Chapter 58: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Demon King's Army Subjugation (3)

"???"

Cecilia stood blankly at the head of the Northern Expeditionary Force, staring at the demon forces ahead.

The demons had abandoned even their dungeons and poured out en masse. The sheer number was beyond imagination.

Looks like a good mob-farming spot—land a few AoEs and the EXP would be delicious...

‘No, wait! This isn’t right!’

How did it come to this?

Cecilia reflected. She retraced her steps.

Like a gentle housewife and a beautiful Sword Princess should, she had laid out a warm meal and handed out spoons to the old monsters, one by one.

The problem? These people thought it wasn’t enough, so they took their spoons and stormed the wheat fields, killing all the poor farmers.

As a result, they gained a large harvest right now, but the next year's crop was doomed.

"I respect you, Lady Cecilia. Your strategic prowess can only be described as that of a historic military genius."

"I’ve heard that a single outstanding knight can change the course of war... but I never imagined to this extent."

“No, I merely did what was required.”

‘Ehehe~’

Still, praise always felt good for Cecilia.

Turning their horses, the commanding officers from the Northern Command all looked at her with sparkling eyes.

Among them stood Duke Faust.

“So humble too! But there’s no need for modesty. I will personally record your overwhelming accomplishments of single-handedly shaking a hundred-year war’s balance! Then report them directly to Her Majesty the Queen!”

Tingle—!

Cecilia’s tiny neck hairs stood on end.

‘No good. Our Queen’s about to do something weird (again)...’

Queen Lydia was already a repeat offender.

Cecilia was suddenly gripped by the fear that her title might change this time for real.

“I-It’s fine! Please, take the credit!”

“What? You want to paint me as some second-rate commander? I won’t allow it! Who then would give their life to protect this nation?”

‘I said I don’t need it…!’

Cecilia had always believed her life would go smoothly.

Like, just look at her—pretty and strong.

But for the first time, she realized that life doesn’t always go the way you want.

‘Duke Faust is more incompetent than I thought... He’s been patching things up with brute force all along.’

Who would've thought that humans had their own radical factions?

Yes, it was true that the Windsor knights had cleared out the lesser demon squads in the area.

But that was just dealing with small fry. In game terms, it was like well-geared NPCs clearing out goblin camps along the way to a dragon subjugation.

Yet the conclusion they drew was, ‘The demon army is weaker than we thought.’

That was the exact opposite of what Cecilia wanted, which was, ‘This chick is just stat-padding on mobs.’

‘Still, he wasn’t a bad person. If I explained sincerely, maybe he’d understand.’

“Commander.”

“Hmm?”

Duke Faust had been chatting with his adjutant, weighing when to launch the invasion.

At the sound of her soft and melodious voice, he looked down to see Cecilia, wearing a slightly troubled expression and avoiding his eyes.

“Please halt the advance.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“...If we continue, many people will die.”

“Good grief, you’re being naive. That’s not like you at all. Look over there, will you?”

Duke Faust motioned toward the knights guarding Winterhold. Their eyes burned with unwavering determination and fighting spirit.

“Do they look like men who fear death to you?”

They were knights he had raised himself—comrades forged in the crucible of countless battlefields. He took pride in them, and rightfully so.

But pride taken too far becomes arrogance.

“We’ve five at Sword Demon level, and two Sword Emperors. Not too shabby even compared to the Windsor Order.”

‘And this is exactly the problem. This isn’t a wuxia novel.’

In wuxia, cultivation levels are clearly defined. Here? Not so much.

Which led to unfortunate misunderstandings like this.

Each knight order had their own standards for “Sword Demon.”

By Cecilia’s standards? Not a single one of them matched Windsor’s definition of a Sword Demon.

“...With their current level, they’ll be wiped out.”

“...”

For the first time, the ever-cheerful Faust’s face hardened.

“What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s the reality.”

Cecilia’s words came across as a direct insult.

“You’re saying—what you people do with ease, we can’t? That’s your claim?”

‘This is why commanding officers need Windsor backgrounds.’

