A Late-Blooming Passion
Whether in love or war, a late-blooming passion is always the most terrifying.
The Edelgard family villa on the outskirts of Nilfheim had been utterly decimated. A spectacular explosion and its deafening roar—a destructive piece of performance art—had left the world with no choice but to learn of a new Sword Master's birth.
Kailen von Valtenstein. The second Sword Master of the Frozen Lands, and the sole successor to the Edelgard family's mana cultivation technique.
A flame born of ice was destined to pierce the darkness and shine brilliant and bright.
The people of Nilfheim, long paralyzed by the relentless onslaught of barbarians and the undead, rejoiced at the advent of this new savior. Their enthusiasm reached a fever pitch because the man at the center of these rumors was already rising as the Frozen Lands' newest war hero.
"A new Sword Master has appeared...!"
"As expected, Lady Leonora's foresight was flawless!"
"I heard from a relative who survived at the fortress. Captain Valtenstein and his knights fought with everything they had to protect them."
It was, in truth, the ultimate bargain. She had secured a superhuman asset at his absolute lowest point. After all, there were fewer than fifty Sword Masters across the entire continent. The priority claim she had demanded from the War Council's consul had been worth every ounce of political capital.
The countless nobles of the War Council would undoubtedly marvel at Leonora's brilliant foresight in securing such a prize, clamoring to know her secret. Meanwhile, the fools of the Holy Empire would bitterly rue their own stupidity, realizing too late that they had scorned and cast aside a man destined for such heights.
"I thought I'd gotten used to people staring after being treated like a talented zoo monkey for so long... but I guess not."
He had entered the absolute zenith of the sword. He was now the ultimate weapon, the apex of all martial artists, and a superhuman who had shattered the boundaries of the impossible—a one-man army capable of shifting the tides of war through sheer, overwhelming force.
To think he had ascended to the realm of a Sword Master in a mere three days. The six embers flickering deep within his heart were proof undeniable of his ascension.
"Captain! Congratulations!"
"To think Captain Valtenstein is the continent's newest Sword Master...!"
"Those Holy Empire bastards will be rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs in jealousy and regret! They let a future Sword Master slip right through their fingers!"
The members of his detachment showered him with thunderous applause and cheers, leaving him feeling a bit self-conscious.
"It's all thanks to Lady Leonora's help. Without the Edelgard mana cultivation technique, I would have remained stuck in place forever, like a frog trapped in a jar."
"You are the one who shattered that shell, Captain. While it is true the Edelgard technique served as the catalyst, this was only possible because your own talent and potential were already ripe for transcendence."
If transcendence were merely a matter of having a perfect cultivation technique, Sword Masters would be as common as cheap, mass-produced goods. It required raw talent, boundless potential, instincts forged in the fires of life-or-death combat, and that rarest of blessings granted only to the chosen: sheer, unadulterated luck.
The female knight, her black eyepatch fitted snugly over her eye, spoke in a dignified, resonant voice. Rosalyn showed not a shred of jealousy, even though a man once dismissed as a third-rate noble had leaped past her own Expert High-tier rank to claim the title of Sword Master. Instead, she offered him a warm, gentle smile.
"Very well! To reward my hard-working soldiers, I shall show you the hallmark of a Sword Master: Sword Qi!"
"Ooh!"
Kailen drew a blunt training sword from the rack. Instantly, a brilliant, jade-blue flame erupted, wrapping itself tightly around the dull iron blade.
This was Sword Qi—the absolute, perfected evolution of Sword Aura. It was a supreme technique that far surpassed the mere steel-shredding sharpness of standard aura.
Rosalyn and the rest of the detachment stared at the fiercely blazing jade-blue flame in absolute, breathless awe. Before their very eyes was the realm of transcendence that every warrior spent their entire life dreaming of.
To think she had secretly harbored romantic feelings for her vice captain all this time. It was utterly mortifying.
She had always prided herself on treating her subordinates with absolute impartiality. Yet, she now had to face the undeniable truth: she had been playing favorites, looking at her vice captain not as a soldier, but as a man.
She had fallen in love. It was a completely one-sided, unrequited crush.
After spending more than half the day rolling around in bed clutching a fluffy pillow, Leonora had finally come to terms with her feelings. She was hopelessly in love with Kailen. She bit down hard on her pillow, squirming as she pictured the scenario her chief vassal, Ericsen, had suggested: bringing Kailen into the family as her husband.
