The Sword Master's Trial
Thanks to Siris's scheming, I ended up stuck accompanying Sophia to her Sword Master qualification exam.
The journey from Erebos to the royal capital took two days by carriage. Not exactly a long trip. I'd been thinking of tagging along on some merchant caravan for a low-key ride, but…
“A carriage has been prepared. I hope you have a comfortable journey.”
“…”
The royal family had simply tossed an enormous carriage our way.
And not just any carriage—it was ridiculously luxurious, emblazoned with the royal crest.
The very same one Siris had arrived in during the full moon festival, when the investigation committee was held.
Naturally, this carriage was practically a moving palace representing the royal family itself, so Erebos went into full emergency mode. It was like a four-star general suddenly marching into a military base.
Just like that, I got my Cinderella moment.
“Wow… There’s even drinks stored in here. And they’re cold!”
“Must be a magically preserved compartment.”
Sophia happily poked around every item inside the carriage.
For the record, there was no coachman. Horses were pulling it, but the whole thing ran completely on its own. Whether they’d trained horses that couldn’t even understand speech or were using some kind of remote control, it wasn’t exactly standard fantasy-world technology.
“Lady Sophia, do you have any information about the Sword Master qualification exam from Beatrice… I mean, from the mutt?”
“They hold it every year.”
“I already knew that.”
“And… um… there are twenty candidates in total.”
Quite a lot.
Since the requirement was the ability to use sword aura, that meant over twenty knights across the continent could wield it.
“Out of those, how many can actually become Sword Masters?”
“Normally only one, but apparently one spot opened up after someone got demoted last time.”
“Hmm…”
In the original story Sophia became a Sword Master without any trouble, so I hadn’t been worried. But now that the exam was real, a bit of anxiety crept in.
Out of twenty top-tier experts from across the continent, Sophia had to place first or at least second.
“You seem remarkably relaxed, Lady Sophia.”
Unlike my obvious concern, Sophia looked perfectly at ease. She took a sip of juice she’d pulled from the magical fridge, then tilted her head at me with a puzzled look.
“Wha?”
“…Finish drinking first, then speak.”
“*Gulp* Relaxed? What do you mean?”
“Well… the exam only picks two out of twenty. Aren’t you nervous?”
At my question, Sophia scrunched her face in an adorable frown.
“I’m not nervous. You believed in me, Master.”
“…”
“So I believe in the me that you believe in.”
I hadn’t really believed in her that much.
But apparently that was how it looked to Sophia.
Well, praise makes even whales dance, or so they say.
Though Sophia was closer to a shark than a whale…
“Right. I’ll cheer you on. That said, you don’t necessarily have to pass the exam. In my eyes, you’re already stronger than any swordsman out there.”
That much, at least, I meant sincerely.
*
“Waaah…!”
The moment we arrived at the royal capital, Sophia’s eyes sparkled.
Honestly, I felt the same.
It was the kind of feeling a country bumpkin gets seeing Seoul for the first time—the capital’s scenery was completely different from Erebos.
Buildings were at least three stories tall. The main avenue was a full six lanes wide. No matter where you looked, the place was packed with people. A true megalopolis.
“Huh? Master! People are suddenly kneeling!”
“…Pretend you don’t see it, Lady Sophia.”
To protect Sophia’s innocence, I decided to keep the embarrassing truth—that they were bowing to our carriage—to myself.
Eventually we reached the Royal Knights’ headquarters, where the Sword Master qualification exam was being held. As if they’d been waiting, a knight stepped forward and gave a formal salute.
“Welcome, Lady Aquilova. And Sir Leo, her mentor.”
For some reason, he’d upgraded my title to “Sir.”
Was I being treated as a knight now?
Either way, the excessive courtesy was overwhelming.
“The exam will be held tomorrow. This evening we’ve prepared a banquet, so please rest from your journey.”
I wanted nothing more than to flee to our lodgings, but I was genuinely hungry after the trip.
Above all, Sophia’s eyes lit up the moment she heard there would be plenty of food, so I ended up being dragged to the banquet hall like an owner walking an overexcited puppy.
And so we arrived at the banquet.
A ridiculously high ceiling.
Chandeliers.
Mountains of delicacies piled on long tables.
Sophia’s eyes were spinning so fast I couldn’t even blame her.
“…Hm.”
Every gaze in the hall turned toward us.
Some were curious, some wary, and a few openly hostile.
“Lady Sophia, have you made any enemies?”