Once you’ve served in Windsor, your standards can’t help but rise.

Not that Faust wasn’t qualified to lead the North. Far from it—he was strong, comparable to Edward, maybe even a step above depending on the day.

Unfortunately, compared to someone like Kairon, he fell far short. But even that is okay.

However, having low standards was a fatal flaw as a commander.

It meant his judgment was impaired.

“Yes.”

“What did you say?!”

Faust exploded with rage, drawing the attention of everyone around.

But Cecilia replied calmly.

“Please reconsider. I am against the advance.”

“Now is the right time to strike!”

“It’s reckless.”

“One more word and I’ll take this as insubordination! Cecilia of the Windsor Order—return to your unit and prepare to march!”

‘Ugh, I’m really tempted to pull a Hu Weiyong Rebellion right now…’

Cecilia briefly entertained a bad idea and started doing the math.

‘…Normally I’d avoid clashing with superiors, but this might actually work out in my favor.’

If she angered him, she’d likely get negative marks in the report to the Queen. That might help cover up the ‘excessive credit’ she was otherwise bound to receive.

Hehe.

There’s always a loophole somewhere.

“This is a foolish assault. Please reconsider immediately!”

“You dare call the Supreme Commander of the North foolish? Are you looking to die?!”

“Is bullying with authority all you're capable of? Windsor knights are granted the right to reject any order they deem unjust!”

Now that she’d made up her mind, Cecilia didn’t hold back.

The nearby knights turned pale. The Windsor Order, meanwhile, glared daggers at the country-bumpkin commander who had dared threaten their beloved mascot and little sister.

“What a cowardly wench! I was giving you the benefit of the doubt and trying to be nice, but I rescind everything I said before!”

‘Best. Day. Ever.’

“The Windsor Knight Order will no longer follow any command issued by the Northern Commander. If you want to charge in and get yourselves killed, be my guest!”

“G—Get yourselves killed?! T-This is outrageous…!”

Face flushed with rage, Faust pointed a trembling finger and shouted.

"We don’t need the help of some cowardly knights like you! We’ll handle the Demon King’s army ourselves, so get lost!"

Cecilia turned her back with a face full of feigned rage.

"The Windsor Order will withdraw. Anyone who wants to stay, feel free."

Of course, not a single knight from the Windsor Order remained in the expeditionary force.

***

"Ugh, I’m so pissed I could scream."

"We’re not their damn nannies, you know."

Back at the Windsor Order’s camp, the knights were openly roasting Faust.

"I knew it from the beginning. An useless commander who couldn’t even argue back when Cecilia said a word!"

"Oh? The Northern Army says they could’ve done what we did? Then why don’t they try? Bunch of crap!"

Fueled by frustration, the knights were seething.

In their midst, Beatrice cast a worried glance toward Cecilia.

‘I’ve never seen her this angry before…’

Cecilia, after all, was usually expressionless. The emotions she did rarely show were almost always soft such as joy and delight.

This was the first time she had seen her express negative emotions like this.

"Cecilia, should I go challenge them to a duel? Once they feel the difference in strength, they’ll back down."

"No, I’ll go! I’ll grab a tree branch and beat the crap out of that dumbass knight squad myself!"

Sitting quietly near the bonfire and aimlessly tossing pinecones into the flames, Cecilia spoke gently to the riled-up knights.

"…That would be too pitiful. Please, just let it go."

"Why do you always take it lying down?!"

"Seriously, Cecilia. You don’t have to be nice to everyone, especially idiots like that!"

‘She’s not really that nice… Wait, no, don’t think that. I’m sure there’s a deeper reason…’

And in that moment, Beatrice had a revelation.

"Could it be… Are you worried?"

"……"

"That people might get hurt…"

The knights’ eyes widened at Beatrice’s small words.

Honestly, they’d only followed Cecilia’s lead and objected to the advance because she did. They hadn’t thought deeply about the why.

In fact, some doubtful ones had wondered if this wasn’t the best moment to go on full offensive. The Demon King’s army was in disarray, after all—thanks to Cecilia’s own calculated strikes against its weak points.

