Chapter 4: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages

The Royal Capital Assault Incident (1)

Ding-ding-ding-!

Hearing the loud ringing, Cecilia ran. True to her title as the Blessing of Wind wielder, her speed was tremendous.

"Hurry!"

Just then, she spotted guards running ahead.

"……."

Cecilia suddenly popped up in front of them and stared silently, causing the guards to stumble back in surprise.

"W-Why, what's wrong?"

"Briefing."

"A small-scale monster invasion! Suspected to have infiltrated through the sewers..."

"Thank you."

With a flutter of her cloak, Cecilia vanished.

The guard blinked, looking at his colleague beside him.

"What, what was that just now?"

His colleague, with a dazed expression, replied.

"Wow, she's really pretty."

"...Is that what's important right now?"

Meanwhile, Cecilia, leaving the stunned guards behind, ran across the rooftops, gazing at a certain place.

The central square of Theresia, atop a circular altar that seemed to pierce the sky.

Around a symbol in the shape of an archangel, a sacred flame burned with a grayish-white light.

And behind that flame, a crowd of people with worried expressions had gathered.

That flame is the sign that the city was still safe.

No monster could cross that flame. It also served as an alarm, warning of danger if any monster set foot on Theresia's soil.

The problem is, the sacred flame was wavering.

"It's just a small-scale invasion, so why is the flame flickering?"

Her question was short-lived.

Cecilia focused her gaze forward.

A goblin was swinging a club at a guard from a blind spot.

Cecilia increased her speed, kicked off the ground, and charged.

"Watch out!"

Swish!

The blade cut through the wind, slicing the goblin’s neck.

Dust scattered into the air.

"Lady Cecilia!"

The guards, filled with joy, flocked around Cecilia.

"What's the situation?"

"Y-You just took care all of them."

"That's it?"

Cecilia tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, Cecilia."

The Windsor Knights were not far away.

They must have just finished their own battle, as the corpses of monster littered the area around them.

'Good. I'm not late.'

Cecilia glanced at the three or four goblins she had just defeated with a calm gaze.

Even if they were just small fries, she had contributed, so she wouldn't have to feel awkward, right?

"Where have you been? You were gone for a while."

"...I spilled tea on myself so I was changing clothes."

The man carrying a spear on his shoulder with a nonchalant stride was named Leoric.

He was a high-ranking knight, one of only seven in the Windsor Knight Order.

"Then you should have just rested. There are plenty of guards here today anyway."

To fall for that would be foolish.

If she hadn't come, he would have definitely said something like, 'Skip works~,' or 'Wow, I, a senior, am working so hard, and a junior is slacking off? Back in my day, you'd get beaten to a pulp for that.'

"I was worried about the people..."

"Ah, so you came to finish early and leave again? You really do live efficiently."

Cecilia quickly changed the subject.

"You didn't have to come, Leoric."

"If everyone else thought the same, no one would come, so I'm here. By the way..."

Leoric scanned the area with a sharp eyes.

"Just small fry."

"Yeah."

Cecilia also found it strange.

The flame wasn't omnipotent.

It couldn't protect the entire Theresia.

But there was a certain line.

It could easily stop goblins, the weakest monster.

"And to attack on the day of the regular meeting."

Leoric shrugged.

"Well, it's not like the demons being stupid is anything new."

Cecilia desperately avoided eye contact. She wanted to avoid 'that topic' at all costs.

"Then I'll be off, I'll leave the rest to you."

"…Yes."

Watching Leoric walk away, Cecilia closed her eyes tightly.

'I ended up getting stuck with the cleanup after all.'

Usually, the aftermath of such incidents was the most annoying part.

She had to investigate the cause, write and submit a report.

"U-Um... Lady Cecilia. What should we do?"

'I have no choice.'

She couldn't just half-heartedly handle an assault on the royal capital.

To maintain her 'perfectionist, diligent, beautiful Sword Princess NPC' persona, she couldn't dump the work on another knight.

In the end, she had no choice but to handle it herself.

"I will investigate the cause of the incident. Guards, please patrol for any demons that might be hiding. If you find any, don’t hesitate to call me. I'll be there right away."

"Yes!"

The guards answered with vigor.

Their eyes, looking at Cecilia, who was only 16 years old, showed unwavering respect.

**

Shuffle, shuffle.

Cecilia walked with slumped shoulders.

"Is our team on duty again this week? I wish someone would switch shifts."

"Like that’s gonna happen."

Spotting people, she straightened her shoulders and walked with perfect posture.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"No abnormalities during duty!"

"Good work."

She passed by, receiving salutes, and slumped her shoulders again once the presence of people disappeared.

'I don't wanna work...'

She was realizing just how exhausting it was for someone who wasn't a perfectionist to act like one.

'I want to go home and laze around.'

She missed the comfort of her soft blanket.

Is this what burnout feels like?

She had been running non-stop for the past 10 years.

Even on weekends when everyone else was resting, she would grab her sword and go dungeon farming.

She hunted down only the strongest demon.

In between, she would train in swordsmanship and maintain her social life.

After doing that for 10 years, she was starting to feel like she didn't want to do anything anymore.

'Just a little longer.'

Cecilia estimated it would be about a year.

The official launch was in a year.

The finish line was just ahead.

After the official launch, players are summoned to this unfamiliar world...

Then a beautiful knight who appears like the wind in their moment of crisis.

A piece of heartwarming support thrown their way.

Newbies expressing their gratitude! The feeling of satisfaction!

'Okay, let's think about that and cheer up!'

Cecilia's passion blazed.

Then, a chilly wind blew through her skirt.

Whoosh-

Cecilia's passion was extinguished in 3 seconds.

"Cold."

Cecilia was wearing custom-made half-armor.

