Chapter 114 – Palace Maid (7)
“Goblins!”
“Protect the palanquin—”
Shhk!
The commanders and soldiers escorting the palanquin carrying the crown prince and the palace maid were cut down like straw.
‘They’re in a group.’
I’d love to just watch leisurely, but the sword demon’s four arms and two legs slice through anything without resistance. If I look away for a second, the patient could be bisected—palanquin and all.
Creak-creak—?
I’d planned to ambush quietly and finish it fast, but the sword demon immediately sensed me and turned its head.
“Tch!”
I clicked my tongue lightly at the sword demon charging straight at me.
Can I dodge?
If not, I die.
Whiiing—
Two pairs of blade-like arms sliced through the air toward me.
‘No openings!’
Dodging stylishly while landing a kick seemed impossible.
But…
“Hi-yah!”
I’m not the same as when I only ran from magic boy Choi Kang-min.
The sword demons move like skaters gliding on ice. That forces them to arc when changing direction.
Meaning: if I give up counterattacking, dodging isn’t hard!
Creak?!
The sword demon swung at me as I slipped sideways, but it has no ability to extend its arms, so it misses.
‘I need a spear… a thick, solid spear!’
One that could pierce steel plate in a single thrust!
My specialty is the swordsmanship I learned from Valentine, but I’m not arrogant enough to face a sword demon swinging six blades at once with a sword.
Creak-creak!
“Argh?!”
“Urk?!”
Missing me, the sword demon sliced through the annoying soldiers in its way and charged again quickly.
‘Good!’
It was an iron flagpole.
The scattered spears had wooden shafts, leaving me no choice. If I’d known, I would’ve grabbed a decent weapon from the palace earlier!
Only one chance.
Failure not allowed.
“Hup!”
The spearmanship I briefly learned in <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>. The instructor in charge of my training taught me only one thing intensively.
Thrust.
The beginning and end of spearmanship.
A single, fascinating strike I’d love to master properly someday.
‘Now…!’
Flutter~
I unfurled the flag separated from the pole to block the sword demon’s vision.
Shhk—!
It was instantly shredded, but that was both its strength and weakness.
A human would’ve shoved the whole flag aside with their hand, but a sword demon with blade-hands was different.
Swish swish~
Dozens of flag fragments lingered in the air like falling leaves, disrupting its sight.
Of course, only briefly—but that brief moment was enough for me.
“Hup…!”
I thrust both arms forward as if releasing a bowstring, gripping the flagpole.
Tap.
At the same time, one step forward! The pole plunged deep through the gap where the sword demon’s four arms crossed.
“Urk?!”
Every muscle in my body screamed from the head-on collision with the sword demon, but I couldn’t lose focus now.
Shlooook…
The skin on both palms gripping the flagpole peeled off.
‘Hold on no matter what!’
The tip of the pole struck dead center in the sword demon’s chest.
The key: perfectly perpendicular to the target!
It minimizes force dispersion, and even if penetration fails, the tip slides sideways instead of letting the body’s center of gravity collapse embarrassingly.
“…”
The sword demon’s eyes and mouth—incapable of speech—gaped wide.
Clang! Clang! Clang…!
Immediately after, the pole was sliced into several pieces, but it had already served its purpose, so it didn’t matter much.
THUD!
Unable to withstand the recoil, the sword demon fell backward with a heavy thud.
It tried to rise right away, moving its four arms.
Stab, stab.
True to hands that could slice anything, they dug into the ground instead of supporting it. It would stand in seconds, but—
“Hello.”
“…”
I didn’t give it that time.
CRACK!
I stomped down hard on the flat side of one leg blade—like Song Sun-young stepping on my foot with her heel—and snapped it.
‘This is…?’
A strong pushing sensation against my foot.
I instinctively felt it: my world clashing with the sword demon’s.
“You… what exactly…?”
“…”
I asked without thinking. But there was no way a sword demon glaring murderously at me would answer politely. I wasn’t even sure it could speak.
