Chapter 38: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Newbie Gacha (5)

A knight’s pride was no trivial thing.

When insulted, they would throw down their gauntlet and challenge the offender to a duel, regardless of whether they were a Sword Sovereign or even the Sword Saint himself.

This wasn’t just about strong pride. For many, dueling strong opponents was the fastest way to improve their skills.

As a result, duels were as common as breakfast, and losing wasn’t considered particularly disgraceful. On the contrary, avoiding a duel was seen as a far greater shame.

‘I wonder just how strong she is to receive a medal?’

Of course, Rick had no intention of losing. The reason he so boldly picked a fight with Cecilia wasn’t just curiosity about the infamous Sword Princess—it was because he truly believed he could win.

After all, he was a knight about to reach the rank of Sword Emperor himself.

“Why so quiet? Don’t tell me… you’re scared?”

Heehee.

Rick was taken aback by Cecilia’s beaming smile, remained even as she was being insulted.

‘What kind of reaction is that?’

Cecilia had fully committed to her “newbie poaching” mission.

But it wasn’t going to be easy. Knights were known for their fierce loyalty, and openly trying to recruit from another order was considered poor etiquette—even dishonorable.

Still, there was no way Cecilia would let such a golden opportunity slip by.

“Two hours. Colosseum. Be there.”

“…Colosseum? Why the official arena for a duel? Hey—!”

And then she spread the word everywhere.

“Attention, everyone! The greatest beauty in the kingdom, your truly most beautiful girl, Cecilia, will be dueling!”

“A duel? With Cecilia?!”

“Where?! I’ve got to see this!”

The rumor spread like wildfire—through the streets, through the citizens, even to visiting members of other knight orders who happened to be in the capital that day.

“The rumored Sword Princess is dueling?”

“Talk about perfect timing!”

In an instant, the Colosseum was filled up to the brim.

Meanwhile, at Windsor Knights Headquarters – Vice-Commander’s Office.

“Vice-Commander! We’ve got a problem!”

“…What is it?”

Edward had been in the middle of a background check on the new recruits.

It was a mandatory and notoriously meticulous process, so Edward was buried in paperwork.

“Sorry, but I’m a little busy. If it’s not urgent, report it later—”

“Cecilia’s fighting a duel! With the Royal Knights!”

“!”

Edward glanced at the mountain of reports piled up on his desk.

He really didn’t have time to watch a duel right now…

“…But there’s no way I’m missing this.”

In a flash, Edward took off toward the Colosseum.

***

The Colosseum.

Members of the Windsor Knights and Royal Knights were gathered on either side of the arena.

The two groups glared at each other like cats ready to pounce.

Windsor Knights and the Royal Knights did not get along.

Both were based in the capital, and with their proud traditions, the Royal Knights simply couldn’t bring themselves to openly acknowledge Windsor Knights as the superior order.

After all, they were the ones who guarded the Queen—and that pride ran deep.

“The Royal Knights are obviously the ones who represent the Lianen Kingdom!”

“Damn right!”

“Just look at the name!”

“You think the royal family is some kind of joke?!”

Of course, to the Windsor Knights, the Royal Knights’ bluster was met with little more than scoffing.

“Then why are all your bets placed on Cecilia?”

“Idiots.”

“Have you ever even fought a demon?”

Still, there were quite a few knights who bet on Rick to win.

For one, it had only been a year since Cecilia had ascended to the title of Sword Princess.

Secondly, Rick was the second-strongest within the Royal Knights.

“Commander, who do you think will win?”

When Adjutant Michael asked, Kairon twitched an eyebrow and shot him a glare.

The kind of glare that said: Do you want to get hit?

“Cecilia, obviously.”

‘…Truly the Daddy’s girl of all time.’

Michael awkwardly shrank back, glancing at Cecilia with a trace of concern.

“But still, it’s only been a year since Cecilia became a Sword Princess…”

“Do you think a Sword Demon from Windsor is the same as a Sword Demon from any other order?”

Kairon crossed his arms with a look that said, don’t be ridiculous.

“Not just anyone can bear the title of ‘Strongest.’”

“Even so, the Royal Knights have been aggressively recruiting top talent lately. That Rick fellow is a well-known knight in the South.”

Traditionally, the Royal Knights were a conservative group. Since they protected the Queen, they valued background and pedigree over sheer skill.

Any blemish in one's record, and they were denied entry outright.

But things had changed since Draven became the commander.

His rallying cry: ‘The Royal Knights must boost their combat power!’

Thanks to his initiative, their entry requirements had been loosened—and now, many knights who could have qualified for Windsor were entering the Royal Knights instead.

“If Cecilia were to lose… it might seriously damage this year’s recruitment effort—”

“Commander’s aide is talking crap!”

“Pencil-pusher, what do you know?!”

“Commander, may I punch him just once?!”

As jeers flew in from behind, Michael broke into a cold sweat.

He looked to Kairon for help, hoping for some mediation, but the Commander only gave him a subtle nod.

“I’m trying to be the rational one here, you know!”

“No need to worry too much, Michael.”

Edward said as he strolled down the stairs casually.

“No one can surpass Cecilia in a one-on-one.”

“But that’s only because of Wind Shear…”

“‘Ultimate Technique’ is the manifestation of one’s mental state. It reflects the nature of the individual.”

Wind Shear had a distinct trait: while disadvantageous against large groups, it was devastating in one-on-one combat.

To wield such a technique was to embody the confident mindset that, so long as no one interferes, I will not lose.