“No? I don’t know any of these people.”
Completely oblivious to the tension, Sophia scooped up a handful of pastries and stuffed them into her mouth.
It was honestly impressive how she maintained her figure while eating like that.
“No… that’s not the issue.”
The real problem was that anyone who had shown up for the Sword Master exam had to be highly skilled. Drawing hostile stares this early was bad news.
I wanted to minimize variables as much as possible.
I sat down carefully, scanning the faces still glaring at Sophia like they wanted her dead.
The moment I saw the family crests on their chests, everything made sense.
“…Kreuz.”
The Count Kreuz household.
A prestigious swordsmanship family with deep roots in the kingdom.
They and Sophia were bound by a terrible grudge.
‘First… Sophia killed the Kreuz heiress.’
Even if it was because she’d been possessed by a Shade, the surface-level fact remained: Sophia had delivered the final blow to Isabella Kreuz.
And that wasn’t all.
‘…They also sent an assassin during the dungeon exploration practicum.’
They’d tried to kill Sophia with an assassin, only to be repelled instead. That incident had led to the head of the Kreuz family—Raimund von Kreuz, one of the seven current Sword Masters—relinquishing his title and disappearing from the public eye.
Only then did I understand what Sophia had meant when she said one spot had opened up among the Sword Master exam passers.
Since Raimund had fallen from grace, they needed a new Sword Master to fill the vacancy.
Even though it had been self-defense and an unavoidable situation, the fact remained that one woman named Sophia Aquilova had single-handedly destroyed an entire noble house.
No wonder they were glaring at her like they wanted her dead.
Just as I reached that conclusion—
“Hey, traitor’s spawn.”
A young man from the Kreuz family, probably in his late twenties, approached our table.
Sophia didn’t even register that the insult was aimed at her and kept her face buried in the food. Eventually the young man scowled and called out again.
“Traitor’s daughter, Aquilova. I’m talking to you.”
“Huh?”
Only then did Sophia look up. Cream was smeared all over her mouth. The sight made the young man’s face twist in disgust.
“How dare you show your face here, Aquilova?”
“I was invited. By Brownie.”
“You insolent—! This isn’t a place for the likes of you. You’re the filthy bloodline of a traitor who assassinated the late king. Do you really think you deserve to become a Sword Master? You should be hanging from the gallows, yet you have the nerve to walk around with your head held high.”
Even Sophia couldn’t help but have her eyes waver at those words.
Traitor’s bloodline.
It had been a long time since she’d heard that phrase. Ever since she’d taken first place in the Knight Department, it had rarely been said in Erebos.
But this place was different. Most of the knights who qualified for the Sword Master exam were middle-aged or older. They knew Sophia’s father had committed treason—and they had lived through it themselves.
“When our father cut down your old man, everyone cheered. This exam will be the same. I’ll take your head and wash away the stain on our family name.”
The man growled.
I didn’t know the details, but it was clear he was the Kreuz heir. He’d come to take the Sword Master exam to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Though he was older than Sophia, being in his twenties in a room full of middle-aged and older knights meant he was an exceptionally skilled swordsman himself.
However…
‘He never appeared in the game, that’s for sure.’
If he were that talented, he should’ve shown up in the original story.
At the very least, Sophia was the protagonist, and this guy was just some nameless extra who never even got a scene.
So I could speak to him with complete confidence.
“Young Lord Kreuz.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did the man notice the man in priest robes sitting beside Sophia, listening to their conversation.
Me.
I had spoken. Sophia stared at me with wide, startled eyes, and so did everyone else in the banquet hall.
Honestly, I’d wanted to keep my head down during this exam too.
‘But how could I just sit there while my disciple was being insulted?’
Even if our master-disciple relationship was one-sided, Sophia still saw me as her teacher.
I might not have acted very teacher-like until now, but I could at least save face.
“It must’ve been quite a shock when your father fell from grace so disgracefully. Tripping over a rock and then smashing your head against it in rage is basically suicide, isn’t it?”
“Wh-what did you say?”
“Or perhaps you’re so lacking in confidence that you’re trying to rattle a competitor’s mind before the exam? If so, that’s… truly pathetic. Where did you sell off your knightly honor?”
In an instant, the air in the banquet hall froze over.
Just as the man’s face began to redden, I drove the final nail in.
“Or what, are you planning to send assassins again like last time—fair and square, of course?”
At my words, red veins bulged on the man’s forehead.