I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages – Chapter 4

Ding ding ding-!

With the loud ringing of bells, Cecilia ran. As the owner of the Wind’s Blessing, her speed was incredible.

“Hurry up!”

At that moment, she spotted guards running ahead.

“……”

Suddenly appearing in front of them, Cecilia just stared without saying a word, causing the guard to step back in surprise.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“Briefing.”

“A small-scale monster invasion! They seem to have entered through the sewers…”

“Thank you.”

With her fluttering cloak, Cecilia disappeared.

The guard blinked at his colleague beside him.

“What just happened?”

His colleague, with a dazed expression, said, “Wow, she’s really pretty.”

“…Is that really important right now?”

Meanwhile, leaving the stunned guards behind, Cecilia ran across the rooftops, gazing at a certain place.

The central square of Terezia, atop a towering circular altar that seemed to pierce the sky.

A symbol shaped like an archangel stood at the center, with sacred flames burning in a pale gray color.

And behind those flames, a crowd of people with worried expressions had gathered.

Those flames were the sign that this city was still safe.

No monster could cross those flames. They also served as an alarm system, warning of danger if any monster set foot in Terezia.

The problem was, the sacred flames were flickering.

“It’s just a small invasion, so why are the flames shaking?”

Her question was short-lived.

Cecilia focused ahead.

A goblin was swinging a club at a guard from the shadows.

Cecilia increased her speed, kicking off the ground and charging forward.

“Be careful.”

Swish!

The blade cut through the wind, slicing the goblin’s neck.

Debris scattered into the air.

“Lady Cecilia!”

The guards, filled with joy, gathered around Cecilia.

“What’s the situation?”

“Y-you just took care of everything.”

“That’s it?”

Cecilia tilted her head in confusion.

“Oh, Cecilia.”

Not far away, the Windsor Knight Order was present.

They had just finished their own battle, as the area was littered with monster corpses.

‘Good. I’m not too late.’

Cecilia looked at the few goblins she had just defeated with a calm gaze.

Even if they were just small fry, she had still contributed, so there was no need to feel awkward.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“…I was changing clothes because I spilled tea on them.”

The man walking over casually, a spear slung over his shoulder, was Leoric.

He was one of the seven high-ranking knights in the Windsor Knight Order.

“You could’ve just rested. There are plenty of people here today.”

If she fell for that, she’d be a fool.

If she hadn’t shown up, he would’ve definitely said something like, “She bailed,” or “Wow, I’m working so hard as a senior, and the junior is slacking off? Back in my day, we’d get beaten for that.”

“I was worried about everyone…”

“Ah, so you came early to finish and leave, huh? You really live efficiently.”

Cecilia quickly changed the subject.

“You didn’t have to come, Leoric.”

“If everyone thought like that, no one would come. That’s why I’m here. By the way…”

Leoric scanned the area with sharp eyes.

“Just small fry.”

“Yeah.”

Cecilia also found it strange.

The flames weren’t omnipotent.

They couldn’t protect all of Terezia.

But there was a certain standard.

Even the weakest monsters, like goblins, shouldn’t be able to get through.

“Plus, they chose the day of the regular meeting to invade.”

Leoric shrugged.

“Well, it’s not like demons being stupid is anything new.”

Cecilia desperately avoided eye contact. She really wanted to avoid ‘that’ topic.

“Then I’ll be off. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“…Okay.”

Watching Leoric walk away, Cecilia closed her eyes tightly.

‘I ended up getting stuck with the cleanup.’

Usually, the aftermath of such incidents was the most annoying.

You had to investigate the cause, write reports, and submit them.

“Um, Lady Cecilia… What should we do?”

‘No choice.’

You can’t just half-heartedly handle an attack on the royal capital.

To maintain the ‘perfectly diligent sword heroine NPC’ concept, you can’t just dump the work on another knight.

In the end, she had to handle it herself.

“I’ll investigate the cause of the incident. Guards, please patrol for any demons that might be hiding. If you find any, don’t hesitate to signal me. I’ll be right there.”

“Yes!”

The guard responded energetically.

The eyes looking at Cecilia, who was only 16 years old, were filled with unwavering respect.

**

Clomp clomp.

Cecilia walked with her shoulders slumped.

“Is it our squad’s turn for duty again this week? I wish someone would switch shifts.”

“Like that’s gonna happen.”

As people appeared, she straightened her shoulders and walked with perfect posture.

“Good work!”

“All clear on duty!”

“Yep.”

After receiving salutes, she passed by, and once the presence of people disappeared, she slumped her shoulders again.

‘I don’t want to work…’

She was really feeling how exhausting it was for someone who wasn’t a perfectionist to act like one.

‘I want to go home and laze around.’

She missed the comfort of her fluffy blanket.

Is this what burnout feels like?

For the past 10 years, she had been running non-stop.

Even on weekends when others rested, she’d grab her sword and go dungeon farming.

She’d hunt only the strongest demons.

In between, she’d train in swordsmanship and maintain her social life.

After 10 years of that, she was starting to feel like she didn’t want to do anything anymore.

‘Just a little longer.’

Cecilia guessed it would be about a year.

In a year, the official launch would happen.

The finish line was in sight.

After the official launch, people summoned to this unfamiliar world…

In moments of crisis, a beautiful female knight appearing like the wind.

A piece of heartwarming support thrown their way.

A newbie expressing gratitude! The feeling of pride!

‘Okay, think about that and keep going!’

Cecilia’s passion flared up.

Then, a chilly wind blew through her skirt.

Whoosh-.

Cecilia’s passion was extinguished in 3 seconds.

“It’s cold.”

Cecilia was wearing custom-made half-armor.

