Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 5

“Ah, my lady, what are you planning to do….”

Lilith stamped her feet nervously as she dressed Beatrice.

To entrust one’s body to another.

It was a given in this era, but not for Beatrice.

To be honest, it still felt awkward even now.

However, she adapted.

Like the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” she didn’t want to cause unnecessary commotion.

“If you had such clothes, you should have told me sooner.”

“But… you’re so beautiful, my lady. How could I let you wear such rags?”

“Enough. It’s fine now that I know. From next time, clothes similar to this—”

“Absolutely not! This is the last time.”

“……”

Beatrice didn’t argue further, as her ears hurt, but she was quite displeased.

The daughters of noble families typically wore dresses even in daily life.

Beatrice was no exception.

Once, out of sheer frustration, she had gone to the dressing room herself.

All the clothes had open hems.

No pants could be found, no matter how much she searched.

Even when she asked Lilith, the answer was always the same: there were none.

But there were some, perfectly fine ones.

They were called riding clothes, but they were essentially the same.

‘At least I avoided looking ridiculous.’

She had considered sparring in her current dress.

After all, she was confident she could win without moving more than a few steps.

“My lady, even now, you should reconsider….”

“Are you done?”

“Ugh. Really, you still won’t listen to me, will you? You never did, but lately, it’s gotten worse.”

‘I think I understand why.’

She fully sympathized with the original owner of this body.

Lilith talked too much.

Excessively so.

As a result, Beatrice now treated her words as mere background noise.

Beatrice exited the dressing room.

Heinrich was staring at her with a worried look.

“My lady. What are you trying to do?”

“What else? I’ll put that arrogant brat in his place.”

With that, Beatrice snatched the wooden sword Heinrich was holding.

‘This should suffice.’

Although it had some weight, it was much lighter than a real sword.

This weight was manageable for her current body.

The conditions for victory were more than met.

“Let’s go.”

“…My lady. In my opinion, this is…”

“Surely, you’re not suggesting I back out.”

Beatrice shot Heinrich a sharp glare, resting the wooden sword on her shoulder.

“Heinrich, you know how foolish it is to go to war with disloyal subordinates, don’t you?”

“Th-that is true.”

“That’s why I’m going to show them. If I reveal my cards, they’ll have no choice but to trust me.”

Heinrich looked at her with a confused expression.

Beatrice was well aware of her circumstances.

The fact that she had been the Sword Emperor in her previous life was a truth known only to her.

There was no way they could know that.

Thus, this kind of treatment was only natural.

However, she disliked dragging things out.

If she was going to do it, she preferred to handle it all at once.

And she would do it in a way that left no room for doubt.

She didn’t care for the petty act of hiding her skills.

That was something only insecure fools would do.

As a person who lived as a man, she found such behavior disgraceful.

So, she would simply show them.

“You should watch carefully, too.”

“……”

“You’ll see why I’ve been so full of confidence until now.”

Heinrich didn’t respond to Beatrice’s words.

He knew Beatrice wasn’t a fool.

‘Could it be… has she made a pact with a Spirit…?!’

Her behavior suggested it.

It was as if she had some kind of unwavering assurance.

Something akin to having made a contract with a Spirit.

Women were naturally at a disadvantage compared to men when it came to wielding a sword.

Physically, it was true.

However, the involvement of a Spirit changed the narrative.

Among the transcendent beings often referred to as “Masters,”

There were female Masters as well.

Heinrich felt a shiver run down his spine.

‘If she had indeed made a pact with a Spirit from the start… and has been hiding it until now….’

Beatrice was smiling.

Her demeanor was not that of a noble young lady about to face an outstanding knight in a duel.

Rather, it was the look of someone eager and excited for what was to come.

‘If that’s true, many things will change in the future.’

That was what Heinrich thought.

And he hoped it would be true.

Though Beatrice didn’t know it, they were already in the same boat.

**

A knight’s duel was an entertaining spectacle in this era.

As the saying goes, there’s nothing more thrilling than watching a fight.

The battles of knights, treated as pros among pros, were universally regarded as the best form of entertainment.

Thus, whenever word of a duel spread, it tended to be held grandly.

However, the duel between Beatrice and Arhan was conducted in a simpler manner.

The audience consisted only of the knights, Heinrich, and Lilith.

A duel between the Viscount’s daughter and a knight.

It wasn’t a match that could be seen in a positive light.

Moreover, duels were entertaining when both parties exchanged blows.

This one-sided duel held no appeal.

Arhan sighed.

He despised this situation.

A duel with a civilian woman.

If he had to choose the most humiliating moment of his life, it would be this one.

But he had no choice but to comply.

He had sworn allegiance to the Cenci Family.

No matter how nonsensical the order, he had to obey.

What’s more, knights were bound to accept duels even from elderly men barely clinging to life.

