I Pull Out Excalibur

7 – Prelude to the Civil War (3)

Ivan’s office.

Najin sat on a luxurious sofa that didn’t quite fit the underground city, waiting for Ivan. About an hour later, Ivan opened the door and entered the office.

“Ha, this guy is amusing.”

Laughing for some reason, Ivan wiped the blood on his face and forearm with a towel soaked in water. It wasn’t Ivan’s blood, but splattered blood. Najin examined the towel turning a deep crimson.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah. It opened quickly. Looks like you really killed his spirit with your technique. I only pulled out one or two, and he vomited right away.”

Ivan threw something repeatedly, catching it each time.

Upon closer inspection, they were human teeth. It wasn’t difficult to guess whose teeth they were.

“Anyway, a commendable guy. Where did you find such a guy? Really impressive. I’ve been irritated lately with the lower guys’ work being unsatisfactory.”

“I really like it.”

Ivan, who was grumbling, plopped down onto the chair.

“So, was it worth fighting? Is this your first time fighting with someone who handles mana?”

“It’s not the first time. I’ve sparred with Ivan a few times.”

“Hey, that was just training.”

Wasn’t it training that you kept losing until you were on the brink of death?

While pondering the definition of education in his mind, Najin heard Ivan ask again.

“Injuries?”

“My arm is a bit sore from dragging it around, but other than that, nothing.”

“Heh. So, a guy who can’t handle mana catches a guy who can handle mana without a scratch? You’re really something.”

Even though Ivan muttered like that, there was no surprise in his expression. It seemed like he had already anticipated it to some extent. Looking at Ivan’s expression, Najin thought,

Why did I confidently challenge a high-ranking officer without hesitation?

“How far do you think you can go against me?”

“Well, for now, I don’t think I can match up to you and the Spider Guy… I guess.”

Ivan had said something like that before.

“If you exclude Horace, you can take on anyone, right?”

“There are a few bastards in charge even there. Probably, if you fight one-on-one, you’ll win.”

“Under the condition that you don’t fight in their territory.”

Spider Guy Horace. Excluding the head of the opposing organization, Ivan had said that he could take on anyone in a one-on-one fight. Najin trusted those words. Ivan always made accurate judgments.

“Ivan.”

Still, there was something he was curious about.

“What exactly is mana?”

“What is it? It’s damn good.”

Ivan answered as if asking why Najin was questioning the obvious.

Since it wasn’t the answer Najin wanted, he just stared at Ivan without saying anything. Ivan shrugged and continued.

“Handling mana is evidence that you’ve taken the first proper step as a mage. Whether it’s strengthening the body, extracting a blade, or displaying swordsmanship, it all has mana at its core.”

Mana, the power accumulated within the body.

“The more mana you accumulate in your body, the more your body is trained, and your limits increase. It means you can perform all sorts of feats that a human body couldn’t do.”

For example, something like this.

Ivan spread his hand. The fangs he had extracted during the torture process were rolling around in Ivan’s palm.

“Take a good look.”

Ivana lightly clenched her hand, holding a tooth on her palm. When she opened her hand again, the tooth turned to dust.

“Of course, just learning mana doesn’t make you like me. It’s important what type of practice method you use. If you learn anything and just gather mana, you’ll end up a failure. Even if you’re fast at learning, there are clear limits.”

“So, to reach the level of an expert, learning mana practice is essential?”

“That’s right. You need to know how to handle mana to draw your sword or use any magic. Why, do you want to learn?”

“It would be nice if I could.”

Ivana smirked.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“I’ve been hearing that for five years.”

“Later, Inma.”

That was the signal to stop.

Najin didn’t say anything more. If she continued this topic, she would risk upsetting Ivana. Najin took a step back without crossing the line Ivana had drawn.

“Well then, let’s get to the main point,” Ivana brought up the topic.

“A civil war is about to happen. Get ready, Najin.”

2.

The ground spider, Horsey, is preparing for a civil war.

That’s what the officer said.

