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Two Stars (2)

Stars shone in the night sky.

Najin stared blankly at the sky.

The surging dragon’s blood, the dragon’s final scream, and the belated cheers of the people all felt infinitely distant. The pain that had racked his entire body gradually dulled.

In the silence, where time seemed to slow down and almost stop.

Najin looked at the stars.

Among the countless stars adorning the night sky, there was a star emitting a soft light. It was his star, not anyone else’s. Although Excalibur had long been sheathed, Najin’s eyes gleamed with a platinum hue.

『I promise, Ivan.』

『I’ll place my star at the highest point in the night sky.』

『I’ll prove that you were right to send me out, that you were a knight who never lost your light, even if you fell.』

『I will.』

『I will, I promise.』

These were words he had thought to himself many times.

Words he had vowed countless times.

“……”

As he recalled these words, Najin slowly raised his hand. He spread his hand wide towards the sky. It was a habit of his. He used to reach towards the ceiling even in the underground city.

But this gesture now.

Was the complete opposite of what it had meant back then.

‘You know.’

Najin spoke to himself.

Though it was a monologue, it was not truly alone as there was someone listening. Merlin, standing beside him, silently listened to Najin’s words.

‘I, who was buried in the place called the landfill outside the underground city.

In the dark place where stars couldn’t be seen, imagining what the light of a star would be like by looking at the luminous stones embedded in the ceiling… I was a person who was the farthest from the stars.

I was not even allowed to see the stars.

Even if I reached for the sky, I could not touch the stars.

But this moment was different. When I looked up at the sky, I could see the wide expanse of the night sky and the stars. When I reached out towards the sky, it felt like I could touch my star that was shining there.

The star that was solely mine, which I had longed for.

Though it was not yet at the center or the highest point of the sky, it definitely existed up there.’

Looking at the star, Najin smiled. It was a smile filled with various emotions. A smile that couldn’t be summed up in one word. Merlin, who had been silent, finally spoke. Her voice was a bit softer than usual.

-You did well.

She touched Najin’s shoulder with her hand.

Merlin, being slightly shorter than Najin, had to raise her arm, and although her touch didn’t physically reach him because she was an intangible illusion…

Merlin’s emotions reached him.

The constellation with eleven stars spoke to the New Star who had just gained another star.

-You did something unbelievable again, getting two stars at once.

She laughed as if in disbelief.

-Then again, you did something crazy like jumping into the dragon’s mouth. Watching you, it felt like my heart was going to stop. In my era, crazy people like you were rare, really…

Trailing off, Merlin said.

-But it was cool.

-Rest now. You must be tired.

Najin slowly exhaled. Time, which had been moving slowly, found its original pace, and the noise around him began to turn into human voices. Lowering his arm that had been reaching for the sky, Najin looked around.

The cheering knights.

Those with their mouths agape in shock.

Roselin approaching with a laugh, and Rihard clapping as if to bless the birth of a new star.

All of them, one and all, were applauding Najin’s achievement. It was a feat deserving of such admiration. The boy had risked his life to challenge the dragon and achieved the feat of dragon slaying.

Those who paved the way for the boy and those who blocked the dragon’s attacks also gained fragments of stars. It was a battlefield that left the birth of a new star and fragments of future stars. Amidst the cheers, Najin smiled faintly.

With trembling hands, Najin raised the bloodied sword high into the air. Just like Arthur did, Najin declared the end of the subjugation.

“Waaaaaaah!”

The louder cheers echoed through Stonehenge.

After the dragon subjugation ended.

Unsurprisingly, Najin had to stay in bed. It seemed to happen every time he fought a battle, but the injuries from this fight were not easily healed.

-The first star of Excalibur’s discharge.

-That’s how it is after using it. You pour out everything you’ve gathered at once, so after one use, the output drops significantly and the blessings fade.

The weakened recovery power of Excalibur played a part, but the injuries were more severe than usual. Multiple fractures, twisted fingers, and full-body burns. The priests had clicked their tongues and asked, ‘Is he even alive?’ So there was no need to say more.

‘I really almost died.’

Muttering under his breath, Najin was wrapped in bandages.

