Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 61: Hunting (2)

“Why is Fran taking so long? Is it hard to find him?”

“Boss. Should I go and check?”

“…Hmm. Yeah, you go ahead. Don’t get lost.”

One of the figures in black robes set out on the path.

As he turned away, the leader suddenly recalled something.

‘…Wait. Now that I think about it, Beatrice was there during the Arvanceco operation too. Could it be… is she strong?’

The information they had obtained beforehand stated that Beatrice didn’t have any particularly notable abilities.

Thus, they had assumed that the failure of the operation wasn’t her fault.

But now that he thought about it, both the Alps operation and the Arvanceco operation had her presence in common.

‘It might be unlikely, but you never know.’

The possibility was extremely low.

However, in times of war, one must always prepare for the unexpected.

The leader called out to the man.

“Hey!”

“Yes?”

“Take two more people with you, just in case.”

It was always better to be safe than sorry.

The leader nodded to himself, satisfied with his prudent decision.

Meanwhile.

“Argos. Argos. Are you alright?”

Gareth clenched his teeth as he shook Argos.

Seeing his friend in such a near-death state was too painful to bear.

“…We must save Beatrice.”

“Argos.”

Even as he was on the brink of death, he was worried about Beatrice.

“She is… our only hope. Cough!”

He spat out a mouthful of blood. Gareth urgently tried to stop him.

“Stop it. Stop talking. Beatrice is not as important as your current condition.”

“I must… do what I can…”

“…I know.”

Gareth crouched down and whispered.

“But it’s not the right time yet.”

“…!”

He looked into the distance, toward the forest where Beatrice had gone.

“…I trust her. And I believe she also trusts us.”

Gareth knew very well that Beatrice wouldn’t just let herself be caught.

But to be fair, it was impossible for her to handle all fifty enemies alone.

She would know that as well.

There was likely only one reason for her actions.

“She’s creating an opening for us. When that moment comes, we’ll act. Until then, conserve your strength as much as you can.”

At least, the cadets of the Aristocratic Faction.

For the past week, they had undergone hellish physical training.

They hadn’t trained their mana or spirits at all.

It had been an excruciating regimen that seemed to test the limits of human endurance.

These Aristocratic Faction cadets had endured it all.

So Gareth firmly believed.

Just as they trusted Beatrice, Beatrice also trusted them.

This wasn’t Beatrice’s one-woman show.

It was a carefully coordinated operation.

**

“I’m sorry… for not being of help. Not back then. And not now either.”

Airy lowered her head, looking as if she were about to cry.

A headless corpse lay before them.

Beatrice calmly worked to erase any traces.

“Well, what you’ve done is already a big help.”

Airy was a mage.

Without mana, she was no stronger than an ordinary person.

But even without mana, that didn’t mean a mage like her was entirely useless.

Her mind.

Mages were inherently quick thinkers.

Especially combat mages like her.

In modern terms, mages were akin to scientists.

“That trap should be enough to take down five of them.”

Airy had identified what she could do and acted on it.

It was a booby trap.

…Given the situation, all she could do was dig a pit and cover it with branches.

But to Beatrice, who desperately needed all the help she could get, even that was a blessing.

Simple pit traps were often the most effective.

Especially when everyone’s mana was limited.

Once someone fell into the trap, the sharp stakes below would claim their life.

“…But it’s something anyone could do. I wish I could face enemies as impressively as you do, Beatrice.”

Beatrice erased the last of the traces and grabbed the corpse’s legs. Airy came over to help.

“Alright, lift.”

The corpse was quite heavy.

Airy easily lifted the large man.

“…But you look sturdier than me.”

“Pardon? Who said that?”

“Well, there’s this self-proclaimed god.”

“…A self-proclaimed god? Is this a new god I haven’t heard of?”

“No, he calls himself Solid, the God.”

“My goodness. Such blasphemy! Who is that?!”

[…It was a joke, just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.]

Solid answered awkwardly.

Just then.

Step.

They widened their eyes and looked at each other.

They heard footsteps.

They weren’t far.

Beatrice carefully laid the corpse down and hid behind a tree. Airy crouched in the tall grass.

Step.

The footsteps grew closer.

Before long, they felt the presence right in front of them.

‘It’s not just one or two.’

[There are exactly three of them.]

‘Sharp-eyed fellows.’

She had expected the trap to take out five of them, but they were sharper than she anticipated. To think they’d send three people already.

No matter.

“Wha—what the? Dead…?”

They seemed to have found the corpse.

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and gripped her sword.

‘Solid. Position?’

[Right, 45 degrees, five steps away.]

Swish!

