Afterwards, Cecilia continued to wander around with Beatrice in tow.
“Real classes start tomorrow. I also have a lot of preparations to make.”
“Yes, yes sir.”
For swordsmanship practice, apart from wooden swords, Beatrice wondered if there was anything else needed but quickly dismissed the thought.
Because she didn’t have the mental energy to waste on such trivial matters.
“Cecilia-sama! That’s a slave auction! Minors aren’t allowed to enter!”
“There’s no such thing as a universal stone! Uncle, why are you trying to deceive a child?”
“There are no dragon tails! Dragons have been extinct for a long time!”
“Nisax being 10 gold is absurd!”
Eventually, by the time night fell, Beatrice was utterly exhausted.
“Today was fun. Curfew time, so I’ll be going.”
Of course, Cecilia had played to her heart’s content.
At the time Cecilia and Beatrice parted ways.
The light in the Deputy Captain’s office still hadn’t gone out.
– Level 1 Secret.
– Threat to the kingdom due to the Demon King’s d*ath.
Edward, who had been writing reports for quite some time, glanced at the clock and put down his quill.
“Already this late?”
Edward quietly rose from his seat and opened the window.
The cold wind filled the room, but he paid it no mind.
Because today was the day when the lost kitten would come in due to his own negligence.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
The moment he sat down, a voice was heard. The cold wind that had been seeping in ceased. The window closed, and a dark figure slipped into the shadows and prostrated themselves.
Without even looking, Edward spoke.
“How was today?”
“She seemed happy. She had three strawberry parfaits and a lemonade.”
Edward frowned.
“Does all that fit into that small stomach?”
“No. So, she only ate the strawberries on top.”
“…Luxurious.”
“It’s quickly becoming a trend among young ladies these days. Since Cecilia-sama is the ultimate trendsetter, sales will likely increase further.”
The figure lifted their head. The moonlight moved strangely, revealing her face.
She was a regular employee at Cecilia’s favorite dessert shop, ‘Golden Honeycomb.’
Simultaneously, she was also a major player in Teresa’s underworld.
“Continue your report.”
“Yes. However, she only drank half of the lemonade. There might be a need to adjust the syrup in the recipe…”
Edward looked up and stared intently.
“Are you joking?”
Incidentally, ‘Golden Honeycomb’ was created by Edward himself. Its purpose was to gather information on Cecilia.
Thus, Reyna, an employee of Golden Honeycomb, had given a proper report to her boss.
Reyna harbored a small complaint but suppressed it and said,
“…My apologies. It seems the newly appointed knight, Beatrice, was particularly to her liking.”
“That does seem unusual. She’s been unusually together with her lately. What did they do after that?”
Reyna recited Cecilia’s movements of the day one by one.
Eyes were everywhere in the back alleys. Even around what was considered the brightest flame in Teresa.
Only, the content of the report was somewhat trivial. Because Cecilia had done nothing but trivial things that day.
Edward grabbed his head and raised his hand.
“You don’t need to go into such details. Anyway, there were no unusual incidents, correct?”
“Yes.”
‘Strange.’
Cecilia wasn’t the type to take something lying down.
Surely, she would move in some way or another.
‘Maybe she’s just waiting for the right opportunity? Should I show more openings? No, if I show too many, other figures will notice as well.’
But she was behaving obediently.
Today too, she merely wandered around the main streets as usual.
‘Cecilia, which side are you on?’
The question grew larger. For another person, the simple solution might have been ‘elimination,’ but Cecilia was worth the risk.
Because if she were on his side, ‘the wish’ would surely come true.
“But there was one unusual incident today.”
“An unusual incident?”
“Yes. She invited someone home to teach swordsmanship. Choosing the Knight Order Captain’s residence as the training ground raises some questions.”
Edward immediately responded.
“Of course. Swordsmanship is more important than life itself to a knight. It can’t be taught in a public training ground where others can see.”
Rather, Cecilia’s judgment improved.
‘Teaching swordsmanship during vacation…she’s extremely competent.’
Of course, there was always the possibility of a scheme, but Beatrice’s background had been thoroughly checked beforehand.
Not only had there been no prior connection with Cecilia, but her origins had no significant flaws.
“The report ends here.”
“…There’s one thing you missed. What about the slave merchants who dared to eye Cecilia?”
“They’ve been dealt with.”
“Slave merchants walking around the main streets freely? Disgusting. Clean them all out.”
“…”
Reyna looked at Edward with a somewhat strange expression.
“I’ve been curious for a while now.”
“What is it?”
“How does the Dark Lord view Cecilia-sama?”
Edward’s eyebrows twitched.
“A genius.”
‘No…that’s not what I meant.’
