Chapter 25: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

Long Business Trip (3)

Belgast was dragged away by the furious train staff.

Though a more thorough investigation would be needed, based on his confession, he was a terrorist who believed the train was “a devil’s tool” and had to be destroyed.

Well, a textbook case of your average unhinged magic zealot.

Either way, the matter had little to do with Cecilia, so she declined the conductor’s offer of a reward. She told them to keep the credit.

Getting tangled up with fanatics was always a hassle, after all.

‘Still, getting a 5-gold-per-cup tea for free is a win.’

Cecilia sipped her tea with elegance.

First-class cabin. Royal-grade tea.

Everything was to her liking—but most of all, she loved the ray of light that had shone into what was otherwise a hopeless mission.

“Come to think of it, why are you here, Beatrice?”

Beatrice, who had been sitting like a criminal awaiting judgment, slowly raised her head.

In truth, she found Cecilia far more terrifying than the terrorist earlier.

‘There… there was no mercy…’

That brutally clean (?) disposal? It was the first time she’d seen something like that.

Making someone swallow their own magic!

And even after the man had surrendered, Cecilia wore a face that said, ‘What a shame that I couldn’t cause more pain.’

But what if… what if Cecilia found out she had dropped out?

— Dropped out? Then I’ll help drop your whole life out with it.

She could already imagine the murderously sweet words.

“A-Actually, the truth is…”

Cecilia watched her with a gentle expression, her face unreadable.

That only made it worse. It felt like being stripped naked. Beatrice was sure Cecilia could read her thoughts in real time.

‘It’s… it’s impossible… I can’t lie in front of her. In that case…’

There was only one option left.

Thud!

Beatrice slammed her head with full force, forehead to the floor.

“I’m sorry—!”

“...?”

Cecilia tilted her head.

Is this some kind of new trend?

“Don’t worry. This tea is expensive, but it’s on me today. That’s what we do in first class.”

‘That was such a perfect boss line that makes you want to work for them forever.’

Cecilia was momentarily impressed with herself.

“N-No, I mean, the tea and this room are all far too much for someone like me, but… the reason I’m here is…”

Beatrice wanted to be honest and ask for forgiveness.

But when the words were on the tip of her tongue, they stuck.

“…I dropped out.”

She mumbled it like a mosquito, then resumed her prostrating position, trembling.

Cecilia, meanwhile, didn’t quite get it.

“Dropped what? A steak? Yeah, I’ve noticed the quality of the royal steaks has gone down lately.”

“N-No. I… I quit as an apprentice knight this morning.”

Clatter—!

A shattering sound accompanied the 5-gold tea spilling over, like Cecilia’s spirit crumbling into pieces. She froze, as if time had stopped.

“…Why?”

“W-well…”

[Due to sudden turbulence, we will be increasing speed to stabilize the train. We ask for your understanding. Please remain calm despite the shaking.]

The crackling train announcement echoed, mirroring the storm brewing in Cecilia’s heart.

Beatrice looked up at the ceiling with a shiver.

Was she the cause of this turbulence?

"Because... I thought it wasn’t a place someone like me could belong..."

"Don’t worry."

Cecilia smiled faintly as she reached for the spilled teacup—though her hand trembled so much that the rest of the tea spilled entirely onto the floor.

"No one gets everything right from the start. You just take it step by step and learn."

'She... she's mad.'

Cecilia, who had always been calm—even in dungeons, even earlier against a terrorist—was visibly shaken now. Just how angry must she be?

Beatrice’s fear doubled.

"Actually... my p-parents were really worried, too."

"Your parents?"

"Y-yes."

Maybe it was because she brought up her parents, but Cecilia's trembling stopped. As if in tandem, the train intercom announced with relief:

[We have exited the turbulence. The train will now resume normal operation. Please relax and enjoy your journey.]

"...I do recall now—your full name is Beatrice Schwarzfeder. If I remember right, your family holds a small territory in the west."

"Yes! It's a really insignificant little domain, but my parents are good people. They even went out of their way to support my life in the capital..."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Beatrice’s eyes.

— You’re going to become a fine knight someday, I know it.

Her parents had believed in her, supporting her even though they had so little. And now here she was, a failure.

Beatrice gave a bitter smile. She already regretted quitting, but once you’ve given up, returning was no simple thing. Becoming a Windsor Knight now was out of the question.

"I’m sorry, Lady Cecilia."

'She probably thinks I'm pathetic...'

Beatrice looked up at Cecilia. She couldn’t see her expression clearly, since her head was lowered, but the sunlight catching in Cecilia’s silver hair made it shine like starlight.

A radiant person.

That’s what Cecilia was to Beatrice. If the sun could shine on only one person, it would surely be her.

"I... never deserved it, from the beginning—"

"How could you say that?"

Cecilia gently wiped at her eyes with the drooping sleeve of her uniform.

Beatrice was slightly tearful, and somehow so adorable at the moment that Cecilia forgot her fear and just wanted to hug her.

"What a precious thought."

"...Huh?"

"You decided to leave because you were worried about your parents, didn’t you?"

"I... I did..."

