The Sword Master’s Son-in-Law

– Side Story – [Commander Verthnia]

Side Story – [Commander Verthnia]

Verthnia was a country girl, living in a small village.

A kindhearted young girl who helped with the farm work.

“Father, I’ve tilled all of my portion of the field for today.”

It was quite a lot of work.

But for Verthnia, who possessed innate strength, it was no real trouble.

“Thank you, Verthnia. I’m truly blessed to have you as my daughter.”

“Hehe, it was nothing!”

And so, Verthnia grew up steadily as a country maiden, until a crisis befell her.

Or rather, her village.

Bandits descended upon it.

The villagers grabbed whatever weapons they could find and fought back against the bandits.

But the villagers were no match.

They were slowly pushed back, their defenses weakening until they could no longer prevent the bandits’ intrusion.

Amidst the chaos, Verthnia hid beneath her bed, trembling in fear.

Her hands clutched tightly to the hoe she used for tilling the fields.

The commotion outside was deafening.

Verthnia knew, without even looking.

‘…They’re all surely being killed by the bandits.’

Death.

Being killed as the price for failing to protect the village.

May Bertnia survive, she pleaded inwardly.

Herself, and her father too.

May they both survive the brigands.

She even prayed to Reashin, whom she didn’t truly believe in.

But—

*Creak-*

Reashin, unheeding, turned a deaf ear to Bertnia’s prayer.

The house door burst open, and a brigand stormed inside.

*Thud-* *Thud-*

Heavy footsteps echoed through the house.

Though the outside was clamorous, the sound of those steps rang clear in Bertnia’s ears.

And once more, the sound of a door opening reached her.

‘He’s… here.’

A brigand had entered the room where Bertnia was hidden.

‘I must steel myself.’

Beneath the bed, Bertnia steeled herself.

Prepared, perhaps, to swing the hoe in her hands at a human being.

“Hmm…? No one here?”

The brigand spoke, after scanning the room.

For a moment, Bertnia felt relief.

The resolve she had just mustered began to falter.

And so…

‘I’m… safe.’

As she breathed that deep sigh of relief…

“There you are!”

A ruffian’s face, leering and foul, entered Bertnia’s vision.

The brigand stared at Bertnia under the bed.

Before she could think, Bertnia’s body acted.

She thrust the hoe she held at the brigand’s face.

Taken by surprise, the brigand dodged the hoe and stumbled backward.

In that same moment, Bertnia scrambled out from under the bed.

And…

“…D-Don’t come closer, or I’ll kill you!”

She raised the hoe high toward the brigand.

Bertnia spoke, her voice trembling with fear.

The brigand only sneered at her.

“Haha, little girl. Killing someone isn’t as easy as you think.”

The brigand advanced slowly toward Bertnia.

“Just give up now and…”

Lust clouded the brigand’s eyes.

“Won’t you play with me, little one?”

Repulsion.

That was the first thought that struck Bertnia at the brigand’s sticky gaze.

But what happened next instilled a strange feeling.

Bertnia, ready to swing her hoe.

As if helping with the field work, an inexplicable power surged through her body.

Iryeong, the ability of the chosen.

The simple yet powerful ability of brute strength was taking root within Bertnia.

Just like when tilling the fields, Bertnia brought the hoe down with all her might.

Thinking of the hoe swung by a child, the brigand casually raised a hand to block it.

However.

The speed at which the hoe descended was far from ordinary.

Before he could block with his hand, the hoe was already hurtling towards the brigand’s head.

He twisted his body, trying to evade.

But it was already too late.

*Thwack*—

The brigand, with the hoe embedded in his head, collapsed in a heap.

And Bertnia, who had committed the act.

She didn’t say a word, her body trembling.

“I… I killed him…”

Her first kill.

Something that shouldn’t happen to an ordinary village girl.

Bertnia sensed it.

Her fate had changed because of this event.

At the same time—

“Run away! The Knights are here!”

“Ah… We’re saved!!!”

Those who would save the village had arrived.

And Bertnia, overwhelmed by the excessive stress from her first kill, lost consciousness.

*

Bertnia, once a simple village girl.

She had awakened to her talent.

Innate strength.

Bertnia, aware of her ability.

She refused to live as a mere village girl any longer.

And so, based on this power, she became a renowned mercenary.

“Hey there, Big Sis. When do you ever plan on getting hitched?”

“…Sometime, I suppose.”

Bertnia had, before she knew it, become a famous figure even within the mercenary world.

Moreover, she was even leading a mercenary band.

It was the success story of a simple country girl.

But the only thing that troubled her now was marriage.

‘I thought I’d be married off quickly.’

Marriage came early for country girls.

And so she’d assumed it would be the same for her, but the life of a mercenary was different, it seemed.

She was getting older, but no suitable man appeared who desired to marry her.

Of course, there was another, greater reason Bertnia remained unwed.

“If you truly want to be married, Sister, you’ll have to leave this place.”

“Hm? Why is that?”

“Well, it’s not exactly because of your… *behavior*, is it?”

