Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 4

Beatrice woke up early in the morning.

After getting up, she stretched with a refreshing yawn.

She still felt sleepy, but she had to get up.

There was something she needed to do today.

‘I have to gauge the level of martial strength in this world.’

This was something she should have done earlier. However, it was only today, two weeks after her transmigration, that she thought of it.

Absolute confidence in her own strength?

Something more important than that?

Neither.

She was just too lazy.

Life in this unfamiliar world had turned out to be more comfortable than expected.

Though being reincarnated as a woman was a bit dissatisfying….

The fact that she was a noble was quite appealing.

Wasn’t it true everywhere that nobles had an easier life?

“A-Are you up so early, my lady!?”

Lilith came running in a hurry.

Her clothes were wet, suggesting she had been doing something before.

“I have something to do today.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to visit the knights.”

“The knights…?”

Lilith widened her eyes in surprise.

Beatrice nodded slightly.

“Yes. I’ll go right now, so while I prepare, you go and wake Heinrich.”

“B-But the butler isn’t supposed to be awake at this hour….”

It was currently five in the morning.

While Lilith, being her personal maid, was already up, the butler Heinrich was not.

Beatrice stared at Lilith without saying a word.

To be precise, she glared at her.

After about twenty seconds had passed—

“I-I’ll wake him up immediately!”

Lilith saluted and dashed out in a hurry.

Beatrice sighed.

* * *

The mornings of the knights were always early.

They lived their lives strictly according to a routine, starting their day at five every morning with training.

Although Beatrice wasn’t aware of this, she assumed that those who wielded swords would wake up early.

She believed that fact remained the same, no matter the world. And her assumption turned out to be correct.

At 5:30 a.m., the training ground was filled with knights hard at work.

Watching them, Beatrice murmured softly.

“They call this the Rusted Knights.”

“It’s not ‘Rusted’ but the ‘Knox Knights,’ my lady.”

Heinrich quickly corrected her.

“They look decent enough.”

She nodded as she observed the knights’ physiques.

All of them were well-built, reflecting the intensity of their training.

However—

“They don’t look competent on the inside.”

Effort doesn’t necessarily translate to skill.

If Beatrice were to sum up their level in one word, she wouldn’t hesitate to say it.

Foolish.

Their training methods were foolish.

They were hauling around massive boulders as part of their regimen.

As someone who once held the title of Sword Emperor, Beatrice knew.

She knew just how absurd and pointless such training was.

‘They’re just overdeveloping their core muscles.’

Such a regimen might as well be a bodybuilder’s routine in modern terms, entirely impractical for real combat.

‘Humans aren’t peacocks.’

Peacocks raise their brilliant feathers to intimidate threats.

Some animals are indeed scared off by the display.

These knights reminded her of that.

Like peacocks meticulously preening their feathers, hoping for luck to save them.

They had no real power, only a façade of strength.

And then—

“Oh?”

Beatrice murmured in interest.

“That’s not human strength.”

Their training progressed in various ways.

After dragging around massive boulders, they suddenly began striking those boulders with their swords.

With a simple slash, the enormous rocks shattered instantly.

Of course, an ordinary human couldn’t split a boulder with a sword.

‘So, there’s an extraordinary power in this world too.’

The knights’ swords emanated an unknown energy.

It was undoubtedly this energy that allowed them to shatter the boulders.

The mystery was soon clarified by Heinrich.

“It’s called the power of the ‘Spirit.’”

“Spirit?”

“The Knox Knights are strictly elite. Only those with at least mid-tier Spirit power are allowed to join. This level is standard for them.”

Heinrich spoke with pride.

‘Spirit, huh. It’s somewhat similar to the Backing.’

In the world she originally lived in, there was something called the ‘Backing.’

Humans could only stand against magical beasts if chosen by these Backings.

‘If that’s the case here…. There’s no one in this world who can stop me.’

Beatrice was certain.

If the knights’ skills represented the average level of this world, there was no need to look further.

There was no one stronger than her.

Backing—or Spirit.

Those who relied on such powers were all the same.

They depended on mysterious forces, and their personal skills were lacking.

That’s how it was in her original world.

People leaned on their Backings, endlessly staring at the holographic status windows.

They based everything on their stats, hoping for even the slightest improvement.

It was a fatal flaw.

Strength gained through reliance wasn’t true strength.

She had known this truth for a long time.

That’s why she never trusted such scraps of data.

Without the support of any “Backing,” she earned the title of Sword Emperor solely through her own strength.

Confirming the presence of something similar in this world, Beatrice furrowed her brows as old memories resurfaced.

‘If only there had been even one capable person back then, I wouldn’t have died.’

The day Beatrice died.

She faced a being of despair.

All others, aside from herself, were crushed before they could even put up a fight.

In place of those who fell like defeated losers, she faced the despairing being alone.

Beatrice fought desperately against it.

