I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Rippling…

I barely managed to stop Lina from losing control.
There was a slight hesitation in her embrace, followed by the faint motion of her head nodding.

Good.

I heard her silent agreement to leave this matter in my hands.

As I turned my attention to the vermin in front of me, I saw their collective sighs of relief, as if everything had already been resolved, simply because Lina’s fury had subsided.

Unacceptable.

‘Let’s start by teaching them some manners.’

Yes, Lina trusted me to handle this.
These shameless wretches needed to be taught a lesson they wouldn’t forget—a lesson so severe that the mere memory of today would make them tremble and wet themselves in fear.

I didn’t even bother unsheathing my blade; I gripped the scabbard itself and advanced toward them.

Smack!
“Your lot.”

Smack!
“Dare to call yourselves human?”

Smack!
“Trash like you lot.”

Smack!
“When given trust, should at least.”

Smack!
“Have the decency to feel grateful.”

Smack!
“And yet, you wretches.”

Smack!
“Dared to stab Lina in the back?”

Smack!
“Does it hurt?”

Smack!
“I asked if it hurts.”

Smack!
“Does something as minor as this hurt?”

It was one-sided violence.

At first, they had dared to hope when Lina’s rage receded.
But they soon realized it was nothing more than a false glimmer of hope.

My icy voice, coupled with my expressionless face, made it clear that this was not mere punishment; it was a grim execution of their arrogance, blow by blow.

“Aagh… ah…”

They tried to resist, plead, negotiate, even run away—but every attempt was crushed beneath the weight of my relentless violence.

The more they struggled, the more agonizing their suffering became.

Faced with an overwhelming power they could not resist, they were utterly helpless.

Realizing their plight, they turned their desperate gazes to Lina, silently begging for help.
But she did not move.

Only then did they finally understand.

Ah.

They had been abandoned.
Truly abandoned.

The realization came too late.

To be discarded by Lina meant losing the shield that had protected their reputations, power, and achievements.

Smack!

Thud! Crash!

“P-please! I’m sorry! Aaaaargh!!”

Park Ji-yoon clung to my pants, begging desperately.
In response, I kicked her away, sending her flying with a shrill scream. She hit the wall and slumped down, trembling.

“…”

I finally exhaled deeply and stopped swinging my weapon.
Looking around, I saw them sprawled on the floor, bloodied and battered, none of them unharmed.

After hours of violence, they now averted their gazes, trembling in fear.

They didn’t even dare to speak. They knew that any word might provoke more pain.

“Lina isn’t someone who should be wounded by the likes of you filthy wretches.”

I rotated my stiff neck, massaging it as I did so.
As expected, dealing with Lina’s pressure head-on had taken a toll on me.

Even though I had deliberately avoided killing them, merely ensuring they wouldn’t die, I felt drained.

But I couldn’t stop here.

Finishing was just as important.

I pulled a stamina potion from my spatial tattoo and downed it.

Gulp.
Hoo—

“Honestly, I’d love nothing more than to kill all of you right here and now…”

I glanced at Lina.
She was biting her lip, her hands trembling. It was clear she wanted to step in.
But she stood her ground, watching everything unfold.

Her steadfastness conveyed her trust in me.

‘Unbelievable. Even after being betrayed so badly, she still hasn’t given up on them.’

That, after all, was Lina’s unique charm.

‘Fine, know this. You owe even this much mercy to Lina, you garbage.’

Turning my attention back to them, I continued.

I didn’t have the power to enforce binding vows like Lina.
But I could achieve something similar.

I imbued my voice with mana.
Its resonance would etch fear deep into their hearts.
The memory of today would burn into their very beings, a scar of terror that would never heal.

Raising one finger, I began.

“One. From now on, your lives and deaths are entirely under my control.”

Raising a second finger.

“Two. You are no longer free. Whether eating, dressing, bathing, sleeping, or even conversing with others—I will be watching.”

Raising a third finger.

“Three. You will not be allowed to die, even if you wish for it. Everything you once enjoyed no longer belongs to you.”

As much as I wanted to kill them all, doing so would leave Lina with wounds that would never heal.
That was not an option.

“Your task is simple: clean up the mess you’ve made.”

And so, this was the punishment I delivered.

“Find every victim you’ve wronged and atone in the name of the mage.
Compensate them.
Apologize.
Until the day your lives end.”

Having said this much, I added a warning, just in case any of them clung to futile hope.

“If any of you get the foolish idea of trying to evade my watch or plot something behind my back…”

Several of them flinched, their bodies trembling.

Hah, so some of you really thought of it, huh?

“Go ahead. Try it.”

I smiled coldly.

“If you do, you’ll find out that the pain you felt today was nothing compared to what awaits.”

.

.

.

Just like before, they decided to take a plane for their return.

Glancing over, Lina noticed Jin Yuha talking on the phone, his face weary.

