I will make you become a living sword.

When the Emperor said that, Charlize expressed her gratitude.

Charlize Ronan was a disgrace to the Duke family of Ronan.

Still, Charlize was a skilled swordsman, which was the only thing she was good at.

Charlize had not learned anything about swordsmanship from anyone but apparently, her skills were better than any other knight.

When the Emperor announced that she would become the living sword, she thought that she would become the glorious knight for the Emperor.

"Now you will be made to be the magical sword for the Empire."

A number of wizards and sages and the emperor were laughing among them told me that.

Nobody can believe that what was just said was nothing but lies, but it was actually true.

Charlize literally became the sword.12 At first, she couldn't even believe it. 'How could a human be a sword?'

Considering that flowers cannot be a river and garlic cannot be foxes, it was unrealistic and weird that a human would be a sword.

But, it was possible.

It was proved.

Those wizards were surprised at that Charlize endured all the cruel torture.

It was the moment that Charlize did not want to be reminded about.

In the prison, boys and girls, who were in the same situation with her, were crying and dying.

"Charlize Ronan is the only survivor so far."

"Charlize has endured the severe torture…… Charlize actually has a strong spirit for the magical sword."

They talked in the way nobody couldn't understand except for them, and they treated her as they wanted.

The torture continued more than hundreds of times.

The pain continued endlessly. One day, she opened her eyes and saw that her right arm became a hard lump of metal.

Charlize was a human. Unfortunately, nobody saw Charlize her as a human when they saw her arm.

"It succeeded!"

"This is the miracle we made……"

"Please come over here, everyone. Look at this. Finally, we achieved a complete result……!"

As they surrounded her, they expressed excitement and cried out at their success.

The shock Charlize experienced at that time has still remained in her mind vividly.

'What is this? Why do I have to endure this pain?' Charles was distressed all the time.

You will sacrifice your life for the Empire's eternal glory.

Be proud of youself."

There is nothing stronger than the sword with the inner self to protect the Empire.

The almighty power of G.o.d that creates life.

The piece of Ehirate had this kind of power.

This was the blue stone that you can find when you dig for the carcass of mysterious things.

Charlize was forced to eat 'the piece of Ehirate' every day. Why of all the people?

Nobody replied to me even though I was crying out in the severe pain.

"Make sure to sacrifice and dedicate your life for the nobel and great Blade Empire"

The sages and wizards who were researching for the origin of the mysterious things broke the nature of Charlize as they wanted, regardless of her own will.

Charlize was not the youngest daughter of the Duke anymore.

She was not even a human. If you say someone is a human, he or she has skin, blood, and bone. The only thing that Charles felt was the inner self.

When the whole body of Charlize became the iron, wizards called in the sword smith.

"Please, make this to be the perfect sword for the safety of the Empire."

"Yes. I will."

The swordsmith was happy, seeing the enormous amount of gold coins.

Eventually, Charlize was to be put into the fire pit to be refined by the wizards.

Charles had to be in the brazier where the temperature was over 2,000 ℃, and she had to endure the hitting of hammering by the muscular man.30 She was broken, cut, and grounded to become a sharp blade.

This is truly the sword masterpiece of my life."

The smith did not hear her crying from the severe pain.

The inner self of Charlize was awake at every moment.

She felt all the pains vividly. When she saw her in the mirror, she was desperate.

"How beautiful the sword is."

It was a silver sword with a subtle blue color. The smith was so satisfied and continued to pat the sword.

"Your name is Keira."

The swordsmith who really loved the sword, carved his name and Keira on the sword.

He treated me as a thing, not a human.

'Maybe this is not reality.'

But, it was real.

"If you resist, your family will die because of you."

Crazy f*#ks, no way.

"Apparently, don't you love your family?"

The Emperor laughed as he knew everything.

"Then, how about your boyfriend who was going to marry you? If you do not obey me, I will cut off your boyfriend's fingers."

The Emperor threatened me.

Charlize was not able to resist anymore.

The Emperor acquired Keira.

Dietrich I became the owner of the sword and Keira was his.

The wizards were happy for their success but it did not last long.

The Emperor killed all of them to destroy all the evidence.

"The sword strong enough to protect the Empire must be the only one."

The blood on the sword was really hot.