Beatrice lunged, slashing one of their necks and rolling to create distance.

Without mana, being surrounded in a one-against-many situation would be dangerous. These were knights, not amateur cadets.

“…Damn, she’s fast.”

Despite the death of their comrade, they didn’t show any signs of panic and drew their swords.

Shing.

“You’re quite the looker. I see now. You must be Beatrice Cenci. Where’s Arvanceco?”

The two remaining enemies slowly approached in formation.

Instead of fleeing, Beatrice leaned against a tree and silently pointed her sword.

“Hey, miss. Why not surrender? Sure, you might’ve taken down one or two with a sneak attack since there’s no mana involved. But in a head-to-head fight, you don’t stand a chance. Let’s not waste our energy, shall we?”

“You talk too much.”

Smirk.

Beatrice raised one corner of her mouth.

“Seems like you’re scared of me.”

Beads of sweat were forming on the enemy’s forehead.

“How dare you!”

Whoosh!

The enemy swung his sword in a wide arc, using its large reach.

At the same time, another enemy slashed toward Beatrice’s anticipated retreat path.

They were skilled and experienced.

Beatrice kept her focus on the swords until the very last moment.

Thud!

She stepped forward and thrust her sword into the enemy’s neck.

“Damn it!”

The other enemy, who had struck empty air, furiously redirected his blade.

Beatrice evaded by stepping back precisely half a step.

The enemy immediately adjusted and aimed for her neck again with his sword.

However.

Thunk!

Beatrice tilted her head slightly to the side, avoiding the strike.

The enemy’s blade became deeply embedded in a tree.

“This tree’s pretty soft.”

“…!”

“So soft that a clumsy thrust like that will get it stuck.”

Slice!

She swiftly decapitated the remaining enemy.

[…You fight impressively well with one hand.]

‘…Well, there’s no other choice.’

Beatrice gripped her sword with both hands, but in reality, her right hand was merely assisting.

She was effectively fighting with only her left hand.

[Young Beatrice, I respect your resolve. However, it is unreasonable to face fifty opponents alone with just one hand. Especially by yourself.]

‘I’m not alone.’

[What do you mean…?]

Beatrice lightly stepped onto a tree.

From her position, she could see the cadets surrounded in the distance.

“I’ve laid the groundwork. This time, I’ll trust them.”

**

“Damn it!”

Boom!

The leader struck the ground in frustration.

“That’s ten already. Ten who haven’t come back!”

By now, he had to acknowledge it.

…They weren’t just missing.

They were dead.

“Leader. At this rate…”

One of his subordinates made a suggestion.

“Let’s send in a lot more. Send twenty this time. What could they possibly do then?”

“Do you even hear yourself?”

The leader glanced at the cadets.

‘If we send too many, we’ll be outnumbered.’

There were basic guidelines for using the control device.

First, the enemy’s strength must be considerable.

Second, their numbers must exceed the enemy’s.

Without these conditions, the control device would be useless.

In fact, it could backfire, as it was doing now.

‘Damn it. Who would’ve thought the control device would turn out to be a liability.’

He was even tempted to deactivate it altogether.

With just ten minutes, things could turn in their favor.

‘No, if I deactivate it, the entire Royal Knights will descend upon us.’

There were five Royal Knights guarding this place.

Two had been killed, but three had escaped.

The Royal Knights were still a formidable force.

Even with hostages, a full-scale confrontation with them would be suicide.

“Don’t worry about it, boss.”

One of his men smirked and whispered.

“You know they’re just spirit-dependent brats.”

“……”

‘Is that so?’

It was an intriguing thought.

The rules for using the control device were strict, but…

Could there be exceptions to every rule?

Honestly, even without mana, he felt confident facing five of these kids on his own.

Unlike those spirit-reliant weaklings, they had honed their own skills thoroughly.

There was a strong one earlier, but that was an exception.

It was unlikely that all the cadets had the same level of skill.

Still…

‘Losing Fran. Damn it, that pisses me off.’

Fran had been his second-strongest subordinate.

Losing such a capable man left a bitter taste in his mouth.

No choice now.

The leader made his decision.

“Twenty is too many. Ten. Ten will be enough.”

“Got it.”

“There’s not much time left. Move quickly.”

The leader spoke seriously.

Using a control device on this scale was unstable.

At most, they had an hour. Everything had to be finished by then.

“Who’s up for rabbit hunting?”

One of the subordinates cheerfully raised his hand.

“Me! I’m going crazy here. Need to stretch my legs.”

“You can’t hunt rabbits with swords. I need three archers. Come on.”

The ten-member team was quickly formed.

