Chapter 5 : Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Needle (4)

“Until now, none of my training has involved swordsmanship. I haven’t even gone through the process of becoming familiar with holding a sword… If they really are intruders, could I face them? Even if they’re just untrained men.”

It was a natural doubt.

Since meeting Liam, my training routine has not included swordsmanship.

I had only carried out basic conditioning.

To my question, laced with suspicion, Liam answered.

「It’s fine.」

In his eyes was unwavering conviction.

「You will come to understand why the Karavan family was once feared by all.」

That gave me reassurance.

「The Steel Blood flows in your body, child.」

***

It wasn’t intentional.

My body moved before I thought.

The unfamiliar intruder raised an axe, and at that instant a chill like lightning shot down my spine. Immediately after the chill, my body moved on its own. Like a fisherman hooking a fish, the tip of my needle pierced the enemy. In an instant.

‘Fast. Can my body really move this fast?’

For the briefest moment, I mistook myself as having become one with this blade.

My arm seemed to extend by a span, moving elastically.

It was thanks to the flexibility I had diligently trained.

The slender blade tip so easily pierced the enemy’s body.

“Urk…”

The spot pierced by the Needle was near the chest, where the lungs were located. It should have been where the ribs were, yet the Needle slid deep inside.

How had I aimed precisely between the ribs? I, who had never learned even a decent style of swordsmanship, how had I displayed such mastery?

‘Memory.’

The answer was simple.

From the moment I gripped the Needle, the force driving my body was the memory of the female swordswoman Mary. Piece by piece, the memories of the sword seeped into me, becoming my weapon.

“That bastard!”

One of the men lying on the bed roared as he sprang up.

My heart did not race.

My breathing remained steady.

As steady as when I kept tempo while jogging.

What should I do now? I had never fought properly, with fists or with a sword. Even if I had wounded one by chance, there were still three left.

『As a mercenary, hired for a commission, I always fought in unfavorable situations.』

The answer came from memory.

Not my own, but that of the seasoned female swordswoman.

『Because I was not a knight belonging to some order, but a solitary mercenary, I always fought alone. My enemies were many, and numbers themselves were violence. I was disadvantaged in every way. I was a frail woman, alone, and even if captured, there was no family or group that would ransom me.』

I pulled the blade free.

Blood sprayed.

A drop splattered across the bridge of my nose.

Perhaps drained of strength, the man I had struck first collapsed onto his knees with a thud.

His axe had already fallen, and his arms dangled limp.

I twisted my wrist and stabbed again with the Needle. This time not at the chest, but at the neck.

It was an instinctive action.

The mindset of a mercenary who knew failing to finish properly meant danger.

Two small holes were punctured in the neck in an instant, and an appalling amount of blood gushed out.

The fresh blood was hot. The scent of death spread again in the mansion already thick with blood.

Dragging my feet slightly, I stepped back to create space.

The man whose blood poured so heavily twitched a few times with his face pressed to the floor, then went still. Everyone there knew what that meant. Death.

It was my first kill.

But I felt no guilt, no grief, no self-loathing.

Not even excitement or trembling. I only gazed at the remaining three with emotionless eyes.

『That is why I had to become strong.』

For some reason, the eyes of the three brutes trembled. Did they feel fear?

Facing their human eyes, I recalled Liam’s words.

「The Steel Blood flows in your body, child.」

Perhaps those words were not metaphor, but truth.

At this moment, I felt like I had become a sword itself.

Not a human.

***

“Y-you little shit…”

The big man gnashed his teeth, glaring at me, wielding his massive axe.

An uncomfortable standoff formed.

In the silence, I thought.

My habit—suspicion—rose.

‘Why doesn’t he charge?’

In terms of physique, the man was far superior.

Tall height, bulging muscles, broad shoulders. Even the weapon in his hand was so. If my Needle clashed head-on with his axe, it would snap instantly. Rationally, the man should have charged immediately.

‘And why are the other two frozen?’

One on my side, three on theirs.

If they rushed at once, my slender blade could never withstand it.

Even if my body had become faster, I could not pierce three throats in a single second.

I had not even reached Sword Beginner level yet; I was only a fledgling.

Then why did they not seize their advantage?

「They are frightened.」

Liam gave the answer.

「A moderate fear helps survival, but excessive fear clouds objective judgment. It makes the enemy appear larger, and makes them mistake you as stronger than you are.」

Ah, that was it.

Suspicion gave way to observation.

Their eyes trembled, their hands gripping axe and club trembled, one bit down hard on his lower lip, and his face was faintly pale. In the silence, I could even hear their hearts pounding fast.

The enemy was terrified.

Why?

Because a mysterious boy had suddenly appeared and killed one of them instantly.

Because I showed no emotion, even after killing.

