I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages – Chapter 22

“It’s a summons. How many years has it been?”

“I think it’s been 3 years.”

The Windsor members gathered in the bustling hall.

It was an emergency summons, but few were dissatisfied. Of course, there were exceptions.

“Hey, I’m a patient. Isn’t this too much?”

“Jerryway! Thanks to you, I survived back then.”

“Haha! If you’re that grateful… can you lend me some money?”

“Huh?”

As the knights took a step back from Jerryway, Rude pushed through the crowd towards Kairon.

“Is the Commander here too?”

“It’s the investigator’s call. Even the Commander should respond appropriately.”

Rude looked quite pale. Kairon crossed his arms and asked.

“How’s the investigation going?”

“Well… there’s good news and bad news. Want to hear it?”

“No. Let’s deal with this first.”

Kairon said this while staring intently at the podium.

The knight checking the attendees nodded, and the duty officer hurried off somewhere.

“He must be coming out soon.”

Though the voice wasn’t loud, everyone heard it. The hall fell silent in an instant.

‘Who could the culprit be?’

The question lingered in everyone’s mind.

The Sword Heroine’s investigations were known to be flawless.

If she found the culprit, it meant she had undeniable evidence.

‘Whoever it is… they’re among us.’

‘If it’s revealed…’

‘I’ll kill them.’

The hall was thick with murderous intent. Amidst it, the sound of light footsteps was heard.

Eyes turned one by one. A white-skinned girl with silver hair, lips tightly sealed.

Cecilia Windsor.

She stepped onto the podium.

“Sorry for being late. I was organizing the information.”

She bowed her head once, then raised it again.

“First, let me introduce myself… I’m Detective Cecilia.”

“Detective… what?”

The knights, who had been listening intently, were baffled.

Ignoring them, Cecilia stretched her right hand out.

“Now, Watson. Bring the evidence.”

“…Watson? Who’s that?”

Hiter, with a pale face, brought over some documents and handed them to her.

The knights’ eyes focused on Kairon. ‘Can’t you control your daughter?’ Kairon bowed his head in embarrassment.

“The incident began with a fake dungeon guide.”

Edward glared at Cecilia with hardened eyes. Jerryway looked uneasy seeing this.

“The mission documents were forged, and Sword Emperor Jerryway was severely injured.”

“Whatever the culprit’s goal, one thing was clear. The traitor is an enemy of Windsor.”

“Now, I’ll announce the investigation results.”

Cecilia’s cynical voice echoed through the hall.

The knights watched with tense eyes.

“The culprit is…”

Gulp.

The knights swallowed hard.

Cecilia spoke in the most serious tone yet.

“The culprit… is among us.”

“…!”

The knights were stunned.

Isn’t that obvious…?

But Cecilia looked proud, as if she had just revealed something monumental.

Kairon clapped with a blank expression.

‘Is this… really worth applauding?’

Though a major doubt arose, he started clapping, following the crowd.

As the hall filled with applause, Cecilia shook her head.

“Please stop praising me so much, it’s embarrassing. Though, even I think this investigation was flawless.”

‘…What does she want us to do?’

The knights gave up thinking.

Finally, one knight couldn’t take it anymore and raised his hand.

“So, who’s the culprit?”

“That.”

Cecilia paused again.

The knights were on edge, their mouths dry.

“I’ll reveal it in 60 seconds.”

After a brief silence.

The knights erupted.

“Are you kidding me!”

“There’s a limit to how much we can tolerate your cuteness!”

“Cecilia, wake up!”

Amidst the knights’ protests, only Kairon quietly glared at Cecilia.

It was a silent warning to get serious. Or else, he’d cut off her allowance.

Cecilia twitched her shoulders, then suddenly closed her eyes and placed her hand on her sword. What’s she planning? Kairon wondered.

Her sword was half-drawn. In that moment, a chill ran down his spine. It felt like a demon’s hand was right behind him. Death was close.

Kairon drew his sword without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, every knight in the hall drew theirs.

“W-was that a demon’s presence?”

“And a strong one at that.”

The bewildered knights looked to the front. Cecilia spoke with a deadpan expression.

“As members of the Windsor Knight Order, you couldn’t help but draw your swords upon sensing that presence.”

Kairon thought. Was that Cecilia’s doing? She can mimic a demon’s presence.

“It doesn’t make sense for a knight order that kills demons to not sense one.”

The knights looked around.

“So, the one who didn’t draw their sword is the culprit.”

Most had their swords drawn, but as Cecilia said, some hadn’t.

“R-Ridel? You…”

Ridel tried to grab his sword belatedly, but it was too late. He awkwardly smiled and explained.

“I-I felt it too. But I thought Cecilia was joking…”

“Even the Sword Monarchs were fooled by the precise blessing of the wind, and you, a mere knight, noticed it?”

Edward, with his sword in his right hand, coldly walked up to Ridel.

“Don’t you think you’ve gone too far, Ridel?”

Edward placed his hand on Ridel’s shoulder with his usual smiling face.

Ridel felt immense pressure and barely managed to speak.

“T-that’s…”

“That’s?”

“T-there are so many knights here! As the Vice Commander said, there are high-ranking knights, so I didn’t need to step forward.”

At that moment, the knights’ expressions changed.

The Windsor Knight Order is a group with unique personalities.

Yet, they share one common trait.

Hatred towards demons.

That single value is absolute.

To stand idly by, waiting for another knight to act in the presence of a demon?

