The call of the nation.
It was a challenge every man living in the Iron Kingdom of Chervil eventually had to face. For a swordsman who had made a name for himself, conscription into the Steel Legion was an absolute certainty. Yet, throughout the long history of the Iron Kingdom, there were those who harbored deep resentment toward this “duty of national defense.”
The nobility.
In the Iron Kingdom, where the logic of power dictated the social order, nobles trained with the sword as a matter of course. Knowing that a blade was often closer than the law in this chaotic nation, they forced their children to train from a young age. It was a common sight across the kingdom to see noble children, barely past their first steps, practicing basic forms with sticks in their gardens. Even the delicate young ladies were encouraged to reach the level of Sword Beginner .
Consequently, when the Steel Legion began its conscription, it wasn’t just commoners or the low-born who were summoned; noble scions with bright futures were often drafted as well. No matter how much influence their fathers exerted to have them stationed in the rear, war always brought unexpected death.
Noble children of high blood died just as easily as anyone else on the battlefield. This reality infuriated the aristocracy. Driven by their rage, a new provision was eventually added to the laws of the Iron Kingdom.
“An ordained knight or a member of a recognized knight order is exempt from the call of the nation.”
It was a rare exception in the Iron Kingdom.
It likely came into existence because the number of disgruntled nobles at the time was significant. Regardless of the original intent behind the provision, for me, it was the only way out.
“According to this provision, I am not subject to conscription.”
A small connection.
I still hadn’t forgotten the conversation we had that day.
— Unless you can hide it perfectly, hold your tongue. A clumsy lie is worse than complete silence. Young boy, steel is silent.
The honor duel where I had stood as Petel’s proxy warrior.
The old knight who had appeared with Daisy.
The old man who had seen right through my identity.
I remembered what he said.
— If you ever grow wings, come find me.
Now, I had grown those wings.
From the moment I reached the realm of Sword Runner , I had earned the right to seek him out.
“As far as I know, the Lord of Caravan is not an ordained knight. That would mean you belong to a knight order. Which one is it?”
Of course, it was merely a small connection.
I had never been knighted, nor did I belong to that old knight’s order. But what did that matter? Ever since the Rhapsody Legion had shown up unannounced, I had realized one thing: in this world, even the smallest things can change depending on how you handle them. What mattered was the pretext—whether a connection existed, no matter how faint or thin.
“Sir Bermartin.”
The important thing…
…wasn’t what you had.
It was how you used what you had.
“I belong to the order where Sir Bermartin of Steel resides.”
Now.
It was time to head out into the wider world.
*
The conscription officer of the Steel Legion seemed to accept my words for the moment.
“Sir Bermartin of Steel, I see. So you were already a swordsman belonging to the Yellow Elephant Knights. That is a pity. I thought someone with a reputation like yours would be a great asset to the Steel Legion.”
“I feel the same regret.”
“The Steel Legion is always open to those with talent. We do not discriminate between noble, commoner, or low-born. If you ever wish to devote yourself to the Iron Kingdom, contact us anytime. You will be welcomed.”
“…I understand.”
The officer shook my hand once and then scanned the Caravan estate. He seemed to be looking for any other capable men among the fifteen or so present. But there was no way he would find such a person in the Caravan territory. This was a rural village where it was hard to find any young men at all, let alone capable ones. Finding no one else, the officer spoke with a look of slight disappointment.
“It seems I’ve made a trip for nothing. Regardless, please submit the relevant documents within a month. Don’t take it personally; it’s not that I don’t trust the Lord of Caravan, it’s just procedure.”
“I don’t take it personally.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
The officer and his group departed. An army had appeared out of nowhere and left just as quickly, but the residents weren’t even surprised anymore. Whether the army came or went, they weren’t anxious; if anything, they seemed disappointed that the soldiers had “left without staying long.” The residents had realized last time that they could make a decent amount of money when the army was stationed nearby.
Watching them, I asked half-jokingly if they weren’t afraid.
The residents replied nonchalantly.
“Because our Lord is here. Our Lord, who will stand his ground and fight head-on no matter what happens. We aren’t afraid of anything as long as you’re here, ho ho ho.”
Hearing that, I thought to myself:
As I thought, I have to get stronger.
Much stronger than I am now.
*
“I am going to the capital.”
“The capital… you mean Cherny, the Blade City.”
“Yes. I have to go to Cherny to resolve the military issue. But that’s not the only reason.”
“Is there something else you need to do?”
“I’m going to prepare for a long journey.”
A long journey.
Tom and Sancho looked at me with confusion.