She was the sword. She saw what the faces looked like when people died.

She felt death very closely.

The Emperor killed so many people.

Thus, she had to participate in all these murders.

I did not kill anyone.

I had to live in the blood.

If I resist the Emperor, my family would be hurt the next day.

First, my older brother was tortured and killed.

And then, my dad was killed.

Whenever the Emperor harassed the family of the Duke, he used Keira.

She had a bad relationship with her family but the family meant something to her in a sense.

This was not what she wanted at all.

The Emperor left Keira to his son. The new Emperor left to his son. This continued to Dietrich II, Dietrich III, and Dietrich IV.

Keira became the symbol for the Emperor's sword.

Time pa.s.sed hundreds of years.

It was impossible to count how many people were killed by Keira.

Probably, almost a million people. '…It was not me. I did not kill anyone.'

No one would blame the instrument, it would be the user instead.

But, this was about the instrument without the inner self.

Keira was the sword that had the inner self.

I felt guilty and painful all the time.

But, Keira was not able to sleep, eat something, and die.

It's a real hell 'Why can't I stop thinking and have to be going crazy?' It's awful.

Keira only talked to the Emperor.

The Emperor treated Keira as a human.

It's so lonely.

Nobody treated the sword kindly.

She felt every emotion.

Happy.

Sad.

Joyful.

Angry.

It's still kind of a human.

Does my pain bring the Emperors happiness?

Dietrich III conquered the mysterious things when they appeared. Mirichonue ended the civil war.

Mirichonue III expanded the colony year by year.

Jiason V united the country for the first time.

All praises were given to only the Emperors.

Meanwhile, the families of the Duke had been harassed generation by generation.

They had been killed cruelly, including their relatives.

For these, Keira was used.

Dietrich I wrote his will like this: If you want to handle Keira, make use of the fact that Keira is related to the family of Ronan.

Almighty Ehirate.

The piece of Ehirate occurred to me that the wizards forced me to eat. I ate the piece of God.

With this, there might be a way to put God in me.

I wanted to believe this.

I want to have my revenge.

If you exist, please give me an opportunity to punish those who used the power of God and made the creation as they wanted.

I am in so much pain.

Meanwhile, the sons of the Emperor who caused me to become like this are very well.

They told me that I should be thankful because I am working for the glory of the Empire but I never wanted this.

At least, this way is not what I wanted.

I was not a magical sword.

I am so desperate.

I was born as a human.

I am a human.

I am really a human.

I wanted to be human.

That's all I wanted.

I have prayed for a very long time.

Finally, God replied.

I returned.

400 years. The miracle happened that I returned to the past over the cruel time.

"Hu. Ha." It was strange for me to breath in and out.

It's been such a long time since I did this.

I was able to move my body according to my will.

I was not a sword anymore.

Human's skin, blood, and bone. When I saw my feet, it was chubby.

This couldn't be a dream. I had never had any dreams since I became the sword.

"Ha, ah……"

She stood up but fell down.

Charlize was crawling to the mirror.

It's a miracle.

She saw herself in the mirror.

She was slow. She was small.

She had pink cheeks, white skin, navy eyes, and ash-blond hair.

She kept looking at the mirror. She couldn't believe she actually went back in time.

'I had lost everything before.'

My life. My body. My rights. My family. My honor. My relatives.

But finally…. I returned to the past. "……I came back." She was surprised when she spoke out.

I can speak out. I can feel my lip moving.

Finally, I became the real me. "I have come back."

As soon as she was able to think, Charles decided this. 'To make everyone lose all their pride' I will destroy this country.

↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓

This story isn't mine i just shared it because its amazing :> . Hope you all liked it <3

So, I look like this.’

Char brushed the mirror carelessly.

The cold gla.s.s felt awkward.

Her hands trembled.

On a long silver sword, the handle had a blue jewel infused into it.

It’s the view that the Emperor saw whenever he stood in front of a mirror holding Keira.

But now, what she saw in the mirror is not a long sword but a person.

“Charlize Ronan.”

The youngest daughter of archduke family. She repeated the name of hers that she remembered. Her voice was clear and solid like a transparent diamond.

Her clear features were fascinating to her. Long lashes. A cute face.

It is her face. She found it hard to believe because she traveled over hundreds of years through time.

