Marriage and Sword

Warning: this chapter briefly mentions rape.

After that meeting, Shan and Elje did not run into each other.

However, it was impossible to avoid hearing the rumors that spread about them. The rumors claimed that there was a knight in the Valoir Army who had demonic skills and that there was a beautiful beast among the mercenaries.

Even though the two knew of each other, neither looked for the other.

As the battle went on, Shan and Elje gained fame. When a battle broke out, the two were always at the forefront and they were always seen by others.

Shan’s reputation, in particular, became so great because the army was not defeated whenever he led the battle. Even if they retreated, the losses were minimal.

Shan was favored by the Crown Prince, the Commander-in-Chief of the Valoir Imperial Army, and he began to make rapid progress as a knight.

Of course, there were numerous oppositions from the nobles. However, the prince was a wise man and he knew what was important on the battlefield. The prince even appointed Shan Crixus as Deputy Commander.

Shan became the star of Valoir and Heglatan trembled hearing his name. It was the appearance of a shining war hero.

While Shan’s popularity was increasing, Elje wasn’t just playing around. Elje created the mercenary unit, Elijah. The unit played an important role in the Hundred Year War and became just as famous as Shan.

The mercenary unit ‘Elijah’ was created for a simple reason; the mercenaries needed to unite and work together to survive, and at the center of the group was Elje who became their leader.

The first member Elje met was Tarkan.

-Are you that beautiful beast?

He was a mercenary in the same Valoir camp that Elje joined. Tarkan made an absurd remark and challenged Elje, this happened a few days after the so-called ‘dining table incident’.

However, unlike those who usually harassed Elje, Tarkan’s eyes were clear. There was a desire for victory in his eyes instead of the unpleasant sexual desire she was so used to seeing. Tarkan raised a huge two-handed sword.

-Let’s go for it.

Unlike ordinary two-handed swords, the wide blade of the sword could kill a person even if they were beaten with it instead of stabbed. Elje wondered how much power was needed to wield a sword like that.

Elje picked up a rapier and a parrying dagger (*rapier is a long and slender one-handed sword; parrying dagger is a defensive dagger, sometimes used independently). Before leaving Targayel, she purchased the swords with the money she had left.

Raising his sword in both hands, Tarkan asked, frowning.

-You’re gonna use double swords? You won’t be able to stop me.

Usually, when a sword was held in one hand, a shield was held in the other. However, Elje’s method of attack was different, she aimed to take down her opponent before they even attacked.

-I don’t need to stop you.

-What?

-Before that, you’ll already be on the floor.

Elje beat Tarkan coolly. Tarkan laughed as he was beaten.

-Amazing! You’re really a beast!

After that, Tarkan followed Elje around.

The second member she met was Rafiné, who was a mercenary in the Heglatan camp. He was called the ‘invisible shadow,’ he was a sniper who terrorized the Valoir camp by shooting arrows at the heads of major Valoir generals.

As Elje’s reputation grew, she became one of his targets. In a chaotic battle, Rafiné shot Elje, but she cut off all of his arrows with her sword.

Even though he used all of his arrows, Rafiné still couldn’t hurt Elje. According to Rafiné, in a fit of anger, he came down from his vantage point and confronted Elje.

-How the hell did you avoid all of the arrows?

Elje responded calmly while Rafiné struggled with his pride.

-Shoot well so you can hit your target.

-……

After that, he immediately ended his contract with Heglatan.

Heglatan begged and offered Rafiné millions, but he refused and traveled during the night to head to Valoir. To be more specific he went to join Elje’s side and then there was one more man following her around.

The last member, Ivanna, was brought in by Elje. Ivanna was only 16 years old and she was originally not very noticeable as a mercenary.

Ivanna dressed up as a man and headed to the battlefield. She stayed quietly without any presence, but as she was about to get raped, the others realized that she was a woman dressed as a man.

-You were a bitch!

-Was this all makeup? The beard too?

The mercenaries dragged Ivanna to a dark place, shut her mouth, and tried to satisfy their greed.

Elje was coincidentally walking by when she witnessed the scene.

