Chapter 61: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Niflheim Landing Operation (2)

Cecilia had assumed half of them didn’t understand a word of it—

But in truth, everything Commander Nemesis had pointed out matched her plan exactly.

‘If I want to kill the Demon King without starting an all-out war… it has to be assassination.’

And for an assassination, naturally—you needed a high place.

She’d seen it in dramas.

So the sniper point had been set at the Rocky Mountains.

She cleared out nearby demons, prepped infiltration operations for reconnaissance, and covered all angles.

‘Drop the Windsor Knights mid-route at the Rocky Mountains, proceed to the summit, assassinate the Demon King using an Ultimate Technique. The moment the Windsor Knights receive intel that the Demon King is dead, they retreat back to the capital.’

That was Cecilia’s entire operational outline.

All that had changed—thanks to that weirdo Nemesis—was the name:

From “How to kill the Demon King” to “Niflheim Landing Operation.”

“But why call it a landing operation? Are we… jumping off the mountain or something?”

“….”

Looking at sweet, innocent Beatrice, Cecilia smiled brightly—

And said nothing.

“Lady Cecilia?”

At that moment, the Windsor Knights had entered the outskirts of the Rocky Mountains and currently aiming for foothills.

A rugged, treacherous terrain crawling with powerful monsters.

Even for them, tension was rare—but this time, it was real.

“Umm… are you listening?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Beatrice decided to give up asking why it was called a landing operation.

“Hold. Monsters ahead.”

“Damn, they look tough.”

‘This terrain isn’t suited for formation tactics.’

Fighting on barren, mountainous land was always difficult.

Even more so when the opponent was the infamous ‘Yeti.’

“Wow, a yeti.”

Cecilia’s eyes sparkled at the sight of its fluffy fur.

She was almost tempted to take it home and raise it.

“Lady Cecilia, orders?”

“Kuuooh!”

The yeti roared as it barreled forward, smashing through trees with its massive frame.

The Windsor Knights stood unshaken, eyes fixed on Cecilia.

She wore a faint smile.

“I’ll now explain the detailed operation plan.”

‘Right now?!’

Beatrice was horrified.

But the rest of the Windsor Knights didn’t flinch, even with the yeti charging toward them.

One of them was even nonchalantly picking his nose.

Cecilia found it gross and briefly closed her eyes before opening them again.

Swoosh—

“—!”

Cecilia’s silver eyes began to glow faintly.

Chilled mana dispersed into the air as a heavy wind began to rise.

Tiny snowflakes swirled upward, dancing like feathers.

“Kruhh?”

The yeti stormed toward the group of humans.

It raised its massive fists, clenched tightly together, and swung them high into the air.

But it couldn't bring them down.

The wind stopped it.

The gale was simply too fierce, it physically prevented the yeti from thrusting forward.

Cecilia, still wearing her faint smile, enunciated clearly:

“Wind Shear.”

Stumble—

The yeti’s body staggered.

Trees around them shook violently.

Some were even uprooted from the ground and flung into the air.

And along with them, the yeti was hurled skyward, screaming in terror.

It was a storm.

A massive storm swept across the Rocky Mountains.

But within its eye, the Windsor Knights stood perfectly still.

Their cloaks didn’t even flutter.

“We have a powerful storm system moving in today. With winds reaching speeds of 150 kilometers per hour, the typhoon is expected to pass through Niflheim before dissipating.”

“…?”

“??”

Cecilia, playing the weather reporter, bashfully turned her head.

‘But I’ve always wanted to try saying that…’

Leaving behind the dumbfounded knights, she strode ahead.

The Rocky Mountains were descending into chaos, ravaged by the Tempest born from Wind Shear.

But by manipulating the wind currents, Cecilia had completely shielded the Windsor Knights.

“W-Wait… Are you seriously planning to gather all the monsters in the Rocky Mountains and throw them into Niflheim like a hurricane?”

“Yup. That’s the plan.”

‘She's a demon!’

