Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 25: Winners and Losers (2)

Beatrice reached into her pocket and fumbled for something.

It was the handkerchief that Lilith had given her.

She never imagined a day would come when she would have to throw this.

After all, she was not the type to take action first unless necessary.

Thud.

She threw the handkerchief as if giving alms to a beggar.

“You ignorant fool. Take this. It’s a duel.”

‘How dare he look down on me?’

Beatrice was ready.

She was prepared to pummel him thoroughly.

Clone looked slightly flustered and waved his hand.

“I am a true man! I cannot touch a lady! Please, retract that handkerchief.”

“…I think you need a beating to come to your senses.”

“How could I spar with a girl so tiny? Even a light flick would probably make you cry….”

What was even more infuriating, was that Clone’s expression wasn’t one of mockery or provocation.

‘This guy is serious.’

He was a rare “genuine” person.

Clone genuinely thought that way.

“Heh. Fair point, it’s not wrong,” Argos said quietly with a chuckle from the side.

“Beatrice does look quite frail at first glance.”

It’s always more annoying when someone nags from the sidelines.

Beatrice glared at Argos menacingly.

The problem wasn’t just Argos—others were also stifling their laughter.

‘My dignity is being completely shredded.’

This was unacceptable.

Even though Beatrice wasn’t a noble, she always valued her pride.

“You. What’s your name?”

“I am Clone, a true man among men! A person who possesses what you cannot!”

“That’s amusing.”

“Haha! As long as you’re entertained, that’s good enough. Now return to your seat. Your fragile body cannot handle mine!”

Proudly speaking, Clone flexed his muscles.

Even in his uniform, the area around his chest rippled. Indeed, his physique was astonishing.

Beatrice nodded and asked,

“Left or right. Choose.”

“…What?”

“Choose.”

“Hmm. That’s a tough question.”

For some reason, Clone appeared deeply troubled by the question.

Most people looked on in bewilderment, but Beatrice remained calm.

“Alright, I’ve chosen. The right side. A man always picks the right!”

“I see.”

Beatrice nodded.

Then she turned to Reiser and asked,

“Reiser.”

“Yes.”

“You told me before, didn’t you? As long as I don’t kill.”

Reiser nodded slowly.

“That’s correct.”

“What about causing disability or crippling someone?”

“If it’s an unavoidable accident, it can be tolerated, but intentional harm is not allowed. It must not impair combat ability.”

“I see.”

At that moment, Clone shouted thoughtlessly,

“Come on! Whoever wants to fight this great Clone, step forward immediately! Anyone is welcome!”

Swish!

“…Beatrice?”

Argos looked at Beatrice in shock.

She was now holding a tablecloth.

She had pulled the tablecloth from beneath the dishes without spilling even a drop—an almost magical feat.

“What is she doing?”

Rip.

Then, Beatrice tore the tablecloth into an appropriate size.

“I don’t want my hands getting dirty.”

She wrapped the tablecloth around her fists like bandages.

Argos, sensing something unusual, turned his head to speak to her.

‘…Where did she go?’

But Beatrice, who had been beside him just moments ago, had disappeared.

“No one is stepping forward? Who dares challenge the great Clone… urgh.”

It all happened in an instant.

Beatrice disappeared.

She reappeared before Clone.

She bent down and struck him in a rather sensitive area.

And… Clone collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.

All of it happened in the blink of an eye.

“…Looks like it’s broken. Reiser, is this a problem?”

Clone was dreaming.

“Oh my, look at the size of that baby boy! It’s so big, even though he’s just been born!”

It was the moment of his birth.

“A baby doing push-ups? You’re a genius, Clone!”

From the very beginning, he was exceptional in size and talent.

Time passed.

When he grew up and became an adult, there was a ceremony to contract a Spirit.

“Clone, don’t worry. Your talent is so remarkable even the heavens acknowledge it. You’ll surely form a contract with a great Spirit.”

However…

He failed to contract with any Spirit.

Clone was a descendant of a Count’s family.

At minimum, he should have contracted with a mid-rank Spirit.

Still, given his extraordinary talent, even a low-rank Spirit would have sufficed.

But.

He failed to summon any Spirit.

“Tch, you parasite. Stop eating so much.”

“Dear, let’s hurry and have a second child.”

He was cast aside.

Once a promising prospect, he was thrown into despair in an instant.