She wiped the droplets tears from her reddish eyes with her fingers.

‘I can shed tears.’

She silently thought to herself.

Her eyes were blue and mysterious and the rims around her eyes were the kind of dark color that’s impossible not to stare at. Her ash blond hair matched well with her clear skin.  It was not a perfectly clear blonde. It was soft and pale.

She pulled herself together.

As she stepped outside of the room, fresh air rushed in.

‘…the summer smell.’

Before she returned, summer was the season she hated the most because it’s the season when she was born. She’s always been considered a sinner because the grand d.u.c.h.ess died while giving birth to her.

Being young, she felt reluctant to go outside in the spring. Now it was different. The Archduke castle is the same as she remembered in her memory.

She ran into maids in the hallway. They all had blank faces.

“What year is this?”

The maids were surprised that she asked them a question rather than by the question itself.

Her dark energy was gone entirely and instead, she’s shined brightly like the glistening sun.

The maid swallowed silently.

“This year is the Imperial Year 298, my Lady.”

She quietly contemplated the answer she was just given. Facing something she’s never known, a maid raised her gaze.

Around Char’s eyes are red. Her blue eyes, with clear tears looked mysterious. Was she weeping?

The maid paused for a moment. She looks at her as if her lady was possessed. Strangely, she felt a destructive explosion in that tiny body.

A great sense of pressure that she should not overlook.  A kind of overwhelming energy that she’s never felt before.

‘What’s happening to me?’

The maid tried to get her head together. She was fascinated by Charlize but she was only allowed to be for a split second.

Archduke and two young masters treated Char very poorly and every single maid knew about this. Archduke thought that the reason for the loss of the harmonious family was because Charlize was born.

That was why Char grew up neglected in the Archduke’s family.

“It is time for the master to return, my lady…”

In case Char could be hurt by what archduke said to her, the maid blurted it without thinking about it. It was a nudge for Charlize to go into her room.

No longer contemplating, Cha looked directly at the maid.

“I’m not going into the room.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve lost all my desire to avoid my family, or please them or to hold any grudge against them.”

The 13-year-old Charlize just said something the maid did not understand. Before her return, she was naïve enough to believe that her family could love her if she attained the Level of Mastery.

She tried so hard not to hate her family even when they blamed her for the death of the Grand d.u.c.h.ess. Now, she had given up all her childlike delusions.

Char didn’t do anything wrong.

Being alive should not be a sin.

Being born is being born and there was no reason to take responsibility for someone’s sadness as a result of you being born even if a death is the price of your birth.

“I won’t apologize.”

Char smiled brightly. It was a kind of smile so alluring that anybody who looked at it might believe the rumor that she’s a child of a fairy is true.

The maid felt an urge to step aside. For some reason, she could not breathe with ease.

Charlize walked gently. She looked at all the surprised faces of the maids and servants but did not blink an eye.

‘I traveled exactly 400 years back in time.’

Imperial Year 298.

She returned as a thirteen-year-old girl. So many years she endured as Keira. She had no clue on how she returned or why she returned.

She just believed that G.o.d miraculously responded to her earnest prayer. She felt the ‘energy of Ehirate,’ still alive and breathing in her body. No fragments left of it but it was infused into her soul, she realized intuitively.

‘I feel it, all of it.’

Emperors had poured so much mana into Keira.

They a.s.sumed mana ran out but in fact, mana didn’t just disappear into thin air.

The mana that emperors poured into Keira was alive and breathing. The enormous amount of mana acc.u.mulated over the centuries.

I just knew, not out of arrogance but out of conviction.

‘I am strong.’

The level of her power had never been seen in history and would never be ever again.

Before her returning, her power was the level of ‘a genius beyond understanding,’ but now it’s almost at the level of G.o.d-like power.

It was rumored that there is a word that might describe the level that goes beyond ‘Master.’

Now, she’s probably even beyond that level.

There is literally no one who would be able match the power she has throughout the whole continent.

Clank.

When she reached the end of the hallway, a sword was thrown over the marble floor.

To be precise, it was the sword that was pulled to the sword of Keira.

She suddenly stopped walking.

She bent down and grabbed the sword. Keira’s afterimage brushed before her eyes.

‘I’ve never been so attracted to a sword. It’s more like a masterpiece of art rather than a sword.’