“You’re not a Windsor.”

As the atmosphere grew tense, Ridel gulped. He made a quick decision.

“S-sorry! I’ll tell you everything…”

“Shut up.”

Thud.

Ridel looked down in disbelief.

A sword, burning with flames, had pierced his abdomen.

“Gurgle.”

Blood gushed out, but it evaporated in the intense heat. Ridel collapsed without another word, his insides charred.

Kairon’s eyebrow twitched. To him, it looked like an important witness had been killed.

“There’s more.”

But he set that aside and focused on Cecilia. The other knights did the same.

Though her credibility was already high, at this moment, Cecilia’s words became absolute.

“The traitors aren’t done yet.”

“There’s… more?”

“Yes. There are traitors among the high-ranking knights.”

“…!”

This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

In fact, everyone had assumed there were no traitors among the high-ranking knights.

If a high-ranking knight was a traitor, something far more horrific and tragic would have happened.

Moreover, most high-ranking knights had devoted decades to the knight order and the kingdom.

Their very existence should have been flawless. The number of demons they’ve slain alone could form a mountain.

Yet, there’s a traitor among the high-ranking knights.

Who?

The people in the hall waited in silence for Cecilia to speak.

“To be continued next time.”

The knights were floored.

‘They’re all enjoying it.’

Cecilia was pleased.

**

“You did well today.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve excellently carried out your duties… except for the last part.”

Kairon patted Cecilia’s head.

“Let’s talk more when we get back.”

“Commander.”

“Speak.”

Kairon paused as he was about to board the carriage, waiting for Cecilia’s words.

“I still have work to do.”

“Rooting out the traitors?”

“…”

Cecilia didn’t answer. But that was answer enough. Kairon nodded slightly and boarded the carriage. It moved without waiting for Cecilia.

Left alone, Cecilia turned and walked towards her conclusion.

In truth, she knew Ridel was the culprit as soon as she read the documents.

The problem was that for ‘undercover employment,’ higher-ups were inevitably involved.

So, who were they? At first glance, it seemed to be Edward. But there was a ‘fatal flaw’ in that assumption. He was set to become the Commander anyway. If he wanted to cause trouble, he could do so after becoming Commander.

Then who? Rude, who spends all day researching flames? Hiter, who lacks the intelligence to be a mastermind? Leoric, who has no interest in anything but women and demons?

None of them. They all had alibis.

So, who?

In times like these, Cecilia relied on modern wisdom. She recalled a famous saying: When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

And after eliminating all impossibilities, only one person remained.

“Jerryway.”

Cecilia called out softly as she approached. A man sitting on the rooftop, drinking whiskey under the moonlight.

He didn’t say a word even as Cecilia stood beside him.

Cecilia also stayed silent.

“I, Cecilia…”

Jerryway spoke quietly.

“I joined the knight order to avenge my brother.”

He was what you’d call a troublemaker.

After losing his brother, nothing seemed to matter. The only joy he found was in slaying demons. All he could do was drink, and gamble to fund his drinking.

“Then one day, I went to a dungeon and found my dead brother there.”

Jerryway’s pupils reflected the past, as if his brother was right in front of him.

“He looked the same, talked the same. I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh when I saw him, even in a dream.”

Cecilia’s expression hardened slightly.

“Jerryway. That was…”

“I know. That he wasn’t my real brother. Probably a demon that feeds on presence. But…”

A tear fell from Jerryway’s eye.

“I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.”

Demons always prey on human weaknesses.

He must have known. He knew, but…

Jerryway was just more of a soft-hearted human than he thought.

“I couldn’t refuse his tearful request. That’s right, Cecilia. I’m the traitor. The one who joined hands with demons… a human.”

-Swish.

The sound of a sharp sword being drawn made Jerryway close his eyes quietly.

“Sorry. I’m such a pathetic human that I can’t even take my own life.”

He quietly awaited his end.

But no matter how long he waited, his consciousness didn’t fade.

“In the end, you didn’t kill anyone. Out of the 183 subjugation missions you were involved in, there were no casualties. Instead, you hurt yourself. This time is no different.”

He slowly opened his eyes.

Cecilia had already sheathed her sword and was crouching beside him.

“It’s not too late to turn back.”

“…”

“You can still make amends.”

Jerryway looked up at the sky.

If he lowered his head now, tears would surely pour out.

“Are you… forgiving me?”

Cecilia blinked.

“No.”

“…Huh?”

Jerryway’s tears stopped.

“But if you clean up your mess, I’ll forgive you.”

“Clean up… my mess?”

“Confess under a suitable noble’s name. We’ll frame it as a simple bribery case, not collusion with demons. Then it’ll just be a demotion. Your image will take a hit, but Jerryway, you don’t have much of an image left to ruin, so it should be fine.”

“That’s… true. But why? Why go this far…”

Cecilia, in truth, didn’t care much about traitors within the Windsor Knight Order.

In fact, she was grateful for the high-quality quests they provided.

But she hated noble politics. Cecilia wanted to prepare for welcoming newbies without any interference.

Only one year left until the opening.

No variables, no mistakes could be tolerated.

She needed to clear out any obstacles and elevate the overall level of the Windsor Knight Order to provide a good environment for newbies.

To do that.

“That’s why we need to get rid of those pesky nobles.”

But Jerryway’s face turned pale.

‘This is the best offer he could get, why is he acting like this?’

Cecilia tilted her head, not understanding.

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