“Your hair… you’ve tied it up.”
“Hmm.”
Cecilia, with her hair tied into a ponytail, yawned and rubbed her eyes.
It’s strange, but whenever there’s a dispatch, it’s so hard to get up.
In a daze, Cecilia stretched her arms.
‘The cat herself.’
Beatrice resisted the urge to keep looking at her and awkwardly began to speak.
“Um… Lady Cecilia.”
In fact, Beatrice hadn’t slept well last night.
It was because the inappropriate words she had spoken due to ‘Murayama’s’ effect kept replaying in her mind.
‘Lady Cecilia did it for me, but I…’
Thanks to that, even though she had achieved an incredible increase in skill, she initially failed to comprehend Cecilia’s intentions and just complained uselessly.
‘Maybe she dislikes me now.’
Beatrice clenched her fists.
She was no longer a trainee knight.
The stage where she was protected and taught by others was over.
‘At the very least, I should tell her now that I intend to do things properly, while apologizing for what happened yesterday.’
With great courage, Beatrice tried to speak to Cecilia.
However, Cecilia, who had been right next to her until just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
The place where the confused Beatrice found Cecilia was an open space.
‘Shadow-boxing all of a sudden!’
Cecilia was unpredictable, behaving in ways that were hard to fathom.
At that moment, Royther, a knight who seemed to have returned from tending livestock early in the morning, stopped when he spotted Cecilia.
He was in fantastic physical condition. He had long hair, and there were scars all over his body.
The problem was…
‘How can one do livestock tending in this cold?’
With a strict and serious expression, he crossed his arms and started giving unsolicited advice.
“Hmm, your steps are a bit off.”
“You should rotate your shoulders more from that stance…”
Cecilia paused her punches, raised an eyebrow, and said,
“Would you like a match?”
“Ah, are you willing to warm up a bit?”
“Do come over.”
‘Why is this happening?!’
This impromptu boxing match drew the Windsor Knight Order members, who had been slacking off earlier, in an instant.
“Royther! Win!”
“This is a matter of pride!”
“You can’t lose a brawl to a woman!”
“You’ve got some kind of heatstroke!”
“Seize the assets of the knight captain!”
As the spectators gathered, Cecilia made a simple bet too.
It was a bet involving Kairon’s meticulously cared-for champagne collection, and she promised to throw a grand celebration in the capital if she lost.
Conversely, if Cecilia won, there would be a year-long ban on alcohol.
It was almost as serious as a fight to the d*ath! The knights cheered Royther on enthusiastically after accepting the terms of the bet.
Even Beatrice timidly cheered.
“L-Lady Cecilia must win…!”
Cecilia gave a stylish thumbs up. As she stepped lightly into position, Royther approached, showing off his muscular build.
“Are we using blessings?”
“No, just mana.”
“Ah, very well.”
Cecilia immediately launched in, landing a jab with her left hand and following up with a right to the abdomen.
“Boooom!”
Royther blocked with his guard lowered. Cecilia quickly threw an uppercut as the top opened up. This time, Royther leaned back to avoid it.
Cecilia’s punch swung through the air. It was Royther’s turn. Cecilia stepped back just in time.
“There you go. Your steps are clumsy, making your attacks predictable, don’t you think?”
Shiver.
Before Royther’s words were fully out, Cecilia charged.
Royther calmly adjusted the distance while dodging Cecilia’s punches with ease.
Cecilia was extremely frustrated.
“Whoaaa!”
“Looks like she’s unmatched after all!”
“Is Lady Cecilia at a disadvantage?”
When Beatrice couldn’t hold back and asked, a nearby knight responded.
“The reach difference is too big. Lady Cecilia is small. How can her punches even reach?”
“…”
“Besides, Royther is the best in close combat among Windsor knights. Most likely, even high-ranking knights aside from Leo might not be able to win against him. Of course, the captain is an exception—after all, he’s not human.”
The knight who had clearly bet on Royther with gold coins grinned smugly.
“This match, Lady Cecilia is going to lose.”
Bang!
Cecilia’s punch landed a direct hit on Royther. However, it seemed like it didn’t affect Royther, who had deflected it with his shoulder.
On the other hand, Cecilia looked quite exhausted. It was a result of throwing a bunch of meaningless combinations in her fury.