Bertnia’s usual behavior.

It wasn’t something you could exactly call commendable.

She was terribly fond of men.

“Why on earth are you so… fond of men?”

“…I don’t want to have regrets?”

Bertnia recalled an old memory.

The memory of her first kill.

She could have died back then.

Thinking about it, she’d decided she wanted to live doing everything she wanted to.

That was a big influence on why she became a mercenary.

Because a mercenary’s life would be far more interesting than the life of a boring country girl.

“If it were just a matter of liking men, maybe. But why are you so… generous? Giving yourself to anyone you deem acceptable. That’s why you can’t get married!”

But even on this point, Bertnia had an explanation.

“Ahem! Well, what can I do? It’s because of the… abilities I possess.”

Bertnia, born with extraordinary strength.

It wasn’t advantageous in every way.

As strong as she was, so was her libido.

Almost unbearably so.

“Honestly… if you weren’t so strong, everyone would be gossiping about you behind your back.”

For not having the proper conduct, you see.

“About me? Why?”

“Never mind… I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Bertnia was living a life that could be called dissolute.

And then, a turning point arrived in Bertnia’s life.

“…The Messiah Earldom?”

“You know, that famous family that produced a Sword Saint. Rumor has it they inherit the title of Sword Saint generation after generation.”

“Hmm… And why are they seeking me out?”

“Well, it must be a noble’s shallow trick to recruit a renowned mercenary into their forces. So, will you go? It’s not like this mercenary band will collapse if you leave. The folks below would be happy for you to have the chance to make it big.”

“Hmm…”

Bertnia considered it for a long time.

Never once had she imagined becoming a knight.

“But, sister…you know this, right?”

“Know what?”

“Most knights, they say, are from noble families.”

“Nobles, well, naturally, aren’t they?”

“I’ve heard it said that nobles who lose out in succession battles often become knights.”

“And why does that matter?”

“I’ve told you time and again. If you’re going to marry, sister, it’ll be to a strong man.”

Bertnia recalled her own words.

She certainly had said that.

“The fact that he’s a knight means he’s strong, obviously, and to top it off, he’s from a noble family. Wouldn’t it be good to go and see if you can snag yourself a fine husband?”

“Oh? That’s… actually true, isn’t it?”

Bertnia didn’t deliberate much further.

Truth be told, it was an offer that required no deliberation at all.

Not for Bertnia, who desired a good man.

And so, Bertnia departed for the Count Messiah’s estate and became a knight.

*

The training grounds of Count Messiah’s estate.

There, a man hurled insults at Bertnia.

“Hmph, a worthless wench, I see.”

A blatant insult to her face.

Bertnia decided to endure it, just this once.

‘Having already become a knight, I should at least bear with this much.’

Bertnia gazed at the man who’d spat those words at her.

Great Vector.

Bertnia already knew why he’d insulted her.

‘Because I refused to share a bed with him.’

Bertnia’s appearance was beautiful.

Though, unlike most women, her beauty leaned more towards robust health than elegance.

It was that appearance that had drawn Vector’s attention.

He’d approached Bertnia, openly suggesting a night together.

But-.

‘It’s not as if I like just any man, you know.’

Bertnia did possess a strong desire for intimacy.

But that didn’t mean she lacked discernment.

She had no intention whatsoever of sharing a bed with Vector, ugly and weak as he was.

“Tch, a woman like you will probably never marry and end up living alone your whole life.”

A second disparaging remark.

At the slight against her chances of marriage, Bertnia decided she wouldn’t tolerate it.

“You son of a b*tch, spewing garbage from that flapping hole of yours!”

Bertnia moved her leg.

And that leg connected precisely with Vector’s nether region.

The Great One collapsed, frothing at the mouth from the onrushing pain.

Towards him, Bertnia unleashed a personality forged in her days with the mercenary band.

“Kha- ack! Spit! Say another damn word from that loose-lipped maw. Next time, I’ll just obliterate you.”

Having said that, Bertnia steeled herself.

‘I just assaulted a senior knight; I’m definitely getting fired… Ah… and I wanted to marry a handsome and strong noble-born knight…’

Bertnia fully expected to be dismissed.

But it was Vector, the senior knight, who was discharged instead.

This incident led to Bertnia’s first encounter with Count Andrew Messiah.

She asked the Count Messiah:

“…Why didn’t you fire me?”

“You were stronger than the Great One. And…”

“And…?”

“A knight order needs at least one woman. Yes, that would be good for my daughter, too.”

For reasons she couldn’t quite grasp, Bertnia felt a strange emptiness.

But-.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

It was enough to remain in the knight order.

She was sure she would find a good man someday if she remained active as a knight here.

Five years passed.

Bertnia became the commander.

But she still hadn’t found someone to marry.

A growing sense of impatience washed over Bertnia.

She pondered a single thought.

‘He’s a fiancé *candidate*, right…? Then that means he’s not actually engaged yet… Perhaps…?’

Currently, Bertnia was so desperate that she was even setting her sights on her liege lord’s daughter’s fiancé candidate.