That was the noble principle of chivalry.

“If it’s my attitude that displeased you, I apologize. So, let’s end this.”

The duel was conducted with wooden swords.

While real swords were traditionally used, knights belonging to a family could never point a real sword at any family member.

This was precisely why Beatrice was so confident.

‘…As long as I can swing the sword properly, there’s no way I can lose.’

This wasn’t a life-or-death duel, nor was it between equals in status.

In other words, the knight wouldn’t use aura or the power of a Spirit from the very first strike.

If that were the case, the only difference between the knight and herself was strength. That’s all.

Even in her previous life, Beatrice had faced disadvantageous battles against those blessed by the heavens.

Something as trivial as strength didn’t bother her much.

“A dog trying to bite its owner naturally needs to be disciplined.”

Beatrice swung the wooden sword back and forth. Her movements were quite nimble.

“My lady, a duel is a sacred act for knights. …Even though you are the daughter of the family I serve, I will not go easy on you.”

“Do knights always wag their tongues so much? Or are you more accustomed to dueling with words than with swords? Either way, you’re pathetic.”

“…Understood.”

– Clank.

Arhan pointed his sword directly at Beatrice.

But Beatrice didn’t assume any stance.

She simply let her sword droop lazily.

An impossible act.

From such a posture, she was full of openings. She wouldn’t be able to respond properly.

However, Arhan didn’t find it suspicious.

She was a noble lady who had never been taught how to wield a sword.

Of course, she wouldn’t even know the basics.

That’s what he thought.

And Beatrice could feel his assumption.

“The duel begins when the sword falls.”

This was an obvious rule in this world.

For any duel, a mediator would oversee the match.

This mediator had to possess exceptional skill to prevent unforeseen accidents.

The mediator would draw a sword and throw it into the air.

When the sword hit the ground, the duel would officially begin.

The mediator for this duel was Sizz, ranked third in the Nox Knights and considered a candidate for the vice-captain position.

– Shing.

He drew his sword.

Without hesitation, he flung it into the air.

– Whoosh, whoosh!

The large longsword spun fiercely in the air, rising at least three meters. His sheer strength was evident.

– Clang!

The sword circled the air for a while before hitting the ground.

At that moment, Arhan moved.

He didn’t even accelerate.

He believed going all out in this duel would look utterly disgraceful.

To maintain a knight’s honor, it needed to appear effortless yet end swiftly.

Beatrice stood motionless, without a hint of movement.

– Step.

The training grounds were silent.

The only sound was Arhan’s footsteps.

He approached blatantly, without any attempt at subtlety.

As he got closer, he raised his sword.

His plan was to knock Beatrice’s sword away and incapacitate her.

Then.

Beatrice’s sword moved.

Exactly as Arhan expected.

If he knocked her sword aside, it would be over.

Considering her earlier arrogance, he planned to strike with a bit more force.

‘My lady, you must bear the consequences of insulting a knight.’

Even though she was the daughter of the family to whom he had pledged allegiance, there were limits.

While nobles could command knights to “die” or “commit suicide,”

They could not mock them.

That was a fundamental rule, a matter of courtesy and belief.

– Clack.

The swords collided.

Arhan didn’t hesitate to apply force.

He had the strength to end this duel without causing any injuries.

But he didn’t hold back.

The force in his wooden sword was far beyond what the daughter of a Viscount’s family, who had lived a sheltered life, could endure.

Her hands might even tear open.

She might cry and complain to her father.

But he wasn’t worried.

This duel had a valid justification.

He might face some scolding, but it wouldn’t escalate beyond that.

The only thing left now was for Beatrice’s sword to fall pathetically to the ground.

“You’re even worse than I expected.”

However.

What Arhan imagined did not happen.

– Thud.

“…!”

Arhan was in disbelief.

‘What just happened?’

He couldn’t understand what had occurred.

He was certain their swords had collided.

He had felt the impact.

But before he knew it, Beatrice’s sword was aimed at his neck.

In this world, there were four levels of knights:

Low-rank, Mid-rank, High-rank, and Master.

Arhan was a high-rank knight.

Although he was just starting out, high-rank knights were respected wherever they went.

Yet, he couldn’t grasp even a single one of Beatrice’s movements.

Even now, as her sword rested against his neck, he had no idea how it had gotten there.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

His legs trembled, and he felt a chill from Beatrice’s piercing gaze.

That’s right.

He was terrified.

If this had been a real battle.

He wouldn’t have even known how he died.

“What are you doing?”

“H-how…?”

“That’s not the question you should be asking, Sir Knight.”

Beatrice demanded.

Arhan understood what she meant.

“I-I concede.”

With Arhan’s declaration of surrender, the duel ended in Beatrice’s victory.

Those who witnessed it.

All of them were speechless, leaving the arena in silence.