Chapter 1: Sword Dance ①
I did it again. I messed up.
Orphelia was tormented by regret as she recalled the recent battle.
She had misjudged the priority in combat. Her most crucial roles were to clear out the weak enemies and to act as a shield, preventing attacks from reaching the backline.
Yet her heart had raced ahead of her mind.
Normally, she would have been more cautious and thorough, but after swiftly dispatching all the weak foes, she hastily joined the front lines of the battle.
As a result, a monster leaped out from behind cover and attacked the healer in the backline.
Thanks to the leader’s urgent shout of “Get back quickly!” she managed to recover just in time, but one misstep could have endangered the lives of the two backline members.
The chaotic terrain, filled with numerous hiding spots, had made it easy for the enemy to ambush them, and the fact that they were dealing with a cunning beast only complicated matters.
No, that was just an excuse, Orphelia chastised herself.
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Orphelia Verite.
Though she was not the leader due to her age and lack of experience, she was undeniably the central figure of her party.
From the beginning, she faced strong criticism as a swordswoman. This stemmed from the rarity of her role and the skill set that accompanied it.
Her role was that of an Ultra Offensive Shield. In essence, she fought without a shield, using her twin swords to deflect and evade enemy attacks, protecting her defenseless allies who were casting spells or supporting from the backline. It was also common for her to eliminate incoming weak foes and then join the front lines to continue her role as a shield while participating in the defeat of larger enemies.
However, it was rare to find a swordswoman who could adeptly switch between these roles, making it difficult for others to understand her capabilities and the significance of her role.
Initially, her stunning beauty led many to view her as nothing more than a “mascot” for the Guild—a mere pretty face meant to attract attention. Furthermore, she often faced hostility from veteran shield warriors, both within and outside the Guild and Clan, who doubted a woman could fulfill the role of a shield.
Yet, as she showcased her overwhelming swordsmanship and contributed to dungeon explorations, raising her Seeker rank, such prejudices and envious criticisms began to fade.
Despite the hardships, one could say her life had been relatively smooth in terms of her rapid rise to prominence. In fact, she ascended to S-rank at a speed that could be counted among the fastest in history. In the Arcana Kingdom, there was hardly anyone who did not know of her rare class, “Sword Dance.”
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However, recently, doubt had begun to creep into Orphelia’s mind. This uncertainty dulled her sword and robbed her of the keen judgment she was known for.
As a result, her performance in the last few explorations had been subpar. She couldn’t swing her sword as she wished.
The image of that scene burned into her mind, refusing to fade.
Her master and disciple were locked in a fierce duel, pushed to their limits. They had stripped away all distractions, immersing themselves solely in the art of swordsmanship—a trance-like state that drew the onlooker in, a pure act known as swordsmanship.
She looked down at her hands. The twin swords she held felt entirely different from before.
Orphelia gazed at her palms, lost in memories of the past.
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“See with your heart, engrave it in your heart, and repeat it with your heart.”
These were the words of a person she had come to regard as her swordsmanship teacher during her childhood.
The country of Lande, located to the southeast of the Arcana Kingdom, was her homeland.
Though Lande was a dry region, it thrived on the excavation of Magic Stones, making it economically prosperous.
The political situation in the country was peaceful, and the citizens received ample economic support and benefits. Education was also prioritized, allowing the children of Lande to receive free education from a young age. Instruction in swordsmanship was one of the educational policies of the nation.
Orphelia came from an ordinary family with typical parents, but she possessed a remarkable talent for swordsmanship—a talent so extraordinary that anyone who saw her could recognize it immediately.
Each town in Lande had its own swordsmanship dojo, and of course, there were three dojos in Orphelia’s area.
The instructor at the dojo she attended abandoned his post just two days after she began training.
Though she was only nine years old, she immediately mimicked the instructor’s sword movements and quickly grasped how to optimize her technique, demonstrating it flawlessly.
The instructor, realizing he was outmatched, shamelessly transferred her to another dojo. He became a laughingstock among the swordsmanship masters, lamenting that he would rather die than face such humiliation. However, it didn’t take long for others to stop laughing.
Within a month, all the swordsmanship instructors and boastful warriors in the town had raised their hands in surrender, admitting they lacked the ability to handle her exceptional talent.
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