I Pull Out Excalibur

4 – The Star’s Sword and the Voice (2)

Who is the most famous Seat?

If someone were to ask, nine out of ten would answer without hesitation: it’s undoubtedly the Sword of Selection.

Then, who is the Seat, the Sword of Selection?

To that question, the majority would say it’s King Arthur, the protagonist of the Arthurian legend, or scholars versed in the empire’s history might identify the foundational King of the present empire.

And the knights who walk the path of swords would respond like this: the Seat, Sword of Selection, is undoubtedly the proudest knight, the greatest swordmaster, and a hero.

Records of the Seat, Sword of Selection, could be found anywhere, regardless of the field. In the empire’s history, in swordsmanship textbooks, in politics and imperial studies, on monuments chronicling the war against demons…

A name that could be found anywhere.

The constellation you see first when you look up at the night sky.

Already renowned among the Seats, King Arthur, had an incident that further elevated his fame. It was an ordeal that the Sword of Selection brought to this land hundreds of years ago.

The Trial of the Star, Selection (選別).

A trial held every 13 years for 13 days.

The target of the trial was all of humanity.

The content of the trial was remarkably simple.

“Draw the sword stuck in the rock.”

No other conditions were imposed.

Many challengers faced the trial.

Genius swordsmen, leaders of swordsmen, heroes recorded in history… countless individuals reached out for the sword stuck in the rock.

So, centuries passed.

Even after several centuries, the sword remained undrawn.

By anyone.

No one was chosen by the sword.

2.

Today, my head feels unusually heavy.

Najin pressed her temples with her thumbs, exhaling heavily. Well, it’s no wonder my head feels burdensome after several nights of restless sleep. Even though days have passed since she witnessed the sword falling in the square, Najin still struggled with insomnia.

Before her, the resplendent radiance of the Holy Sword continued to shimmer.

And in her mind, a single sentence filled her thoughts.

“Draw the sword.”

That sentence wouldn’t leave her mind.

Not only did it refuse to depart, but now it seemed to be expanding into two sentences. After “Draw the sword,” there followed the absurd statement, “You can draw the sword.”

Draw what, anyway?

Even the renowned Sword Master couldn’t draw that sword.

Despite recognizing it as an endless fantasy, the sentence lingered in her mind, rooted deeply as two lines. It felt as if someone had firmly entrenched these lines in her thoughts.

“Sigh…”

Najin, releasing a long sigh, leaned back on the bench.

Seated on a bench on the outskirts of the square, she gazed at the center of the square. Though the square, which should have been bustling with people, was eerily silent, the culprits responsible for this silence stood in the center of the square.

Soldiers sent from the upper district.

Clad in chilly, gleaming armor, they guarded the Holy Sword. Thanks to the cloth they had laid over it, not a single glimmer of starlight emanated from the sword.

“It’s not like it’s getting worn out from being seen…”

Angrily muttering to herself.

Even if she couldn’t see the Holy Sword, couldn’t she at least see the starlight radiating from it? That’s what Najin, who was wandering disappointedly around the square, thought.

It seemed unlikely that she could see the Holy Sword by lingering here. Instead of leaving the square with such thoughts, Najin paused her steps for a moment. Something had entered her field of vision.

Two children huddled in the shadows on the outskirts of the square. Sitting on what could barely be called a makeshift stand, they had arranged various items and were looking around. Suddenly, Najin and the children’s gazes met.

Najin walked towards them.

“What are you selling?”

“Oh, well…”

Squatting in front of the makeshift stand, Najin looked at the items the children had displayed. Pieces of newspaper and miscellaneous items. In response to Najin’s question about what they were selling, the children pointed to the center of the square.

“We picked up things that those people threw away.”

“Don’t point fingers.”

Najin covered the child’s pointing finger with her own palm. Of course, she wasn’t so touchy, but one never knew. If she caught the attention of a dirty-minded soldier, she might end up getting a scolding.

“Well then, I’ll buy this newspaper. How much is it?”

“The tale of two, no, three coins.”