It looked good, but the downside was that it was too cold.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Cecilia trudged along again.

Her destination wasn’t far.

“…I think they came in here.”

A massive sewer tunnel made of stone.

It smelled way too strong.

And mixed in with that-

‘The lingering traces of magic.’

Standing in the center of the sewer, she drew her sword and pointed it in that direction.

“Tempest.”

An undeniable gust of wind burst from the tip of Cecilia’s sword.

The black filth in the sewer was swept away in an instant, revealing the floor.

Following Cecilia’s guidance, the traces of magic revealed themselves in a blue light.

They were footprints.

From goblin footprints, they changed into human footprints at a certain point.

‘They snuck in.’

Only demons could do that. Ordering the guards to investigate the people was the right call.

There was nothing more to see here.

Cecilia gracefully walked out of the sewer.

After reaching the roof of the tallest nearby building, she speculated where the infiltrating demon might have gone.

‘A small-scale invasion is a bluff to hide among the people.’

‘If they can transform into humans, it would be better to kill a merchant and take their body.’

‘Going through the sewer means…’

They probably weren’t aiming for something big.

Even if they took human form, the Windsor Knight Order would figure it out quickly.

So, what was the demon’s goal in sneaking in?

Having made her judgment, Cecilia opened her eyes.

“In situations like this, protecting the most important thing comes first.”

Cecilia jumped straight down from the tall building.

Her destination was the square.

Specifically, the ‘sacred flames.’

**

A man.

There was a man.

“Lady Cecilia defeated the monsters.”

“Really, how does she always protect us so quickly?”

The man was looking at something.

The altar.

The gray flames burning there.

As if his soul had been stolen, he was rooted to the spot, staring endlessly at it.

“Huh? It’s Lady Cecilia.”

“The Sword Heroine!”

The man reached out.

But as if blocked by something, he couldn’t grasp the flames.

They were so close.

All he could do was look.

He couldn’t touch or hold them.

These flames were clearly alien.

Anger.

The man felt anger.

The anger of not being able to do what he wanted.

The anger from witnessing such irrationality.

If only this, if only this didn’t exist.

The world would surely be a bit more beautiful.

“Hey.”

He didn’t want this moment to be interrupted.

It was a clear violation. He had the right to see these flames.

But the thin female voice carried an irresistible force.

“What is it?”

“What color do you see?”

The man looked back at the flames. He answered as if it were obvious.

“Gray.”

Swish-.

At the same time, Cecilia’s sword was drawn.

The man, feeling the cold touch on his neck, turned his head to the right.

Sssk-.

Naturally, his neck was cut by the sword.

Crimson blood flowed down, staining the blade.

The man didn’t even flinch, as if he felt no pain.

“How did you know?”

“Color blindness is a typical trait of demons.”

“I see.”

“You don’t seem to have any regrets.”

“I’ve achieved what I wanted.”

“What did you want?”

“To see these flames. To witness this irrational existence that blocks us, even if just once.”

“Thank you for your testimony.”

Sssk-!

The man’s head was cleanly severed.

The crowd gathered in the square broke out of their stunned silence.

Cecilia was deep in thought.

‘Something’s not right.’

The demon didn’t seem particularly strong.

There was no denying he was the mastermind behind this incident.

But why?

Just to see the flames, he chose death?

Demons are a race with a strong attachment to life.

They wouldn’t throw away their lives out of mere curiosity.

“Kyaaaah-!”

A sharp scream pierced her ears.

Cecilia opened her eyes wide and searched for the source.

The head of the demon she had just beheaded had transformed into a spike and was shooting toward a child.

‘Too late.’

Even if she tried to stop it now, the demon was a step ahead.

‘Then.’

Cecilia summoned the wind.

The child’s small body was swept up by the wind and flew away.

Thud-.

Cecilia kicked off the ground and caught the child in her arms.

At the same time, she grabbed the spike and whispered.

“Crush.”

Whoosh!

The wind shredded the spike in an instant.

The demon, now reduced to particles, was completely gone.

“Lina!”

The child’s parents came running.

Cecilia carefully handed the child over.

“Thank you so much, Lady Cecilia.”

The child’s parents tearfully expressed their gratitude.

‘That was close…’

It was a really close call. If she had been even a little slower, the child would have died.

Then there’d be disciplinary action… All the reputation she’d built up…

Cecilia sighed in relief.

Clap clap.

She turned her head at the sound of someone clapping.

It was someone she knew.

A handsome blonde.

Someone she really didn’t want to meet.

“Impressive, Cecilia.”

The vice-captain of the Windsor Knight Order, the Holy Edward Windsor.

“Your insight in spotting the demon. The way you handled it. Everything was perfect and beautiful.”

Cecilia slightly bowed her head.

“It’s been a while.”

“Haha, indeed. About a year, right?”

Edward approached Cecilia with a gentle smile.

“How is the captain doing?”

Vice-captain Edward had a good reputation.

Handsome looks, a kind smile, and consideration.

Probably the only one who considered him a person of interest was Knight Order Captain Kairon.

“Yes.”

“By the way, coming back to such chaos… The capital is as perfect as ever, yet so fragile.”

Cecilia was looking at the ground.

Specifically, at Edward’s feet.

His boots had something sticky, like mud, on them.

‘He’s been to the sewer. Judging by how it’s hardened, about 10 minutes ago.’

She looked up again.

Edward, who was about a head taller than Cecilia, was looking down at her.

Edward reached out and lifted Cecilia’s chin.

Cecilia didn’t move, staring at Edward with emotionless eyes.

“Just like you, who still suspects me even in the midst of all this.”

It seemed like the relationship between the future knight order captain candidate and her wasn’t going to be very good.

…Life.

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