That was Edward’s belief.

“So this duel isn’t about whether Cecilia wins or loses. It’s about how she wins.”

Just then, Draven—the appointed judge of the match—began explaining the rules.

— Use of Ultimate Techniques is prohibited.

— Any form of lethal strike is likewise forbidden.

“Then, once I return to my seat, the duel shall begin.”

Draven turned and walked away.

Cecilia and Rick slowly tilted their swords forward.

Swoosh!

No sooner had Draven sat in the stands than Cecilia charged forward.

Rick, as if anticipating it, raised his sword at an angle.

Clang!

He deflected Cecilia’s strike with a fluid motion—but was still sent flying backward.

In that moment, Cecilia’s eyes lit up.

She had just identified what kind of blessing he possessed.

“Rick’s Blessing must be…”

“Elasticity. The more you deflect him, the faster and stronger he comes back.”

Just as expected.

Having been knocked back, Rick bounced off the arena wall and shot straight back toward Cecilia at breakneck speed.

It was the type of blessing that converted the enemy’s force into one’s own power—

Like throwing a rubber ball at a wall: the harder the throw, the faster it rebounds.

“To counter that, you either need to strike with so much force that it can’t rebound…”

“Or evade and wait for an opening. I’d go with the first option. I wonder what Cecilia will choose?”

Edward watched the duel with genuine curiosity.

Cecilia struck Rick’s sword.

He was flung away and, before long, came flying back.

She parried again. And again.

“…Isn’t that the worst possible move?”

“Hah, she’s doing it again.”

Kairon dragged a hand down his face.

By now, Cecilia must have figured out what kind of blessing her opponent had.

Yet she was moving exactly how her opponent wanted her to—playing right into his ideal setup.

The reason was simple.

‘It feels like playing tennis!’

Just because it was fun!

The more she parried, the faster Rick returned.

To Cecilia, it was pure, unfiltered entertainment.

‘But… I probably shouldn’t keep enjoying it forever.’

By now, Rick was flying back at blinding speeds.

He was rebounding so fast that within less than a second, his sword would be swinging again from a different angle.

‘What if the ball pops?’

Cecilia glanced to her right and locked eyes with Rick on mid-fly.

He was visibly shocked.

‘She’s still tracking me at this speed?!’

Sure, a Sword Demon could block attacks like these despite the speed.

But that was usually through intuition—reflexes, instincts, barely scraping by.

But to read the movement this precisely with her eyes… that was something else entirely.

‘No matter. If I go even faster, she won’t be able to follow anyway.’

Confident, Rick lunged forward with a thrust.

But Cecilia’s sword was already there—waiting at the destination.

‘Parry...!’

Panicking, Rick twisted his body mid-air to slightly redirect the path of his blade.

Because a parry required perfect timing and precise angle, this slight deviation prevented a clean execution—but it came at a cost.

The forced redirection left him vulnerable.

And he slammed into the ground.

Bang!

Rick was flung upward again due to his own elastic recoil.

That’s when Cecilia, who had until now remained still, finally moved.

“It’s over.”

Just as Edward smirked and muttered those words, Cecilia’s sword, clad in a rush of wind, slashed toward Rick—

—But Rick wasn’t going down that easily.

“Ohhh!”

“He deflected that?!”

Rick had converted Cecilia’s strike into pure elastic force. The very fact that he managed to parry her attack mid-air, with no footing and from such an unstable posture, was nothing short of impressive.

Once again, Rick used his blessing to launch himself into the sky.

His sword now shimmered with the very force of Cecilia’s last strike—converted into rebounding Sword Aura.

“Wahaha! Payouts! What’s the payout ratio?!”

The Royal Knights erupted into cheers. To them, the match was as good as over.

Given the nature of Rick’s Blessing, the stronger his opponent’s blow, the more powerful the returning blow.

And the Sword Aura that Cecilia had unleashed just before was filled with monstrous power—enough that even the spectators could feel it.

If he had successfully converted that into his own counterattack, then yes—by all appearances, the duel was already decided.

But—

“That guy’s a goddamn idiot.”

“He’s creating distance against Cecilia?”

None of the Windsor knights believed Rick could won.

…Except for Adjutant Michael, who was visibly panicking.

“T-this is seriously dangerous, isn’t it?!”

Kairon shook his head.

“Giving Cecilia space is a foolish mistake.”

“Excuse me? But… isn't it physically impossible to interrupt a fully charged Sword Aura like that? Even if she starts charging one right now, there’s no way she’ll make it in time.”

“To her, distance means nothing.”

Kairon smiled faintly.

“Because the wind… is everywhere.”

The moment he finished speaking, Cecilia—who had been gazing up at the sky—suddenly vanished.

“!”

She reappeared directly behind Rick, who was still airborne, charging his rebounded Sword Aura.

‘Ah, crap!’

Rick reacted too late.

Just as he realized his imminent doom, Cecilia’s foot drove into his back without mercy.

Kwaboom!!

A deafening crash echoed through the arena as Rick was driven into the ground.

When the dust settled, he was sprawled out like a frog, flattened.

Cecilia was crouching next to him, poking his cheek with a concerned look on her face.

“……”

The Windsor Knights struggled to contain their laughter.

The Royal Knights were left gaping in disbelief.

“Wooaahh!”

The crowd roared in excitement.

And once again, the truth burned itself into their minds:

Windsor was, without a doubt, the strongest knight order.

Next Chapter