28th of February, the Year 1202
15:35 
Auster Manor, Forest

❈

Swish, swish~

The sound of something sharp sailing through the air sounded out in the forest. It was monotonous, repeating itself with even intervals, remaining the same every time. In the middle of a clearing, a single girl stood with a wooden sword in both of her hands, repetitively swinging it downwards in the same fashion. She wore a white hakama with her jet black hair tied back in a simple ponytail which fluttered and glistened in the sunlight with every swing; an ephemeral but beautiful sight. Within her ruby eyes dwelled an emptiness that didn’t fit the vivid colour and it was focused on her sword that sliced the air. It was an ordinary blunt bokken used for everyday training but nevertheless, it still created sounds like that of the sharpest sword.

      Breathing in deeply, she lowered her body and put herself into an iaido stance. She patiently waited, standing there as still as a rock. Right as the wind blew harshly, she drew so incredibly fast that her hand was a blur. The air in front of her trembled as her arm flew back and forth, flickering too fast for the naked eye to see. The dozens of leaves that had fallen off the tree as a result of the wind were all cut into eight equal pieces.

      Sheathing her sword again, her muscles tensed. Within her mind's eye, several imaginary targets popped up in front of her, each one positioned exactly ten metres away from each other. 

First Step.

Her body shimmered as she dashed towards the closest target, drawing her bokken from her hip and slashing it diagonally from the bottom left. She left an afterimage as she dashed from one target to another, each one disappearing into oblivion as they evanesced away.

Second Step.

Two slashes.

Third Step.

Three slashes.

She got progressively faster with each step, her targets disappearing just as fast. 

Fourth Step.

Crack! The bokken split down the middle during the third slash and her upper right arm froze in a painful muscle cramp. Grimacing, the girl sat down and leaned against a rock, panting to catch her breath. The pain did not fade away for a long time, the backlash she had experienced many times from trying to advance onto a stage she wasn't ready for yet. 

      The girl sighed heavily, wiping the minute sweat that had formed on her head with her hands. Holding her chest, she pulled out a small locket and held it within her palm. It was golden and circular in shape with no pattern decoration to speak of. Yet, her previously apathetic eyes were lit with an ember of longing and sadness. Gripping it hard, she blinked a few times; it was extinguished completely. 

"Status."

A blue window appeared in front of her.

Name: Cordelia Auster
Age: 13
Race:?̵̙̱͙̎̈́̇͐͒̓̑͛͜!̸̞͇̥̤̿́#̷̨̨̩̦̟̯͔̠̯͑͌̃̾#̴̧̛͕̖̗̪́̈́͠ ̸̨̨̩̞̲͈̹͊ͅ*̵͎̞͌ͅ@̷̢̧̦̳͇̜̮̕!̶̪͉͍͛́̏̌͊͜?̵̖͐̄͐͜#̴̢̧͉̖̰̈͊͋̽́̊
Class: Swordswoman

Health: 120/122
Mana: 24/198
Stamina: 10/86

Strength: 43
Defence: 0 (+20)
Vitality: 61 
Speed: 115
Dexterity: 138 (+5)
Perception: 76
Intelligence: 99
Will: 432 (+100)

Equipment:

- Imperial Butterfly Hakama 
   +5 Dexterity and +20 Defence

- Locket
   +100 Will

Skills: 

- General Skills
   - Perfect Memory (LVL ∞)
   - Ancient Runic Language Proficiency (LVL 3)
   - Identify (LVL 5)
   - Survivalist (LVL 8)
   - Mana Perception (LVL 8)
   - Mana Manipulation (LVL 9)

- Combat Skills
   - Kumia Combat Arts (LVL 6)
   - Shift (LVL 4)
   - Precognition (LVL 1)
   - Meditation (LVL 3)
   - Parallel Thinking (LVL 5)
   - Combat Regeneration (LVL 2)

She looked at the broken bokken in her hand, her eyes burning with a light for a moment, before walking down a path that stretched through the forest. It clearly was not an ordinary forest. All of the trees were almost as high as skyscrapers and their trunks as thick as several trucks. Their roots that spread all over the dirt did not even touch the path that she was walking on. The bark looked almost menacing due to the rough yet plain texture and the branches loomed over her head.