“I’m going to leave the Iron Kingdom and head for the Sky Empire. To be precise, I’m going to climb the Sky Mountain Range.”
“…I hope I misheard you.”
“No, you heard correctly. I’m going to the Sky Mountain Range.”
“Young Master, have you truly gone mad?”
Sancho looked like he didn’t quite understand, while Tom looked genuinely horrified. It was the difference between one who knew the wider world and one who didn’t. No matter how much knowledge Sancho had, it was all based on the Caravan Estate. That was why Sancho could only scratch his head. But Tom was different. I had expected as much.
I could tell just by his reaction when the dragon appeared before.
Tom knew the wider world. At least more than Sancho or I did.
“Lord Arhan, do you have any idea what kind of place the Sky Mountain Range is? It is one of the most dangerous places on the continent. It’s as perilous as the Crevelin Great Forest or the Monsterland of the Northern Continent.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the Great Forest or the Northern Continent either.”
“Then why on earth would someone like you go to the Sky Mountain Range…?”
“Because the soul of the sword is telling me to.”
I looked at Tom.
“The soul of the former master of the blade I recently absorbed… his soul is being drawn to dragons. If I can properly assimilate this soul, I will become far stronger than before. As long as the path I must take is clear, there is no reason to back down.”
“You could truly lose your life, Young Master.”
I replied to Tom’s warning with indifference.
“Tom.”
“Yes.”
“Of the paths I’ve walked so far, not a single one has been safe.”
Tom fell silent for a moment.
He was right. There had never been a safe moment. Every moment had been a crisis, a point where I could have lost my life. But I had survived, and I had grown stronger through that process. The Arhan Caravan who had just started learning the sword and the Arhan Caravan of today were completely different people. This journey would be another opportunity for me. As long as I survived.
“…You’re right.”
I couldn’t avoid it just because it was dangerous. If I were going to do that, I shouldn’t have started in the first place.
“Personally, I’m in favor of it,” Sancho said, raising his hand. “The people of the estate feel secure when the Young Master is here, but honestly, you aren’t much help with the actual work. Miss Hailyn and I are handling the duties of the acting lord, and we’re using the money we’ve earned to hire professional staff. The management of the estate is going smoothly. All the Young Master does while staying here is swing a sword at the training ground behind the mansion. I don’t know anything about swords, and I don’t know the wider world inside out. But I do know one thing. The Young Master is still young, and this is a time when you need to see more of the world and gain more experience.”
“…”
“Go do what you must, Young Master. I, Sancho, will hold down the fort.”
Yes. What I had to do was clear.
In the first place, Sancho and I shared the same goal. We were the only two people here who had experienced the horror of Swordmaster Carlos. And so, with my journey decided, Tom spoke up.
“I’ll go with you.”
“I’d appreciate that, but are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“It’s fine. It seems like something big has happened to the ‘Arena’ that employed me. Since Blade City is where all the blades of the Iron Kingdom gather, it might be an opportunity to fill the Hall of Fame with new items. And above all… if it’s a journey to meet a dragon, I’ll be of some help.”
Tom’s face darkened slightly whenever the word “dragon” was mentioned. With Tom joining the journey, I scanned the members who would be traveling with me. Seol-yoon was a fixed member, so there was no need to ask. That meant we had a formidable force consisting of two Sword Runners and one Sword Expert .
However, despite the strength, the balance was off. I had never heard of a traveling party consisting only of swordsmen. Although Tom had the ability to handle chores or complex administrative procedures thanks to his long years as a caretaker, we still needed more variety.
The essentials were a Wizard to provide spiritual power, a Ranger to act as a guide, and a Priest or Healer with the ability to provide immediate treatment for injuries. This was the basic composition of a traveling party. No group traveled with nothing but swordsmen. Only bandits who lived by robbery would do that.
“You’re leaving for the capital? I’ll join you as well.”
“…You don’t have to.”
While I was debating who to include, the Orc Sherizik spoke up.
“Um, if Lady Sherizik comes, won’t that make four swordsmen?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that I didn’t want an Orc in the party, that I felt she would just eat all our food, and most importantly, that I desperately wanted to get away from her. I felt like a duel would start the moment I said it, and I would likely lose that duel. Hearing my excuses, Sherizik made an expression that was hard to tell if it was a smile or a threat.
“It’s fine. I’m an Orc born and raised in the mountains. I’m a better guide than most rangers in the Empire. Besides, I can use the shamanism I learned from my father.”
“…”
“Using shamanism, I can perform healing similar to the miracles used by priests.”
Damn it. The Orc Sherizik was an unnecessarily talented individual.
