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Dieta began, her arms crossed, inside the carriage returning to Cambria.

“Within Cambria, the only threats to you are adventurers of the White rank, right?”

Najin nodded. Apart from Sword Seekers, there were no threats. Even if dozens of Sword Experts were brought in, it would be dangerous, but Najin had means to respond if such a large group moved together.

So, it would be a hit and run.

Fleeing and pursuing, then turning the tides with a counterattack, was Najin’s specialty.

“There are five White rank adventurers in total. With Kapman Theosis dead, that leaves four. And out of them, three will absolutely not target you.”

“Why is that?”

“First, Roselin Ascalo. You’ve met her, right? She’s pure, for better or for worse, not the type to engage in such dirty schemes.”

Dieta folded one finger.

“Second, the former commander of the Zenobel family’s knights, Rihard Polsen. He’s someone the Order could never recruit. He has connections with the royal family, and his every action is reported to them… He wouldn’t engage in such acts.”

Another finger down.

“Third, Baschen Korte. A White rank adventurer who hasn’t disclosed his information, but he despises the Order to the extreme. He was stripped of his knightly title for allegedly killing a high priest of the Order. Again, the likelihood of him being involved is low.”

Above all, she continued.

“Baschen Korte is an exclusive adventurer of our trading company. We might be able to get help from him in this situation.”

Three candidates were eliminated. Pointing to the remaining finger, Dieta continued.

“Grizel Parmelt. This person… there’s almost no information available, so I can’t be certain. If someone within Cambria city targets you, Grizel would be the prime suspect.”

“What’s their preferred weapon?”

“A halberd.”

A halberd, a weapon Najin hadn’t faced before.

“But this is all speculation… I think the threat will come from outside the adventurer’s city, rather than inside.”

“I have similar thoughts.”

“Moreover, if I were the Order, I would unleash all the hounds this time. Kapman has already been taken down. The Order must be certain now that you are not someone to be trifled with.”

What now? Muttering to herself, Dieta tapped her forearm with her index finger.

“For some reason… The Starlight Order said they ‘never move the Holy Knights directly,’ right?”

“That would be the case. They wouldn’t want to get caught.”

“Assuming that’s true, there aren’t many routes for external forces to enter the city.”

Dieta spread a map.

“If someone of Sword Seeker caliber wants to ‘legitimately’ visit the city, they have to go through a reporting process. And an unjustified visit would be obvious. It would also be recorded. They wouldn’t opt for this method.”

She pointed to the back door instead of the main gate.

“They’d either disguise themselves and enter through the back door or scale the walls. But in that case, targeting you wouldn’t be easy. Your residence is close to the Central Church, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“That area is only accessible to adventurers of Green rank or higher. Those with uncertain identities can’t enter.”

In other words.

“It won’t be easy to assassinate you within Cambria, especially considering your skills. If a fight breaks out in the central city, adventurers will join in, and the situation will escalate.”

“Certainly… That makes sense.”

“So, they will try to lure you out.”

Out of the city.

Najin stroked his chin. Should he stay inside the city for a while then? But if that’s the case…

“However, you don’t have to just sit back and take it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten?”

Dieta shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m the head of a major trading company that dominates Cambria. When it comes to the circulation of gold and goods within the city, no trading company surpasses mine.”

She flicked a platinum coin from her bosom.

Just as a swordsman wields a sword, an archer fires an arrow, and a mage disperses mana, a merchant snapped the coin from the air.

“Gold can make many things possible.”

The snake that swallows gold smiled.

A day after returning to Cambria.

The first thing Najin did was move his residence next to Dieta’s trading company. Dieta had strongly insisted, saying, “That place is good too, but it’s better to move closer.”

「Coincidentally, there’s a very cheap but good property ‘about to come up’ near my company. How about moving there?」

「It’s close to the company, so we can see each other often! Just come with yourself. I’ll have people move your stuff in advance.」

There seemed to be reasons beyond just ‘safety’, but Najin couldn’t deny Dieta’s claim that the place was safe. After moving, Najin briefly greeted Dieta and set off.

With Dieta’s help, he made a few plans.

But, at the end of the day, what mattered most was Najin’s personal strength. In the final moment, the only thing to rely on would be the sword in his hand. The need to ascend to Sword Seeker as soon as possible remained unchanged.

‘But…’

Thanks to Dieta, he had some breathing room.

With this newfound leisure, Najin could reflect on his past training and concluded that mindlessly swinging a sword wasn’t much help.

His swordsmanship and physical abilities were already close to that of a Sword Seeker. What he needed was something else.

Knock knock.

To understand what he lacked, Najin sought advice from someone who could provide it. Conveniently, there was a suitable person. After knocking and waiting for a moment, the door creaked open.

“What’s this about, so early in the morning…?”

A figure with disheveled hair emerged.

Roselin Ascalo, a White rank adventurer, recognized Najin and widened her eyes in surprise.

“What is it? What brings you here, kid?”

“I’ve come to use the one-time request I mentioned before.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes, suddenly.”

Despite the abrupt visit, Roselin told him to wait a moment and went back inside. After a few minutes, she reappeared, casually dressed, and wearing slippers.

“So, what do you need, kid?”

“I’d like to request a sparring match. As close to a real fight as possible.”

“With me?”

Roselin chuckled.

“Look at this guy. Hey, I’ve been a Sword Seeker for over ten years now. I’m quite skilled, you know.”

“I’m aware.”

“And you want it to be as close to a real fight as possible?”