But with Beatrice’s words, they finally understood why Cecilia had pulled them back.

"…Come to think of it, Cecilia’s always like that."

"Always sensitive to death of others."

"Even last time, she went to visit that idiot Jerriway when he got injured, remember?"

"So this time too, she must be afraid that a full-scale war will get too many people killed…"

One knight sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Damn it, Cecilia… People die in war. That’s just how it is."

"Her heart’s still too soft… Maybe that’s why the Commander never wanted to send her to the front lines."

‘…?’

Cecilia blinked, wondering why things were getting so oddly emotional.

Still, caught up in the concept of a “pitiful and gentle Sword Princess,” she softly murmured:

"Even so… I’m sure there’s a better way."

"……."

‘Ugh, stared at the fire too long. Now my eyes sting.’

Cecilia rubbed her eyes and hurriedly got up from her seat.

"Where’s the captured prisoner?"

"…Far right tent."

"I’ll go talk to him. Don’t follow me."

Cecilia trudged toward the tent with deflated steps.

The mood within the knight order turned somber.

"No wonder she sent us after those weaklings…"

"It wasn’t about the mission, but to keep us safe."

"Even now, she’s going to see the prisoner… probably trying to stop the advance however she can."

"Hah… With that soft heart of hers, she won’t even be able to interrogate properly…"

Beatrice felt the same sadness—yet her thoughts took a little different path.

‘She’s not soft… not really…’

She was reminded of that time on the magical engineering train when Cecilia had captured the terrorist.

***

"You’re here? Things sounded noisy outside."

The yawning knight greeted her. Cecilia replied:

"Go wait outside. I’ll handle the interrogation."

"Good luck. That one’s stubborn. Never seen a demon with this much loyalty before."

As the knight exited, Cecilia slumped into the chair and crossed her legs.

A sly grin curled on her lips.

‘I’m a genius.’

How did she come up with such a brilliant move? She was proud of herself.

‘All that’s left is to stall for time, kill the Demon King, and mission complete. After that, I’ll leisurely head back to the capital, eat some tasty desserts, and greet the newbies in peace.’

"A human…? Don’t bother with any tricks. Just kill me. I will never betray the Demon King."

The bound demon, crawling across the floor, scoffed through cracked lips and bruised limbs.

He looked awful. Just a glance and it was clear what kind of torture he’d endured.

After all, the Windsor Knights weren’t exactly known for mercy toward demons.

"Heh… pathetic. To think you’d celebrate such a petty win after defeating a few scout squads…"

Of course, Cecilia didn’t care. She was too busy spiraling into her happy fantasies.

‘What should I eat when I get back? I’ve worked really hard this time, so I deserve at least a reward, right? It’s been a rough week…’

"Tremble in fear! Know despair! We’ll devour your lands until there’s nothing—"

"Shut up."

"……!"

"You’re noisy. I can’t concentrate."

A cold, genuine killing intent unintentionally slipped out of her like a whisper.

The demon froze, visibly trembling, eyes lifting in panic.

Through blurred vision, he saw the silhouette of a silver-haired girl.

And then, a memory from the past surfaced.

Five years ago, there was a knight who turned the northern snowfields into a graveyard of horror.

"T-The White Reaper…"

"……?"

"I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything, just… please… not my soul! Don’t crush my soul!"

Cecilia propped her chin on her hand, turning her gaze ever so slightly.

"If you talk… that would be a problem."

"……!"

"You see… It will make me look too competent."

Cecilia slowly unsheathed her sword. The mid-ranking demon trembled in sheer terror.

"So, what’ll it be? Keep quiet and disappear? Or talk and wish you hadn’t?"

The demon bit down on his own tongue. It wouldn’t kill him, but it sure stopped him from speaking.

A wise choice.

Cecilia sat back in the chair, resuming her train of thought.

‘I want Shine Muscat grapes.’

For the record, the Shine Muscat grapes of the Lianen Kingdom were the best in the universe.

Recalling its taste, Cecilia smiled blissfully to herself.

Next Chapter