Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 16

Beatrice moved cautiously.

-Creak.

The old wooden door made a sound, but it was late at night.

This much noise wouldn’t wake anyone up.

She muted her footsteps as she slowly stepped out of the hut.

“The air is clear.”

The dawn air in Krapos was refreshing.

Maybe it was because this was the countryside.

Or perhaps the air in the 21st century, where she used to live, had always been polluted.

-Step.

In the quiet of dawn, even small noises sounded loud.

The sound of her steps echoed particularly clearly.

Beatrice turned her head in that direction.

“Have you found them?”

It was Chris.

“…How are you not asleep?”

Chris seemed a bit surprised to see Beatrice outside. His widened pupils were evidence of that.

“I thought you might be late, so I came out to meet you.”

That explained why he was moving around secretly late at night.

Chris was still remembering the command Beatrice had given him earlier.

‘Find any suspicious individuals and report back.’

The mysterious people who had stayed the night before.

Beatrice believed there was a high probability that they were related to the group that had attacked Airy.

If they had left completely, Chris should have returned earlier in the night.

However, Chris had only just arrived. That could only mean one thing.

‘He found something suspicious.’

Beatrice approached him and asked.

“So, did you find them?”

Her prediction was accurate.

“Yes.”

“Where are they?”

“They’re not far from here, preparing for an ambush.”

“Their level?”

“They’re stronger than me.”

As he spoke, Chris showed his arm.

…There were traces of where an arrow had struck.

The roughly wrapped bandage barely concealed the wound.

The blood was still staining it heavily.

Beatrice felt a wave of dizziness.

“I was careful to follow them, but they noticed quickly. It took time to evade their pursuit. Luckily, the arrow didn’t penetrate deeply because of the distance.”

“…The horse?”

“I left it at the stable after seeing the tracks. I went alone to scout quietly. If I’d gone on horseback, I’d already be dead.”

Chris had a bitter expression.

He seemed to be doubting his own abilities.

‘How dare they harm my knight?’

Although Beatrice maintained a calm exterior, she was burning with fury inside.

She was cold and calculating, but she cherished her people.

Chris had gone to the riverside and returned after taking an arrow.

She couldn’t sleep peacefully without repaying them.

She took a step forward.

“Lead the way.”

Her voice was firm.

“You can’t.”

Chris instinctively grabbed Beatrice’s slender arm.

Beatrice turned back slowly.

Chris’s eyes were filled with concern.

He shook his head.

“There are many of them. I saw eight, and they’re all knights.”

Upon hearing that, Beatrice could only respond.

“You’re lucky to have made it back alive.”

Knights were valuable assets.

This world seemed to revolve entirely around strength.

Only the top 1% in terms of power could become knights.

“…Before becoming a knight, I was a hunter. My eyesight is better than most.”

In other words, if Chris hadn’t been a hunter.

If his sharp eyes hadn’t allowed him to maintain a safe distance.

‘He might have returned as a corpse.’

The thought chilled Beatrice’s spine, even as her anger flared.

“Perhaps… tomorrow, it would be better to rely on the Arvanceco people to deal with them. That path is unavoidable on the way to the capital.”

Chris’s suggestion was reasonable.

“You’re telling me to lose sleep over this? I can’t rest like this.”

Beatrice’s response was unreasonable.

No matter how strong she had been in her past life as the Sword Emperor.

At the moment, she was just a powerless young girl.

All she had was a small reserve of mana.

“I’m going to deal with them. Just lead me there.”

“…Young Lady.”

“Don’t disobey me further, Chris.”

Chris looked at Beatrice with a conflicted expression.

He knew she was strong to some extent.

Hadn’t she defeated his knight captain in an instant?

Moreover, she had formed a contract with a rather high-level Spirit.

However, …eight knights were a different story.

‘It’s dangerous. I absolutely can’t let her go.’

Knights were built for group combat.

Their abilities were maximized when fighting as a team rather than in one-on-one duels.

“I’m sorry, but your safety is my priority, Young Lady.”

