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With a screeching tear, a tempest raged in the deepest part of the underground waterway, brought forth not by nature but by a sword wielded by a human.

Yuel Razian swung her sword.
The Sword Master wielded her blade.

In that moment, Najin saw the entirety of Kefalon’s workshop, stretching far into the distance, being carved away. The process was unlike splitting, slicing, or shattering. It was different, and thus, alien.

It was as if the world was being excised.

Like cutting paper with scissors, the landscape was carved away by the swing of a sword. The process was more akin to disassembly than cutting or splitting. Despite seeing it with his own eyes, Najin couldn’t comprehend how it happened.

Yuel Razian swung her sword once, and the workshop vanished without a trace. Only the cause and the effect remained, with the process itself evaporating.

-I’ve heard rumors, but witnessing it firsthand is indeed astonishing.

Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ears.

-Do you remember when I spoke to you about Mystique?

Najin remembered.
Unbound by rules and lying beyond the realm of common sense.

-Right. Masterpieces are said to contain Mystique, but why are they called masterpieces? Because they make the impossible possible, hence the title.

Merlin sighed as he spoke.

-Originally, Mystique resides in living beings.
-There are a few species naturally born with Mystique. Dragons, demons, fairies, those kinds of beings.
-But very occasionally…

Merlin paused before continuing.

-Mystique can also reside in humans.
-There are those born with Mystique, albeit at an extremely rare rate. Of course, not all of them are aware of the Mystique they possess.

Only a very few realize their own Mystique.
The probability is incredibly low, compounded by yet another layer of rarity. Merlin muttered this, then chuckled bitterly.

-Surprisingly, there are two of them here.

Two, Merlin said.

-One is me, whispering to you, and the other is that madwoman standing over there.

Najin looked at Yuel.
The woman holding a zweihander, a type of great sword. As she released the sword, it dissolved into the air with a whooshing sound.

She turned her gaze towards Najin.

Still expressionless, but beyond that mask of indifference, Najin had glimpsed her madness. Swallowing dryly under her sticky, blood-red gaze, Najin felt a chill.

-Disassembly.

That was the Mystique Yuel Razian harbored.
Merlin was saying so. There was no need to ask in what context the word ‘disassembly’ was used. The example was right before his eyes.

A landscape disassembled, excised from the world.

The empty scenery of the vanished workshop spoke volumes about the usage of the word. Najin clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Mystique is chilling.’

-Most are beyond comprehension.

What Mystique do you hold, Merlin?
Najin asked. Merlin fell silent. After a moment, he spoke.

-A full stop.

Merlin didn’t elaborate further, as if she didn’t want to delve into the topic any more.

***

Kefalon’s workshop had vanished without a trace.

What should have been a task for dozens of inquisitors to clean up was completed with a single swing of Yuel Razian’s sword. However, she seemed less than satisfied with the outcome.

“Sigh…”

Yuel exhaled deeply.
She rummaged through her belongings, pulling out a bottle from the Starblood Sect’s uniform. Having emptied it earlier, not a single drop of alcohol fell out, even when turned upside down.

“Ah…”

Yuel moaned.
She quickly turned her gaze to Najin.

“Ivan.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any alcohol on you?”

An utterly unexpected question.
Najin shook his head, and Yuel sighed even longer this time. Unable to bear the sight of her constant sighing, Najin offered a bottle of water he had.

“I have some water, would you like that instead?”
“I suppose I’ll have to make do with that.”

Accepting the water bottle, Yuel quenched her thirst.
Even after finishing the entire bottle, her thirst seemed unquenched, as she licked her lips looking at Najin, as if asking if there was more. Najin shook his head.

He did have some potions, but he didn’t want to give his expensive potions to Yuel, especially since she wasn’t injured.

“Are you thirsty?”
“It’s a habit. When I want to kill but can’t, I get thirsty. Alcohol helps, but unfortunately, there’s none here. A sad thing, really.”

