I Pulled Out the Excalibur

Since only Dieta’s face was known, Najin was relatively free to move around. He obtained food from nearby villages and checked the knights’ routes, gradually adjusting their escape path.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

Even though he was with the injured Dieta, the situation was at least twice as good as it had been in the underground city. Sometimes, they spent the night in the forest, and at other times, they hid in alleyways to continue their escapade.

On the fourth day.

“Speaking of which.”

As Najin was striking a luminescent stone deep in the forest, Dieta suddenly spoke up.

“That’s quite a unique luminescent stone, isn’t it?”
“Is that so?”
“The luminescent stones carried by adventurers aren’t this color, and they’re not this weak in output either. Looking at the frame that holds the stone, it seems a bit old-fashioned…”
“You seem to know a lot.”
“It’s a product we deal with at the trading company.”

Dieta shrugged.

“Where is this luminescent stone from? The light isn’t bad. I’m thinking of getting one for myself.”
“It’s from my hometown. It’ll be hard to find. It’s quite isolated from the outside world.”
“So, rangers from the Techo Mountain Range use something like this?”
“……Huh?”

Najin blinked in surprise.
Dieta smiled knowingly. Even if he pretended not to know, she was aware of everything.

“I know everything. You’re from the Techo Mountain Range, aren’t you? No wonder you’re so skilled. With stealth abilities like yours, you couldn’t be anything but a ranger. At this point, it’s obvious……”
“You’re mistaken.”
“What?”

His tone was firm, without a hint of lying.
Dieta blinked in confusion, and Najin calmly stated,

“I don’t even know where the Techo Mountain Range is. And I’m not from anywhere that grand. Well, you might be surprised if you hear it, but…”

Najin let out a long sigh.

“I don’t want to reveal it just yet.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s not a particularly nice place to be from.”
“You must have your own circumstances too.”

Dieta didn’t ask any further questions.
It was the same situation as in Cambria. They didn’t delve into each other’s depths, allowing the conversation to naturally end. Dieta didn’t dislike such light conversations, but…

“Listen.”

Was it because of the moonlight?
Or because they were spending the night in the deep forest, relying on just one luminescent stone? Driven by the peculiar situation, Dieta, who had been swinging her legs while sitting on a suitable rock, looked at Najin.

Her yellow eyes gazed at Najin.

Without the mask, not as the Snake that Swallows Gold but as ‘Dieta’ herself, she faced the man before her.

“Will you listen to my story?”

Dieta stepped into the next part of the conversation that had been cut off.
The night was still deep, sleep hadn’t come yet, and she wanted to talk a bit more.

The Snake that Swallows Gold, Dieta.

She had never shared her story with anyone. It was a given. To her, everything in the world was merely an enemy, and sharing her story meant revealing her weaknesses.

It was a kind of defense mechanism.
A scar carried by a child who had to grow up too soon.

She had to be thorough to survive, trust no one, and use everything. That’s why Dieta always wore a mask, never revealing herself. She had been doing so since her seventh birthday.

But the serpent, now without her mask and having put everything aside, began to talk about herself. Under the moonlight, in front of the dimly glowing luminescent stone, Dieta spoke of her life.

“That’s how I lived.”

So, she said.

“That’s how I’ve lived. Honestly, I have no regrets. Climbing up means stepping on someone else, right? I have no regrets about that, but…”

She smiled as she looked at the luminescent stone.

“Sometimes, when I wear the mask, hide myself, and live like that, I often think…”

That smile was bitter and a bit sad.

“Where am I in all this?”

“Once you asked me what my goal was. When I answered it was to accumulate gold, you asked again what I would do with the gold, right?”
“I did.”
“Back then, I dodged the question by saying it was to increase value, but…”

Dieta ran her fingers through her hair.

“Actually, my goal was revenge.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. My goal was to become a serpent so large that it could swallow the duchy, accumulating and increasing my gold to that extent.”

Najin listened quietly to her words.
It seemed she wasn’t expecting an answer.

“To think that crushing the duchy would compensate me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“For the time I had to wear the mask. For the things I had to endure. For the moments I had to laugh off, build up, and just endure. I thought I could be compensated for those years.”

“It’s so absurd, right?” Dieta murmured.

