Chapter 21
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21
For a moment, Lucian rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had misseen.
But no matter how many times he looked, there was no mistaking it—the face of the Sword Demon was right there.
Standing among the ten knights and two maids surrounding the Marquis’s son.
The problem was Felix’s attire.
What’s with the maid uniform?
He could have understood if Felix had turned out to be the Marquis’s son or one of the young knights. Even while rolling in the dirt as a mercenary, the man’s swordsmanship had been disciplined, and he’d always carried a strange air of nobility.
But a maid? Not the son, not a knight, but a maid?
He had always been handsome enough to make his gender ambiguous, but this was beyond expectations.
...Wait, was he cross-dressing as a man when we met?
Suddenly, Lucian wondered if his initial assumption had been wrong all along.
Thinking back, Felix’s face had always been far too delicate for a man. It made more sense that she was originally a woman who had disguised herself as a man to become a mercenary, rather than a man who had dressed as a maid now.
Just as his head began to ache from the sudden revelation of an old acquaintance’s secret—
“I see you’ve made all the necessary preparations. Though it seems you haven’t actually produced anything yet.”
“Have you forgotten that today is the first day of production? I only delayed it because you insisted on seeing it for yourself, yet you speak as if it’s my fault.”
“Watch your tongue, boy. Do you think I’m your friend?”
The conversation between Hugo and his prey snapped Lucian out of his idle thoughts.
Secret of the Sword Demon or not, right now he needed to focus on the capture. Lucian shifted his gaze from Felix to the Marquis’s son.
He’s young. About my age?
Philip Roglan.
The fourth son of Marquis Roglan, a man who hadn't even participated in the succession competition. Lucian had heard that Philip had been so intimidated by the balanced power of his brothers that he’d surrendered his rights immediately.
He had expected a timid mouse, but the boy was acting quite haughty toward Hugo.
At a glance, he was the typical sort who was strong against the weak and weak against the strong.
“Stop the useless chatter and start the process! I came here to supervise and make sure you’re doing your job, not to exchange pleasantries.”
“Please wait a moment. I will bring out the materials.”
Clap, clap.
As Hugo clapped twice, his subordinates hurried toward the crates. To a casual observer, it looked like they were moving to fetch ingredients, but in reality, they were retreating to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
The moment the rest of Hugo’s men were sufficiently far from the Marquis’s party—
“Go.”
Swish!
“What!?”
At the signal, five Black Lions lunged from their hiding spots. Philip recoiled in terror at the sudden ambush. His escort knights, who had been on high alert, quickly drew their swords to respond.
“How dare you—!”
Slash!
“Gah!”
It was a perfect response for an escort, but they were facing the wrong opponents. No matter how elite they were, they were no match for the Black Lions. Despite having double the numbers, the knights couldn't even properly block a single strike before being cut down.
Thud.
“Urgh...!”
In less than a minute, all ten knights were groaning on the ground. Some were knocked unconscious by pommel strikes to the forehead, while others had their ankle tendons nicked, leaving them unable to stand.
They had been neutralized in a single exchange. The gap in skill was so vast it was almost embarrassing to call them fellow knights.
“What are you idiots doing!? Stand up and fight!”
Good grief.
Instead of using the time to run, the boy was busy berating his own knights. Lucian clicked his tongue and gave an order to one of the Black Lions.
“Silence him and bring him over.”
“Yes, Third Young Master.”
Clink.
The Black Lion sheathed his sword and approached Philip. It looked like he intended to knock him out with the scabbard. Only then did the panicked Philip scream.
“Fe—Felicia! What are you doing!? Protect me! If you’re a wench who’s only good for swinging a sword, at least be useful now!”
“...Sigh.”
One of the maids let out a long sigh at Philip’s pathetic shouting. The maid called Felicia pushed aside the other trembling maid and picked up a sword from the ground. It was one of the blades the Black Lions had knocked from a knight’s hand moments ago.
“Tsk, making me waste my energy.”
The Black Lion approaching Philip clicked his tongue. What did a mere maid think she could do with a sword?
“Move.”
The Black Lion casually swung his sheathed sword. The trajectory was straight, but the strike was fast enough that even a knight would have struggled to parry it.
However, the swung blade cut through empty air, missing Felicia entirely.
“What—!?”
Thwack!
With a sharp impact, the Black Lion staggered. Felicia, who had ducked low, had surged upward and driven her pommel into his jaw. The Black Lion tried to steady himself, but his legs gave out, and he collapsed backward.
Thud.
“....”
“....”
A heavy silence fell as an outcome no one expected played out. A moment later, the remaining Black Lions snapped out of their shock and bristled.
“Are you kidding me!?”
“A maid did that...!?”
The four remaining Black Lions glared at Felicia as if they were about to pounce. Yet, they didn't all rush her at once. It would be a disgrace for multiple Black Lions to gang up on a single maid.
“I’ll handle this.”
Gritting his teeth, another knight stepped toward Felicia. Unlike his fallen comrade, he showed no signs of carelessness; he clearly intended to end this in one blow.
Felicia watched him and took a deep breath.
Whoosh!
“Kuh!?”
Along with the sound of air being sliced, a groan escaped the second Black Lion’s lips. He had already drawn his sword and slashed at Felicia’s position, but she had dodged by a hair’s breadth and struck his greaves.
