Chapter 26

“Surprisingly peaceful, huh…?”

The two arrived at the Count Garthan Territory and passed through the main gate without a hitch.

What surprised them was how livable it looked. Beatrice had expected a grim, gray battlefield, but the city still felt warm.

“This is the territory managed by the Marquess of the Frontier. The threat of the Demon Race is always close, and if they were that scared, they wouldn’t be able to live here.”

The Marquess of the Frontier—an aristocrat who governs lands prone to foreign invasion or frequent chaos.

The title may be Count, but in reality, it’s more like a Marquess—or perhaps even higher. They have the authority to organize armies and operate defense strongholds independently.

Cecilia stood on her tiptoes, straining to look farther ahead.

“But even considering that, it still seems too peaceful.”

Cecilia tilted her head. No matter how she looked, she didn’t feel any particular threat.

“There should be at least 2,000 monsters around.”

“Maybe it’s not necessary….”

‘Beatrice really is kind-hearted.’

But why was she crying?

It seemed like she was more worried about the safety of the people who might get hurt by those monsters than her own growth.

After some time walking,

Cecilia yawned and suddenly sensed something strange, causing her to stop.

“Cecilia, over there are the guards.”

When Beatrice spotted the guards in the distance, Cecilia had already moved somewhere else.

“Cecilia?”

-Shing.

Cecilia suddenly drew her sword, aiming it at a terrified apple seller.

“Put down your sword!”

The guard shouted, but Cecilia didn’t even glance at them, fixated on the shop owner.

“You’re scared of me.”

“…….”

“But you’re not a demon. How strange. I could have sworn there was one.”

Cecilia’s tone was flat. The apple seller stumbled backward, causing the apples on the stand to tumble over.

As Cecilia’s gaze shifted to the fallen apples, she noticed a child hiding beneath the stand.

Cecilia’s eyes turned icy.

“It’s you.”

“Don’t move!”

The guard lunged at Cecilia. She deliberately didn’t resist and fell to the ground.

She calculated that causing a scene could jeopardize their mission.

Cecilia was subdued with her hands behind her back. Beatrice, panicking, said:

“Th-this is Cecilia from the Windsor Knight Order. She’s not suspicious.”

However, the guard ignored Beatrice and asked Cecilia:

“What were you trying to do?”

“I killed it.”

Ha!—

Too late, the child bled out and collapsed.

The shop owner sat down in disbelief.

“You brat? No, no. Stay with me. Please, kid…!”

The guard’s eyes widened behind his helmet.

“You killed a demon.”

Filled with rage, the guard drew his sword.

“How is that a demon! Damn it—!”

“Stop!”

“M-my lord, but—”

“You’re not at a level to handle this.”

Cecilia, lying on the ground, looked up to see a man standing with his arms crossed. He wasn’t necessarily strong, but he exuded an oppressive aura typical of high-ranking officials.

“You’ve been captured by the guards, but if you cross the line, there will be consequences. Wouldn’t you agree? Anonymous knight from Windsor.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Marquess Garthan. I am Cecilia from the Windsor Knight Order.”

“Th-that’s…! The corpse has turned black!”

Another guard shouted, pointing at the body of the dead child.

The child Cecilia had struck down was quickly rotting away and turning to black ash.

This was a typical trait seen when demons died.

The knight enforcing Cecilia’s restraint jumped back in surprise, loosening his grip.

Now free, Cecilia shook herself off and stood up.

“I apologize for the rudeness, Sir Cecilia. This is a rather remote area, and they’re not well-versed in Windsor.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. The guards have a duty not just to escort but also to maintain public order. It was the correct approach.”

‘I won’t forgive. I’ll definitely steal that last hit.’

Cecilia was surprisingly touchy.

“…Let’s go to the castle first. Follow me; I’ll guide you.”

**

The Count’s castle was, frankly, bare.

Even the famously humble Kairon’s residence didn’t look this empty. An aristocrat’s home without a single painting felt very odd.

He led them to his office. Despite being called an office, it was essentially a general’s room preparing for war.

There were maps on the walls depicting battle situations, and a few chess pieces scattered on his desk along with a map.

Marquess Aldred Garthan lit a cigarette and said,

“Is everyone from Windsor like this?”

Cecilia raised an eyebrow.

“Are you calling me a staunch adherent of principles?”

He seemed to imply that if she discovered demons, she should report them, not scare people and kill them on the spot.

While Cecilia considered explaining herself, she decided to first ask a question. It was as if he spoke as if this knight from Windsor had come here before.

“Have you met other Windsors before?”

“Yeah, I have.”

Aldred exhaled a long puff of smoke and put his cigarette down for a moment.

“Edward Windsor.”

“He’s a knight who became sacred due to his deeds in this city.”

‘So even the vice-captain came and went, huh. Speaking of which—’

What deeds?

His tone didn’t suggest praise for his accomplishments.

‘Come to think of it, the knights I encountered on my way here had exhibited an unusual animosity towards me.’

Did Edward cause an incident here?

Not likely. Edward maintained a good image, supported by 70% of the Windsor Knight Order.

If it had been Jerryway, I would’ve completely understood….

“Can I ask what happened?”

“No. Now it’s my turn to ask.”

Aldred nodded towards Beatrice, who was trembling beside her.