      The sun was still rising in front of her, shining down the path which swirled and turned with small flowers growing quietly on the side. Walking silently for several minutes, her steps completely smooth and even, she arrived at a large wall with a grand metal gate at its head. Behind the wall was a large manor that looked lowkey yet had an artistic taste to it that couldn't be appreciated normally. It wasn't made out of marble nor was it magnificent, but there seemed to be a pleasant feeling that made you smile.

      Locked with three imposing steel bars, the strength of the gate could be seen even with the naked eye. Yet, it fluidly unlocked itself and opened as soon as the girl appeared from behind the trees. She walked through, unperturbed by the seamless opening before it was shut gently. As soon as she stepped inside, three soldiers walked over to her; they each had differing gear, with one towering over the others and wearing bulky armour and an axe on his back, the second a classic swordsman with a full breastplate and the last wearing light leather armour with some mail and a pair of daggers on his hips. The only similarity between them was the hardness between their brows and the colour of their armour: a thick black that gleamed against the sun beating down on them.

      Although it was undeniable that they had the spirit of a soldier coursing through their veins, it was hard to ignore the subtle yet feminine charm that unconsciously oozed out of the girl's body. She was a 'girl' but looked more to be in her early teens, at about 15 years old. Her body was that still developing had an almost unparalleled beauty and had just come back from an intense workout. The sweat had soaked into her clothes and while it was quite conservative, you could see the way it stuck to her small curves. Adding on to that was the fact that her hakama was slightly loosened off the shoulders, revealing only a hint of the valley within that made the three of them blush slightly with only the lightly-geared one able to look straight at her.

      "Young Miss, the Lufhen House is making complaints, saying that our soldiers are 'undisciplined'. They seek your presence."

She frowned almost imperceptibly but the soldiers caught it with their keen eyes. Their eyes filled with mirth, they also felt rather dissatisfied with the impudent behaviour of the visitors today. They were only passing through their fief temporarily yet were shameless enough to act all high and mighty inside another person's territory.

"I suppose I'll have an audience with them."

Their mirth only increased at their Young Miss' words. They had been with her for a long time and knew that she planned to mess around with them.

"As you wish. Shall I bring over Kuro? She has already prepared your bath beforehand."

"No need. I'll just put on something simple."

She walked away cooly, leaving the three soldiers in a daze.

"...is the Young Miss aware of the difference between sexes?"

"I think the Young Master will have to beat suitors off with a stick."

"Agreed."

They all chuckled and smiled, looking at that departing figure with warmth.

❈ ❈ ❈

"Phew~"

The girl sank into the bliss called a 'bath', though it was more of a hot spring than anything. It was an open-air bath, with copious amounts of steam covering the spring scenery housed within. She sat there with a serene expression, her eyes closed in musing as she caressed her soft, white skin that felt like satin.

      It was currently midday. Whether or not it was intentional, the fading rays of the setting sun illuminated her face as she sat there. Her long hair, currently undone, cascaded onto the surface of the water as the girl leant back softly into the rippling water. Sighing, she rubbed her right arm as it was still sore from her cramps. 

"The Lufhen House, hm? I guess we can't attract too much attention. Being too rude would be detrimental."

She stepped out from the bath, her hair dripping with water. Light padding sounds could be heard as she walked to the dressing room before she laboriously wiped herself dry and slipped on a simple white dress that reached her ankles. It showed her arms but it was fair to say that the dress was relatively conservative. The dress itself was simple but anyone with a keen eye could see that it was made out of high-grade materials; it shone with that kind of light.

      The entire time, even the bath, she kept that golden locket on her neck, never letting it out of her sight.