A young boy placed a handful of coins on his outstretched palm. Carefully holding the coins with both hands, he exchanged smiles with the child sitting beside him.

“Quota filled,” a voice declared.

About to take out a few more coins, the boy heard the voice and closed the coin pouch, standing up from his seat. Without delay, he brought a simple meal from a street vendor and set it in front of the children.

“Eat.”

“Thank you so much!”

The children eagerly devoured the food.

They seemed to have been hungry. Jin couldn’t help but smile. It appeared that they lived under the care of ‘parents’ who had set quotas for them. Jin knew well that providing food was better for kids like them than giving a few coins. Money could be taken, but there was no way to force out the already-filled stomachs.

“Reminds me of the old days.”

Until he caught Ivan’s eye, Jin had lived like those kids. Watching the children eat, memories of his past made him furrow his brows momentarily.

Mocking laughter echoed.

Chuckling laughter—it came from the soldiers standing in the center of the square. Pointing fingers, they loudly ridiculed Jin and the children.

“Look at them, picking up what we discarded and selling it… People living in such places are all the same.”

Even though they openly mocked and shouted at Jin and the children, the kids didn’t dare to meet their gaze. Ignoring the jeers, the children averted their eyes.

It’s only temporary, this humiliation.

But broken limbs and arms would last a lifetime.

Jin wasn’t much different from the children. With a short sigh and a click of his tongue, he stood up.

“Be careful not to make eye contact with those people.”

“Yes, Jin hyung!”

“What? You know my name?”

“You’re famous among us as an older brother.”

The child smiled brightly.

“A lot of kids here want to be like you, saving money to buy knives. Some who can run fast even receive training from their fathers with a sword…”

“I want to be like you too, but we’re not fast, so our fathers don’t do that for us,” the child mumbled. Jin remained silent at the sight of the child’s muttering.

What’s the point of being like me? Leading a life where you manipulate people doesn’t seem like a wholesome one…

Jin couldn’t bring himself to say such words.

In the past, when he rummaged through trash bins and ate discarded food, he envied Ivan’s organization members just like these kids do now.

“Getting three square meals a day and sleeping in a bed…”

Certainly, that was enviable.

Najin smiled as she wrote.

“Is that so?”

Najin tousled the child’s hair and took a step forward. As she walked, she unfolded the newspaper. The newspaper was filled with stories about the holy sword embedded in each city and the challengers of the trials.

“The Sword Master of the Empire, Gerd Ijavalde.”

“He has also expressed his intention to challenge the Trial of the Stars this time.”

“This is his fifth challenge in total.”

“On the thirteenth day of the final trial, he is scheduled to challenge it in the Empire’s capital, Camelot.”

The story of the aging Sword Master challenging the trials.

“The Leader of the Swordsmanship, Karan.”

“He shook the sword embedded in the rock.”

“The rumor is circulating that the sword, which shook more violently than thirteen years ago, may be drawn in the next trial.”

The story of Karan, the Leader of Swordsmanship.

“The heir to the Starseed Sect, Yuelrazian.”

“The moment she held the holy sword, the hilt trembled roughly.”

“She failed to draw the sword, but the hilt trembled as if rejecting its owner, which is an exceptional case.”

“In the Starseed Sect, there is dissatisfaction with Yuelrazian’s actions. They criticize her fiercely, saying ‘It is not a sword worthy of a bloodthirsty hunting dog like her.'”

The story of the sect’s assassin.

There were also numerous stories of other challengers written in the newspaper. Reading the brief descriptions of their backgrounds and the depictions at the time they drew their swords, Najin found herself increasingly intrigued.

…I want to challenge as well.

A thought crossed her mind for a moment.

Najin closed her eyes and pressed her temples firmly. She swallowed the thoughts that came to mind, accompanied by words like “if,” “perhaps,” and “maybe.”

Don’t cross the line.

Live as you are given.

Don’t dream beyond your possibilities.

Don’t dare to reach for what you can’t look up to.

Ivan’s warning and advice. Najin mulled over the words that Ivan had often uttered. Yes, reaching for something out of reach only leads to sorrow. The countless people who have fallen in this city serve as evidence of that, don’t they?