“What’s this knight? Her outfit is different if she’s the same Windsor. I thought those who came here last time didn’t have such differences in attire.”

“I am a high-ranking knight, but this child is a squire.”

“…A squire.”

That seemed to have ruffled the Count’s feathers a bit.

Beatrice, quick to catch on, turned pale.

Seeing her desperately blinking her eyes, Aldred spoke in a disapproving tone.

“Did you think this was a training field?”

“No, we just happened to meet on the way.”

“You’d better head back now. Your skill level doesn’t match up.”

“But among the knights you have, she’s in the middle tier.”

“…….”

Beatrice looked like she was about to faint.

Was this a provocation?

No matter how high-ranked Cecilia was, she was still far below the Marquess’s status.

‘I’m going to end up getting executed.’

However, Aldred displayed an unexpected reaction.

“Then she might be useful. I grant her permission to stay.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

To Beatrice’s surprise, the Count seemed taken aback.

‘Am I the one being strange…?’

It wouldn’t have been odd for him to get angry just now. Instead, he showed no signs of anger, let alone a hint of displeasure.

“So, when are the other knights arriving?”

Cecilia took a step back, staring intently at Beatrice.

It meant roughly, ‘You speak up.’

‘That’s unfair, though…!’

But she couldn’t dare refuse Cecilia and fumbled her words to step forward.

“Uh… this mission was assigned to Cecilia.”

“Right. I know. I received a report that the situation is urgent, so the fastest knight must have come first. So what is the scale of your forces?”

Aldred looked like he had high expectations. Beatrice closed her eyes tightly, understanding the spirits of the knights set for self-sacrifice.

“We are the entire force…!”

Cecilia felt like cheering from behind.

It was obvious even on the train that Beatrice spoke her mind easily.

‘Pass.’

Cecilia grew to like Beatrice more and more.

On the other hand, Aldred was increasingly put off by them.

“W-what? The entire force?”

The calm Aldred jumped up in disbelief.

“Wait a minute. Oh, right. This is surprising. Could it be that you’ve already reached the Sword Monarch at your age?”

Shaking her head.

Cecilia replied, “No.”

“…Ha ha, look at me. Sure, she wouldn’t be a Sword Monarch at that young age. Then, could she be upper tier Sword Emperor? A bit disappointing, but still a valuable asset.”

Cecilia replied seriously,

“My title is Sword Heroine.”

“Sword Heroine…! What a splendid title. I’d love to see you wield your sword. It’s definitely a name that belongs at the level of Sword Emperor, right?”

Cecilia gazed toward the distant mountains as she spoke.

“I’m just starting.”

“…?”

“I received the title about a year ago.”

“Ha ha ha!”

Aldred laughed until he teared up.

Beatrice grew increasingly fearful of the Count.

“That’s a really funny joke. But it would be problematic if you underestimated me. To become a high-ranking knight in the Windsor Knight Order, you at least need to be upper tier Sword Demon, right?”

That wasn’t wrong.

Basically, even a common knight from Windsor would be close to the level of ‘Sword Demon.’ About half had been granted titles to that extent.

Beyond that, among knights, it wasn’t just about strength, but a combination of judgment abilities and multiple factors that led to being selected as a high-ranking knight.

Of course, a Sword Emperor could be chosen solely based on brute force.

But Cecilia didn’t become a high-ranking knight because she was a ‘Sword Heroine.’

She had been recognized for her ample judgment skills.

Within the knight order, there was no disagreement about Cecilia’s abilities.

“An urgent request for support. Yet a peaceful city. The demon intruders who took away the ‘presence’ of humans.”

Cecilia spoke calmly.

“Currently, it seems that physical support is not what is most important for the Garthan Territory.”

Aldred’s pupils twitched slightly. Cecilia didn’t miss that and spoke with conviction in her assertion.

“The biggest issue is that far too many demons have infiltrated this territory.”

‘Earlier, the parents of the victim seemed to know their child was a demon.’

It was at that moment that the situation was finally understood. A regular human wouldn’t have to fear Windsor.

Being scared meant either of two things: they themselves were a demon or were hiding a demon.

In the case of the shop owner, it was clearly the latter, and it seemed it had been some time since that occurred.

The next important evidence was the Marquess’s attitude.

Even with demons coming out in the territory, he showed no signs of surprise or urgency.

In this case, the only possibility was one.

“It’s that he’s aware of it but has no way to deal with it.”

Cecilia, reflecting on the earlier situation, spoke in a hushed tone.

“To those who believe it’s not a demon, it’ll only appear as murder.”

“……How.”

Aldred was very flustered.

“How do you know this? Only a few people, myself included, should know within this territory.”

“That’s why I’m here. Because I can figure out what only a few know within three minutes.”

Cecilia said proudly.

Proof and acknowledgment.

For missions of this kind, fulfilling those two aspects was paramount.

The quicker cooperation became, the more could be accomplished, and with more accomplishments came the possibility of early leave.

“Let me reintroduce myself. Sword Heroine Cecilia. I am the ‘entire’ support force from the Windsor Knight Order.”

Cecilia finally began to understand why the Queen had sent her on this mission.

With this level of ability as a Sword Heroine, it seemed she would be able to clear matters quite well.

…It was regrettable that it didn’t seem like there were many monsters around.

“I will end this war within three days.”

She was relieved she would have time to finish it.

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