Chapter 9: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

A Visitor in the Dark (2)

“As expected of you, Sir Heiter!”

The Windsor Knights were making their way back to the capital after a successful subjugation mission.

One of the knights at the front, named Sylon, called out enthusiastically to Heiter, who was riding ahead.

“Kuh—what happened back there... I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life!”

“Quit making a fuss. It wasn’t that big a deal.”

“How can I stay calm after witnessing that? It’s every knight’s dream!”

Nod nod.

The other knights riding nearby, clearly holding back, began nodding in agreement.

After discovering a dungeon and declaring it a hassle, Heiter had erased the entire thing with a single move—his ultimate technique.

A technique so powerful that only those with the title of “Sword Demon” or higher could wield it—the Secret Art (極意).

Though in the Windsor Knights, such sights were surprisingly common.

Still, Heiter looked uncomfortable.

“You guys act like it's your first time seeing a Secret Art.”

“Well, once we’ve seen Lady Cecilia’s too, then we’ll have seen everything!”

“Wait, what? You haven’t seen Cecilia’s yet?”

Even Heiter had to stop and nod to himself.

“Makes sense though. Cecilia doesn’t like wasting her power.”

“You’ve seen it, Sir Heiter?”

“Of course I have. I’ve been on missions with her a few times.”

“Ooooohhh—!”

The eyes of the thirty-some male knights lit up with dangerous levels of curiosity.

It was borderline unsettling.

But still, this was Cecilia they were talking about—the only female knight in the order, cute, beautiful, and mysterious.

Who could resist?

“…What was it called again? Wind Shear, I think.”

“Ooh! Sounds like a slicing-wind type skill?”

They were guessing from the name—“Wind Shear,” like a blade of wind.

But Heiter shook his head.

“No. It's a domain.”

“A… a domain?”

The knight’s eyes widened.

“Those are almost unheard of across the entire Arcadia continent.”

“Yeah, and apparently she’s not even fond of it.”

Heiter shook his head in disbelief.

“She keeps insisting it’s not really a domain, just a simple barrier or something.”

“Can I ask what it does?!”

“Huh? Nothing much. You enter it… and you die.”

“…Excuse me?”

The knight blinked, thinking he’d misheard.

Heiter shrugged.

“Details are murky. Cecilia never talks about it. Everyone’s just guessing. Supposedly, once you’re inside it, you’re doomed. The stronger the target, the longer they last. But you know what’s scary?”

He paused.

“Cecilia has never needed to maintain the domain for longer than two minutes.”

“…J-Just how powerful is Lady Cecilia?”

Heiter, who had been boasting with confidence just moments ago, suddenly went quiet.

‘...Just how strong is Cecilia, really?’

That was the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

Because Heiter had seen it with his own eyes.

—Please forget what you just saw. Also, stop telling people my barrier is some kind of “domain” during drinking parties.

He had witnessed Cecilia coldly and effortlessly butcher high-ranking demons without even blinking.

—If you don’t, I’ll get really, really mad.

And he remembered her warning.

Gulp.

“…Okay, what I just said is an absolute secret, alright? If she finds out, Cecilia will be super pissed.”

***

A man.

There stood a man.

“How fascinating.”

His eyes glowed red, like they had been soaked in blood—

And his skin was so pale it bordered on lifeless.

He was already standing right beside Cecilia.

As if he had been there all along.

Ssssshh—

Darkness fell over the capital.

But it was no natural darkness.

It was the kind that should not exist.

The air grew shockingly cold, and heavier by the second.

This presence was—at the very least—a demon duke.

No—possibly even a Demon King.

An irregular—someone who absolutely should not be here in the capital right now.

“The Goddess’s power has weakened, hasn’t it?”

‘The others…’

Cecilia glanced sideways, searching for the Windsor Knights.

They stood there with wide, trembling eyes, frozen in place.

Completely paralyzed by fear—yet still alive.

She let out a small breath of relief.

“I had assumed it was merely a foolish minion running wild.”

‘Minion…?’

Was he talking about the demon from a few days ago—the one near the flame?

It was hard to be sure. There wasn’t enough information yet.

“But then...”

The demon turned his gaze to Cecilia.

Despite having strolled into the heart of the Lianen Kingdom, he stood there, hands calmly behind his back, showing not even a hint of tension.

“Are you not afraid of me?”

Cecilia was equally composed.

“…Am I supposed to be?”

The demon’s attention shifted fully to her.

He stared—his eyes chilling—observing Cecilia at length before finally responding:

“No, I suppose not.”

He turned back toward the Sacred Flame.

“Human. What’s your name?”

“Cecilia of the Windsor Knights.”

“I am Cain Baltazarion, Duke of the Demon Realm.”

Cecilia tilted her head slightly.

“You're only a duke? That can’t be right.”

For the first time, Cain’s crimson eyes—unchanged until now—flashed with surprise.

Then he let out a short chuckle and said:

“At the moment, yes, I’m a duke.”

‘So he’s saying he’ll become a Demon King soon. Which means he’s going to get even stronger... That’s a problem. Leaving him for the newbies to deal with would be too cruel.’

Cecilia placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, adjusting the difficulty curve.

