Those who bear the name “Rhapsody” all have the blood of an idler flowing through their veins—the blood of their progenitor, the “Lazy Idler.”
That blood grants them an endless, bottomless drowsiness. It is a lethargy that cannot be shaken, no matter how deeply they slumber. Because of this, the descendants of the Idler live their lives in a perpetual blur. Even when eating the finest delicacies, they cannot fully taste them; even when embracing a beautiful woman, they feel no thrill. Whether they grasp gold and jewels or achieve fame that echoes across the world, the drowsiness never fades.
There is only one moment when the descendants of the Idler are freed from this curse-like sleep: the moment they swing a sword. Only when they meet a worthy opponent and find themselves gasping for breath can they finally feel alive. Only when a blade is at their throat does the world snap into focus; only when blood sprays does their heart truly pound.
“Is this your first time seeing something like this?”
The blood of the Idler flowed through Toma Rhapsody’s veins as well. Thus, he was deeply pleased by this brief moment of wakefulness. It was a sense of liberation he could never feel in the Free City, where everyone treated him with cautious reverence. This freedom, as if he were flying through the sky, was intoxicating.
“It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“I can show you more if you want. Try that strange thrust again. I’ll show you as many times as you like. If you want, I could show you all day long without resting….”
Toma Rhapsody wished for this moment never to end. He wanted the fighter before him to keep waking him up. As his heart pounded, the fighter flinched and moved. Toma’s eyes narrowed. What would it be this time?
A thrust? Or a slash?
It didn’t matter. It would be even better if it were a mysterious attack unlike anything he had seen before. He didn’t even mind if he sustained a fatal wound. If blood flowed, how much more awake would he become? A wound deep enough to pierce his vitals would be even better. Perhaps then, this loathsome drowsiness would vanish entirely….
“Now, come on—”
But.
“……?”
The fighter’s actions were different from what Toma Rhapsody had expected. With a sharp thud , the fighter kicked the dirt. A cloud of dust billowed up, and in that brief moment of obscured vision, the fighter turned and fled. Far, far away.
Toma Rhapsody stood dazed for a moment before glaring at the retreating figure and giving chase. Fine, a game of tag wasn’t bad either. Perhaps the boy needed time to think. Toma could understand that.
As he moved, justifying the situation to himself, he sensed a presence.
“This bastard… what kind of confidence does he have to be out in the open like—”
With a loud crash , the wall of an old building crumbled. A pitch-black fighter launched an ambush from within the ruins. Toma Rhapsody, who had been humming happily until a moment ago, felt his expression twist.
A paltry fighter….
Without even looking at the lunging man, Toma Rhapsody thrust his sword. He felt the sensation of flesh and bone being pierced by the tip of his blade. Without even a death rattle, a life crumbled away. Toma Rhapsody continued walking without looking back. The exhilaration he had felt just moments ago was slowly subsiding. In the place of joy, lethargy began to swell. His eyelids started to grow heavy.
It was because he had dealt with an insignificant opponent.
This feeling of being pumped up only to have his mood plummet in an instant was beyond unpleasant. Suppressing his rising irritation, Toma Rhapsody pursued the fleeing fighter. To drive away the sleepiness once more. To feel the world with clarity again.
However, despite thinking he had cleared the area, the surroundings were still crawling with insignificant pests. Boring, sleepy, uninteresting things. Insolent things that made him drowsy. Worms that couldn’t provide him even a shred of enjoyment. Toma Rhapsody bit his lip and raised his sword.
Every time he thrust his blade, at least one life vanished in silence. Even as he carried out this one-sided massacre, Toma Rhapsody couldn’t help but yawn widely. He could never be satisfied with these ones. Never.
* * *
The sky was growing darker. Dark clouds veiled the heavens.
As evening approached, the interior of the Arena was chillingly silent. In this artificially constructed city, there were no human voices, nor the chirping of insects. Amidst the unpleasant silence, Liam spoke.
「Do you intend to run all the way to the edge of the fence?」
“…It’s not running away; it’s a rearward charge.”
「You’re talking nonsense.」
I spoke while watching Liam shake his head. Seeing him click his tongue in disapproval made my blood boil despite myself.
“Then what am I supposed to do? None of the weapons I have are working against him.”
「You look frustrated.」
“Of course I’m frustrated. You told me, Master, that no one can block the ‘Line,’ the Path of Steel. But what happened earlier? It was snapped so easily.”
The scene from earlier kept replaying in my mind.
The Line.
