“Hmm, I think I can swing it a couple more times. Let’s block it three more times.”
The rookie knights were tasting hell.
Cecilia wanted to see their limits. And she hoped they would surpass them.
In that sense, Cecilia decided to engage in infinite PK.
If you get hit suddenly, you might not know why, but if you keep getting hit, you’ll naturally find a way to survive!
In short, she was forcing an ‘epiphany’ on them.
“It’s tough. I feel like I’m going to die.”
These knights were already at their physical limits. Just blocking Cecilia’s sword strikes once or twice left their hands powerless.
But Cecilia, like a ghost, somehow noticed their ‘real limit.’ Even the knights who thought, ‘I really can’t do this anymore,’ were astonished when they somehow managed to block her attacks.
In the process, some knights instinctively manifested their blessings and created techniques they never had before.
They mastered the art of using minimal mana for maximum efficiency with their blessings.
Of course, the process was hell. They wished this time would end quickly, but it felt like time had stopped.
Moreover, Cecilia was sparring with a real sword. Any thoughts of dodging with their bodies were completely abandoned.
“But…….”
Even hellish times come to an end. Cecilia brought soldiers and set up five tents where they could rest.
The cursed cold remained, and the place was filled with groans of pain from being kicked by Cecilia countless times…….
“I can feel myself getting stronger.”
They had no choice but to admit it. No matter how excruciating the training was, it was worth enduring.
“I’ve been stagnant for a year now. Nothing worked.”
“Now I understand why Windsor Knights are so strong.”
The knights nodded. They had never experienced something so difficult in their lives. But since they could feel themselves improving, they found a way to endure.
“Let’s hang in there. When this training is over, we’ll be much stronger.”
“Ughhh……”
“Be, Betty! Are you okay?”
“One buff before I die!”
And the reason they didn’t complain too much about this training was partly because of Beatrice.
Beatrice was groaning while holding her stomach, almost entirely wrapped in bandages.
Among everyone, Beatrice was the most overworked. Even while dealing with other knights, Cecilia would occasionally send a wave of sword energy towards Beatrice.
“My mana regeneration speed is fast.”
That was the reason. Thanks to that, Beatrice had blocked more strikes than any other rookie knight.
Knowing the monstrous power of those strikes, the rookie knights couldn’t help but admire Beatrice, though they also thought,
‘If a girl can push herself this far……’
‘As a man, I can’t afford to look more pathetic.’
Besides, Beatrice’s uniform was different from the others’. It matched Cecilia’s uniform.
The Windsor Knight Order’s uniform inherently had ‘defensive effects.’ Better than most armors you’d find on the market.
But Beatrice wore a skirt. Perhaps that’s why Cecilia mercilessly targeted her legs.
– Her lower body looks fun to hit.
She made her wear it and then targeted her! Beatrice teared up.
“M-my stomach hurts.”
“Why your stomach? Didn’t you just get hit by a crotch kick…… Oh.”
The knights soon realized why Beatrice’s stomach hurt.
It was because of mana. Already depleted mana, and Cecilia squeezed every last drop out of her.
A knight’s mana is stored in their dantian. Naturally, after squeezing out an empty reservoir, this was bound to happen.
Not to mention, Beatrice had to use it as soon as it regenerated. They understood her pain.
“Poor thing……”
The rookie knights genuinely pitied Beatrice.
Meanwhile, Cecilia, who had shown the pinnacle of mercilessness, was heading to the headquarters with a stack of documents.
‘Very useful!’
What she learned from the rookie gacha was that the odds were extremely generous.
The results were as follows:
– 1 S-rank, 4 A-rank, 15 B-rank.
The tier list was arbitrarily created by Cecilia. An S-rank, if consistent, could reach ‘Sword Monarch’ easily. An A-rank would require hard work to taste ‘Sword Monarch.’ A B-rank might struggle to reach Sword Monarch but could aim for Sword Emperor.
Of course, blessings depend on the person wielding them, so the user matters.
By the way, Cecilia’s blessing was ‘A-rank.’
‘I knew I had an eye for talent.’
The only S-rank was Beatrice. There were only three blessings Cecilia recognized as S-rank.
Space-time, Light, Darkness.
These three were so powerful they deserved to be called untouchable.
“I didn’t expect her to show up here.”
Cecilia headed to the vice-captain’s office. Edward’s eyes filled with curiosity.
Recruits fell under the jurisdiction of the Knight Order Captain. This was Kairon’s command.
– Since he upheld the code of ethics, it’s best we do the same. And… considering my retirement, Edward needs to get used to the captain’s duties.
When Cecilia explained this to Edward, he nodded.
“Hmm, I see. Ethics, huh. I didn’t have such intentions.”
Cecilia asked curiously.
‘Did he really help me because he wants something?’
“May I ask why you helped with the cleanup?”
Edward spoke with a gentle face.
“We’re in the same Knight Order. Helping is only natural.”
His soft smile seemed genuinely kind.
Cecilia muttered while looking into the distance.
“…You don’t need to act around me.”
Edward immediately turned serious upon hearing that.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and arrogantly crossed his legs.
“Do you not remember our last bet?”
“Oh.”
“I said I wouldn’t interfere with you. But staying idle isn’t really my style either.”
Edward shrugged.
“And besides, this way, you won’t interfere with me becoming the captain.”
So, it was about mutual respect. Cecilia agreed. She never intended to interfere with Edward anyway.
“Then… let me report. This is a chart summarizing the levels of the new recruits.”
Cecilia handed the document to Edward.
Edward took it and examined it closely.
“These are new standards. Did you create them?”
“Yes.”
