Chapter 30: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Long Business Trip (8)

TL Note: Pronouns in this chapter are not consistent. Mainly with the demon. “They/It” will refer to the demon itself, “She” will refer to Priscilla. Enjoy reading, dear viewers ^^

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“A domain huh? Not bad for a mere human.”

The demon thought it was nothing serious.

They were just momentarily startled by the sudden appearance of a strong opponent.

The presence they felt still didn’t match their own as a high-ranking demon.

“Sorry,”

Cecilia pointed her sword with a pout.

“I’d like to take my time enjoying this, but I’ve decided to take this mission seriously.”

“…Are you mocking me right now?”

The demon stepped forward, veins bulging in their eyes. Cecilia, unmoving, replied calmly.

“Yep.”

“Y-you, you—!”

Just as the demon’s face flushed with rage—

They abruptly stepped back.

Splurt—

‘W-what the—?’

They clutched their jaw.

Their chin had been sliced open, and blood poured out.

Startled, they looked to Cecilia. Her sword was stained red.

Though the wound quickly regenerated, they hadn’t even noticed the moment they were cut.

‘So that’s it… This domain’s effect is guaranteed hits.’

But now they understood.

The ability of this domain was to guarantee the success of attacks.

Also—

‘Those humans got caught up in the range, but weren’t actually in the domain. That bitch must’ve intentionally pushed them out. But why? Normally, numbers are an advantage.’

The “guaranteed hit” effect weakens when more entities are present.

That must be why she isolated only herself and them inside it.

Most domain-type Secret Art are weak against armies, so it was a logical guess.

The demon smirked.

“What a shame. You possess the rare natural talent among demons and humans alike, and yet—what a pity that it’s wasted on me.”

After all, their Authority was capable of completely neutralizing this kind of domain.

“This is my victory.”

The demon laughed eerily.

But that laughter didn’t last long.

“Why?”

‘Again…’

The demon gritted their teeth.

‘Again, from my blind spot…!’

“You’re weak,” Cecilia said as her sword flew in.

This time, the demon raised an arm to block. But her blade cleaved right through it, and sliced across their neck.

“Guh!”

The demon staggered back, clutching their throat.

Boom!

With an explosive gust of air, Cecilia charged in with terrifying momentum.

Instinctively stumbling away, the demon’s body brushed the Wind Shear barrier for a mere second—

—and was instantly pulled in, their entire body shredded.

“….”

Cecilia looked down coldly at the disintegrated pieces of their body, now swept into the storm and became part of the barrier.

She sighed.

“There’s a limit to stupidity.”

Can’t you tell just by looking?

Wind Shear was a storm made of wind blades.

Touching it was obviously the same as stepping into an industrial shredder.

“Ahahaha.”

Then, a voice came from right behind her.

Cecilia’s silver eyes flicked menacingly toward the ceiling.

What was being shredded in the storm wasn’t the demon.

It was a human’s body.

“Still, you did well. But…”

The demon's voice is amused yet menacing.

“…even now, can you really kill me?”

A girl, around 7 years old, let out a giggle.

Of course, she wasn’t real.

She was Priscilla the Deception.

‘So it consumes their presence, has its minions take the soul, and the body becomes its vessel...’

Even the form from earlier was unmistakably a human corpse.

Naturally, then, the number of lives this demon had was equal to the number of humans they had devoured so far.

Unless their very existence was annihilated.

‘That level of Authority must be at least on par with one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Gluttony… what a busted balance.’

“Uh…? W-where am I?”

Priscilla looked at Cecilia with a terrified expression.

“Sister…? W-why are you looking at me like that…?”

Tears spilled from Priscilla’s eyes.

As if the demon was telling her.

That this wasn’t acting. That they had temporarily released the girl they had devoured.

That the one standing here now was no longer a demon, but a human.

“B-brother! Where are you…? I’m scared… help me… I don’t want to die yet…”

Priscilla cried, stumbling backward to the edge of the Wind Shear barrier.

Without hesitation, Cecilia lunged forward and grabbed the girl’s hand.

“Eek.”

Cecilia crouched down to meet her eye level.

Amber-orange hair and brown freckles, features typical of gingers.

In the Lianen Kingdom, such traits were rare. Gingers were mostly found in the neighboring country.

But there was one ginger in the Windsor Knight Order.

— One day, I went into a dungeon… and found my dead sister.

That man, Jerriway, the Sword Emperor.

“U-um… Sister, could you tell me…?”

Cecilia gently reached for the flower-shaped hair clip on Priscilla’s head with sad eyes.

— Hey, kid. I’m gonna give this to my sister as a gift. Think she would like this? She’s about your age.

It was the exact same clip Jerriway had once shown her 10 years ago, back when he wasn’t yet a Windsor Knight.

“…Why is it that humans become so soft-hearted around children?”

Thunk.

Priscilla smiled grotesquely and drove her blade-shaped arm into Cecilia’s abdomen.

‘So, how’s it feel to fall victim to your own trick—from your own blind spot?’

But Cecilia didn’t flinch. She continued looking at the hair clip, unfazed.

