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How many opportunities do ordinary people have to hold a blade in their lifetime? And at most, it’s nothing more than a kitchen knife.

If I had ever held a sword, my answer would be 'yes.'

I was given basic lessons in only one or two moves to look cool in movies.

Of course, it wasn’t with a real sword that could cut or kill someone, so this was the first time I had ever held a sharp blade.

Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

Was it because of the tension from holding a real sword for the first time?

Not at all.

I felt alive as I held the blade in my hand, a surge of energy coursing through my veins. 

My heart pounded with excitement, and my senses were heightened as if I could conquer anything. The blade seemed to call to me, each cell in my body responding to its alluring presence. 

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, ready to embrace the thrill of the unknown.

How am I supposed to swing a sword?

In fact, I knew nothing about swordsmanship, so even if I tried to wield it now, it would just look like random movements.

I wasn't willing to injure myself or anyone else by recklessly swinging it.

'What should I do?'

I pondered for a moment.

I already knew the solution; it was enough to overshadow any worries.

There was one thing I did know about swordsmanship, one thing that I learned in great detail.

'The main character's sword technique.'

It was a sword technique without a name but a wealth of description across the series I had read. Really, I had no choice but to know it.

"Lord Reymond? Are you okay?"

Selina inquired, her eyebrows furrowed with concern as she watched me stand motionless, sword in hand.

She said that, of course, thinking I would not be able to wield it.

She just let me try it in a fit of rage.

'Did I go too far?'

The moment Selina thought so…

I inhaled briefly, then exhaled. That was how my 'acting' began.

I was the one who knew the main character better than anyone else in this world, maybe even more than the main character himself.

What would happen if I acted like the main character?

['The Unknown God' is looking forward to your performance.]

Ignoring the message window, I lowered the sword.

Whoosh.

The blade cut through the air in a neat swing.

I took a half-step forward and slightly twisted my body, lifting the sword before my mind could catch up to the movement.

Whoosh.

The sword moved freely in my hand, which had never held a proper blade before.

The sword let out a refreshed howl with each swing. It felt like liberation.

Taking another half-step forward, I lowered my body and thrust the blade forward.

A sharp, killing aura filled the pointed tip.

Then I deliberately took a short breath and swung the sword while turning my body halfway around. The blade moved at high speed and cut through the air.

As I continued through each movement, I kept thinking about the main character in my head.

To act as the main character thoroughly.

To perfectly imitate the main character's sword techniques.

As I swung the sword, I could feel the intense emotions that had been suppressed deep within my heart begin to rise up and wriggle in response. 

It was as if they were alive and responding to each and every movement.

Was it Raymond's emotions that stirred within me, or was it the role I was playing as the main character that elicited these feelings? I couldn't quite discern the source.

Thinking about it, I wondered.

'Do I need to keep suppressing this?'

The conclusion came easily: there was no need to hold back.

I released the emotions that were suppressed as if it was natural.

Thwack.

I heard the sound of something breaking. Emotions spread throughout my body, attempting to take over.

I didn't allow it. I let out my suppressed emotions but didn't allow them to control me.

Instead, I put all those emotions into the tip of the sword.

A terrifyingly strong killing aura enhanced the blade’s edge.

Whoosh.

The sword shook stronger than before as it swished through the air.

I cut and stabbed, moving from one move to the next.

As I meticulously examined each individual movement, it appeared as if I was merely swinging the sword haphazardly. But as they coalesced into one fluid motion, a sense of purpose emerged. 

It was then that I realized, with the sword in hand, I was no longer a mere extra in the story. I had become the hero, the protagonist, commanding the scene with each graceful stroke of my blade.

***

To be honest, Selina laughed a bit when Raymond grabbed the sword.

The Young Lord of the Millennium Household, a family famous for its wizardry, was known to be a talentless man still stuck in the 1st Circle.

She was very aware of the rumors about Raymond. But Selina wanted to see for herself and judge him rather than listen to those rumors.

That's why she met him as unbiasedly as possible to see what he was like.

Her first impression was: He didn't look much like a scumbag.

And then Raymond's comment about her sword technique followed.

"When you swung your sword earlier, it seemed that your feet followed a little later… Is that how it should be done?”

As Raymond spoke, Selina could sense no ill will in his words. 

Yet, despite this, she couldn't shake the feeling that her vulnerability had been uncovered. In a knee-jerk reaction, she snapped at him, shielding herself with a sharp tongue.

"You came to the Warrug Household and yet criticize my swordsmanship. You are an interesting fellow."

Usually, she wouldn't have cared what Raymond said about her swordsmanship.

The problem was that what Raymond said had been pointed out over and over again for some time by her mentors.

She reacted sensitively because she felt as though he had been on point.

"That was the basic royal swordsmanship. If you know, would you like to try it?"

