Chapter 16 - The Light That Shouldn’t Be Grasped (2)

It was early morning when the battle finally ended.

Overcoming the myriad of addicts prepared by Hakan, and the numerous traps and labyrinthine tunnels set by Horace, they succeeded in targeting Horace's neck, but it took too much time.

"I'm going to die."

Offen groaned. His arms, sore from incessant sword swinging, circled around as he cast a glance at Ivan. Ivan's expression was rigid.

Understandably so.

During the battle, both men had seen it. A star rising in the sky of the underground city. Although the finer details were unclear, they knew Najin had done something significant, and it was enough to attract the attention of those above.

In other words,

things had gone as wrong as they could.

Silently, the two returned to the center of the underground city. The center was littered with the corpses of addicts, and the air vibrated with the stench of blood and drugs. The atmosphere was far from calm.

Organization members stood on edge.

Residents whispered from hiding spots in buildings.

The gaze of the crowd briefly landed on Ivan upon his return, but soon, Ivan noticed their attention shifting. It was directed toward the center of the square, where a figure, seemingly sent from above, stood.

Different from a regular soldier's uniform.

A figure cloaked in dark leather, concealing face and body.

"…It's the Order's shadow unit."

Offen murmured quietly. Ivan's expression crumpled further. As Ivan stepped forward, the shadow agent lifted his head. Upon their eyes meeting, the agent spoke.

"Listen, criminal Ivan."

A declaration.

"Sir Berlot, a knight of the Starlight Order, wishes to see you. Criminal Ivan, respond to the call."

TL/N: Starshine Order has been changed to Starlight Order. Chapter 15 has been fixed accordingly.

Sir Berlot.

Hearing this name, Ivan’s face hardened.

"Follow me."

After a brief moment, as Ivan followed the agent, Offen, who had been quietly observing, let out a long sigh, sensing how badly things had tangled.

...Offen was a mercenary.

To survive as a mercenary, one must always make quick decisions. Offen assessed the situation and made a decision, one he had long postponed.

"So it has come to this."

Exhaling deeply, Offen headed somewhere.

***

In a dark alleyway, unreachable by the dim light of mineral lamps.

Leaning against the wall, Najin slowly caught his breath. Still new to using mana, the backlash from drawing out his Sword Aura was catching up to him.

The feeling of power draining and fatigue.

Added to the injuries from his battle with Hakan, even standing was a struggle.

'At least, there's a silver lining...'

Najin glanced at his arm.

The arm that took the brunt of the explosion. Initially limp, it had recovered enough to move, though wielding a sword would be difficult.

Abnormal healing ability.

It wasn’t hard to guess where this came from - the blessing of Excalibur. In the tales, King Arthur, despite broken arms and pierced body, would recover instantly and rush at enemies.

Najin didn’t possess such transcendent healing yet, but the sword’s healing ability was a great help. That he could even move now was thanks to this sword.

“......”

Silently, Najin looked at his right wrist.

Narrowing his eyes and focusing on the flow, a constellation pattern appeared on his wrist. This change occurred when he thought of hiding Excalibur.

The Sword of the Stars, transformed into starlight, embedded in his body.

Concentrating and grasping the air, he could draw the sword again. Staring at the constellation on his wrist for a while, Najin let out a hollow laugh.

'I can’t believe it.'

Reality still didn’t feel real.

But now, he knew he had to face the consequences of drawing the sword. Ivan had said it was okay to cross the line, but this was crossing it too far.

He had attracted too much attention.

Many had witnessed him pulling the sword. Among them were soldiers sent from above, so it was inevitable that this news would reach higher-ups.

How would they react?

'Probably...'

They might try to bury him.

Najin always assumed the worst. He never expected things to work out. The world had always been cruel to him.

The likelihood of Ivan and Offen turning hostile was high.

They were people too, and self-preservation is human nature. Until the situation was clear, fleeing would be his priority.

'...But where to?'

There was no exit from the underground city.

The only way up was through the central hub. Even if he managed to ascend, he’d be skewered by the guards and knights.

Where to go, how to escape, and how far?

He didn’t know. He had to start thinking.

Blink.

His eyelids kept drooping.

Fatigue from using mana and an unidentified drain from wielding Excalibur was overwhelming him. Thinking of catching a brief rest, Najin leaned his head against the wall of the alley.

How much time had passed?

Footsteps.

Najin's eyes snapped open at the sound of footsteps in the alley, accompanied by something being dragged. The sounds were approaching.

“......”

Holding his breath, Najin stilled himself.

Watching the figure emerging from the darkness, his eyes widened.

“Leaving a blood trail like that, who wouldn’t notice, you idiotic kid. You’ve been found out, come out now.”

It was his swordsmanship teacher, Offen. About to get up in relief, Najin paused. He couldn’t be sure how much time had passed or what Offen had decided.

“Tch. Raising a disciple is useless, they say.”

Offen clicked his tongue.

Then, pulling out a bag from his belongings, he tossed it towards where Najin was hiding.

“Come out. I’m not planning to kill you.”

“......”

Cautiously, Najin stood up.

Picking up the bag Offen threw, he found it filled with bandages, simple potions, and pieces of dried meat.

“Wrap up your wounds with these. There’s nothing easier to track than a guy bleeding everywhere.”

Muttering, Offen gestured for Najin to move aside. It was a signal to clear the area. Najin stepped aside, and Offen threw the body of an addict he had dragged to the spot where Najin had just been sitting.

Then, with a thrust.

Offen stabbed the addict's corpse with his sword, covering Najin’s blood with that of the addict.

“From now on, move without leaving tracks. Trackers will be on you soon.”

“...What do you mean?”

“What do you think? I’m trying to help you escape, isn’t it obvious?”

Offen glanced at Najin.

