chapter 10
Since that night, Schloitz had opened up to me quite a bit. Well, it wasn’t like he had been that closed off before, but this time the change was really something.
“You told me your nickname too, remember?”
A nickname?
I said it out loud, just to try it.
“Schultz.”
Oh my gosh.
Even though I said it in a very quiet voice, my throat felt a little ticklish.
In the kingdom, names with four syllables usually had nicknames. So of course Schloitz would have one too. But in the story, no one really called him that. He had already reached a high position, and he wasn’t exactly warm or friendly either.
Most people just called him “Commander Schloitz” or “Sir Schloitz”…
But the comment section was different.
How many fans had cried over the fact that Schloitz had supposedly never let anyone call him by a nickname? Later, when parts of his past were revealed, or when he stayed calm even after getting injured in battles with monsters, the comments were always full of things like:
- Schultz, don’t make me schulp-sad again
He acted so cold and dry all the time. I repeated “Schultz, Schultz” to myself a few more times and ended up giggling out loud. Come on, don’t live so sadly this time.
“Why are you laughing?”
It was Schloitz’s voice.
“Hm? No reason.”
“What made you laugh?”
You.
But how could I say that? I dodged the question, and Schloitz frowned.
“You don’t laugh very often.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
I thought I did… wait, do I not?
Thinking about it, it was true. Back at the mansion, the maids got really happy whenever I smiled. My mother and father too — they looked so happy when I laughed. In Enricor, no one really cared if I smiled or not, but when I did, people seemed genuinely happy. I used to think that was just because Enricor was always smirking or joking around.
I figured I’d smile more often once I got home, but somehow, that realization also made me a bit grumpy.
“You don’t smile much either, though.”
I reached out with both hands and stretched Schloitz’s cheeks. He looked a little stunned.
“People say… the lower your rank… the more you should smile…”
Behind me, Venus gave a cough, like she was choking. When I glanced at her, she looked totally dumbfounded. Yeah. Even I had to admit, that came out sounding pretty condescending. Like a kid who’s already obsessed with status and position at seven years old…
So I quickly added,
“If you smile… then I’ll smile too.”
Of course, saying something like that wouldn’t magically make someone like Schloitz start smiling. But his expression did ease up a bit. What a funny sight — me playing around with the future Supreme Commander. I couldn’t help laughing again.
While I giggled to myself, Venus came over.
“My lady. Let’s do the check before sunset.”
“Okay.”
I started walking. Technically I was his guardian, so I had to do a formal border patrol at least once. The security chief in this dark zone had begged me to do it “just this once,” so I figured it was probably just a formality.
I was going to skip it, originally…
But I started getting pressure from somewhere — it wasn’t hard to guess where. It had to be Schloitz’s family. His stepmother clearly didn’t like that I had kicked out her loyal follower and taken their place.
Well, they said it’s just about writing in the logbook, so whatever.
I held Schloitz’s hand tightly. A few days ago, a knight had carelessly moved a box that was in front of him, which made Schloitz suspicious — like maybe everyone already knew he couldn’t see well.
If he found out that we knew and were just pretending not to, that would probably make him really upset.
It’d hurt his pride too. I wanted to protect my favorite character’s pride, which is why I brought him along on this patrol. He could still see shapes and had sharp instincts, so there wasn’t really a problem. Plus, I was holding his hand and guiding him.
“Oh, Guardian, would you like to try holding the sacred sword yourself?”
“Don’t ask the young lady — ask me.”
“Ah…! Y-Yes, of course!”
The head of the local patrol, who had been sucking up to us, jumped in surprise at Venus’s words.
“And you know the rule. We don’t handle the sacred swords unless there’s a real emergency.”
“Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I just thought… well, young nobles are often curious about them, so I figured I’d ask, that’s all…!”
I glanced toward the two long wooden boxes the patrol members were carrying. They had sacred symbols carved into them — those must be the sacred swords.
Schloitz was probably curious too. He didn’t turn his head, maybe because he couldn’t see clearly right now.
The Sacred Swords.
Only those with the blood of the Tower family could wield them. They were essential for fighting monsters. If someone without that blood — or even someone who had the blood but hadn’t awakened their power — tried to use them, they’d just be ordinary old relics.
Schloitz’s power was currently suppressed because of the medicine he was on.
