Chapter 34: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Newbie Gacha (1)

‘First, I should go get Beatrice. I’ll drag her into a dungeon and get her leveled up.’

Having just been granted three apprentice slots, Cecilia was simply elated.

It had been nearly 10 years since she joined the black company known as the Windsor Knights.

At last, Cecilia would have her own team!

‘Let’s build it with fresh, green newbies only!’

Age: under 20.

Skill level: solo-clearing same-level raids would be ideal?

Of course, not from the start.

But if she keeps sending them in until they succeed, the pass rate would be 100%!

It’ll be hard. Painful. Maybe even crushing.

But then comes Cecilia offering comfort during the process. The newbie, moved to tears! Global warming solved! Peace for the world!

“Beatrice…”

Overflowing with excitement, Cecilia placed her hand on the fence of the trainee knights’ training ground.

“Beatrice Schwarzfeder. You have achieved excellence in this training ground and can no longer be taught here. I declare your graduation. Congratulations. You’re the first graduate in the past five years.”

Trainee knights stood at attention in a row.

And from the platform, Marcus solemnly spoke.

With a determined expression, Beatrice received her certificate.

“…Wait, what?”

That meant Beatrice had defeated Marcus in a duel.

Just like 6-year-old Cecilia once had.

But something was off. Cecilia was sure Beatrice hadn’t reached that level yet.

“So in the end, you became the first to graduate.”

“…Damn it. Wait for me. I’ll catch up to you soon enough.”

Beatrice was surrounded by fellow trainees.

Before long, she spotted Cecilia watching from a distance and ran over.

“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Cecilia! Thank you so much!”

Beatrice bowed deeply in heartfelt gratitude.

But Cecilia couldn’t smile.

‘I was going to give her a special one-on-one crash course to help her graduate…’

Cecilia deflated slightly.

***

‘Don’t be disappointed.’

Even a secondhand newbie was still a newbie.

She might have a few dings here and there, but a good scrubbing and polish, and she’ll shine just fine.

“So even after graduating, I can’t immediately become a Windsor knight…?”

“Nope. But after that, it’s just formalities. Only 8 out of 10 candidates get rejected in the interview.”

Beatrice turned to look slowly at Cecilia.

“…Isn’t that kind of a high failure rate?”

“A 5:1 competition ratio is pretty average, don’t you think?”

Even in the modern world, trying to get into a top company could have ratios like 400:1.

But the Windsor Knights were the biggest corporation in the Lianen Kingdom, and it was only 5:1.

‘I was going to use one of my slots on her anyway.’

Kairon, as commander of the knights, had authorized each high-ranking knight to bring in three recruits at their own discretion.

In other words, three officially approved parachute picks—a rare and prestigious privilege.

Which meant if Cecilia nominated Beatrice, she’d be admitted into the Windsor Knights immediately.

But... the more Cecilia thought about it, the more wasteful it felt.

Beatrice already had the qualifications.

Using a precious newbie slot on her?

No way. She should go through the proper process.

...Absolutely not because Cecilia was secretly jealous that Beatrice had completed the apprenticeship without her help.

"So this is the recruit you’ve brought, Cecilia?"

Beatrice swallowed dryly as she stood in the center of the sparring arena, facing the seated Kairon.

‘He’s one of the five Sword Sovereign in the entire kingdom...’

His presence was truly otherworldly.

It felt like the air around him was pressing down.

She couldn’t move a single finger casually.

“I’m here for the test. I just completed the apprenticeship.”

“Test?”

As previously stated, a high-ranking knight’s recommendation meant she could skip the test entirely.

Even if her skills were somewhat lacking.

But from the start, it was clear Cecilia never intended to do that.

‘…Of course. That’s just how she is.’

Kairon smiled faintly and stood from his seat.

She refuses shortcuts.

Even when other paths are available, Cecilia was the kind of person who walked into the Knight Order at the age of 6 with only a dagger.

‘Then I’ll give this my full sincerity too.’

“Beatrice Schwarzfeder. If you wish to become a Windsor Knight, draw your sword.”

“Yes, sir!”

‘I’m nervous. I’m scared. But… I have to do this!’

Beatrice drew her sword, tense but determined.

Cecilia immediately covered her mouth in shock.

“…!”

“?”

Kairon, too, was startled.

Not since 8-year-old Cecilia tried to become a Three-Sword Style master by holding a sword in her mouth had he seen anything so unexpected.

“Why… why are you both looking at me like that…?”

Beatrice was confused by their stunned reactions.

‘A recruit who doesn’t even realize it was a test… this is the first since Cecilia herself.’

Kairon had just released pressure akin to that of a lesser demon.

If you want to be a Windsor Knight, draw your sword.

It was a test of a required trait for all Windsor knights: resistance to fear.

Demonic beings excel at emitting Fear to immobilize their foes.

No matter how strong you are, if you can’t move because of fear, it’s meaningless.

True, her lack of awareness that it was a test was a small issue in judgment.

But still...

‘Well done, Cecilia. To have found such a talent.’