CRACK!
I immediately snapped the other leg too.
‘Same principle!’
The unnatural gliding movement over ground and water, the blade limbs that cut through anything like air!
Just like me, it had built its own world around its body.
“Attack!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Aim for the head!”
The crown prince, finally stepping out of the palanquin, gave orders belatedly.
His clothes were haphazardly thrown on, hair disheveled.
No need to guess what he and the maid had been doing inside the palanquin.
‘Wow! He still looks cool even now!’
The saying that handsome men look good no matter what really hit home.
“Your Highness.”
“Hold!”
Clang! Clang!
Soldiers blocking my approach to the crown prince aimed their spear tips threateningly.
“Enough.”
“But Your Highness! He’s an unknown like that traitor!”
“I said enough.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
The soldiers reluctantly lowered their spears and stepped aside.
‘Impressive courage.’
Befitting a future king.
Looking back, the princes and emperors in <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family> were truly remarkable too.
Looks, strategy, etiquette, philosophy…
All outstanding rulers. Except when it came to the heroine “Angelina Chimac,” where their judgment and intelligence plummeted!
“Who are you?”
Excellent question!
“A wanderer who learned martial arts from a great monk of the Central Plains.”
“Oh! No wonder! I thought you were extraordinary—you’re from the great nation!”
Typical attitude for a crown prince raised with indoctrination revering the birthplace of Confucianism like a parent.
At that moment,
“Aaaagh~?!”
“It-it’s moving again!”
“Protect His Highness!”
The sword demon, having lost both legs, used the lower pair of its four arms as supports and raced across the ground.
“…”
Its entire body was already a wreck.
Especially the face—repeatedly stabbed by soldiers’ spears—barely held shape with two empty eye sockets.
Shhk—
Yet its menacing aura remained undiminished.
Slicing soldiers’ waists with one pair of arms, it charged straight at me!
Curiosity outweighed tension.
‘So that kind of transformation is possible?’
It switched its “world” to make its cutting-specialized arms glide like legs. Not a slight adjustment—more like turning hands into wheels.
New knowledge.
I couldn’t use it right away, but if a sword demon could do it, so could I.
“Hmm~”
I sized it up instantly.
Shhk—
I took a taekwondo ready stance, prepared to kick at any moment.
“What…?”
“Block it!”
“Your Highness! You must retreat…!”
Stab! Stab! Stab!
As the distance closed, the sword demon ignored all soldiers’ attacks and stared only at me.
“…”
Its two arms swung horizontally toward my neck and waist.
“Hup!”
I held my breath for a split second and slipped inside before the blades reached me, pushing its abdomen with my right foot.
THUD— CRUNCH!
Even a full-force thrust with the flagpole using both arms’ strength had only knocked it over, yet one side kick snapped its spine?
It even flew backward like the countless taekwondo athletes who had challenged me.
“Gasp?!”
“Huh?!”
The crown prince and soldiers who had watched the whole thing from up close gaped in shock.
‘This is it!’
Exactly the picture I wanted.
(You goldfish-brained idiot! Did you already forget I told you to go easy?! You almost tripped and fell!)
“…”
Senior, I didn’t fall, so it’s fine, right?
(Oh! Really? Jeon Ji-eun quickly caught your stumbling body.)
…What?
(So Song Sun-young’s face is extremely unhappy. Why do I have to take the nagging when you’re the one who messed up?)
“…”
That was close.
(If you ignore me one more time, be prepared. I’ll film you dancing naked and upload it online.)
“Cough!”
Coming from the guy who drenched the Central Plains in blood, it didn’t sound like an empty threat—scary.
(Want to test it?)
No.
(Do it properly. I’m going back to listen to the rest of Song Sun-young’s nagging.)
Yes! Sorry! Senior!
“Marvelous. I’d heard rumors that the martial arts of the great nation are extraordinary, but seeing it with my own eyes, the tales seem understated!”
