I Became a Swordsmanship Instructor in a Romance Novel

Mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

A scene of utter chaos.

A horrific landscape of surging flames and screams.

The crimson flames, flickering like tongues, painted a scene of hell on earth.

The fire spread relentlessly in all directions, human flesh sizzling and acrid smoke rising.

Fleeting lives collapsed, their eyes losing their light.

All of this unfolded slowly in Soi’s eyes.

The sickening stench of burning corpses filled her nostrils.

The desperate cries of those facing imminent death, their eyes wide with terror, pierced her ears.

Every wrinkle on the faces of those on the verge of death, every scream, was etched into her like a scar.

“Ugh…”

They died, releasing intense emotions at the end of their lives.

Those emotions gathered, swirling around Soi, merging and growing into an overwhelming mass within her chest.

It was as if those condensed emotions were fuel for her rage, turning her mind blank.

Soi Spoon’s body gradually grew hotter, as if she herself had been swallowed by the flames.

Her rising body temperature mingled with the hazy smoke in her breath.

She tried desperately to control her emotions, but it was no use.

Like a dam about to burst.

Their despair.

Their frustration.

Their resignation.

Their sorrow.

Their pain.

All those negative emotions were pushing Soi towards a single action.

It was none other than…

Revenge.

“Ugggh…”

Soi let out a sound that was neither a moan nor a cry.

Thump—

Thump—

Thump—

Her heart pounded heavily.

Grit—

A sharp grinding sound escaped from between her tightly clenched teeth.

In her tightly gripped fist, a blade gleamed with a cold, sharp edge.

It was the sword the Yohaiden Knights had given her.

“I won’t forgive you…”

Her wide eyes fixed on the group clad in black, their clothes untouched by dust.

They said all of this happened because of them.

They said my judgment was correct.

They said they respected my will.

Then there must be nothing wrong with my actions now.

Soi erased everything from her mind except for ‘revenge’.

Power surged into her toes, and she kicked off the ground.

Kwaang—!!!!!!!

With a loud explosive sound, Soi shot towards those in black robes like a bolt of lightning.

“Haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!”

* * *

Duke Eustia frowned as he watched the massive inferno raging below.

“Hela, this… doesn’t this seem strange…?”

At his words, Hela nodded, her face filled with confusion.

It was too strange.

A trap was most effective when the enemy had no time to react.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that the success or failure of a surprise attack was determined by the first strike.

When Duke Eustia judged that the enemies had entered deep enough into their range,

He unleashed a barrage of flaming arrows.

In conclusion, Eustia’s surprise attack was a success.

Not just a success, but a resounding one.

They couldn’t react to the incoming arrows, nor could they quickly extinguish the flames.

The enemy forces, a disorganized rabble, began to collapse rapidly as they tried to flee, only to become entangled with each other.

The damage continued to grow, showing no signs of stopping.

Of course, it seemed that they hadn’t inflicted much damage on the group in black robes at the front, but cutting off the enemy’s waist was a remarkable achievement.

However, that was what was strange.

He hadn’t expected to inflict this much damage with the first attack.

“This is truly bizarre…”

Duke Eustia said, unable to hide his unease.

“Duke, as I mentioned before, they appear to be some sort of religious group.”

Hela spoke up from beside him.

“Yes, I recall receiving a report about an impure religious group.”

“Then wouldn’t they be like the Central Holy Church?”

“The Central Holy Church?”

“Yes, they also have separate priesthood and paladin orders. The paladins are as strong as the knights of ordinary nobles, but the priests have no combat abilities at all.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Duke Eustia nodded.

If the black-robed figures at the front were a group of skilled individuals on par with the assassination squad leader,

And those behind them were all ordinary priests, it certainly made sense.

“Indeed… it wouldn’t make sense for there to be ten thousand such skilled individuals.”

“Yes. So, in the end, the only ones who pose a threat to us are them, those thousand or so individuals.”

Duke Eustia said with a confident smile.

“We’ve won this battle.”

Duke Eustia hadn’t just prepared flaming arrows for them.

No matter how strong they were, it was a simple calculation: ten thousand versus one thousand.

They had a tenfold advantage in numbers and even held the advantageous terrain.

“Then we can try to negotiate.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

In such an overwhelmingly advantageous situation, there was a way to achieve victory without shedding a single drop of blood.

Negotiation.

There was nothing more important than one’s life.

Through negotiation, the loser could save their pathetic life, and the victor could demand anything in return.