They headed into the forest.

Their expressions were all relaxed.

Now, there were 30 black-robed figures left on the field.

They outnumbered the cadets by only eight.

‘This much is manageable.’

The leader nodded.

Moreover, the cadets all looked terrified.

Well, they had already injured two severely in their initial attack. It was only natural.

“But why hasn’t the Crown Prince shown up?”

Even so, the leader, who had lost ten subordinates, was in a foul mood.

“Damn it, does he want to watch these kids die one by one?”

The cadets’ eyes wavered with fear.

“You’re not the kind to be moved by words, huh? Fine. Hey, Crown Prince, I know you’re listening. If you don’t show up in ten minutes, I’ll kill one of them every time the clock ticks past.”

The leader shouted into the air.

It was aimed precisely at the spot he had noticed earlier.

At that moment.

Gareth’s eyes gleamed.

The surveillance over the area was undoubtedly magical.

But why were the ones using the control device so sure that the Crown Prince was listening?

‘…I see.’

Gareth barely held back a smirk.

He had just thought of a way to turn the situation around.

**

“S-save me.”

Beatrice aimed her sword at the last remaining enemy’s neck.

He pleaded for his life.

‘Thanks to Airy, I survived.’

The enemies had sent a group of ten at once.

No matter how skilled she had been as the Sword Emperor in her previous life, her current physical abilities were those of an ordinary girl.

Facing ten knights was not a number she could defeat with strategy alone.

Fortunately, half of them had died or been injured by Airy’s traps.

She had barely managed to handle the remaining five.

[You’re at your limit, Beatrice! If you continue to use your wrist any further, it’ll be irreversible!]

Solid voiced a dire warning.

She had killed five of them.

But there was a limit to what she could do with one arm.

As long as the control device was active, numbers were absolute.

She had only been able to fight by taking advantage of favorable terrain. She couldn’t face five professional knights head-on.

Especially not without sustaining injuries.

A sharp pain.

Beatrice instinctively felt it.

The pain in her right wrist was growing worse.

[Make the contract.]

‘…….’

[Make the contract, Beatrice! It’s the only way to overcome this situation!]

Solid desperately shouted.

A contract.

It was the only solution.

Beatrice slowly blinked her eyes.

Her vision dimmed.

Her body felt as if it were drenched in water, heavy and limp, and she longed to just collapse to the ground and rest.

Desperately.

‘If I make the contract, will everything be resolved?’

[As Solid, the God of War, I dare say it. There is no spirit in this era stronger than me. The moment you make the contract, you will gain the ultimate power. The control device? Such sorcery won’t be able to stop me.]

‘You sound just like a devil whispering temptations.’

[You’re in a situation where you must even make a deal with the devil! Why, why are you hesitating? I, an existence beyond transcendence, am offering to become your contracted spirit. Why refuse?]

Solid was visibly agitated.

[At first, I thought it was mere childishness. I thought it was stubbornness. I thought it was because you didn’t need it. But now I know. You’re indulging in absurd delusions. I seek only to help young Beatrice, not to harm her. Why don’t you see that?!]

‘Solid.’

Beatrice, who had always treated the topic of contracts with mockery or indifference, responded with an unusually serious expression.

‘I’ll make the contract before I die, so don’t pester me. I’m not dying yet.’

[…]

“Airy.”

“Y-yes, Beatrice.”

“There should be a dagger on that corpse. Go retrieve it.”

Beatrice spoke without ever taking her eyes off the enemy before her.

“I-I’ll do anything, miss. Do you want information? I know quite a lot. I’ll tell you everything, so please don’t kill me.”

She gave a faint smile.

Was there a hint of war in her demeanor?

At least it seemed her gamble had succeeded.

Fortunately, she could proceed with her final plan.

She brought her sword a little closer.

Drip.

A clear trace of blood trickled down.

Her expression remained unreadable.

The way she treated human life as if it were less than a fly’s unnerved the enemy even further.

“You said you’d do anything?”

“J-just give me orders, miss. If you spare me, I’ll bark like a dog if you want.”

At that moment, Airy returned, holding a dagger from the corpse.

“Beatrice. I’ve brought it.”

“Give it to me.”

Airy handed over the dagger.

“But why…?”

Clang.

Beatrice abruptly let go of her sword.

In its place, she pressed the dagger against the enemy’s neck.

Then she slowly moved.

Standing behind the enemy, Beatrice lightly pricked his back with the dagger, just enough for him to feel its point.

“I swear on all my honor that if you follow my instructions exactly, I will spare your life.”

Of course, in this world, there was no such thing as honor for her to uphold.