Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 9

“This is the place.”

After walking for quite some time, they finally reached their destination.

‘It’s too massive to be called a vault.’

The architectural style was hard to believe as something from this era.

This building, made primarily of marble, appeared quite impressive even to Beatrice, who had lived in the 21st century.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes. Lilith, you stay here and guard the entrance.”

“Yes, understood!”

Lilith answered crisply and stayed behind.

Heinrich stepped forward.

-Creak.

The door to the vault was enormous.

Throughout her past and present lives, Beatrice had never seen a door of such size.

Just looking at it was enough to elicit a gasp of amazement.

Heinrich used his whole body to push the door, which groaned loudly as it moved, slowly revealing the inside of the vault.

“This is fascinating.”

Beatrice muttered lightly as she took in the sight inside the vault.

The first thing that caught her eye was gold.

Gold coins and jewels.

In the vast open space, valuable treasures were piled high without distinction.

“Follow me.”

Beatrice trailed behind Heinrich.

The piles of gold and treasure formed paths, like roads created intentionally with stacks of gold coins.

‘They intentionally created paths with gold coins. If an outsider came in, they’d be lost for quite some time.’

From the outside, the vault’s size had already seemed immense.

Inside, the maze-like piles of gold and treasures would certainly trap anyone unfamiliar with the layout, Beatrice thought.

“Is there no one guarding this place? I haven’t encountered a single person.”

It was a place overflowing with valuable treasures.

However, it didn’t seem to have strict security measures.

“There’s no need for guards.”

Heinrich replied as if it were obvious.

“No need for guards?”

“Yes, the vault is protected thoroughly by the magic of our ancestors. Should anyone touch even a gram of treasure without permission—”

At this point, Heinrich lowered his voice.

“They will surely die.”

Beatrice was surprised by Heinrich’s words.

It wasn’t the mention of death that shocked her, but the word ‘magic.’

‘So, there’s magic here as well. What an intriguing place.’

She had vaguely anticipated it, but hearing about the tangible existence of magic left her astonished.

She hadn’t thought such things were possible.

“From here on, it’s the armory.”

“There’s no risk of dying from touching a weapon, is there?”

“Of course not. The master of the house has deactivated the armory’s protective magic. However, you may take only one weapon out of here.”

“I see.”

After navigating through the maze of treasures, another door blocked their path at the end.

Heinrich carefully pulled out a seal from his pocket.

“What’s that?”

“It’s the master’s seal. It’s an essential item for entering the armory.”

Beatrice silently observed his actions.

Heinrich stepped forward.

At the center of the tightly closed door, there was an indentation.

He pressed the seal into the indentation.

-Rumble.

At that moment.

The sound of various mechanisms moving echoed.

“Ho.”

Beatrice let out a quiet exclamation of admiration.

Like writhing snakes, the mechanisms moved intricately.

-Clank, clank…

A series of chilling sounds resonated.

-Creak.

With a loud rumble, the door rose upward.

“The craftsmanship is impressive.”

“That’s further proof of the excellence of the Cenci Family.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Shall we?”

Heinrich walked ahead.

He looked like a servant tasting food before the master eats, ensuring safety.

“Hah.”

Beatrice laughed incredulously as soon as she stepped inside the armory.

“This is impressive. It exceeds what I’ve heard.”

“This is your first time here as well?”

“Yes. While I’ve entered the vault occasionally for inspections with the master, I’ve never been inside the armory.”

“They say the treasures and weapons here have been passed down through the generations of our family.”

Beatrice walked slowly and stopped in front of a finely honed sword.

“Then how… are there so many excellent weapons here?”

Swords, axes, even crossbows.

All sorts of weapons were lined up neatly along the walls.

And Beatrice could evaluate the weapons at a glance.

Not a single one was unworthy; they were all unparalleled masterpieces.

This was no mere vault.

It was a treasure trove.

“Have you heard of the Age of Magic?”

“No, I haven’t. By the way, can I touch this?”

“Yes, as much as you like.”

“What’s the Age of Magic?”

Beatrice pulled out one of the swords.

It wasn’t to her taste, but its menacingly sharp blade caught her eye.

It was the kind of sword that felt like even a slight graze would be fatal.

It felt as though she were holding a demon’s blade.

“The Age of Magic refers to the time when the Kingdom of Krapos was founded. Precisely 400 years ago, the Age of Magic began.”

“Foundation myth?”

Any country would have its founding Myth.

Beatrice quite liked such stories.

She glanced at Heinrich, signaling for him to continue.

“Yes, at that time, the continent was engulfed in chaos caused by fire demons. It was a war against magical beasts.”

“Magical beasts.”

Her gaze lowered, becoming cold.

‘Even in this era.’

Beatrice despised magical beasts.

How many lives had been lost to those creatures?

However, it seemed this world had faced such calamities much earlier.

“According to records, demons commanded the magical beasts to invade the human realm.”

“Demons actually exist?”

“No one knows for sure. It might just be an exaggerated account. Considering how ancient that time was, they could have mistaken a species of magical beast for demons. But one thing is certain.”

“What is it?”

