I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages – Chapter 2

A shabby hut.

A young girl sat on the bed with a blank expression.

After a while, she looked around and pinched her cheeks a few times.

Only after her cheeks turned red and swollen did she stop pinching.

“……What’s going on?”

She lowered her gaze.

A white dress. Short limbs.

“This is ridiculous.”

The girl let out a *pfft* sound and flopped back onto the bed.

“……I never downloaded a loli game.”

It seemed like she had been thrown into some other game.

Dealing with unexpected errors wasn’t pleasant. Especially for someone who had their first day at work tomorrow.

She sighed softly and muttered.

“Log out.”

…But no matter how much time passed, nothing changed.

“…Log out.”

Even after shouting it again, nothing happened.

“Menu.”

“Status.”

“Skills.”

“Call GM.”

Feeling something was off, she abruptly sat up.

The first thing that caught her eye was an old wooden table. Next to it was a small mirror.

She cautiously walked over, picked up the mirror, and checked her reflection.

The face of a young girl, around 6 years old, stared back at her.

“………”

And next to her was an ID card.

[Cecilia]

[Born in the year 483 of Saint Michael.]

‘…Another World?’

A familiar character name. Appearance. Even the birth year.

Except for being younger, everything matched the character from Another World.

‘But still.’

There was no uncomfortable field of view unique to Another World, nor the dull sense of touch compared to reality.

And then, a memory surfaced.

The GM’s words about a sequel to Another World and the gate.

‘……So, is this the sequel to Another World?’

It was the most plausible guess.

Especially since this happened right after that conversation.

But then, why can’t I log out?

“……Am I trapped in the game or something? That doesn’t make sense.”

Cecilia instinctively denied it.

But the small cracks etched into the old wooden planks of the hut.

The rough texture of the wood under her fingertips was a level of detail she had never felt in any VR game.

‘Too precise. Does it really need to be this realistic?’

This time, she kicked the end of the bed. The heavy bed creaked and shifted slightly. The weight and impact transmitted to her toes.

And then, a strange sense of unease began to creep in.

‘This feels real…….’

Suddenly wanting to confirm something, she walked over to the wall.

She clenched her fist and punched it with all her might.

*Thud!*

An unbelievable heaviness for a child.

And pain that was hard to believe was from a virtual reality.

“……It hurts. A lot.”

Cecilia held back tears as she curled up into a ball.

No matter how advanced VR games became, they couldn’t replicate this kind of pain.

Then, a word naturally surfaced in her mind.

‘Reality.’

It was hard to believe, but there was no other explanation.

Otherwise, this situation couldn’t be explained.

“…….”

This wasn’t a game or anything like that. It was reality.

The setting was probably a world based on Another World.

“No way.”

Cecilia’s lips trembled.

– Could you do some testing for us?

– There’s no one more suitable than you……

Is that it?

The GM I talked to earlier was actually a goddess, and she sent me to this world.

A slightly cliché plot for a novel these days.

That calm and kind face instantly turned into the most infuriating face in the world.

“Calm down, calm down.”

The problem was, if this world was based on ‘Another World,’ then this place was hell itself.

To the point where there’s no time to panic.

‘……I need to prepare. I have to survive, right?’

Cecilia began to thoroughly search the room.

**

“This is everything.”

She gathered all the items in the hut and placed them on the table.

It was utterly bleak.

‘All I have is a rock-hard bread and a knife. I guess I should be thankful I at least have a hut.’

Having a safe base was a big advantage.

At least I don’t have to worry about being eaten by wolves in the forest.

Trying to stay positive, Cecilia picked up the rock-hard bread and took a bite.

……It didn’t taste good.

“How do I use the blessing?”

Cecilia clenched her fist and swung it through the air.

*Whoosh!*

A sharp sound of cutting air, and her hair swayed.

She spoke in a slightly relieved voice.

“The usage is the same.”

Blessings were the measure of power in ‘Another World.’

Fortunately, this part remained the same. The attribute was still ‘Wind’s Blessing.’

‘And that means I’m relatively strong for my level.’

This is why Another World was difficult.

Unlike other games where skills activate automatically by just saying their names, in Another World, the player had to ‘manifest’ them through imagery.

Cecilia, who had reached rank 1, had an incredibly high level of manifestation.

So this was a relief.

At least some level of combat ability was guaranteed.

“……Let’s look around.”

Now that she was done organizing, it was time to move.

Cecilia stood awkwardly in front of the door.

She tiptoed and barely managed to open the door, revealing a lush forest swaying as if dancing.

Cecilia’s lips curled up slightly.

Even in this bleak situation, she felt incredibly excited.

‘My heart’s racing.’

Her heartbeat quickened.

The thrill of a new world.

The confidence of a veteran.

An escape from the tedious reality.

No work tomorrow.

None of that.

‘So, when it officially launches, others will be dragged here like me, right?’

It’s been 10 years since I’ve been stuck in a game with no newbies.

