I Pull Out Excalibur

17 – Unwanted Light (3)

A proposition and a threat.

Ivan looked at his old senior.

Once on the same battlefield, now a knight who betrayed Atanga and heeded the will of the gods. He wanted to scream at someone who had forsaken both honor and pride to dare speak Atanga’s name, but Ivan knew he couldn’t.

He wasn’t an Atanga knight himself.

He had lost that honor ten years ago.

“The esteemed one wants this dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible. Other Orders might not have noticed yet, but… that won’t last forever.”

Whether Beryl understood Ivan’s sentiments or not, he continued speaking.

“It’s urgent, Ivan.”

He spread three fingers before Ivan.

“I’ll give you three days. Within that time, bring him alive or dead before me.”

“Beryl, sir.”

Ivan, who had been silent, finally spoke.

Kneeling or having an outward eye, Ivan’s eyes were clearly filled with anger.

“Isn’t the Order where the stars are revered?”

“You’ve never given me a chance to ask.”

“The doctrine of the sect is not to respect and also protect the will of the great star…”

Ivan’s words did not reach an end.

Because Vero slapped Ivan’s chin.

With a thud, Ivan’s head turned.

“Hey, Ivan.”

Vero gripped Ivan’s hair.

“Am I being ridiculous for showing consideration for the past? Asking the knight of the sect about the will of the stars as a sinner who insulted the will of the stars? Wake up, my friend.”

Frustrated, Vero wiped my face with his hand.

“Understand the subject. It will be difficult if I trample on the favor I gave you like this.”

“…I misspoke.”

“That’s right. Now we are on the same page.”

Ivan lowered his head.

Vero looked down at Ivan, his head held high.

“No sovereign could grasp this situation. Even the ‘lighthouse that illuminates everything,’ the divine being of the Celestial Order, did not understand the current situation.”

Do you not understand what this means?

Asking so, Vero continued speaking.

“This means a clear mistake. If the lighthouse did not realize it, it means it should not have happened. When something that should not have happened happens, it is the loyalty that the sect dedicates to making that thing non-existent.”

To consider all stars noble and sacred is the virtue of the sect that reveres the stars. Yet even within that, there are clearly defined priorities.

The sovereign, the lighthouse that illuminates everything.

Vero fastened the armor engraved with the constellation of the divine being of the Celestial Order.

“I won’t say it twice, Ivan.”

Vero stared at Ivan.

“I swear on my loyalty to the great lighthouse. The proposal I made to you here will be honored. This is not just a personal proposal from Vero, but a proposal from Vero, the knight of the Celestial Order.”

A knight who has chosen god over honor and pride.

Vero pledged his loyalty to his god. It was the heaviest oath Vero could make. Ivan knew that if he refused, he would be beheaded immediately.

“I am grateful for the overflowing opportunity and will do my best.”

Ivan bowed his head.

His lowered forehead did not touch the ground. It was Ivan’s last bit of dignity, but Vero pressed his hand on the back of Ivan’s head.

“This is how you express gratitude.”

Ivan’s forehead touched the ground.

Vero whispered in his ear.

“Move immediately. Before my patience runs out.”

* * *

Ivan, who had exited outside, lit a cigarette. He ignited the tobacco and took a deep breath. Ivan’s expression, as he expelled thick smoke, was stiff and rigid.

“To assist you as a knight of the Order.”

“Meaning to help you regain the honor you lost.”

A proposition presented by Berullo, a knight of the Order.

Of course, Ivan knew. That regaining honor as a knight couldn’t be accomplished by such means. It could only be attained in the muddy pool of scheming and calculation, where gains and losses intertwine, tainted with dirty power.

That’s not what he desires. The honor obtained in such a way is worthless to Ivan.

However, the reason Ivan couldn’t refuse Berullo’s proposition was because of the natural desire that anyone would possess as a human being. The desire for life. Unlike Offen, Ivan still had lingering attachments to his own life.

“I can’t die yet. I want to live more.”

In a subterranean city untouched by starlight.