Finally, I headed to the Witch Audrey to recruit the last member. If it were up to me, I would have left her at the estate forever. Audrey was a talented combatant who provided a sense of security, and she was an excellent and efficient administrator. But I couldn’t leave her behind. Audrey was a brilliant wizard, a witch who knew the Sky Mountain Range and the Sky Empire inside out, and above all, it was the witches who had issued the request regarding “Ascension.”
“Finally! I’m leaving this backwater hole!”
“…”
“Yay!”
And so, the members of the journey were decided.
A young lord and a girl from the Eastern Continent. An Orc, a witch, and an old caretaker. It was a truly insane combination in many ways.
As I was nearly finished preparing to leave with this bizarre group, one thing weighed on my mind.
Surely… that old knight hasn’t forgotten me, has he?
*
“Sir Bermartin, have you ever hired a swordsman without discussing it with me?”
“A swordsman? I’m not sure.”
“Or did you perhaps take money to put some noble brat on the roster of the Yellow Elephants to coincide with the Steel Legion’s conscription season? I mean, it’s something other knight orders do all the time, but… as far as I know, we’ve never done that. Is our order in such bad financial shape lately?”
“Hah! As if I, Bermartin, would ever do such a thing! I am a man who utterly loathes nobles who put their names on knight rosters just to evade military service! Any man of the Iron Kingdom should answer the call of the Steel Legion immediately!”
“Then what is this?”
Hearing Bermartin’s booming voice, the woman held out a piece of paper. The paper she offered bore the seal of the Steel Legion. Taking the paper, Bermartin frowned and slowly read through the contents.
“Hmm. Oh?”
And then…
“Pfft, ahahaha! Ahahahaha! Well! This romantic brat has gone and done something interesting.”
He burst into a hearty laugh.
“A romantic brat?”
“Don’t you remember? Our foolish Vice-Captain Meken! The romantic brat who fought him and cut off both his arms. The boy who stood as a proxy warrior for a fallen knight, won an honor duel, and demanded a flag—just like the protagonist of a chivalric novel!”
“Ah, ahh. I remember. The country bumpkin Sword Walker who won the duel against Sir Meken…”
At Bermartin’s words, the woman recalled the past event. Yes, that had happened. It was an incident that had caused quite a stir in Blade City for a while. But as far as she knew, that boy had never joined the Yellow Elephants. Puzzled, the woman spoke.
“But I don’t recall that boy ever joining us. In fact, he’s never even been hired by us for a mission, let alone joined. This means he used our name without permission…”
“Ho ho, without permission? In this bleak age, would that boy who knows romance ever do such a thing? This is clearly a message sent to me.”
“What do you mean? No matter how I look at it, it seems like he got famous and then looked for a loophole to escape the Steel Legion’s draft, so he just gave Sir Bermartin’s name because it was the only knight he knew.”
“No, no. That’s not it. A boy with a conviction as solid as steel would never do that. This must be a message sent to me through the conscription officer. A message that he is coming to Blade City soon. And that he intends to show me how much he has changed.”
“…”
“Hahaha, I’m looking forward to it!”
Bermartin laughed heartily and stroked his beard.
“For him to send me a message so boldly like this, there can only be one reason. He has already grown wings in this short amount of time. The wings of steel, which are said to be the hardest to bloom among all the families…”
Contrary to Arhan’s worries, Bermartin had not forgotten the conversation he had with the boy that day. Of course, he couldn’t forget. The boy might have thought of that conversation as a fleeting moment, but for Bermartin, it had been a truly thrilling one. A moment where something he had dreamed of and longed for for a very long time had actually come true.
The blood of steel, which he thought had completely vanished from the continent. The descendant of steel, whom he thought was gone, had reappeared.
Bermartin laughed, unable to hide his anticipation. The woman asked the old knight.
“Why do you believe there’s no ill intent at all? If there was no prior discussion, then the name of the Yellow Elephants has been exploited. Sir Bermartin, you aren’t usually the type to just let such things slide, are you?”
“Because I liked the boy. And—”
Bermartin swallowed the rest of his words. As the woman looked on in confusion, Bermartin muttered only to himself.
—Because finally, I can fulfill an old promise.
No one heard the voice in Bermartin’s heart. After a brief silence, Bermartin cleared his throat and looked up.
“…I’ll tell you later.”
“I’m curious. Can’t you explain even a little bit?”
“A little, eh? Well, I suppose I can say this.”
“…?”
“The day that boy arrives in this city and comes to me.”
Bermartin grinned.
“He will learn the real reason why I was given the nickname ‘Bermartin of Steel.'”
