Chapter 02

TL-Mechatronic

TL Note: Yes, Prelude is Chapter 01. Sorry the confuse numbering.

Echinacea Roaz was a genius of wealth. To put it a little more precisely, she had a level of talent that was hard to come by in a century, in both fields of swordsmanship and mana affinity.

However, she did not know that she was a genius until she was 20 years old. Because Echinacea, the Young Lady of the County Roaz, was well bred and had never held a sword in her hands.

I wish I didn’t know forever.’

Eki thought so.

The sensation of blood clotted all over her body was beyond terrible. She was now perfectly accustomed to the sensation, which she could never have imagined until the age of 20.

‘I didn’t want to know that I was a genius this way.’

She looked ahead blankly. To be exact, she was looking at her own front. Now her body was out of her control. She had been deprived of her body by the magic sword in her right hand.

A glass-like transparent blade forged by human blood, and a black hilt made with human malice.

The energy emanating from the sword dyed her right arm black, and made black spots all over her white skin. Her pink hair, the reason she was named Echinacea, and the purple eyes she had inherited from her father were all dyed with a vicious black color.

There were bursting blood vessels, bloodshot eyes, clots of blood and dust all over her face.

Even those who know her well would now hardly recognize that she once was Echinacea Roaz.

Eki was the only daughter of a Count’s family that lived in the Empire, and she had a younger brother to succeed the title. Although her family was not powerful, it was quite wealthy and had a long tradition.

There was no problem in her family, be it either illegitimate children or adultery. The relationship between the siblings was good, and the counts’ couple had a harmonious marriage. The only thing the Count couple wanted from Eki was for her to get married in a good place and live happily ever after.

Eki didn’t have any major complaints about her situation. With the goal of her marriage, she took care of her beauty and learned proper culture.

She liked pretty things and hated moving her body and even more to sweat while doing so. For her, a harsh tone was considered offensive, and a modest manner was etched into her body. She was lazy, and she hated anything that was not aristocratic.

She was like that until she was only twenty.

Magic Sword Verdergiosa.

That was the name of the sword she held in her hand, the reason Eki found out she was a genius, and the culprit who completely changed her life and created this tragedy.

Verdergiosa takes control over the master’s body, and uses that body to slaughter and destroy anything in it’s path. There were many such massacres, and because of those events, Verdergiosa got the nickname of Demon Sword.

The power of this magic sword was great. When the Demon Sword possesses them, humans who had no talent for swords were even able to deal with aura masters – those who used swords with mana on their weapons.

However, it was only through the host’s body that the demon sword exerted its power, and because of that, there were obvious limitations. In the end, the host could not withstand the mana of the demon sword, and their body broke down as they used it.

Even the demon sword itself knew it, so when strong people approached or the host was broken, he would run away and hide. However, the demon sword that obtained the body of Echinacea was different.

‘What happened, why can’t anyone stop me?’

An insane level of mana affinity supported her body that was about to collapse because of the mana of the demon sword. Even if there was no training at all, her innate body was soaked in mana, and was instantly optimized for the swordsmanship displayed by the magic sword.

The results were very, very terrible. Eki was forced to experience how strong she could be.

Famous mercenaries, the Commanders of the Guards Division, the Court mages, and even her family were all but cut to corpses by the blade. Everyone collapsed in front of her. So easily and incredibly simply.

‘I didn’t have to be a genius to this extent.’

Eki thought so, not with pride, but with all her heart. It was talent she learned by killing countless people, including those who were precious to her.

It wouldn’t have gotten to this point if she wasn’t a genius. She didn’t need such talent. Even if she had it, she would have been better off not knowing about it forever.

Contrary to her desire to cry, her face was smiling. It was fortunate that no one could see that smile, with dust, blood, and filth intertwined with her hair and stuck to her face. Eki, who used to bathe twice a day, is now insensitive to dirt.

There were corpses everywhere. She walked forward, kicking her toes at something unknown, possibly someone’s neck. There was no destination. The Demon Sword was just searching for a life it would kill.

A group of knights blocked her front.

A coat of arms of a golden hawk with four wings spread out in a white uniform that stands out too much for practical use. They donned a blue cloak, and a white armor plate on their chest.

Eki was a noble young girl who was ignorant of the world of knights, but she had heard of knights wearing white uniforms with such a crest.

The strongest and most famous Knight Order on the continent and those who do not belong to any one country, they were the Celestial Knights. Looking at that crest, they must have been the Hawks of Celestial Order. Three men, one woman.

One of the men took a step towards her.

“She is tainted with the magic sword.”

It was a man with long silver hair tied loosely into a single strand and hung over his shoulders. He looked at her with blue-sky eyes just as his named suggested.

Echinacea knew who that man was.

‘Yurien de Harden Kyrier.’

The third prince of the Kyrier Empire, to which she belongs, abandoned his right to succeed the throne and joined the Celestial Order to become the youngest knight Commander in its history.

