Chapter 10
"The author is a swordsman on the verge of becoming a Sword Expert. The Sword Expert realm is typically defined by the ability to manifest aura...... Aura is the power bestowed upon humans by great nature itself, based on mana. Mana is nature in its purest form, so it essentially doesn't harm humans. But those who reach expert level infuse their aura with killing intent, turning it into the ultimate weapon of slaughter...... Criteria for choosing a good sword include the type of iron, origin, blacksmith's skill, number of folds, presence of magic, and usually regions that circulate good steel O"
He was, to put it nicely, a man devoted to his profession—or to put it bluntly, a sword-obsessed lunatic. He usually kept up the stoic knight commander persona, but the moment any debate about swords arose, he transformed into an explaining machine. That sudden shift was hilarious and kinda cute.
He was one of the popular male lead candidates in Night of the Fairies.
I'd given him my affection vote to Rainer while reading the book because of that charm. But,
"If it wouldn't be rude, might I have a word?"
Meeting a guy like that as a Sword Master was a serious problem.
His footsteps halted right behind my back with a thud.
I couldn't turn around easily with that voice laced with what felt like madness. Rainer Ainheart, the sword-crazed knight, never let go of anyone with a higher skill level than his.
That was the issue.
...It's fine.
If things go south, I can strike and run.
I forced myself to calm down. It wouldn't be like the late-game where he fully awakens as a Sword Master—no, at his current Sword Expert level, I could definitely overpower him.
After several deep breaths, I turned around.
"What is it?"
I faced Rainer head-on, who had approached so close. The distance between us was less than an arm's length. Because of our height difference, I had to tilt my gaze sharply upward to meet his eyes.
For a moment, I held my breath.
Silver-gray hair shining coldly like the moon illuminating the midnight sky. Golden eyes gleaming languidly like those of the apex predator in the food chain. Fierce, beast-like eyes with a steadfast yet bored impression. Indifferent gaze.
Rainer was the proud owner of a devastatingly handsome face, as befitting a male lead.
He's on par with Didi.
I furrowed my brow, vividly recalling Didi's striking features. My eyes struggled to focus for a second after confronting such extreme beauty out of nowhere.
"I happened to glimpse your aura on my way by."
As expected, Rainer dove straight into sword talk, his eyes lighting up. Those beast-like golden eyes gleamed with excitement bordering on frenzy.
Was this guy's keyword 'obsessive yandere'?
I remembered him as the type who was indifferent to everything but tender to his woman.
His eyes were completely unhinged right now.
"And?"
I suppressed the creeping unease.
Rainer's eyes flashed. They blinked open and shut repeatedly, then his lips curved into a sly smile. I tensed up at the blossoming beauty and the soft parting of his coral-pink lips.
"Are you, by any chance, the Mercenary King, Black Calamity Mir?"
Damn...
I let out a heavy sigh. I'd known there was no escaping it once a sword-obsessed maniac like him had seen my aura, but that didn't stop my head from throbbing.
The original story's male lead had figured out who I was.
This is what happens when you get too famous.
I rubbed my forehead internally. Officially recognized Sword Masters had epithets based on their aura colors. Kaiser Crisis was the "Red Sword Demon," and Mercenary Mir was the "Black Calamity."
Becoming this famous as Black Calamity Mir was never my intention.
I worked myself to death and accidentally became a Sword Master—what can you do!
I'd first hidden my face and used the alias "Mir" to avoid being dismissed as a little girl.
A rough disguise was enough for people to mistake me for a young man.
My short stature was a problem, but once I made those critics kneel and look up at me, the debates died down quick.
I took mercenary jobs as Mir for the money, slaughtering magic beasts like a madwoman. Before I knew it, I'd become famous.
"Thank you so much... really, if Mir hadn't come, our village would've been reduced to ruins by the magic beast horde. We're sorry and grateful that you came despite our meager reward. Other mercenaries wouldn't come because the pay was too low..."
"Mir! Thank you for saving our village! I wanna grow up to be just like you!"
"Our village always welcomes you, Mir. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to us! We'll sell our village treasure if we have to!"
I gained notoriety partly from reaching Sword Master level, but mostly from helping villages that regular mercenaries skipped because of low pay, taking down their magic beasts.
...I couldn't just leave them alone.
I didn't care about abstract things like the misfortunes of unspecified masses, poverty, or world peace if I hadn't seen them myself.
But as a mercenary, I'd witnessed poor villages crumbling under magic beast attacks with my own eyes.
"Aaaah! Please spare us!"
"Waaah! Mom! Dad! Wake up!"
"Mir! Please, please help us. If you don't, our village will be wiped out!"
Kids bursting into tears after losing parents to magic beasts, people begging me for aid—I couldn't ignore it once I'd seen it. I had to help. It was my weak nature.
But I can't work for free either.
I'm no hero. My top priority was buying fairy forest essence.
So I made a rule for myself: After one paying job, I'd help dangerous villages even if the reward was low.