“…”

Najin folded the newspaper.

The shimmering brilliance in Najin’s eyes, which had briefly appeared while reading the newspaper, had now returned to its original state. Clouded, gloomy, and indistinct… eyes befitting the underground city of Artman.

Najin took one last look around the square.

Still, the stars were not visible.

3.

Still, the figure of the boy did not appear.

Silence.

Merlin clenched her fist and scratched her head. Her forehead was heavily wrinkled, and the movement of the fingers tapping on her forearm was nervously unmatched.

“Sigh…”

She exhaled an annoyed breath.

For the past few days, Merlin had been tirelessly scouring the land, eyes wide open, searching for the insolent youth who had insulted Arthur. Possessing the ability to see anywhere her starlight reached, Merlin was confident that finding one audacious youth wouldn’t be difficult.

So, she thought until a few days ago.

From the day she suffered a humiliation hot enough to make her neck burn until now, Merlin still hadn’t found the boy. She couldn’t fathom this fact. How on earth?

“Is another Seat hiding him?”

No, if that were the case, it would have been easier to discover. If someone tried to hide something with starlight, only that part of space would appear distorted.

“Is he living where starlight doesn’t reach?”

Camlann, the abyss where stars fall.

Thinking of a few other territories, Merlin let out a bitter laugh. It was impossible for anyone to live in such places. Even the constellations hanging in the night sky crumbled there.

Then why can’t I see him?

Is he hiding in a burrow somewhere?

Merlin pondered a few more territories beyond Camlann, then burst into laughter. Living in such places would be impossible. Even the constellations in the night sky crumbled there.

So why can’t I see him?

Is he hiding in a burrow somewhere?

If he had been digging a burrow for nearly a week, not even showing his face outside, it would be a remarkable feat. Merlin sighed deeply, brushing aside the strands of hair that had fallen over her face.

“Tsk.”

Merlin clicked her tongue.

She felt like she was wasting her mental energy in a strict place where she had plenty of things to worry about. After all, it was absurd for her, a transcendent being who had lived for over a millennium, to be so drawn to the provocation of a mere youth.

Forget it, forget it…

Merlin closed her eyes and took a long breath, repeating the process of inhaling and exhaling. Trying to control her anger in this way didn’t work as expected. The voice of ‘Arthur has ridden the era well, Windy…’ echoed in her ears.

Words that could be overlooked.

Ignore it, and the insult will stop.

Yet, Merlin couldn’t do so because she knew a story similar to the insult the boy casually threw. Merlin mulled over a prophecy that had now become her burden.

“Excalibur will choose a new owner.”

“Even if it takes decades, even centuries.”

“It will selectively choose the substance of a great hero.”

The Prophecy Left by the Betrayer of the Round Table.

“A true hero, different from Arthur, who is a hero created by the age. A presence greater than Arthur.”

“Ah, he is indeed the savior of Britain!”

“He is the true king and leader who will guide us beyond Camlann to the end of the world we have dreamed of!”

“Merlin, the awake blind man! Can you not see this splendid future with your own eyes?”

Merlin’s expression wrinkled as he recalled the prophecy.

There were curious similarities to the boy’s words. Especially the part about Arthur riding the age well. Merlin frowned and clicked his tongue. Riding the age my foot, Arthur had struggled so hard to get to that position.

“Arthur did not ride the age well.”

Merlin muttered.

“He created the flow of the age, you idiots.”

No one had been able to pull out the sword left by Arthur for centuries. That alone proved how great a being Arthur was. Merlin gave a snort and looked down at the earth.

The trials of the stars that were taking place in various places.

Merlin saw the appearance of numerous knights challenging these trials. And none of them were able to pull out the sword and returned.

“See.”

Merlin snorted.

“Who is able to pull out the sword?”

No one could pull out the sword.

Therefore, no one can be greater than Arthur. Therefore, the prophecy of the betrayer and the mockery of the unknown fool are all nonsense.

Merlin exhaled as he organized his thoughts.

He finally felt a little relieved.