“Yeah, Shin Se-hee. It’s all over now. Hmm? Do you still have spare members in Shin’s personal guard? Oh, you do? Great. Then could you assign one of them to keep an eye on each of those people for now? Thanks. Huh? Injured? Hahaha… Does it sound like that from my voice? No, no, I’m just tired. I’m not hurt, so don’t worry too much. Yeah, I’m heading back now. I’ll see you soon, so hang tight.”

It seemed Jin Yuha had reached out to Shin Se-hee from Utopia to assign surveillance to the disgraceful former disciples—no, they could no longer be called disciples.

Lina knew Shin Se-hee well. Although she was Utopia’s sole non-combatant, her extraordinary abilities made her a vital operator who provided support on both visible and hidden fronts. If she were to oversee the surveillance, those people would lose all semblance of freedom.

‘This decision was made with me in mind,’ Lina thought.

Despite his genuine anger earlier that day, Jin Yuha had sentenced them not to a swift punishment but to a slow penance: restoring what they had ruined and atoning for their sins in her name.

Though their lives would now be stifling, it was merciful compared to the gravity of their actions.

Lina understood this leniency was for her sake.

She felt ashamed. If there was a hole nearby, she’d gladly crawl into it.

She had introduced those people so proudly to Jin Yuha, claiming they were outstanding individuals. Instead, all she revealed was her poor judgment and inability to discern character.

Memories of her past boasting resurfaced, making her cringe. Surely, whatever respect Jin Yuha might have held for her must now be completely gone.

Just then, Jin Yuha turned to her, breaking her train of thought.

-Lina.

“Ugh!” she inwardly groaned.

‘Why… Why did he suddenly hug me?!’

Though she understood it was to calm her down before she lost control and hurt those people severely, she still found herself squirming in embarrassment.

-Calm down. I’ll handle this. Trust me, okay?

‘Ugh, and where did the usual polite speech go? Straight to informal talk, huh?’

Jin Yuha had genuinely gotten angry for her sake today, in a way she had never seen before. Unlike his usual calculated demeanor when dealing with demons or monsters, this was raw and unrestrained.

– Lina isn’t someone who should be wounded by the likes of you filthy wretches

The sharp and biting words, precisely because they were unfiltered, resonated deeply.

For the first time, Lina found herself worrying about something else: what if Jin Yuha no longer viewed her the same way as before? What if she had disappointed him?

Lina hesitated before cautiously asking, “…Are you disappointed in me?”

Jin Yuha glanced over at her.

“Disappointed?”

“Yes! I mean, the people I so confidently brought to you turned out to be… to be… like that! Surely, you must be disappointed in me.”

Jin Yuha scratched his head and answered in a relaxed tone, “Huh. What a thing to ask.”

“Well, I do think you’re impressive, Lina, but… I wouldn’t say I revere you or anything.”

‘What?!’

Lina’s expression froze in shock.

But you used to say you respected me! She remembered him saying so in front of Seol-hee! Had those feelings evaporated because of today’s fiasco?

Her pupils seemed to quake with anxiety.

Jin Yuha shrugged and added casually, “You’re just a person like me, after all.”

“What…?”

“Stuff like this happens all the time, doesn’t it? Getting stabbed in the back by people you trust, being betrayed, getting hurt—it’s all just part of life.”

“…”

“So no, I’m not disappointed. You’re human too, Lina. It’s natural to make mistakes sometimes.”

“…”

“Of course,” he added with a wry smile, “since you’re so talented, the scraps that fall from your table are huge. That’s why those people managed to rise far above their station, which is why the fallout got so big.”

Jin Yuha scratched his cheek. “But in the end, it’s just a normal thing.”

Lina’s hands clenched tightly in her lap. This was the first time someone had so plainly acknowledged that she, too, could be vulnerable—just another human being.

For as long as she could remember, people had either idolized her as an untouchable figure or demonized her as a monster. Even those close to her, like Seol-hee or the Sword Emperor, saw her as untouchable, never daring to “worry” about her.

She had grown used to those views. That’s why Jin Yuha’s lack of reverence had initially seemed like a dismissal. But it wasn’t that.

Jin Yuha was treating her as an equal. Just another person.

Lina struggled to process the strange, warm sensation growing in her chest. It was a foreign feeling, one she hadn’t experienced in ages. But, being so out of practice with expressing herself, she could only respond with:

“…You arrogant fool. You’re the only one in the world who dares treat me like this.”

Jin Yuha raised his hands in mock exasperation.

“Come on! I just wrecked my body cleaning up after your mess, and this is the thanks I get?”

“Mess? Such vulgar language you use.”

Oddly enough, Lina found herself chuckling.

“Haha, what is it with you kids and your obsession with saying ‘mess’ all the time?” Jin Yuha grumbled under his breath.

“I can hear you, you insolent brat.”