“Tch.”

Beatrice clicked her tongue.

-Shing.

Without hesitation, she drew her sword.

“Watch.”

Actions always speak louder than a hundred words.

-Whoom.

When mana condenses, it creates a stronger strike.

This is called Aura.

A clear aura can only be seen by those who are at least at the level of an Expert.

“Ah…”

Chris opened his mouth in awe.

Beatrice’s sword was imbued with a vivid aura.

‘No, …it’s not just that it’s vivid.’

-Wriggle.

The aura… was moving.

“T-That’s impossible.”

“You’ve never seen this before, have you? Your expression is priceless.”

“How can an aura…”

At first, he thought he was mistaken, but he wasn’t.

The mana on Beatrice’s sword was flickering.

Chris had seen it.

That flickering mana was an afterimage caused by the aura spinning rapidly around the sword.

That’s right.

The aura was rotating.

Like a chainsaw.

“Well then.”

Beatrice spoke confidently, having ended her persuasion.

“Lead the way. Those insolent fools need to learn what happens when they play with their bows carelessly.”

Beatrice and Chris moved silently.

The countryside village.

The road was poorly maintained.

The grass was flattened, marking where someone had passed through.

“This is how you made it back alive.”

“Yes. It’s an excellent place to hide. For us, …and for the enemy.”

Tall reeds were densely packed.

In the untrampled areas, nothing could be seen.

‘If it weren’t for Chris, I would’ve been ambushed for sure.’

At her current level, it was impossible to pinpoint presences with such accuracy.

If ambushed in this dense field of reeds without noticing the hidden enemies.

…It would have been difficult to survive.

She might have ended up dying a pointless death.

“They’re over there.”

“Ah. I see them.”

“…What are you planning to do now?”

“What else?”

Beatrice spoke with a tone full of murderous intent.

“Kill them.”

[Refreshing as ever. Young Beatrice.]

[However, I think your abilities might be lacking for this.]

That was Solid’s advice.

‘I suppose so.’

[Do you understand?]

‘I can’t handle eight knights at my current level.’

[And yet, young Beatrice’s steps don’t match her thoughts.]

‘I’m confident.’

[But you just admitted you can’t handle eight.]

‘I was joking.’

[…Are you mocking me?]

Beatrice ignored Solid’s nagging and looked into the distance.

Though faint, the hidden enemies were visible.

“Can you see them?”

“Yes.”

“If we get any closer, they’ll notice.”

Either their sensory skills were sharp, or their level was high.

In either case, it was disadvantageous for Beatrice.

“You should hide somewhere.”

“I am your guardian knight, Young Lady.”

Chris spoke stubbornly.

Beatrice understood his feelings.

Being dismissed by a tiny girl—no matter how much of a knight he was, it would be infuriating.

But what could he do?

In Beatrice’s eyes, Chris was still lacking in many ways.

Even if her outward appearance might make others see her as a child, to Beatrice, the real child was him.

However, she couldn’t tell her guardian knight, who was trying to protect her, ‘You’re just a kid. Go drink some more milk.’

“…I noticed last time that you’re good with a bow.”

Beatrice softened her words.

“…I’ll cover you directly.”

“A weapon as fearsome as an arrow coming from afar doesn’t exist.”

Beatrice firmly refused.

“Giving up that advantage would be foolish. I understand your concerns, but… I can’t shoot arrows.”

Even in her past life.

The thing Beatrice feared most was long-range attacks.

It didn’t matter whether the attack was strong or weak.

The psychological pressure of attacks flying from unknown directions during an intense battle was immense.

“Understood?”

Chris realized he couldn’t argue any further.

They had already come this far.

He nodded slowly, though reluctantly.

“Then… how do you plan to fight?”

“I have my ways.”

Beatrice grinned confidently.

And then—.

-Rustle.

She walked noisily.

Her behavior was completely different from the careful movements she had shown earlier.

Chris flinched.

Being cautious wasn’t enough in this situation, yet her actions were far too careless.

