Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 23 Torze Military Academy (5)

The victorious nobles moved to the dining hall.

There, a grand feast was prepared.

However, the losers were nowhere to be found.

The amount of food was excessive, far more than sixteen people could consume, and the ingredients and dishes were undeniably luxurious.

“…Hey.”

Argos bit his lower lip and spoke.

“Do the people who lost the duels not even get to eat?”

“No, that’s not the case. It’s just that their meals are different. The losers will eat other foods, ones that are much less appetizing and in smaller portions.”

Reiser nodded slightly.

“Go ahead and eat. During a time preparing for war, it’ll be difficult to eat food this good anywhere else, at least outside the palace.”

‘Their intentions are obvious.’

Beatrice thought as she picked up her knife and began cutting the steak.

‘But who exactly planned all of this?’

She didn’t think these measures were inhumane or excessive.

After all, war was no joke.

On the contrary, Beatrice was curious about the person who devised this plan.

That person must undoubtedly be remarkable.

A competitive system.

Humanity in the 21st century was well aware of its importance, just like democracy and free-market economies.

It was more efficient for humanity to engage in individual ‘competition’ than for a government to control everything.

In that sense, the system of Torze Military Academy was rational.

It wasn’t a senseless provocation of chaos but rather a structure that used such provocations effectively, with a fundamental focus on improving the cadets’ abilities.

By restricting essentials like food and sleep, the system triggered their primal instincts effectively.

Even if they endured for a day or two, the losers would eventually explode.

Then, they would push themselves relentlessly to become winners instead of losers.

Losers were, by definition, weaker than winners. So they would search for ways to improve their skills.

…Or resort to strategies like ambushes or assassinations.

As a result, the winners couldn’t afford to relax either.

They’d toss and turn while sleeping, unable to rest comfortably, unsure when an attack from the losers might come.

And all of this was connected to war.

The more she thought about it, the more she admired the meticulous design.

“Damn it. This is so damn frustrating I can’t even eat. Do we really have to go this far?”

“…It’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s order.”

‘Delicious.’

No matter what they said, Beatrice devoured her food like a storm.

She had been a big eater in her previous life, and nothing had changed.

As a result, the steak portion assigned to each person was quickly gone. To begin with, it had been a small portion.

She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

“They’re nobles like us, but the treatment is too harsh. At least to some degree, right? Not even being able to eat at the same table—does that make sense?”

“Even so, the policy cannot be changed. The regulations of Torze Military Academy are absolute.”

At that moment, something caught Beatrice’s eye as she clicked her tongue.

It was Argos’s plate.

He seemed very dissatisfied with the situation and hadn’t even touched his food.

So Beatrice spoke.

“If you’re not going to eat that, give it to me.”

She picked up her fork and swiftly aimed to snatch the steak.

-Clink.

Argos blocked her fork with his own. He had blocked the Sword Emperor’s fork.

Beatrice furrowed her brow at him.

“…Didn’t you say you weren’t going to eat?”

“I-I never said that.”

“You were going on about how pitiful they are. Isn’t that right? Then don’t eat and just give it to me. I don’t feel bad about this at all.”

“…But I’m hungry.”

Then, to her surprise, he gulped down the steak in one bite.

‘What a ridiculous guy. He acted like he wasn’t going to eat it just a moment ago.’

Beatrice swallowed her irritation.

Seriously, couldn’t a man offer a lady some food? Yet he ate it.

Reluctantly, Beatrice turned to other dishes.

All of them were as delicious as the steak, and her dissatisfaction quickly subsided.

Perhaps her actions spurred them on.

The nobles, who had hesitated to eat, all began their meals.

Once the first bite was taken, it wasn’t hard to continue eating.

“But honestly, I was really surprised earlier. Beatrice, knocking him out in one blow like that.”

Argos spoke to Beatrice.

Of course, he adhered to proper noble etiquette, chewing and swallowing his food before speaking.

But Beatrice, who didn’t care about such things, mumbled while still chewing.

“I heard it earlier too. Stop it. It’s embarrassing.”

As a result, an unfortunate incident occurred where food from her mouth splattered onto Argos.

In terms of noble etiquette, it was an immense rudeness.

“…Ahem. You’re much less formal than I expected.”

Argos pulled out a few tissues and wiped his face as he spoke.

“Rumors really can’t be trusted. They said the daughter of the Cenci Family has the beauty of a goddess and her manners surpass even that.”

Nevertheless, he tactfully turned the moment into a light joke for Beatrice’s sake.

The ‘goddess’ he referred to was the only one in the Krapos religion.

The goddess ‘Lilith.’

Incidentally, parents often named their daughters after her, wishing for their beauty as they grew.

Lilith’s defining characteristic was elegance. Thus, in this world, the phrase ‘like a goddess’ implied not only beauty but also grace and refinement.

Of course, Beatrice ignored him and focused on eating her food.

She didn’t fully understand what he meant, but mostly, she just didn’t listen to others much.

Argos watched Beatrice with a faint smile.

She was entirely different from the fearsome swordswoman he had seen earlier.