That violent power that only a Caravan could draw had been broken head-on by that guy’s sword. It was something I had never experienced before. No one had ever done that. Not even that knight who was a 「Sword Runner」 could do it. And yet, he did it so easily—
「I have never told a lie, nor have I ever bluffed. The Path of Steel cannot be blocked by anyone, young descendant.」
“Then….”
「If it is a complete Path of Steel, that is.」
Liam looked at me.
「Did you really think such an incomplete and clumsy Line would work against a descendant of a Great Family? Especially against a descendant of the ‘Lazy Idler,’ who is called the best among the Five Families when it comes to the swift sword?」
“…….”
「Do not throw a tantrum, young descendant.」
Liam was right. This was a tantrum.
「It is a miracle that you won against the enemies you’ve faced until now. You know this yourself, do you not? There is no fault in the Steel. It is only that the one wielding it was lacking.」
“…….”
「Do not waver. Do not doubt the wrong things. Doubt what should be doubted, and face the truth firmly without shaking. Like Steel.」
There was too vast a gap between me and that fighter. I was superior to him in nothing—not in technique, not in realm, not in strength, nor in speed. Furthermore, I could no longer suppress him with the power of the special blood flowing through my body. Just as the blood of Steel flowed in me, the blood of a Great Family flowed in him.
And so, I was faced with a wall.
「Do you feel despair?」
An insurmountable wall.
「It is only natural. Since ancient times, the Five Families have been a wall of despair for swordsmen. They are those born with the talent to reach the apex from the moment of their birth, possessing selfish bloodlines that allow them to leap past those who have spent their entire lives striving.」
“…….”
「To others, you would be included in that group. The power to devour swords and instantly master what others have achieved… what a magnificent power that is, is it not?」
Liam looked at me.
「Young descendant.」
“Yes.”
「What do you think would have happened if the blood of Steel did not flow through you?」
Those words were painful to hear.
“…I would have died as a pathetic boy.”
If I didn’t have the authority to devour swords, I would have been nothing. A 「Sword Walker」? No, a dullard like me wouldn’t have even dreamed of becoming a 「Sword Beginner」. I would have spent my life swinging a meaningless sword before dying in despair, feeling the weight of my helplessness to my very bones.
My hands trembled. Master was reminding me just how insignificant I truly was. Yes. Everything I had built up was thanks to the blood of Steel. If this blood had flowed through Seol-yoon instead of a small boy like me, she might have changed the world long ago. She would have become someone greater, more wonderful, more magnificent. No, I don’t even need to go as far as Seol-yoon. If this blood had flowed through Petel—
「No.」
“……?”
「Did I not tell you? Your true talent lies elsewhere.」
As I was wallowing in self-reproach, Liam shook his head.
「You have no talent for the sword. You are a terrible dullard with no athletic sense; even after consuming the sword of an ‘Orc,’ your body has only just reached the level of an ‘ordinary swordsman.’ You have no spiritual talent whatsoever, and without the Heart of Steel, your ability to handle Mana would have been pathetic.」
“Then as I thought—”
「However.」
Liam smirked.
「You have the talent to be a hero.」
At that moment, a chilling aura was felt from beyond. It was a terrifying energy that felt like needles pricking the entire Arena. I knew without looking. He had already caught up.
「Even if the blood of Steel did not flow through your body, you would have become great someday. Even if you lived as an ordinary person who didn’t know how to swing a sword, you would have become a hero eventually. You would have become a flame that sets the hearts of countless people ablaze.」
“…….”
「That is fate.」
My body was still trembling.
「Even if you were merely an Arhan and not a Caravan, you would have become great.」
“…….”
「I swear upon my heart, the path I have walked, my wings and the armor that protects me, and the sword forged into my soul, young descendant.」
Liam’s following words made my heart pound. The thumping grew faster and faster. Strangely, the tension began to subside.
「I ask you again: do you feel despair?」
“No.”
「Then?」
My mind settled into a cold calm.
“I want to win. What must I do, Master?”
「As I said before, there is no set method.」
“I know. I seek only one teaching. What is the way to at least leave a wound on that guy’s body?”
At my words, Liam grinned.
「There is a maxim that only a Swordmaster can kill a Swordmaster.」
“…….”
「There is another similar maxim.」
His smile was one of satisfaction.
「The sword of a Great Family can only be faced by another Great Family.」
“…….”
「That is a somewhat exaggerated maxim. The swordsmanship of the Great Families is certainly at an overwhelmingly higher level compared to other styles. However, there are plenty of high-level sword arts that are comparable. Furthermore, what matters in the sword is not the technique, but the soul and will contained within it.」
I took a breath.