Then at some point, they started calling me the Mercenary King... and as one of the empire's official Sword Masters, I even got the epithet "Black Calamity." People began revering me as a mysterious, identity-unknown hero.
Fame brought in good jobs, but it created a problem: gossip lovers started digging into my identity.
My identity getting out wouldn't be the end of the world, but if they used it to target Aria as my weakness...
I shuddered at the horrific thought. I hadn't done anything evil, but right after becoming a Sword Master, I'd rejected love calls from countless organizations pouring in like a waterfall.
If I joined one, I'd have to reveal myself, and Sword Masters attract enemies.
Bluntly turning down those offers meant I had no shortage of people harboring grudges.
I hope Rainer isn't one of them...
I didn't recall any recruitment from the Ainheart Marquisate. Feeling relieved that Rainer probably held no grudge, I suddenly flinched at a memory.
The imperial knights sent about five offers, all rejected... and Rainer's the captain of the Imperial 2nd Knight Order.
He might resent me for turning them down.
Though the original story doesn't paint him that way, he's still a stranger, so who knows.
I glanced up at Rainer cautiously. His sparkling eyes held not a shred of malice as they fixed on me.
No malice, at least...
"If I say I'm not Mir, will you believe me?"
"No."
His immediate, firm denial made his intrigued golden eyes sparkle even more ridiculously.
"Besides, jumping straight to questions without even introducing yourself is rude."
This arm's-length distance was way too uncomfortable first. I took a small step back while pointing out his manners, and Rainer's shoulders twitched.
The story described him as a lunatic whose eyes rolled back at anything sword-related, but at his core, Rainer was a knight who valued etiquette.
"...Captain of the Imperial 2nd Knight Order, Rainer Ainheart. Forgive my rudeness."
The introduction I already knew flowed from his lips. I nodded slightly and pointed alternately at the collapsed Llewellyn and the fainted man.
"If you're the knight captain, I can leave those two in your hands. Lady Llewellyn Decardo nearly suffered at that scum's hands after passing out. I ask that you punish the perpetrator harshly and treat the victim kindly."
Rainer glanced between them and me with a strange look. I obliquely avoided his heated gaze.
I hope the original story doesn't get too tangled because of my interference.
My meddling had twisted Llewellyn Decardo and Rainer Ainheart's first meeting.
If Llewellyn didn't fall for Rainer like this, the story would derail badly.
Though the one who tried grabbing me was Llewellyn.
Still, if Rainer was there when she woke, maybe she'd fall for him per the original contrived plot—that was my hope.
Butterfly effect and all. A butterfly's flap might stay small, or it might brew a storm.
I didn't want Llewellyn bullying Aria, but losing the episodes that came from it...
Like a dog that slips its leash once, the future could veer into directions I couldn't control. I had to be wary.
"Now, introduce yourself."
He'd been dragging that guy dumped in the corner and prodding him with the iron pipe to play it off, but Rainer showed no sign of leaving.
Just go already, dude.
"Shushu."
"That's not true."
The alias I'd been pushing lately got shot down the moment I said it.
"It is."
What're you gonna do if I say it is?
I brazenly lifted my chin. Rainer stared at me intently with an indifferent expression and oddly sparkling eyes.
"You're Mir."
"No idea why you think that."
If this guy knows I'm Mir, he won't let me go.
My instincts screamed it. With Aria waiting, I needed to hurry, and Rainer was just an annoying obstacle.
"Your aura was black."
He pointed at the iron pipe in his hand. It was pitch-black from bearing my aura.
"Plenty of people have black auras."
"Theirs are merely dark shades—only Black Calamity Mir wields pure, perfect black aura."
Rainer countered my rebuttal effortlessly. I shut my mouth.
He's right.
Aura is a swordsman's identity. It wasn't common knowledge or official theory, but according to Night of the Fairies, every swordsman's aura had a subtly unique color.
Lots of dark auras out there, but none as pitch-black as mine.
I'd faced plenty of swordsmen, and never seen one as dark as mine. The answer I'd found pushing my limits was that dark.
"...What do you want?"
Rainer was convinced anyway. No point dragging it out—it was just wasting time. I sharply asked his intent, abandoning rebuttals.
His eyes sparkled brighter than ever. That stoic face paired with childlike hero-worship gleam felt so out of place.
"I want to know who you are."
You already do.
I scowled faintly and snapped irritably.
"Mercenary Mir. Satisfied now?"
"Besides that."
Rainer stepped closer. With excitement in his eyes, he slowly lifted the corners of his mouth and curved his eyes.
The cold-blooded knight who never smiles for anyone but Aria, right?
His radiant smile was so betraying it made the filthy alley feel like a paradise with baby angels blowing trumpets.
As I froze in shock from this character interpretation defeat, his lips slowly parted.
"I want to know Mir's real name."
That honey-sweet voice filled my mouth. My one thought amid the low, soft timbre tickling my ears:
Why is this guy like this?