—Fwoom.

In an instant, invisible energy erupted around her.

Cain’s brow twitched slightly.

“A domain-type Secret Art? That’s quite the talent for a human.”

“It’s just a simple barrier. I’d feel bad if people woke up because of the noise.”

A dense wall of wind enclosed the area.

At the same time, the four Windsor knights—unpermitted to be inside—were pushed beyond its borders.

They immediately began coughing like people who had just resurfaced after nearly drowning.

After confirming their safety, Cecilia fully sealed the barrier.

Now, no one could enter, and no one could see what was happening inside.

“Are you going to fight me?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t bother me.”

Before the demon had even finished speaking, his presence surged.

Massively.

Whoooosh—

The already unstable Sacred Flame trembled violently.

It flared, sputtered, and surged back again—barely clinging to life.

At this point, it was safe to say it was half-extinguished.

“You’re not the one, after all.”

“……”

Craaaack—

Cracks split across the entire barrier.

Cain hadn’t done anything flashy.

All he had done was expand his presence—and that alone fractured Cecilia’s domain.

‘He’s stronger than I expected.’

Cecilia adjusted Cain’s classification in her head.

‘Probably... even stronger than the actual Demon King.’

By Another World’s standards, this man clearly surpassed a Demon King.

‘Could the entire Windsor Knights defeat him if they attacked together?’

The answer came immediately.

It was impossible.

Cecilia slowly lowered her hand.

Cain smiled curiously, amused.

“So, you’re the one who killed my underling.”

As she was trying to think of the most natural way to bait him somewhere else—

She heard familiar voices in her mind.

— Damn it, what the hell is going on in there?

— I-Is this Lady Cecilia’s domain?

The subjugation squad had returned.

‘Of all times, why now?’

Cecilia’s barrier was already half-shattered.

At this point, it could barely hold back Cain’s aura.

If someone wanted to force their way in, they easily could.

But right now, Cecilia couldn’t afford to shift the flow of wind.

She couldn’t take her eyes off Cain.

— High-ranking demon incursion! Sylon, go rally all Windsor Knights! The rest of you—come with me! We’re going in to assist Cecilia!

— Yes, sir!

“What a pleasant moment this was... but it seems we’ve got uninvited guests.”

‘Please don’t come in.’

Cecilia pleaded silently, but of course, they didn’t hear her.

“Huff—!”

The knights who rushed into the barrier collapsed immediately, unable to withstand Cain’s sheer presence.

One by one, like dominoes.

“Damn it.”

The only one still standing—barely—was Heiter, a high-ranking knight, his sword driven into the ground for support.

‘Don’t.’

Cecilia wanted to shout.

But she couldn’t.

To say it out loud would mean the demon would hear it—

And he would realize something:

That Cecilia didn’t want them to die.

If he learned that—

He would move in the exact direction she feared most.

That's the kind of being a demon was.

“Cecilia—! I’ll create an opening!”

Somehow overcoming the pressure, Heiter rushed forward, swinging his sword with everything he had.

Clang—!

Cecilia instantly caught his blade and kicked him hard in the gut.

“Gah!”

He flew back like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall with a loud crash.

“Wise of you.”

Cain was still staring into the Sacred Flame.

“Just now, you saved many lives.”

“……”

“But I must say... it displeased me.”

He reached out toward Cecilia’s head.

She didn’t flinch.

His hand passed over her—reaching not for her, but for the flower crown she wore.

The moment he touched it, the crown crumbled to ash, unable to endure the aura of death.

“I am, after all, an uninvited guest. Consider this my payment.”

With that, Cain turned away, as if he had seen all he came to see.

‘Ah…’

Cecilia stared blankly into the air.

Petals scattered like dust. Once vibrant, now reduced to a dull gray.

She recalled the face of the little girl who had smiled so brightly as she placed that crown on her head.

For the first time, Cecilia’s perfect composure wavered—

Even in the presence of someone akin to a Demon King.

Crack—

‘Hold it in.’

If she fought him here, the city would fall.

He was beyond the barrier.

If they fought, the entire surrounding area would be reduced to rubble.

‘You must endure.’

The child who gave her that crown, and the Windsor Knights watching just beyond—

They would all die.

‘You can’t.’

Think rationally.

If she were to go head-to-head with him now, the ending would be—

Her alone, standing in the ruins of a fallen capital.

“This is a warning.”

With her blade leveled perfectly at Cain’s neck, Cecilia’s silver eyes darkened with deadly calm.

“If you set foot on this land again—”

Cain glanced down at the blade pressed against his throat.

“You will die.”

She said it not as a threat, but as if reciting a fact.

Her voice carried no emotion.

His blood-red eyes met hers, unblinking.

Cecilia stared coldly into his gaze.

‘What... is this feeling?’

Tremble.

Cain’s hand quivered slightly.

Fear.

A primal instinct—an unavoidable reaction embedded in the flesh of all living things.

So this is fear…?

‘A feeling I’ve never experienced before. What should I call it?’

But sadly, he didn’t truly understand it.

He only felt the edge of something foreign.

“Cecilia, was it?”

She was not like the others.

Not like those insignificant humans.

“I look forward to it.”

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