I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages – Chapter 18

“Is this the true form of the Windsor Knight Order’s Sword Heroine, Cecilia?”

Dusen spoke with a hint of despair.

He had just realized how weak his own strength was.

He knew that knights with titles were on a different level compared to ordinary knights.

But this… was something else entirely.

“…Riharten. Did you see it? Lady Cecilia’s sword strike.”

“How could I have seen it?”

“Betty, what about you?”

Beatrice, who had been happy just to escape this tedious dungeon, was startled.

“Something passed by, I think…”

“So you could still perceive it, huh?”

Dusen let out a bitter laugh.

He felt incredibly foolish.

In fact, he had thought joining the Windsor Knight Order was a sure thing.

No, honestly, he believed his pure skill wasn’t lacking.

But that thought changed after seeing Cecilia’s sword strike just once.

“I couldn’t even see it, let alone perceive it until the demon’s head was cut off.”

“Why are you despairing now?”

Riharten said as he sheathed his sword.

“The Windsor we’re aiming for is that kind of group.”

“Does that mean there are at least seven knights stronger than her?”

“Yes. Don’t let it break your spirit just because of that.”

“Break my spirit? But… it’s still bleak. I never thought the gap would be that big.”

Beatrice found Dusen a bit ridiculous.

‘…You didn’t know that until now?’

Dusen looked at Riharten and Beatrice with a stern face.

“Let’s get stronger.”

“Of course.”

The gaze turned to Beatrice, who hadn’t answered. She panicked and clenched her fists.

“Let’s… do our best.”

“From today, it’s endless training. Don’t think about falling behind and keep up.”

“That’s my line, Dusen.”

“Betty, don’t get too complacent just because you’re number one.”

‘I… don’t want to do this.’

At that moment, one of the apprentice knights looked around and spoke.

“But why isn’t the dungeon ending?”

Even the body of the decapitated demon was still there.

Cecilia, who had cut off the head, had also disappeared.

“This is strange. When a demon dies, the dungeon should be cleared.”

“Could there be another condition?”

Beatrice shuddered. She had a bad feeling.

“Everyone, let’s get out of here first…”



Kihihihihi!

The ghosts, thought to be dead, surged in like a tide.

Ten times more than before.

**

In such ‘special dungeons,’ the mobs give more experience than average.

But as a hunting ground, they’re worthless. Basically, a ‘dungeon’ is a space filled with debuffs under the name of rules.

But if there are no rules and only mobs spawn well?

Then it’s a very, very excellent hunting ground.

And recommending hunting grounds is a virtue of veterans.

“If there’s a room like this, you should’ve told me earlier.”

Cecilia was munching on potato chips, something rarely seen in medieval times, while watching a crystal.

To be precise, the apprentice knights fighting hard inside the crystal.

“I’m sorry! I should’ve offered this privilege when Lady Cecilia arrived…!”

A head placed not far away.

Ricardo was sweating profusely as he spoke.

‘I thought I’d be in trouble after cutting off his head, but it’s good he’s still alive.’

Cecilia wasn’t one to miss such a good opportunity.

She gently coaxed Ricardo and gave two commands.

Send in a bunch of ghosts, and have them attack just enough not to kill.

Thankfully, Ricardo was a demon who listened well.

‘They’re all fighting well.’

Cecilia was pleased to see the apprentice knights striving.

The performances of Riharten and Dusen, whom she had been watching, were admirable.

Especially the rookie Beatrice, whom Cecilia favored, was a bit surprising.

‘So she’s a buffer.’

Beatrice’s light blessing was directed at the apprentice knights, not the ghosts.

Buffers were a rare talent. Even within the Windsor Knight Order, only Rude and Hiter could perform that role.

Beatrice’s value rose even higher in Cecilia’s mind.

She watched without noticing the time passing.

How much time had passed?

By the time the potato chips ran out.

“Hmm… I guess this is enough.”

Cecilia yawned and wiped her tears.

The swords of the apprentice knights had noticeably slowed.

Especially Beatrice, who was fighting while half-crying.

“The kids are at their limit. It seems you’re running out of ghosts too.”

She got up from the plush chair, drew her sword, and approached Ricardo’s head.

Ricardo, who had been sitting still like a dead mouse, desperately spoke.

“I have something to say!”

“Huh?”

“There’s a traitor! There’s a traitor within the Windsor Knight Order!”

“I see.”

“If you spare me, I’ll tell you everything!”

Cecilia shook her head.

“No.”

“I’ll tell you! I swear I’ll tell you! I, Ricardo, swear my loyalty!”

“No, really, it’s fine.”

“I, I’ll be of great use later! If you know now, it’ll be enough…”

Cecilia rubbed her eyes and said.

“But it’s no fun if I know in advance.”

“…!”

“Goodbye. The dungeon concept was fun. It’s a shame the latter part dragged a bit.”