‘This is way too much!’

For the first time ever, the Windsor Knights found themselves worrying about the demonkind.

“But… aren’t monsters something the demons can control?”

“Not in the Rocky Mountains.”

Beatrice asked, clearly troubled.

Roider answered, a bruised blue welt still visible on his chin.

“That’s where they keep the monsters that even the demons can’t control.”

“…I see.”

“So what Cecilia just pulled off—it's not just tactical. I mean, can you even call something that destructive a tactic?”

Even amid the chaos, the knights swallowed hard as they looked at Cecilia, who was calm, composed, and utterly unreadable.

“So this is what it means to wield a domain-type ultimate technique…”

Domain Expansion.

Those who could use one were exceedingly rare—and when they appeared, they were treated as top-class assets in any knight order.

Still, outside of its rarity, few really understood why domain-type techniques were considered superior.

Now they understood.

The true strength of a domain-type ultimate technique lay in its versatility.

“To think it could be used like that...”

“If Lady Cecilia—already this strong as a Sword Princess—is pulling this off, then what kind of monster is our Commander, who is at the peak of Sword Sovereign…?”

The knights were left speechless in the face of such overwhelming power coming from a high-ranking knight.

But that was a misconception.

No domain-type ultimate technique wielder could do what Cecilia had just done.

After all, domains are meant to affect only the inside—within their boundary.

A domain that could exert power outside its field?

There was only one explanation.

Cecilia’s true Secret Art wasn’t Wind Shear.

‘Someday, I will too…’

A fierce determination ignited in the hearts of the knights.

To see a mere human wield power that transcended human limits—

Rather than discouragement, it stirred something in them.

Especially Beatrice, who now looked at Cecilia with nothing short of reverence.

That revered figure…

…was currently chewing on a mouthful of grass.

“…?”

Crunch.

“Want some?”

Cecilia chewed on a stalk of mana herb and casually asked a question.

Beatrice smiled awkwardly and shook her head.

“…Please, help yourself.”

‘It’s actually kinda tasty though,’ Cecilia thought.

The flavor of the mana herb could best be described as slightly bitter chocolate.

***

“So that’s the demonfolk city—Niflheim.”

The Windsor Knights finally arrived at a vantage point where they could see Niflheim with their own eyes.

They came to a halt.

“Lady Cecilia, are we descending from here? Now that we know the direction, we can just hike down, right?”

“Yeah. But walking would take too long.”

Still stuffing her cheeks with mana herb, Cecilia looked positively chipmunk-like.

‘Just how much mana is she burning…? That stuff costs 10 gold per stalk!’

‘How many has she eaten so far? At least 50?’

And it wasn’t just any mana herb—

Cecilia had eaten only the highest-grade variety.

Because she refused to compromise on taste, she brought the most expensive ones, which include better taste.

As a result…

‘She’s basically eaten the cost of an entire mansion. Heheh.’

It was almost like throwing gold into the dirt!

Cecilia was, in many ways, high maintenance.

“Do you have another method in mind?”

“Before that, I have something to explain.”

Cecilia swallowed her current mouthful in one gulp.

Her body shimmered faintly with residual mana.

Then, popping another stalk into her mouth, she continued chewing as she spoke.

“I won’t be going with you. I’ve used too much mana. At best, I can manifest a Wind Shear once more to secure your exit.”

The Windsor Knights all nodded solemnly.

It was a completely reasonable explanation.

In fact, the real surprise was that she could still use Wind Shear again after everything she’d done.

“And don’t forget the mission. We’re not here to crush the Demon King’s army. You’re heading straight into enemy territory—if you stir up a fight, you’ll get surrounded in no time. Got that? Absolutely no unnecessary combat. Just extract intel, focusing on civilian demonfolk. That’s an order.”

Though some were visibly unhappy with the order, they knew it couldn’t be helped.

