Translator: Nox

Chapter 2

Cadet Ekinesia Roaz was an unparalleled genius. To be more precise, she possessed a level of talent in both swordsmanship and Mana affinity that was rarely seen even once in a century.

However, she lived until the age of twenty without knowing she was a genius. Ekinesia was a delicately raised young lady of a Count family who had never even held a sword.

'I wish I had never known.'

Eki thought so.

The sensation of thick blood congealing all over her body was horrifying. It was a sensation she had never imagined until she turned twenty, but now she was all too familiar with it.

'I didn't want to find out I was a genius in this way.'

Ekinesia stared blankly ahead. Or rather, she was made to look ahead. Her body was now beyond her control. She was in a state where her body had been taken over by the Demon Sword in her right hand.

A transparent blade like glass forged from human malice, a jet-black hilt forged from human wickedness.

The energy emanating from the sword dyed her right arm black, and created black blotches all over her white skin.

Her pink hair, the reason her name was Ekinesia, and her purple eyes inherited from her father, were all stained with a wicked black light.

With bulging veins, bloodshot eyes, and clotted blood and dust, her appearance was a mess.

Even someone who knew her well would have difficulty recognizing her as Ekinesia Roaz now.

Eki was the only daughter of an imperial Count family, and she had a younger brother to inherit the title. Her family was not powerful, but it was quite wealthy and had a long tradition.

There were no issues of illegitimate children or affairs in the family. The siblings had a good relationship, and the Count and his wife were happily married. All the Count and his wife wanted for Eki was for her to marry well and live happily.

Eki had no major complaints about her situation. She cultivated her beauty and learned appropriate refinement with marriage in mind.

She liked pretty things and hated strenuous physical activity. She considered harsh language vulgar and had a refined demeanor ingrained in her. She was lazy and disliked anything unbefitting a noble.

That was how she was until she turned twenty.

Demon Sword Bardelgiosa.

That was the name of the sword she held, the reason she found out she was a genius, and the main culprit that completely changed her life and created a tragedy.

Bardelgiosa takes over the body of its owner. And it uses that body to commit slaughter and destruction. There had been several such massacres, and because of those incidents, Bardelgiosa had earned the moniker of Demon Sword.

The power of the Demon Sword was immense. Even a human with no talent for swordsmanship could be taken over by the Demon Sword and fight against Masters, those who use Mana in their weapons to create sword energy.

But the Demon Sword's power was only exerted through the owner's body. There was a clear limit. In the end, the body could not withstand it and would break down, causing the Demon Sword to lose its host.

The Demon Sword itself seemed to know this, and would run away and hide when overly strong individuals approached or when its host was breaking down. But the Demon Sword that had obtained Ekinesia's body was different.

'How is it that no one can stop it?'

Her insane level of Mana affinity sustained her body, which was on the verge of collapsing from the Demon Sword's Mana. Even though she had no training whatsoever, her innate physique was quickly optimized for the swordsmanship that the Demon Sword wielded, as it was soaked in Mana.

The result was very, very terrible. Eki was forced to experience how strong she could become.

Mercenaries who had made a name for themselves, the captain of the royal guard, the court wizard, and even her own family, all were cut down and became corpses. Everyone fell before her. So easily. Ridiculously simply.

'I didn't need to be this much of a genius.'

Eki thought so sincerely, not out of arrogance. A talent she had discovered while killing countless people, including those who were precious to her.

If she hadn't been a genius, it wouldn't have come to this. She didn't need this talent. Even if she had it, it would have been better to live without ever knowing.

Contrary to her desire to cry, her face was smiling. It was fortunate that no one could see that smile, thanks to the dust, blood, and grime that clung to her face, tangled with her hair. Eki, who used to bathe twice a day, had now become desensitized to filth.

Everywhere was full of corpses. She kicked something she couldn't identify as whose neck with her toe and walked forward. There was no destination. The Demon Sword was simply searching for lives to kill.

A group of knights blocked her path.

Pure white uniforms that were too conspicuous for practical use, blue cloaks, and on their chests, a crest with a golden hawk spreading four wings inside a white shield.

Eki was a noble lady who was ignorant of the world of knights, but even she had heard of knights who wore white uniforms with such crests.

The strongest and most famous royal guard on the continent. Those who did not belong to any one nation, the Azure Knights. Seeing that crest, they were undoubtedly the Azure Hawks. Three men, one woman.

One of the men took a step towards her.

"You who are tainted by the Demon Sword."

It was a man with long silver hair loosely tied back in a single strand, draped over his shoulder. He looked at her with eyes as blue as the sky, like the name of the royal guard.

Ekinesia knew who that man was.

'Yurien de Harden Kirie.'

The third prince of the Kirie Empire to which she belonged, who had abandoned his right to succession early on and joined the Azure Knights, becoming the youngest captain of the royal guard.

The Azure Knights were a group that did not belong to any nation. Therefore, Yurien was strictly speaking no longer a member of the royal family or an imperial citizen, but things in the world did not always have such clear-cut boundaries.

