Chapter 45: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Ancient Ruins Exploration (4)

Beatrice clutched her trembling chest and took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t rely on Cecilia here. She had to overcome this with her own strength.

The first thing that came to mind was the Newbie Must-Read Guide. (Cecilia call them that)

=========

[ Beginner’s Essential Reading Vol. 2 ]

– The most important thing in a dungeon is insight. Even if you lack strength, as long as you can grasp the situation, you can clear it.

: Refer to Vol. 5 for case studies.

=========

Beatrice desperately tried to recall the content of Volume 5. Various passages flickered through her mind.

3. A trick where a demon takes on the appearance of someone close.

‘This is it!’

Beatrice located the relevant part in her memory.

– First, you need to clearly determine their “state.”

– Is the target aware they’ve become a demon? Or do they still think they’re human?

– If it’s the former, refer to Appendix 68. If the latter, the solution is as follows:

– Use dialogue to make them realize they’ve become a demon. If the subject is a Windsor Knight, appropriate measures will be taken.

“It’s better to strike now. No matter how strong Lady Cecilia is, she’s just a kid like that. She can’t be that powerful.”

“Don’t you feel that presence?”

“Then what? Just sit here like idiots and wait? For Lady Cecilia to come rescue us? Or should I use this ring instead?”

Just as a minor argument was breaking out, Beatrice stepped forward.

“Betty?”

“I’ll… I’ll try something.”

The bickering knights fell silent. A mix of embarrassment and relief swept across their faces.

Beatrice carefully walked toward the peacefully sleeping Cecilia. Despite the commotion, Cecilia hadn’t stirred.

‘…Is she really the same as Cecilia’s childhood?’

The closer she got, the heavier the air became. The oppressive aura was overwhelming. Was this the power of a demon? Or simply the overwhelming presence of young Cecilia?

She didn’t know, but it didn’t change what she had to do.

“Hello.”

“……”

Beatrice squatted down in front of Cecilia. The young girl slowly opened her eyes.

Clear silver eyes stared into Beatrice’s. The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes.

“……My name is Beatrice.”

– Beatrice?

“Yes. You probably don’t know me, but I know you. You’re Cecilia, right? The youngest Windsor to ever be appointed at the age of six…”

The young Cecilia looked at her with wide, curious eyes.

‘Thank goodness. We can communicate.’

– That’s right.

“Can I ask you something? What are you doing here?”

– Waiting for respawn time.

‘Respawn time…? Cecilia was a bit odd even as a kid, huh…’

Gulp.

Beatrice swallowed hard, trying to choose her next words carefully.

But then, Cecilia asked her something instead.

– Hey, hey. Just now, was that from the ‘Newbie Must-Read Guide’?

“…!”

Beatrice flinched in shock. How did she know that?

Seeing her surprised face, the young Cecilia smiled brightly. It was a truly adorable smile.

– You were checking if I was a demon in disguise, weren’t you? You introduced yourself first, then looked for gaps in my memory.

An incredible display of insight.

At that moment, Beatrice realized that Cecilia’s trademark perceptiveness wasn’t something she had just recently developed—it had always been there, even as a child.

But for Beatrice, this was actually a stroke of luck. The sharper Cecilia’s judgment, the easier it would be to persuade her through logic.

“You’re right. Actually, I…”

Just as Beatrice was about to explain, young Cecilia cut her off with an emotionless question.

– Can I ask just one thing?

“U-uh, of course.”

– …Name the Big Three convenience stores.

“Huh?”

Beatrice froze.

“Big three… convenience stores?”

–...Are you a European user? What’s the tastiest food in the UK?

‘This wasn’t in the guide! Did I miss it because I only read the early volumes?!’

Unable to answer, Beatrice watched as Cecilia frowned.

– You’re not a newbie, are you?

“Huh?”

There was no time to react.

The figure of young Cecilia, who had been lying down just moments ago, vanished.

Beatrice immediately turned around—Cecilia, now holding a short sword, was about to slash Riharten’s throat.

In Beatrice’s eyes, time slowed.

She saw the cold glint in Cecilia’s eyes—a look she recognized all too well.

The same expression Cecilia wore when killing demons.

‘She thinks we’re demons…!’

She didn’t know why, but it seemed almost like an instinctual reaction.

Beatrice urgently held up her ring and shouted:

“Look at this!”

Just as she was about to swing at Riharten, the young Cecilia glanced at the ring.

“!”

She immediately canceled the attack and landed softly on the ground.

– That’s the “Newbie Absolute Safety Ring”.

The young Cecilia tilted her head, as if deep in thought.

Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed. The killing intent that had filled the air slowly dissipated. The overwhelming pressure that had been pressing down on the knights faded with it.

With a face no different from any ordinary girl, she spoke:

– This isn’t a place for little kids like you to be in.

Cecilia walked calmly between the recruits.

– I’ll show you the way out.

‘Did… did that work?’

‘I don’t really know how, but I think it did.’

The new knights looked at each other and nodded in relief.

‘Wait… is it really over just like that?’