Gasps of shock erupted from the Black Lions, who had now been humiliated twice.
“What the—! She reacted to that attack!?”
“Impossible! Is that maid at the same level as us!?”
“She didn't react. She moved because she predicted the attack.”
“Pardon?”
Lucian spoke up toward the bewildered Black Lions.
“She didn't even see your movements. She simply predicted when you would move and at what speed, then moved according to a predetermined path.”
“...Is that even possible?”
“She’s doing it, isn't she? Look closely.”
Lucian gestured toward Felicia with his chin. Only then did the others get a good look at her condition.
Beads of sweat covered her forehead, and her shoulders were twitching with tremors. Though she had only dodged twice, she was clearly not in a normal state.
“You overused your mana to force your body to keep up with the speed, didn't you? Your muscles must feel like they’re tearing right now. Are you alright?”
“....”
Felicia bit her lip in silence. At her silence, which was as good as an admission, Philip shouted from behind her in a trembling voice.
“Fe—Felicia! Protect me even if you die! That’s your job! Do you hear me!?”
“Shut up, you moron. I’m trying to concentrate, so stay still.”
“Wh—What? How dare this half-wit...!”
Ignoring Philip, Felicia resumed her stance. She couldn't hide her slight trembling, but it seemed she still had enough strength for one last counterattack.
Just as a provoked Black Lion was about to draw his sword, Lucian stepped forward.
“Step back. I’ll do it.”
“Third Young Master!? This is my fight!”
“And what, do you plan to kill her? Are you going to silence her here just because you don't want the Black Lions’ honor tarnished?”
“I believe you gave us discretionary power, sir.”
“I’m revoking that power. I’m sorry, but I can't let such a brilliant talent die just for the sake of your pride. I need to take her alive.”
“Then I will subdue her myself and hand her over.”
“I have a feeling I’d just hear an excuse about your hand slipping, so I’ll decline. Fall back.”
The Black Lion grit his teeth in frustration but eventually retreated. Having received the Grand Duke’s orders, he had no choice but to obey Lucian.
However, he didn't forget to leave a parting word.
“Be careful. Since you’ve chosen to subdue her yourself, we cannot help you if something goes wrong.”
It was phrased politely, but it was a warning that if he got hurt, it was his own responsibility for stepping forward. Lucian gave a small smirk without answering and picked up one of the swords lying on the ground.
He’s weak.
The moment Felicia saw Lucian, she could tell his approximate level. His muscle mass was poor, and there weren't even calluses on his palms. In terms of pure strength and speed, he was undoubtedly far below the two men she had just fought.
Above all, based on the previous conversation, this boy was clearly the leader.
If I take him hostage, I can get out of here.
She didn't care about the honor of House Roglan or the life of the idiot behind her. But since such a major incident had occurred in someone else’s territory, she had to find a way to escape. Unlike the high and mighty nobles, Felicia’s life could be snuffed out at any moment.
“Hooo.”
She circulated mana through her aching muscles once more. Fortunately, she could still move normally two or three more times. That should be more than enough to subdue this young noble.
“Are you ready?”
“....”
Felicia narrowed her eyes at his words. She didn't like the relaxed attitude of this weakling noble. Did he think he could win just because her condition had worsened slightly?
Let’s see how long that composure lasts.
Felicia took her stance as the opponent slowly approached. She planned to lure him in to the point of no return and then launch a counter. Whether he knew her intention or not, the boy attacked immediately.
Swish!
A simple diagonal slash? Give me a break.
She almost scoffed at the predictable attack. She felt like a fool for being even slightly wary. It was the moment Felicia dodged the attack and was about to swing her own blade—
Thud!
“...!”
With a jarring impact that made her head ring, Felicia fell to her knees. Just before her vision faded, she saw the sword that had suddenly shifted its path from a diagonal to a downward strike.
The moment she saw the bizarre trajectory of the blade, she realized what had happened.
This... is my technique...
How on earth?
Before she could even finish the thought, Felicia lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Good. It’s over.”
“....”
The eyes of the Black Lions shaking as they looked at Lucian.
He was certainly far from being considered ‘strong.’ His muscles had cramped just from matching a Black Knight’s speed twice.
But regardless of that, it was clear he possessed a god-given talent. Even if the opponent had been careless, knocking out one Black Lion and landing a clean hit on another was not something just anyone could do.
It was a guess, but in an opening exchange, she probably wouldn't have been pushed back even in a head-on fight with an average knight.
And the Third Young Master beat such a skilled fighter in a single exchange?
It was mind-boggling. This was the Third Young Master, who had been learning the sword for less than two months. They had brushed off the news of him beating the Fourth Young Master since they were both novices, but this was different.
He had instantly seen through an opponent’s technique that even the Black Lions hadn't recognized, and he had used it to counter and end the fight in one blow. He had even perfectly mimicked the opponent’s move to subdue her without killing her, exactly as he intended.
In terms of pure combat sense, it was no exaggeration to say he surpassed the Black Lions.
...Maybe the rumors about him being a lion hiding its claws were true.
While the Black Lions’ gazes shifted, Lucian looked down at the fallen Felicia and muttered to himself.
She still hasn't fixed that habit of always ducking when a taller opponent slashes diagonally. Made it easy to take her down.