“Alright. Memorize the rules, stay sharp, and be careful out there. If you come back injured, I will be mad.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Then I’ll go ahead and send you off to Niflheim now. Everyone, hold hands and gather up nicely.”

“Y-Yes? Sorry, what?”

“Hurry up. This mana herb’s expensive.”

Cecilia was already chewing on three stalks at once.

The knights, reluctantly, followed orders and gathered in one spot, holding hands.

Cecilia drew her sword.

“Have a good landing.”

“W-Wait just a—!”

The knights barely had time to panic.

Without giving them a moment to protest, Cecilia called out sweetly:

“Tempest.”

The Windsor Knights vanished—blown clear over the mountain range.

Cecilia watched the glittering trail of airborne knight—no, stars—as they disappeared into the sky and quietly offered a prayer.

“Please send me a flood of newbies. Maybe around… 8.16 billion would be nice.”

***

Cecilia ascended the Rocky Mountains with light steps.

Most of the monsters had already been swept away toward Niflheim by Wind Shear, so the mountain was now pleasantly quiet.

“Haa… haah…”

Still, Cecilia was out of breath.

The air was thin, and even for her, climbing a mountain this high—nearly skimming the stratosphere—without mana was exhausting.

‘I hope the remaining mana herbs are enough. I should’ve paced myself earlier…’

Highest-grade mana herbs were practically snacks on their own.

They were delicious, which was why she’d eaten way too many.

Thanks to that, she only had 3 dozens left. (20 per dozen.)

The reason she’d brought so many—and was still fretting over her mana supply—was simple.

Cecilia’s true Secret Art came with several conditions.

One of them was: “All current mana must be depleted.”

The more mana burned beforehand, the stronger the final blow.

‘Honestly, if he’s weaker than Cain, I wouldn’t even need to go this far…’

But there was always the what if.

What if the Demon King’s power was something like immortality?

If he somehow survived with just 1 HP, barely clinging to life—then the entire plan would fall apart.

Cain, cursed to be unable to kill the Demon King, wouldn’t even be able to finish off someone who could die from a basic attack.

‘And on top of that, the distance is huge. There’s a real chance he will dodge and the shot could miss. That’s why I have to go full-power and max the blast radius.’

That was the downside of the Blessing of Wind.

The farther it traveled, the more power and accuracy it lost.

Wind was fast, but it wasn't as fast as light, which was 'undodgeable'.

With all those variables in mind, Cecilia had prepared thoroughly.

And now, she finally reached the summit.

‘Maybe Everest feels like this?’

From the absurd heights of the Rocky Mountains’ peak, even the Northern Fortress was invisible.

Niflheim, which could be seen from lower altitudes, had long since vanished from view.

She had no idea how high it was, but what was certain was that it was higher than the clouds.

Feeling invigorated, Cecilia cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Yaa—hoo.”

There was no echo.

Still, she felt satisfied.

From here, even if she unleashed her ultimate, no one would notice—much less get hurt.

But there was still one thing she couldn’t give up.

Cecilia sat down on a rock and crossed her legs.

“…Hey.”

She spoke with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

“If anyone’s got a mana herb, hand it over.”

From behind a nearby rock, a pink-haired demon hesitantly emerged from hiding.

“Y-You’re here already? I wasn’t expecting you this soon…”

Cecilia frowned and made a slight flicking gesture near her lips.

Ferna, now cross-eyed in confusion, blinked like an idiot.

Sighing, Cecilia grabbed one of her own herbs and started munching on it.

“Come on, I’m about to kill the Demon King. I deserve one mana herb.”

Ferna tilted her head chicken-like, back and forth in confusion.

Cecilia had to resist the urge to flick her forehead.

She tried to recall her next line…

But the movie she was referencing from her past life was so old, her memory was fuzzy.

‘I’ll have to ask a newbie when I get one.’

Still, there was one line she remembered clearly:

“The weather's nice today.”

“N-No? The blizzard’s getting worse! Didn’t you see it on your way up?!”

Perfect weather to kill the Demon King.

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