Chapter 8: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

A Visitor in the Dark (1)

“Wearing a coat might make me look too cold... but spring colors give off too warm of an impression. Hmmm.”

Cecilia sat on her bed, surrounded by a small mountain of clothes, deep in thought.

What should she wear to make a good impression on the newbies?

Looking too intimidating was a no-go.

But fading into the background wouldn’t do either.

She needed to find that perfect middle ground.

“This isn’t something that can be figured out in a day. I’ll take my time coordinating.”

Nodding to herself, Cecilia began organizing the new clothes she had bought the day before.

She hung them neatly on hangers, then pulled out a cloak and draped it over her shoulders.

“Today’s mood is... performance.”

Lastly, she selected a sword.

With that, she was ready for work.

Knock knock knock.

“Miss, the Lord has asked you to accompany him today.”

“Alright. I’ll be right out.”

Clap clap.

Standing before the mirror, Cecilia gave her cheeks a couple of light slaps to steel herself.

‘Get it together.’

Now that the official launch date had been confirmed, her mind had cleared.

What she needed to do now was simple: don’t ruin the tower she had built up until now.

She had to show the world the flawless form of the Sword Princess, once again.

***

“You don’t need to push yourself too hard.”

As Cecilia stared absentmindedly out the carriage window—mentally muttering "I still hate going to work"—Kairon broke the silence.

“Even if we lose the bet, we can just head north together.”

‘Absolutely not.’

The north was a battlefield.

Get stationed up there, and all she’d get were worn-out, ragged newbies.

Worse yet—it was freezing.

Totally unacceptable.

Fluffy, fresh newbies only, please.

Cecilia gave Kairon a side glance as these thoughts ran through her mind.

“Are you worried?”

“...Yes.”

To be honest, Cecilia didn’t quite get it.

She thought Kairon was being overly wary of Edward.

Sure, he gave off a weird vibe sometimes, but it wasn’t that bad.

“I don’t think the Vice-Commander is that bad of a person. I wouldn’t worry too mu—”

“Cecilia.”

Kairon cut her off, his tone firm.

“Don’t ever get involved in romance. You have no eye for men.”

“...Not like I have time for that anyway. Too busy hunting demons.”

That did seem to cheer Kairon up a little, though the concern in his eyes lingered.

“Do you still hold such deep hatred for the demons?”

His voice was serious.

Cecilia blinked, recalling something long buried.

‘Oh right, that was part of my backstory.’

She remembered now—when she was 6, swinging a sword around didn’t exactly make sense, so she’d crafted a decent backstory to justify it.

It went something like this:

She had lived in a forest and lost her parents to demons while they were out foraging, which led her to develop deep-seated hatred toward them.

A stitched-together origin from the tutorial phase.

It was surprisingly solid, and Kairon had never once questioned it.

“Because they killed my parents.”

Kairon clenched his hands slightly where they rested on his knees.

He wanted—if only a little—to fill the void her parents had left behind.

How much of that space have he taken?

How much of her heart has she allowed him into?

Cecilia was never one to wear her emotions openly.

Even with all his life experience, Kairon still found her difficult to read.

“But, Cecilia... Those who harbor deep hatred for the demons tend to…”

“Die quickly.”

Her reply came without hesitation.

“They lose their composure easily, and demons never miss an opening.”

“You’ve learned well.”

“I’ve had 10 years to watch it happen.”

Outside the carriage window, the capital of Theresia looked peaceful—almost too peaceful.

But that was only because the Sacred Flame was holding firm.

Cecilia, however, knew exactly how much of a hell the world outside that flame could be.

Just look at the Windsor Knights.

The survival rate for new recruits in their order was less than 30%.

‘I’ve had plenty of rest. Maybe it’s time to go farming again.’

With the official launch about to begin, work would pile up fast.

Of course, part of her wanted to spend the whole time babysitting fresh-faced newbies…

But that wouldn’t do.

If her sword dulls, she will fall behind.

Time to go demon hunting.

“We’ve arrived.”

The carriage came to a stop at the gates of the Windsor Knights’ Headquarters.

Kairon adjusted his collar and smoothed his cloak.

Cecilia suddenly remembered something important.

“Have you set your retirement date yet?”