However, he knew how dangerous unexpected actions could be during an operation.

‘I must stick to my rules for now.’

His rule was to provide long-range support for Beatrice.

Chris hurriedly took out the bow strapped to his back.

At the same time.

The unidentified knights became aware of Beatrice’s presence.

“Hey, someone’s approaching.”

The eight knights moved in perfect unison.

Even without being told, everyone could hear the sound with their own ears.

-Rustle, rustle…

“Geez, they’re coming right at us.”

-Creak.

One of them drew a bow and aimed in that direction.

The rustling reeds noisily indicated that someone was walking toward them.

All it would take was to pull the string, and the shot would land.

“Hold.”

The man who seemed to be the leader stopped the archer.

“Why, Captain?”

“There’s no need for unnecessary killing.”

“…Earlier, you told us to shoot. I can’t make sense of it.”

The archer obeyed the leader’s words, though reluctantly.

“Earlier, it was clearly a spy, you fool.”

A large, beastly man chastised him.

“Hey, Two. You wanna die?”

“Three, do you want me to explain why your name is Three?”

“Good grief. You’re hopelessly ignorant.”

“…Enough fighting. As Two said, someone approaching so openly is unlikely to be an enemy. They’re probably just a lost traveler.”

It was an assumption.

But they wouldn’t know for sure until they saw for themselves.

They calmly waited for the mysterious figure to approach from afar.

If the person wasn’t headed their way, they would simply let them pass.

If they were, they’d deal with it after confronting them.

-Rustle.

Finally, the person approached noisily enough to be seen.

“…A woman?”

“It’s a woman.”

“Yes, it’s a woman.”

“And she’s stunningly beautiful.”

“Captain, what do we do? Should we kill her?”

Even from a distance, it was clear that she was a young girl.

Moreover, she was extraordinarily beautiful.

“She must be a noble.”

The knights quickly relaxed.

After all, she was just a girl.

It would be ridiculous for eight knights, all at least at the Expert level, to feel threatened.

“Wait, she’s carrying a sword?”

Someone remarked, but no one paid much attention.

Could such a thin arm even swing a sword properly?

If anyone got hurt by such a clumsy swing, they might as well die of shame.

“Captain, Captain. What do you think? We’ve been holding back for a while.”

“…That’s insane talk during a mission.”

“Come on, this much should be fine, right? Those Arvanceco folks are said to only have one or two knights. Judging by the signs, they’ll arrive tomorrow.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Ours is a simple mission where we just deal the final blow. …What’s the harm in having a little fun for an hour?”

Excited, they shouted gleefully.

The captain thought to himself.

‘…It should be fine.’

Normally, he would never allow it.

But even the captain, known for his cold and rational personality, was momentarily shaken by the girl’s beauty.

She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Even the original mission to assassinate Airy Arvanceco.

Frankly, it was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

The assassination plan had always been divided into two phases.

Phase one had failed, but it didn’t matter.

After all.

The real plan was phase two.

“She’s here.”

“For now… let’s hear why she’s here.”

The captain stepped forward.

Before acting, he intended to confirm her identity.

The girl emerged from the field of reeds.

“Wow…”

A sigh escaped one of the knights.

She was even more stunning up close.

Despite noticing the knights, she walked toward them with a blank expression.

“Hey.”

She didn’t respond and kept walking.

‘Something’s off.’

The captain felt uneasy.

Late at night.

Her reaction to encountering strangers was far too calm.

Frowning, the captain shouted again.

This time, more forcefully.

“Can’t you hear me?”

-Step.

But the girl ignored him completely and continued to approach.

“Is she deaf? When someone asks a question, you’re supposed to answer.”

Annoyed, the captain reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.

At that moment, the girl, who had remained silent until then, slowly opened her mouth.

“…Why?”

“What?”

“You’re going to die anyway.”

-Slash.

It happened in an instant.

“Cap…tain?”

The man referred to as the captain lost his head in that fleeting moment.