IICSYIRD l CH 17

chapter 03

A few weeks passed.

As soon as I got up, I went to see Enricor.

“Enrii!”

When I called out to him from a distance, I saw him flinch and hunch his shoulders.

‘Oh dear.’

I’d heard that when I had a high fever, just hearing the name “Enri” made me shake. Enricor hadn’t visited often because he was afraid he’d make me feel worse. It must’ve really affected him.

‘I feel kind of bad now.’

“Why are you already out here? I said I’d come to you.”

“Enri.”

I looked at Enricor and said,

“I’m okay now.”

“Huh?”

“You can… go back to the Academy now.”

“W–What?”

In the original story, Enricor graduated early from the Academy. After that, he stayed at the Lefevre estate. It made sense. His little sister died young, and their parents were devastated, so he chose to stay close to his family.

The original said that his mother even fell into a deep depression and was bedridden afterward.

‘But I’m perfectly fine now.’

Sure, my body’s still weak, and I haven’t stopped taking medicine yet, but people have instincts—and mine was telling me I wouldn’t die from this anymore. The doctors had been working day and night on my treatment, and I’d been steadily improving.

In his letters, Enricor always wrote that life at the Academy was “so-so.” But knowing his personality, I was sure he actually found it really fun and was just downplaying it so I wouldn’t feel left out.

He had come home for vacation, but when I got seriously ill, he even took a leave of absence. I had only just found that out.

That’s not okay.

“I just wanted to train quietly at home, that’s all.”

“Mhm.”

I figured I’d talk to him a few more times and send him back tomorrow. I started walking forward.

“That’s the holy sword.”

“It’s not a practice replica—it’s the real deal.”

“I know.”

In the kingdom, noble families known as the “Tower Houses” were required to serve in the military. So, to train, they were issued measuring-type holy swords that couldn’t be used to slay monsters.

But the Lefevre family was the only noble house to possess a real holy sword. I guess being the kingdom’s most powerful noble family wasn’t just for show.

I didn’t grab the sword right away. Even though I was feeling better, I didn’t want to take any risks. Instead, I asked Venus how healthy I needed to be to try holding it again. Venus, with his dazzlingly handsome face, knelt on one knee in front of me and said:

“The first time you wield the holy sword, it drains all your strength. That’s what happened to you. But the second time won’t be as bad. Would you like to try again?”

“Yeah. I want to try holding it again.”

“Then we’ll need to record it officially this time. We have to keep track of how many swords are in use.”

I nodded, and things got a little chaotic for a moment. Venus called the knight captain, a doctor, and even a maid.

The fact that a sword that’s strictly registered with the military could be used so casually in the Lefevre family felt surreal. When I held the sword, it felt like more than just a weapon—it felt like a powerful symbol of authority.

As expected, the old-looking holy sword slowly began to glow with a faint, shadowy aura as soon as I grabbed it. I looked up at the sky.

Just like that day when the monster stood before me, dozens of swords began to rise vertically into the air. They moved swiftly to match where I was looking, as if an invisible monster stood in front of me.

It felt like staring at the stars in the night sky. I kept watching as more and more swords appeared above me. Standing beside me, the knight captain carefully counted and recorded them, and Enricor—quietly watching as well—murmured,

“Eighty-nine.”

“Eighty-nine, indeed,” the captain confirmed.

I looked up at the many swords floating above my head, mouth slightly open. Venus said,

“You have the same number as Young Master Enricor.”

“Wow… I’ve never even met anyone at the Academy with numbers like that. What are you, Blan?”

“I’m your younger sister…”

“Ahem! Is that so! Maybe it runs in the family!”

I blinked. As soon as I let go of the holy sword, all the swords floating above vanished like illusions. My hand tingled—just like that day. It felt like drinking a cold glass of water after waking up overheated. My blood felt alive.

“The number of swords is said to be mostly innate. It seems the Lefevre blood is strong indeed,” Venus said.

Well, Venus himself was a branch member of the Lefevre family. I smiled shyly at the maid praising me nonstop, but I was thinking something else.

‘Eighty-nine… that’s really something.’

Enricor wasn’t wrong to be impressed.