「Of course, even so, all the swords you currently possess are of too low a level compared to that of the Rhapsody. They are swords that fit you perfectly and suit your current realm… but they are still too crude to break the sword of the ‘Idler.’」
My heart beat steadily. Thump, thump.
「Your situation is quite tragic. So, will you run away again?」
“No. Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t running away, but a rearward charge?”
「You are a funny fellow.」
“I’m not joking.”
A massive presence was drawing near.
“I needed a chance to see more of the technique that snapped my Line. And I needed time to understand the bizarre thing that happened to me. That’s why I hid in the darkness. Even if it meant throwing other fighters as bait to the one pursuing me.”
「And so, are you satisfied with the result?」
“I’m not satisfied. I still don’t understand the trick he used, and I didn’t get a chance to see more of that mysterious sword.”
「Even so, you do not despair?」
“Yes. I will fight until the end.”
He was an opponent far too great for me. But I could not run. Even if it was an ordeal I could not handle, I had to face it head-on. This was the path decided from the very first moment I picked up a sword. Even if that ordeal crushed and broke me, I could not back down. Just as my father lost his mind and stood against Swordmaster Carlos. Even if I had to become like the knight in the chivalric novels my father fell into—the utterly bizarre Knight of La Mancha—I had to fight.
If I crumbled here, I wouldn’t be able to face the great enemies I would encounter in the future anyway. This was only the beginning. The enemies I must fight from now on will be even more powerful, more despairing, and more unreasonable. To begin with, this world that has gone wrong took away an innocent boy’s family, his home, and his neighbors without a second thought. To impose my own standards upon the world, I must become strong. To face the world, I cannot be blocked by an idler like that.
“I gained time by retreating. But I gained nothing else. There is still nothing I can understand. To be honest, I don’t even have a clue how to achieve victory. But one thing is certain. If I run away from him completely, even if I save my life, I will never be able to hold a sword again. Never.”
「…….」
“It’s not a matter of whether I can win or not. I must win. To keep moving forward. To head toward the top.”
My breathing stabilized.
The sound of swords clashing echoed through the dim darkness. It seemed the fighters hiding here and there had ambushed him. But as expected, those ambushes were meaningless. The sound of clashing never lasted more than twice. There were only the sounds of bodies thudding to the ground without even a death cry.
「Excellent.」
The thick scent of blood wafted through the air.
「I will say it again. The sword of a Great Family can only be faced by the sword of another Great Family. Or, it must be a swordsmanship great enough to rival it.」
The scent of death.
「However, the swords you possess are all nothing but crude. The blade of a mercenary swordswoman, the lowly blade wielded by a nameless assassin, the blade used by a third-rate knight, the blade swung haphazardly by an uneducated orc… such things can never face a great sword.」
“…….”
「But you have this great master, do you not?」
Liam’s voice resonated within the piercing presence.
「Young descendant, light the lamp. Set your heart ablaze.」
“…….”
「And so, even if only for a moment, soar.」
I knew what Liam was saying. The mystery of the 「Lamp」 that transcends limits. He meant for me to use it to become a 「Sword Runner」, even if only for an instant. But doubt also bloomed at the same time. What meaning was there in that? That guy was also a swordsman who had reached the level of a Sword Runner. His achievement and skill were so great that he could slaughter an ordinary Sword Runner in an instant. Even if I transcended my limits and reached the level of an incomplete Sword Runner for a moment, could I really face him…?
「A moment is enough.」
“…….”
「For that is the minimum requirement to wield the Steel.」
My doubt was resolved by my master’s following words.
「I told you. The sword of a Great Family can only be faced by the sword of another Great Family.」
Thump.
A heavy heartbeat resonated.
「It is a bit early, but I shall teach you a single strand of the sword.」
The resonating heartbeat started from my chest and vibrated from my head to my toes.
「The greatest sword on this continent, once at the pinnacle of the Five Families, envied and feared by all, though now forgotten and vanished.」
Along with that, an intense heat seized my entire body.
「The sword of the Caravan.」
As I felt as if my entire body would melt, the complete digestion of the 「Lamp」 began with my master’s words. My heart, hot as a fireball, throbbed as a voice echoed in my mind.
『From the crumbling ashes, the phoenix is born.』
A voice, both sad and beautiful.
『Even if I die, even if my descendants die, even if my stars die, we do not disappear.』
A voice like flames.
『Even if we die, our dreams do not vanish but endure.』
『Even when the day comes, the stars do not disappear.』
A voice so hot it seemed to fill the world.
『How happy was the era when one could look at the starry firmament and read the map of the path one could and must travel?』
I opened my eyes.
『And how happy was the era when that starlight illuminated that path so clearly?』
In my hand, I held a flame.