Even as her arm was severed and her entire body drenched in blood, she did not retreat.

She understood.

If she didn’t stop this being now, humanity would surely face annihilation.

In the end, Beatrice succeeded in cutting down the despairing being.

She had averted the annihilation of humanity.

However.

She couldn’t prevent her own death.

That was her ultimate fate in her previous life.

* * *

“Have you found anyone suitable?”

Heinrich asked, looking at Beatrice.

He assumed her purpose in coming here was to find knights to join her in war.

After a long silence, Beatrice responded.

“No. I can’t work with these hopeless fools.”

It was an ambiguous statement.

None were fit to stand by her side.

That was Beatrice’s conclusion.

Pathetically low standards.

Every single one of them relied on Spirits or whatever, wasting time on useless activities.

She had heard there were magical beasts in this world.

If there were magical beasts, could anyone guarantee there wasn’t a “being of despair” or something equivalent?

The companions one chooses determine one’s caliber.

Beatrice didn’t want to tarnish her own standard with the label of “pathetic.”

For now, however.

Borrowing even a cat’s paw might be a pragmatic choice.

After all, this wasn’t a lifelong partnership, but a single war.

“Still…. There might be at least one useful individual.”

Beatrice spoke with a pressure-laden aura.

“You lot, come here.”

The Sword Emperor.

That title carried weight.

In her past life, people strained their ears not to miss even her faintest words.

If she opened her mouth, it was as if thunder had struck, and people obeyed without question.

However, there was one thing she had overlooked.

…The current Beatrice was no longer the Sword Emperor, but merely the Viscount’s daughter.

And a troublesome one at that, even within the Cenci family.

Naturally, it was no surprise.

None of the knights ceased their training at her words.

‘…I’ve been ignored.’

A chilling glint flashed in Beatrice’s eyes.

At that moment, Heinrich, sensing the situation, shouted loudly.

“Please halt your training for a moment! There is an important matter to discuss.”

Heinrich was regarded as nearly second-in-command within the Cenci family.

He was competent and possessed an excellent character.

There were few who disliked him. Naturally, the Knox Knights respected him as well.

The vice-captain of the Knox Knights, Arhan, glanced at Heinrich before gesturing into the air.

“Cease training.”

Only after the captain’s command was issued did the knights stop their exercises and turn their attention to Beatrice and her group.

Arhan, a sturdy-built vice-captain, approached with steady steps.

“What brings you here, Sir Heinrich?”

Twitch.

‘How blatant.’

Beatrice’s eyebrows twitched.

She hadn’t spent her time here idly.

She had a basic understanding of the world’s common knowledge.

True to its medieval-like backdrop, this place adhered strictly to a hierarchical system.

Her status as a noble was, of course, far higher than that of the butler, Heinrich.

Yet the insolent man in front of her spoke to Heinrich first.

Blatantly disrespectful.

That’s what Beatrice thought.

‘Interesting.’

She had been strong from the beginning, a Sword Emperor from the start.

It was due to her overwhelming comprehension and talent with the sword.

Given her past life, Beatrice found this situation amusing.

As someone revered as the Sword Emperor, she had never experienced being ignored.

After all, those who dared to ignore her…

Had all perished.

“Why didn’t you respond to my summons?”

“…This isn’t a place for someone like you, my lady.”

The context was lacking.

In truth, visiting a knightly order without prior notice was considered rude.

Every knightly order on the continent adhered to a daily training regimen.

Thus, anyone wishing to visit needed to provide advance notice.

Still young and inexperienced, Arhan assumed she was ignorant of such etiquette.

Of course, he wasn’t aware that Beatrice had already been chosen to participate in the upcoming war.

Beatrice didn’t feel the need to accommodate his reasoning.

“Is there a place in my own house that I cannot go?”

“…We are in training, my lady. Please do not interfere. Every knight on the continent has the right to train.”

Arhan spoke in a tone that seemed to placate a naïve girl.

‘His mindset isn’t bad.’

Training was a noble pursuit. She agreed with that sentiment.

In her previous life, she too had detested those who rudely disrupted her training.

So, she didn’t entirely disagree with the vice-captain’s stance.

However.

He needed the skill to back it up.

“My lady, the truth is….”

Heinrich tried to explain the situation.

Beatrice raised her hand, silencing him.

Then she pulled something out of her pocket.

‘To think I’d use this like this.’

She recalled the earlier moment.

Before heading to the training ground, Lilith had fussed over her, handing her the item.

-“My lady, you must carry a handkerchief! It’s your right as a noblewoman!”-

Too bothered to refuse, she had shoved it into her clothes.

Beatrice neatly folded the handkerchief in her hand.

“Is this how it’s done?”

-Whap.-

She threw it at Arhan’s face.

The handkerchief hit his chest and fell limply to the ground.

“Sir Arhan, was it?”

Beatrice spoke arrogantly.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

Soon, Arhan’s cheeks flushed red.