Even considering his high recovery rate, he was told to stay in bed for several weeks. He had gained a star, so there should be some changes, but Najin was disappointed he couldn’t experience them immediately.

-I know you’re excited, but be patient.

While lying in bed, some people came to visit him. The first to visit were Roselin and Rihard.

“The hero of the Red Dragon subjugation.”

With a cheerful laugh, Rihard placed a basket of fruits he had brought as a gift. Roselin sat on the edge of the bed, chuckling as she looked at Najin.

“Wrapped in bandages like that, you look like an undead.”

“I thought the same when I saw myself in the mirror.”

“It’s amazing you didn’t melt after jumping into the flames. How was it inside the dragon’s mouth?”

“It was scorching hot.”

Najin shrugged as he answered.

“There was nothing but fire. I wondered where the breath came from, and it seemed like it came from there. If you scooped a handful and spat it out, that was the breath.”

“Wow, so you swung your sword inside the breath and split the dragon’s heart?”

“That’s right.”

“This guy is really crazy.”

Roselin laughed exaggeratedly, slapping her knee. Whether Najin’s words were an exaggeration or the truth, the fact that Najin had jumped into the dragon’s mouth and split its heart remained unchanged.

In history, there was only one.

The Dragon Slayer, Siegfried.

Najin had recreated the feat achieved only by the first Sword Saint, known as the great hero. It would soon become noisy again. Thinking this, Roselin smirked.

“Thank you, rookie… No, Najin.”

“Why suddenly?”

“Thanks to you, we gained a lot.”

Roselin opened her palm in front of Najin.

She glanced at Rihard with a smile. Nodding, Rihard opened his hand as if to show something.

And then, sparkle.

A small star shone in their palms. Najin widened his eyes. Rihard Polsen had one, and Roselin Ascalo had two stars shining in their hands.

“Both I and Rihard had accumulated some feats, but this fight was decisive. We gained new stars.”

“This is my first star. I didn’t want to step into dangerous battlefields, so I quit being a knight, but I never thought I’d gain a star at this age.”

Rihard shrugged.

“Thanks to you. Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, I reached the Red Dragon in one piece.”

“It didn’t seem like you were in one piece.”

“If I can run and swing my sword, that’s all that matters.”

At Najin’s reply, both Rihard and Roselin burst into laughter. After chatting for a while, they left the room.

“I really never get a break.”

Next to visit was Dieta. Looking at Najin wrapped in bandages, she sighed. She seemed to have expected this outcome.

“I heard about it. You jumped into the Red Dragon’s mouth? It’s a big deal everywhere. The broken seal of Stonehenge, the fully resurrected two dragons, the witch’s intervention, the Red Dragon completed by swallowing the other dragon…”

She said while reading a newspaper she had brought.

“And the Dragon Slayer who killed the dragon.”

The youngest Dragon Slayer.

“The adventurer who gained two stars at once.”

The youngest dual star.

“It seems you’re collecting all the titles that start with ‘youngest.’”

“My star acquisition has already been reported, I see.”

“Of course, it’s a big deal. They say the Witch’s Constellation appeared for the first time in a thousand years, and amidst that, a new star rose, so the observatory took notice.”

The observatory referred to the Grey Tower.

“Master of the Grey Tower, Nayuta, was shouting so loudly. Ignoring all the imperial officials’ reports, she locked the doors of the Grey Tower, saying she had to name your star.”

“…My star?”

Crunch, crunch. Dieta nodded while cutting an apple from the fruit basket.

“It’s the Master of the Grey Tower’s role to name stars. Here.”

The apple, cut roughly and unevenly, was handed to Najin. When Najin raised his bandaged hand, Dieta hesitated for a moment before bringing the apple to his mouth.

As he ate the apple, Najin asked.

“If she names my star… does that mean giving it an alias? Like Arthur, the Sword of Selection.”

“Something like that. They bring a few candidates, and you choose the one you like. As you gain more stars, the alias might change.”

Najin thought of the aliases of the constellations. The first that came to mind was, of course, Arthur, known as the Sword of Selection, followed by Merlin, the Archmage of the Lake. Their aliases felt somewhat plain.