In The Mad Beauty’s End, the story explained in detail about “sword-wielders.” Most nobles could summon around 60 swords. If you could summon more than 70, people called you gifted. Over 80? A genius.

Enricor was one of those genius-level supporting characters. But he wasn’t particularly special because…

Once the main story begins—when the female lead joins the military—it really kicks off by showing her peers.

‘And they’re all geniuses.’

The female lead could summon 98 swords. That’s the same number as the male lead and even more than the secondary male leads. That’s why those cold, scarred, and wounded types started paying attention to her.

It made sense. With all those monsters in the world, you needed a whole army of geniuses to keep the story moving.

And then there’s Schuloitz, the so-called once-in-a-generation prodigy. You’d wonder how many swords he could summon.

A clean 200.

It was clear—being the hero who saves an entire world wasn’t for just anyone. But Schuloitz wasn’t the male lead. He was the strongest character in the setting, destined to die from poison.

Meanwhile, the male lead and others grow stronger through trials. Even though the number of swords is said to be based on natural talent and nearly impossible to increase through effort alone, the male lead eventually reaches 100 swords in the second half of the story.

‘All for saving the female lead.’

Considering how main characters usually become the strongest by the end, I figured Schuloitz’s record would probably be broken too.

That thought scared me a little. Like something massive was bound to happen later.

Growth through hardship. That was the wild lesson of The Mad Beauty’s End.

‘And it’s not like I can just escape to another country either.’

It wasn’t any better elsewhere. While I was lost in thought, Enricor spoke.

“Blan, want me to teach you how to swing a holy sword?”

“The holy sword… It was fun!”

That evening, the maids all smiled gently at my words.

“Really?”

“We already heard the number from Sir Venus. The Lord and Lady were overjoyed.”

“Yeah…!”

The next day, I made up my mind.

‘I should really start training with the holy sword.’

It’d be a waste not to use this talent. And I really meant it when I said the sword was fun.

Enricor came to see me again the next day. We played in the spring garden while flowers fell around us, then ate together while he read a book—until Mom scolded him.

‘He studies so hard, though.’

The way Enricor, who clearly belonged at the Academy, kept staying at the estate because of me wasn’t a good thing.

I didn’t want to be a burden to the people I cared about anymore.

“Venus… hey…”

“Yes, my lady?”

“If I train with the holy sword… can I get healthier… maybe?”

“……”

Venus froze for a moment at my question.

“My lady…”

“No? It’ll make me worse?”

‘Maybe it’s too tiring and will wear me out more?’

While I was thinking that, something sad passed through Venus’s eyes. It looked like the kind of sadness you’d see on an adult’s face when a lost child begs for just one slice of bread so they won’t be abandoned.

“You will get healthier.”

“Okay…”

“You want to run around like Young Master Enricor, don’t you?”

“Huh? Well… yeah.”

“I’ll inform the Lord.”

Four days later,

I was officially registered as a sword-wielder.

****

“My lady, you need to drink all of your water. You could get dehydrated.”

“Okay…!”

At Sir Valoc’s words, I quickly chugged down the water.

Sir Valoc was the captain of the Lefevre family’s knights. It had been three years since I was registered as a sword-wielder. Since then, I’d been dragged to training every single day.

You need stamina to wield a holy sword regularly. I had barely recovered from being near-death—so I only had about 1/20th the stamina of other kids my age. It was a miracle I’d even survived the Red Zone back then.

‘Still, I really am healthier now.’

Just looking in the mirror, I could see color returning to my cheeks. Though maybe that was just from running too hard… but I decided to stay optimistic.

“My lady.”

Sir Valoc looked at me, still dazed even after drinking the water.

“You’re truly dedicated. You’ve never once skipped training.”

“I’m… atoning…”

Sir Valoc looked puzzled.

“Atoning?”

“There’s a reason…”

He tilted his head and took the bottle from me.

“Still, my lady, don’t pass out from running again like last time. If it’s too hard, you must speak up.”

“Okay.”

“Young Master always complained it was too hard. But you never say anything—that’s the problem.”

“Then… mix us together…”

“Where did you pick up that kind of talk?”

Sir Valoc laughed.

****