I Became a Swordsman in the Middle Ages.

"A full gathering. When was the last time we did this?"

"I think it's been 3 years."

The Windsors gathered in the bustling auditorium.

Though it was an emergency summons, few complained. Of course, there were exceptions.

"Hey, I'm a patient. Isn't this too much?"

"Sir Zeriway! Thanks to you, we survived back then."

"Haha! If you're that grateful... Can you lend me some money?"

"Excuse me?"

As the knights stepped back from Zeriway, Lude pushed through the crowd and approached Cairon.

"Even the Commander came?"

"It's a call from the detective. Even for him, responding is the proper procedure."

Lude looked quite pale. Cairon asked with crossed arms,

"How's the investigation going?"

"Well... There's good news and bad news. Do you want to hear it?"

"No. Let's resolve this first."

Cairon said while gazing intently at the stage again.

A knight checking the headcount nodded, and an officer on duty was seen hurrying somewhere.

"Looks like she's coming out soon."

Though his voice wasn't loud, everyone heard it. The auditorium instantly became quiet.

'Who could the culprit be?'

The question rose in everyone's mind.

The Sword Maiden's investigations were known for being flawless.

If she found the culprit, it meant she found irrefutable evidence.

'Whoever it is... is among us.'

'If it's revealed,'

'I'll kill them.'

The auditorium's air was stained with thick bloodlust. Amidst it, light footsteps were heard.

Eyes shifted one by one. A girl with fair skin, tightly shut lips, and fluttering silver hair.

Sisilia Windsor.

She stood on the stage.

"Sorry I'm late, I was organizing the information."

She bowed her head once. She raised her head again and spoke.

"First, to introduce myself... I'm Detective Sisilia."

"De-, what?"

The knights who were listening tensely were dumbfounded.

Sisilia stretched out her right hand, unconcerned.

"Now, Watson. Bring the evidence."

"...Watson? Who's that now?"

With an ashen face, Hyder brought over documents and handed them to her.

The knights' gazes concentrated on Cairon. 'Not controlling your daughter?' Cairon bowed his head in embarrassment.

"The origin of the incident starts with the fake dungeon strategy book."

Edward glared at Sisilia with obvious distaste. Zeriway looked at it with an uneasy expression.

"The mission reports were manipulated, and Sword Saint Zeriway was heavily injured because of it."

"Whatever the culprit's aim was, one thing was clear. They are Windsor's enemy."

"Now, I will announce the investigation results."

Sisilia's cynical voice rang out clearly.

The knights watched with tense eyes.

"The culprit is..."

Gulp.

The knights swallowed.

Sisilia spoke with a more solemn voice than ever.

"The culprit is among us."

"...!"

The knights were startled.

Isn't that obvious...?

But Sisilia had a proud expression as if she had said something immense.

Cairon clapped with an expressionless face.

'Is this... something to clap for?'

A serious question arose, but reading the room, they began to clap.

As the auditorium filled with applause, Sisilia shook her head.

"Please stop praising me so much, it's embarrassing. Of course, I also think this investigation was flawless."

'...What do you want us to do?'

The knights gave up on thinking.

Eventually, a knight who couldn't hold back raised his hand.

"So who is the culprit?"

"That,"

Sisilia paused again.

The knights' throats dried up from the tension.

"Will be revealed in 60 seconds."

After a brief silence.

The knights went wild.

"Are you kidding me!"

"There's a limit to favoritism, even if you're cute!"

"Sisilia, come to your senses!"

Amidst the knights' protests, only Cairon was silently glaring at Sisilia.

It meant to do it properly now, and it also meant he would cut her allowance if she didn't.

Sisilia flinched and suddenly closed her eyes, placing her hand on her sword. What is she trying to do? As Cairon was thinking.

Her sword was half drawn. At that moment, a chill ran down their spines. It felt like a demon's hand was right behind them. Death was near.

Cairon drew his sword without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, all the knights in the auditorium drew their swords.

"Ju-just now, a demon's presence."

"And quite a strong one at that."

The startled knights looked to the front. Sisilia spoke with a dry expression.

"The Windsor Knights Order cannot help but draw their swords upon sensing a demon."

Cairon thought.

'Was that Sisilia's wind just now? She could even mimic a demon.'

"It wouldn't make sense for a knight's order that kills demons to not sense them."

The knights looked around.

"So the person who didn't draw their sword is the culprit."

Though most had their swords drawn, as Sisilia said, there was a knight who didn't draw his sword.

"Ri-, Ridel? You..."

Ridel tried to grasp his sword belatedly, but it was no use. He laughed awkwardly and explained.

"I, I definitely sensed it too. But I thought Sisilia was joking..."

"Saying a mere regular knight noticed the precise usage of the Blessing of Wind that even two Sword Emperors were fooled by."

Edward walked over coldly and stood in front of Ridel with his sword in his right hand.

"Isn't that going too far, Ridel?"

Edward put his hand on Ridel's shoulder with his usual smiling face.

Ridel spoke with difficulty, feeling immense pressure.

"Th, that's..."

"That's?"

"With so many knights here, even high-ranking knights as the vice-commander present, there was no need for me to step up."

At that moment, the knights' expressions changed, as they didn't fully believe there was a traitor.

The Windsor Knights Order is a group with unique personalities.

However, even such a group has a common aspect.

Hatred for demons.

An absolute.

Waiting for other knights to step up like an idiot in front of a demon?

"You're not a Windsor."

As the atmosphere turned grim, Ridel gulped. His judgment was swift.