      Keeping her hair loose, she traversed the long hallways of the manor, her hair dancing with every step. Her beautiful countenance was forever cold, exuding a frosty air as she soon came before the guest room. Opening the door, she saw a family of three wearing rather ostentatious clothing, contrasting sharply with the subdued setting. There were few decorations, maybe a painting or two, with a plain white theme, giving off a pure and refreshing impression. 

      Their tea had long gone cold as the three looked over at the girl who had just come in. The seemingly oldest of them, the man, stood up instantly and with a red face, bellowed at her.

"You dare keep us waiting for so long? Where is your Master? To think that the Auster House would raise such unruly servants. Hmph, I suppose it is as expected of a fallen Ducal house."

Unfazed, she walked straight in and waved a hand towards a maid in the corner who nodded silently, taking the stale refreshments before exiting quietly.

"Excuse me for being late. As a girl, I need to properly prepare myself for guests, you see?"

Shocked to realise that this girl was no servant but the daughter of the house, they took note of her flawless etiquette. The three were stunned at her smile that seemed to wash their consciousness away as she bowed politely yet elegantly. If it were not for the fact that their anger towards the Auster House was at its peak, they would've praised the girl to no end. Such a perfect young lady, any house would desire. Even so, they were unable to raise their voices any longer against such a beautiful girl. After all, human beings naturally appreciated beautiful and pretty things.

      On the side, the woman and young man were bedazzled by her presence, especially the latter. His eyes soon clouded over with lust and desire at her unblemished looks, causing the girl's smile to widen, only causing him to lose himself even further.

"My name is Alexander Lufhenn. May I know the name of this fair lady?"

"Of course. My name is Cordelia Auster, the sole daughter of our humble house. May I know your purpose for visiting today?"

Seeing this, the older man glared at his son who had already fallen to her charms. He frowned, pulling him back and plastered an angry face after realising that she was purposefully trying to incite them, playing them like clowns. He had pride, but in order to survive in the world of nobles, you had to have a degree of intelligence and tolerance for these type of things. 

      "I do not believe that preparing yourself would take so long. Do you think that us, the Lufhenn House, are pushovers? Your disgraceful house should have been wiped off the records long ago and only lives on the grace of His Imperial Majesty."

She only smiled disarmingly in response, not reacting to his insults.

"Of course, we are appreciative of His Imperial Majesty's kindness. However, I believe that saying such things are of brash fashion and should not be said so bluntly. Now, may you please tell me the purpose of your visit?"

      She nuanced it to sound kind and helpless but in reality, she was completely deflecting the man's attack with an almost shameless proficiency that made it look like she was ignoring the meaning behind his words. Gritting his teeth, he could only swallow the humiliation as there were no real flaws to pick at. He didn't want to lower himself to be so petty about the words of a little girl, regardless of whether or not they were infuriating.

"We came here because of your lack of discipline in your soldiers. I think it is rather unacceptable, especially for a house known for their soldiers." 

"We are very sorry for that. I promise that we will punish them severely for their mistakes. Do you know their names?"

"Jackson Haynes, Robert Dover and Markus Kael."

Without them noticing, a soldier was already in the room, kneeling before the girl. 

"Do we have soldiers of those names?"

"To answer your question Milady, we do not."

Glancing at them, she dismissed him. With raised eyebrows, she spoke, confused.

"I'd like an explanation, please. Did you get the wrong names?"

The man almost burst with anger but just about managed to reel it in. To the girl, he looked rather comical, with his tomato-red face, bloodshot eyes and bulging veins but did not let any of her amusement slip onto her face.

"I think we may have mistaken them for someone else. For now, it is of no matter. Perhaps we have overblown the situation. We shall take our leave here. Farewell."

Unable to find a chink in her defences, the man could only leave with his family, steam puffing out of his ears. Stealing a glance backwards, the young man still had a trace of passion that showed within his slightly bulging tent that had pitched itself unknowingly.

"If Miss Cordelia needs help one day, you can call me."

