Dumping the Sword Princess, and Veronica Leopold of the Red Fox Mercenaries
In truth, Victoria’s Snow Flower Twelve Swords is incomplete.
Victoria had inherited her family’s secret art from her father, but he passed away before she had even reached the age of ten, leaving him unable to guide her to its mastery. Ever since, she had been striving day and night to complete the Twelve Swords on her own.
And why did the game developers make it incomplete in the first place? Because that unfinished flaw is the very weakness Eugene Caesar exploits to shatter it.
It was a remarkably clever plot device. Given Victoria’s innate personality, she was actually far more difficult to pry away from Kyle than even his childhood friend Elena. Her sense of honor and loyalty was boundless. Yet the story managed to sever that bond anyway.
During her fated duel with Eugene Caesar, the Sword Princess unleashes her family’s supreme secret art, only for Eugene’s absurd protagonist plot armor to break clean through it.
In the original storyline, that defeat marks the exact turning point where the dynamic between the Sword Princess and that bastard Eugene completely shifts... Heheh!
Alongside the treasured family heirloom blade, Nostalgia, the Snow Flower Twelve Swords was Victoria’s most precious memento of her late father. To have her absolute pride, her very soul, shattered in combat was devastating enough—yet the loss did not end in despair. Through that defeat, Victoria caught a glimpse of the path toward perfecting her art. She began to revere Eugene almost as a mentor, and the heart of Victoria Wallenstein—once an impregnable fortress—drifted irrevocably away from Kyle.
Which means, looked at another way, if I were to exploit that incomplete technique first, I could easily make Victoria my own heroine...
For a fleeting second, a devilish whisper echoed in my mind, urging me to break the unfinished Snow Flower Twelve Swords and claim the undisputed finest backside in all of The Swordsman the Young Ladies Are Obsessed With.
However...
No way in hell. Severing ties with all the heroines across the board is the only sane choice. If I try to greedily hold onto even one, it'll only drag me straight into Eugene Caesar’s orbit down the line.
I had no intention of winning this match. I was going to lose. I would take a spectacular beating, disgust Victoria to her core, and head straight to Salvatore without looking back. I wasn't leaving a single loose variable to chance.
“How long has it been? Nearly six years?”
Swaaaaa...!
A soft luminescence flared as I manifested the deep blue spatial rift of a Sword Expert’s Weapon Inventory.
“Indeed, Victoria... However I look at it, today feels like a splendid day to get beaten like a dog by you for old time’s sake...”
Shriiiing...!
With a defeatist declaration dripping with two hundred percent surrender, I smoothly drew the treasured sword Helios from the rift.
Twitch.
At my words, plotting capitulation before a single blow had even landed, the Sword Princess’s brow twitched violently.
Whooosh!
So thoroughly provoked that she didn't even bother uttering a kiai, she surged toward me with terrifying momentum. I say surged because the tips of her martial boots were practically floating, hovering a breath above the ground.
Clang! Clang-clang! Claaang!
What a vicious flurry...
It was a relentless cascade of continuous strikes born of movements that defied gravity itself. Such was the essence of the Snow Flower Twelve Swords—a sublime martial concept where mana fused seamlessly with internal energy to unleash fluid, unpredictable, ever-shifting trajectories.
Unlike standard linear swordsmanship, it relies on rotational momentum and seamless grace! Now this is true martial arts fantasy!
I was forced onto the defensive in an instant. Unable to extend my blade even once, entirely occupied with parrying, I watched her with eyes so thoroughly enraptured that no one could possibly mistake me for a man fighting for his life. Well, of course I was staring. As a devoted player, she had always been one of my absolute favorites.
Now that is what I call living on the razor’s edge!
It was breathtaking in every sense of the word.
Those massive breasts look ready to spill out at any second! Talk about an occupational hazard!
Forget my own danger; I was genuinely worried her physique would violate the game’s age rating. Her chest boasted H-cup breasts larger even than Elena’s, and the official illustrations had captured her captivating allure whenever she performed her lethal sword dance. Fans had gone utterly feral over her.
And that brazen side slit on her dress, teasing a glimpse of her undergarments with every spin! Ah, fuck it, should I just win and make her mine?
The forms of the Snow Flower Twelve Swords were dazzling, and the attire of the Wallenstein women was equally striking. That dangerously high slit on her lower robe was lethal in its own right. Bringing the two together elevated the duel to a peerless work of art—an art so exquisite it nearly shattered my resolve to suffer a pathetic defeat!
“What are you doing? Have you forgotten how to wield a sword entirely?”
My wandering, reform-minded gaze probably looked to Victoria like a frantic attempt to analyze her footwork. She was just that kind of woman. Assuming I had lost the will to fight and was merely scrambling to dodge, her irritation flared openly.
We’ve hit the limit. Any more flawless blocks and dodges will start feeling unnatural.
In terms of pure technical ability, Victoria held roughly a two-move advantage over Kyle. It was normally a single move, but with the Twelve Swords active, the gap widened to two. In reality, Kyle shouldn't have been able to defend himself at all. Yet how was this reformed Kyle holding his ground? By combining Kyle’s elite baseline stats with my exhaustive meta-knowledge of her forms.