Beatrice could sense something was off. It was like Cecilia meant something else.

And that instinct was right.

"I knew the western front was struggling... but I never imagined it was this bad."

"...?"

"But Beatrice, there's one thing I need you to keep in mind."

Cecilia looked at Beatrice with complete seriousness. She only got like this once or twice a year—and today happened to be one of those days.

"Believe in the kingdom, in Windsor—and in me."

Cecilia’s voice was firm and unwavering.

"I will personally defeat the demons of the western front."

Beatrice realized, with growing horror, that Cecilia had completely misunderstood the situation.

She had never once doubted the Lianen Kingdom. She already knew Windsor Knight Order was full of monsters—very reliable ones at that. And besides, the Schwarzfeder domain wasn’t even that close to the front lines.

“Um, Lady Cecilia…”

“Of course.”

Cecilia extended her hand to Beatrice.

“We’ll pretend the resignation never happened. I do have that much authority, at least.”

“…Huh?”

“Lift your head, Beatrice. The will to fight demons is the most important quality for anyone in Windsor.”

More than anything, Cecilia felt sympathy.

The newbie’s hands were still soft and pale (for the record, Beatrice’s hands were actually larger), and clearly, they wouldn’t be much help swinging a sword just yet.

She must’ve known that herself—and yet, she resigned for the sake of her parents’ safety? How tragically noble.

‘Thank goodness.’

At first, Cecilia had panicked, thinking Beatrice had simply given up.

To think someone with the Blessing of Light—someone who, with proper training, could even challenge the Demon King—would just change class into a ‘lifestyle user’ because of a fragile heart?

No way. Cecilia couldn’t stand by and watch that happen. She would’ve gone full PK mode then and there.

After all, blessings were slot-based. Identical blessings didn’t occur twice. If someone drew it, no one else could get it.

In other words, giving up like that didn’t just affect the person—it harmed all of humanity. If someone wanted a peaceful life, they shouldn’t have drawn a Blessing in the first place. If they don’t know, it can’t be helped, but doing it knowingly? That was pure selfishness.

‘Yeah. My Beatrice would never do something like that.’

Cecilia calmed her anxious heart and smiled softly.

“Let’s do our best together. Don’t worry. I’ll guide you well.”

***

Clatter—

The train came to a halt, and passengers began to disembark one by one.

At the final stop, Dusty Point, only a few people got off—the station was too close to the front line for most.

A squad of royal guards rushed onto the train and marched back out, dragging a few fully restrained passengers.

“Terrorists, huh. If we hadn’t stopped them, it would’ve been a disaster.”

“Right? We’re already short on supplies. If this train had gone down, we wouldn’t survive the winter.”

“Damn mages. If they’ve got time for terrorism, they should go fight on the front.”

“They’re too noble to spill blood, remember?”

The guards chatted casually.

And behind them, Cecilia and a slightly dazed Beatrice stepped off the train, dragging their travel cases.

The captain of the guard stood tall and saluted crisply.

“You’ve done us a great service! Thank you for your cooperation!”

“It was nothing. I was just doing my job,” Cecilia replied casually as she stretched.

“To not only stop the terrorists but capture them alive—there’s no way we could thank you enough. If there’s any reward we could offer…”

“Instead of that, please take better care of the refugees,” she said, sounding indifferent.

But the captain of the guard was deeply moved.

The western front was hanging by a thread each day. The western commander had already requested aid from nobles across the kingdom, but the dire conditions in the region made most of them reluctant to send their private forces.

At that time, the only ones who responded were the Windsor Knights from the capital.

They cared neither for noble status, nor hopeless odds, nor gold or silver. Their sole mission was to slay demons. Calculations and compromises had no place in their values.

Anyone who worked in the field would quickly understand just how amazing and honorable the Windsor Knights were—true knights among knights.

The guard captain shed hot tears of admiration.

“L-Lady Cecilia… he’s crying.”

“It happens a lot. Don’t mind him. Let’s keep moving.”

Indeed, he was a devout Windsor Knights fan.

“At the very least, please grant me the honor of providing you with a horse!”

“Walking from here is faster. Thank you for your service.”

“To your dedication, I offer my respect!”

Snap!

With tears streaming down his face, the captain saluted the two Windsor knights as they walked away. He kept that salute up until they disappeared entirely from view.

Meanwhile, there was one more person here who really wanted to cry.

‘Why am I even here…?’

Beatrice, who’d somehow been swept along into all this, couldn’t believe she was standing on the most dangerous land of the western front. She’d just wanted to return home and help with the farm.

Cecilia glanced at her expression and offered a few words.

“It won’t be for long.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll wrap this mission up and be back within 3 days. Cleaning up a front like this isn’t difficult. More importantly, when we return, you’ll be taking the entrance test immediately, so be prepared.”

Cecilia smiled slightly as she looked at Beatrice, who was sweating and pursing her lips.

“Don’t worry. By my calculations, you only need to slay about 1,332 monsters to pass.”

With a confident thumbs-up, Cecilia added:

“See? It’s really not a big number, right?”

“…Yes.”

And down Beatrice’s cheek rolled another tear.

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