-What are you doing?

-Hey, Elje! This is a bitch. I’ll let you in too.

-……

There was a bitter taste in Elje’s mouth. She didn’t get caught as a woman because others couldn’t touch her, but Ivanna wasn’t like her. Elje’s heart ached. In the end, Elje pulled out her sword.

-Stop it.

The mercenaries’ eyes widened at Elje’s words. The women found on the battlefield were insane. Eventually, Elje rescued Ivanna.

Ivanna picked up her torn clothes and thanked Elje.

-Hey, brother…… Thank you……

Elje covered Ivanna’s bare shoulders with her jacket.

-I’m not your brother.

-……Yes?

-I’m your sister.

Elje replied as if it was nothing and Ivanna’s face paled.

-I believe in you, so don’t tell anyone.

Ivanna nodded a little and asked carefully.

-Hey…… can I follow you?

Elje raised an eyebrow.

-What can you do?

Ivanna spoke with a serious face as if she was confessing a grave secret.

-I’m an alchemist. I joined this war to obtain important materials for alchemy……

An alchemist was a very valuable asset. Alchemists were accustomed to handling various chemicals, and they were welcomed wherever they went. It was strange that someone like her would go to a battlefield.

Perhaps she was hiding a secret, however, Elje didn’t care.

-Stop, that’s enough.

Ivanna’s purpose was not important. All she needed was the ability to follow along and take care of herself. After cutting off Ivanna’s lengthy explanation, Elje reached out to her.

-Follow me.

Thus, a mercenary unit of four, Elijah, was created.

Elijah had an outstanding performance in the Hundred Year War, and at the same time agonized both Valoir and Heglatan since they didn’t care who they sided with as long as they were paid well.

Heglatan tried to recruit Elijah, but Valoir also generously offered a huge amount of money to them. Thanks to this, Elijah remained with Valoir, and it definitely paid off.

As Shan and Elijah rose to fame, the Shan-Elijah Battle broke out.

The Battle of Shan-Elijah, which took place in 995 of the Innes calendar, was considered one of the most dramatic victories in history and was the decisive moment for the defeated Valoir Empire to seize victory.

Shan and Elje met for the second time in the battle which was named after them in commemoration of their brilliant performance.

Shan and the Elijah mercenaries were assigned to a unit. Shan, whom Elje saw again, had changed a lot; he was no longer wearing an old knight’s uniform.

Riding on top of a huge black warhorse, he was dressed in shiny armor. The sword in his hand was no match for the wretched iron sword he had in the past.

On the other hand, Elje was shabby. There was no time to take care of her appearance in constant battles. Her skin was tanned and rough, and it was grimy because it was not properly washed. Her clothes were stained with blood too.

Shan looked around as if he were looking for Elje, but Elje fell behind the troops.

-Leader! Why are we going back?

-I prefer the back.

-I like the back, too.

Elje answered the question awkwardly.

-I want to stand behind you today.

Elje couldn’t figure out why she was avoiding him, but she felt the need to.

The battle against Heglatan began and Elje saw Shan fight for the first time. Until now, the unit had never been assigned near him so she never had the opportunity to see him in action.

Elje understood why Shan was called the Devil.

Elje boasted that she was second to none with the sword, but Shan was beyond imagination. If Elje was a rare genius, then he just wasn’t a human being.

Shan did not have a specific style in swordsmanship. His sword seemed fast and slow at the same time. Even though Elje wanted to be constantly changing, she was honest and straightforward in her style.

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He wasn’t even picky with the weapon he held. He ran like a madman and when his sword broke, he immediately picked up any sword laying around. Usually, if a soldier was not using their own sword, their skills would decrease, but Shan could use any weapon well. He was skilled with not only swords but spears and even axes.

Shan had nothing and everything at the same time. It was truly a demonic ability.

With Shan leading and the Elijah mercenaries following, no one could stop them. The battle with the best warriors of Valoir began and the troops advanced without hesitation.

Soon after, Elje realized this was a trap. She ended up saving Shan’s life for the second time in her life.

*