“To think that even if I crushed the duchy, those times wouldn’t return…”

She sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. The moon that she had often looked up at from the duchy’s mansion. Looking at the moon in the night sky, she smiled bitterly.

“Really foolish, isn’t it?”
“Why is that foolish?”
“…?”

Dieta lowered her head.
There, Najin’s eyes, glowing with the same hue as the luminescent stone, were staring straight at her.

“Revenge is foolish. It’s useless to do it because you won’t get anything back. There are people who say that, but it’s all nonsense. Why wouldn’t you get anything back?”

Najin chuckled.

“All that talk about enduring, breaking the cycle of hatred, what bullshit… As if the shitty past becomes prettier by doing that.”

Harsh words spilled out.
The hunting dog that lived in the underground city began to spit out raw words.

“Even if there’s nothing to gain, if you feel refreshed after taking revenge, isn’t that reason enough?”

Najin lowered his gaze.
That gaze was directed at the luminescent stone glowing with artificial twilight. Just as the moon did for Dieta, the light from this luminescent stone reminded Najin of the past.

“I’m the same. I need to rise to a high place, to a position where no one can ignore me… I have enemies that I need to take revenge on.”

The Starlight Faction.
Swallowing that name, Najin said,

“It feels like I can only move on after doing that.”
“The next… step?”
“To smash, burn, trample… Whatever the method, I need to tie up loose ends definitively to move on.”

Dieta suddenly looked at herself. She hadn’t thought about what would come after growing large enough to swallow the duchy.

“The next move… I’m not sure yet.”
“You don’t need to think so hard about it.”

Najin looked at Dieta.

“Do you always have to wear a mask? Sometimes, just take a breath. Do what you want. If you want to get angry, get angry. As you live like that, it naturally comes to you. What you want to do next.”

Najin smiled.

“That’s what I did.”

The two similar individuals looked at each other.
Following Najin, Dieta also smiled.

“It’s nice to see. Smile more often.”
“That, that so?”
“Why are you stammering?”

“You said it looks nice…”
“Yes?”
“…Nothing.”

Dieta let out a long sigh.
Stretching as much as she could, she relaxed her shoulders and then blurted out,

“On the fifth day, the end of the chase was in sight.

In the distance, the lands of the Trebache Duchy could be seen.
Crossing those gates would mark the end of the pursuit. After all, even the knights of the duchy couldn’t freely disrupt the territory of the marquis.

“How is your ankle now?”
“Well, one side feels somewhat better.”

Dieta limped as she walked.
Thanks to various potions acquired from the village, one of her feet had recovered enough to bear weight. It was painful to walk, but she could stand, which Dieta decided was significant.

“Then, let’s go.”

Najin began to move with Dieta in his arms.
However, their progress was short-lived. Just a few steps forward, Najin slowly came to a halt.

Someone was blocking the path.

At the only passage leading to the marquis’s territory, stood a knight adorned in armor bearing the crest of the duchy’s family. As if he had been waiting for them, he blocked their way.

“I have come to escort you, Miss Dieta.”

He spoke.
Dieta’s eyes flickered as she looked at him from Najin’s arms. She knew who he was.

“Sir Griffin.”

The commander of the duchy’s knights. A Sword Seeker-level warrior and the duchy’s sharpest blade. Dieta swallowed hard and touched Najin’s shoulder.

Najin gently set Dieta down.

Holding onto Najin’s arm, she stood on the ground and faced Griffin, who was blocking their way. This was one of the worst-case scenarios Dieta had considered. Though it was a moment to panic, her eyes, which had wavered, soon steadied.

“It seems a knight commander has been dispatched.”
“The duke holds you in high regard. Let us return together.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You know the answer.”

Griffin rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Dieta sighed deeply and looked at Najin. They had already discussed this situation.

“Sword Seeker, Sir Griffin.”
“A warrior beyond Sword Expert level. Among the knights deployed for the chase, the only one who could surely overpower you is Griffin. There are three more Sword Seekers, but they probably weren’t mobilized for this chase.”

In the deep forest as night fell.

“If you ever face Griffin.”
“Leave me behind and you go to your destination. It would be easier to persuade them with me there, but it’s not necessary without me.”
“I’ll buy us time.”

Dieta had said so.
No matter how skilled Najin was, facing a Sword Seeker-level warrior and securing a victory was unlikely. This was a logical decision from Dieta’s perspective.