Najin silently observed Offen, who then sighed deeply and spoke.

“A knight and a shadow agent from above visited. They looked like they were sent to get rid of you. Ivan has been summoned. By now, they would have had their discussion and made a decision.”

Offen ruffled his hair.

Annoyed by the situation.

"Ivan is a pragmatic man. He's become realistic. He knows what's best in this situation. His plan to nurture you has failed, and now he has only one choice left."

He mimicked slashing his throat.

"To kill you. If he doesn't, Ivan himself will die. After all, before being a knight, he's a human. And for a human, their own life is the most important, you know that."

"…I understand."

"Good. So don't hold too much of a grudge against him."

Offen took a deep breath.

"But I really don't want to see that happen. It's just wrong. So, I'd prefer if you escaped."

Offen did not wish to witness either side raising their swords against each other, leading to one's death.

"But where to?"

Najin replied.

"There’s nowhere to run. To leave this underground city, the only exit is the portal..."

"There’s another."

Offen interrupted Najin.

Pointing at Najin’s bag, he continued.

"There should be a map inside. At the very bottom of the underground city, where waste is dumped in the landfill. If you go a bit further from there, there’s a cliff where water flows off."

A place unreachable by ordinary people.

Even for someone like Ivan or Offen, it's a perilous cliff requiring a risk of life to descend. Once down, there’s no returning.

"If you follow the waterway from the cliff, you might escape the underground city. You'll risk your life, but that's the price. There’s no other way."

The only way to leave the city alive.

Najin wouldn't know, but the bag and map had been prepared by Offen long ago. Since the day he recognized Najin's talent, Offen prepared it, anticipating the day he might need to help Najin escape the city.

Offen was a mercenary.

A renowned mercenary who had survived many years.

Known for meticulous preparation and always finding a way to survive, Offen used his skills, previously unnecessary in the underground city, for the boy he taught.

Offen shrugged at Najin, who was looking at him with wavering eyes.

"What are you staring at? Are you moved?"

"…What about Ivan and Offen?"

"We have no chance of escape."

Offen smirked.

"Everyone who falls into this city is branded by the Starlight Order. The moment we step into the light, trackers will be on us. But not you."

Not a criminal fallen to the city.

Not judged by the Starlight Order's tribunal.

Just born in this city, you bear no brand.

"So you can escape."

"…Why are you doing all this for me?"

"Who knows."

Offen laughed bitterly.

"Unlike Ivan, I have no attachment to life. I used to be a famous mercenary leader above, you know?"

A story he had never shared before.

"I received accolades, tried everything, saw both the good and the ugly. I experienced almost everything life had to offer. But there was one thing I never did."

A tale of his life above.

"The stars."

Offen looked at Najin.

"To have my own star. The first step to becoming a constellation in the night sky. To earn the heavens' recognition and etch my star in the night. That’s the one thing I never achieved."

Though he attempted it, he fell to this city.

Muttering, Offen chuckled.

"I failed, but..."

He raised his hand.

"You're different."

Najin had what Offen didn’t.

"Talent. You're not someone who should rot here. Too valuable to waste away without a chance to strive, in a place like this."

A light too precious to waste in this city.

Perhaps Offen saw in the boy the dream he once lost.

"Last night, the star that lit up the underground city. That was your doing, right? The organization guys are saying you pulled the sword. Is the rumor true?"

Najin nodded silently.

Then, he consciously grasped the air with his wrist. Despite doing it as gently as possible, the scattered starlight faintly illuminated the alley.

Despite hearing it as a rumor.

The moment Offen saw the Sword of Stars in Najin’s hand, his eyes widened.

With a dazed gaze, Offen instinctively reached out towards the star in Najin’s hand. But as soon as his hand approached, the starlight dispersed, as if declaring he was unworthy.

"...Anyway."

A star unattainable even when reached for. Watching the more brilliantly shining star with a mixture of bitterness, Offen laughed for the first time in a while. Like his younger self, who once dreamed.

"Crazy, I tell you."

Hiding his bitterness, Offen reached for his waist.

"That thing, shining too brightly for a weapon while fleeing. So..."

The sword in its place was the one given to Offen by Hogel, who had come abruptly to the central city before Offen's arrival.

"Give this to the youngster," Hogel had said. "If he breaks it this time, I won’t repair it. Tell him to use it well."

The sword forged by Hogel for the boy.

Offen handed it to Najin.

"Hogel said this," Offen mentioned.

"If you break it, he’ll kill you."

Hearing this, Najin inadvertently smiled.

"Go now."

Having delivered the message and said what needed to be said, Offen slowly stood up, turning his back to the boy and began to walk away. After a few steps, a voice called from behind.

"Offen."

Offen turned around.

There was Najin, slowly bowing his head.

"Thank you, Master."

Calling him 'Master' in the end. Offen, looking at the deeply bowing boy, let out a slight chuckle.

***

"Let's get straight to the point," said Berlot, a knight of the Starlight Order.

"Cooperate in the search, Ivan."

Surrounded by the Order's hounds, kneeling Ivan heard Berlot's low murmur.

"Find and kill the boy who drew the Sword of Stars. If you can't bring his body to me, I will kill you..."

Berlot smiled, looking at his former junior from the same knight order, now stripped of his honor and unable to be called a knight of Atanga.

"If you succeed, I'll restore the honor you lost."

Pointing to Ivan's empty eye socket, Berlot continued.

"I mean, I’ll write a recommendation for you in the name of the Starlight Order, to be reinstated as a Knight of Atanga."

Unlike High Priest Orland, Berlot knew how to negotiate with reality and manipulate people. Whether human or beast, all it takes is a carrot and a stick to control even the wisest like a beast.

"Make your choice, Ivan."

Berlot offered and also threatened Ivan.

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