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Chapter 21: I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages
🕑 Added 2025-05-09 15:23:50 +0000 UTCDetective Cecilia
"Collecting evidence is a legal part of an investigator's duty," Cecilia recited flatly.
Edward narrowed his eyes as if displeased and lowered his sword—but its tip remained aimed at her.
"You’re always so quick to suspect me."
He circled around Cecilia, keeping her in the center.
She didn’t turn her head—only her eyes followed him.
"Is this the commander’s doing? Ordering you to investigate me?"
"The Commander doesn't particularly suspect the Vice Commander. This was my judgment."
"Your judgment, huh? Then what judgment will you pass this time?"
Thud.
Edward stopped walking.
He was now in Cecilia's blind spot. If he attacked from there, it would be hard for her to block.
It was as if he were asking: Do you trust me enough to show your back?
The answer was simple. Cecilia turned her head. A sword strike instantly flew in at once.
Clang—!
It was a rather strong blow.
Cecilia realized that Edward had just swung with the intent to kill.
"Wrong answer, Cecilia."
"…I don't think so."
Flames danced around Edward’s blade.
Cecilia’s arm trembled slightly because of the heat.
She raised the output of her Wind’s Blessing.
That was better.
"I’ve always wondered. Which is better, your wind or my fire?"
"Probably whoever's stronger wins."
"I meant talent. You and I are the only knights in the Order who wield the four basic elements, aren’t we?"
‘The four elements are trash, though.’
The so-called basic four—fire, water, earth, and wind—weren’t bad, but weren’t special either.
There were far more broken blessings, like time, space, light, and dark.
Cecilia wanted to point that out, but held her tongue.
"That look says you disagree. Shall I tell you the truth? Your wind’s not bad—but my fire is better. Fire devours everything."
Fwoosh—
The power of their respective blessings intensified at the clash of their swords, waves of force rippling through the air.
Sparks flew. The flickering flames dyed Cecilia’s silver hair red.
"Wind cannot be devoured by anything."
However, Cecilia’s wind neutralized the fire.
The inferno that seemed ready to ignite and devour everything began to falter under her roaring wind gusts.
Edward’s grin stretched ear to ear.
"Shall we put that to the test?"
The flames blazed fiercely. They were spreading outward, wanting to dominate all directions.
Cecilia had been channeling wind through the building to shield it, but there were limits.
She made an unavoidable decision.
"Wind—"
But she never got to say —Shear.
Edward abruptly pulled back his sword. The inferno that had looked ready to engulf the room vanished.
"Let’s end it here."
"…"
"I didn’t think you’d actually cast Wind Shear. Were you planning to kill me?"
"Yes. Were you scared?"
Cecilia answered without a second's hesitation.
"…I wouldn’t mind if you came at me again. But I’d advise against it."
Edward stepped in front of her.
With a strange smile, he raised a hand to her cheek.
Cecilia stared at that hand coldly, her long half-closed eyelashes casting a shadow over her sharp gaze.
"I care about this Order more than you think."
What he meant was that if a fight broke out here, the headquarters itself would be destroyed.
Edward tilted Cecilia’s face upward. There was a significant height difference, and it hurt her neck.
"My neck hurts."
"Join me, Cecilia."
"……."
"Then I’ll forgive your earlier rudeness."
Cecilia answered by biting his finger.
"Kugh."
Edward grimaced and stepped back.
"If you don’t let go, I’ll bite you."
"You already bit me…!"
Edward was clearly in pain, and Cecilia felt secretly proud.
‘No, this isn’t the time to feel satisfied.’
Cecilia raised her sword.
"Please submit to arrest, Vice Commander. Otherwise, I’ll have to use force."
"…It’s not me."
Edward replied irritably as he pulled out a potion from the drawer. He was a germaphobe and had a compulsive need for cleanliness; the thought of someone else's saliva on him was unbearable.
‘Whoa, a 200-gold potion.’
Cecilia gulped. As expected of royalty, he had money to burn.
‘If I confiscate it, it’s all mine, right?’
Cecilia seriously committed to arresting him.
"It’s already too late. The documents I hold are perfect evidence—"
"Evidence?"
Edward had finished disinfecting and returned to his usual composure.
He wiped his hands with a white cloth and tilted his head.
"Why don’t you check?"
"What do you…"
Cecilia looked at the documents in her coat.
It was blank.
The ink had been neatly erased.
‘So that earlier strike was aimed at this. He got me.’
"It doesn’t matter. The ruin hasn’t been cleared yet. I can just go verify it myself."
"You think I wouldn’t have accounted for that? But if you’re looking for a traitor, you’ve come to the wrong place."
Cecilia tilted her head.
"I told you, didn’t I? I really do love this Order. Seriously, I don’t know what you’ve thought of me all this time…"
Edward neatly sorted his belongings, put them in the drawer, and pulled out another file, tossing it to her.
Cecilia used her blessing to pick up the document that had fallen on the floor.
‘Now that’s class.’
As she admired her own flawless and perfect self, Edward spoke again.
"That’s a separate file on my own investigation into the traitor. I’m sure it’s one of those four."
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"I figured as much, but I didn’t think even the Commander would suspect me."
‘So he thought he’d be the one leading the investigation all along.’
Cecilia blinked.
So, to sum it up…
Edward was innocent?
That couldn’t be—he was acting way too much like a final boss.
"I demand an explanation. Then why did the Vice Commander want the mission to fail?"