“About six months from now. I imagine Her Majesty won’t let me delay it much longer...”

“Make it a year.”

“A whole year? That’s a bit much—”

“One year.”

“……”

Cecilia’s lips sealed in that stubborn way Kairon knew too well.

Whenever she got like this, no matter what happened—even if the sky fell—she would not yield.

And there was always a reason when she was this firm.

As the carriage door opened, Kairon nodded.

“Alright. I’ll try.”

***

“Good morning, Lia.”

Rude bowed groggily, barely keeping his eyes open.

It was kind of cute, in a sleepy-puppy kind of way.

Cecilia bowed in return.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Mmm. I’m gonna go pass out. Used too much mana.”

He let out a long yawn, then suddenly reached out to ruffle Cecilia’s hair—as if he’d just remembered something.

“…?”

“This is your prize. You sensed that flame disturbance better than most. You really are exceptional, Lia.”

“Thank you.”

“Get some rest. And if anyone creeps on you, wake me up.”

Waving lazily, Rude disappeared down an alley.

Cecilia sat down primly on a nearby bench.

Whoooosh—

The breeze brushed past.

‘…What should I do now?’

She sighed internally.

She had exactly 24 hours of duty ahead of her.

And the problem was—

It was going to be incredibly boring.

"Oh, Lady Cecilia, are you on duty today?"

"Yeah."

Just then, a Windsor knight casually called out to her.

"Isn’t it a bit early?"

"Rude was clearly going to be sleepy."

"Ah… because of the flame, right? So today, you’re the one guarding the Sacred Flame?"

The knight with striking red hair, Rickart, looked at her with a touch of sympathy as she nodded ever so slightly.

"That sounds... boring."

"…Yeah."

"Well, aside from Rude, you’re probably the only one sensitive enough to mana to notice anything anyway."

"What about you, Rickart?"

"I’m stationed on the outskirts. Heading out a bit farther for today’s mission."

"A subjugation mission, huh..."

‘Lucky.’

He got to work and level up at the same time.

"Well then, take care."

Cecilia waved him off coolly, then sighed as soon as he was out of sight.

‘I kind of want to ask for a shift change... but Commander would probably blow a fuse. Say I was shirking my duty. He might even reinstate the allowance ban.’

While she kicked her heels sullenly in thought—

"Waaah! Sister Sword Princess!"

A bright-eyed little girl came dashing toward her.

"Kyaa!"

Cecilia caught her gently in her arms.

"Hello."

"Hehe! Thank you for saving the kitty last time!"

‘Ah... that was her.’

Cecilia recalled the child who had been crying over a cat stuck in a tree while she was out shopping.

She’d happened to be passing by and rescued it.

"Big sis! Here!"

"...Is this for me?"

"Yeah! It matches you perfectly!"

The girl placed a flower crown on Cecilia’s head—woven delicately from fresh blossoms.

"Lena! Don’t bother Lady Cecilia!"

A gentle-looking woman came rushing after her, offering an apologetic smile.

"I’m so sorry, Lady Cecilia. You must be busy with your duties..."

"It’s fine."

Cecilia returned the squirming Lena into her mother’s arms.

"I love you, big sis! Let’s get married!"

"Okay. But only if you listen to your mom."

"Oh my, hohoho!"

The mother and daughter disappeared, laughing together.

Cecilia removed the flower crown carefully and looked at it.

‘…It’s pretty.’

She smiled quietly.

It was exactly her kind of crown.

And that wasn’t all—

"Haha! With our Sword Princess watching over us, I feel safer already. It’s not much, but have this while you’re on duty."

The local baker handed her a bag of fresh bread.

"Thanks again the other day. Who would’ve guessed that man was a demon in disguise? Thank the heavens we have you around. You’ll catch the next one too, right? Ohoho!"

Chirped the chatty old lady from the market.

"U-um... t-the... that crown looks r-really nice on you..."

Mumbled a bashful little boy, blushing furiously.

One after another, warm gestures of support poured in.

Before Cecilia knew it, the bench she was sitting on was surrounded by small gifts, stacked gently by the people.

‘So... full.’

Cecilia’s belly was practically bursting after eating everything the townsfolk had generously offered her—without refusing a single bite.

