I Pulled Out Excalib Chapter 233

──────

On Those Curious Companions (1)

Life needs a goal.

Without one, life grows dull, tedious, and hollow. Dieta had come across that line in some book once, and she genuinely believed every word.

A clear goal makes life beautiful.

Walking with her eyes fixed on heights others hadn't yet thought to look at, Dieta found each day its own kind of joy. The punishing workload never quite felt like exhaustion,more like fuel. And whenever she saw the trading company's stock hitting new records day after day, a quiet pride settled in her chest.

But more than all of that.

"We made a promise, didn't we? Back then."

Dieta reached out.

Her slender fingers hooked around the cord of Najin's necklace like a ring. She tugged. The ring at the end, hidden beneath his clothes, came free into the open. She ran her fingertips across it.

"That we'd meet again at the top."

"You're so fast. You climb so high. Keeping up isn't easy."

She looked up at Najin, the corner of her mouth curling.

"But I don't intend to fall behind forever."

Mischievous. And a Challenge.

Najin shrugged.

"Quite a few people have said they'd follow me."

"So there are many rivals." A small laugh, unbothered. "Well, you're just that good, aren't you. Still, though..."

She stepped back, raised one finger to her own face, and gave a short, smug laugh.

"I was first, wasn't I?"

The one who recognized you. The one who said she'd follow. The one who became your friend. And the one who confessed.

In all of it, first.

The gleam in Dieta's eyes,bright and hungry as gold coins,made Najin laugh before he knew it. There was no denying it. The girl in front of him had proven every word not with talk, but with everything she'd actually done.

"Well then."

"Yes. Well then."

No grand farewell was needed. They simply nodded to each other, and that was enough.

"Until next time."

At a place a little higher than this.

Before returning to the Outland, Najin stopped briefly at the First Horn Tower.

There was still information to share with Gerd. But Gerd wasn't there,waiting in his place was Gerd's adjutant.

"And you are?"

"Oh, it's good to see you again, Najin-nim."

Soless. That was the woman's name.

She was the one who had once come out to the Outland and delivered Gerd's letter. He asked about Gerd. She straightened in her seat before answering.

"Gerd-nim is currently away. The specifics would normally be classified, but he left orders to share information should you come to visit..."

She settled herself.

"Gerd-nim is carrying out the suppression of Carpe Diem, the Demon King of Lamentation. He headed for the Blue Forest, believed to be Carpe Diem's domain, and right now..." She paused, closed her eyes, gave a small hum. "He's heading north."

She had some ability to track a person's location. She spoke as though she could sense exactly where Gerd was at any given moment.

Carpe Diem.

Najin recalled what he'd learned before. The Carnival King had four apostles known as Jesters, and the Forbidden Zone they had created together guarded her domain. Of those four, only two had been identified: Carpe Diem, the Demon King of Lamentation, and Quixote, the Star of Scorn. Back then, Gerd had said he'd handle Carpe Diem himself,and it seemed he'd been true to his word.

"The suppression team is four: Gerd-nim, Entikles of the Annihilation Horn, Akut of the Praise Horn, and Karan-nim, master of the Order of the Sword."

The First Pillar of the Empire, the First Horn. Gerd.

The Second Pillar, the Annihilation Horn. Entikles.

The Third Pillar, the Praise Horn. Akut.

The Sword Saint Karan, master of the Order of the Sword.

Four people. Looking at those names, it was hard to call that lacking.

"That's all the information I have. Ah, and Gerd-nim did leave a message before departing,but perhaps I should hear why you've come first. What brings you here?"

Najin explained what he'd found: information on La Mancha, and that he was heading there.

"I see."

Soless gave a nod.

"Gerd-nim left instructions. If you came while he was away, and if you had information about La Mancha, I was to relay this message."

"What message?"

"Take this and go to the Starblood Sect and the Starbody Society. The arrangements have already been made."

She handed Najin a badge. The insignia of the First Horn of the Empire.

"He said they'd cooperate. I'll send an official document ahead of you. If you wait a moment, I'll have a carriage arranged."

The carriage arrived shortly. Najin climbed in.

The destination was the main cathedral of the Starblood Sect. Senior priests came rushing out in a fluster to meet the carriage before it had even fully stopped,as if word had already spread.

In principle, the sects and the Empire maintained a policy of non-interference, each respecting the other's domain. But principles bend to circumstance. Sect branches spread across the entire continent, yet the greatest concentration of them sat within the Empire. No matter how powerful the sects grew, they couldn't ignore the Empire entirely. Half those who had achieved Transcendence within the sects,Lighthouse Keepers aside,were beings with ties to the Empire as well.

Guided by the Starblood Sect's priests, Najin made his way inside.

"If you wait here, she should arrive shortly. Just a moment..."

Who was coming? No need to ask. He already had a feeling.

It wasn't long before footsteps sounded outside the door. Calm, measured, steady. And beneath them, an unsettling presence that no effort could conceal.

The door opened.

A woman stepped into the reception room,white hair cascading down, blood-red eyes taking in everything at once. A face that competed for first or second in all the Empire, paired with a reputation utterly at odds with it.

"Oh. Good to see you."

The Inquisitor General of the Starblood Sect. The murder fiend, Yuel Razian.

Expressionless, she gave Najin a small wave.