“It was an unprecedented invasion of magical beasts. They say half the continent was ceded to them, and the number of destroyed nations was too many to count on one hand.”

“An enormous amount of damage, then.”

“Yes. And all the weapons here come from that Age of Magic. They were created to protect humanity, so they must be of exceptional quality. Especially since the techniques of that era have long been lost, current weapons can’t even measure up to half of what those weapons were.”

Beatrice finally understood.

The sword she was holding was remarkably good.

Now she knew why the sword Heinrich had crafted for her was so poor in comparison.

There were valid reasons for everything.

Beatrice gave Heinrich a newfound look.

“It must not have been easy to get permission. Did you go to such lengths just for me?”

“…After seeing how much you disliked it, yet tried so hard not to show it, I felt many things. As a butler and a servant, I wanted to be of help.”

Faced with his loyalty-laden response, Beatrice had no choice but to acknowledge it.

However, since she disliked overly sentimental moments, she replied in a playful tone.

“Well done. I’ll overlook it if you do something reckless later.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“By the way. This is troublesome… All of these are masterpieces. Choosing one will be a challenge.”

“There’s plenty of time. Take your time and choose carefully.”

These were exceptional swords.

With weapons of this caliber, there was no need to be concerned about form.

In fact, to be picky about the form would be an insult to their quality.

Truthfully, Beatrice felt that she wouldn’t regret choosing any of these swords.

As she pondered, her gaze landed on a particular sword.

“What’s that?”

Among the weapons displayed on either side, one sword stood out.

It was a brilliant, ornate sword embedded in a radiant crystal.

She wondered how she had missed it until now.

“That’s the most valuable item in this place.”

“That sword?”

“Yes.”

“…It doesn’t look that way to me.”

‘Such a flamboyant sword. Carrying that into a battlefield would make you the first target to be killed.’

It looked like a decorative piece.

In other words, it was an extravagant sword she wouldn’t even consider using.

Even in her previous life, some with peculiar tastes used swords like that.

But Beatrice’s preferences were clear—they didn’t include such swords.

“It’s one of the Four Divine Artifacts.”

“A divine artifact? The name is as grandiose as its appearance.”

“According to legend, it’s a sword that the gods bestowed upon humanity, pitying their helplessness against magical beasts. That’s why it’s called a divine artifact, and there are only four such swords across the entire continent.”

“What nonsense. Still, it’s intriguing that one of those four swords is here.”

Heinrich smiled bitterly.

“In the past, Krapos was also an empire. It’s not an unnatural occurrence.”

“I see.”

‘Ridiculous.’

Though she didn’t show it, Beatrice found the legend laughable.

What? A sword given by the gods?

She wouldn’t even spare a glance for a sword made by such an amateur.

As she reached for another sword, Heinrich spoke up again.

“This sword has another interesting legend attached to it. Would you like to hear it?”

“…I’ll listen.”

He spoke as though he’d been waiting for her permission.

“After the Age of Magic ended, no one has ever managed to draw that sword from the crystal.”

“It looks firmly lodged, but… no one ever managed to pull it out?”

“Yes.”

“Those knights seemed pretty strong, though.”

“Indeed, knights are rarely weak.”

“Are you telling me people who could lift boulders couldn’t pull out that one sword?”

Beatrice chuckled at the absurdity.

“Don’t talk nonsense, butler. I might just pull it out myself.”

And why not?

The sword seemed precariously embedded at the edge of the crystal, as if it would fall out with a mere tap.

Heinrich responded playfully.

“Please, go ahead. It won’t budge.”

Beatrice frowned.

‘Does he think I’m a joke?’

She was annoyed.

While she was just a fragile young lady in this life, in her past life, she had been the Sword Emperor, a man feared and revered.

She could tell just by looking.

In her eyes, the sword would undoubtedly come free with a simple touch.

Without hesitation, Beatrice walked toward the sword.

“What is this, Excalibur or something?”

“Excalibur… What is that?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

She brushed off the question and stood in front of the sword.

“What’s the name of this sword?”

“Tyrfing.”

“Even the name is as tacky as its appearance.”

“…It’s a magnificent sword.”

“Anyway, if I pull this sword out, what will you do?”

“Pardon?”

“A wager. It would be more fun to bet on something.”

Beatrice was ready to wager everything on her ability to pull the sword out.

Isn’t it said that you shouldn’t gamble unless you’re certain of winning? To Beatrice, this was a guaranteed win.

Heinrich, about to answer casually, suddenly spoke earnestly.

“I will pledge my eternal loyalty.”

Beatrice smirked.

“It’s as if you’re implying you’re not loyal already.”

“…That wasn’t my intention.”

“Fine. That’ll do. To earn someone’s loyalty through such a trivial matter, it’s a good deal.”

After all, it’s said that a person’s heart is something that cannot be bought with anything.

Satisfied with that, Beatrice grasped the sword’s hilt.

The hilt felt chilling, even though the place wasn’t cold.

Beatrice applied strength and lifted the sword.

In that moment.

-Pop!

“…?”

The sword slid out of the crystal effortlessly.

Heinrich’s jaw dropped as if it might fall off.