“Please spare me!”

Ricardo pleaded desperately.

“If you spare me, I’ll do anything!”

Cecilia’s heart ached.

But…

“You’re a virus that pretends to be weak and kills newbies. I can’t forgive that.”

Cecilia hated bullies.

**

‘No more, I can’t.’

Beatrice couldn’t even muster the strength to hold her sword.

Even a single swing was impossible now.

She had used up all her blessings, and there was no residual magic left.

Is this what it feels like to be in the endless hell?

Kill, and they come, kill, and they come…

The ghosts truly came endlessly. It was a miracle there were no casualties.

“Damn it. Betty! Snap out of it!”

“Tell my family back home… I’m sorry.”

“I’ll tell them, so use the last of your buffs! Otherwise, we’ll all die!”

But you guys, isn’t this too much…?

Beatrice closed her eyes with a sad heart.

“Huh?”

“Finally!”

But she opened her eyes again at the sound of cheers.

This tedious mansion was collapsing.

Turning into white powder, it scattered into the sky with a warm breeze.

Before they knew it, the apprentice knights were back in the forest where they had entered the mansion.

The dungeon had been cleared.

“Wahhh!”

“It’s finally over!”

The apprentice knights shouted with joy.

Some were already crying and praying to the goddess.

Beatrice remembered that one of them was a staunch atheist.

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

Cecilia walked over with a gentle voice.

She bowed her head.

“The training ends here.”

Even though the mansion had disappeared, Beatrice, who had been in a state of tension, finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘It’s over…’

As she calmed her ragged breath, she wondered. Maybe she had threatened a demon to move the ghosts?

Nah, she wouldn’t go that far.

‘…I almost died this time. I should properly thank her later.’

Right now, she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger. Beatrice took a nap-like rest.

Was it because the tension had eased? Beatrice’s earlier doubts floated up.

-What demons fear most is the Demon King.

At the time, she was too nervous and only focused on answering, but…

-If I say I’ll talk to the Demon King, they have no choice but to fear.

As far as I know, no human who has seen the Demon King is still alive, so why were the demons afraid?

Could it be that they’ve faced the Demon King before…?

“Beatrice.”

Beatrice, who had been looking at the ground, raised her head.

Cecilia stood there with an expressionless face.

As if she knew exactly what Beatrice was thinking.

“I look forward to your future.”

To Beatrice, it sounded like a warning.

‘Yeah, I should quit.’

She firmly resolved.

**

The capital, which they hadn’t seen in a while, was still peaceful.

The sacred flame wobbled a bit, but it was still safely supporting Terezia.

“It seems the mission went well.”

First, she went to find Edward. She had to report on this mission.

“Yes.”

“Any unusual incidents?”

“None.”

Edward barely suppressed a distorted expression and asked with a smiling face.

“Impressive, huh? This is the first time there were no casualties in that dungeon.”

“…Is that so?”

“It’s not a difficult dungeon, but once you enter, at least a few people always die.”

Edward spoke in a low voice.

“You intervened, didn’t you, Cecilia?”

“…”

“I told you. The purpose of this mission was to train the apprentice knights. Even if there were casualties, they had to grow. Even you can’t just let this slide.”

Despite his words, Edward seemed oddly pleased.

Cecilia’s eyes sparkled.

“Disciplinary action…”

“They’ve all improved a lot.”

“…What?”

“They probably leveled up about 13 times.”

“Level? Ah, you mean their growth level.”

Cecilia’s eyes were asking for praise. If she were a dog, she’d be wagging her tail.

She firmly believed it.

That this mission’s result had increased her favorability.

No casualties, and a meaningful growth gap.

Even she thought it was a perfect mission completion.

“Levels, huh. I don’t know the exact benchmark, but 13 levels. That’s quite a number.”

“At least 20%, up to 45% improvement.”

“No casualties, and that result?”

“Yes.”

Cecilia smiled slightly.

She hated missions, but it always felt good to be praised for a job well done.

“Impressive. It’s hard to believe it’s true.”

Edward’s doubtful expression showed he didn’t believe it.

The truth would be confirmed by Instructor Marcus.

But there was a more urgent issue to discuss.

“Um, Vice Captain.”

“…Speak.”

“I used a bit of the budget for this mission. I think the headquarters should cover the expenses used for the mission.”

Edward nodded with a slightly annoyed expression.

“That’s only natural. Money spent on the mission. Organize the details and submit a report…”

Of course, the perfect Cecilia had already swiftly submitted the report.

She handed the scroll to Edward.

Edward blinked as he received it.

“About 1300 gold. *Approximately 1.3 billion won.”

For reference, Edward’s annual budget was around 1000 gold.

Edward stared blankly at Cecilia.

Cecilia was already stepping back towards the door, bowing her head.

“Goodbye.”

That day, a rumor spread within the Windsor Knight Order that a scream was heard from Edward’s office.