“It seems you’ve met a truly noble soul.”
When I told Helen that I had met the old monk, Butcher, she nodded knowingly.
“He is the one who has endured the longest period of asceticism and is the first monk to attain Nirvana in hundreds of years. One could say he is the closest person to the sun since the Order of the Sun was first founded.”
“……”
“Just speaking with him brings peace to the soul. No matter how foolish the question, he offers a wise answer in return—an answer that pierces through to the truth.”
Helen smiled warmly as she handed me a tray of various fruits.
“When I said you could stay as long as you liked, I wasn’t just being polite. Please, stay until your heart is at ease. It would make me very happy if you could find even a small realization or a fond memory while resting here.”
*
The view of the Sky Mountain Range from the temple was breathtaking. The invisible summit and the peaks shrouded in a sea of clouds inspired a sense of wonder in anyone who looked upon them.
“Young Master, when do you plan to leave? If we want to stay on schedule, I think it would be best to head toward the Empire by tomorrow at the latest. Thanks to meeting these monks, our future tasks might have become a bit easier.”
The plan.
Tom was referring to the path we had set.
The plan we had devised upon leaving the Iron Kingdom was simple: reach the Sky Empire and hire an experienced sherpa or a ranger well-versed in the Sky Mountain Range. We would procure necessary supplies in an imperial city, climb as high as possible, and find the clues needed to fully digest Soaring .
The fundamental goal was to see the wider world and foster my own growth in the process. However, thanks to the dragon Aion, we were already high within the Sky Mountain Range. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the problem was that we had been separated from the rest of our party and had entered this dangerous land ill-prepared. But now, even that problem had been partially resolved.
I possessed the adventurer’s memories contained within Soaring .
And thanks to a past connection with the monks, I was enjoying a safe night under their protection. Given the circumstances, was there any reason to go out of our way to visit the Sky Empire? When I voiced these thoughts, Tom replied with a frown.
“You’re not wrong. However, climbing the Sky Mountain Range without a wizard or a ranger is far too dangerous. This range is overflowing with all sorts of mysteries, and only those who handle mystery can stand against them. While it’s said that swordsmen can handle mystery as well, they cannot be compared to wizards. To be safe, we must bolster our magical support. Above all, roaming this harsh land without a ranger is…”
Tom had many worries.
Hearing my words, Seol-yoon spoke up with an unexpected lack of concern.
“I think doing it that way is fine, too.”
“Is that so?”
“But you know, Arhan. There’s one thing I want to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
Then, Seol-yoon made an unexpected proposal.
“From what I’ve heard from the monks here, the Sky Mountain Range is close to the Empire, but it also borders the ‘Great Land.’”
“……”
“I want to go to the Eastern Continent.”
Seol-yoon’s eyes sparkled with newfound determination.
“Being with you would certainly be good training. You’ll gain realizations while climbing the mountain, and I’ll gain something by watching you. But unlike you, who chases memories of the past, I won’t be able to realize as much as you do here.”
“That may be true.”
“But if I go to the Great Land… I feel like I could gain a lot. Truly a lot.”
“……”
“I’ll be sad to be away from you. It might be dangerous. But I also think it’s a chance for me to completely change. A chance to release something that exists inside me and get closer to Paradise.”
Seol-yoon’s gaze was firm. I had no justification to stop her.
Above all—
“Have a safe trip, Seol-yoon.”
I had no reason to stop her.
“I pray you return alive.”
The reason Seol-yoon chose to stay with me was to reach higher heights. If she had found a path that seemed more beneficial to her growth, there was no reason to block her choice to walk it. Even Tom, who had been insisting on how dangerous things were, did not try to dissuade her. Perhaps it was because we both knew: Seol-yoon was someone who could survive on her own. She was a formidable individual.
“Take this with you.”
Tom handed Seol-yoon a small blade.
“What is this?”
“It’s a blade from the East; they say it’s an arrowhead that wards off evil energy. It’s likely just a baseless superstition, but… you never know.”
It was one of the many antiques Tom possessed. Seol-yoon took it and smiled for the first time in a long while—a smile befitting a girl her age.
“Thank you.”
And so, one of our party members departed. The monks readily agreed to Seol-yoon’s request to be shown the way to the Great Land, and she left abruptly the next morning, accompanied by a middle-aged monk. It was a pity, but I wasn’t sad. Seol-yoon would surely return, and the Seol-yoon who returned would be markedly different from the one standing here now.
There was no need to worry about her. The one I needed to worry about was myself. Seol-yoon, returning from the Great Land, would achieve immense growth like the brilliant genius she was. For me, the dullest of the dull, to avoid being left behind, I had to busily grow stronger. Truly, very busily.
“Arhan.”
At the final moment of her departure, Seol-yoon left behind a meaningful remark.
“Once I return, if we’ve become strong enough—if the trials we have to overcome are finished, that is…”
“……”
“Let’s go to the Paradise I’m headed for together.”
Let’s go to Paradise together.