He thought, ‘She seems so young. Being dragged into this for the sake of war must be overwhelming. I’ll have to look after her.’

“Reiser.”

“Yes, sir. What is it?”

“Can we order more? Beatrice seems to like steak.”

Beatrice’s eyes widened.

‘He’s a considerate guy who knows how to care for others.’

In an instant, her opinion of Argos shifted from ‘petty guy’ to ‘considerate guy.’

Reiser nodded expressionlessly.

“Of course. The winners can do anything.”

“Order two more. Or is there anyone else who wants more?”

“I do! This is delicious.”

Most of the nobles agreed.

Reiser smiled faintly and clapped twice.

It was the gesture nobles commonly used to summon maids.

The maids and servants stood behind the door, waiting to hear the sound of a noble’s clap to enter quickly and serve.

Indeed, as soon as the clapping sound ended, the door opened.

-Creak.

The massive door to the dining hall began to move slowly.

The nobles, who had been eating without much interest, turned their eyes at the sound of someone’s startled gasp.

“…Huh?”

“Y-you are…?”

“……”

And everyone, without exception, was taken aback.

What entered wasn’t a maid or a servant.

It was a noble.

He was dressed in the same uniform with an emblem embroidered on it.

His earlobes were flushed red as he stood in front of Reiser.

It was one of the losers.

The victorious nobles, who had been enjoying the banquet alone, were caught off guard, feeling like they had been caught secretly eating delicious food behind their friend’s back.

However, the surprise wasn’t over yet.

Reiser pointed at the plates with his finger and spoke.

“Take those two plates and inform the chef to prepare steaks.”

“W-what? What are you saying?”

Argos looked flustered.

A noble being ordered to run an errand?

It was an unthinkable notion.

“…You’re telling me to clear away the dishes they were was eating?”

“To be precise, I’m telling you to get them refilled.”

“Reiser! What do you think you’re doing?”

Yet Reiser acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What are you waiting for? Go on, take them.”

“A disgrace… Do you even know who I am?”

The noble’s entire body trembled with rage.

Beatrice rinsed her mouth with water and thought.

‘To think they’d go as far as this. Complaints will build up much faster than I expected.’

Truthfully, Beatrice thought they would have at least two days of reprieve.

Even though the command was to win by any means necessary, they were still nobles.

Nobles placed great importance on honor and were rigorously trained in etiquette from a young age.

Beatrice had assumed that such disciplined individuals would take time to resort to underhanded tactics like ambushes.

For now, she had expected fair and gentlemanly duels where handkerchiefs were thrown.

However, if treated like this, they might launch an attack as early as tonight.

“It is the rule of Torze Military Academy. Every directive is designated by royal decree. Are you defying it now?”

Reiser didn’t even bother with threats of expulsion.

He applied pressure far greater than that.

It was the pressure of royal authority.

Defying a royal command left no exceptions; all offenders were deemed traitors.

Even though no direct combat had occurred yet, this was a wartime situation.

It could even result in the death penalty.

The noble ordered to run the errand knew this and couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Instead, he bit his lip so hard it began to bleed.

“…When this is over, I will file a formal complaint. No matter how high His Highness stands, this is crossing the line.”

“I won’t stop you from doing so. However, until the war begins, you must follow the rules of Torze Military Academy.”

“Fine. We’ll see about that. I’ll make sure you’re held accountable too.”

-Slam.

He roughly grabbed the two plates and stormed off.

Beatrice crossed her arms and thought seriously.

‘I hope he comes back quickly.’

Yes, even in this situation, Beatrice’s main concern was getting to eat her steak as soon as possible.

**

The defeated noble left with the plates.

A heavy silence descended upon the dining hall.

The events that had just occurred were shocking enough to leave everyone stunned.

The silence was broken by one of the nobles sitting at the side. He appeared to be the oldest among them.

-Bang!

He slammed the table, causing the glass dishes to ring with a clear sound.

“Even if it is a command from His Highness, do you think it’s proper for a noble to be treated this way?”

Though it wasn’t something that had happened to him personally…

‘He must be afraid.’

It was evident to Beatrice that he was enraged because he feared it might happen to him.

This was clear because… the seating arrangement here was based on skill.

Nameplates were attached to each seat.

In that sense, the noble sitting at the far end wasn’t particularly skilled.

“…It seems you all have yet to grasp the situation.”

Reiser shook his head.

“I’ve found this irksome from the start. For a knight, you speak far too arrogantly.”

Knights were treated as semi-nobles.

However, strictly speaking, they were below nobles.

While some knights, depending on their rank, could surpass nobles, no knight could legally have a higher status than a noble.

The very purpose of a knight was to protect nobles.

“Complaining to me won’t change the situation. I am merely following His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders. And His Highness won’t alter his stance. Instead, you should start preparing yourselves.”

“…Preparing for what?”

“I’ve said it already. Use any means necessary.”

Reiser rose from his seat, looking around at the nobles as he spoke firmly.

“Prepare yourselves. If you want to continue enjoying the food and comfortable lifestyle you’re experiencing now.”

He smirked faintly.

“Because it won’t take long for them to swallow their pride and resort to ambushes.”