The blood of the Idler flows through everyone who bears the name 「Rhapsody」—the blood of their founding ancestor, the Lazy Idler.

And the Idler’s blood brings endless drowsiness. No amount of sound sleep can dispel it. Because of this, his descendants live their lives in a perpetual haze. They cannot fully savor even the finest delicacies, nor feel a thrill when they hold a beautiful woman in their arms. Neither riches in their hands nor worldwide renown can banish their sleepiness.

Only one moment frees the Idler’s descendants from this curse-like drowsiness: the moment they wield a sword. Only when they face a worthy opponent and gasp for breath do they finally feel alive. Only with a blade at their throat can they see the world clearly. Only when blood flies do their hearts pound.

“Never seen anything like this?”

The Idler’s blood flowed through Toma Rhapsody as well. That was why he welcomed this moment, when his drowsiness had lifted, however briefly. It was a liberation he could never experience in the free cities, where everyone treated him with such caution. This freedom, like soaring through the sky, was utterly exhilarating.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“...”

“I could show you more, if you want. Try that strange thrust again. I’ll show you as many times as you like. If you want, I could keep showing you all day without a break...”

So Toma Rhapsody wished this moment would never end. He wanted the fighter before him to keep waking him up. His heart pounding, he saw the fighter twitch into motion. Toma’s eyes narrowed. What would it be this time?

A thrust? Or a slash?

Either would do. Better still if it was some wondrous attack unlike anything the fighter had shown so far. He would not mind even a mortal wound. How much more awake would he feel with his blood flowing? A magnificent wound deep enough to pierce his entrails would be even better. Perhaps that wretched drowsiness would disappear altogether...

“Come on, hurry—”

But.

“...?”

The fighter did not do what Toma Rhapsody expected.

THWACK

The fighter kicked the dirt. Dust billowed up, briefly obscuring Toma’s view, and in that instant the fighter turned and fled. Far, far away.

Toma stood blankly for a moment, then glared at the receding fighter and gave chase. Yes, a game of tag wasn’t so bad either. Perhaps his opponent needed time to think. Toma could understand that.

As he moved, reassuring himself of this, he sensed someone nearby.

“You bastard, what makes you think you can walk around so openly—”

CRASH

The wall of an old building shattered. A black-clad fighter ambushed him from within. Toma Rhapsody, who had been humming happily a moment before, grimaced.

‘Worthless fighter...’

Without so much as looking at his attacker, Toma thrust his sword. Through its tip, he felt flesh and bone give way. A life crumbled without even a dying scream. He resumed walking without looking back. The elation he had felt a moment ago was slowly subsiding. Languor filled the space where pleasure had been. His eyelids began to grow heavy.

All because he had faced a worthless fighter.

The feeling of soaring elation giving way to a sudden plunge in spirits was unbearably unpleasant. Suppressing his mounting irritation, Toma pursued the fighter who had fled. To drive away his drowsiness again. To experience the world in all its clarity.

But the area he thought he had cleared was still crawling with worthless men. Dull, sleep-inducing, uninteresting things. Abominable things that made him sleepy. Insects who could not give him the slightest pleasure. Toma Rhapsody bit his lip and raised his sword.

Every thrust silently extinguished at least one life. Even as he carried out this one-sided slaughter, Toma had to yawn so widely his mouth might split. These men could not satisfy him. Never.

* * *

The sky is growing darker. Black clouds veil it.

As evening approached, the circular arena was eerily quiet. Neither human voices nor the chirping of insects could be heard in the artificial city. Amid the unpleasant silence, Liam spoke.

「Do you intend to flee beyond the fence?」

“... I’m not fleeing. I’m charging to the rear.”

「That is not even funny.」

Watching Liam shake his head, I spoke. The sight of him clicking his tongue made anger flare inside me before I knew it.

“What else am I supposed to do? Not one of my weapons works on him.”

「You seem resentful.」

“Of course I am. You told me no one could obstruct the path of steel, the line, Master. But what happened back there? Didn’t he bend it with ridiculous ease?”

The scene kept replaying in my mind.

The line.

That violent power only a Caravan could trace had been bent head-on by his sword. Nothing like it had ever happened before. No one had been able to do it. Not even that knight, a 「sword runner」. And yet, yet this bastard had done it so easily—

「I have never lied or boasted. No one can obstruct the path of steel, young descendant.」

“Then...”