Until the moment she held out her sword with that challenge, she didn't think that Raymond would really take it.

So when Raymond took the sword, she was a little taken aback inside, but she stepped back, making room for him to swing.

And like that, Raymond started moving.

Selina was able to realize that Raymond's movements weren't at all clumsy like she expected in one swing. She was a Warrug, so she knew what swordsmanship was all about.

Wasn't he what people called a genius?

It wasn't hard to see that Raymond's movements were unusual.

The sword cut through the air, and when the tip was pointed at her, Selina involuntarily flinched back.

She broke into a cold sweat and instinctively thought about how to block the sword if it came at her.

Selina's hand instinctively reached for her waistband, only to be met with emptiness as she realized her sword was nowhere to be found. 

She let out a sigh of frustration, her fists clenched tight as she felt the tension ripple through her muscles.

The more Raymond moved, the more ferocious killing aura spread across their surroundings.

She felt like prey before a predator, unable to move.

As Selina watched, the butler by her side gingerly slipped his hand into his inner pocket, as if sensing danger in the air.

Perhaps he instinctively grabbed his dagger because of the strong killing aura.

"What is this...?"

She couldn't say it was perfect.

His body wasn’t suitable for wielding a sword, and perhaps because of that, it didn't feel like he was moving freely.

'And yet...'

She didn't know how to deal with it. Would it be best to endure and drag him into a prolonged battle of attrition?

With many thoughts rolling through, Selina watched Raymond.

***

By the time the sweat started flowing, my sight had grown blurry.

I let out a short breath and drew the sword from top to bottom as I did when I first started, then stopped.

'It’s tiring.'

Trying to control my trembling arms, I turned around to look at Selina and saw her shocked face.

[The 'Unknown God' is looking at you, satisfied. They praise you, saying it was a perfect performance.]

That message popped up again. Who the hell was this Unknown God?

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

This wasn't something I could figure out just by thinking about it, and there was something more important now.

I slowly lowered the sword and approached Selina. The act was over.

"I don't know the royal basic swordsmanship, so I swung it at random."

I held out the sword politely, trying to return it.

My arms trembled for a moment, but I struggled not to show it.

Selina shook as she took the sword back.

"Have you ever trained in swordsmanship, Young Lord Raymond?"

"I don’t know if I should say that I have… Today is the first time I have ever held a sharpened blade."

Although I’d held a sword while acting, it wasn’t real. I didn't even learn it properly.

So I chose honesty to make the best impression on her.

Selina groaned softly.

He hasn’t even learned swordsmanship, so how could such clean techniques come out?

She was confused.

"You… you are very different from what I expected."

As Selina's eyes danced with a tempest of emotions, it was clear that she was well aware of the gossip surrounding Raymond. I could easily decipher the subject of her conversation.

"Lady Selina, you are also slightly different from what I thought."

"What were your thoughts about me?"

"That silver hair suits you well… more than I imagined."

Her lips curved into a smile as she cast her gaze downward, studying my hands with interest. I couldn't help but feel self-conscious, knowing full well that my palms were rough and chapped from gripping the hilt of my sword for countless hours. It looked like they would blister soon.

"Sigh."

I didn’t think I was going at it for that long, but this was the result. It served to show off that I was like a flower grown in a greenhouse.

"Your hands..."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it. I'll treat it later."

A few blisters were nothing.

It was definitely not my first time getting hurt, either. It wasn't rare to get these kinds of injuries while shooting.

I tried to take my hands back because it wasn't meant to be seen by her, but Selina wouldn't let me retreat.

She clicked her tongue, turning her head to look at the butler.

"Butler."

"Yes, Lady Selina."

"Please treat Young Lord Raymond's wounds."

"Understood.”

The butler replied with a bow.

***

"I was surprised when you suddenly rushed out. It looks like Raymond caused some trouble."

Count Millennium cast a sidelong glance at Raymond and Selina, who stood at a distance, while Count Warrug simply stared at Raymond in silence, offering no response.

"Gerard."

Hearing the voice of Count Warrug calling him, Count Millennium turned his head.

With his brow furrowed, Count Warrug continued.

"It’s about your son."

"What about Raymond?"

"It seems he knows how to use a sword."

"What are you talking about? Raymond has never held a sword in his life."

Count Millennium shook his head as if telling him not to joke, but Count Warrug was serious.

"It was definitely… the skill of someone who has held a sword."

"..."

“And at that, a swordsmanship that has claimed perhaps thousands of lives.”

Count Warrug murmured, glancing down at his arm.

His every follicle stood on end as a primal instinct took over, sensing the deadly aura emanating from the source of terror. His body involuntarily responded to the threat, readying itself for survival

'It seems something big will happen to the Millennium Household.'

He thought to himself.