As a penniless knight who had lost both his eye and honor, Ivan didn’t want to face death. If he survives, someday another opportunity might come. Ivan thought so and spoke.

Najin must be killed.

He must kill Najin in order to survive.

Under that simple and clear proposition, Ivan lit a cigarette. In the dim light of the ore lamp, Ivan’s pupils became cloudy.

“Huuu…”

As a knight, he questioned himself.

Does the wretched life have any meaning?

To that question, Ivan answered.

Even so, he still wants to live.

Every person’s own life takes precedence. Under the impending death, a human being can become selfish and cruel to any extent. Ivan is no exception.

It’s the same.

Yet, Ivan couldn’t take a step forward right away. He locked eyes with Offen as they emerged from the alley, even suspecting that Offen had helped Najin, but Ivan didn’t immediately move.

Just a little more.

Just a little more.

Ivan pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. He spewed smoke until the cigarette was completely burned.

2.

Hunting dog of the Order, Amboo.

The people there may not have become knights, but they were close in proximity. They may not be able to wield a sword, but when it came to manipulating mana, they were no less than knights. Rather than knights, they were closer to Rangers.

Ambush, covert operation, pursuit, assassination.

These were the dirty tasks that the covert agency specialized in. The ones who had sworn an oath of silence to ensure that this mission would not be leaked out scattered to track the boy.

The boy who had drawn his sword had escaped a day ago.

Not knowing the terrain of the underground city and taking a day to catch up was a significant gap… But those who belonged to the covert agency didn’t consider such things as limitations. Wasn’t he just a boy from the back streets who hadn’t received proper training?

Although he had the special ability to draw out the Holy Sword.

To put it another way, that was all.

Rather, if the boy used the Holy Sword when they met, it would all be over. The moment they discovered the burst of light, all the members of the covert agency who were scattered would gather there. So, provoke an encounter and start a battle.

Based on this judgment, the pursuers acted alone.

“······.”

As one of the pursuers moved along the narrow alleyway, effectively concealing their presence, he opened his eyes narrowly. He could sense a presence from deep inside. Following that presence, he slowly took steps.

There were clear footprints on the ground.

The footprints were of a size that could have been left by the boy.

The pursuer who followed the footprints tensed up at the sound of footsteps echoing through the alley. Could he have sensed the pursuit? He kicked the ground and rushed toward the source of the sound.

However, all that was waiting for him when he arrived at the spot he rushed to was an ownerless pair of shoes. Shoes that seemed to have been thrown from above to below. Only then did the pursuer realize the true identity of the sound that had echoed a moment ago.

The shoes were a decoy.

What they were targeting was their own lives.

The pursuer quickly drew his sword and swung it upwards. It was a response made possible because of his alertness. With a clang sound, the sound of metal hitting metal resounded through the air.

Najin, who had leaped down from above and attacked the pursuer, landed on the ground as if slipping.

In the darkness that covered the alleyway, the boy’s glowing crimson eyes flickered softly. The pursuer, feeling a sense of dread, raised his mana and sharpened his senses. At that moment, the eyes that shone in the darkness trembled.

Thud!

With the sound of kicking the ground, the boy’s figure disappeared in an instant. A flashing blade in the darkness flew straight towards the pursuer’s throat. With a clang sound, he narrowly managed to deflect the sword and distanced himself from the pursuer.

“It may not be fast, but it’s threatening.”

He wasn’t skilled in cutting down people one by one.

He didn’t have the exceptional speed of those who manipulate mana, but it was bothersome. His skill of digging into the corners of his vision was quite considerable.

…Tsk.

With a click of his tongue, the pursuer closed the distance towards the boy this time. Deliberately creating a large arc with his sword, he forced the boy to back away, then he threw a throwing knife from his sleeve.

The throwing knife was black.

For those not familiar with seeing in the darkness, it was a stealth weapon that was even difficult to see with the naked eye. The future of piercing the boy’s throat as he retreated was being drawn in his eyes, but…

Snap.

Najin caught the falling memories with her hand.