Those who could use the sacred swords were called “Swordbreakers.” Later, Schloitz would be acknowledged as the greatest Swordbreaker in the kingdom’s history and awarded every medal that existed.
Right now, he’s just a kid though.
“Ahem. Sir, if you’ll check this last area, we’ll be done.”
The one giving instructions looked like the highest-ranking — and most crooked — officer in the patrol. Behind him, two younger, more serious-looking guys followed him around with a map and logbook.
I could tell right away—these were young people, full of passion and still untainted, who had joined the patrol with great ambition.
That’s probably why their eyes were so sharp, carefully observing and recording whether I was doing everything properly.
“Hope they stay that way forever.”
That thought crossed my mind as I looked up. We had arrived at the final patrol point. A half-sized pillar stood like a marker. It was about the size of a child, wide enough to place a large jar on top. The pillar was engraved with golden patterns like a net, and it gave off a strangely sweet smell.
Monsters had long tormented the continent. In response, people created these “gold-threaded pillars.” Monsters, oddly enough, would rush toward these pillars even before going after humans.
“What did they put in there?”
Even in the original story, it was only called a royal secret. One reason the Kingdom of Razak—unlike the many other fallen kingdoms—had survived and grown into such a vast nation was thanks to these pillars.
It smelled sweet, but to someone like me, who bathed in medicinal herbs once a week, the scent was a bit overpowering. I stepped back from the pillar and nodded. Venus gave a nod in return.
“Third pillar, no issues.”
“No issues reported!”
The young patrol officer’s assistants quickly scribbled down notes. I noticed Schloitz narrowing his eyes at the pillar. He was already curious about it, even though he’d be seeing it weekly once he joined the military. I smiled and tugged at his hand.
“Schultz, let’s go back and…”
I was about to say we should eat, but I didn’t get to finish. Schultz suddenly pulled my hand hard, and in the blink of an eye, my vision flipped. Venus stood in front of me.
“Why…”
“Aaaah!”
A scream rang out next to me, followed by an ear-splitting bell. One of the patrol officer’s assistants had been carrying it on his back. Even though I’d always been treated as fragile and overprotected, I wasn’t completely untrained.
That was the monster alert bell—it rang when a monster appeared near the border.
DENG! DENG! DENG! DENG!
Birds flapped and flew from the trees, and I froze as I stared ahead.
‘A monster…’
The moment I saw it, I felt like even my heart had turned to stone.
A massive face swaying in the air.
Its height was at least twice that of an adult man.
It had a humanoid shape, but no skin. Rather, it looked like someone had peeled the skin off a person, leaving only tightly packed muscles exposed. It was more horrifying and grotesque than I ever imagined or read about in the novel.
‘No wonder they never included an illustration of a monster in the book.’
Maybe they were afraid the readers would faint.
That’s how overwhelming it was—I was paralyzed with shock. The reddish monster had two eyes, but its pupils wandered, unfocused. I could barely breathe. Like a bug drawn to a smell, the monster slowly began crawling toward the pillar.
“Give the holy sword to the lady.”
Venus, hand on the sword’s hilt, spoke in a low, commanding voice.
“Quickly.”
The young patrol officer, frozen in fear, snapped into action. He scrambled to open the box and handed me what looked like a rusty old sword. Venus whispered urgently:
“Bleed onto the sword and hand it to me.”
When I drove away that thug—Schloitz’s stepmother’s hired goon—I became Schultz’s new guardian. I’d gone to the patrol station and bled on the sword to complete the ritual. It was how you changed the sword’s recognized owner. In wealthier areas, nobles even fought over the guardian title.
For centuries, nobles who became guardians would drip blood on the sword to mark their ownership.
‘So this is about handing the sword over…’
By law, nobles couldn’t carry holy swords unless they were part of the military.
I tried to bite my finger, but my hands were shaking too much, and I couldn’t even clench my teeth. That’s when Schloitz grabbed my hand and bit the tip of my finger for me.
I was so surprised I didn’t even feel pain. A small drop of blood welled up, and I fumbled to grab the sword hilt.
‘Now I just need to pass it to Venus…’
Even if the monster was briefly distracted by the pillar, it wouldn’t last 30 seconds. Making any sudden movements now was dangerous. I knew this from the novel and from common knowledge anyone raised in this kingdom would learn. Carefully, I handed the sword to Venus.