I haven’t directly received orders from Horsey recently, but apparently, orders continue to come down from above. The orders are to prepare for war, to gather supplies.

It seems that trying to extort money from Hoggel’s workshop was a preliminary step to take away weapons. Infiltrating my organization seems to have a similar context.

Anyway, they’re blabbering.

I thought they would cross the line, but I didn’t expect them to do it deliberately. I don’t know what kind of courage they have, but they seem to be ready to fight me.

They must have some trust.

Horsey isn’t a crazy bastard who would start a fight without thinking. Anyway, I don’t know what they believe in…

Sigh. This is what it’s like.

Civil wars are really fucking shitty, you know?

When you see several people leaving this fucking city for a tiny patch of land, it’s just exasperating. Why would I have started a war with Horsey if I didn’t see the end?

There’s no benefit in crossing a certain point.

People dying left and right only decreases productivity and the atmosphere in the streets becomes unbearable. It’s not enjoyable anymore to hit someone with a stick in a teahouse or get drunk at a bar. Just looking at that mess makes me lose the taste for fighting.

That was a long speech.

The main point is this.

This civil war won’t last long. We’ll just finish it quickly and clean up even faster.

So.

We’ll take the preemptive strike.

I’ll tell you the details tomorrow. Today, I think I need to talk to Open about it.

Anyway, be prepared.

I can’t guarantee how it will turn out.

“Um…”

As I recalled the stories that Iban had told me, I walked down the street. Iban had told me to prepare for a civil war.

‘A civil war.’

I didn’t know much about civil wars.

The previous civil war between Horace and Iban had happened when I was very young. So I could only guess from the reactions of the adults who would be horrified whenever the word civil war was mentioned.

“Be prepared.”

“I can’t guarantee how it will turn out.”

I continued to ponder Iban’s last words. If Iban, who always spoke with confidence, said it like that, then it must be a serious matter.

“Even though he told me to prepare…”

Najin tilted her head.

She didn’t know what she needed to prepare. For now, Najin visualized a map of the underground city in her mind.

The underground city of Artman is divided into three main areas.

The central area, under Iban’s control, where there are outlets for direct trade with the upper neighborhood. It was a yolk-shaped land where major facilities were concentrated around the outlets.

Next is the mining site.

The outskirts of the central area, located some distance away. Under Horace’s control, there are several quarries for mining the underground city’s resources, such as ores.

‘Mining site, mining site, mining site…’

I heard it’s like a maze.

There is Horace’s residence connected to the mining site, filled with all kinds of traps. Iban had explained that it was the stage where Horace, who used to be a ranger in the upper neighborhood, would fully demonstrate his skills.

“Horace is a ranger.”

“In terms of stealth, concealment, traps, and ambushes, rangers surpass knights.”

“In one-on-one combat, they might lose to knights, but in their own territory, they can beat multiple knights.”

“Don’t ever fight in his territory.”

“I can’t guarantee victory without Open.”

Najin imagined entering that place.

A mining camp entangled like a maze. And skilled individuals who could appear from anywhere, as well as traps laid by Horsay.

“Damn it.”

It won’t be easy. Just like in Ivan’s territory, she would have to brace herself to push through even if she had multiple holes in her body. Najin, who was drawing strategies in her head, sighed deeply.

She hadn’t thought about it in advance properly.

It seemed like she needed to see and feel it with her own eyes and body at least once to know what to do. As she pondered this, Najin suddenly thought about the “Third Zone” of the underground city.

Central area, mining site.

And finally, the burial ground.

If she went down even further along the rough cliff, the place that would come out would be the burial ground. It was where the garbage that had already been discarded from above would be filtered once again and piled up as the final resting place. The place where garbage, sludge, and corpses were buried.

That was the territory of Yakjaengi Hakan.

Najin didn’t know much about that place. It wasn’t just Najin. Even Ivan didn’t seem to have a good idea about Yakjaengi Hakan and the burial ground.

“Yakjaengi Hakan, I don’t know him well either.”

