Half of it was incomprehensible, but in reality, the content pointed out by Commander Nemesis was the same as what Cecilia had intended.
‘There’s no way to kill the Demon King without engaging in direct combat… Assassination is the only option.’
And for assassination, as she had seen in dramas, a high location was necessary.
Thus, the Loki Mountain Range was chosen as the assassination point. They first swept away the nearby demons, and since their allies needed to gather information, they also devised an infiltration operation.
‘Traverse the Loki Mountain Range, drop the Windsor Knight Order midway, move to the mountain peak, and assassinate the Demon King with ultimate skill. Upon the Windsor Knight Order obtaining the information that the Demon King is dead, return via the main road.’
This was Cecilia’s overview of the operation. The only change was its name, altered by the strange mage Nemesis from ‘Method of Assassinating the Demon King’ to ‘Niblheim Landing Operation.’
“Why is it called a landing operation? Do we jump off the mountain peak or something?”
“That’s…”
Looking at the innocent Beatrice, Cecilia smiled faintly.
And said nothing.
“Lady Cecilia?”
The Windsor Knight Order had now entered the foothills of the Loki Mountain Range.
Amid the treacherous terrain, a place where powerful monsters swarmed, the Windsor Knight Order, rarely so, was tense.
“…Are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Beatrice gave up asking why the operation’s name was ‘Landing Operation.’
“Halt. It’s a monster.”
“Damn, it looks quite strong.”
‘This terrain isn’t suitable to deploy a formation.’
Fighting in such barren mountainous terrain was a challenging feat. Not to mention, when the opponent was none other than the infamous ‘Yeti,’ it was even harder.
“Oh, it’s a yeti.”
Cecilia couldn’t help but marvel at the yeti’s fluffy fur. She even felt like taking it home and raising it.
“Command, Lady Cecilia.”
“KUO-O!”
The yeti, leading its massive frame, was breaking all the trees in its path as it approached.
The Windsor Knights looked at Cecilia unwaveringly; Cecilia was smiling faintly.
“I’ll explain the detailed plan of operation.”
‘At a time like this?!’
Beatrice was astonished.
However, even with the yeti approaching, the Windsor Knight Order didn’t flinch. In fact, someone leisurely picked their nose.
Cecilia frowned, opening then closing her eyes momentarily.
The wind howled softly.
“!”
Cecilia’s silver eyes gleamed with light. A cold magical energy spread through the air, and a heavy gust of wind slowly rose. Small snowflakes danced gently, floating upwards.
“Uh?”
The yeti approached the gathered humans. Clutching its massive fists, it raised them high into the sky. However, it could not strike downward.
It was the wind.
Just the sheer wind force was preventing the yeti from pushing its fists forward.
Cecilia continued to smile faintly, enunciating clearly.
“Wind Shear.”
The yeti’s body wavered. Trees around it swayed violently. Roots ripped out, carrying trees away. Simultaneously, the yeti let out a roar as it ascended into the sky. A massive storm was enveloping them.
But within Cecilia’s domain, the Windsor Knights’ cloaks didn’t even flutter.
“Today, a very powerful storm is approaching, with winds of 150 km/h expected. The typhoon will disperse only after reaching Niflheim.”
“?”
“??”
Weathercaster Cecilia turned her head slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
‘But, I really wanted to try it.’
Leaving the astonished knights behind, Cecilia walked ahead. The Loki Mountain Range was turning into chaos due to the storm created by Wind Shear. Though, with the airflow manipulated, the Windsor Knights were safe.
“Could you possibly be planning to gather the monsters of Loki Mountain Range with this typhoon and throw them at Niflheim?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
‘Monsters!’
‘That’s just too much!’
For the first time, the Windsor Knights worried about the demonic race.
“But aren’t the monsters supposed to be under control of the demons?”
“The monsters in the Loki Mountain Range are different.”
Anxious Beatrice had her doubts clarified by Royder, who had a dark bruise on his chin.
“It’s because they store uncontrollable powerful monsters here in the Loki Mountain Range.”
“…I see.”
“So Lady Cecilia’s tactics are destructive. No, I’m not even sure if this should be called a tactic.”
Even in this situation, the knights, seeing Cecilia who maintained her composure without the faintest movement, swallowed hard.
“This is the owner of a domain-type ultimate skill…”
Domain deployment.
The number of people who can use this is extremely rare, and if one exists, they are given special treatment in any knight order.
But apart from its rarity, most people didn’t know why a domain-type ultimate skill was better.
Everyone understood this moment.
The true strength of a domain-type ultimate skill lies in — adaptability.
“Who would’ve thought it could be used in this way.”
“If Lady Sword Heroine Cecilia can command this level, then what must the ultimate skill of the commander who stands at the edge of Sword Monarch be…?”
Speechless knights in awe of the superior skills of a higher-ranked knight. But it was a misunderstanding.
No owner of a domain-type ultimate skill could do something like this.
Because initially, a ‘domain’ could only exert influence inside it.
This level of influence outside the domain could only mean one thing.
Cecilia’s ultimate skill wasn’t Wind Shear.
‘One day, I will…’
The knights’ hearts burned with passion.
A strength that seemed to transcend the limits of what a mere human could achieve.
Seeing it with their own eyes made them brimming with vigor.
Especially Beatrice looked at Cecilia with complete admiration. That admired Cecilia was chewing grass.
“…?”
Agk-jjag.
“Do you want some?”
Cecilia offered, chewing on magical grass. Beatrice awkwardly laughed and shook her head.
“…Eat it well.”
‘This is actually pretty delicious.’
