Chapter 27: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Long Business Trip (5)

Aldred was a little surprised, but then let out a dry laugh.

“You said you'd resolve this in 3 days?”

“Yes.”

“How? By gathering all the townspeople in one place and slaughtering the demons?”

The Windsor Knights—unmatched specialists in demon hunting.

But Aldred knew all too well the hidden implication behind that reputation: "by any means necessary."

He’d already experienced it firsthand—deeply, painfully.

“You think my knights gave their lives just for that?”

“I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to.”

“I’m asking if you really believe people will accept having their families killed without any explanation, just because you say they were demons.”

“If we let emotions take over, there’s no end to the problem. If we don’t cut them off now, they’ll multiply.”

Aldred ran a hand over his face, staring at the utterly uncomprehending Cecilia.

“You… you don’t have a heart, do you?”

Frustrated, he lit another cigarette.

“You really think you’re the most suitable person for this mission, don’t you? But you’re the worst possible person for it.”

“It will be difficult if you refuse to cooperate.”

“There will be no cooperation. Remain on standby until full-scale combat begins. Any other action is forbidden.”

“I object. This type of demon doesn’t reveal itself until the city is fully overrun. By the time that happens, it’ll be too late.”

“Just answer one question, Cecilia Windsor.”

Aldred’s voice turned cold.

“Do you really believe that killing the hidden demons will solve everything?”

“……”

Cecilia clamped her mouth shut. Aldred turned his back and looked out the window, smoking in silence.

After a while, a response came:

“I obey the order.”

The soft rustling of clothes followed. She had probably saluted. And without hesitation, Cecilia exited the room.

‘Obedience, my ass.’

Her calm retreat was likely not from submission, but from realizing she couldn’t move freely just yet.

Had she disagreed, she would’ve already gone to the village and started a massacre by cutting down suspects.

That’s the Windsor way, prioritizing the mission above all else.

“Damn Windsor.”

Marquis Gartane stubbed out his cigarette roughly.

***

“Lady Cecilia… will you be okay?”

Nom nom.

Cecilia was calmly eating a pork cutlet with a fork.

Beatrice had a delicious apple pie in front of her, but couldn’t touch it. She was visibly anxious.

After being more or less kicked out by Aldred, Cecilia showed no sign of worry and just said, “Let’s eat first,” then found the nearest inn.

“But the Marquis gave a strict standby order.”

“That’s true, but…”

“You don’t become a Marcher Lord without ability. It’s the only noble title in the kingdom that can’t be inherited.”

Cecilia, eyes focused, furiously worked her knife into the meat.

This knockoff tonkatsu still had connective tissue, making it quite difficult to cut. (TL: ‘tonkatsu’ is Japanese pork cutlet, for those wondering!)

“The Marquis must have his own plans too. It’s a shame he didn’t share them, but we can’t really help that.”

‘She’s not very good at eating, huh.’

Beatrice gulped nervously. For someone who could slice through demons so cleanly, Cecilia was absolutely terrible at cutting pork cutlets.

“So… do we just wait now?”

“Waiting for the enemy to make the first move is usually the worst strategy, but in this mission, it might actually be the better one.”

‘But seriously, why is this so hard to cut…’

Cecilia was locked in battle with her tonkatsu. Was she just not strong enough? But if she pressed harder, she might shatter the plate.

Beatrice, unable to bear watching anymore, spoke up.

“Um… please give it to me. I’ll cut it for you.”

Cecilia looked up like a startled bunny.

She glanced around hesitantly, then shyly pushed her plate forward.

Beatrice deftly sliced the cutlet into bite-sized pieces. Cecilia’s eyes sparkled.

She had the makings of an excellent adjutant.

“Thank you.”

Now able to eat in peace, Cecilia looked utterly content. Beatrice, momentarily mesmerized by her happy expression, snapped herself out of it.

“But… will a battle even break out? At this rate…”

“It will.”

Even in the most advanced modern era, where military science has advanced to the point of extreme, the final occupation is ultimately done by infantry walking on two legs.

Demons were the same. No matter how powerful or cunning they were, in the end, they had to bring their monsters and physically overrun the city.

‘If the Marquis isn’t a fool, he’ll keep the demon count from growing further.’

“If the number of demons stops increasing, the only option left for them is an all-out invasion.”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right.”

Still, something bothered her.

‘What exactly did the Vice Commander do here? And… what detail have I missed?’

Cecilia planned to ask about Edward after the mission ended—he probably wouldn’t answer now anyway.

What really bugged her was the second thing. But rushing in carelessly would only make things harder.

When dealing with demons, it’s always best to take a step back and observe.

So for now, she’d lie low, train Beatrice, maybe sleep in for once, something she couldn’t do back in the capital.

‘Mhm, not a bad plan.’

Cecilia smiled faintly as she chewed her tonkatsu. It tasted even better than before.

But trouble always strikes at times like this.

— “My son…! Where have you been all this time?”

“…A demon’s presence.”

“Ah.”

‘I’m not Conan, you know…’ (TL: Detective Conan ref)

Cecilia reluctantly rose from her seat. Beatrice followed behind with a tense expression.