Time to wrap this up.
Flash!
I had enjoyed the view to my heart's content, so now came the moment for a glorious, scripted defeat. Behold the fierce glint in my eyes! My dedication to losing was absolute.
Then, Kyle made his move.
W-What?!
The Sword Princess’s stoic expression shattered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“Hyaaah!”
Pffft!
It was the most spineless, half-hearted battle cry imaginable, accompanied by a thrust so utterly pathetic it bordered on farce.
What on earth... is this...?
Could this truly be Kyle’s attack? The relentlessly driven Kyle, who had once thrown himself madly into becoming the strongest swordsman alive?!
Snap!
To Victoria, this went far beyond mocking their shared history as rivals—it was a direct humiliation.
Her composure shattered completely.
WHACK!!
“Aaaargh!”
Abandoning the noble grace of the Snow Flower Twelve Swords, the Sword Princess brought the broad flat of the heirloom blade Nostalgia down on Kyle's skull like a farmer clubbing a mad dog or smashing a backyard pumpkin.
“Gaaah!”
SPLAT!!
Kyle let out an unvarnished howl of agony as he crashed face-first onto the courtyard stones.
“How could you! How! How could you?!”
Whack! Smack! Thwack! Pow!
“Ow! Ack! Argh! Stop, I'm dying!”
Her face flushed crimson with fury, Victoria shrieked like a wounded beast, raining blows with the flat of her blade upon the rival who had so bitterly disappointed her, treating him no better than a dusty rug.
“Pant...! Gasp...! Huff...!”
After about fifteen solid whacks, Victoria stood over the sprawled, twitching Kyle, glaring down with ragged breaths.
“Stand up. Stand up and draw your sword.”
She wasn't finished. Naturally. There was no way the proud Sword Princess would allow such a humiliating farce to conclude like this. Victoria Wallenstein leveled the tip of Nostalgia straight at him, demanding a second round.
Tremble, tremble...
Her hands and the tip of the blade shuddered violently from the sheer weight of her indignation. Yet in response to her simmering rage, Kyle offered only a pathetic groan:
“Defeat... Total defeat... Everything hurts...”
De... feat...?
It was a word she had never once heard from Kyle’s lips. No, Kyle had never acknowledged the concept of defeat in his entire life.
“P-Pick up... Pick up your sword... The sword...”
Victoria’s gaze wavered uncertainly.
“Ugggh... I lost... You win, Victoria.”
Flop!
Kyle rolled flat onto his back, spread-eagled across the ground. A complete, unreserved declaration of capitulation.
“Pick up your sword, Kyle de Rosen!!!”
BOOOOM!!
Victoria swung Nostalgia downward, striking the courtyard with enough force to threaten the mana-reinforced stone.
“I already told you,” Kyle replied evenly, pushing his upper body upright without a shred of agitation. “The sword is merely a tool for survival to me now.”
Rustle.
“The present me has no desire to defeat you, Victoria. Which means I can no longer offer you any motivation as a rival. That is the Kyle de Rosen who stands before you.”
Brush, brush, brush.
Standing up completely, Kyle dusted the dirt from his clothes. It was a gesture that felt like a quiet, symbolic severing of their lifelong rivalry.
“I’ll take my leave then.”
Turning his back, Kyle walked away.
“Make sure to become a Sword Master. No, a Sword Saint. I know you can do it, Victoria.”
He left her with words of encouragement that, to Victoria’s ears, rang hollow and distant. Long after Kyle had vanished around the corridor, Victoria remained frozen in place, paralyzed by an unbearable silence.
Clatter!
Nostalgia slipped from her trembling right hand, tumbling uselessly onto the stone pavers.
Ah, fuck me, that hurts like hell...
Waking up the next morning, the sharp stench of pain-relief patches filled the bedchamber. I had tried to play it cool while making my exit, but yesterday and today had been pure agony. When I told her it hurt, I hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest. I'm an honest man. I genuinely thought my skull was going to crack when she was beating me with the flat of Nostalgia.
Still, when that alert popped up, I figured the beating was worth every copper. Heheh...
[A certain change has occurred in your worldline.]
Just like with Elena, severing the bond with a core heroine triggered a tangible shift in fate. It confirmed that clearing out the heroines had a massive impact on my destiny. Other actions—like treating the mansion servants with kindness unlike the old Kyle—hadn't triggered any notifications at all.
At any rate, that’s two down. Two of the three trickiest heroines to handle, and I got through the opening moves pretty cleanly.
Elena was the heroine closest to Kyle, while Victoria was the most proactive. Broadly speaking, some heroines allowed for a delicate balancing act, while others required nipping the bud immediately. Elena and Victoria belonged squarely in the latter camp.
On the other hand, today I meet someone I definitely need to bring to my side. Heheheh...!
Not walking a tightrope, nor cutting ties, but a case where turning them into an ally was the optimal play. The guest visiting our ducal estate today was precisely that kind of person.