"Three months? Five? I don't remember exactly, but around that much time seems to have passed. From my perspective, that's not so long."

She fixed him with a stare,hard, unblinking, the kind that took in everything at once.

"For you, though, it seems like quite a long time."

A Transcendence-bearer's eyes see many things. The corner of Yuel's mouth moved, just barely. A faint smile settled on her lips, and she gave a slow nod.

"It won't be long now. I'll be waiting for that day."

"What day?"

"The day you challenge me to a duel. Have you forgotten? Didn't you say it yourself? That when you grew strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, you'd challenge me to a fight. A duel to the death, with both lives on the line."

Did I say that? Najin couldn't recall saying anything of the sort. He looked at her, puzzled.

"I don't think I said that."

Silence.

Silence.

"First, regarding the communication from Sir Gerd, the sect's position would be..."

"Don't change the subject."

"One must separate business from personal matters. The small talk has gone on long enough. We can pick the rest up after official business is settled."

He was good at dodging, that was clear.

What Gerd had discussed with both sects was simple. Cooperate in hunting the Carnival King, and actively assist in all matters related to the suppression.

The Carnival King,that sovereign of merriment,was not merely the Empire's enemy but humanity's. The tone had been blunt: as religious organizations, they were expected to help. The Starbody Society might have bristled at that, but the Starblood Sect held no resentment.

"The Starblood Sect hunts demons."

Yuel Razian, speaking as its representative.

"My patron, the Thorned Martyr, does not hesitate to join hands with the most despicable of criminals if it means demons can be hunted. Feeling resentment simply because the Empire came at us with a heavy hand?" A pause. "Not a chance. If anything, she is pleased."

Demons were to be killed by any means necessary. The Carnival King was the most powerful demon presently in the Outland,the center around which all others gathered.

"Hunting the Carnival King has long been one of this sect's goals. The sect accepts the request."

She placed a hand over her chest.

"I, Yuel Razian, Inquisitor General of the Starblood Sect and Great Champion of the Thorned Martyr, pledge my cooperation to you."

La Mancha,the place suspected to be Quixote's weakness. The road there was bound to be treacherous. The Carnival King was no fool who'd leave her weak point unguarded. Breaking through those defenses alone would be no easy thing. Gerd had apparently anticipated as much and prepared allies for Najin in advance. The Inquisitor General of the Starblood Sect was one of them.

"The same official document sent here would have gone to the Starbody Society as well. Are you heading there next?"

"I'll go now."

"I'll come with you."

Not long after, they arrived together at the Starbody Society's main cathedral. The same scene played out, and as Najin waited in the reception room, a figure from the sect arrived before long.

She walked in with golden hair flowing behind her.

Around the same age as Yuel,early to mid-twenties, by the look of it. Blonde hair, blue eyes. The moment their gazes met, Najin's instincts fired.

This one won't be easy.

He had met all kinds of people, navigated every variety of personality the underground city could throw at him. That experience had given him an eye for reading someone from their face, their gaze, the way they held themselves. This woman was written in capital letters.

Arrogant stride, as if she were the finest thing the world had produced. A gaze that looked down on everything around her. Being summoned clearly irritated her,brows sharply arched, expression loaded with open displeasure.

"Huu."

A loud, theatrical sigh. She was putting every inch of her body into the message: I'm displeased, and this situation does not suit me.

Anyone who could react that openly to a Free Knight backed by the First Horn of the Empire had to be a figure of the highest order, a representative of the sect at its very peak.

The highest authority within the Starbody Society. One of the sects' great asymmetric powers, counted in the same breath as the Starlight Order's Lighthouse Keeper and the Starblood Sect's Inquisitor General.

The Star Incarnation opened her mouth.

"This situation is exceedingly, deeply not to my liking. Frankly, it is offensive. What an overbearing attitude. All sects are, by their very nature, independently..."

Mid-tirade, brow furrowed, her gaze wandered.

She had noticed Najin wasn't sitting there alone. The moment she recognized his companion's face, her eyes went wide.

"Inde... inde, independently... independently exist..."

The words fell apart into a stammer.

The displeasure vanished entirely. The Star Incarnation's eyes darted in every direction.

A sharp gasp.

She stumbled back.

"W-why are you here?"

Her hand shot out, pointing at Yuel. Her fingertip trembled.

Anyone could see she was terrified of Yuel, and anyone with sense wouldn't try to be warm and friendly with someone that frightened. But.

"Good to see you, Star Incarnation. It's been seventeen years."

Yuel was not that kind of person.

She had no such awareness, and even if she did, she wasn't the type to concern herself with how others felt. Whatever anyone thought, her own feelings came first. And Yuel was genuinely glad to see the Star Incarnation. Not performed. Real.

She waved warmly and rose from her seat, stepping toward her. The Star Incarnation shook like a leaf. Like prey cornered by a predator.

"Your face is so hard to find these days. Truly good to see you after so long. Have you been well?"

Another step forward. The Star Incarnation retreated. Another step. It repeated, over and over, until the Star Incarnation's back hit the wall.

Hic.

Nowhere left to go. Pressed flat against the wall, she started hiccupping. She shrieked.

"D-don't come any closer! Stay there! Talk from there! Stay right there!"

Pure terror on her face.

Join our discord at