Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 44: The Suspicious Girl (1)

Beatrice and Reiser ran with all their might.

The ground trembled underfoot, indicating the sheer number of monsters approaching.

Without proper defenses in place, their companions were in grave danger.

‘I hope everyone’s safe.’

Beatrice bit her lip.

The conscripted individuals were chosen precisely because they were weaker.

If death came, the cadets would be the first to fall.

She sincerely hoped that not a single cadet would die.

Fortunately, they weren’t far from the site.

The two arrived swiftly.

“You rookies! Survive with everything you’ve got! Take down the stray monsters yourselves!”

Falcon roared, cutting through the monsters with a ferocious energy.

Knights and cadets were locked in fierce battles against the swarming monsters.

“Beatrice, protect the cadets over there!”

Reiser shouted urgently.

Although Beatrice herself was a cadet, she was also a trusted knight.

This was a subtle acknowledgment of his faith in her.

‘…Some will die.’

The stench of war hung heavy in the air.

Among them, some, perhaps most, would perish.

Beatrice gripped her sword and infused it with mana.

There was only one thing she could do.

Kill as many monsters as possible, within her reach.

-Slash!

Each time her sword moved, a monster fell without fail.

Her movements were extraordinary.

Like a dance, the path she left behind was strewn with corpses.

Even Argos, nearby, stood in stunned silence.

-Screeech!

“…!”

For a moment, Argos, distracted, was attacked by an orc.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

-Splat!

The orc’s hot blood splattered across Argos’s face.

It was Beatrice.

Sensing the danger, she saved him just in time.

Realizing how close he had been to death, Argos felt dizzy with fear.

After swiftly cutting down the surrounding monsters, Beatrice grabbed Argos by the collar and spoke sternly.

“Keep your wits about you if you don’t want to die.”

“Y-Yes.”

In truth, Argos was relatively better off.

He was an heir.

The successor of the prestigious Argos family.

As part of his countless lessons, he had experience hunting monsters.

Though not on this scale, he had at least some exposure.

However, the other cadets were not so fortunate.

“S-Save me.”

The nobles of this era were, by nature, frogs in a well.

The supposed benefits of their education were reserved for heirs alone.

For those treated as little more than illegitimate children, the current situation was utterly overwhelming.

Some wet themselves.

Others collapsed, losing all will to fight.

And for the monsters, these cadets were the perfect prey.

“Hey, you idiots! Fight! You can at least handle those wolves!”

The knights cursed and shouted as they fought.

Because of the useless rookies losing their will to fight, the monsters’ aggression was becoming harder to control.

The knights maintained their formation as they fought.

In battles with overwhelming numbers, maintaining formation was as crucial as life itself.

If one part broke down, chaos would ensue.

The problem was that the monsters could sense the fear in the cadets and were ignoring the formation entirely.

Beatrice realized this and desperately dealt with the stray monsters breaking through.

But she was only one person.

The other cadets were of little help in combat.

If monsters started tearing through the formation from the inside where the cadets stood—

It would be annihilation.

Even a legendary knight wouldn’t survive in a broken formation.

“I-I can’t… My body won’t move.”

The smell of urine wafted up from behind.

One of the knights cursed under his breath, “Damn it! This is why I told them not to bring these rookies!”

The Royal Knights.

The strongest group in the kingdom.

No matter how sudden the ambush, how large the numbers, or how powerful the monsters of the Alps were—

If it were just them, they could handle it with ease.

But fighting while protecting others was a nightmare.

It felt like the difficulty had multiplied several times over.

“Commander! We can’t hold out much longer! Grant permission to use ‘it!’”

The situation was dire.

Falcon shouted in a booming voice.

Reiser bit his lip.

The knights around him gave him pleading looks, pressuring him to act.

Everyone here knew what Falcon meant by ‘it.’

And they all understood there was no better option under the circumstances.

After a brief hesitation, Reiser made the decision, deeming the situation unavoidable.

Even the God of War Solid would have made the same choice, he thought.

With that resolve, he spoke.

“…Permission granted. All Royal Knights, from now on, fight with everything you have. Use any means necessary.”

“Permission to use authority has been granted!”

“Unleash your powers!”

The knights shouted instinctively, their faces lighting up with fierce smiles.

“It’s been so long!”

Authority.

A privilege and blessing reserved for those who had reached a certain level.

By synchronizing with the spirits residing within them, they could achieve superhuman feats.

This was referred to as using the Power of the Spirit.

Those who used authority could harness the spirit’s strength and knowledge.

It was akin to the spirit partially possessing them.

The eyes of twelve knights turned crimson, glowing like embers as they moved.

They had activated the Power of the Spirit.

Tremendous strength coursed through their bodies.

The results were immediate.

-BOOM!

The ground shook as monster corpses flew into the air.

When a knight swung his sword, it sounded like thunder, and five monsters fell at once.

Beatrice’s eyes widened as she stood frozen, forgetting to fight as she watched.

‘Is that something humans can do?’

[Do not be too surprised, young Beatrice. You are far stronger than them.

For you have been chosen by me, the full spirit Solid.]

What they were showing now was mere child’s play.