Having lived her whole life in a dark underground city, Najin was naturally accustomed to the darkness. Throwing the caught memories towards the pursuer, Najin pounded the ground.

“Hide your power.”

“At the necessary moment, just move quickly for a moment.”

“That creates complacency and vulnerability.”

The flow settled into the boy’s body.

For a moment, the boy’s body accelerated.

When the startled pursuer tried to fend off the memories, Najin was already digging into the pursuer’s face. The pursuer’s reaction was delayed due to the unexpected speed, and Najin did not miss that opportunity.

Slice.

The pursuer’s arm was severed. As he opened his eyes and attempted to swing his remaining arm with his sword, Najin’s grip clutched the pursuer’s wrist.

Once you gain momentum, don’t let go.

Following Ivan’s teaching, Najin held onto the pursuer’s wrist and pulled. By pulling, she disrupted his stance and swung the sword to his throat. That was the end. Najin dragged the lifeless body of the fallen pursuer in the opposite direction of where she was going.

These were the things she learned from the mercenary, Open.

The lesson that bloodstains make for good bait.

Najin utilized everything she had learned and continued her steps. There were quite a few pursuers chasing after her, and Najin immediately sensed the danger of heading straight towards her destination.

“… If they find out my destination.”

They will swarm in.

So, for now, let’s pretend to wander aimlessly. Like someone hiding here and there without a specific destination. To do that, Najin needed to capture and kill one more pursuer.

She had to make quick judgments.

Her movements had to be faster.

With a sense of walking a tightrope, Najin ran through the alleyway. Not even a single mistake could be tolerated. That was the teaching passed down by Open and Ivan.

“Found you.”

Najin spotted the pursuer who was nearby.

The distance between the pursuers and the pursued was constant. They maintained a certain distance, constantly alternating between getting farther and closer. Confirming that, Najin waited for the moment when the distance was sufficient.

The pursuers of the Amboo Clan may have thought of themselves as hunters chasing after their prey, but in reality, it was the opposite.

The boy was hunting the pursuers.

3.

“… Four of them were taken down?”

Around a day had passed since the boy escaped, and when Berilo heard the report, he furrowed his brow. The confirmed number was four, but the report from the Amboo Clan that more could be added was surprising to Berilo.

Although he did not become a knight, the pursuers from the Amboo Clan were by no means easy opponents.

At the very least, a boy who hasn’t received a proper education in this underground city is not a match for anyone worth facing. Though aware that the boy, known as Ivan’s hunting dog, has been entrusted with the organization’s crucial tasks, it was strange.

This went beyond being skilled at killing.

Familiarity with the terrain, the element of surprise—perhaps one could attribute killing one or two to luck. However, taking down four was not something to dismiss as mere chance.

Moreover, from the location where the bodies of the Amazons were found, it was evident that the boy didn’t just flee from pursuers but actively sought them out and killed them.

“This crazy kid is something else.”

Being hunted and hunting the pursuers?

In disbelief, Vero burst into a bitter laugh. Just because he drew Excalibur, he thought there must be some talent, but it wasn’t at the level of mere talent.

It’s getting a bit clearer.

He transcended the realm of a youth swayed by talent.

Originally, he thought that when the distance was sufficiently narrowed or when the boy drew Excalibur, he would move after seeing its light. But now, it seemed he would have to make a move himself. Vero, rising from his seat, questioned his subordinate.

“Ivan?”

“He’s moving alone. Oh, and…”

He pointed to the door.

“There’s someone who wants to meet Vero Kyung. Introducing himself as a mercenary, he says he’ll help if you pay a reasonable price.”

“A mercenary?”

“Yes, it seems he was the leader of a mercenary group before landing here.”

Mercenary, a mercenary.

A blade more manageable than anything else to wield, moving with money and power. Vero rubbed his chin.

“Let him in.”

Soon, the door opened.

In came a man reeking of alcohol. A seemingly carefree guy bowed towards Vero.

“I’m a mercenary, Offen.”

If you have any orders, please let me know.