Chapter 98

Sword Seeker, the sword’s wanderer.

I declare here that the beasts so-called must be thoroughly managed. Their force is too dangerous for a single individual to possess. They can face dozens of knights alone. Dozens, indeed!

No one could forget the incident when a lone Sword Seeker infiltrated and massacred the Lord of Arhebts, his vassals, and all his knights— an act utterly condemnable.

Ah, Arhebts!

Remember Arhebts, a loyal servant of the Empire!

Alone, facing dozens of knights and sweeping trained soldiers by the squad, these are the Sword Seekers. Can they even be called individuals? They are a walking army!

Just as the private troops a noble can own are strictly limited and managed by the Empire, so too should the Sword Seekers be under the Empire’s supervision. At the very least, their presence must be recognized.

Herein, I propose the enactment of the Arhebts Special Law. The content of the proposed law is as follows:

To prevent the tragedy of Arhebts from recurring, the law will force the disclosure of identity and strength for those of Sword Seeker caliber. Those who have stepped onto the mainland, not just the forefront of the Demonic Battlefield, must ‘necessarily’ disclose their information.

Should this be refused,

You will realize why it is called an Empire. This is both a warning and a mercy. If you know honor and pride, step forth into the heart of the Empire…

“———That marks the end of the Arhebts Special Law.”

Dieta closed the history book of the Empire as she spoke.

“It was a law established by ‘Calitz Pendragon,’ the Empire’s fourth Emperor. Thanks to this law, those of Sword Seeker caliber must disclose their information.”

“What kind of information?”

“When they became a Sword Seeker, what weapons they use, what form their Sword Aura takes. Right after the law was proposed, it included weaknesses among all information disclosed, but hundreds of years later, that’s no longer the case,” she said.

She tapped on the table lightly.

“Basic name, age, weapon used, and the time they reached their level. That’s pretty much what’s kept track of now. The original purpose of the law was to draw out ‘hidden strong ones’.”

At that time, the Empire was in chaos.

Hidden strong ones everywhere, causing both major and minor issues. That’s why the law was established, Dieta explained.

“As unmanaged raw force can be as dangerous as anything from the perspective of a state.”

Najin nodded quietly as he listened.

“So most Sword Seekers voluntarily disclose their information and level. Nothing is as frightening as being branded a ‘dangerous person’ by the Empire. Even a famed Sword Master wouldn’t dare turn their back on the Empire.”

Yuel Razian is an example of this.

Najin thought back to a conversation they had once. Even when he saw the Empire’s capital, it felt like a huge wall.

“And in your case, it’s special.”

While Najin thought this, Dieta continued. She tapped on the documents that had recorded Najin’s activities over the past half-year.

“Suddenly appearing in the City of Opportunities, Cambria, you’ve quickly built up achievements and rumors. Demon Knight subjugation, a duel with the Knight Commander of the House of Arbenia, a dark mage Fauve subjugation…”

And reaching the youngest ever Red rank.

One remarkable incident after another.

“There are rumors that you’ll soon rise to a Sword Seeker. Hiding it any further would be too difficult. It’s only a matter of time before the core of the Empire takes interest in you.”

She was right.

Up until now, Najin’s identity had been tied to Cambria, protected by the Cambria Foundation, hence no intervention. But once Najin rises to a Sword Seeker, that changes.

“They might already be moving. The attack a few days ago was cleaned up without witnesses, but if the Empire digs in, evidence might emerge. Then your level would be revealed.”

The strong ones who had attacked Najin were Sword Seekers.

They had either disappeared long ago or were currently engaged on the battlefield, hence untraceable.

“It’s hard to be sure.”

It was an uncertain situation, and who knows how the order might react.

“The order might use any means to pressure you. And, to counteract that…”

“We’ll make the first move.”

“Exactly.”

Dieta snapped her fingers.

“You’re in the spotlight, and more than that, you’re young. I don’t know your exact age, but you’re definitely not thirty yet, right?”

Under a false identity, twenty-eight.

And the youngest ever Sword Seeker was thirty. The moment Najin’s rise to Sword Seeker is revealed, the attention on Najin would be unpredictable.

“Even the Sword Saint who was called a once-in-a-lifetime genius was thirty when he rose to a Sword Seeker. That itself broke a record that had stood for hundreds of years.”

And now, a new record-breaker had appeared.

It would be a major incident enough to upheave the Empire.

“The Order of the Sword, all the nobles, the commanders of the battlefields, the core of the Empire will all be watching you. That way, the order can’t easily mess with you.”

If they messed up, the focus on Najin would shift straight to the order. No matter how massive the order’s influence, they couldn’t escape the gaze of the Empire.

“For now, that’s all.”

Dieta trailed off.

Having finished explaining, she narrowed her eyes and watched Najin. Her pupils were full of suspicion.

“With all that said, shouldn’t you tell me? Najin, just how old are you really?”

“……”

“You aren’t actually younger than me, right? You are at least twenty, aren’t you?”

Najin avoided her gaze.

Dieta’s pupils wavered.

“Really?”

Arhebts Special Law.

Najin faithfully followed the procedures of the law. Having risen to the level of a Sword Seeker, he notified the Central Guild and sent a letter to the core of the Empire through the Cambria Foundation.

And Najin could realize.

Just how quickly the Empire could act in such cases. He sent the letter and within just half a day, a carriage arrived at the entrance of Cambria. Considering it takes three days from Britten to Cambria when hiring an ordinary coachman, this was indeed astonishing speed.