Edward frowned.
Was there an issue? The tier list should have been perfect.
At that moment, something crossed Cecilia’s mind.
‘Right! This is the medieval era!’
In medieval thinking, how dare a mere human rank the sacred power bestowed by the Goddess.
Cecilia hastily pulled out a knee blanket and sought a corner to perform ‘Repentant Cecilia.’
But.
“…I quite like this.”
After pondering, Edward stroked his chin and nodded.
“What’s the criteria? Ah, of course, I read the descriptions about these ranks. I’m just curious about the basis of your judgment.”
Cecilia, surprised that Edward approved, hesitantly replied.
“I calculated based on practicality and potential.”
“For example?”
“…If I take my blessing as an example, practicality is A, potential is S, combined into A.”
This meant Edward, also a nature-type ability user, had an A-rank blessing.
Edward looked at Cecilia askance.
“Me? Just A? Only?”
“I’m A too.”
“That’s odd. Aren’t both you and I considered the top talents in the kingdom?”
Edward’s question was natural. His alias was Sacred (神聖), representing holiness and divinity as the Queen’s counterpart.
But ‘Sacred’ also implied something else: a suddenly emerging powerhouse.
‘Permanent retired numbers, so envious…’
Occasionally, there were aliases that represented individuals. Once earned, they never changed.
Cecilia, deeply attached to her own alias, aimed for a permanent retired number but failed. About a hundred years ago, there was already a knight called the Sword Heroine.
“Nature-type blessings aren’t very practical in combat. Of course, since they’re the origin of most blessings, their potential is high. For instance, your Fire Blessing—something like Blaze is superior.”
“Inferior, you mean. As you said, Blaze originates from fire.”
“Nope. Fire loses to Magma.”
“That Magma, I can make it too. Want me to show you?”
Edward glared sharply.
But Cecilia couldn’t back down on the topic of blessings.
I’m the ultimate authority in this field!
Stubbornly, she retorted.
“That’s because the vice-captain worked hard. Creating magma from fire is incredibly difficult to manifest.”
“……”
Edward’s pupils trembled slightly.
“…I see.”
‘Since we’re both nature types, she’s hitting unexpected points.’
In truth, the word ‘effort’ was unfamiliar to Edward.
-Genius!
-The future of the kingdom is secure!
Everyone praised him as a genius, but few acknowledged the blood, sweat, and tears behind his achievements.
Naturally, people assumed his talent alone got him to that level.
And Cecilia had touched on that.
‘True, if Cecilia’s Storm wasn’t extraordinary, it wouldn’t even be worth looking at.’
Edward chuckled softly. With a slightly softened attitude, he put down the document and asked,
“Why is the Light Blessing S-rank?”
“Practicality is S, potential is S, so combined, it’s S.”
“You said practicality means power, but I doubt light has much power.”
Modern people might understand the possibilities of light, but in medieval times, it was hard to grasp.
For example, concentrating photons infinitely into one spot creates a black hole.
Gamma-ray bursts, even more destructive than nuclear explosions, were possible.
Though realistically achieving that was impossible, light didn’t need to go that far.
Currently, nothing surpassed the speed of light.
“If Vice-Captain Edward had the Light Blessing, what would you start with?”
“Gathering surrounding light into a sword energy…… I see. Without excessive mana consumption, I can gather immense mass while blinding the opponent.”
Edward nodded in understanding.
“This method of ranking blessings instead of current abilities is excellent. We can apply it immediately within the Knight Order. Shall we classify all members of our order first?”
“Sure.”
Cecilia accepted without complaint. It was a necessary step. Thinking ahead to when a flood of newbies would arrive, having clear standards early on was wise.
“Also, I originally didn’t plan to tell you this beforehand—”
Edward spoke with a peculiar smile.
“It’s impressive you thought of this and brought it. Here’s something important.”
“Yes.”
Cecilia didn’t think much of it. To her, the only important thing was the rookies.
“The rookie training—better hurry it up.”
“I’ll take it easy. Over a year.”
“I assure you, you don’t have that much time.”
Cecilia tilted her head.
Edward raised one corner of his mouth.
“The winds of war are swirling.”
Hearing that, Cecilia’s gaze sharpened.
“The west?”
The Demon Race was launching a major offensive in the west. And Cecilia had recently defeated a significant ‘Deception’ unit from their side.
Their target was likely Garthan, aiming for the collapse of the western front. She assumed the western region’s assault would intensify soon.
This was within Cecilia’s expectations. But Edward mentioned something entirely different.
“No, the western front is actually quite stable. There’s even talk of maintaining a deeper frontline.”
“That can’t be……”
The Demon Race wouldn’t give up that easily. Cecilia blinked.
“It’s not just the west. The south too.”
“What about the north?”
“The north is similar, but we received intelligence from the Empire.”
The Rianen Kingdom was surrounded by Demon armies on all sides. Among them, the north was the most dangerous.
It was suspected to house the Demon King’s castle.
And the nations bordering the Demon King’s castle weren’t limited to Rianen.
The Empire was there too. Thus, the northern borders were shared between them.
“A large number of powerful demons, including the Four Heavenly Kings, were spotted. Oddly, those demons haven’t invaded.”
Cecilia pondered. But she couldn’t imagine it well. Some sort of friendly gathering?
Edward spoke.
“Doesn’t it remind you of a familiar picture? Not something we see often in our kingdom, but frequent in other countries. Halting ongoing battles and centralizing power.”
At that moment, something flashed through her mind.
“…Power struggle?”
“Yes. This is just my personal speculation, but…”
Edward spoke coldly.
“The Demon King is dead.”