"I-, I'm sorry! I-I'll tell you everything..."

"Shut up."

Poof-

Ridel looked down in disbelief.

A sword burning with flames had pierced his abdomen.

"Kuuk."

Blood soon flowed out. But even that blood disappeared in the intense heat. Ridel collapsed without a word. With his insides completely burned.

Cairon's eyebrows twitched. In his eyes, it seemed like killing an important witness.

"There's more."

But for now, he put aside that question and focused on Sisilia. The other knights did the same.

Though her credibility was already high, at this moment, Sisilia's words became absolute.

"The traitors don't end here."

"There's... more?"

"Yes. There's one among the high-ranking knights, too."

"...!"

It wasn't something they could easily accept.

In fact, everyone had inwardly judged it would be the new or low-ranking members.

If a high-ranking knight was the traitor, more terrible and devastating things would have happened.

Moreover, most of the high-ranking knights had devoted themselves to the knights' order and the kingdom for decades.

Their very existence should have been flawless. The number of demons they had slain would pile up to form mountains.

But a traitor among the high-ranking knights?

Who?

The people in the auditorium kept a long silence, waiting for Sisilia's mouth to open.

"To be continued next time."

The knights collapsed.

'Everyone's enjoying it.'

Sisilia was pleased.

***

"Good work today."

"Yes."

"You've done an excellent job with your assigned duties… Except the last part."

Cairon patted Sisilia's head.

"Let's talk slowly after returning."

"Commander."

"Speak."

Cairon, who was about to board the carriage, paused momentarily and waited for Sisilia to speak.

"I still have work left to do."

"Weeding out traitors?"

"..."

Sisilia didn't answer. But that was enough of an answer. Cairon nodded slightly and boarded the carriage. The carriage moved without waiting for Sisilia.

Left alone, Sisilia turned her back and took steps toward the conclusion.

In fact, she knew Ridel was the culprit as soon as she read the documents.

The problem was that for 'undercover work,' the higher-ups were inevitably involved together.

Then, who could that higher-up be? Thinking one-dimensionally, it was Edward. Other than that, there was a lack of 'motive' itself.

But there was a 'fatal flaw' in him being the culprit. He would become the commander anyway. If he was going to cause trouble, it wouldn't be too late to do it after his promotion.

Then who could it be? Lude, who spends all day researching flames? Hyder, who lacks the intelligence to be the mastermind? Leorick, who has no interest in anything but women and demons?

It wasn't any of them. Above all, they had alibis.

Then who?

At times like this, Sisilia relied on modern civilization. She recalled a famous saying. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

And when she excluded all those impossibilities, only one person remained.

"Zeriway."

Sisilia approached, calling out softly. A man was sitting on the rooftop, drinking whiskey and looking at the moonlight.

He kept drinking without a word even as Sisilia came next to him.

Sisilia also stayed still without striking up a conversation.

"You know, Sisilia."

Zeriway spoke quietly.

"I joined the knights' order to avenge my younger brother."

He was what you'd call a good-for-nothing.

After losing his brother, nothing held meaning for him. He could find no joy in anything but slaying demons. All he could do was drink and gamble to buy that alcohol.

"But one day, when I went to a dungeon, my dead brother was there."

Zeriway's eyes scanned the past. As if his brother was right in front of him.

"His appearance, the way he talked, everything was the same. I had hoped to see him even in my dreams, but meeting him like this, I didn't know whether to cry or laugh."

Sisilia's expression hardened somewhat.

"Zeriway, it’s not..."

"I know. That he's not my real brother. He's probably a demon that ate his existence. But still..."

A tear fell from Zeriway's eyes.

"I couldn't bring myself to slay him."

Demons always target humans' weaknesses.

He must have known. Even though he knew...

Zeriway was just a more pathetic human than he himself thought.

"I couldn't refuse his tearful request either. That's right, Sisilia. I'm the traitor. A human who joined hands with demons."

-Shing.

At the sound of a sharp sword being drawn, Zeriway quietly closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. For being a pitiful human who can't even end his own life."

He silently awaited his end.

But no matter how long he waited, his consciousness didn't cut off.

"In the end, you didn't kill anyone. Because out of the 183 subjugations you were involved in, there were no casualties. Instead, you injured yourself. The same goes for this time."

He slowly opened his eyes.

Sisilia had already sheathed her sword and was crouching next to him.

"It's not too late yet."

"..."

"There is still time."

Zeriway looked at the sky.

If he lowered his head here, tears would surely pour out.

"You're... forgiving me?"

Sisilia blinked.

"No."

"...Huh?"

Zeriway's tears receded.

"But if you pick up and put back everything you spilled, I'll forgive you."

"...Pick up and put back?"

"Turn yourself in under the name of a suitable noble. We'll frame it as a simple case of bribery, not you being a traitor. That will end with a pay cut. Your image will take quite a hit, but you have no image left to ruin anyway, so it should be fine."

"Th, that's true, but… Why? Why go this far..."

In fact, Sisilia didn't particularly care whether a traitor emerged from within the Windsor Knights Order.

Rather, she wanted to thank them for producing quality quests.

However, she hated the nobles' politics. Sisilia wanted to prepare for the newbies without anyone's interference.

Only one year left.

No variables or mistakes could be tolerated.

Clear out anything bothersome in advance and improve the overall level of the Windsor Knights Order to create a good fence for the newbies.

To do that,

"So we can get rid of the annoying nobles."

But Zeriway's complexion turned deathly pale.

'It can't get any better than this offer, so why is he like that?'

Sisilia tilted her head, not understanding.