He kneeled like a knight before taking her left hand and kissing it, before leaving with his parents. The moment the door was shut, she took a handkerchief and rubbed her left hand profusely before throwing it away, immediately erupting into flames. The scant use of magic was so faint that you could barely feel the remnants of 'change'. There was no spell circle, nor chant. 

      The smile vanished from her face, her eyes emotionless as she stared by the door. She stood there blankly for a long time, disturbing the maid with her behaviour that was so calm that it was... unsettling. She had not served within the Auster House for a long time but knew that it was ruled by two siblings, both of opposite genders. While the brother was the older one, it was known that the sister took control of military affairs. There was no family head; he had died, along with his wife, in an accident seven years ago. 

      Both children were too young to inherit the house. Thus, the family elders and soldiers began to train them for their future roles. 

"Prepare some black coffee and take it to my bedroom."

The maid jolted out of her thought train and nodded silently before scurrying away. It was not necessarily out of fear but discomfort. Just staying around her made you feel that something was wrong and the feeling only intensified as time passed. The Young Lady's uncanny calmness and frigidity wasn't something normal people could handle and comprehend.

❈ ❈ ❈

It was deep in the night. By now, the crescent moon had risen high up in the sky, its luminescent brilliance beating down upon the still properties of the Auster Manor. None of the windows was lit up, their curtains closed for security reasons. The only movements were the soldiers on patrol who did not need to use torches due to their skill. Alas, many assassins and spies had fallen prey to these soldiers.

      For some reason, one of the windows' curtains were drawn. Behind that window sat Cordelia Auster at a small desk, simply staring into the night sky. The stars twinkled and glowed, illuminating the darkness. Oddly, she always had a habit of sitting within the rays of some light source as she would sit someone pondering; today was no different. Resting her chin on her hand, she could sit hours upon hours like this, staring into space for no reason. It was in this state that, as the maid described, her 'uncanny calmness' would reach its peak. 

      Picturesque and mesmerising, she looked like she came out of a painting. Such was the extent of her atmosphere, facial expressions and environment. She was still young, and her countenance had yet to fully blossom. Despite that, she could still spellbind you with a small smile.

      To most of the Auster House, the Young Miss was an unfathomable existence. They obeyed her and served her with ardour but deep down, feared her. Nobody apart from her older brother knew what she was thinking, which was what made her so terrifying. Throughout the years, she had proven herself to be someone with great intellect; every action had meaning and purpose behind it, so when she did something that seemed idiotic and erratic, everyone subconsciously trusted her. 

Knock, knock~

      There was little to no sound made when the visitor stepped in but Cordelia did not bother to look back. After all, she knew exactly who it was. 

"What are you doing just sitting there? Go to sleep."

The boy's voice was oddly deep and threatening for his young age but strangely comforting to her ears. 

"Brother."

A familiar embrace coddled her from behind. His hands were rather small yet reassuring and rugged yet gentle. Unlike before, her voice was sweet and mild. Leaning back into his bosom, she closed her eyes and only whispered his name in response. He chuckled at her slightly spoilt behaviour before slightly caressing her head, making sure not to ruffle up her hair. He had a smile full of helplessness.

"Brother. Those Lufhenn people bullied me."

"Haha, really? Don't worry, big brother will help take retribution for you."

"Is that so? Then, let me do the final blow okay? I want to see their faces at the end. The despair... the... hatred."

At her final words, Walker furrowed his eyebrows deeply. Conflict and turmoil were present all over his face, his eyes in a storm of anger and bitterness. They stayed like that for a very long time, the man not moving one inch from his spot as he allowed his little sister to enjoy herself for a bit. Lo and behold, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Shaking his head resignedly, he carried her princess-style to her bed and put her down before covering her with a blanket. Every movement was light out of consideration to not wake her up. Stroking her forehead, his face turned serious and grave.

"Just wait a bit, Cordelia. Just a bit more."

He faded out into the night, leaving her in a deep slumber.

