The Mysterious Masked Swordsman... Enter the Slayer!!

ROSE

Until I saw that exquisite flash of steel, I had fully accepted my end. If I were captured and exploited, my father’s sacrifice would be for nothing—and that was the one thing I couldn’t allow.

Death is terrifying.

But at the time, it felt like my only way out. I was born a princess, and sure, I’ve had my selfish moments, but I’d like to think I’ve fulfilled my royal duties.

This is it, I thought. My final duty.

I’d made my peace with it.

“A-Are you...”

The words caught in my throat. The moment I laid eyes on the beautiful swordplay of the young man who had just swept the field, a memory from my childhood came rushing back.

“The time of falsehood is at an end...”

Jimina reached for his face and peeled it away.

The stadium erupted into a roar of confusion and awe. Beneath the layers of false skin, a familiar mask appeared. Then, a mass of black liquid swirled around him in a chaotic spiral. When the shadows finally receded, a man stood there, draped in a Jet-black Longcoat.

“Shadow...” someone whispered.

But to me, he wasn't just Shadow.

He was the hero I admired—the one whose beautiful blade inspired me to walk the path of the sword in the first place.

“Shadow... could you actually be... Slayer-san?”

The memories of my youth flooded my mind, clearer than ever.

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Once, a long time ago, I was kidnapped.

I had been visiting the Midgar Kingdom for my father's official business, but I’d slipped away from our lodgings to play. I was having a grand old time with the commoner children when the world suddenly went dark.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up restrained inside a dingy, dimly lit hut.

My hands and feet were bound with rough rope, and a gag was stuffed into my mouth. I didn’t have any visible injuries, but that didn't stop the terror from making me shake like a leaf.

“I thought we just snagged some well-dressed brat, but I can’t believe she’s actually the Princess of the Oriana Kingdom!”

I could hear the bandits talking in the next room. They must have gone through my things; my identity was totally blown.

“Nice one, Boss! We’re gonna be rich!”

“Damn right! That’s what you call professional instinct!”

Their vulgar laughter echoed through the walls. I spiraled into despair. Bandits really only have two moves: use me as a hostage to negotiate with Oriana, or sell me to the highest bidder.

They’re going to sell me, I realized. My value was high, but I was too much for a pack of low-level thugs to handle. They’d sell me off to get the cash safely, and then I’d be turned into a political tool for my kingdom’s enemies.

The thought terrified me. I writhed, trying to loosen the ropes, screaming muffled pleas through my gag.

It was useless.

“Oops, sounds like the little princess is awake.”

“Go check on her.”

Footsteps approached. My muffled screams turned into sheer panic as tears streamed down my face. But just as the door was about to creak open...

“Hyahhaa!! Hand over your money, you bastards!!”

A completely out-of-place, childish voice rang out.

“W-What?! Who’s this kid?!”

“Where did he come from?! Kill him!”

“Ora ora oraaaa!!”

I heard the sound of something whistling through the air, followed immediately by blood-curdling screams.

“W-What is this brat?! He’s too fast!”

“Impossible! Three guys down in a second?!”

“You guys are just practice dummies for my Stylish Sword.”

The whistling sound returned. Soon, the thick, metallic scent of blood reached my nose. I timidly peered through a gap in the door.

There stood a child wearing a burlap sack over his head, looming over the fleeing bandits.

“Anyone who runs is a bandit! Anyone who doesn't run is a well-trained bandit!!”

“H-Hieee!”

“S-Stop! Please!”

The kid in the burlap sack swung his sword.

—?!

I completely forgot my situation, captivated by the sheer beauty of the strike’s trajectory. I didn’t know much about swordsmanship back then, but that blade... it was more beautiful than any piece of art I had ever seen.

The sword vividly harvested the bandits' lives, and the screaming stopped. I just stared, dazed, at the kid with the sack on his head.

“Man, I went through all the trouble of an ‘expedition,’ and these guys are broke? Wait... there’s someone else here.”

He noticed my gaze and swung the hut door open. Light flooded the room, and my eyes met the holes in his burlap mask.

“A kidnapped kid, huh? Tough break.”

He swung his sword again. Even that casual motion was so beautiful it made my heart skip a beat.

“Watch yourself on the way home. Bye-bye.”

The kid in the burlap sack started to stroll away. It was only then that I realized my restraints had been sliced clean off.

“W-Wait!” I called out desperately.

“What?” He stopped and looked back.

“W-Who are you?”

“Me? Well, I’m still in training, so... I’m just a passing-through Stylish Bandit Slayer.”

“Slayer-san... I... I want to thank you properly.”

“Hmm. Well, I’d be happy if you just didn't tell anyone about me.”

“O-Okay. I understand.”

“Then I’m counting on you.”

And just like that, the Stylish Bandit Slayer vanished.

Slayer-san...

He saved me when I was at my lowest and changed the course of my life. I spent every day since then chasing the beauty of that sword and that mysterious way of life. That was the day I truly became a swordswoman.

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ROSE

It was my most precious childhood memory. A secret I had never shared with a single soul.

But in this moment, the secret finally escaped my lips.

“Shadow... it was you. You were Slayer-san all along.”

Shadow didn't say a word.

But for me, his silence was all the answer I needed. Even as a child, he had been fighting evil. Just like the day he saved me, he had been saving people in the shadows where no one would ever see.

Shadow’s words echoed in my head: Strength isn't about power, it's about a way of being.

Yes, his entire existence was the definition of strength.

I felt a wave of shame for trying to take the easy way out through death. I could still fight. I had just been so tired of living, so afraid of failing, that I wanted to end it all.

Death was just an escape.

But I can still fight. I fell in love with his beautiful sword—and his way of being—for a reason.

SHADOW

“Your battle is not yet over...”

I watched as Shadow thrust his Jet-black Blade forward. The force of it tore through the stadium wall, leaving a massive, gaping hole.

“Go...”

“Yes!”

I didn't hesitate. I snatched up my Rapier and leapt into the hole. I still have things I need to do.

“W-Wait!! Get back here!”

“I will not let you pass...”

Behind me, Shadow stood like an immovable wall, blocking the way.