Normally, Cecilia is calm and composed when wielding a sword, but boxing was a bit different.
Primarily, Cecilia is the type to rely on kicks even in close combat.
“Hmph, you look quite tired.”
Royther, who had intentionally worn down Cecilia’s stamina, dropped his guard and took his stance now.
The momentum had shifted, now it was attack and defense reversed. Cecilia realized she was in an unfavorable situation and narrowed her eyes.
“Here I come!”
“Finish it, Roaric!”
“Don’t lose!”
There were very few people cheering Cecilia on.
As such, Beatrice tightened her fists.
“We must not lose…”
Royther dashed toward Cecilia who was quietly stepping back. His massive figure moved, making the ground tremble. He was like a bear.
But Cecilia’s eyes sharply gleamed as she performed footwork in one spot. Royther smiled.
‘He’s anticipating a counter.’
Royther never intended to give Cecilia the distance.
The exact moment his fist could reach Cecilia, Royther charged forward with full force.
Just then—
“Wham!”
Cecilia delivered an incredible spinning back kick, and it connected with Royther’s jaw!
Royther, who hadn’t expected the kick, fell down.
“Thud!”
“Uh, wasn’t the rule boxing only?”
The startled Beatrice.
But another Windsor knight just shrugged it off.
“You’re still as underhanded as usual.”
“You’re genuine.”
It’s not an uncommon scene.
However, the Windsor Knights’ calculation included even this victory in their bet.
The knight serving as referee, foaming at the mouth, held up Royther’s hand which was on the ground and raised it towards the sky.
“Foul! Royther wins! Cecilia loses!”
Cecilia flinched.
“Sorry, Kairon.”
…But since it wasn’t hers anyway, she shrugged it off.
After finishing her morning exercise, Cecilia looked quite refreshed.
“Though I got entangled with that strange mage yesterday, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Despite some close calls, things went according to how Cecilia had wanted them to.
An appropriate pretense was established and a large-scale battle did not occur.
As a result, there were no casualties. The only thing left was to visit the ‘agreed-upon place.’
“I will complete the mission today.”
Cecilia looked at the knights and told them.
The gathered knights immediately sharpened their focus upon hearing the word ‘mission.’
“Speaking of the mission, are we finally going?”
“Yes.”
Cecilia smiled faintly.
“Since we’ve worked hard tending to the land, it’s time to harvest.”
“Um, Lady Cecilia, would you mind explaining?”
The red-axe-wielding Herald, blinking his eyes, raised a hand.
“All we’ve done here was contests to make the best snowman, wrestling matches, boxing games, stories of first love, campfires, and jokes — so what exactly did you accomplish?”
“Haa.”
Cecilia let out a cold sigh.
The entire Windsor Knight Order glared at Herald as if they wanted to k*ll him.
‘You don’t have to show your ignorance, do you!’
‘We don’t know either! But still, don’t say it and embarrass us!’
‘When you were asked to make snow figures, you should’ve realized something was up as you covered yourself in snow!’
Their gazes were half accusing but everyone was indeed curious. Beatrice, in particular, lit up with anticipation.
‘There must be an amazing reason behind it!’
Cecilia opened her mouth with a blank expression.
“That…”
‘What excuse should I come up with?’
Actually, Cecilia was also in a difficult situation!
Everything she’d done over the past week was merely a stall for time.
Still, if she lied, the knights of the Windsor Knight Order weren’t fools.
…There were fools among them, but they weren’t all dumb. A careless excuse would immediately make them suspicious.
“That’s…”
Cecilia said with a deflated voice.
“Later.”
“…”
“…”
3 seconds after, a fierce backlash erupted.
“Cecilia needs to wake up!”
“Are you joking around even on the battlefield?”
“Can you please take this seriously!”
“Ugh, ahhh…”
Endless snowballs were hurled at Cecilia! She crouched down, holding her head, and was bombarded with snow.
“To control the information near the Loki Mountain Range by subduing points A, B, C, and D, right?”
A gray-robed mage appeared from among the Windsor Knights who were about to hurl another snowball at Cecilia.
“Huh? Who are you?”
“North Command Headquarters, First Magic Detachment Commander, Nemesis.”
“!”
An unexpected VIP…!
The Windsor Knights threw one more snowball at Cecilia and saluted.
“I’m not sure if this salute goes along with the words you’re saying, sir.”