A strange rush of energy surged through my body, and the old sword began to change. Dozens of phantom swords floated above my head. They couldn’t be touched, but they could harm monsters. I almost screamed in shock.
Only someone from the Tower family bloodline could awaken the holy sword’s true power. The number of phantom swords that appeared showed the wielder’s potential. I realized: I really was a direct descendant of the Lefebvre family…
Venus, his hand still bleeding, accepted the sword.
“Well done.”
He smiled, and I squinted at him. That face, like a perfect statue, smiling like that… Look. Even the patrol officers are dazed, staring at him like they’re hypnotized.
Thankfully, the patrol officers snapped out of it before I did. The model young officer quickly handed me a backup holy sword from the box. I felt the same jolt of energy surge through me. I gripped the sword tightly, like it was my lifeline.
Venus was already turning to leap into action.
CLANG!
I didn’t see the rest. Schloitz pulled me away just as the fight started. But I knew from the novel: when a monster is injured, it gives off a strong smell of blood but doesn’t actually bleed. When it dies, its skin, muscles, and eyes vanish—only bones, teeth, and claws remain.
“C-Commander! Another one! Another monster just appeared!”
The officer’s panicked scream barely registered. No matter how skilled Venus was, he couldn’t handle two monsters alone. Only the grown-up version of Schloitz could do that in the future.
The monster rushed toward us, swinging its grotesque, blade-like arm—like a mix of human and insect. Before Venus could react, Schloitz grabbed me tightly. My hair fluttered and was sliced off by the monster’s claws.
I saw Schloitz grit his teeth hard.
CRASH!
The floating swords shot forward, piercing the monster crawling toward us.
It let out a hideous screech, like claws scraping metal. The sky darkened. Any time a holy sword killed a monster, rain would fall over a 3km radius. A way for the royal family to track its use.
This time, it was just a drizzle, but during big battles, it could pour so hard you couldn’t open your eyes.
The rain washed away the overpowering stench of blood, and I was grateful for that.
“My lady!”
Lefebvre family knights were running over, but Venus—already in front of me—caught my attention. He looked between me and the sword.
“Just now…”
“Was it you who used the holy sword just now?”
The patrol officer rushed over. Everyone looked shocked. Honestly, I was surprised too.
The only one who probably wasn’t was Schloitz—he couldn’t see. He hadn’t seen the swords floating over my head.
“Enri, you…”
Schloitz didn’t finish. The officer interrupted.
“You look so delicate, but that was incredible!”
“I told you not to speak to the lady. Speak to me first.”
Venus’s cold voice made the officer flinch and step back.
“My lady!”
“Was it really you who used the holy sword just now?”
The knights gathered around. I felt a strange pride, but also concern for Schloitz, who hadn’t seen any of it. So I just nodded lightly.
Thankfully, the knights were quick-witted. They herded the patrol officers away and began breaking down the monster’s remains.
“My lady.”
Venus knelt before me, looking grim.
“The maids are going to scold us… your hair…”
“It’s okay.”
I whispered.
Actually…
“They’ll probably yell a lot…”
“……”
Venus… looks like you’re going to live a long life.
I touched the ends of my hair. It had taken a long time to grow, especially since my health slowed it down. My hair was already shorter than other girls my age.
Venus took off his cloak and draped it over my head. I wrapped it around Schloitz’s head too—it was the only cloak we had. Luckily, the rain wasn’t too heavy.
From far away, the officer shouted:
“Oh dear, oh dear! No monsters showed up when those criminals were here, but now—just when this poor young lady is out!”
Sounded like he was trying to make sure I heard.
“She’s been through so much, and her hair’s been ruined too…”
I ignored him and looked at Schloitz. His eyes, wet with raindrops, were fixed on me.
I was actually glad he couldn’t see. A child seeing something so scary would have nightmares. No one else treated him like a child, so I felt like I had to.
“Schultz.”
I smiled at him. Then, remembering he couldn’t see, I gently placed my hand on his cheek. His young, soft face was cold.
“Are you… okay?”
Before I could hear his answer, I suddenly coughed.
My throat felt itchy—an all-too-familiar sensation.
‘Huh?’
I looked at the blood on his face.
Had I… just coughed up blood?
“…Enri!”
And then, I lost consciousness.