Not everybody was afraid of Keira because of the fact that it’s a ‘cursed sword.’

Artists were fascinated by Keira.

Upon holding the handle of the sword, it stuck to her as if it’s a part of her body. It felt as light as air.

“M-My apologies.”

The knight looked scared. He ran to her and bowed his head before her. He apologized and looked embarra.s.sed.

It’s because she was effortlessly holding the large sword, which is too heavy even for a muscular adult to lift up.

She swung his sword lightly in the air.

“I see you ran from the drill hall. Your sword flew away in the middle of sparring with someone.”

“How did you know……. And, how…”

The knight’s face looked ashamed. He looked at her handed the sword to the knight. As everyone did, she could not withstand the lack of human warmth the knight expressed for her.

She noticed it before she returned. She always a.s.sumed it was just how people showed their dislike for her.

But now, it seemed it was more like jealousy and a feeling of hidden deprivation upon witnessing a genius.

She suddenly realized that.

‘The reason why I did not have a teacher before the return is not because I killed the grand d.u.c.h.ess.’

It’s just no one was good enough to teach her. No one had the talent that she did.

She felt sad because she had to hide her talents because of the Archduke family’s resentment of her.

The drill hall was close by. All of the knights suddenly stopped training and looked at her.

Why didn’t she know that before?

It wasn’t that they were looking at her with a look of scorn.

They were jealous of but at the same time, they admired her brilliant talent.

She looked at a knight who was biting his lips.

“You have a habit of wielding a sword with your shoulders too tense. Just use this much force.”

She grabbed the knight by the shoulder and pressed it down. Looking startled, the knight lowered his shoulders down.

“If you wield a sword this way, you will never drop it again in the middle of a fight.”

She let go of the knight’s hand. A quiet-faced girl. A small girl.

She was a young lady but the knight was not offended by her instructions. His face blushed after a moment.

“Thank you, my lady.”

She traveled back in time to get here. The situation was the same as before but she no longer had the mind of a clumsy thirteen-year-old.

Her rational mind grew, matured cold and calculating over the course of hundreds of years. She could wield her sword in her sleep.

Having swallowed a thing of evil, the Ehirate, she now instantly recognized the weakness of her opponents and the fastest way to double up on her strengths.

The knight later became a trustworthy Master soldier and the closest advisor of the first young master.

The knight’s trembling gaze poured over on the back of Charlize.

“Why did the princess summon us?”

“If I knew that, would I be scared right now?”

The maids whispered among themselves because they sensed a sudden change in her.

She finished her tour of the Archduke’s Castle after checking every guest room.

Not sure whether it’s lucky or unlucky, she didn’t run into her family.

The door opened. She went in walking smoothly and in a straight line.

That alone, she had the most dominant presence in the room.

All the maids became silent.

“The reason for summoning you, ladies…”

She sat at the top of the table and crossed her lefts.

Her white calves were visible at a glance. Sensing the mysterious force in the little girl, they looked at each other and bent down their backs.

“Maybe you already know.”

“……”

“No? You’ve forgotten about it, and I’m the only one who remembered everything?”

Despite her beautiful smile, shivers went up on their backs upon hearing that.

“Then,” she said, “I have to remind you.”

“You tried to pour a hot cup of tea on me when I was a kid, pretending it was an accident.”

Her pointer finger moved.

“You hid a rat body in my favorite blanket.”

The maids took a quick breath.

The bullying of the princess had been taking place under the unspoken permission of the master and the young masters. But she never has protested it. They thought it’s just way it’s supposed to be. No?

“You put bugs in my breakfast soup.”

She pointed her finger at the guilty maids and recited the charges.

A face of a maid turned pale white and some faces of other maids turned blue.

“You ripped the back of my dress to humiliate me.”

“I have committed a mortal sin, my lady!”

The maids, who now understood the situation fell flat on the floor.

“I apologize, my lady!”

“Forgive me.”

“I won’t do that again.”

A cold silence fell on the lobby.

Before the return, she had tolerated both insult and rudeness from everyone. Now, she no longer had the intention of putting up with it.

There is no need to respect your opponent who does not respect you.

“Forgiveness is not the word the perpetrator should say.”

Her voice sounded sweet and friendly, but it was cold and without warmth like a sharpened sword.