“I think that’s how I’ll get a feel for it.”

Roselin blinked.

A feel? Now that she thought about it, she had heard rumors that he survived a clash with Knight Commander Griffin and came back alive. Roselin narrowed her eyes.

“Are you in the process of Metamorphosis?”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t you know Metamorphosis?”

“What is that?”

“Sigh. It’s about awakening the fragments of your Imagery.”

Najin silently lifted his sword. A constellation of pure white stars blossomed above his sword aura. It was a sword aura that had transcended the realm of Sword Experts and was nearing that of Sword Seekers.

“Huh, you crazy kid.”

Roselin let out a dry laugh.

To think he was this close to becoming a Sword Seeker at his age? Wasn’t he just an Expert until recently? To have grown so much in just a month or two…

“Let’s start by stating what’s going on.”

Roselin crossed her legs and sat down on a bench, lighting a cigarette. As she smoked, she listened to Najin’s story. After Najin finished explaining.

“Well… I get it.”

Roselin nodded as if she expected as much and scratched her chin.

“To ascend to Sword Seeker, you know you have to completely dismantle and reconstruct your sword aura, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“Yeah. That process is often called metamorphosis because it’s like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon… or shedding.”

She brushed back her hair. Her black strands swayed with her fingers.

“That process varies from person to person. Some are incredibly quick, and others are incredibly slow. Know why?”

“Why?”

“Because the pace at which a soul matures differs for everyone.”

Between the fluttering locks, red eyes emerged. Najin felt a chill just like the last time he confronted those eyes, as if Merlin was gasping beside him.

“Sword Expert, Sword Seeker, Master… Ultimately, all these stages signify one thing: purifying the soul and achieving completeness. Ascending and reaching transcendence.”

“Transcendence…”

“Yes. It’s not noticeable at the Expert level, but from Seeker onwards, the soul significantly influences it.”

Roselin drew her sword. With a light flick of her finger, fierce sword aura bloomed on the blade. It resembled the claws of a beast.

“It’s inevitable. A Sword Seeker is someone who can imbue their Imagery into their sword aura, projecting the form of their soul into their blade. If the soul is immature, naturally, the process will take longer.”

Roselin pointed at Najin with her sword tip.

“From what I see, you’re exactly in that situation. If you’ve awakened the fragments of your Imagery but can’t progress, it means something’s holding you back.”

“Holding back?”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s a lingering attachment, or maybe it’s thoughts that interfere with crafting your Imagery.”

She sheathed her sword and exhaled deeply.

“I know because I’ve been through it. It took me 3 years to ascend to Sword Seeker after awakening my Imagery. For most people, it’s a process that takes a few months at most.”

Roselin chuckled wryly and stood up from the chair.

“So, in this case, I can help. Shall we take a look at your sword?”

The duel continued for a while. As they exchanged blows, both Najin and Roselin experienced their own surprises. For Najin, the astonishment came from realizing Roselin was stronger than he had imagined.

Duke Arbenia’s Knight Commander, Griffin.

Demon Knight, Verheigen.

Ranger, Kapman Theosis.

Najin had faced several Sword Seeker-level opponents before. Among them, Griffin was the strongest, and Najin was certain he couldn’t win against him even now.

‘But…’

Roselin before him was stronger than Griffin. Although he couldn’t pinpoint exactly how, he felt she was a step above Griffin. The speed at which her sword penetrated, the trajectory it traced, and above all, the freedom of her sword aura were incomparable to Griffin’s.

Unknown to Najin, his intuitive assessment was accurate.

There are three stages a Sword Seeker must undergo to become a Sword Master: Germination, Blossoming, Full Bloom. Roselin Ascalo had completed Germination, placing her at a higher level.

Screech!

Her sword aura, like a beast tearing its prey apart, carved through space. It spread like a net, ensnaring and shredding its catch. The intricate control of her sword aura was astonishing to Najin.

‘Look at this kid.’

Roselin, too, was amazed, particularly by Najin’s response to her techniques. He was a promising youngster when she first saw him, but now he was on a different level.

Back then, he was just a Sword Expert with exceptional skills.

A young prodigy with notable talent…

Now, he was on the verge of becoming a Sword Seeker, a formidable opponent who could soon stand shoulder to shoulder with her. His physical abilities and reaction speed were already on par with an average Sword Seeker.

‘All this in just two months?’

It was an unbelievable pace.

‘This kid is insane.’

She had taken his concerns about having no further progress despite awakening the fragments of his Imagery seriously… From her perspective, it seemed like the problem was due to his excessively rapid growth.

Different from her own experience.

Roselin felt a hint of bitterness at that thought. After all, who else had half their soul tarnished? Who else carried such a cursed lineage?

‘But still.’

Roselin clicked her tongue.

Najin’s movements, darting in swiftly, seizing the blind spots, and escaping the net of sword aura, weren’t just the result of talent.

‘What kind of bastards did he fight with in such a short period?’

Experience. She could sense the experience.

Najin’s movements were imbued with the experience of facing numerous strong opponents. After the duel, Roselin wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Wow, this kid is really something.”

She approached Najin with a pleased smile. Najin, having planted his sword into the ground, was catching his breath. Roselin knelt beside him.

“From what I can see, what you need isn’t more swordsmanship or physical training. Instead, you need to take time for yourself, to meditate and organize the landscape you envision.”

A person who had spent three years in solitary reflection.

Roselin Ascalo patted Najin’s shoulder.

“Think about it. The answer might be closer than you think.”