Edward let out a soft chuckle.
"Everyone has one or two secrets they’d rather keep buried."
What he said next made Cecilia's expression darken immediately.
"Just like how you’re hiding your own power."
***
Cecilia walked out of the Vice Commander office with a vacant look in her eyes and a hollow smile on her lips.
The secret to surviving office politics? Pretend you don’t know what you know, and pretend you do know what you don’t.
"Yup. I don’t know anything at all."
"What don’t you know?"
"……!"
Heiter suddenly appeared, startling Cecilia so badly that she reflexively flipped him over her shoulder.
"Gahk!"
Heiter, who’d just been brushing his teeth then got ambushed, groaned in pain and clutched his back.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"The, the culprit…!"
Cecilia, who had been lost in thought—So is Edward the traitor?—blurted it out in her panic.
"What?! Wait, no—hold on a sec!"
Heiter jumped to his feet and vehemently denied it.
"Me, a demon spy!? That’s ridiculous…!"
Unfortunately, a few Windsor Knights walking by the flowerbeds coincidentally overheard and whispered.
“Did you hear that? Heiter’s the traitor?”
“I always had a feeling, honestly.”
"Hey! Who the hell just said that?!"
The knights broke into a sweat and quickly scattered.
Cecilia covered her mouth in realization.
"So it was Heiter…"
"It was not!"
"You know what they say: strong denials are strong affirmations…"
Heiter looked like he was on the verge of tears from the sheer injustice.
Cecilia decided she’d teased him enough.
.
.
.
But it was too fun, so maybe just a little more.
"You’ll now be interrogated. If you’re guilty, please execute yourself voluntarily." (TL: Girl really said KYS!)
"……."
Heiter clenched his jaw in silence, falsely accused mid-toothbrushing.
‘Right. He gave me that document.’
She had momentarily forgotten due to the pressure of possibly having her true power exposed—or worse, getting stuck with some cringe title.
"Listen carefully. About your mission and the one Jerriway went on…"
Cecilia temporarily forgot Heiter and lost track of what he was saying, focusing instead on the documents in her hands.
=============
[ Investigation Report on Internal Info Leak ]
[ Heiter, Cecilia, Rude… Total of 6 individuals show no significant suspicion. Jerriway holds some questionable elements, but if he were the traitor, a far more destructive method would have been used. Thus, likelihood of a traitor among high-ranking knights is low. However, Jerriway cannot be ruled out completely. ]
[ Detailed list of suspects and suspicion points below. ]
=============
"……Hey, Cecilia? Are you even listening to me?"
"Yes. Please continue."
Cecilia continued flipping through the documents, letting Heiter’s words flow in one ear and out the other.
=============
A. Jerriway (Sword Emperor)
– Took initiative as the team leader, establishing the dungeon entry and retreat routes.
Testimony: “I’m telling you, for real! I didn’t drink this time... What? I smell like alcohol? W-Well, I did sip a little. But it was only medicinal wine. I’m a patient, you know.”
B. Marcus (Instructor)
– Compiled the report based on testimonies from apprentice knights after the “Tomb of the Skilled” mission; requested a 10-year record of Sword Princess Cecilia’s guidance.
Testimony: “The trainees’ skill level increased too dramatically… I was curious, that’s all.”
C. Elena (Support Mage)
– Excessive mana usage observed during the mission; suspicion of casting certain spells (e.g., potentially transmitting coordinates to demons).
Testimony: “I-It was just because… hic, I was scared, s-so I spammed spells…”
D. Ridel (Knight)
– Independently altered the retreat path during withdrawal.
Testimony: “I could feel the demons chasing us.”
=============
"H-hey, Cecilia? You’re actually listening, right?"
‘The culprit’s obvious.’
Only then did Cecilia look up from the report.
"C-Can I go now…?"
"As expected, I was right."
"Huh? Wait! Think again! I’ve got a rock-solid alibi!"
"The more perfect the alibi, the more likely they’re the culprit. After all, humans aren’t perfect. Except me."
"Why are you the exception?!"
Cecilia made a slightly troubled expression.
She had deduced the culprit, but there was something that didn’t quite sit right.
Something just out of reach—it was so frustrating, she resolved to wear a ponytail tomorrow to shake the feeling.
"No, really! At the time, I was in a meeting with Count Eloise! They were looking for a new knight to sponsor, so I personally brought Ridel over and even showed off a sparring match! Why won’t you believe me?!"
"……!"
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
Heiter’s words just now were a major kick.
The scattered puzzle pieces in her head suddenly connected like a single thread.
It was an incredibly clear sensation. This was the same level of liberation as finally finding the missing AirPod after a whole month.
‘It was so obvious I overlooked it. Lost things are always in your hand the whole time.’
Cecilia quickly put on the monocle she was wearing on her chest.
"The mystery is completely solved."
"……?"
"Heiter, please summon the entire Knights Order immediately. This is an order as an investigator."
"U-Uh? O-Okay… If the mighty investigator commands it…"
Cecilia was quite pleased with herself. Investigator—what a cool-sounding title.
"I will catch the culprit without fail."
But now wasn’t the time for jokes. Cecilia’s eyes gleamed as she flicked her cape dramatically.
She had long dreamed of a moment like this.
"For my grandfather’s honor!"
Heiter hesitated before muttering:
"Wait… you had a grandfather?"
Cecilia’s monocle clattered to the floor.