“I’m so glad you are back…”

A middle-aged man was sobbing as he clutched a boy who looked to be around 14.

The boy showed no emotion, but he locked eyes with Cecilia as if fully aware of what she was.

Cecilia’s pupils narrowed coldly.

“Do you know how much I missed you? I prayed so hard to see you even in just a dream. And now, the Goddess has finally answered me.”

The boy’s gaze shifted back to the man.

The expressionless lips of the child curled slightly into a smile.

“I’m sorry I’m late, dad.”

“Yes…! Don’t go anywhere ever again.”

“I’m home.”

“Huuuhhh…”

The man hugged the boy’s head tightly and wept.

People around them were also moved to tears by the sight.

Someone else gripped their child’s hand even tighter, as if they would never let go again.

“T-This is…”

“Now I understand. What’s really going on.”

The demons weren’t killing people to infiltrate the town.

They were pretending to be the already dead.

‘This isn’t just some simple doppelganger.’

The demonic aura was unmistakable—

—but Cecilia could see it was fading, little by little.

The demons weren’t just mimicking. They were learning, and fast at that.

Drawing from their victims’ memories, they recreated the “precious person” that someone most desperately wanted to see again.

Eventually, even Cecilia wouldn’t be able to detect them.

They would become indistinguishable from the living human.

Well then...

‘How revolting.’

Shiiing.

Cecilia drew her sword and pushed through the crowd.

“No, stop!”

The crying man blocked her path.

“Step aside. That’s not your son.”

“You think I don’t know that?!”

She could feel his resolve.

Even if it cost him his life, he was prepared to protect that illusion.

It was the kind of unshakable conviction that comes only from someone who’s already lost something precious.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like? To cry every day in a room where your son never returned? Do you know how it feels to be a parent who’s lost their child?”

“No matter how you feel—it’s still a demon. If we don’t cut it down now, it’ll be even harder to stop later.”

The man flinched at her words.

He lowered his head. His lips trembled.

“I still don’t care. You wouldn’t understand what I felt, how much I envied the others when their loved ones came back.”

‘This is troublesome.’

There are levels to demons.

And this one was among the most dangerous kind—the ones that manipulate emotions.

These demons knew humanity’s weakest point.

Perhaps even harder to deal with than the Demon King himself.

Because in these cases… the ones you have to fight are people.

“Even if it’s all a lie… I don’t care. Since the moment I lost my son, I'm as good as dead. So please… please… Just leave it be. I’m begging you.”

The man fell to his knees.

“If you still insist on killing him… then kill me first.”

Cecilia quietly raised her sword.

To lose someone you love is an unbearable grief.

Even saying “I understand” feels arrogant—offering comfort seems empty.

He would surely resent her to death. And that was fine. It was natural.

But Cecilia… she couldn’t allow herself to stop.

She knew.

If she was consumed by emotion here and let this demon live, then people just like this man—countless of them—would suffer the same fate.

She had to cut down this sorrow to prevent further sorrow.

“L-Lady Cecilia!”

Just as she was about to swing her sword, Beatrice stepped in front of her.

“I think it’s better to stop.”

“You'll regret it if you don't kill it now.”

“But…”

Beatrice hesitated, clutching Cecilia’s sleeve.

Cecilia sighed and was about to shake her off.

But then she heard something that made her freeze.

“You… you look like you’re hurting too much, Lady Cecilia.”

***

“You’ve returned sooner than expected.”

Count Aldred was sipping wine in his study, bathed in the dim moonlight.

“I thought it would take you at least 3 days. I suppose today was ‘that day.’”

“…So you were aware.”

“There’s a pattern. Once a week, the dead come back to life.”

Cecilia emerged from the shadows. She said nothing.

But Aldred replied anyway.

“I decided seeing it for yourself would be faster.”

“Then I assume the original plan was to kill the caster. Once their life is threatened, they’d retrieve all the demons from the domain. But it must’ve been impossible.”

“To create minions like that, they must at least be a high-ranking demon.”

“That’s why you were fixated on getting a Sword Emperor.”

“Yes. I believed if I had someone of that caliber, I could join forces with my troops and somehow make it work.”

“Do you know the enemy’s location and identity?”

“We call her Priscilla of Deception.”

Aldred, who had already emptied one glass, tilted the wine bottle again.

“I’ll cooperate.”

“…”

“And I owe you an apology for earlier. You’re not like the Windsors of the past.”

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

“I rarely misjudge people. But it seems I did. And strangely, I’m glad I did.”

Cecilia looked down at the floor.

Truthfully, if it hadn’t been for Beatrice, she would have killed that boy.

But thanks to her intervention, Cecilia had reached this point.

‘I should thank Beatrice later.’

She could’ve taken the heavy-handed route, but in the end, it would’ve only made things harder for herself.

Emotional fatigue was the greatest enemy of long-term missions.

If there was a better way, she had to take it.

“My ultimate technique is an area-type domain.”

Aldred’s eyes widened.

“Just get me alone with the deceiver somehow. I’ll make sure she dies.”

Cecilia was finally ready to take this mission seriously.

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