I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages – Chapter 5

“This is really troublesome.”

Edward Windsor.

A man who, at the young age of 37, earned the title of Sword Monarch and is being considered as the next Knight Order leader.

“You seem to particularly dislike me. Did I do something to earn your hatred?”

Cecilia neither disliked nor liked him.

She simply saw him as a workplace superior.

However, she knew that Edward, for some reason, really disliked her.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

Edward’s eyes narrowed slightly.

His displeasure was evident on his face.

At a moment when he might have sighed, he instead curved his lips into a soft smile.

“Is that so? Well, that’s a relief.”

His voice was gentle again, but there was something sharp mixed in.

“Did you take care of all the demons?”

“Yes.”

“As expected, you’re capable. But you know…”

Edward glanced at the altar where flames were burning.

“Demons would naturally avoid such sacred flames, so it’s strange that they would go so far as to invade for it.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Perhaps the demons are up to something—could you keep an eye on the flames? For a day or two.”

‘This is too much.’

The sacred flames were a blessing from the Goddess.

Even the Demon God couldn’t touch them, so how could mere low-level demons do anything?

This was clearly just a boss’s unreasonable demand.

But Cecilia responded calmly.

“Understood.”

“I’ll leave it to you. I could assign someone else, but I trust you the most.”

Edward patted Cecilia’s shoulder with a friendly smile and left.

“Um, Vice Captain.”

Edward’s footsteps halted.

He slowly turned his head.

“Yes?”

“Why did you go to the sewer?”

Edward’s face twisted in displeasure.

But Cecilia stared at him without flinching.

“…There was a dead guard, so I moved the body to a safe place. Are your doubts cleared?”

“Yes.”

Cecilia bowed her head.

“Cecilia, you really lack flexibility. You’re perfect for this job.”

“Thank you.”

Always intuitive and cool-headed.

There’s not a single gap to exploit.

Like her neat attire, her very existence is perfect and flawless.

Even in this situation, there’s not a hint of emotional disturbance.

That was Cecilia.

To Edward, Cecilia was like a fishbone.

Clearly, she was irritating.

“Do you have anything else to say? Can I go now?”

“Yes.”

Cecilia watched Edward’s retreating figure for a while.

Once he was completely out of sight, she quietly sat on a wooden bench.

Her shimmering silver hair swayed slightly in the wind.

And she smiled faintly.

‘Did my favorability go up?’

A story she heard back in the Knight Order.

A legend about a newbie who stood up to the captain and ended up being praised.

This situation felt just like that. Maybe.

“…Should I have said that watching this flame is an unfair punishment?”

But if she had pushed back that much, he probably would have disliked her for disobeying orders.

This was probably the best course of action…

Cecilia sighed and looked at the altar.

The flames were burning steadily.

Watching this all day, for two days, was just a punishment.

After all, it’s a flame that hasn’t wavered in 500 years.

Cecilia could bet Kairon’s annual salary that this flame would remain unharmed.

There’s absolutely no way it would suddenly waver now…

“…Huh.”

Cecilia blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The flame was flickering.

Kairon’s annual salary… was gone.

**

Windsor Knight Order’s regular meeting.

An important gathering to discuss the future direction of the Knight Order.

…Or so it seemed, but in reality, it was just a place to joke around and say, “Let’s take a break.”

“Stop lying.”

But today was different.

An agenda item that made the meeting feel like an actual meeting had come up.

“Why is it flickering? Why does the sacred flame have to act up now, of all times?”

Bang!

Unable to contain his anger, Jerryway slammed the round table with his fist.

Cecilia, sitting across from him, flinched.

‘That startled me.’

“Five more years and I retire. Just five more years…!”

“Jerryway, quiet down. You’re scaring Cecilia.”

Leoric spoke harshly.

A young boy next to him frowned.

“Tsk, so undignified. A knight who doesn’t want to work? How did such a dreadful hybrid get into Windsor?”

The boy’s name was Rude. Despite his appearance, he was actually 50 years old.

He smiled at Cecilia and patted her head.

“In contrast, our youngest is so admirable. She noticed the anomaly in the flame right away.”

Cecilia felt guilty and stayed still.

Her head tilted awkwardly due to the height difference.

“Hand.”

“Huh?”

Kairon, who had been silently observing, spoke softly.

“Move your hand. Before I cut it off.”

“Ah, yes.”

For a moment, death flashed in Rude’s eyes.

“Hahaha, it’s good to see everyone’s still the same. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this kind of scene.”

The knight laughing with tears in his eyes was Hiter.

His roughly trimmed beard was noticeable.

But in an instant, he turned angry and shouted.

“But even in this situation, you’re still like this?!”

“Hiter, calm down.”

“Am I the weird one here? The sacred flame is acting up, and you’re all joking around?! Are you all insane?!”