Yuel glanced at Najin with those words, not exactly a comforting look for him. Essentially, she was saying she was thirsty because she wanted to kill him but couldn’t. It was a chilling statement.

Najin decided to change the subject.

As they climbed up from the underground waterway, Najin engaged Yuel in conversation.

“You seem to enjoy alcohol.”
“Yes, I do. I relish the burning sensation it brings to my throat. If it contains a bit of poison, even better.”

Yuel offered a thin smile.

“I particularly enjoy the Starblood Wine produced by the Starblood Sect. I’ve heard it called holy water or blessed wine by the outside world… Did you know that the undiluted, highest quality Starblood Wine is essentially a poison?”
“Do you mean it’s potent?”
“Both in potency and as an actual poison. It contains ingredients that act as poison in the human body.”

She played with her empty bottle, reminiscing.

“Drinking it feels like your throat is burning. Your eyes bloodshot, every sense heightened. It’s the only alcohol that can make me, who has transcended, feel intoxicated and in pain.”

Those who curse Starblood Wine as insane liquor are fools who know nothing of its taste. Yuel mumbled, a smile spreading across her lips. Even the mere thought of drinking seemed to bring her joy.

‘I thought she was an emotionless doll…’

Perhaps that’s not quite right.
Najin pondered as he walked. Then, he suddenly stopped, causing Yuel to halt as well.

“Do you have something to say?”
“May I ask you a question?”
“By all means.”

Yuel nodded, and Najin spoke.

“I recall you saying you wanted to swing your sword at me, to try and kill me.”
“Indeed, I did say that. I find you intriguing. I want to clash swords with you, and yes, I also want to kill you.”

There was no malice in Yuel’s words.
Pure interest. While the notion of discussing death as a matter of interest was chilling, understanding Yuel Razian as ‘such a person’ made the conversation somewhat comprehensible.

“If I may be so bold, as the Inquisitor General, you wield immense power, as I understand.”
“That is true. Above me are only the Sun of the Empire and the Grand Priests of the three Sects…”
“So, wouldn’t you be in a position where you could swing your sword at someone like me without facing any consequences?”

Aren’t you in a position where you can do as you please? That was Najin’s question.

He knew the world was such a place.
Even if Yuel executed Najin on the spot, the incident wouldn’t escalate much. Who would dare raise a hand against the Inquisitor General of the Sect?

Yet, Yuel doesn’t act on it.

Najin wanted to know why.
Despite the risk of asking, he somehow felt Yuel wouldn’t kill him right there and then.

“Yes, if I were to kill you now, there wouldn’t be any particular sanctions against me. That is true.”

Yuel answered his question.

“But that would be making an exception to the rules I’ve set for myself. One exception leads to two, and two leads to three and four. So, it’s impossible.”
“Rules, you say?”
“Rules to survive by.”

She continued after a long sigh.

“I live according to my desires. Kill as I wish. Yes, about a hundred and fifty years ago, I lived that way.”

It was a story about herself.

“I killed as I pleased. It was an era of war, after all. In the battlefields of life and death, there is no right or wrong, no good or evil. So, I lived that way. It was indeed a delightful era.”

Killing indiscriminately and reveling in blood.

“But time passed, and the wars ended. Then, shouldn’t I change my methods as well?”

She spoke calmly.

“I am a killer. I enjoy taking lives and love the sight of bloodshed. However, I also have a longing for life, a desire to indulge in this pleasure for a long time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, indeed. To enjoy this pleasure for longer, shouldn’t I align myself with the world’s definitions of right and wrong, good and evil?”

So, she made her decision.
Her own set of rules.
Yuel Razian explained.

“Those who commit crimes. Those who do wrong. Apostates who dabble in dark magic. Evil and nefarious beings.”

“The world doesn’t condemn me for cutting down such beings, but if my sword were to spill the blood of an innocent, severing their neck…”

“They would come.”

Yuel shrugged.

“The Lighthouse Keeper of the Starlight Order, the Incarnation of the Starbody Sect, Sword Saint Karan, the Empire’s number one, Gerd.”

