Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 7

Beatrice held a massive sword, about the size of her body, and examined it carefully.

Heinrich watched her with a contemplative expression.

‘My choice wasn’t wrong.’

Heinrich was utterly captivated by Beatrice.

When she first ordered him to create this sword, he already felt it.

At that moment, there was a certain ‘charisma’ in Beatrice’s demeanor.

That was why Heinrich had carried out her seemingly unreasonable order as if he were entranced.

Heinrich, disillusioned by family head, had no regrets about the decision he made that day to join her on the battlefield.

Regret was impossible when Beatrice’s abilities were so exceptional.

‘To think she could make such a judgment… It’s not just physical prowess. The young lady is also remarkable in strategy.’

Beatrice didn’t completely conceal her abilities; instead, she chose to reveal them to a select few.

These included Heinrich, who could be considered her closest aide, and her personal maid, Lilith.

…And perhaps soon, the knights who might become her confidants.

If one were to choose the most elite individuals within the Cenci family, it would undoubtedly be the Nox Knights.

As befitting a scholarly family, they made rare but significant investments in military strength.

Heinrich thought this was a swift and accurate decision.

With the battlefield approaching, it was the best possible move.

At that moment, Beatrice, who had been fiddling with the sword, spoke.

“Who made this sword?”

Heinrich quickly snapped out of his thoughts and answered.

“I commissioned the best blacksmith in the territory.”

“Did you tell them it was for me?”

Heinrich shook his head and replied with a tense voice.

“No, I mentioned it was for the family head.”

“Why?”

“…Because the young lady desired the best sword. Forgive my presumption, but I thought they wouldn’t craft a proper sword if they knew it was for you.”

‘I must gain her trust.’

This thought suddenly crossed his mind.

He had already resolved to stand on Beatrice’s side.

Beatrice, however, didn’t know this.

Therefore, trust was essential here.

He needed to prove that he wasn’t aligned with the family head, but solely with Beatrice.

‘This might be a test.’

Heinrich felt a sense of pride in his past self for having shown goodwill toward Beatrice.

In fact, he believed he had earned a certain degree of trust. From the beginning, he had recognized Beatrice’s abilities and maintained a friendly attitude.

But the key issue here was ‘competence.’

It was a question of whether he truly deserved to stand by Beatrice’s side.

“Is that so…?”

“Does it displease you?”

Beatrice’s expression wasn’t as positive as it had been earlier.

‘That can’t be.’

Heinrich grew anxious.

There wasn’t a single lie in what he had said. He had indeed told the blacksmith it was for the family head, and the Cenci family’s blacksmith was renowned for his skill.

“No, it’s fine.”

The sword was crafted according to Beatrice’s design.

When the blacksmith first received the blueprint, he remarked,

—Is this meant for an ogre to wield?

It was highly inefficient for a human to use.

Among the fundamental elements of a sword, the most critical was its center of balance.

Depending on where this balance lay, a sword could either be excellent or subpar.

Recalling this fact, Heinrich added,

“I am sure the young lady has a plan in mind, but the blacksmith did say the sword is inefficient.”

“Well, he’s not entirely wrong.”

Beatrice murmured as she carefully examined the sword.

She touched the blade and swung it once.

The sword seemed oversized for Beatrice to wield.

“Still, it’s clear he put in a considerable amount of effort. Heinrich, you carried out the order well.”

“…It was only my duty.”

Heinrich bowed respectfully.

Beatrice acknowledged his effort.

That alone was enough for him.

“You may leave now.”

“Are you planning to train?”

“Yes. For a while… No, it might take a long time. During that time, you must keep others out. Especially…”

“You mean Lilith.”

Heinrich smiled faintly.

“Yes, Lilith. Don’t let her in, no matter what.”

“I will handle it personally. You need not worry about a thing, my lady.”

“Reliable as always. Good.”

Beatrice’s contract was a secret above all else.

It was only natural for her to train alone.

‘There must not be any mistakes.’

Heinrich resolved firmly.

Even the slightest error here would mean his downfall.

He needed to carry out this task with such determination.

It was a simple yet crucial responsibility that absolutely had to be fulfilled.

With a resolute expression, Heinrich bowed deeply before leaving.

* * *

“This is frustrating. What can I even say?”

After Heinrich departed, Beatrice furrowed her brows deeply.

The sword she had so eagerly anticipated didn’t meet her expectations.

‘Is this the best they can do with the technology here?’

She had gone so far as to personally draw the blueprint.

The appearance was somewhat similar. However, the problem lay in its durability.

Having lived her entire life focused solely on swords, she could tell at a glance.