It looked nice, but the downside was that it was too cold.

"Let's just get this over with."

Cecilia trudged on.

Her destination wasn't far.

"…They probably came in here."

A massive tunnel-shaped sewer made of stone.

It smelled way too strong.

And mixed in with that-

'The lingering traces of magic.'

Standing in the center of the sewer, she drew her sword and pointed it in that direction.

"Tempest."

An undeniable gust of wind erupted from the tip of Cecilia's sword.

The black filth inside the sewer was instantly cleared away, revealing the floor.

Following Cecilia's guidance, the traces of magic that had appeared were revealed in a blue light.

They were footprints.

The goblin's footprints turned into human footprints at a certain point.

'They've infiltrated.'

Only the demons could do that. Ordering the guards to investigate the people was the right call.

There was nothing more to do here.

Cecilia gracefully walk out of the sewer with light steps.

After reaching the roof of the tallest building nearby, she speculated where the infiltrated demon might have gone.

'The small-scale invasion was a bluff to hide among the people.'

'If they could transform into humans, it would be better to kill a merchant and take over their body.'

'The fact that they crawled through the sewer means...'

They probably weren't aiming for anything big.

Even if they took on human form, the Windsor Knights would be able to figure it out quickly.

So, what was the goal of the demon that had sneaked in?

Cecilia opened her eyes after making her judgement.

"In times like these, protecting the most important thing comes first."

Cecilia jumped straight down from the tall building.

Her destination was the square.

More precisely, the 'sacred flame.'

***

A man.

There was a man.

"Lady Cecilia defeated the monsters."

"Really, how can she rush to protect us so quickly every time?"

The man was looking at something.

The altar.

The grayish-white flame burning there.

As if his soul had been stolen, he was rooted in place, staring at it endlessly.

"Oh? Lady Cecilia!"

"It's the Sword Princess!"

The man reached out his hand.

But as if blocked by something, he couldn't grasp the flame.

It was so close.

But all he could do was watch.

He couldn't touch it, couldn't grasp it.

This flame was clearly foreign.

Rage.

The man felt rage.

Rage at not being able to do what he wanted.

Rage from witnessing such injustice.

If only this, if only this didn't exist.

The world would surely be a little more beautiful.

"Excuse me."

He didn't want to be disturbed at this moment.

It was a clear violation. He had the right to see this flame.

But the frail girl's voice carried an irresistible force.

"What is it?"

"What color does it look like to you?"

The man looked back at the flame again. He answered as if it were obvious.

"Gray."

Swish-

At the same time, Cecilia's sword was drawn.

The man turned his head to the right at the cold sensation on his neck.

Sssk-

His neck was naturally cut by the sword.

Crimson blood flowed down, staining the blade.

But the man didn't even flinch, as if he felt no pain.

"How did you know?"

"Color blindness is a typical trait of demons."

"I see."

"You don't seem to have any regrets."

"Because I've achieved what I wanted."

"What did you want?"

"To see this flame. I wanted to witness this unreasonable existence that's blocking us, at least once."

"Thank you for your testimony."

Sssk-!

The man's neck was cleanly severed.

The people gathered in the square broke out of their stunned silence.

Cecilia was lost in thought.

'Something's not right.'

The demon didn't seem that strong.

There was no denying he was the culprit behind this incident.

But why?

He sacrificed himself just to see the flame?

Demons are a race with a strong attachment to life.

There was no way he would throw away his life out of mere curiosity.

"Kyaaah!"

A sharp scream pierced her ears.

Cecilia widened her eyes and searched for the source.

The head of the demon she had just beheaded had transformed into a spike and was shooting toward a child.

'Too late!'

Even if she tried to stop it now, the demon was still a beat quicker.

'Then.'

Cecilia conjured a wind.

The child’s small body was swept up by the wind and flew away.

Thud.

Cecilia kicked off the ground and caught the child in her arms.

Simultaneously, she grabbed the spike with her hand and whispered.

"Fragmentation."

Whir!

The wind instantly shredded the spike.

The demon, now pulverized to almost particle level, was completely gone.

"Lina!"

The child’s parents came running.

Cecilia carefully handed the child over.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Lady Cecilia."

The child’s parents shed tears of gratitude.

'That was close…'

It was a truly precarious situation. If she had been even a little slower, the child would have died.

Then the disciplinary action… the reputation she’s built up...

Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief.

Clap, clap.

She turned her head at the sound of someone clapping.

It was someone she knew.

A handsome blond man.

Also someone she didn’t particularly want to encounter.

"Impressive, Cecilia."

The vice-commander of the Windsor Knight Order, Prince Edward Windsor.

"Your insight in spotting the demon. The way you handle it. Everything is perfect and beautiful."

Cecilia lowered her head slightly.

"It’s been a while.”

"Haha, indeed it has. About a year?"

Edward approached Cecilia with a gentle smile.

"Is the Commander doing well?"

Vice-Commander Edward has a good reputation.

Handsome appearance, kind smile, and consideration towards people.

Perhaps only the Knight Commander Kairon considers him a person of interest.

"Yes."

"Anyway, coming back to meet such chaos… The royal capital is as perfect as ever, yet so sloppy."

Cecilia was looking at the ground.

Specifically, at Edward’s feet.

His boots were covered in something like viscous mud.

'He’s been in the sewer. Judging by how hardened it is, about 10 minutes ago.'

She raised her head again.

Edward, who was a head taller than Cecilia, was looking down at her.

Edward reached out, grabbed Cecilia’s chin, and lifted it up.

Cecilia didn’t move, staring at Edward with emotionless eyes.

"Just like you, suspecting me even in the midst of all this."

It seemed like the relationship between the future Knight Commander candidate and her wasn’t going to be very good.

…Life.

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