Sensing something wrong, Priscilla looked down… and realized it was her own stomach that had been pierced by the blade.

“…How?”

“Wind does as it pleases. It’s not uncommon. Fire (火) changes direction, and suddenly misfortune (禍) falls on someone else.”

(TL: This is a philosophical pun from Cecilia with double meaning. You can understand it as “Just as wind and fire are uncontrollable and can suddenly turn, so too can fate. And in this case, it turned on you”)

“Don’t think this is over!!”

Priscilla shrieked like a madwoman, pouring out all her remaining mana.

A high-ranking demon, now unleashing the combined presence of every human they had consumed, went berserk.

‘Normally, I’d just wait it out.’

But what Cecilia hated most in this world was the sound of a click. (TL: Ttak 딸깍. Perhaps like one click one shot in gaming term or something, idk)

There’s nothing more dreadful than completely trivializing a boss battle developers painstakingly designed by steamrolling it with raw stats.

Unfortunately, Cecilia didn’t have the luxury of time today.

She gripped Priscilla’s wrist tightly—so tightly that her presence flickered out like a candle flame.

“……!”

Cecilia’s silver eyes fixed solely on Priscilla. A paralyzing fear overtook her.

“L-Let go! I said let go!”

She thrashed wildly, but Cecilia’s iron grip didn’t budge.

Priscilla’s complexion gradually turned pale. She felt an overwhelming surge of mana.

Cecilia spoke quietly:

“Wind Shear.”

‘Impossible! Did she just layer a domain inside another domain?!’

Swish.

A tiny cut—barely a nick—appeared on the back of Priscilla’s hand.

From that wound, a thin line began to spread, dragging in the surrounding air.

‘No… this isn’t a domain. Don’t tell me—'

Priscilla stopped struggling. Slowly, she lifted her head.

“You. Monster.”

At that moment, the wind around them howled like a shrieking blade.

Shhhiiing—!

The shriek of metal grinding against each other tore through the atmosphere as the heavy air pressure injected into the wound.

And the result—

Annihilation at the molecular level.

A silence descended—the kind of atmosphere Cecilia loved most.

“Monster? How rude.”

Wind Shear, its true identity.

A simple, basic spell granted to the person who first receive Wind’s Blessing…

…However, it was applied with countless layers of overlapping invocation.

***

Before a massive storm spread out in a huge circle—

A little ways off, the troops of Marcher Lord Aldred stood in awe.

“Incredible… Is this truly the ultimate technique of a Sword Demon…?”

“I’d only heard of it. But seeing it in person… the pressure is unreal.”

The three Sword Demons of Gartane’s knights couldn’t take their eyes off the unfolding spectacle.

“Can no one enter?”

Aldred asked, only to receive an immediate shake of the head.

“No one could breach that domain. That’s how absolute her power is.”

“Unbelievable,” Aldred chuckled.

“They say she earned her promotion through judgment and insight. But anyone looking at this would say it’s pure, brute power.”

He spoke coldly.

“Everyone, charge all your usable mana.”

There were no questions. No doubts.

The soldiers responded to their lord’s command with unwavering resolve, pouring their full strength into the chant.

“Release it the moment Wind Shear ends. Cut down the source of this nightmare.”

“M-My Lord!”

Beatrice hurriedly stepped forward.

“Please believe in Lady Cecilia. If it’s her, then surely—”

“Of course I trust her,” Aldred interrupted, eyes fixed ahead.

“But we must not waste the 2 minutes she bought us.”

He didn’t even glance her way. His full focus was locked on the raging storm before them.

“I too hope that… when this domain fades, she’ll still be standing.”

But most here knew that hope was slim.

Especially the Sword Demons who had felt that overwhelming presence firsthand.

This domain was extraordinary, yes—

—but it couldn’t defy the very laws of the world.

No matter the finesse, an egg could never break stone.

That was the cruel logic of imbalance, an one-sided common sense.

'Cecilia can do it.'

But Beatrice alone believed.

Tears welled in her eyes as she clasped her hands together in desperate prayer.

In that moment, she looked almost like a saint.

Count Aldred dared to imagine.

If Cecilia returns.

The salvation of mankind may come on a not-so-distant day.

Was it that Beatrice’s plea reached the heavens?

“Wind Shear is dissipating!”

“Maintain charge until the signal! Do not release prematurely!”

“Yes, sir!”

The very moment a teardrop rolled off Beatrice’s chin and touched the earth—

The endless storm that had been raging for eternity slowly began to subside.

‘Who won…?’

‘Is it over?’

Until just seconds ago, there had been resignation in some hearts, and hope in others.

But now—at this instant—they all shared the same prayer.

Please, may what comes after this storm be quiet peace.

And then—

“……”

Silence.

The place where the storm had passed.

The calm skies, now clear, bore not a single cloud.

And beneath that stillness—

Cecilia stood.

Her sword was planted in the earth.

Her posture faltering.

Her form barely upright.

But she stood.

Within the fading winds, she had proven one undeniable truth:

Humanity had triumphed.

A moment later, a roar of victory erupted like thunder, shaking the land and sky alike.

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