It was an abstract statement. Of course, she couldn’t have meant a simple vacation resort. Or could she? If it was someone as simple-minded as Seol-yoon, she might have been suggesting a vacation after everything was over. Well, there was no time to think deeply about it. At that moment, for some reason, Seol-yoon’s eyes were shining brighter than usual. I met her gaze and nodded.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
And so, Seol-yoon left.
No, the expression ‘left’ isn’t quite right. She returned—to the land she came from. And she will return again someday, having become incredibly strong.
“Have a safe trip, Seol-yoon.”
It was a parting, but not a sad one. I am not used to seeing people off, but I always welcome this kind of farewell. It wasn’t an eternal goodbye, but a temporary parting for each other’s sake.
‘I wish Sherizik would leave too. No, there’s no companion as versatile as her, so should I hope she stays? No, I still kind of wish she’d leave. No…’
Well, internal conflict was unavoidable.
Regardless, even after seeing Seol-yoon off, I couldn’t reach a clear decision on what to do next. Tom’s words about supplementing the party to climb safely were right, but my own judgment to just climb as we were was also tempting.
Another day passed like that.
The monks’ temple was peaceful and warm. I secretly wished my own estate could one day become a place like this. While briefly soaking in the peace, I met the old monk, Butcher, once again.
“The girl from the East has departed. I thought she might.”
“Did you give Seol-yoon advice as well?”
“I only spoke simple words. Because there was something weighing on her heart, I told her she could only soar if she released the shackles of the past—that wherever she intended to go, she could not leave while lingering regrets remained. She looked as if she had realized something after that.”
“You gave her good words.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
At my words, Butcher merely gave a faint smile.
“Take your time to decide. The process of deciding and thinking is also meaningful. Only with a good process can there be a good result. Think on it sufficiently.”
*
Night fell once again.
Tom spent his time sharpening the blades he had taken from his bundle and telling various old stories to the young acolytes. He also bragged about the weapons he had newly purchased in Blade City Cherny. Though they were antiques, he claimed they all held significant value.
I watched the pillar of fire burning in the center of the temple. Just looking at the flames brought serenity to my heart and a sense of peace. As I quietly watched the night sky, I could see the silhouette of the Sky Mountain Range rising high beyond the clouds hanging at the edge of the firmament. A mountain so high it seemed to pierce the heavens.
My head was full of thoughts.
Soon, a war will break out. If it goes according to Ian Chervil’s intentions, it will be a massive war that sweeps across the entire world. The protagonists might be Ian Chervil’s executioners, or the most powerful figures on the continent, or a legion composed of those I wouldn’t dare to face.
What is it that I must do?
Since their war is wrong, should I gather those I have connections with, form a legion, and join the fray? No, that wouldn’t be right. War only brings more war in the end. Someone innocent will bleed, and that is the last thing I want. Then what should I do? To achieve my revenge, eliminate the unreasonableness in the world, and establish a world that is right and acceptable, what must I do?
My mind was a mess. While I was agonizing over it, Liam spoke.
「Do not think so difficultly.」
“Then how should I think?”
「Look at it simply.」
Liam looked down at me.
「When you first devoured me, you wanted revenge. You desired the ruin of Swordmaster Carlos, who destroyed your life. And reaching the present, that revenge has not yet succeeded, and you still desire it.」
“……”
「Do not be distracted by the chaotic world, the war, or the blood others shed. Look at only one thing: sharpening your sword. Possessing a sword that can reach anyone.」
Under the night sky, my master spoke.
「Only then can you establish a rightful world, only then can you achieve your revenge, and only then can you see the end of all things. Just as I did in the distant past.」
“What did you do, Master?”
「I made the world my enemy.」
“Do you mean you fought every legion, every nation, and every race? With only a single sword?”
「I did, and I could have. But it wasn’t always like that.」
“Then…”
「To achieve what you desire on this continent, you only need to satisfy one condition: become the most powerful individual.」
My master’s eyes flashed.
「Think of only one thing, young descendant. Become a Swordmaster. Only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster.」
“……”
「I promise you. The moment you forge your sword, I will tell you the way to achieve everything you desire. In the way of the Caravan.」
My dizzying thoughts were instantly organized into one.
My master was different from the old monk Butcher, yet he was wise in his own right. It made sense, as he was someone who had already found the answer in his own era.
“I’ve decided what I must do.”
I looked at the night sky. On one side of the horizon, the mountain still stood tall.
“Instead of going to the Empire, I will finish digesting Soaring here and fully accept the legend.”
「Do you know the way to accept it?」
“Yes.”
On one side of the mountain, in a place that looked dauntingly high, a cliff was visible—a distant landscape that seemed to touch the stars. I knew the name of that place. According to the old adventurer’s memories, there was a name the world called it.
“I’m going to climb the mountain.”
The place closest to the sky. The place where the old adventurer’s son in Soaring died, and the place where the old adventurer fell. The place where one adventurer’s struggle ended, and where the legend finally began. I could feel it instinctively. The moment I reached that place, this blade would give me everything. Without leaving anything behind.
“To the Azure Sky.”