Not in the battlefield of stars or the abyssal lands,
But among the transcendent beings dwelling in the continent.
They are the ones who would rush in a single stride to slay a murderer spreading her wings across the land.

“Ah, they are strong. Even if I were to rush at them with all my might, I couldn’t survive against all of them. Of course, I have a desire to fight and shed blood with them, but I’ve saved that wish for the very end.”

Saying so, Yuel laughed.
It was an innocent, untainted laugh, purer than anything else.

“Shouldn’t the most delicious dessert be saved for last?”

Although he couldn’t understand everything,

Najin agreed with the last statement.

“That’s true.”
“Yes, that’s how it is.”

Najin felt a bit like he understood the kind of person Yuel Razian was. He didn’t want to empathize with her way of life at all, but understanding was a different matter.

“So, I might hold back a bit when it comes to you.”
“…Really?”

The end of the underground waterway came into view.
Tap, tap, as Yuel stepped on the stairs leading to the surface and looked back at Najin.

“You have the potential to ascend to a Sword Master. With your realm at that age, you’ll likely reach a position like mine before long.”

Her white hair sparkled in the incoming light. Backlit, she smiled at Najin.

“When that time comes, I will once again challenge you to a duel. I hope you won’t refuse then.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Ah, you’re also welcome to commit a crime. Minor offenses can be pardoned under the special laws for Sword Masters, so if you’re going to, make it a grand massacre…”
“That might be a bit difficult.”
“Is that so?”

Yuel shrugged.

“What a pity.”

***

When Yuel and Najin emerged from the underground waterway, the city lord sighed in relief. It seemed the matter had been settled more quietly than expected.

“I’ll be heading to Cambria now.”

Having finished all his business in the city, Najin returned to Cambria, and the inquisitors’ carriage also returned to the Starblood Sect.

However, Yuel Razian did not leave.
Only her carriage remained in the city.

As the lord watched her cautiously, Yuel, who had been standing quietly, slowly tilted her head. Her gaze was directed towards the narrow alleys of the commercial city.

“I understand Regenoff City is a commercial hub.”
“Yes, yes, it is, but…”
“I have a question. Depending on your answer, you may find yourself implicated in a crime. Please keep that in mind and respond.”
“…Yes?”

The lord trembled. Yuel looked at him with her red eyes, extending her arm to point deep into the alleyway.

“I sense magic there. It seems things that shouldn’t be sold are being traded. I hear voices. The voices of merchants.”

There was no sound to be heard.
Not even the knights guarding the lord, nor Najin, and not even a Sword Saint if present, could have heard anything.

But Yuel Razian hears.

Her senses were abnormally sharp, even among Sword Masters. Her ears picked up the voices of merchants engaging in illicit trade. Her nose detected the stench of the items they bought and sold.

“Is this business under your management, or is it the unilateral action of cultists who have settled here?”

Yuel made it clear what she was talking about.

‘The black market.’

An underground market existed in Regenoff City, its presence tacitly condoned. It was quite profitable, and the commercial city’s rapid growth owed much to this black market.

The lord had turned a blind eye to the existence of the black market. Sometimes he even supported it, allowing it to grow unchecked.

However, he couldn’t reveal that fact. The Inquisitor General before him was someone who could sever a person’s neck for being involved in a crime, and face no punishment for it.

“I’m unaware of… such things…”
“Is that so?”

Yuel knew the lord was lying.
Yet, she merely nodded, as it didn’t really matter to her.

“Then, I shall take care of it. It’s my duty as the Inquisitor General of the Sect.”

It was a minor incident that didn’t require the involvement of someone of her stature. Nevertheless, Yuel Razian stepped towards the alleyway. The lord had no grounds to stop her. Closing his eyes tightly, he accepted the inevitable.

That day, the alleyways of Regenoff City were drenched in blood.

Though no screams echoed,

A sword cry, resembling a human scream, resonated.