‘…….’

However, Clone didn’t give up.

Instead, he trained with fierce determination.

‘Spirits? I don’t need such things to be strong.’

He repeated these words countless times.

Even when his skin peeled and oozed with infection, he trained day after day.

Until.

“Clone, you’ll go to the battlefield. It’s an order from the king. Our family believes you’re the most suitable.”

When his father said this, he was secretly pleased.

‘I’ll show them my strength! Prove that I can become strong even without a Spirit!’

He saw it as an opportunity to prove himself.

With an earnest desire to earn glory and return to his family with honor, he came to this place.

In his dream, time flowed quickly.

As his past lingered and his present unfolded, his dreams began to show a future he had never experienced.

On the battlefield, he achieved victory and returned.

With great accomplishments, he was revered as a hero.

Clone smiled contentedly as he returned to his family.

But his father’s expression was grim.

“I’m sorry, Clone… Though you’ve achieved great feats, you’re disqualified as an heir.”

“Do you not hear the cheers? I am more than qualified!”

“No, even as a hero, you lack the qualities to be the head of our family.”

“W-why?”

“You’re impotent, aren’t you?”

“Ugh-!”

Clone quickly sat up at the horrifying sound.

“W-where am I?”

He blinked his eyes as he sat upright.

Looking around, he realized it was a hospital room.

“You’re awake!”

Someone spoke in a bright voice.

It was a priestess—a young one, who had formed a contract with a rather outstanding spirit and worked exclusively with Torze Academy.

“W-why am I here?”

Dressed in a white nurse’s uniform, her identity was instantly recognizable.

“Was I injured? Me?”

“Yes! It was a very close call.”

“…A close call? Why?”

“Don’t you… remember?”

Clone strained his sluggish mind.

‘What happened to me?’

His memories were foggy, like a dense mist, but as he tried to piece things together, they gradually became clearer.

Before long, he remembered.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.

‘At that time, I definitely challenged someone to a duel…’

He had loudly declared to the victors, challenging anyone to fight him.

And then…

Suddenly, he felt excruciating pain and collapsed.

‘I remember now! At that moment…’

He recalled the face of the person he saw just before losing consciousness.

A girl with platinum blonde hair, a petite figure, and an aura cold enough to belie her small frame—Beatrice.

“Gasp, ugh!”

“Don’t! Don’t think about it! Although your body has been completely healed, ‘that part’ was struck, and there may be mental trauma.”

Only then did Clone understand the situation and instinctively grabbed his lower region.

‘W-was it…?’

Tears welled up in his eyes.

Clone grabbed the priestess by the shoulders with desperate eyes.

“Priestess, Priestess…! Is, is my right one okay?”

“Sniff, y-yes… it’s fine. Luckily, it didn’t burst, so the shape remained intact. If the shape remains, it can be restored.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. I may not look it, but I am a high-ranking priestess.”

Clone let out a deep sigh of relief.

Being rendered impotent was a harsh reality for a manly figure like Clone. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be the case.

‘But… how did such a small girl manage to overpower me?’

With the immediate crisis resolved, reality began to dawn on him.

In any case, this meant he lost the fight.

That, he couldn’t accept.

Even though it was a surprise attack, he hadn’t even seen Beatrice’s strike.

“Damn it, I don’t get it. But if I fight her again, I’ll figure it out!”

Clone cleanly acknowledged his defeat.

He also admitted that he had underestimated Beatrice too much.

She was strong.

But he wasn’t giving up.

Now that he was fully healed, he was ready to challenge her again.

“You can’t!”

But the priestess vehemently opposed him.

“This time, you were lucky. Although it didn’t burst, your right, uhm, orb was dangling precariously. More importantly, Cadet Beatrice told me something.”

“Cough, what did she say?”

The priestess cleared her throat. Then, imitating Beatrice’s cold tone, she said,

“If he wakes up, tell him this: Next time, I’ll make sure it bursts.”

“Ugh.”

Clone’s face turned pale as he unconsciously covered the area with his hands.

**

-Glance.

The victors’ room.

A space that was originally used as a meeting room in the mansion was now occupied by everyone.

They were all nervously glancing at Beatrice.

Everyone had witnessed the brutal and merciless scene she had created. No man could ignore it.

“Beatrice…”

Argos spoke cautiously.