Reyna was dissatisfied but couldn’t bring herself to show it. She deeply bowed her head and said,
“I’ll take my leave.”
“Come back at this time tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
When Reyna disappeared, Edward returned to his work.
How much time had passed? When the perfect darkness enveloped the main streets, Edward stood up.
He went out onto the balcony and looked up at the sky. The conversation from earlier came to mind.
“Dark Lord…what a ridiculous title. If I become king, would I then become the Dark King?”
Edward smirked as he looked at the moon.
“Not entirely wrong.”
“Hehe.”
Cecilia, hugging her rabbit doll, rolled around in bed.
Today was truly the best outing!
The strawberry parfaits were especially delicious, so she indulged in three. ‘Golden Honeycomb’ was greatly appreciated by Beatrice too.
‘Really a store that hits my taste. The design, the staff atmosphere, and the taste—no need to say more…’
Completely a store tailored to Cecilia’s preferences!
‘I’ll definitely bring the newbies here later.’
Above all, today’s biggest harvest was undoubtedly…
-Starting tomorrow, come to my house. I’ll teach you swordsmanship.
-Thank you! Thank you, Cecilia-sama!
A newbie date for swordsmanship at home!
Oh, it was number one on Cecilia’s bucket list since the day she first arrived here.
“Such a commendable newbie. I knew it from the start, didn’t I?”
Cecilia smiled happily and rolled around.
Then she fell off the bed and hit her head.
“Ouch.”
Still, she was happy!
Even on the floor, Cecilia rolled around with her rabbit doll, crawled back onto the bed.
Lying sprawled out, she gazed at the ceiling.
Was it because she achieved one item on her bucket list? Or was it because she was gradually executing the plans she’d only conceptualized in her mind?
Once again, it felt real.
“It really doesn’t feel like much time is left…”
It’s already been ten years since she arrived here.
Cecilia was human. Living in medieval times as a modern person was a difficult task.
To level up, she had to risk her life. She deliberately chose dangerous hunting grounds for higher experience points.
The number of times she almost died is countless. Cecilia was certainly seasoned, but that’s limited to ‘Another World’.
While there are similarities, there are also many differences.
Most importantly, this isn’t a game—it’s reality.
In virtual reality, there’s a ‘filter’ that minimizes gore, but there’s none of that here.
For five days after her first k*ll, she couldn’t drink water. She threw up endlessly.
She endured all that stubbornly.
To become a guide for newcomers from another world.
To do that, she had to be ahead of everyone and explore more paths than anyone else.
‘Newbies tend to d*e easily…’
What would happen if you brought an ordinary person here, gave them a sword, and told them to fight?
If they’re Korean, they’d probably fight without hesitation—Cecilia was a patriot—but unfortunately, enthusiasm alone doesn’t cut it.
‘I need to help them. Otherwise, nine out of ten will d*e.’
Therefore, at least two things needed preparation before the official opening.
Creating a stable environment for growth and establishing a corresponding system.
And the most important thing…
“I have to be their motivation. Thanks to how pretty I am.”
Cecilia reached out her hand into the air and caught the moonlight streaming through the window.
That…that was something that absolutely had to be protected.
Softly snoring.
Cecilia slept, anticipating tomorrow and the future ahead.
She was having a very good dream.
A dream where she fought the Demon King with the newbies.
A dream where she delivered a magnificent speech, uniting everyone to capture even the Demon God.
A dream where she revealed to the cheering newbies, “I’m not an NPC,”
A dream of building a new nation on the land of the demons under enthusiastic support.
Named, the Great Cecilia Empire.
After conquering the world, spreading Cecilia merchandise to every household!
Solving global warming!
-Woohoo.
At that moment, a vibration rang out.
Woken from her pleasant dream, Cecilia half-opened her eyes and rummaged under her pillow.
The small crystal orb was glowing.
“At the best part too…”
-I’m, I’m sorry!
Now that her appearance was presentable, the pink-haired Ferna bowed her head.
“Did any demons move…?”
Still sleepy, Cecilia asked, and Ferna quickly replied.
-We received word from Valpurgis.
“Who won…?”
-The radicals!
Urgency could be heard in Ferna’s voice. She seemed so flustered it was worrying whether fire had literally ignited her rear.
But Cecilia remained indifferent. This was a predetermined ‘main episode.’ A large-scale invasion wouldn’t begin until next year.
-They decided to invade immediately within an hour since everyone is gathered!
“…They’re really radical.”
Cecilia was wide awake now.
‘Planning to plow the fields before the official opening?’
Immediate invasion > Emergency situation > Vacation cancellation > Betty’s sweet swordsmanship training date canceled…?
Her judgment was swift.
“I’ll be there soon. Wait for me after washing my neck.”
-What’s washing?
Cecilia must protect this vacation at all costs.