「If it is a complete path of steel.」

Liam looked at me.

「Did you think such an incomplete, clumsy line would work even against a descendant of the Great Families? Against a descendant of the Lazy Idler, whose swift sword is called the finest among all five families, no less?」

“...”

「Do not sulk, young descendant.」

Liam was right.

I was sulking.

「It is a miracle that you defeated the enemies you have faced thus far. You know that yourself, do you not? Steel is not to blame. Its wielder was simply inadequate.」

“...”

「Do not waver. Do not doubt the wrong thing. Doubt what deserves doubt, and face the truth firmly, without wavering. Like steel.」

The gap between that fighter and me was far too wide. I had not a single advantage over him. Not in technique, attainment, strength, or speed. And now I could no longer overwhelm him with the special power of the blood in my veins. Just as the blood of steel flowed through me, the blood of a Great Family flowed through him.

So what stood before me was a wall.

「Does it fill you with despair?」

An insurmountable wall.

「It may well do so. Since ancient times, the five families have been walls of despair to swordsmen. Born with the talent to reach the pinnacle, blessed with a selfish bloodline that lets them surpass in an instant those who have devoted their entire lives to the effort.」

“...”

「In others’ eyes, you would be one of them. The power to devour swords and instantly master another’s achievements. What an extraordinary power that is.」

Liam looked at me.

「Young descendant.」

“Yes.”

「What do you think would have happened if the blood of steel did not flow through you?」

That question hurt quite deeply.

“... I would have died an insignificant boy.”

Without the power to devour swords, I would have been nothing. A 「sword walker」? No. An untalented fool like me could never even have dreamed of becoming a 「sword beginner」. I would have spent my life swinging a meaningless sword and died in despair, feeling my helplessness in my very bones.

My hands trembled.

Master was reminding me just how insignificant I was. Yes. Everything I had built was thanks to the blood of steel. If that blood had flowed through Seolyun instead of a little boy like me, she might already have changed the world. She would have become someone greater, more splendid, far more formidable. No, I didn’t even need to go as far as Seolyun. If this blood had flowed through Petel—

「No.」

“...?”

「Did I not tell you? Your true talent lies elsewhere.」

As I reproached myself, Liam shook his head.

「You have no talent for the sword. A hopeless dullard with no coordination, a terribly weak body that has only now reached the level of an ordinary swordsman despite consuming an orc’s sword. You have no spiritual talent whatsoever, and without the heart of steel, even your ability to wield Mana would have been exceedingly weak.」

“Then, after all—”

「But.」

Liam grinned.

「You have the talent to become a hero.」

At that moment, I felt a murderous aura from beyond. It was a terrifying presence, as though needles were stabbing at the entire circular arena. I knew without looking. He had already followed me here.

「Even if the blood of steel had not flowed through you, you would have become great someday. Even if you had lived as an ordinary person who did not know how to wield a sword, you would have become a hero someday. Someday, you would have become a flame that kindled the hearts of countless people.」

“...”

「That is destiny.」

My body still trembled.

「Even if you had been merely Arhan, not a Caravan, you would have become great.」

“...”

「I swear it upon my heart, the path I have walked, my wings, the armor that protects me, and the sword forged in my soul, young descendant.」

Liam’s words set my heart pounding. Its beats grew faster and faster. Strangely, my tension slowly ebbed.

「I ask you again. Do you despair?」

“No.”

「Then?」

My mind settled into a cool calm.

“I want to win. What must I do, Master?”

「As I told you before, there is no prescribed method.」

“I know. There is only one thing I ask you to teach me. How can I leave even a wound on him?”

Liam grinned at my words.

「There is a saying that only a swordmaster can kill a swordmaster.」

“...”

「There is another, similar saying.」

His smile looked satisfied.

「Only a Great Family can contend with a Great Family’s sword.」

“...”

「That saying is somewhat exaggerated. The swordsmanship of the Great Families is certainly overwhelmingly superior to other styles. But there is no shortage of excellent swordsmanship that rivals it. Besides, what matters in a sword is not mere technique, but the soul and will it holds.」

I let out a breath.

「Of course, even so, all the swords you possess now are far too inferior compared with Rhapsody’s. They suit you perfectly, and they suit your level... but they are still far too crude to defeat the Idler’s sword.」

My heart beat steadily, pounding.