-It’s supposed to be simple.

Merlin grumbled.

-Hey, both Arthur and I could have had fancy aliases. Like the Archmage who Pierced the Truth, the Sword that Cut the Heavens, the Staff that Dropped Stars, the One who Silenced the End, those were the candidates we rejected.

The original constellation name should be simple to keep its essence. There is beauty in restraint. Merlin’s murmurs were half-listened to by Najin as he pondered.

“I’m a bit excited to see what alias I’ll get.”

“Most people don’t keep their first alias until the end, so just think of it as a pseudonym. If you don’t like it, you can change it later.”

“But the first is important.”

Dieta smiled faintly while continuing to cut the apple.

“Well, then you can ask her directly.”

“Pardon?”

“She’s coming here. Master of the Grey Tower, Nayuta.”

“……Pardon?”

“You can’t move, and she doesn’t want to draw attention by calling you to the Grey Tower. She’s worried someone might intercept you.”

So, Dieta said.

“She’s coming here. In person.”

Najin was at a loss for words.

A day later, Nayuta, the Master of the Grey Tower, visited Najin’s hospital room. Najin blinked at the sight of the Master of the Grey Tower, who came alone without any guards.

‘Well, I guess she doesn’t need guards…’

Someone of her caliber, comparable to a transcendent. Although she reached the level by measuring stars rather than fighting, there’s a difference in level once one reaches a certain stage.

The person who suddenly opened the door and came in.

The first impression of Nayuta, the Master of the Grey Tower, was somewhat gloomy. Her long black hair was tied loosely as if she couldn’t be bothered to fix it properly. Her eyes had a shadowy look, and her skin, having spent too much time indoors, was beyond pale to the point of being ghostly.

“You’re the one, right? You’re Najin? I’ve heard the rumors. The youngest Sword Seeker at eighteen. Observing your star, I found out you clashed with the Flickering Witch, Ermina, too?”

And.

“You’ve achieved many feats related to challenges. A lot. Not just one or two? Every time, you’ve faced strong opponents. Looking at them one by one, the words attached to them are no joke. Crisis, death, injury, overcoming, awakening, struggle…”

She kept talking.

Even before introducing herself properly. After a long rant, Nayuta clapped her hands and smiled bitterly.

“Look at me, losing my mind.”

She sat on the chair in front of Najin. Her movements were somewhat carefree. When Najin tried to show courtesy, she waved her hand. It was a sign to relax.

“I’m Nayuta, the Master of the Grey Tower. I observe and name stars. Today, I came to name your star.”

She took out a paper from her robe.

It was a very luxurious piece of paper.

“I picked some candidates, would you like to choose one? Don’t worry about being rude. If you think ‘this name is a bit off,’ just say so. Really, it’s fine! It’s not like I’ll cut off your head for saying ‘your naming sense is terrible,’ okay? I’m not that petty.”

Najin slowly nodded. She had an aura that was hard to keep up with.

-Forget that. Let’s take a look.

Together with Merlin, Najin unfolded the paper. It was filled with the names Nayuta had written. There were more than ten candidates, and as Najin read through them, his expression hardened. Merlin’s expression was the same.

『The One Who Pierced the Dragon’s Heart through Flames.』

『The One Who Jumps into Fire.』

『The Dragon Slayer.』

-This is a bit… grandiose and tacky.

『The One Who Forgot the Fear of Death.』

『The Sword that Cuts Through Death.』

『The Death Slayer…』

Najin closed his eyes midway.

He felt pain in his body and a cringe in his fingers for some reason.

-Aren’t these names too grandiose and flashy? Even for someone with five stars, they’d think, ‘This is a bit much.’

Merlin seemed to feel the same.

Najin seriously doubted Nayuta’s qualifications as the Master of the Grey Tower. However, seeing Nayuta’s eager eyes, he couldn’t say, ‘Your naming sense is terrible.’ So Najin opened his eyes.

Let’s read them all first.

As he scanned down, he saw a name underlined with two lines at the bottom. It had a note saying it was too plain and not preferred.

“This one’s good.”

Najin pointed to that name with his finger.