But the surprising part didn’t end there.

A carriage at the entrance of Cambria. That carriage bore the crest of the Britten Empire along with the royal emblem.

Arhebts Special Law, a law overseen by the royal family.

Naturally, the royal family would be involved in the execution of the law. Adventurers murmured among themselves at the sight of a carriage bearing the royal emblem. How often would one see a carriage with the royal emblem?

Who? What business did the royal family have here?

What in the world was happening?

The voices of the puzzled adventurers grew louder. Even the armor of the knight standing guard by the carriage bore the royal emblem. None were unaware that only one force was permitted to bear that emblem.

Royal Guard.

The Empire’s loyal sword.

With the Royal Guard and the royal carriage, the adventurers realized this was no ordinary event. Their gazes slowly converged on one spot.

There, cutting through the crowd and approaching the carriage, was a figure.

Red rank adventurer, Ivan.

He crossed the crowd and stopped before the carriage, then knelt and bowed his head before the knight representing the royal family. A gesture of respect. The Royal Guard nodded in satisfaction and opened the door of the carriage.

As all eyes were on him, Najin stepped into the carriage. The carriage departed, and even as it became out of sight, the adventurers remained gathered at the city’s entrance.

One of them muttered.

“A White rank adventurer will soon rise.”

Royal Guard, Soltis.

Soltis was not particularly pleased with this situation.

Having served the royal family for many years, he knew well that the Arhebts Law wasn’t typically carried out so ostentatiously, nor so swiftly.

That was the natural order of things.

The level of a Sword Seeker isn’t achieved overnight, nor can one ascend to such a level without any precursors. Thus, when someone reports having reached the level of a Sword Seeker, the royal family would move only when the time was right.

But this case was different.

There were no precursors, and no precedents either.

A Sword Seeker appearing out of nowhere. Moreover, the individual registered with the Cambria Foundation was only twenty-eight years old. It was only natural for the department responsible for the Arhebts Law to be turned upside down.

‘Of course, the information registered with the Cambria Foundation is likely not entirely accurate.’

In the City of Opportunities, identity registration is relatively liberal, and identity falsification is not uncommon. Thus, his true identity would need to be re-verified by the Magic Tower, but… if by some chance that identity was accurate.

This would be an event significant enough to upheave the Empire.

That’s why the Empire dispatched forces hastily and decisively, even deploying the Royal Guard in an unprecedented move. Such was the magnitude of the event.

“……”

And now, the protagonist of that event sat across from him.

Soltis looked at the young man sitting opposite. Was he a young man, or still a boy? As is usual with those who have reached the level of a Sword Seeker, it was difficult to determine his age based solely on his appearance.

But he had information related to this individual.

Subjugation of the Demon Knight, a duel with the knight commander of the Arbenia ducal house, subjugation of the dark mage Fauve… He reviewed the significant incidents while internally praising them.

‘Not bad.’

Especially the part about subduing the Demon Knight. The Knights of Atanga had defended the young man? That was remarkable. While on his way here, he glanced over the documents again, reassessing the youth. Had he knelt and shown respect earlier?

Despite his displeasure with the situation, his impression of the young man before him wasn’t bad.

“Though it’s ill-timed for small talk.”

With that in mind, Soltis spoke up.

He liked the young man enough to offer a word or two of advice.

“It would be wise to speak only the truth at the Magic Tower. Even if you’ve disguised your identity, there you’ll need to reveal your real age and name.”

Probably not his real age and name.

Identity falsification is a serious crime, but in cases like this, starting a journey from Cambria, exceptions are sometimes made. This young man’s case would likely be the same.

Twenty-eight, Ivan.

This was clearly a false identity.

Even the great Sword Saint hadn’t ascended to a Sword Seeker at the age of thirty. It was unthinkable that someone who would break that record would appear out of nowhere. Soltis was certain of that.

“If you declare a false identity even at the Empire’s Magic Tower, the severity of your crime will increase. Bear that in mind.”

“I will remember that.”

“Still, you can’t avoid reprimand. It would have been better to have sent your real age along with the documents, wouldn’t it? After all, an identity bound to be uncovered only brings harm to you.”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was too delighted by the fact that I had ascended to the level.”

Najin smiled sheepishly.

After all, he was a person who had reached the level of a Sword Seeker without proper backing. It wasn’t likely he had many around him capable of offering advice. Soltis nodded emphatically.

It seemed he was indeed using a disguised identity.

While Soltis was dispatched here just in case, it was, after all, just in case. It was something that wouldn’t ordinarily happen.

‘That he ascended to a Sword Seeker out of nowhere is surprising enough, but breaking the youngest record? An implausible story.’

It was probably just an overreaction by the responsible department.

With that thought, Soltis closed his eyes. Of course, this was a misunderstanding on his part. They had reasons to judge so, but Soltis had only been provided with basic information due to the haste of the mission.

‘But, if this is true…’

Alone in the rocking carriage, Soltis could only imagine. If the young man before him truly had ascended to a Sword Seeker at the age of 28?

The Empire would be overturned.

And a summons would be issued.

To scrutinize an unprecedented talent.

‘Who?’

The Empire’s Sword Masters.

Those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Of course, such an event was unlikely, but imagining the scene where the three Sword Masters gathered together, Soltis chuckled. There would be no grander spectacle.