The Celestial Knights was an Order that does not belong to any country. Therefore, technically speaking, Yurien is no longer a member of the Imperial family or a person of the Empire, but the affairs of the world are not so easily cut off.

The imperialists were proud that the head of the Celestial, Knights was from their own imperial family. Of course, Eki was also proud. At tea parties she attended, Yurien was quite often a topic of discussion.

Eki had even seen him in person. At the Emperor’s birthday banquet, which she also attended, Yurien visited to celebrate his father’s birthday.

At that time, she had secretly blushed her cheeks when she saw a man more beautiful than the rumors. Although she had never danced with him once, she was content to see the famous Knight Commander in person. Because he lived in a world very different from hers.

Like a romantic novel, she had once imagined falling in love with the Commander through a fateful encounter. It wasn’t

very unusual. Most of the young girls of the Empire must have imagined that. Because it was free to dream, and he was an attractive single man.

But she never dreamed she would face him like this. She cannot imagine meeting the Commander of the Celestial Knights, who went out to subdue the Demon sword while being stained with that same sword.

She felt intimidation from his approaching steps. The sensation of being aimed with a cold blade came over her. He was the strongest among those four.

It is only natural that he is the leader of the Knights who only evaluates people based on their skills, but seeing him with her own eyes, I can clearly feel how strong he was. It was an open sensation thanks to this damned sword.

“As the Celestial Knights who protects the Giosa Temple, will subdue you.”

Yurien spoke while raising his white sword, as if giving out an execution sentence. That sword was his symbol, the holy sword Rangiosa.

Echinacea did not answer. The Demon Sword Verdergiosa silently pushed her body, kill it kill it kill it. The echoes of malice resounded in her mind, engulfed by the demon sword.

She started the attack first. A black demonic sword and a white holy sword collided.

Echinacea did not want to win. She prayed for the longwaited victory of the Commander over her evil consumed being.

‘This is too much. Really, I am too strong for nothing.’

It has been three years since she was stained with the demon sword. In the meantime, she has been through countless battles.

The Empire, which did not want to reach out to the Celestial Knights, sent many Imperial knights to overpower her. And Echinacea killed all of them, becoming stronger and stronger. Not only her body but also her mind.

Those experiences were speaking. Yurien will last longer than anyone else so far, but in the end, it is Echinacea who will win. She was that good.

And Yurien noticed that too. He slipped her sword and stepped back

“That’s amazing. But also a shame.”

His blue eyes became blurry.

“If you were a knight.... I would have truly liked to have a duel.”

“Leader Yurien.”

One of the three knights who was waiting clicked his tongue and called out to him. Yurien replied with a bitter smile.

“I know. This is a subjugation, not a duel.”

“Shall we join you soon?” “Yes.”

The other three knights drew their swords. They were all protectors of the Giosa Temple. The strongest Knights inside the Order.

After that, it got a little more intense. It was a joint effort of four people. To withstand it, the demon sword pushed Echinacea’s body to the limit. He scraped all the way to the bottom of her potential.

However, no matter how much of a genius who wields a magic sword she was, Eki could not defeat the four elite knights, including the commander of the Order. It would be easier to deal with an army.

Echinacea was finally defeated.

Yurien knocked her down, climbed up, and crushed her neck with his sword. The scarred Echinacea struggled like a suppressed beast. Thanks to instinctively warping the mana around her neck, she wasn’t beheaded yet.

In that state, they confronted for a while. The tired knights grumbled around.

“It’s horribly strong, really. To endure this much against the four of us.... I can’t believe it.” “It’s right in front of you, how can’t you believe it? Did you hurt your eyes, Theresa?”

“Shut up, Dietrich.”

“You told me to use only the right words like a knight... Teresa does whatever she wants. That’s your charm, though.”

“Dietrich Saruah. I told you to shut up.”

“That’s a shame. It would have been great if this had been a knight, as the leader said, but to use that talent to touch a demonic sword.”

Ignoring the two knights arguing, a large knight murmured. Echinacea wanted to refute those words. She wanted to cry, vomit blood and scream.

‘Do you think I wanted to be like this? If I had known it was a demonic magic sword, would I have held it? Do you think I’m crazy!? I, I, I just-!’

“She..How could she have grabbed this because she wanted to?”

Yurien said it. It was a clear pronunciation even though he had a rough breath while trying to press down her struggling body.

It was what she wanted to shout the most. In front of her, who was slaughtering everything and everyone, no one could or would have said it.

Echinacea looked up at him in a bewildered way. As her body growled, she glared at him so she could take a closer look. As she observed him, he also stared straight at her.

In him, she did not see the fear, disgust, anger, resentment, and pain she had seen so far. A faint sympathy permeated. It was not for the crazy demon, holding the magic sword, but the gaze towards the person trapped inside.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to do this.”

He said, softly enough that only she, who was close could hear it.