“Ugh, stop shouting. I’m going to throw up.”

“You idiot! Throw up outside!”

Cecilia was just dizzy.

The Knight Order was always full of strong personalities. Especially the seven high-ranking knights gathered here—none of them were sane.

Of course, Cecilia excluded herself.

‘…Just in case, I should prepare to blow it away with wind.’

Vomiting is a bit much.

Cecilia decided to keep a close eye on the knight about to throw up.

“Silence.”

Then, Kairon’s low voice dominated the room.

The noisy hall instantly quieted.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

At that, the knights’ expressions turned serious.

They all followed the Captain’s words well.

They had no choice.

Kairon, the Sword Monarch.

The knight of knights.

A man respected by everyone here.

“You all probably already know, but this meeting is about the ‘instability of the flame’ that Cecilia detected. The Queen has said she will respect the Windsor Knight Order’s decision. In other words, the Kingdom will act based on the Knight Order’s future plans.”

‘Is this really okay?’

Cecilia honestly had her doubts.

Can we really leave this in their hands…?

But her concerns seemed unfounded, as the meeting proceeded surprisingly normally(?).

“First, let’s call back everyone who hasn’t returned yet. The frontlines are stable, and if the capital falls, everything falls.”

“Like Rude said, let’s operate the capital’s defenses defensively for now. Until we find something.”

“Agile knights, like Cecilia, should scout nearby for demons, while the rest focus internally.”

Several constructive discussions took place.

After listening to them all, Kairon looked at Edward.

“Vice Captain, your thoughts?”

“I generally agree. It’s good that everyone gets serious when it matters, despite their usual antics.”

Edward smiled amiably but spoke coldly.

“Let’s have Rude, the mage, investigate the flickering flame, and as everyone said, strengthen the capital’s defenses. We can’t be lax in this situation.”

It was a reasonable suggestion.

Cecilia also thought it made sense.

But Kairon seemed to think differently.

“Really, is that enough?”

“Huh?”

“Do you really think that’s all there is to it?”

‘He’s suspicious.’

Kairon seemed his usual self, but Cecilia, having worked closely with him, sensed the ‘deep suspicion’ beneath his expression.

What could be suspicious?

Edward, looking slightly frustrated, smiled and said.

“Captain, what are you trying to say?”

“…Nothing, it’s nothing. Cecilia, what do you think?”

‘The main story might be moving.’

Cecilia knew that the ‘official release’ wasn’t far off.

That meant there wouldn’t be any major demon movements before the ‘official release.’

If the world was overrun by demons from the tutorial, the game wouldn’t progress.

So then.

“I think it’s time to recruit new members.”

“Oh? Go on.”

“The demons’ activities are likely expanding around the capital. If we remain understaffed, it could be fatal. I suggest we move up next year’s ‘entrance test’ as much as possible before it’s too late.”

Surprisingly, Edward also supported Cecilia’s opinion.

“I agree with that too. We need to find talented individuals before the demons make their move.”

Kairon thought for a moment before speaking.

“Alright. Let’s consider it positively.”

Cecilia’s expression brightened slightly.

“Then, this concludes the regular meeting. Everyone, stay vigilant. This situation is different from the usual.”

“Yes.”

**

Cecilia’s steps were light as she headed home.

Of course, post-work steps are always light, but today was especially so.

‘Finally, finally…’

She felt a new sense of emotion.

How long had she been waiting for this moment?

‘New recruits are coming!’

Ten years in the Knight Order.

She became a high-ranking knight, but due to her late entry, she couldn’t comfortably give orders.

Of course, this is a Western culture, so age isn’t a factor—

But it was hard to shake off the habits from her Eastern upbringing.

So she endured the tough tasks without complaint—

But with new recruits coming, things would change.

Her workload would significantly decrease!

‘This way, I can focus more on the release preparations.’

And—can’t we call the new recruits ‘newbies’ too?

It was incredibly motivating for Cecilia.

“Welcome back, miss.”

“Hi.”

“I’ll prepare your bath.”

“I’ll take it a bit later today.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Okay.”

She couldn’t refuse.

Marie is scary when she’s angry.

“Is the Captain back?”

“He’s waiting for you.”

“I’ll take the bath then.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare it in advance.”

Maid Marie bowed her head. Cecilia passed her and headed to the office.

Knock knock.

Hearing the call to enter, Cecilia opened the door.

At the perfectly symmetrical table’s center sat Kairon.

“Sorry.”

Cecilia started with an apology.

“Why?”

“I lost your precious year’s salary.”

Kairon, who had been looking at a mountain of documents, looked up blankly.

“…Did you make a bet?”

“Yes.”

“With whom.”

“With myself.”

Kairon bit his lip.

“Cecilia.”

But Kairon had also learned how to deal with Cecilia.

“That won’t bring your allowance back.”

Cecilia was deeply shocked.

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