The taste of the magical grass was somewhat akin to slightly bitter chocolate.
“Is that the demonic city, Niflheim?”
The Windsor Knights, having finally reached a point where they could clearly see Niflheim with their naked eye, halted their steps.
“Lady Cecilia. Are we coming down here? Since we know the direction, it will only take going downhill, right?”
“Yeah. But, it’ll be too slow if we go by foot.”
Still chewing a lot of magical grass, Cecilia’s cheeks were puffed up.
‘Exactly how much magic power does she use… one that costs 10 gold per stick?’
‘How many has she eaten since we arrived here? She’s probably eaten more than 50.’
What’s more, Cecilia was eating the highest grade, the top-level magical grass. The one Cecilia, who could not give up taste, brought the most expensive kind.
And thanks to this…
‘It feels like she’s eaten as much as an entire mansion worth.’
It was as though gold was being scattered on the ground!
In every aspect, Cecilia was someone whose maintenance cost a lot.
“Is there another way?”
“There’s something else I need to explain first.”
Cecilia swallowed the magical grass in one gulp. Her body faintly glowed. As she took out another stick to chew, she began to explain.
“I won’t be able to go together. I’ve used too much magic power. Unfolding the Wind Shear to open escape routes once will be as much as I can do.”
Every member of the Windsor Knights solemnly nodded their heads. What she said was too obvious. In fact, it was surprising that she could perform Wind Shear again after achieving so much.
“And you mustn’t forget the mission. Our mission is not to destroy the Demon King’s army. If you start something in the middle of the enemy’s camp, we’ll be surrounded immediately. Got it? Absolutely, it’s not allowed. Just extract information focused on the civilian demons. For reference, this is an order.”
Although this order brought some discontent, it couldn’t be helped.
“Yeah. Okay. Know the precautions well, and come back safely. I’ll be angry if you return injured.”
“Yes!”
“Then, I’ll send you to Niflheim now. Hold hands neatly in one place.”
“Yes! Yes?”
“Quickly, quickly. It’s a waste of magical grass.”
Cecilia was already chewing three sticks at once.
The knights followed Cecilia’s orders and gathered in one place. Cecilia drew her sword.
“Have a good landing.”
“Just, wait a second!”
The panicked knights.
Cecilia gave them no time to argue back and shouted loudly.
“Tempest.”
The Windsor Knights disappeared beyond the mountain range.
Watching the Windsor Knights vanish like shooting stars, Cecilia prayed silently.
“Please send a lot of newbies. Around 8.16 billion would be good.”
Cecilia ascended the Loki Mountain Range with light steps.
Since most demons had already landed in Niflheim along with Wind Shear, the Loki Mountain Range was quite pleasant.
“Heeek, haak.”
But Cecilia was panting for breath.
The air was thin, and no matter how powerful she was, climbing such a high mountain close to the atmosphere without using magic was tough.
‘Will the remaining magical grass be enough? I should’ve only eaten enough earlier knowing this.’
The top-grade magical grass was too good to be just a snack, so she ate too much.
Now, she only had three dozens of magical grass left. (1 dozen = 20 sticks.)
The reason she’d brought so much magical grass and was even worried about her magic power was for one thing.
One of the prerequisites of Cecilia’s “true ultimate skill” was to “completely exhaust her current magic power.”
The more magic power she exhausted, the stronger the skill became.
‘To be honest, if I’m weaker than Cain, it wouldn’t be necessary to fill up like this.’
But there was a possibility.
If, by any chance, this Demon King’s ability was ‘immortality,’ that should be considered.
If there’s a situation where only 1cc of blood remains, and she can’t kill him, then all plans will be in vain.
Cain cursed by the Demon King who couldn’t be killed wouldn’t be able to even deal with a Demon King who would die just from a normal attack.
‘Moreover, the distance is far, so there’s a chance to evade. I must widen the range to ensure he can’t evade– thus, it’s only right to use full power.’
The disadvantage of the Blessing of Wind was this.
The farther the distance, the more both destructive power and accuracy decreases.
Wind is fast, but it’s not as “unavoidably fast” as light.
In any case, while considering various elements, Cecilia arrived at the peak after thorough preparation.
‘Is this the height of Everest?’
The impossibly high peak of the Loki Mountain Range.
Niflheim visible at the mid-point, even the Northern Fortress cannot be seen.
Though the height wasn’t quantifiable, one thing was certain: it was higher than the clouds.
Cecilia felt refreshed as she raised her hand to her mouth.
“Yo-hoo.”
The echo didn’t return, but it was satisfying enough.
In this position, even activating her ultimate skill would ensure neither detection nor damage to others.
But there was something she couldn’t let go of.
Cecilia sat on the rock and crossed her legs.
“…Hey.”
Cecilia speaking seriously.
“Hey, if there’s someone with magical grass around, can you give me one?”
Soon, a pink-haired demon hiding nearby nervously stepped out.
“Oh, you’re here? Earlier than expected…”
Cecilia frowned and gestured with her fingers near her mouth. Ferna, wide-eyed, blinked stupidly. Sighing, Cecilia grabbed and chewed a stick of magical grass herself.
“Before killing the Demon King, how about one stick of magical grass…?”
Ferna tilted her head like a chicken. Containing the urge to slap her, Cecilia thought of the next line. However, the movie she saw in her previous life was too long ago, and the lines were not very clear.
‘I’ll ask the newbies when they come.’
Still, there was a line that was vividly etched in her memory.
“Good weather, huh.”
“It’s, it’s snowstorming. Didn’t you see it on the way?”
Perfect weather to kill a Demon King.