「Such is your unfortunate predicament. Will you therefore flee again?」

“No. Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t fleeing in the first place, but charging to the rear?”

「You are an amusing fellow.」

“I’m not joking.”

That immense presence was drawing closer.

“I needed a chance to see even a little more of the technique he used to bend my line. And I needed time to understand the bizarre thing that happened to me. So I hid in the dark, even using the other fighters who would attack him as bait while he pursued me.”

「And were the results satisfactory?」

“No. I still don’t understand what trick he used, and I never got a chance to see more of that wondrous sword.”

「And yet you have not despaired?」

“No. I will fight to the end.”

He was far too formidable an opponent for me.

But I could not flee. Even if this trial was beyond what I could bear, I had to face it head-on. That course had been set from the first moment I chose to take up a sword. Even if this trial broke me and crushed me, I could not retreat. Just as my father had lost his sanity and confronted the swordmaster Carlos. Even if I had to become La Mancha, that utterly bizarre knight from the chivalric novel my father had fallen into, I had to fight.

If I crumbled here, I would never be able to face the mighty enemies awaiting me later. This was only the beginning. The enemies I would have to fight would be stronger, more hopeless, and more unreasonable than this. This world, gone so terribly wrong, had already thought nothing of taking away an innocent boy’s family, home, and neighbors. To impose my standards on the world, I had to become strong. To face the world, I could not let some idler like him bar my way.

“I bought time by running back. But I gained nothing. There is still nothing I cannot understand. Frankly, I haven’t the slightest idea how to win. But one thing is certain. If I run away from him for good, even if I survive, I’ll never be able to take up a sword again. Never.”

「...」

“It isn’t a question of whether I can win. I have to win. To keep moving forward. To reach higher.”

My breathing steadied.

The sound of blades rang out in the murky darkness. It seemed the fighters hiding here and there had ambushed him. But as expected, their ambush was meaningless. There were no more than two strokes. Without even a dying scream, something fell.

THUD

「Excellent.」

The thick smell of blood drifted through the air.

「I will say it again. Only the sword of another Great Family can contend with a Great Family’s sword. Or swordsmanship great enough to rival it is needed to compete.」

The smell of death.

「But all the swords you possess are utterly crude. The blade of a woman who worked as a mercenary, the lowly blade wielded by a nameless assassin, the blade of a third-rate knight, the blade an uneducated orc swung about at random... Such things can never contend with a great sword.」

“...”

「Yet do you not have this great master?」

Liam’s voice rang out amid that piercing presence.

「Young descendant, kindle Lantern. Set your heart ablaze.」

“...”

「And take flight, if only for an instant.」

I understood what Liam meant.

He wanted me to use the limit-transcending arcane power of 「Lantern」 to become a 「sword runner」, if only for an instant. But doubts rose at the same time. What purpose would that serve? He, too, was a swordsman who had reached sword runner. His attainment and skill were so extraordinary that he could slaughter an ordinary sword runner in an instant. Even if I surpassed my limits and briefly became an incomplete sword runner, could I truly contend with him...?

「An instant will suffice.」

“...”

「For that is the minimum requirement to wield steel.」

Master’s next words dispelled my doubts.

「I told you. Only a Great Family’s sword can contend with a Great Family’s sword.」

THUMP

A heavy heartbeat resounds.

「It is a little early, but I shall teach you a fragment of swordsmanship.」

That resounding heartbeat begins in my chest and reverberates from my head to the tips of my toes.

「Now forgotten and vanished, it once stood at the summit of the five families. The greatest sword on this continent, admired and feared by all.」

With it, searing heat seized my entire body.

「The sword of Caravan.」

As my whole body felt as though it would melt, Master’s words marked the beginning of 「Lantern」’s complete digestion. My heart, hot as a ball of fire, pounded, and a voice echoed in my mind.

『From crumbled ashes, the phoenix is born.』

A voice both sorrowful and beautiful.

『Even if I die, even if my descendants die, even if my stars die, we shall not disappear.』

A voice like flame.

『Even when we die, our dream will not vanish. It will endure.』

『Even when day comes, the stars do not disappear.』

A voice so hot it seemed it would fill the world.

『How happy was the age when we could gaze at the starry heavens and read the map of the path we could—and must—walk?』

I opened my eyes.

『And how happy was the age when that starlight illuminated the path so clearly?』

In my hand, I held a flame.