The thought of seeing soft, newbie players already made her excited.

‘Let’s level up as much as possible before the official launch.’

A hint of madness flickered in Cecilia’s eyes.

**

Rianen Kingdom, the capital Terezia.

At its center stood the Windsor Knight Order, protecting people from the threat of demons.

The main gate was wide open for anyone to seek help, bustling with knights and citizens.

But today, a slightly unusual scene unfolded.

“I came to become a knight.”

A clear voice echoed, and the surroundings fell silent for a moment.

Knight Karl looked at the girl with a disbelieving expression.

Silver hair flowing down to her waist, paper-pale skin, and wrists so thin they looked like they’d break with a tap.

She barely reached his waist.

She looked about 6 years old.

“Go away, kid.”

Karl waved his hand dismissively. He was already stressed from weekend duty and had no intention of humoring a child.

“Where do I take the entrance test?”

But Cecilia showed no signs of backing down.

Karl sighed and tried to sound a bit intimidating.

“This isn’t a place for kids to play around. Leave before I get angry.”

“I figured it’d be like this.”

Cecilia clasped her hands and took two steps back.

Only then did Karl notice the dagger in the girl’s hand and frowned.

“Why’s a kid carrying that? Drop it now.”

“Sorry.”

The girl suddenly bowed her head and apologized. Then, without lifting her head, she spoke in a calm tone.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“What?”

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

In an instant, Karl saw a flash of silver hair.

And the next moment, a gleaming dagger was right in front of his eyes.

Karl instinctively stepped back to dodge, but the dagger embedded itself into the wall.

*Crash!*

The wall shook from the impact and noise.

“What, what are you doing!”

Karl shouted urgently. But the girl pulled out the dagger and replied calmly.

“This is the fastest way.”

Karl was half-frozen.

As he tried to speak, the girl’s dagger flew at him again.

“Wait! Hold on!”

Karl had no choice but to dodge repeatedly.

It wasn’t because his opponent was a child.

He ‘had to’ dodge.

The girl was fast, and her attacks came from angles that were almost impossible to predict.

In short, dodging was all he could do.

‘This is insane!’

Though he was in shock, Karl was still a knight. As his panic subsided, he gradually adapted to Cecilia’s sword.

Cecilia stepped back and lowered her sword. A slight tremor could be felt in her small hand.

‘Was it too much? With this body, it’s hard to even defeat one knight right now.’

The most basic foundation of a game is fast leveling.

To do that, hunting in good hunting grounds is essential.

The problem is, this isn’t Another World.

Of course, there’s no way Cecilia would know the hunting grounds here.

She’d have to clear quests she skipped before, step by step, to grow gradually.

That was a very tedious and boring process. Like a tutorial, that process needed to be ‘skipped.’

The method was simple. If you don’t want to climb the stairs, take the elevator.

‘I need to make them think. They can’t just leave me alone because I’m too dangerous.’

She closed her eyes. And drew an image.

A technique only possible with the barely visible ‘Wind’s Blessing.’

The most ‘threatening form of blessing’ she could currently manifest.

‘Overwhelm them.’

A sharp sound of tearing air filled the surroundings, and the wind extending from the tip of her sword wriggled like a living creature.

Soon, the wind gathered at the tip of the sword began to stretch and emit light.

“Sword aura……?”

The knight in front muttered in confusion.

Cecilia smiled quietly.

‘Thank goodness. I managed to manifest it, even if clumsily, with this tiny bit of mana.’

But her hand was already trembling, and a cold sweat dripped down.

Even though she knew maintaining the blessing any longer would destroy her, she gritted her teeth.

One step. Just one more step. If I can release this, I can definitely join the knight order.

But.

‘Something’s off.’

The knight’s expression was strange.

His face was pale, but it didn’t make sense for him to react like that just from seeing sword aura.

A knight wouldn’t die from one sword aura.

Come to think of it, his gaze was slightly upward.

‘Is there someone behind me?’

Before she could turn her head, someone grabbed the back of her neck.

Cecilia was slowly lifted up.

It felt like standing on a high-rise building.

“Stop. Your body can’t take anymore.”

A bushy beard. A sturdy build.

Most of all, the silver epaulettes on his shoulders.

“If you had released that just now, your body would’ve taken a huge toll.”

“C-Commander! How did you…!”

‘So he’s the knight commander. My future boss.’

Cecilia subtly glanced around and narrowed her eyes.

She had hoped to catch anyone, but the biggest fish had taken the bait.

“And you’re still far from it. Every knight in this order can use sword aura.”

The knight commander’s eyes were filled with interest as he stared at her.

“But considering your age, there’s potential. Who are you?”

Cecilia barely managed to open her mouth.

The penalty for overusing the blessing was an overwhelming drowsiness.

“……I don’t need a salary if you provide room and board.”

“?”

“But I’ll need an annual salary negotiation……”

After her last words, she fell asleep.

Everyone in the hall was left in utter disbelief.

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