There was no need to hesitate.

“You pass.”

“Wh-what?! I do?!”

The truth was, Beatrice passing was inevitable.

She had already experienced a presence far more terrifying than any lesser demon:

— The Butcher?

— Fare dodging is a crime.

— We’re free to use your heart, right?

— Wind Shear.

And not just once—multiple times.

Though Beatrice didn’t realize it, those experiences had long since made her immune to fear effects from lesser demons.

Meanwhile, the cause of those experiences—Cecilia—was...

‘T-That’s incredible talent…!’

…trembling slightly in pure shock and disbelief.

***

“Gather three talented individuals each.”

But aside from Cecilia, no one had carried out that command.

“Wasn’t that the obvious outcome, Commander?”

Indeed, just as his aide said, it was only natural.

It’s not like promising talent just falls from the sky.

“If you were told to find someone talented, where would you look first?”

“...The Windsor Apprentice Training Grounds, I suppose.”

“Exactly. That’s the first thing everyone thinks of.”

In fact, there were already rumors that high-ranking knights were regularly prowling the Windsor apprentice grounds.

If you're looking for trees, of course you go to the forest. That’s the most obvious logic.

“But only Cecilia moved immediately.”

“Cecilia's initiative is well known, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not just that she moved fast.”

Kairon picked up a document and handed it to the aide.

“This is…”

The more the aide read, the more shock crept into his expression.

“She was already moving two weeks ago?”

“Yes. The newly admitted Beatrice Schwarzfeder—Cecilia had her eye on her two weeks ago.”

“Two weeks ago… That’s the day the Sacred Flame first flickered.”

“...!”

Which meant Cecilia had accurately predicted the current crisis.

That night the flame wavered, when everyone else was confused and uncertain—

Cecilia had already begun walking toward the next stage.

“Goodness. According to Instructor Marcus’s testimony, the apprentices’ performance started improving right after Cecilia began getting involved.”

“Now do you understand? My command for high-ranking knights to recruit wasn't just to find new talents.”

Kairon spoke gravely.

“It was to evaluate who had the ability to recognize talent.”

“Then...”

“I plan to have Cecilia oversee the founding of the Military Academy.”

Kairon said definitively.

The aide couldn't hide his shock.

“B-but wasn't Court Mage Viaton supposed to lead that initiative? And you, Commander, were meant to handle the knight portion…”

Establishing the Military Academy was still in its early planning stages, but it was already one of the kingdom’s most crucial national strategies.

The Windsor Knights alone could no longer bear the full brunt of the upcoming demon offensive.

Before the divine blessings completely faded, they needed to bolster the kingdom’s strength as much as possible.

And for that, they had to find talented individuals, and more importantly, help those talents bloom.

The most efficient method: gather all those who had manifested their Blessings into one place and train them together.

“There will be pushback, Commander.”

The aide swallowed hard.

Kairon already knew that.

But…

“Her Majesty said this—”

It wasn’t just about Cecilia being gifted or she was tasked for this job.

Kairon simply needed a way to shield her from future threats.

“That soon, an era of change will come. What’s valued today may become worthless by tomorrow.”

Sometimes she seemed like a naive girl, and sometimes he had the impertinent question of whether he could entrust this country to her, Queen Lydia.

But in the end, she was also the ruler whose iron-fisted reign had endured 300 years.

There was a reason why.

To Kairon, the Queen’s insight had already far surpassed the realm of mortal foresight.

“Her Majesty values Cecilia far more highly than we expected,”

Kairon said quietly.

“She hopes Cecilia will be able to weather the age of upheaval that may soon come.”

And yet—

The gaze of a transcendent who sees beyond the world can often be poisonous.

An ill-prepared genius, crushed under the weight of the Queen’s expectations, may never rise again.

Kairon had witnessed this with his own eyes.

Edward Windsor—a once-brilliant talent—was now someone gasping under the weight, just short of collapse.

“She ordered me to assign Cecilia increasingly brutal missions for the sake of growth.”

“……!”

“She prophesied that Cecilia could endure it.”

Perhaps Her Majesty was right.

Cecilia had abilities even Kairon himself struggled to measure.

If only one person in the world could be recognized as a true genius—

He would choose Cecilia without hesitation.

However—

“I exercised my veto.”

“……!”

Was it because he was growing old?

After seeing Cecilia return wounded from the last battlefield, he had many thoughts.

It was too soon.

Before the demons began moving in earnest, Cecilia needed more time.

To gain experience. To grow.

In a place safe from the frontline.

“What she needs is time. I will protect Cecilia, both as Commander of the Knights… and as her father.”

Hearing that, the aide smiled faintly.

“Then my job, it seems… is to quietly help Cecilia rise to that place, without causing ripples.”

Michael, the adjutant, picked up his pen.

“Let’s first appoint her as Chief Coordinator of the upcoming Windsor Knights’ Recruitment. If this ever comes up later, the credentials will carry weight. And then…”

As Kairon watched Michael’s pen dance with furious speed, he thought:

Truly, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Next Chapter