Whoa!
Cold and distant to those I must cut away, warm and inviting to those I must keep. That was my policy. In truth, I was quite a warm-hearted fellow. So I stepped out into the garden to welcome my prospective companions personally, and from the moment they appeared, I nearly gasped aloud.
Behold, the female mercenary of a romance fantasy! Bikini armor in the flesh!!!
The guests arriving today were the mercenaries I had requested from my father. A company commanded by a woman, no less. Well, of course. This was a character from a male-oriented romance fantasy game, after all. And she was a character who strolled about in literal bikini armor. It was scandalous enough on a screen, but seeing it right before my eyes was enough to drive a man insane.
“Pleasure to meet you, Young Master. I can call you Young Master, right?”
The company was the Red Fox Mercenary Corps, and its leader was Veronica Leopold, known far and wide by the moniker "Red Fox."
“Of course.”
“Oh my~ How cool of you.”
She was older than me, twenty-nine to be exact. A delightfully breezy and sly older sister type.
Awakened individuals really are tall. Veronica’s height was 179 centimeters, wasn't it?
Unlocking mana channels enhanced not just internal power, but external physique as well. Those who awakened as a Runner or higher stood an average of four centimeters taller than ordinary folk. That explained Elena's 173-centimeter frame and the Sword Princess's 176 centimeters.
Damn... and Ivan's build is ridiculous! 194 centimeters! Bigger than me! A solid 130 kilograms!
Veronica had brought three subordinates with her: a burly giant of a man, a female archer, and a fairly handsome young fellow. She gave a brisk introduction of the trio.
“The young master of House Rosen is quite the prominent figure. I can’t help but wonder how you even heard of our little mercenary band when we barely have a name to speak of?”
We soon settled around the table in the guest hall to begin our discussions.
“As someone who once pursued the sword, I harbored a deep interest in House Leopold. It was only natural that I kept abreast of the current heir’s whereabouts.”
The first reason to recruit Veronica: unlike common mercenaries, their commander hailed from nobility, ensuring strict hierarchy and discipline. Much like Eugene Caesar, Veronica was of fallen noble blood.
“Oh? Sounds plausible enough.”
It was a thoroughly convincing explanation. House Leopold was... how should one put it? A rather enigmatic lineage. Famous for their swordsmanship, but recognized only by true sword fanatics.
“And through that, I also learned of the esteemed Sir Ivan's prowess. To think you were the discipline officer and vanguard captain of the Brass Knights, one of the greatest private orders on the continent. It’s no wonder the Red Fox Mercenaries boast such exceptional discipline.”
“You flatter me, Young Master. It is merely a modest history.”
The axe-wielding Ivan was a veteran mercenary in his forties who had once served in the Brass Knights, ranked among the continent’s top three noble-backed private orders. With a noble-born commander and an elite knight advisor, the Red Fox Mercenaries possessed an organizational structure far tighter than ordinary mercenary troupes.
“Our advisor is far too humble. You commanded immense respect among the Brass Knights, didn’t you?”
“Hahaha! That only proves I was terrible at my job, Commander. A discipline officer is supposed to be despised.”
Veronica seemed pleased to hear her subordinate praised, the corners of her lips curling into an enchanting smile. Of course, I had said it entirely by design. Merciless toward heroines to cut off, warm and attentive toward allies to embrace.
To be frank, I don’t know all that much about House Leopold myself. They weren’t given much spotlight in the game.
The second reason to hire Veronica: she wasn't a heroine. She was, strictly speaking, a prominent supporting character. One might even argue she played a major supporting role.
So what’s the difference between a heroine and a major supporting character like Veronica? She never gets romantically entangled with Eugene.
Heroines were bound to the protagonist by emotion, and emotions were notoriously impossible to control. But Veronica never viewed Eugene as a man in the original novel. She didn't work for him out of affection, nor did she support him out of love.
“Even so, offering such a generous base salary to a crew with modest credentials makes me wonder if you have some hidden agenda, Young Master.”
The reason Veronica had stayed by Eugene Caesar’s side in the original story was simple: money and trust. Eugene paid handsomely and brought reliable commissions. Even when others claimed a quest was too difficult, Eugene placed full faith in the Red Fox Mercenaries. That was why Veronica had remained his companion despite receiving better offers elsewhere.
“Because to me, credibility and responsibility matter far more than a lengthy resume. In that regard, everything I investigated about the Red Fox Mercenaries was flawless.”
“And what led you to that conclusion?”
“I personally visited several villages where you carried out commissions. Every single client spoke highly of your work. You never caused trouble, not once.”
“Ah...”
If I secured them first, paid them handsomely, and continually entrusted them with critical assignments, Veronica would remain steadfastly by my side.
“Our young master seems clever... and has a keen eye for people... But above all else...”
The third reason Veronica was so well suited for my plans: I possessed a selling point that appealed to her far more than Eugene Caesar ever could.
Heheh...! Looks like the charm is already taking effect...
And that selling point was none other than—!