WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Ryuu

Editor: Ilafy

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Pulled Out Excalibur

Chapter 169

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Interlude – On the Continent (1)

“What is your dream, Commander?” One day, while marching through the Outland, Aldaran pondered for a moment over the question posed by his subordinate. 

‘A dream, huh?’ Recalling an old memory, he chuckled. He had had a dream when he was very young.

“To become a hero like King Arthur.” When he was a boy, the adults laughed when he said that and dismissed his dream as the naive ambition of a young boy, thinking he would forget it once he faced reality.

As time passed and he became the First Horn of the Empire and the Empire’s Sword Master, no one laughed at his dream anymore—it was no longer an unrealistic fantasy.

Hearing Aldaran’s words, the members of the Golden Horn Knights also burst into laughter, saying things like, “We expected nothing less from the commander.” It wasn’t mockery but a hearty laugh, the kind of laugh that meant, “Of course, that’s what the commander of the Golden Horn Knights should aspire to.”

“Hah, as expected of the commander. By now, you must be able to pull out Excalibur, right? I heard you almost pulled it halfway out when you were younger.”

Aldaran laughed off his subordinates’ words because he knew that, even though he had become much stronger since then, he still couldn’t pull out Excalibur. What the sword demanded wasn’t strength. It wasn’t something as refined as talent. Excalibur demanded something wild, something that couldn’t be described with lofty words.

Aldaran wanted to become a hero “like” Arthur, but Excalibur wanted more. It awaited someone who dreamed of something greater than the great hero who hung in the highest reaches of the sky. Someone who would surpass Arthur and go even further. Someone with that conviction and quality.

It did not wait for someone who wanted to merely become a hero like Arthur but someone who would surpass Arthur and rise to even greater heights.

The moment Aldaran realized that, he knew he wasn’t that person.

“I won’t be able to pull it out.”

“If the commander can’t pull it out, who can?”

“Who knows? I’m curious about that too.” Aldaran stood up. “I don’t know when Excalibur will be pulled out, or who will pull it out, but there’s one thing I’m sure of…”

He laughed as he put on his horned helmet. “Whoever pulls it out, they’ll be a pain in the ass; the kind of person I’d least want as a disciple. Whoever becomes their teacher will have a hard time and probably suffer quite a bit.”

Someone who aspired to surpass King Arthur and had the talent to do so… Naturally, such a person would be an arrogant genius. Whoever became their teacher would have a headache.

His subordinates laughed, and Aldaran shrugged and added one more thing, “I’ll definitely pass on that.”

Blink. 

Najin slowly blinked. The ceiling was unfamiliar. When he turned his head slightly, warm sunlight streamed in through the window. Natural sunlight, something rare in the Outland where only starlight filled the sky. 

He frowned. His memories were hazy. Trying to recall the blurry memories, the last thing that came to mind was Yuel’s back. He had tried to stay conscious, but it seemed he had fainted in the end.

What happened after that? And where was he? It seemed like a hospital room, but he couldn’t tell exactly where.

“Ugh…” He tried to sit up but failed. His whole body ached. As he frowned, a sharp voice rang in his ear.

- That’s what happens when you push yourself too hard.

He rolled his eyes to look in the direction of the voice. There, sitting by the bed, was Merlin.

- Your arm’s about to fall off, huh? Where does it make sense for someone in your condition to imitate a Transcendent’s technique? I swear, ha, hoo…

Merlin kept sighing as she brushed her face.

He could feel the relief mixed in her sighs. Even as she scolded him, she was relieved that he had woken up. 

He smiled weakly. ‘I’m sorry.’

- You’re good at apologizing, huh? I can’t even smack you for that.

Muttering to herself, Merlin shook her head. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked down at him.

- You tried to pull out Excalibur, didn’t you?

Najin remained silent.

- And you knew that, even if you pulled it out, you wouldn’t be able to defeat the Carnival King.

‘I knew.’

- You knew what would happen if you pulled it out, right?

He knew. The moment he pulled out the sword, constellations numbering several times those who had gathered to kill the Carnival King would descend upon that land. Before, it would have been hard to imagine such a scene, but after witnessing the battlefield of stars, he could vaguely picture it.

A war that would literally turn the world upside down would break out, and in that war, he would be powerless.

He knew that in his head, but at the time, he hadn’t thought about it. No, to be precise, he had thought, “It doesn’t matter.” He had lost his reason to the rage that turned his mind white. It was the first time he had experienced something like that.

When Najin remained silent, Merlin let out a long sigh and spoke.

- Considering the special circumstances, I’ll let it slide this time. There was no way out, and it happened suddenly. I was also preparing to descend.

‘I’m sorry, really.’

- If you’re sorry, make sure to consult me next time. I was really, no, very disappointed, you know?

Merlin tapped Najin’s forehead.

- I feel the same way you do. I understand, so don’t try to go ahead without me. I can tolerate a lot, but I can’t tolerate that.

It was her reverse scale.

- I’m your guide and companion. I’m not a subordinate to be dragged along, but someone who walks beside you. Understand?

Merlin leaned down. Her flowing blue hair draped over Najin’s head like a curtain. His eyes were filled with only Merlin’s face. 

‘Her icy blue gaze is a little terrifying,’ Najin thought.

- Answer.

‘Yes.’

- Swear it. That from now on, we’ll act “together.”

‘I swear.’

Only then did Merlin smile, seemingly satisfied.

- Okay. Then I’ll forgive you. You almost died so many times, and from my perspective, it was truly maddening…

She whispered in Najin’s ear.

