward.

“Even if I desperately want to give up, even if I bitterly regret embarking on my revenge, I will never let go of my sword until the end. Even if I cannot take flight, I will die with a sword in my hand.”

That was the Caravan way I had learned thus far,

“There is no paradise where you flee, is there?”

and the orc way I had learned through 「Wildness」.

“I must become a swordmaster.”

「...」

“Because only a swordmaster can kill another swordmaster.”

Arhan Caravan.

That was my way.

「I like that, young descendant.」

Liam, who had fallen still for a moment at my words, nodded.

「Very well.」

Then:

「You must now devour three swords.」

And so, my new goal was laid before me.

「Those three blades will be quite different from anything you have consumed so far.」

“...”

「You had best keep your wits about you.」

This time, Master spoke seriously, without a hint of jest.

「From now on, if you falter even once, the sword will devour you instead.」

* * *

Dawn broke the next day. I finished preparing to leave.

My next destination was Perma, the steel city.

In other words, the 「Arena」.