Revenge doesn’t require sensitivity.

There is no anger to waste on those who aren’t the target of your revenge but there is a need to vent once in a while.

She was not going to let anyone else disrespect her. A cold and determined voice broke the silence in the s.p.a.ce.

“Every one of you is fired..

...Today is Charlize’s birthday....

She calmly boiled the wax and poured it on the letter. She pressed a stamp on the red wax and waited. After taking the stamp off she could see the seal of her family. She painted the letter with a brush colored in gold.

〈Application for the Royal Master〉

As it was sealed, she just needed a paper knife. Charlize made up her mind. She’s not going to submit it now. Now is not the time. She decided to keep it inside her pocket.

“My life is yours.”

She looked at the portrait of the Grand d.u.c.h.ess. She put the chrysanthemum on the table. White leaves fell onto the ground.

“I’m here to inform you.”

No one among the family came to celebrate Charlize’s birthday. No messages for celebration. Char wasn’t disappointed as she never wished. She cherished the Grand d.u.c.h.ess alone.

“Shall the road I chose be the road to observe the abyss of the monster.”

The one who observes the abyss of the monster. Be aware. The monster may as well observe the abyss inside of you. The road she chose for revenge was the road of destruction. A road of corruption and barbarism where respect and morality could not be seen.

She appeared too beautiful to be a person who would become a monster.

“Although my life is yours, I’ll follow you after I get things done my way this time.”

Charlize was told to be the one who resembled the Grand d.u.c.h.ess the most. Her dark blue eyes greatly reflected the brilliant light of the lamps. Someone who dreams is beautiful and strong. That’s how Charlize was. She was extraordinary unshaken. She stepped back a step and admired herself with her eyes closed. It was admiration that she would no longer be a normal mortal being.

“I’m the beautiful one.”

While the knight who was guarding the room, he took a glance at the side of her face and observed her. He saw calmly closed her eyes. She appeared demure as a Saint. Her hands were held together and she recited aprayer for the blessing. Her long hair was dreamlike and her white skin seemed mysteriously transparent. She was like an angel. But no one expected that right now, all Charlize was thinking was the destruction of the empire.

“…”

Charlize closely raised her head. The bright smile of the Grand d.u.c.h.ess in the portrait remained the same. The Grand d.u.c.h.ess was the esteemed daughter of a Baron. That smile was the main reason for the rise in n.o.bility status. Everyone said they resemble each other but she always felt strange every time she saw the portrait. She quietly left the room.

“Uhh…”

She then looked at the knight. He was the knight who had dropped the sword in the hallway.

“Happy….. birthday, My Lady.”

What was this? All he said while trembling was congratulations. As they made eye contact, the knight blushed like a tomato and quickly ran away.

“I can’t believe there’s a person congratulating me on my birthday.”

As Charlize never knew there’s actually people who want to know her better, she didn’t care and just walked through the hallway without thinking anything of it. But something surprising happened. There were three people walking on the opposite side of her. It was the Archduke and the two young masters. She naturally stopped walking.

Even though they haven’t seen each other for a while, they were still cold to her. Of course, she wasn’t expecting to receive any congratulations from them. As she didn’t feel like talking to them, Charlize didn’t stop walking. However, the second young master began talking to her.

“Charlize.”

The only way she was able to recognize him was his hair color. Unlike the first young master whose hair is silver, he was blond. All of them had black eyes.

‘What was his name?’

Charlize thought that as she gazed at them. After all the years that she had been seeking love from them, hundreds of years had pa.s.sed and she almost forgot their name.

“Why don’t you exchange greetings?”

What could it be? Before her return, Charlize would always exchange greetings to every family member. Of course, no one would give her an answer. Before, she tried her best to smile brightly and shake their hands. They would only pa.s.s by giving her a cold look. The Archduke was always cold to her and the first young master was cold as well. Although, the second young master seemed to care about her from time to time.

“It’s no use talking to you.”

She calmly answered back. Because this was strange, the Archduke twitched his eyebrows. His daughter’s twinkling eyes which was full of love, became cold instead.

She always wanted to get his attention. She would struggle to be praised at least once. That’s also the reason why she started to practice swordsmanship. However, Charlize just pa.s.sed by and said that it’s no use talking to them.