Cecilia’s eyes lit up upon seeing this suspicious mage while hers were brimming with tears.
There was no law saying she had to d*e…!
“But what do you mean by Loki Mountain Range?”
“You’ve received all this information and only now are realizing it? You’re quite dim.”
Nemesis shrugged.
‘He’s unpleasant.’
‘Do I dare hit him once?’
‘Would it work?’
‘Or would I d*e?’
‘Well, there’s nothing we can do.’
The Windsor Knights were exchanging thoughts through their glares.
‘Yeah. If the situation gets awkward, killing might be the answer.’
Cecilia grinned.
“Wow, you caught on quickly.”
“Dear me. It’s an incredible honor to receive such high praise from you, the greatest strategist in human history! A glory to my lineage.”
“…Could you explain? I’m curious if it aligns with my intentions.”
Nemesis exaggeratedly bowed and walked up to Cecilia’s podium.
“Of course. However, before the explanation, may I inquire about the orders you intended to give today?”
‘This is something we couldn’t hide anyway.’
Cecilia hoped that the mage would understand well and opened her mouth.
“Today, the Windsor Knight Order heads to ‘Niflheim’.”
“!”
At the name ‘Niflheim,’ the knights’ eyes widened.
There was no one here who didn’t know that name.
It was famous, after all.
The city of the Demon Race, Niflheim.
Among living humans, none had ever reached that land—a legendary city.
“Seemed like this all along, didn’t it?”
Nemesis exclaimed in admiration.
‘What kind of thing is that…!’
Cecilia felt like she had eaten five hundred sweet potatoes.
“What do you mean?”
Great question, Herald!
Cecilia was relieved someone had asked on her behalf.
“Of course, the destination is undoubtedly…”
Worried that her plans might collapse, Cecilia cut in before anyone else.
“…through the Loki Mountain Range.”
“Haha! Of course I already knew. If anyone couldn’t realize by the time we got this far, their intelligence would be lower than a goblin’s.”
Twenty-five goblin-intelligence-lacking men glared coldly at Nemesis.
Including Cecilia.
“The common factor of points A, B, C, and D is that they are located along the routes to the Loki Mountain Range. In other words, Lady Cecilia had this plan in mind since stepping onto the northern land.”
Nemesis smirked.
“To be more precise, the ‘Niflheim Landing Operation.'”
“!”
“…!”
“!!”
The final exclamation point belonged to Cecilia.
The words sounded pretty cool.
“Normally, the Loki Mountain Range is referred to as a natural fortress. Therefore, passing through it would be entirely unpredicted by anyone.”
“Moreover, the history of the Demon Race is one of aggression. However, they have never been invaded themselves. Even at this time, they won’t think humans would ever come to Niflheim.”
Nemesis continued, taking a step forward.
Beatrice now understood and opened her mouth slightly.
Every day she thought Cecilia was only concerned about desserts, but there was such depth to her plans!
“In short, landing on Niflheim via the Loki Mountain Range is the only way to catch the Demon King’s forces off guard.”
“To that end, the operation has progressed from A to D, cutting off information routes and securing hostages to obtain intelligence about Niflheim. From start to finish, it was perfectly calculated!”
At that moment, someone interrupted Nemesis.
“Wait, can we even breach the Loki Mountain Range on our own? If it’s such a vulnerable point, it’s not going to be easy, right?”
“Lady Cecilia is a strategist who devised such a strategy within half a day of arriving in the north! Of course, she will also have a plan, won’t she?”
All eyes turned to Cecilia.
Cecilia slightly nodded her head.
“Ohh!”
“How could such a brilliant strategy come from that small head?”
“Landing operation…! My heart is already racing!”
“Lady Cecilia had a plan the entire time!”
Cecilia blinked.
Everyone is praising me…
She immediately became excited and shouted while clutching her sword.
“Commander of the Northern Expedition, Cecilia Windsor, orders you.”
The entire Windsor Knight Order simultaneously assumed a respectful stance.
Each one’s aura was sharp, like a well-polished blade.
They were the elite of the Rianen Kingdom’s Windsor Knight Order.
A sense of grandeur filled the air…
“The Windsor Knight Order shall complete the mission codenamed ‘Niflheim Landing Operation’!”
we be bsing our way untill we can roleplay