The emperor, Maximilian Joseph Ascalon, was not only the supreme ruler of the empire but also its strongest swordsman.

He was a legendary hero who harbored the grand ambition of conquering the world with a single sword and achieved it all by his own strength.

Appearing as if he had fallen from the sky, he engaged in a three-day-and-night battle with the dragon Kazatrian, who had disturbed the peace of the continent, and ultimately severed its lifeline, spreading his fame across the entire continent.

He was also a great conqueror who expanded a small, insignificant border country into a vast empire during his reign.

While expanding territories was impressive, his ability to govern the vast lands he conquered with a new order was even more remarkable than his conquests.

By successfully incorporating the numerous states that vied for supremacy into the empire’s order, he ushered in a long era of peace, which was no exaggeration.

He was referred to as the great hero who descended from the heavens to bring peace to the earth, which was the epithet for the emperor of that time.

However, such a mighty emperor unexpectedly passed away before choosing a successor from among his grown children.

There were rampant rumors that the emperor, having achieved everything and grown weary, ascended to conquer the heavens, or that his children, impatient after witnessing their father’s enduring strength, secretly poisoned him.

Though these stories were mere speculations that surfaced and subsided repeatedly, it was clear that the great emperor’s death caused significant upheaval in the empire that had enjoyed long-standing peace.

Everyone knew that no matter how brilliant the foundations laid by the great emperor were, the absence of a designated heir would lead to conflicts among his bloodline, which would shatter the long peace.

It was more peculiar not to anticipate this. Following the emperor’s death, his direct descendants, each claiming to be the rightful ruler of the empire, began gathering forces, causing more than enough turmoil.

The empire, which had been lulled into peace by a superhuman, was now readying itself for a new era where the songs of blood and steel would resonate once more.

The first princess, a strong candidate for succession, was busy solidifying her internal alliances, confident in her victory.

Even in situations where they had to strike a rock with an egg, the other bloodlines, blinded by the desire for the throne, gathered their forces to oppose the princess, suppressing their stern natures, unlike their father and sister.

My biological father, the Sword Duke of the time, who was struggling to revive a fallen family, joined a coalition with little chance of success, hoping to rebuild his family.

When questioned about his choice, he always responded with pragmatic calculations, saying it was better to be the head of a wyvern than the tail of a dragon, which left me in darkness.

“Haa...”

...I should have run away then, but the regret of failing to escape and finding myself in this predicament made my silent movements futile as a sigh escaped my lips.

I couldn’t help but think that this sigh might catch the attention of the priest, who was absentmindedly watching the day I jumped out of the window.

Like the saying “a flea’s jump is futile,” even if I made a move in this unfamiliar place, it would only be a matter of time before the priest caught me.

‘Whatever happens, happens.’

With such narrow self-justification, I continued my steps and thoughts.

Where was I in my recollection… Ah, I had mentioned my father joining the anti-princess coalition.

It was around that time when he brought me back to the main house from some unknown place where I was endlessly swinging a sword. That period remains vividly clear in my memory.

-“Use this.”

My father handed me an iron mask as he faced me in the rickety carriage.

-“You have no name. From now on, you are a sword that protects me and our Sword family.”

Even now, the cold eyes of my father, who forced this role upon me, remain unforgettable. I’ll probably never forget them until the day I die.

But did that man even know? That ever since he abandoned me as an infant at an orphanage on the outskirts of the capital, I never had a name.

I’d love to ask him, but since he’s no longer in this world, it’s a question I’ll have to save for when I meet him in the afterlife.

Anyway, that moment marked the beginning of my life as an unnamed orphan from the backstreets, forced to be useful as a tool rather than a person with that iron mask.

However, it was also a time when I formed unforgettable connections.

As I gained recognition at the main house through my skills,

when the civil war broke out in earnest, I followed my twin brother into battlefields.

It was a time when I fought desperately not for victory but for survival.

The backstreets of the capital, where I had once scurried around for food, seemed almost happy compared to the hellish battlefields.

-“I’ll give you my name… so…”

The words of a benefactor who prevented me from giving up on life,

and

-“Next time, for sure…!!”

the vow of my greatest adversary who retreated, promising a future confrontation, shook my life to its core.

That period was the most critical moment in shaping the person I am today.

Even as I hastened my steps, old memories curiously resurfaced, and my mind seemed to be working better than usual.

Compared to the bustling capital and the war-ravaged south, perhaps the cold, fresh air of the north, with its well-preserved natural environment, was helping my mind recall the past more clearly.

Or maybe it was the survival instinct triggered by the presence of the bride, who had brandished a sword from the first night of our wedding.

I had to simultaneously come up with a plan to avoid the bride who had suddenly pointed a sword at me and reflect on my past.

Unfortunately, my reminiscence had to end here.

Though I sensed no presence while moving, the bride stood at the end of my path, the reason why I hadn’t detected any movement.

“I heard a sigh, and as expected….”

Her muttering, a mix of lament and admiration, filled my ears, which had been attuned only to the sound of wind and insects.

I’ve been found. I had a hunch when I sighed, but even considering that, she found me surprisingly quickly.

This proves that the nickname “Sword Demon” wasn’t given to her without reason.

Seeing no point in moving further since it would only close the distance between us, I stopped my steps.

“….”

I kept silent, watching the woman standing before me.

This morning, despite it being a strategic marriage, she stood in front of me in a wedding dress during the ceremony, her appearance reminiscent of a flower.

“….”

Now, standing a suitable distance away, watching me silently like I was, she wore the white-dominated uniform of an Imperial Knight, not the dress.

It was as if the clouds had parted to illuminate her with the starlight from the night sky, making her form clearly visible.

“Aslin….”

Unconsciously, I called her name, entranced by her beauty.

“….”

Her expression, difficult to read, showed no change, but a slight shift in her breath reached my ears.

As I had spoken, her name was Aslin, full name Aslin Blath Caladbolg.

She was the next Sword Duke and the sharpest blade of the first princess, who led her to victory in the succession war.

I crossed swords with Aslin countless times during the succession war.

I fought her often while wearing the iron mask, and even when I had to stand in for my brother.

The outcomes? We were evenly matched every time; neither of us ever gained the upper hand, nor did we lose.

I dare say, she was the first to become a barrier related to swords for me, aside from my biological father, who had wielded a sword with inherited talent.

After the succession war ended in the princess’s victory, it was the Sword Duke’s side, able to exercise the victor’s rights, who demanded Endymion, the next Duke of the Sword, who had fiercely opposed them throughout the war.

She probably didn’t know that the person she regarded as her rival on the battlefield, Endymion, was actually the identical twin brother standing in for his deceased brother.

Being killed by a sword would be preferable to revealing this secret, which must never be discovered.