‘Yes, let’s negotiate, you bastards.

After I’ve extracted the price for making me come all the way here, I’ll kill you all. Eustia never leaves the seeds of unrest behind.’

Duke Eustia wore a cruel smile and brought the magic loudspeaker, shaped like a necklace, to his mouth.

“Cease your attack. Stop.”

Duke Eustia’s voice echoed through the loudspeaker, and a moment later, the rain of flaming arrows stopped.

“You have already lost. Surrender your weapons and submit, and I will spare your lives.”

Then, the bishop, who had been leading the Lost Hope towards the mountain, stopped his followers and spoke.

“…Who are you, to dare interfere with our plans…?”

A chilling voice reached the Duke’s ears.

Duke Eustia was slightly surprised that such a quiet voice sounded as if it were spoken right next to him, but

He concluded that the bishop was using a magic item like himself and replied.

“You ask who I am? I am the head of the Eustia Dukedom, Ira Eustia.”

“Eustia…?”

The Lost Hope couldn’t hide their surprise at the unexpected name.

“Yes, I won’t say it’s unfair since you attacked us first.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“…Are you playing dumb now? Didn’t you attack Eustia?!”

“Huh? We never…”

As they were conversing,

“Duke Eustia! It’s done! We’ll attack from the rear now!!!!”

Along with a man’s voice that pierced everyone’s ears,

“Kraaaaagh!!!!!”

A sharp scream came from behind, and one of the followers collapsed.

The death of a follower, not a sacrifice.

It meant that they had died after penetrating the ‘barrier’ bestowed by their god.

They had been prepared to face the Lost Hope.

“…You Eustia bastards! It’s a trap!!! They’re trying to stop us momentarily, make us lower our guard, and attack from both sides!!!!!”

“Lost Hope! Destroy the Eustia scum who defy our god’s will!!!”

* * *

Soi Spoon charged from behind and decapitated one of the followers.

Her first kill.

The brutal sensation of severing human bone, the resistance traveling from the tip of the blade to her wrist.

The feeling lingered, leaving a sticky, unpleasant residue.

However, at the same time, Soi felt a sense of liberation, as if a knot of emotions had been loosened.

‘Ah, I must take revenge…’

As she realized that one of the followers had died by her sword,

The faces of the other followers around her contorted grotesquely.

Soi paused for a moment, taken aback by the unfamiliar feeling, then lunged again.

With a light hop,

Sharp claw-like trails were etched in the air.

Shwaaaaaaaack!!!!!

Her fierce blade sliced off the upper halves of two followers’ faces in an instant.

Red cross-sections remained, as if roughly torn away above their noses.

Pshwack!

Blood splattered as the halved heads flew through the air.

Their eyes rolled in different directions, like a squint.

A sword driven by emotion and impulse.

Soi Spoon had been forbidden from wielding her sword even in the training grounds.

Because her swordsmanship, emanating a wild ferocity, lacked any human emotion like mercy.

A killing sword that instilled fear in her opponents and showed no restraint in its cruelty.

Soi ducked low, dodging the hands of a follower who tried to grab her from behind.

Thud! Thud!

“Kraaaaagh!!!”

Soi stabbed the back of his foot with her downward-facing sword.

Then, she grabbed his ankle and pulled, using his body to block the sword thrusting towards her.

Mweck—

The follower’s body, impervious to the blade, deflected it, but he couldn’t ignore the impact from her sheer strength and coughed up blood.

Soi kicked him in the stomach.

He stumbled and fell into the arms of the follower who had just attacked with the sword.

The moment the two overlapped,

Pshwoock—!

The sword pierced through the heart.

Kwoock.

The blade didn’t stop there, it ripped through the stomach of the follower behind as well.

“Gaaaaaah!!!”

Thinking that she hadn’t finished off the follower behind,

Soi leaped onto his shoulders as if riding piggyback.

Then, she started stabbing his face with the sword.

Thud!

“Die.”

Thud! Thud!

“Die.”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Die!!!!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Dieeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Finally, the body, spewing crimson blood like a faucet from the countless holes in its face, ceased to move.

Soi twisted the blade embedded in his face one last time,

Then stepped down from his shoulders and landed on the ground.

Thud.

The corpse collapsed limply behind her.

Soi’s face was splattered with blood.

Silence.

The followers were horrified that the young girl’s prowess had pierced through the barrier bestowed by their god.

Soi, her entire body stained crimson with blood, moved towards her next prey like a wild beast.