The imperial citizens were proud that the captain of the Azure Knights was a member of their own royal family. Of course, Eki was also proud. Yurien was a frequent topic of conversation at the tea parties she attended.

Eki had even seen him in person. At the Emperor's birthday banquet, which she had also attended, Yurien had visited to celebrate his father's birthday.

At that time, she had secretly blushed while looking at the man who was more beautiful than the rampant rumors suggested. Although she had not even danced with him once, she was satisfied with having seen the famous captain of the Azure Knights in person. He was someone who lived in a world so different from hers.

She had imagined falling in love with the captain of the Azure Knights through a chance encounter, like in a romance novel. It wasn't anything particularly unusual. Most of the empire's young ladies must have imagined it. Dreaming was free, and he was an attractive, unmarried man.

But she had never dreamed of meeting him in this way. Meeting the captain of the Azure Knights who had been dispatched to subdue the Demon Sword, while she was tainted by it.

She felt a sense of oppression from him as he approached her. The sensation of a cold blade being aimed at her. Among the four of them, he was the strongest.

It was only natural, as he was the captain of the Azure Knights, who were evaluated solely on their skills, but seeing it with her own eyes made it clear how strong he was. It was a sense that had been opened up thanks to the damned Demon Sword.

"As Azure Knights who protect the Giosa, we will subdue you."

Yurien declared as if pronouncing a sentence, and raised his white sword. That sword was the Holy Sword Rangiosa, which was like his symbol.

Ekinesia did not answer. Her body silently aimed the Demon Sword Bardelgiosa. Kill. Kill. Kill. A malicious echo resounded in her mind, which had been consumed by the Demon Sword.

She started the attack first. The jet-black Demon Sword and the white Holy Sword collided.

Ekinesia did not want to win. She prayed that the captain of the royal guard she had admired would win against the evil her.

'It's impossible. The real me is unnecessarily strong.'

Three years had passed since she had been tainted by the Demon Sword. In the meantime, she had experienced countless battles.

The Empire, which did not want to ask for help from the Azure Knights, had sent many knights to subdue her. And Ekinesia had killed them all. As she did so, she grew stronger and stronger. Not only her body, but also her mind.

Those experiences were telling her. Yurien would last longer than anyone else so far, but in the end, Ekinesia would win. She was too outstanding.

And Yurien had realized that fact as well. He let her sword slide and stepped back abruptly.

"Impressive. It's truly regrettable."

His blue eyes clouded over.

"If you had been a knight... I would have truly crossed swords with you."

"Captain Yurien."

One of the three who had been waiting called out to him with a click of his tongue. The man answered with a wry smile.

"I know. This is not a duel, but a subjugation."

"Shall we join in soon?"

"Yes."

The remaining three knights drew their swords. They were all Giosa Owners. The strongest knights in the Azure Knights.

After that, it became more intense. It was a joint attack by four people. To withstand it, the Demon Sword pushed Ekinesia's body to its limits. It scraped and used every last bit of her potential.

But no matter how unparalleled a genius she was with the Demon Sword, she could not win against four Giosa Owners, including the captain of the Azure Knights. It would be easier to face an army.

Ekinesia had finally been defeated.

Yurien knocked her down, climbed on top of her, and pressed his sword against her neck. Ekinesia, who was covered in wounds, struggled like a suppressed beast. Thanks to the Mana that instinctively wrapped around her neck, she had not yet been beheaded.

They remained in that state for a while. The exhausted knights grumbled around them.

"It's chillingly strong, really. To last this long against the four of us... I can't believe it."

"Can't believe it when it's right in front of you? Are your eyes hurt, Teresa?"

"Shut up, Dietrich."

"I was told to only use knightly, proper words... Teresa does as she pleases. That's what's charming about her, though."

"Dietrich Sarua. I told you to shut up."

"What a waste. As Captain said, she would have been wonderful if she had been a knight, but to lay her hands on a Demon Sword with that talent."

The burly knight muttered, ignoring the bickering two knights. Ekinesia wanted to refute those words. She wanted to wail, to scream while spitting blood.

'Do you think I wanted to do this? If I had known it was a Demon Sword, would I have grabbed it like a madman? I, I, just-!'

"She wouldn't... have wanted to hold this, either."

Yurien said. His breathing was rough from holding her down as she struggled, but his pronunciation was clear.

Those were the words she had wanted to shout. Words that no one had said or could say in front of her as she committed the massacre.

Ekinesia stared up at him blankly. She could examine him in detail, thanks to her body's frantic struggles as it glared at him. Just as she observed him, he also stared straight at her.

She could not see the fear, disgust, anger, resentment, or pain that she had seen in everyone else so far. There was a faint pity mixed in. It was a gaze directed not at the mad demon wielding the Demon Sword, but at the person inside.

"You wouldn't have wanted to do this."

He said quietly, so quietly that only she, who was so close, could hear him.