"Leonora, I love you with all my heart. Ever since we first met in that slave city, I've wanted to make you my wife. Please, bear my children."
She imagined Kailen delivering the confession in a deep, earnest voice. In her mind's eye, his face was rendered in a ridiculously romanticized, soft-focus filter.
"Pfft... Hehehehe!"
Roll, roll, roll—
She thrashed about, her gorgeous silver hair tangling into a wild nest as she rolled back and forth like a hyperactive armadillo. Giddy, toe-curling embarrassment fueled her silent, hysterical laughter, which didn't stop until she rolled clean off the edge of the mattress.
If I pretend to reluctantly give in to Ericsen and the elders' nagging... No, if I bring up marriage first, he might think I'm easy. But what does my vice captain... what does Kailen think of me? I'm blunt, I've never dated in my life, and I don't know how to act cute or flirt like other women. Why would he ever fall for a boring, frigid block of ice like me?
How did he truly view her? He often showed her deep respect and admiration, but... that was merely the duty of a subordinate to his commander. It was the professional respect of one soldier to another. He likely saw her as nothing more than his superior officer.
The giddy smile vanished from Leonora's face, replaced instantly by a dark, brooding gloom. The whiplash of her emotional shift was almost alarming.
"My Lady! Are you alright?!"
"What is the matter?"
"Well... your bedroom is completely covered in ice..."
"..."
Mana bound to the heart reacted with volatile sensitivity to its master's emotions. True to form, Leonora's bedroom had been transformed into a winter wasteland. Icicles hung from the chandelier, the desk and chairs had become pristine ice sculptures, and the floor was slick enough to host a military winter-survival drill.
Puffing out a cloud of white condensation, the Edelgard maid stared at her mistress. The silver-haired beauty slowly sat up from her frozen mattress.
"The nobles of Nilfheim are waiting for you in the drawing room."
"I understand. I shall change my attire first."
With the entire room frozen over, the garments in her wardrobe hadn't escaped unscathed.
Brush, brush. She shook the frost from her clothes, shed her mint-green pajamas, and slipped into her usual formal uniform.
"Has there been any report from the Wall?"
"None, My Lady."
"Summon the commanders of Nilfheim to my office. We must devise a strategy to completely eradicate the barbarians and undead beyond the Wall."
"Understood, My Lady."
Leonora made her way down the hallway toward the first-floor drawing room. As she passed a window, her gaze caught a familiar figure outside.
Kailen.
A soft smile bloomed on her lips the instant she saw him. A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she watched him.
"That is Captain Valtenstein. What is happening on the training grounds? It seems not only his detachment but the knights of Nilfheim have gathered there as well."
"I am not sure. Shall I go down and inquire, My Lady?"
"No, that is unnecessary. Watching from afar is quite enough."
"Yes, My Lady..."
Just watching him from a distance was more than enough. Simply catching a glimpse of his handsome face, his confident stride, and his fleeting expressions filled her with a quiet happiness. Shaking off the dark anxieties that had plagued her mind like paranoid ghosts, Leonora gazed down at Kailen with profound tenderness. Her crimson eyes, fixed entirely on the man she loved, brimmed with pure, unadulterated affection.
"My Lady!"
Urgent, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, accompanied by a voice that was practically a scream. It was a messenger from the Wall. Gasping for air, the messenger frantically delivered his report.
"The Jormungandr... has appeared at the Wall once again."
"The beast my vice captain defeated has returned? I was under the impression its body had been torn to shreds when he countered its attack with the Black Star Sword."
"Whether it miraculously healed the wounds inflicted by Sir Valtenstein, or if this is an entirely new specimen... the Jormungandr spotted at the Wall was completely unscathed."
"..."
The ferocious sea serpent that terrorized the frozen wastes had returned. Leonora's brow furrowed as she listened intently.
"Furthermore... we spotted a barbarian controlling the beast. But this barbarian... he was shrouded in dark green flames. He has been reduced to an undead."
"A barbarian resurrected as an undead?"
The barbarians of the Frozen Lands might worship the Demon God Gronashi, but they fiercely despised the undead, viewing them as an insult to a warrior's courage and pride. For that reason, every single tribe strictly forbade necromancy—the dark art of using the Demon God's power to raise the dead.
Yet, someone had violated that sacred taboo. A cold, unsettling dread settled over her.
At the same time, a burning hatred flared within her chest. The moment she heard of a barbarian resurrected as an undead, she was instantly reminded of her sworn enemy—the monster who had murdered the previous head of the Edelgard family.