“Still...”

She murmured to herself as she stared into the Sacred Flame.

“Time passed quicker than I thought.”

Night had already fallen.

The crowd that had once filled the square had long since dispersed, and one by one, the lights of the royal capital dimmed.

Yet, in one small corner of her heart, a quiet, steadfast light remained.

‘I should start my patrol soon. The subjugation squads will be returning about now.’

It was her duty to make sure those people could sleep soundly tonight.

“Lady Cecilia!”

From a distance, a small group of four or five Windsor Knights came running toward her, panting.

Cecilia immediately noticed the cute little puppy emblem on their pauldrons.

‘Rude’s squad, huh.’

As it turned out, even the Windsor Knights—strict and noble as they appeared—were still bound by government structure.

Yes, there were factions.

And yes, high-ranking knights had the right to form official teams.

Cecilia, being the lone-wolf, mystique-wrapped, Sword Princess from the Heavens type, had never bothered with such things.

“L-Lady Cecilia—huff—”

“Here. Wine.”

“T-Thank you!”

One of the knights, nearly doubled over from exhaustion, gratefully accepted the bottle and chugged it down in gulps.

Cecilia merely smack her lips.

As she was still technically underage, alcohol was strictly off-limits.

“Phew—! This is good! Where’s it from?”

“The Inn Where the Wind Rests.”

“The inn you stay at...? Haha... Sorry, my lady.”

‘Nearly froze to death there.’

“Is this a message from Rude?”

“Yes! Sir Rude asked us to get your opinion. Has there been any change in the Sacred Flame since earlier?”

“Nothing noticeable... but just in case, I’ll check again.”

“Thank you, Lady Cecilia!”

Cecilia rose slowly and made her way toward the flame.

She’d been watching it intently this whole time—even if she’d looked spaced out. So she already knew: nothing had changed.

But to look like a capable person, one had to at least pretend to work hard.

“As expected of you, Lady Cecilia. Even I can’t detect any disturbance—and I’m a mage.”

“If you look closely toward the center, you can see it.”

Cecilia kindly pointed to the part where the fluctuation occurred.

“Hmm... Even looking at it, I’m not sure. How are you more sensitive to mana than most full-fledged mages?”

‘...I can just see it’, Cecilia thought, a bit troubled.

To her, the question felt like someone asking, “How do you move your right arm?”

But just answering “I can see it” would’ve made her sound totally antisocial.

She needed to maintain her mystique.

“You just have to work hard.”

“R-Right...”

The knight’s shoulders drooped.

He’d been hoping for a hint—some growth advice, maybe.

Meanwhile, Cecilia was feeling off.

‘Maybe it’s from staring too long.’

The flame looked calm as usual, but for some reason, her heart wouldn’t settle.

‘Probably just my imagination.’

After a few more seconds of observation, Cecilia spoke.

“No major changes for now.”

“That’s so strange. The demon we thought was the cause is already dealt with, but the flame’s still unstable. And yet—no real damage.”

Cecilia had the same question.

It was natural law that the Goddess’s power would weaken over time.

But what about the demon that had intruded at such a convenient moment?

“Haha... Maybe a Demon King will show up next or something?”

Usually, such jokes were worth a sigh at best.

But this time—she decided to play along.

“Mm. Makes sense. If a Demon King was forcibly suppressing their presence to the extreme, something like this could happen.”

After all, seeing a scared knight's face was fun.

The knight beside her twitched violently and turned his head, creaking like a rusty hinge.

“Y-You’re joking… right?”

“...Does it look like I’m joking?”

“Eek.”

She decided not to push him further.

He might end up writing a heartfelt resignation letter tonight, and that could hurt her year-end evaluation score.

A poor review meant a cut in her allowance.

“I’m kidding. No matter how well someone suppresses their power, it wouldn’t matter. The Sacred Flame is divine. It’s invincible.”

“R-Right? That’s what we were taught at the academy. As long as the flame stays white, we’re safe—huh?”

A heavy silence fell between them.

Neither spoke for a long moment.

Just now, the color of the flame had changed.

It was no longer white.

It had turned a deep, ominous crimson.

And in that instant—

Whoosh!

The flame suddenly exploded in wild, violent motion, like it was screaming.

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