—Clang.

Beatrice lightly tapped the sword against a nearby wall.

A dull sound echoed.

The noise confirmed her suspicions.

“This will break soon.”

She wasn’t sure what material it was made of, but the metal ratio seemed poor.

Her instincts told her it would shatter after a few strong impacts.

And that wasn’t the only issue.

Beatrice dropped the sword directly onto the ground.

—Bang!

It was far too heavy.

Beatrice frowned and looked at her slender arms.

They were trembling.

The weight was beyond what her current strength could handle.

Beatrice’s swordsmanship had a distinctive characteristic.

Its core framework was focused on ‘counterattacks.’

Because of this, she wielded a massive, cross-shaped sword.

The handle was designed to block the opponent’s blade while simultaneously delivering an impact.

For such techniques, the sword’s weight and durability were crucial.

It couldn’t be too heavy.

Nor could it be too light.

The problem with this sword was that it failed on both counts.

It was excessively heavy.

And even its durability was questionable.

One thing was certain: she couldn’t use it as it was.

‘I’d almost prefer if that blacksmith were just incompetent.’

If that were the case, she could simply commission another sword.

The worst-case scenario was that the world’s technological level was too low.

Beatrice wasn’t a blacksmith herself.

In other words, she might never wield the sword she truly desired.

For someone who had devoted her life to swords, this thought was a bolt from the blue.

Beatrice sighed.

“I should at least confirm it.”

She needed to test whether she could sense mana with it.

With trembling hands, she picked the sword up again.

The overwhelming weight made itself known.

Beatrice closed her eyes and mentally erased the sensation of the sword’s weight.

She reopened her eyes.

Gripping the sword firmly with both hands, she raised it before her.

Her hands were positioned roughly at chest level, and the cross-shaped blade aligned directly with her gaze.

This was her signature stance in swordsmanship.

A stance she had assumed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times.

She had always been able to sense mana from this position.

From the beginning to the end.

“……”

…But she felt nothing.

Beatrice slightly twisted her wrist and swung the sword horizontally through the air.

—Whoosh!

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was crisp and clean.

It was a flawless strike, devoid of any trembling, especially for such a heavy sword.

But once again,

“I can’t feel it.”

She couldn’t sense even the faintest trace of mana.

Beatrice lowered the sword with a thud.

—Clang!

Placing her hand on her hip, she muttered bitterly.

“This is a disaster.”

* * *

Of course, Beatrice wasn’t entirely serious.

She quickly realized she had only one option.

“I have to create artificial mana. Using internal techniques.”

It wasn’t something she wanted to do.

Taking the long way around due to a minor obstacle was exasperating.

Beatrice was at a loss for words.

However,

‘If I go to the battlefield like this, I’ll be throwing my life away.’

—Plop.

She wasn’t reckless by nature.

In a girl’s body with no extraordinary abilities, she wouldn’t survive the battlefield.

Skill and proof—those were the only laws in the warzone.

Even if it meant taking the longer route, she couldn’t accept being dismissed out of hand.

Thus, Beatrice made her decision.

She resolved to create rings in her dantian.

Beatrice crossed her legs into a lotus position.

She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

Accumulating mana in her dantian was not a difficult task for her, who had once been the Sword Emperor.

Even before sensing ‘external mana,’ she had always relied on storing mana internally.

In a world as different as this one, there might be entirely new internal techniques. Or perhaps people here had discovered completely novel ways of harnessing power.

Even in this world, not everyone could become chosen by the Spirits.

Those people must have found a new path.

But none of this mattered to Beatrice.

She was confident.

Her knowledge of mana was unparalleled, and even if she fell slightly short, the results would remain unchanged.

She would always find it.

The peak.

The ultimate power.

—Crackle.

Five breaths.

It took only five breaths.

The air currents around her began to stir strangely.

Beatrice judged that the time had come.

The mana that had gathered heavily around her.

She couldn’t sense it, but she knew it existed.

This was the principle behind the internal technique she used.

By using this breathing technique, mana would pool around her.

And then—

She would swallow it all at once.

“Haaap.”

Beatrice inhaled deeply.

She gulped so much mana that her cheeks puffed out like a blowfish.

Her appearance was far from dignified, but she knew better.

This breathing technique was incredibly effective.

“Cough, cough.”

Beatrice coughed a few times.

She then rubbed her stomach.

Her brows furrowed as she concentrated, closing her eyes to heighten her senses.

And at that moment—

—Growl.

“…Ahem. I’m hungry.”

First, she needed to eat.

Beatrice got up and hurried toward the dining room with quick, tiny steps.