- It was cool. Not as your guide Merlin, but as a great constellation with eleven stars.

A human who wasn’t a Transcendent, a young star who had just risen, had changed the tide of the battlefield of stars. Merlin praised that feat.

“Oh. You’ve come to your senses, I see.” While Najin was talking with Merlin, the door opened, and a familiar figure entered. The woman with white hair, Yuel, waved her single hand at Najin.

One of her arms was missing.

“I came to explain what happened afterward and to ask you a few questions.” Yuel pulled up a chair and sat by Najin’s bedside. Noticing his gaze on her missing arm, Yuel shook her empty sleeve. “Ah, this is nothing. I cut it off myself.”

“…What?”

“I was stabbed by the clown knight’s spear. The spear he calls ‘Sancho’ is coated with a deadly poison. If I hadn’t cut it off, the poison would have spread throughout my body. The severed arm is undergoing purification at the Starblood Sect’s main church, so it should arrive in about a week.”

Yuel spoke as if it were no big deal. “I’ll have to live with one arm for now. It’s not inconvenient. Just ring the bell by the bed, and a servant will come running. You should try it too. It’s quite nice.”

There was indeed a bell by Najin’s bedside.

“Where is this?”

“A church in a city near but outside the Outland.”

So they were on the continent.

Najin slowly sat up. Leaning against the head of the bed, he let out a long breath. His body ached, but he wanted to sit up to listen. “Can I ask what happened after that?”

“Of course. You were there on that battlefield, and you were the lead. You have the right to know the outcome.”

It could have been conveyed through someone else, but Yuel coming herself was also an acknowledgment of his achievements. It was that boy who had drawn the Carnival King there and changed the tide of the battle.

“After you tore off the Carnival King’s mask, the tide of the battle turned. Led by Sir Kirchhoff, the constellations pushed her back, and the momentum shifted. Realizing this, she eventually chose to retreat.”

Quixote and the Carnival King retreated. Yuel mentioned that they had inflicted significant damage on her in the process.

“Quixote lost one star and severely damaged another. The Carnival King lost a total of seventeen stars, and eighty-four of her puppets were completely destroyed.”

She spoke indifferently. “This is a historically significant event. The last time the Carnival King suffered meaningful damage was 150 years ago. Even then, it’s unclear who did it or how, but records show that her star shook in the sky.”

Najin knew who had done it. He opened his mouth. “What happened to Sir Aldaran?”

“Aldaran? Aldaran Vasaglia? He died long ago, didn’t he?” Yuel tilted her head.

“…The knight whose helmet I cut off.”

“A knight? If you’re talking about the Forgotten One who went berserk after you cut off the helmet, he retreated with the Carnival King. They dragged him away, cutting him into pieces.”

Najin’s expression stiffened.

Reading his expression, Yuel asked. “Was he important to you? Come to think of it, it seems the Carnival King’s purpose for appearing was related to that Forgotten One… This is quite surprising, considering her nature.”

Yuel hummed and stroked her chin. “She never leaves her domain. She is fundamentally thorough, calculating, and more of a ruler than a warrior. She doesn’t take risks.”

Despite being a constellation that had existed for over a thousand years, records of the Carnival King were extremely limited. She rarely revealed herself, and when she did, everyone in that space became clowns, so no proper records remained.

Thus, her descent was an unusual event that drew the attention of constellations and sects.

“For her to attempt a descent, especially into a forbidden zone unfavorable to her, is very strange.”

The Starblood Sect focused on the background of such an anomaly. “If so, there must have been something she absolutely had to obtain, even at the risk of descending. The Starblood Sect speculates that it was the ‘Forgotten One’ she took with her.”

Yuel looked at Najin. “Do you know anything about that Forgotten One?”

“He wasn’t a Forgotten One. He was a knight.” Najin spoke calmly. “He was my teacher.”

“Your teacher?”

“Yes, his name was Aldaran Vasaglia. He was the former First Horn of the Empire, and his records were erased by the Carnival King.”

Yuel frowned. “Please tell me again.”

“His name was…”

After listening to the end, Yuel tilted her head. “That’s strange. To me, what you’re saying sounds like, ‘His name is ■■■ ■■■■■. He was ■■ ■■■■■ and ■■■ ■ ■■■ ■■■■■■.’ It seems some kind of power is interfering.”

Najin wrote the name on a piece of paper and showed it to Yuel. 

Again, Yuel only shook her head. “I can’t see it. I suspect it’s the authority of a constellation. There are records of similar phenomena with the Forgotten Kingdom of Londinel and some forgotten constellations. In this case, even if you find a way to bypass it, the information will be distorted. It’s better not to hear it.”

Misinformation could be more harmful than no information.

Yuel paused for a moment and looked at Najin. Since earlier, there had been no change in his expression. 

His breathing was no different from before, but she could feel a thick killing intent emanating from him. The flames burning behind that indifferent expression and the fact that the sticky killing intent wasn’t directed at her made her feel a pang of regret.

After a brief conversation, she suddenly remembered something and let out a short sigh. “Be careful when you go outside.”

“Be careful? What do you mean?”

“It’s going to be a bit chaotic.”

Najin tilted his head. It was the continent, not the Outland. 

Yuel rang the bell she was holding. A servant entered, and after she gave some instructions, the servant soon returned with a newspaper.

Handing the newspaper filled with dense text to Najin, Yuel said, “You’ll understand when you read it.”

The newspaper showed his status in the Empire.