‘In their eyes, I must look like someone accustomed to killing. And one accustomed to killing must also be skilled with the sword. If they think I’m some noble’s son, then they’ll assume I’ve had formal training—perhaps a Sword Beginner, even a Sword Runner…’

To these intruders, I must look like a ghost.

A fearsome being their axes could never oppose.

‘Then there’s no need to retreat.’

Retreating further would only ease their fear. Now I had to maximize and exploit it.

Humans stiffen when overly tense. And stiffened humans always make mistakes.

That was the nature of the animal called human.

I stepped forward.

My footsteps echoed over the silence.

“Don’t come closer, don’t! I’ve killed plenty like you, you—!”

Instead of replying, I flicked my wrist. The blade tip pointed at him.

His pupils dilated. He must have reached the peak of agitation.

Then it was time to act.

“I’ll split your head—”

The man acted as expected.

He raised his shoulders and lifted his axe high, preparing to strike downward.

It was a powerful attack, but the wrong answer.

The moment he left an opening, my Needle shot forth like an arrow.

“Keck—”

A hole opened in his throat. His axe slipped from his hands.

They could not respond to the Needle’s thrust. Then the outcome was already decided.

In my memory, Mary always struck at vital points. To allow even a single counterattack was to suffer a fatal wound.

『The first or second strike must always pierce a vital point. My sword was made that way. Hegel said, unlike knightly romances, real swordfights end in an instant.』

Once more, blood sprayed. And the fear in the remaining men’s eyes grew stronger.

“C-come on, attack him.”

One of the two muttered.

“He’s good with a sword, but he’s just a little brat. S-stick close and smash him. That’s the only—”

“Then you go first, you bastard!”

“What? You son of a—”

Fear clouded their heads.

They belatedly realized they could rush me, but the memory of their comrades’ easy deaths bound them. Numbers became a disadvantage. Neither wanted to go first.

Meanwhile, I advanced steadily.

“Hi—hik.”

As the distance closed, their eyes widened. They held not axes but long clubs. One swung his. Longer than I expected. Simply twisting my body wouldn’t be enough to dodge.

Then?

‘A dancer’s body.’

My body bent elastically. Twisting my waist, my taut muscles held balance steady. Like an acrobat, I avoided the club. The man’s eyes widened.

“What the…”

A strange posture.

But the swordswoman in my memory whispered.

Yes. Even from this posture.

『I am a woman. I cannot change the sex I was born with. Then I must cover my weaknesses with strengths. Hegel said: cultivate what only you can do. Do not waste time trying to fix flaws. Shine your strengths brighter. My strength is flexibility. Like the traveling jesters who stopped by the village inns, my body is supple. From any posture, at any angle, I can aim for the enemy’s throat.』

Flick—With a faint sound, the Needle shot forth.

It pierced precisely through the man’s eye.

“Aaagh!”

Blood spattered with his scream. He clutched his eye and was incapacitated. I left him and turned to the dazed man beside him.

I bent my neck back, almost as if doing a handstand, and planted my left hand on the ground.

Supporting my light body, I flicked my right wrist.

The Needle slid forward, stabbing into his groin.

“Ugh.”

Instinctively, the man hunched down.

I pulled the Needle free, extended my arm, twisted my wrist vertically.

The slender blade angled upward, piercing beneath his chin, running through his head. His body slumped. One remained.

“Uuugh… uhuk…”

The last man clutched his ruined eye, groaning.

Slowly, I walked toward him.

“…”

My gaze fell on the bedspreads my mother had once treasured so dearly, now stained with blood…

***

The four intruders who came to my precious mansion were easily dealt with.

Liam’s words had proven true.

I had slain the big men wielding axes and clubs with ease.

When four corpses lay sprawled across the bedroom, my breathing had not faltered.

I could no longer deny it.

The spectral figure of the sword in my eyes, Liam Karavan, was truly my great ancestor. The glorious age of the 「Karavan」 family that Father had spoken of so often must have been real. Therefore, Liam’s teachings would raise me to lofty heights.

Yes, to the height where I could take revenge on Swordmaster Carlos.

That damned saying still circled in my mind.

A Swordmaster can only be killed by a Swordmaster.

Thus, I must become a Swordmaster.

No matter what it takes.

“…This was handled well enough, right?”

I buried the dead and carefully cleaned the blood that had been splattered around the mansion.

Only the stench of blood still lingered. Perhaps it would linger forever. Or perhaps it was something only I could smell—the scent of death that only I remembered from that day of tragedy.

「Yes. From now on, insects will gather here often. And enemies far more dangerous than today’s may appear.」

“…”

「You must not avoid them, but face them and defeat them. That is what it means to be a Karavan. Karavan grows greater with each battle fought. Like a sword that hardens the more it is struck.」

Liam looked at me and said,

「For that, there are still steps left to climb.」

“…”

「First, you must become a Sword Beginner.」

His eyes flashed.

Like a blade.

「From today, our training will change.」