❈ ❈ ❈

1st of March, the Year 1202
9:17 
Escadan Empire, City of Invicta

❈

The biggest city in the Auster territories was Invicta. It was rather desolate and silent and there were very few people walking around. Strangely, they looked all to be armed with swords, axes or knives, yet walked with no accostment by the guards who you could see around every corner. Dozens of years of monster and barbarian attacks from the Northern Forests moulded the citizens of Auster, especially Invicta, to be strict and alert at all times.

      More often than not, sudden waves of either could appear out of nowhere, each attack getting more and more crafty every time. There were even cases of monsters displaying a modicum of intelligence, targeting garrisons around the city with Giant Worms or Harpies and attacking weak points in the wall with rock-throwing Orcs, which had suffered in previous attacks by high-tiered beasts. As a result, compulsory military service was introduced five years ago; all male and females were required to go through four years of military service after they reached the ripe age of twenty. It had a diverse effect on the population and culture; it was necessary for the survival of Auster and the defence of the Escadan Empire.

      People had lost their friends and families which would definitely cause them to be sad. Despite that, there was no real sombre mood in the city. Their hard lives forced them to move on. This was because of the harsh training that gave them a will like no other, their sense of companionship and duty imprinting itself on their souls. Even retired citizens still carried weapons with them, willing to help out in an attack. After all, if Auster was overrun, not only would they all die, so would the rest of the Empire. While it could be called patriotism, it was not really correct either. Perhaps it was out of sympathy for themselves, not wanting anyone else to experience the same thing. Or, they might not care for the Empire at all and only wanted to protect the Auster territories; there were more than a few who shared that view, seeing how they abandoned Auster so easily, only sending a few meagre supplies every month to help suppress the monster waves.

      Luckily, thanks to their strong relationships, the citizens of Invicta remained strong and spiritful. They were not poor but not rich either and led fulfilling lives. Before the shared ownership of the Auster House between the two siblings, their lives were worse. This was not to say that the previous Lord was incompetent but was too busy dealing with the shenanigans of the Imperial Court. He was the sole reason why Auster hadn't yet been assimilated by other territories and managed to snag a ten year deal with the court before he died seven years ago; the Auster House would provide them with one hundred tons monster materials of at least C grade every year in exchange for their political protection.

      Now that the siblings were focused on developing the territories, the standard of living rose sharply. It had hit a bottleneck between affluence and poverty but the citizens were satisfied; they would never return to that old style of living ever again. 

      Being relatively quiet, the rattling of wheels and clacking of hooves that would've been drowned in a cacophony of noise usually present in a city of this size, pierced through the air like a scream. For those who were used to the silence, it was a surprise, and they turned to the source. It was a small carriage being pulled by a single stallion; it was lowkey, black and would slip from your eyes in a crowd. But, the horse in front was tall and strong, rippling with muscles and its steps were loud against the paved roads. With most of them having been part of the military before, they could tell at a glance that it was a rare, powerful breed that had been fed with not only high-grade food but had been forged through countless battles and bloodshed. Moreover, the carriage driver had a remarkable air about him with a robust build and straight back, giving away his status as an elite soldier.

      If the carriage driver and the horse pulling it was so extraordinary, who could be inside? There was only one entity capable of that; the Auster House. They ruled with an iron fist but were not tyrannical; they fed and paid their citizens well but were not overly generous; they were harsh and strict in their actions but always had underlying care for each; they could be said to be the perfect rulers. They were the ones who pulled Invicta and the surrounding cities out of their dire straits, out of the claws of the Imperial Court and the ravenous surrounding territories who were salivating over the large swathes of land that the Auster House possessed.

      Because of that, in Invicta, the Auster House was akin to their emperor or king.

❈ ❈ ❈

vaexis

Ah yes, finally, a sword-wielding protagonist! All my prior stories were magician protagonists so I decided to switch this time. I really want to carry on with this story because it's one of my better ones in my opinion but as always, update schedule will be irregular, if not nonexistent.

      I'd also like to say for comparison's sake that a normal human adult, on average, would have 50 in all of his stats when you look at their status."