“He has been there before I fell into this city, even before Horsay fell into this city.”

“Actually, I don’t even know if he’s a man or a woman.”

“He has just been there for a very long time, and I only know that he makes medicine there. I’ve never seen his face.”

A strong figure who could dominate a region.

And an alchemist who makes medicine.

That was all that was known about Yakjaengi Hakan.

“In this civil war, it’s unnecessary information.”

Najin organized her thoughts.

She didn’t know how the civil war would unfold, but she would know by tomorrow. Ivan had said that.

Thump.

Najin, who was heading home, stopped in her tracks.

The place where he stopped was on the outskirts of the plaza. From a distance, Najin looked at the sword stuck in the center of the plaza, still covered by a tent.

“Draw the sword.”

“You can draw the sword.”

The lingering sentence in her mind didn’t disappear. Najin stared at the sword hidden by the tent for a long time before leaving the plaza.

3.

Thump.

The sound of placing a glass on an old tavern echoed quietly. Only Ivan and Offen were sitting in the tavern, tilting their glasses.

“So.”

It was Offen who broke the silence and opened his mouth.

“So, you’re planning to start a personal war?”

“That’s right.”

“You’ll be the one throwing the punches?”

“That’s the idea, so it’ll be over quickly.”

“So, you want my help?”

In response to Offen’s question, Ivan silently took a sip of his drink. Through his silence, he conveyed his answer. Offen furrowed his brow and tousled his hair.

“I’m not really into it.”

“Just this once.”

“I feel like I’ve heard that before a few years ago.”

“Just help me this once. I don’t trust myself to handle it quietly on my own.”

Ivan tilted his glass again.

Going in alone and getting into a brawl? Honestly, if he wanted to, he could. But that was far from Ivan’s goal. What he wanted was a quick and clean resolution, not the beginning of a long internal conflict.

“…It’s annoying.”

“Horse is trying to cause trouble. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something. So, we need to take care of it quickly.”

“Tch.”

Offen clicked his tongue.

“This is the last time. If you ask for help again next time, I’ll split your head with this glass, got it?”

“Thanks.”

“That’s one thing, but what about you?”

While filling an empty glass, Offen tossed it casually.

“How long are you going to leave that guy alone?”

“…”

“Are you not going to teach him magic or something? You know he’s ready. The old days of learning are over for him.”

“I know.”

“Then why aren’t you teaching him?”

“He’s too fast.”

Ivan let out a long sigh.

Leaning against the backrest of his chair, he spoke sincerely. Since they had known each other from the upper neighborhood, Ivan often confided in Offen more than anyone else.

“That bastard, he learns everything so quickly. It’s terrifying as time goes by. I can’t grasp how far he can go.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Jealousy is bullshit. You know that too.”

Baek Ah snorted.

“In this fucking city, where would that kid with unknown talent end up?”

“… “

“Let’s say I taught him magic in advance. Yeah, then in a few years, he’ll be pulling out swords like it’s nothing. The Empire’s youngest sword expert record is at 23 years old, who knows if he’ll surpass that record.”

That kid, Na Jin.

“But… however.”

Baek Ah gulped down the strong liquor.

He exhaled and said, “What would happen if he tried to make something out of this garbage city?”

A place where discarded things pile up.

A filthy and vile place where the scum gathers. A landfill where garbage accumulates and forms a mountain.

“What would happen on the day when the Empire’s youngest expert emerges from a place like this, and the news reaches the upper neighborhood?”

He’ll be disdained.

They would first look at the origin of the person who possesses the talent rather than the brilliance of the talent. And there was no need to mention the fate of those who are out of their sight.

“Sorcery, black magic, false worshippers of the stars, heretics, cursed children of Kamran. They’ll label them with such crimes and execute them. Or they’ll make sure they can never wield a sword again. Haven’t we seen it multiple times? How things are dealt with in the upper neighborhood.”

Baek Ah was a knight.

Open had risen to a high position in the mercenary group.