“You went too far. Even if he provoked you, to hit him there…”

“I only made sure he wouldn’t try again. Besides, it didn’t actually burst, did it?”

In truth, Beatrice had initially intended to rupture it.

…But that felt a bit excessive, so she adjusted her strength at the last moment.

‘Maybe it’s because I became a woman, but I got a little too excited.’

Beatrice recalled what had happened earlier.

Clone’s remarks hadn’t been particularly malicious. She had simply lost her temper and failed to control herself.

Because of that, she might have overexerted herself a bit… draining every last bit of her meager mana.

‘I didn’t expect to run out of mana with just that level of movement.’

Of course, it was an unexpected situation.

As a result, Beatrice’s dantian was completely drained of mana.

If she were to be ambushed now, it would be a serious problem.

In any case, even Beatrice thought her actions earlier were cruel.

She spoke to defend herself, as if making an excuse.

“Besides, bursting the right one doesn’t make someone impotent.”

“H-how do you know that?”

“They wouldn’t come in pairs for no reason.”

“…Maybe they’re paired because both are necessary?”

“…Is that so?”

Beatrice’s voice gradually lost confidence.

Argos looked at Beatrice with a shocked expression.

If that were true, then didn’t it mean she had tried to end a man’s bloodline without certainty?

‘She truly is a cruel young lady.’

Even a demon would be appalled, muttering, “This is too much…”

“But you called us here for training, yet nothing is being done.”

Someone, snapping out of the shock Beatrice had caused, spoke bluntly.

Argos nodded.

“I don’t understand the purpose of bringing us here.”

Reiser had guided the victorious nobles to this place.

He briefly explained the accommodations and then disappeared, saying he would return tomorrow.

“The actual training will probably start tomorrow. Today’s just the first day.”

As they exchanged plausible theories,

Argos pondered.

‘Why did he guide us here? There must be a reason.’

The war wasn’t far off.

This was no time to waste even a single moment.

Moreover, the hour was still too early for sleep.

…There must be a reason.

“That guy must have his reasons. He probably wants us to rest for now.”

Eventually, the nobles came to that conclusion.

“To be honest, we didn’t do much today, but a lot still happened. Everyone’s minds are a mess, right?”

No one among the nobles denied this statement.

Beatrice glanced at the nobles with an odd look in her eyes.

…The nobles immediately averted their gazes when they met hers.

‘…Well, at least no one’s daring enough to provoke me.’

Beatrice tried to think positively.

“Let’s head to our rooms and rest for now. I’m tired.”

“Alright, we can regroup tomorrow to figure things out.”

“Agreed. Staying here is just a waste of time. Let’s get some sleep.”

Ultimately, they all agreed.

As everyone got up to head to their rooms—

Argos suddenly seemed to realize something.

“Wait a moment.”

“Do you have something to say, Argos?”

“We can’t just leave like this.”

“What do you mean? You didn’t say anything earlier.”

“…I’ve been thinking, and I believe there’s something we’ve missed.”

Beatrice observed Argos with an intrigued look.

‘Looks like he noticed.’

From Beatrice’s perspective, Reiser didn’t do unnecessary things.

He was practical.

So, at a time this close to war, he wouldn’t waste time without reason.

He probably wanted them to realize it on their own.

Like Argos just did.

“There might be an ambush tonight.”

“…An ambush?”

“Yes. While we’re asleep.”

Everyone looked shocked but soon shook their heads.

“Argos, no matter how much they lost or were mistreated, nobles wouldn’t stoop to ambushing us on the first day. They’re nobles, like us. They wouldn’t resort to such dirty tricks.”

It was a typical rebuttal: Nobles have honor, and they wouldn’t do such a thing.

And most of the group agreed with that sentiment.

“Have you considered why Reiser, who has been by our side all along, is nowhere to be seen now?”

“…He must be busy. Maybe reporting to the Crown Prince.”

“No, I think the training has already begun.”

“What do you mean?”

“That Reiser guy is probably stirring up the losers as we speak.”

“…What?”

‘No, that’s unlikely.’

Because—

There was no need to go that far.

An ambush would happen regardless.

That was what Beatrice believed.

Human patience wasn’t infinite, especially among nobles inexperienced in such matters.

Still, regardless of the process, the conclusion remained the same.

“We need to prepare countermeasures. Reiser must have brought us here to make us realize that.”

Argos presented a reasonable conclusion.