Beatrice felt uneasy but continued walking. Yet a strange, creeping dread made her glance back over her shoulder.

At the firmly sealed door, the young Cecilia came to a stop.

She reached out her tiny hand, wedging her fingers into the crack, and began pushing.

Rumble—

Amazingly, the huge stone gate began to open slowly.

The knights couldn't help but be astonished.

‘What kind of strength…?’

But the gate didn’t open all the way. It was because the young Cecilia stopped halfway.

She turned around with an indifferent expression. And at that moment, Beatrice remembered something she had completely forgotten:

— Awaken not the demon from his sleep, lest you wish to see him.

The inscription on the stone slab.

If the "demon" referred to in that warning was this young Cecilia…

Then they had already awakened her.

‘But then, who is “him”?’

Beatrice immediately realized.

Clack—

The sound of multiple footsteps.

Clack, clack—

From the staircase, people began to descend.

“M-Master?”

“...Father.”

“T-The Commander!”

“Court Mage Viaton…!”

“Northern Front Commander!”

Name after name was called out.

Familiar faces—now nothing more than ash-gray husks—were walking down in eerie silence toward them.

Beatrice’s eyes stayed fixed on one figure.

At the very back of that group.

Trailing a little behind the others was a young girl with an emotionless face.

“…Can we really clear this on our own, Cecilia?”

Tears welled in Beatrice’s eyes.

“If you can hear me… please, answer me.”

Cecilia Windsor.

She drew her sword.

***

Meanwhile, Cecilia was cutting through the wind, sprinting forward, chasing the faint traces of a fleeing demon.

‘To think it was actually running away.’

It hadn’t taken long after sending the rookies in for Cecilia to realize, the massive presence she’d felt beyond the dungeon door had been a decoy.

‘If I’d broken the dungeon’s rules and gone in with them, I definitely would’ve lost track of this one.’

What a relief.

She might’ve ended up wasting a week of vacation—cutting into her precious bonding time with the newbies—just to make a surprise trip to the Demon King’s castle.

And if the demon's movements weren’t tracked, it could’ve disrupted her "launch prep" plans.

She didn’t fully understand what it was muttering, but the inferiority complex radiating off it made its identity clear enough.

Clang!

Cecilia spun mid-air and came to a halt.

The broken chains that had fallen to her feet turned to dust and scattered.

“Envy, envy, envy…”

A shadowed woman stood by a forest path not far off—a secluded carriage route.

Her bangs covered her face as she muttered in a gloomy voice.

“Why you… Why you…!”

‘Wow. It's really ugly.’

That demon was a blight on her newbies’ eyesight.

It would be best to erase it for health and safety.

“How can you be so young and have so much talent? Why are you so pretty, and I'm not?! It’s not fair. It’s so unfair. It’s completely unjust!”

‘Wait, was that a compliment?’

Cecilia decided to hear it out a little longer.

“You’re the villain! Someone like you just gets what others spend a lifetime wishing for—just because you were lucky! Aren’t you ashamed? Do you feel no guilt? Can’t you hear the screams of people like me!?”

She didn’t fully understand what it was muttering, but the inferiority complex radiating off it made its identity clear enough.

‘So it really was one of the Seven Deadly Sins… Makes sense. There’s no way a high-ranking demon alone could construct a dungeon like that.’

The seven sins: Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth.

In terms of rank, they were just below the Demon Dukes.

In Another World, they had another name:

The Wall of Lamentation.

How many newbies had rage-quit because of these damn Seven Sins?

Cecilia, who already took pride in “managing server quality,” had been particularly sensitive about them. If their design was ugly or their concept annoying, she’d kill them off whenever she got the chance.

And this “Envy” one?

This one had the worst design she’d seen.

It deserved death just for existing.

“Yes, someone like you should die. Right? If I kill off every bitch like you, I’ll be the prettiest—!”

Envy trailed off, staring dumbly at the space in front of her.

Drip. Drip—

Blood was leaking from the cleanly severed stumps where her arms used to be.

“Which demon’s attending the Walpurgis Night from your side?”

Envy slowly turned her head.

Cecilia was standing right beside her.

“Heeheehee! You messed up! You’re dead! Stupid!”

Envy grinned grotesquely, tearing her lips into a wide smile.

Her Authority was Plunder.

If she witnessed a technique, she could steal it without fail.

“I’ll take those fancy arms of yours first!”

Then I’ll attach them onto mine!

Surely, the arms of the infamous “Butcher” would be powerful, right?

Eyes gleaming with excitement, Envy opened her mouth. A violet magic circle flared on her tongue.

But—

No matter how much time passed, nothing changed.

Cecilia’s arms remained perfectly intact.

There was simply nothing to steal.

Because what had just severed Envy’s arms?

It wasn’t a technique or magic.

It was pure swordsmanship.

“I’d appreciate it if you answered quickly.”

Envy was terrified by the overwhelming fear.

“It’s a hassle otherwise.”

The look in Cecilia’s eyes as she stared down at her—

Was not the look one gives another ‘person’ at all.

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