Both of them knew very well how society operates in the upper neighborhood. They had directly witnessed and experienced how the noble ones handle things and what becomes of those who cross their minds.

“It’s bullshit, indeed.”

“Yeah, it’s bullshit. If we get executed like that, will we just kill Na Jin and be done with it? You and I have guts too.”

Baek Ah laughed and bit on the tobacco.

He exhaled a long breath after lighting the tobacco.

“We have to live according to what’s given. It’s pathetic to reach out for something that’s beyond our reach.”

“That’s why you just leave it as it is?”

“This much is just right. If I show any more potential here, it’ll reach the ears of the uppity folk.”

“Well… it’s not that I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Open shook his liquor glass and spoke.

“That bastard already knows how to manipulate mana.”

“······.”

Ivan’s hand, which was tilting the glass, stiffened.

“What did you say?”

“He knows how to manipulate mana. That bastard.”

“No way, did you teach him?”

“No. I’ve never taught him.”

“But how?”

Open shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know either. He doesn’t seem to have any accumulated mana in his body, but he uses it. Sometimes he moves quickly, and the mana flows through his body at those times.”

“Does that even make sense?”

“That’s why I don’t know. It seems even he isn’t aware of it.”

There is no mana felt from Ivan.

Ivan never learned mana manipulation techniques, nor did he accumulate mana within his body. That was a clear fact. But can someone who hasn’t accumulated mana in their body enhance their physical abilities using mana?

“Does that make sense logically?”

Ivan furrowed his brow.

“But still, that’s just…”

Although it doesn’t make sense logically, Ivan knew of one historical figure who made it possible.

“Did you also think of the same thing?”

Open chuckled.

Shaking his glass, he laughed. Something that doesn’t make sense logically. A being who casually accomplishes such things, denying the foundation of existing mana manipulation techniques. Such a being existed only once in human history.

The Seat, the Selector’s Sword.

Arthur, the great hero who led humanity centuries ago.

In the tales of that incomprehensible hero, there were many unbelievable stories. Among them, one that many people point out is Arthur’s uniqueness in the prologue of the epic poem.

“Arthur moved quickly and drew his sword without accumulating mana.”

Open muttered with a chuckle.

That was the content dealt with in the prologue of Arthur’s tale. A sentence that disregards the common knowledge of the world and the foundation of mana manipulation techniques.

“Mana is not something to accumulate.”

“It is to harness the mana that flows in the world.”

There were only those two sentences that explained how it was possible. It was such a ridiculous and absurd story that it was considered a fiction in the empire’s history books, but…

The story was written in many fairy tale books.

Ivan and Open thought of the same thing. It must have been written in the book that Nathin always carries around.

“··· So.”

Ivan said with a bitter smile.

“So, are you saying that Nathin is awakening mana in the same way as King Arthur, the ruler of the night sky? That doesn’t make any sense…”

“I don’t know about that. I said it because there’s no other way to explain it.”

Ivan fell silent.

Whether Nathin was awakening mana in the same way as King Arthur, or manipulating mana in an unknown and bizarre way… either way, it meant the same thing.

That Nathin was more exceptional than they had anticipated. It was useless to delay teaching him or try to hide it.

“No matter how much we hide it or try to delay it, it’s meaningless. Soon, he will draw his sword. The preparations for the sword have already been made. At most, it will take six months.”

“······.”

“Once that happens, it will definitely reach the ears of the upper neighborhood. And then, everything you said will happen.”

They will try to kill Nathin.

They will try to eliminate those associated with Nathin. And Ivan and Open will be the first to be eliminated.

“So, choose.”

Open lowered his glass.

Thud, the sound echoed through the tavern.

“Kill him now.”

Before he reveals his true power.

Or tidy up Nathin now, while they still can.

“Or teach him.”

Or approach Nathin.

Once they reach a level beyond a sword expert, they won’t be able to eliminate Nathin even in the upper neighborhood. Even the strongest cannot beat someone who has reached that level.

In other words, it was a gamble.

Faced with these two options, Ivan silently emptied his glass.