“You honor me too much, Your Highness.”
I didn’t hear a word of the crown prince praising “Central Plains martial arts.”
‘Taekwondo is a modern martial art created by the descendants of this country…’
I’d misled him a bit, but it revealed the crown prince’s political leanings—not in the original drama. Probably historical accuracy.
At that moment—
“I owe you a great debt.”
“Not at all.”
“If I let you leave like this, I would become a laughingstock. Join me in the palace.”
“I shall obey your command.”
“Hmm.”
Satisfied with my answer, the crown prince climbed back into the palanquin.
Tap.
The crown prince—who had originally planned a longer, more intense “drive” with his lover—swallowed his regret and headed home.
‘Smooth.’
Having earned recognition for “Central Plains martial arts,” I became a guest-retainer in the palace.
***
‘…Beautiful.’
The day before, I’d been too busy fleeing to appreciate the palace interior, but now as the crown prince’s guest, it was different.
Shy plum blossoms of early spring, the subtle fragrance of orchids, ever-green bamboo, and chrysanthemums awaiting autumn.
The Four Gentlemen (梅蘭菊竹).
The four plants symbolizing a nobleman’s virtues grew throughout the palace, and now plum blossoms announced the start of spring.
By the way…
“…Do you need something from me?”
I was waiting under a plum tree beside the crown prince’s separate palace for the thief to appear.
“N-no, my lord.”
Deok-sun, who had been sneaking glances at me, quickly bowed her head.
While sweeping fallen plum petals from the courtyard with a broom, she’d peek whenever I looked away.
This was awkward.
‘Before I met Sun-young, I couldn’t even dream of having a girlfriend…’
Recalling the original drama, this palace maid was the heroine’s best friend—nosy about her love life and young men. But in the end, unless she caught the king or crown prince’s eye, she’d live and die single.
“I’m off again!”
“Haa—?!”
My enhanced hearing picked up the young man and woman’s erotic moans from inside the separate palace, scattering my focus.
The crown prince had unilaterally announced the relationship to his parents—the king and queen—upon returning to the palace and immediately started working on an heir!
‘Is that even allowed?’
The parents seemed delighted their son’s lovesickness was cured and gladly accepted the relationship.
That’s also part of the drama’s setting!
The reason Deok-chun was never punished despite being caught multiple times with the thief. The world’s rules are absolute.
“…Deok-sun.”
“Yes? Yes! My lord!”
The maid jumped at my call, eyes wide.
Deok-sun.
Women’s names in this era were as tragic as their fallen rights.
“You’re friends with Her Highness the Crown Princess, right?”
“…Yes. We’ve eaten from the same pot and grown up together since we were six.”
“Could you tell Her Highness I have an urgent message about the ‘interferer’?”
Interferer.
She’d understand.
To the Ranuvel patient Yoon So-ra—who had decided to become the crown prince’s consort—the thief was a terrifying stalker who could infiltrate the palace and kidnap her!
Elimination priority #1.
“I’m sorry, my lord. Even I can’t easily meet Her Highness anymore…”
“Please.”
After the incident where Song Sun-young found out about my time with Mi-bong in <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>, I swore:
No accepting help from beautiful women!
But this much should be within acceptable flexibility.
“My lord…”
“Won’t you?”
“It’s presumptuous, but Deok-chun will soon officially become the Crown Princess. She cannot meet outsider men.”
“Hmm…”
In the original <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, the sidekick “Deok-sun” was a bubbly, simple-minded comic relief. But now she was the complete opposite.
‘Worried about her friend?’
I gave her my soft, practiced convenience-store sales smile to reassure her.
“Oh my!”
Hey? That expression could cause misunderstandings.
“Is there no way?”
“If you insist… I’ll look into it.”
“Thank you.”
Time to persuade the patient who abandoned the thief and became the crown princess in the world of <Palace Maid Deok-chun>.
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