She didn’t want Najin to die.

“…Go on.”

She whispered and released Najin’s arm. Then, she took a step forward. Facing Griffin, she intended to buy time by engaging in a verbal duel.

“I will. But there’s a condition.”
“You’re not in a position to make demands.”
“Then let’s call it advice.”

Dieta pointed to Najin behind her.

“This man is a guard hired from Cambria. He acted according to the contract, and any problems that arose during the process should be the responsibility of Cambria.”
“……”
“So, let him go.”
“That’s impossible…”
“The duchy’s knight commander kills a red-ranked adventurer from Cambria. And near the territory of the Trebache Marquisate, which oversees the Cambria Foundation.”

Dieta’s lips curled up.

She had donned her mask again.
As the Snake that Swallows Gold, her eyes narrowed.

“Can you handle that, Sir?”
“He’s a criminal. He broke into the duchy’s estate…”
“That fact wasn’t publicized. Moreover, the duchy’s position isn’t exactly honorable either, is it?”

With that, Dieta gestured.
A signal for Najin to run.
However, Najin didn’t move. As Dieta tried to buy more time in her anxious state.

Najin grabbed Dieta’s shoulder.
Startled, Dieta turned around. There stood Najin, quietly gazing at her. Their eyes met, and suddenly she remembered.

“I’ll buy us time.”
“Escape.”

What had Najin replied when she said that? Najin hadn’t said anything. He just looked at her with eyes like now.

Najin pushed Dieta back and stepped forward. His action had a simple meaning. Standing in front of Dieta, Najin pointed towards the road leading to the marquisate’s territory.

“Go ahead.”

Najin said.

“I’ll buy us time.”

Dieta’s eyes wavered.
But soon, she realized that Najin wouldn’t change his mind. Then there was only one thing she had to do.

“Don’t die.”

Clenching her teeth, Dieta began to walk.
Dragging one leg, she started to move. Her pace was slow, but she was doing her best. It would take quite a while to reach the gates of the marquisate.

“…Huh.”

Griffin sighed as he watched her. What kind of farce is this? As Griffin was about to step towards the retreating Dieta.

Clang!

A shiver ran down his spine.
Griffin turned his head.
There stood Najin with his sword drawn. A white sword aura blossomed along the blade. Pointing his sword at Griffin, Najin’s stance seemed to say,

If you take even one step.

He was ready to charge and strike at Griffin’s neck. Griffin narrowed his eyes at the intensity. Judging by the form of the Sword Aura, Najin was a Sword Expert-level warrior.

A warrior below his own level.

Though Griffin could easily defeat such a warrior if he set his mind to it, he couldn’t ignore that determination. Unyielding, clinging on even if it meant biting ankles to buy time. Such a strong will was evident in this man.

“……”

Griffin silently drew his sword. Not towards the fleeing Dieta, but at Najin. It was a tribute to the will shown by the man.

“I won’t ask your name.”

A sword aura with form bloomed on his drawn sword. A privilege of Sword Seekers, a step beyond sword aura.

“The duke has commanded me. Secure Miss Dieta and kill those who aided her escape.”

He declared.

“I am the duchy’s sword, a knight who follows the duke’s orders. It doesn’t matter who the target is.”

Whether it’s a noble with a title.
A famous adventurer from the city.
Or someone too significant to kill.

“The duke has ordered your death, and I simply follow that command.”

That wasn’t his concern.
The duke had ordered, and he was to follow.

“Yet, I speak this out of respect.”

Griffin pointed his sword at Najin.

“For your choice.”

Though they served different masters.
Had he been Dieta’s knight, he too would have acted the same. The man before him, unknown and unverified as a knight, showed a nobility that Griffin respected.

Najin quietly raised his sword.

He didn’t deny the knight before him. Serving one’s master with unconditional loyalty. That, too, was a kind of knighthood. To completely set aside one’s values and follow the master’s command. That’s what Griffin considered loyalty.

Yet, he raised his sword because…

Because Najin had his own lines he couldn’t cross. Dieta had asked him to escape that mansion, and Najin was obligated to fulfill that request.

They had made a promise.
And there was no room for compromise in that promise.

It was simple, but that was the entire reason Najin challenged a Sword Seeker-level warrior.