Did she think she had taught Falcon a lesson before?

No, he had simply let her.

Among them, Falcon displayed the most visible power.

He was a monster in every sense of the word.

He had merely indulged Beatrice’s whims before.

‘The strength I knew of in this world was child’s play.’

Cadets and knights were worlds apart.

Knights were professionals, while cadets were still learning.

The difference was astronomical.

As requested, here is the translation of the text with one line per sentence and spaces between them:

However, at the same time, Beatrice thought to herself that they were only somewhat strong.

No matter how strong they were, how strong could they be?

In the end, they were just humans, parasites relying on the strength of others.

With such thoughts in mind, she had underestimated them.

But she threw all those thoughts into the trash.

The knights of this world—

No, at least those Royal Knights—

Were strong.

Right now, she didn’t even feel confident enough to block a single strike from the weakest among them.

It was then that Beatrice understood why people here were so obsessed with spirits.

Why swordsmanship and other skills were dismissed in favor of measuring strength by the presence of spirits.

She understood everything.

“Pfft.”

Beatrice chuckled.

[Why are you laughing?]

“Isn’t it amusing?”

At some point, all the monsters had been dealt with.

The countless monsters were completely annihilated as soon as the knights used their authority.

Beatrice felt a sense of futility as she sheathed her sword.

“…To think that the mountain I thought I was climbing halfway up was actually just a small hill.”

Beatrice’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Although she had called the cadets “frogs in a well,”

The truth was that the real frog in a well was herself.

Even if the outcome involved the intervention of non-human powers, Beatrice found the realization fascinating.

“I feel motivated.”

She wasn’t discouraged by the overwhelming power.

Instead, she felt motivated.

The spirits of this world seemed far more competent than the so-called “constellations” from her previous life.

The difference was incomparable.

In her past life, most of them had been trash, except for a select few.

But this place was different.

This life was her second.

To be honest, she hadn’t found much excitement in it.

Her attitude was more playful, like, “Should I become an emperor for fun? Or perhaps conquer the world?”

She wasn’t particularly interested in achievements she had already experienced.

She had reached the pinnacle before.

The title of “strongest” was natural for her, not something she actively sought.

But now, she realized that such strength wasn’t natural or easy to achieve.

The feeling was…

“Not bad.”

It wasn’t bad at all.

**

“I’m so tired I could die. Hey, Commander, wake me up when the time comes.”

“Wake me up last!”

“What? You little punk, there’s an order to this. I’ll be the last one to wake up!”

“Ugh, you petty bastard. Fine, wake me up before Falcon. Got it, Commander?”

“I’ll wake you all up at the same time. Stop whining and go to sleep.”

Using the Power of the Spirit was exhausting.

There was no way such overwhelming power could come without limitations.

There were risks, after all.

Among the various risks, the most significant one was drowsiness.

As the saying goes, one might conquer the world, but not their eyelids—it was an irresistible force.

The knights quickly unrolled their sleeping bags like caterpillars and fell asleep.

“Are you not going to sleep?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t use the Power of the Spirit.”

Beatrice asked with curious eyes.

“Why didn’t you use your authority? You fought harder than anyone else.”

“…If I used my authority as well, we wouldn’t be prepared for the unexpected.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Beatrice nodded in understanding.

With the main combat force, the knights, now asleep, they wouldn’t be able to fend off another ambush.

‘Those knights were already that strong. I wonder just how powerful Reiser is.’

He wasn’t the Commander for nothing.

It meant Reiser was the strongest among them.

Earlier, Falcon had displayed monstrous abilities, sending slashes rippling with every swing of his sword.

Falcon was the vice-commander.

That meant Reiser was even stronger than Falcon…

‘I’d like to cross swords with him someday. …Though not now.’

Beatrice knew her place.

She was well aware that she would simply be crushed if she challenged him now.

She avoided battles she couldn’t win.

She turned to walk toward where the cadets were gathered.

Seria seemed overwhelmed, unsure of whom to treat first.

Beatrice intended to help.

At that moment, Reiser grabbed her shoulder.

“Beatrice.”

“Hm?”

She turned to look back at him.

Reiser bowed his head politely.

Knights never bow to anyone.

To them, honor was as precious as life itself.

The only time they bowed was out of respect for someone.

Whether Reiser bowed because of his personality or genuine respect for Beatrice was something only he knew.

“Thank you. I watched during the battle. Beatrice, you did your utmost to protect the cadets, even at the risk of your own life.

Without you, none of them would have survived this unscathed.”

His words were embarrassingly sincere.

Beatrice scratched her head.

“I didn’t do much, though.”

She had slain quite a few monsters, but after the knights unleashed their authority, there hadn’t been much left for her to do.

She was genuinely puzzled.

-Reiser smirked slightly.

“If more nobles like you existed in Krapos, a lot would have changed. It’s a shame.”

Leaving behind those cryptic words, Reiser walked away.

‘What’s that supposed to mean? What is he trying to say?’

Beatrice stared after him briefly before heading toward the cadets.

However, her expression—

The gentle, innocent look she wore while speaking with Reiser was gone.

Her face was now filled with nothing but cold killing intent.