“…”

The second young master’s heart started to beat irregularly. He was upset by her change. Why isn’t she begging for my attention? As the love which she displayed was no longer there, he was now missing it. As they felt a bit frustrated, even the first young master who was never shaken turned back. Charlize continued to ignore them and kept on walking.

She moved into a new room. Firing the maids wasn’t the only thing she did after her return. First, she left the old and uncomfortable room and moved to the new comfortable guest room. After firing the maids, there’s been a rumor spreading in the Ronan family. The lady seemed to be acting differently than before. Now, no one treated her poorly. Also, the head maid was struggling to earn Charlize’s trust.

“I will make sure the new maids will behave.”

“How?”

“I’ll make sure you won’t experience such discomfort, My Lady.”

Charlize started to control the Archduke’s family. That’s because she had power over them despite the bad relationship with her family. She gained the power to order them around as if she was the master. The new maids hired had gone through strict orders from the Head Maid. They were very respectful and polite towards Charlize.

“Please tell me if you need anything.”

“Give me a cup of tea and…”

Charlize looked at the maid.

“A comfortable mat.”

“As you command, My Lady.”

The maid soon brought a cup of tea and a mat. She spread the mat on the floor. Warm sunlight came into the house. Charlize drank the tea. This was the last time for her to relax. The scent of the tea was fragrant. The maid stepped outside. The door was shut. Now, she was finally left alone.

She created a boundary where no one could disturb her. It was time to make the mana circle.

‘Mana circle.’

Charlize felt the mana circle surrounding her heart. It was still a form of a red fog. The color was dark. To make it light, she needed to do this thousands and millions of time. She would need to become enlightened and the color become transparent. She was already so powerful that no one could fight her in the continent. But to be exact, her potential was powerful. Charlize had the potential to use the mana limitlessly. But in order to use it, she must first make the mana permeate into her heart.

‘I can do anything.’

First, she sat down on her seat. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Let the body relax. Concentrate on the flow of the air and look inside herself. Keira was the Sword of the Emperor. And the Emperor was always powerful. She could always see the Emperor creating the mana circle with her own eyes. Even though the Emperors in her memories were enemies who she wanted to kill, now they became her teachers. She cleared her mind and concentrated. Sweat was trailing down her forehead. Her legs and arms were shaking. The back of her neck was starting to become painful.

It wasn’t boring though, the pain drove out her boredom.

“Not bad.”

She thought casually.

Time pa.s.sed endlessly. Of course, few days of concentration wouldn’t open her mana core. The first time Charlize could make use of mana was after a whole week. This in fact, was amazing compared to other people. After the training, she would be exhausted but it didn’t matter. Endeavor. That was the word Char liked the most.

‘I don’t even know how much time pa.s.sed anymore.’

It was because she had already gone through hundreds of years. A day felt so short to her. A week would pa.s.s in a blink of an eye. A year was the same to her. Compared to her determination after the return, what Charlize had done was quite simple. For two years, Char barely left the castle. However today, it would be the start of her revenge on the Empire.

“Is it true she won’t come back after entering the imperial palace?

“She said so. She even told me to clear everything in her room.”

The maids started to whisper anxiously. As always, her family wouldn’t even come out to wish her farewell. But, Charlize showed no hesitation or reluctance about leaving anyway.

“I took care of all your belongings, My Lady.”

“Let’s take our leave.”

Now Charlize would be officially living in the Imperial Palace. She had been preparing thoroughly. As she had been training mana by herself, she was close to becoming a master. But, she never showed her skills in swordsmanship. That would be too conspicuous. So, the road Charlize chose wasn’t to become an official knight but is to become an honorary knight on account of her background.

‘The first thing and the last thing I’m going to receive from my family.’

She decided not to hate her family from now on. The most important thing was her revenge on the Royal Family. Soon, she arrived at the Imperial Palace. As Charlize showed her employment certificate, she easily pa.s.sed the guards. She was then guided by a maid.

“The Thirteenth Prince is waiting for you.”

Charlize ignored all the attention she received and kept walking with grace. The boy who would become her student, the man who will become the lord, and the tyrant who will bring his kingdom to ruin. The man who will become her p.a.w.n in her chess game. Her cold heart started to beat fast.

The door opened. The first step towards her revenge just began.