Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 30: Assassination Game (3)

The Blue Team and the Red Team were split apart.

A strategy planning time was given, lasting about 30 minutes.

When this time ended, it was said an alarm magic would notify them.

The Blue Team gathered in a clearing within the forest and held a serious meeting for victory.

Beatrice spread out the map she had obtained from Reiser.

“Beatrice, do you have a strategy in mind?”

She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.

The terrain here was relatively simple.

A wide-open field in the middle.

On both sides, there were forests.

Within those forests, there was one artificially created clearing each.

The terrain was identical, like a mirror image.

The problem was that to reach the opposing team’s base, they had to cross the wide-open field, making a stealthy assault impossible.

Although there was grass, it was only at lawn level, and everything could be seen if observed from atop a tree.

“Let’s have two people keep watch in this area. One will climb a tree to monitor, while the other stays below to relay information if something is discovered.”

“It seems best to remain on standby. We don’t need to move first. …Looking at the layout, the one who moves first is at a disadvantage.”

The structure made it inevitable to detect an attack.

As he said, it seemed better to wait.

It wouldn’t be fun, but there was no choice.

The prize was too large, and Beatrice’s condition wasn’t great either.

‘Solid, if I push myself hard now and take that Mana Heart or whatever it’s called later, what will happen?’

[Of course, recovery is guaranteed, and you’ll gain a massive amount of mana.]

‘Then I’ll pour everything into this game.’

Beatrice calculated inwardly.

If recovery was certain after it ended, there was no reason to hold back.

[But only if you win. The worst-case scenario would be exhausting yourself and still losing the game.]

‘Those who fear risk cannot achieve success.’

For once, she decided to be serious.

She resolved to win this game by any means necessary.

“Before the game starts, I’ll set a few rules. I’m sorry, but I’d like everyone to absolutely follow my words this time.”

“…Of course. There’s nothing scarier on a battlefield than internal division.”

The conditions were favorable.

Although Beatrice’s physical condition wasn’t good, she had gained something because of it.

It was absolute trust.

Having fended off the losing team’s surprise attack on her own, there was no one who dared doubt her abilities.

“Thank you for thinking that way. Then first, I’ll assign roles.”

“…Roles?”

“Yes, roles specific to this game. It’s for efficient combat.”

“…Is that really necessary?”

“It is.

Calling out names individually is annoying, and assigning roles prevents unnecessary complications.”

It wasn’t for nothing that the military had a hierarchical system.

It was a method proven to be the most efficient over time.

Of course, even putting all that aside, the main reason was simply because Beatrice was familiar with it.

“When addressing me, call me the company commander. Just think of it as similar to the commander.”

“……”

No one objected.

Satisfied, Beatrice moved on to the next point.

“And we’ll divide into groups of seven. We’ll call these squads.”

She planned to replicate the military system from her past life.

While there might be some sort of system here, it didn’t matter.

Nothing could surpass the effectiveness of the 21st century.

“The winners will form the 1st Squad, and the losers the 2nd Squad. We’ll divide it like this.”

“Wait!”

At that moment, Clone raised his hand.

“Clone, do you have something to say?”

“The winners and losers aren’t necessarily the strong and the weak!”

“…I know that.”

Beatrice responded as if wondering why he even asked.

“Aren’t the teams mixed enough?”

“Th-that’s true, but why divide them like this?”

Clone looked awkward.

“The rules practically encourage losers to backstab the winners, so I divided them this way.”

Beatrice didn’t divide the teams by winners and losers out of mere convenience.

It was a thoroughly calculated decision.

“This way, we don’t have to worry about betrayal within our team, and we can fight with trust. Any other questions?”

She answered calmly.

Clone couldn’t refute her, as her words made perfect sense.

“I’ll appoint a leader for each squad. We’ll call them squad leaders. Is that clear?”

“It’s simple enough. Even that blockhead Clone should understand.”

“…! You! What did you just call me, the mighty Clone?!”

“Oh my, did I overestimate you? Didn’t you understand?”

“…That’s correct.”

“…I thought so.”

Beatrice looked at Clone with disdain.

Clone lowered his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“You know what a leader is, right?”

“T-that much I know.”

“You’re the leader.”

“What?”

“Clone, you’re the squad leader of the 2nd Squad. Now do you get it?”

When the role was applied to himself, Clone understood immediately.

“Damn it, Beatrice. No matter what, giving such a role to this clueless guy…”

“The 2nd Squad doesn’t need to think. Just trust me.”

“…Doesn’t need to think?”

“I plan to assign you purely to combat. Now let’s move on.”

Although he looked slightly puzzled, he didn’t interrupt Beatrice.

“Additionally, the 1st Squad’s leader will be Luce. With the titles settled, let’s move on to the strategy.”

Beatrice’s leadership seemed quite adept.

In her past life, she had held the position of Sword Emperor and, in military terms, had been a “Special Forces Commander.”

Although she wasn’t a soldier, the government had forcibly given her that position, recognizing her exceptional abilities.

Beatrice accepted it as it often came in handy.

As a result, she had experience leading operations to subdue monstrous beasts.

She couldn’t handle every minor foe herself, after all.

Beatrice always stepped in at the end to face the strongest enemy.

Because of such experiences, she was confident in her strategies.

Beatrice pointed to the map.

“The 2nd Squad will stay here on standby.”

This was the clearing where they were currently discussing.

The place where their flag was planted.

“The 1st Squad will ambush here.”

She pointed to a secluded forest not far from the field.

It was a location where they wouldn’t be discovered even if the enemy attacked.

“And if the enemy arrives…”

She picked up a pebble and placed it where the enemy’s flag was marked.

“The 1st Squad will immediately raid the enemy’s base. Together with me.”

“W-wait a minute. Even though I trust you…”

One of the winners, Dan, looked at Beatrice with anxious eyes.

“This strategy is reckless.”

“Tell me.”

“Just look at this place; it’s quite far. The field is too vast. If we leave when the enemy attacks, it’ll be too late. And the ones guarding our flag are… the losers.”

While the losers weren’t necessarily weaker than the winners, most of them were indeed weaker.

After all, losing a duel meant they were defeated.

This meant they couldn’t buy much time.

The field was vast, and even if they started running after the enemy arrived, the Blue Team’s flag would likely be captured first.

Of course, Beatrice knew this all too well.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Beatrice stood up.

She dusted off her pants.

Then, with an expression of boredom, she walked toward the area where the flag was planted.

“I’ll take it.”

-Thud.

The deeply embedded flag was pulled out of the ground by Beatrice’s hand with surprising ease.

It was just like when she had drawn Tyrfing; Beatrice was remarkably skilled at pulling things out.

**

Beatrice’s plan was simple yet highly effective.

If they were to be attacked, it was inevitable to get caught, so the opposing team would likely assemble their strongest cadets for a frontal assault.

However, her strategy had two significant flaws.

One, the enemy wasn’t foolish enough to attack first.

Two, if the enemy read her plan and sent only a weak force.

‘The first possibility is more likely, though.’

The open plain was too exposed and unsettling for anyone to willingly cross it.

Thus, Beatrice anticipated the game would devolve into what was known as a “holdout meta.”

“They’re not coming, are they?”

“We’ll have to wait until dawn.”

The cadets murmured among themselves.

Normally, in the stillness of dawn when sound traveled far, it would be better to remain silent, but the distance between teams allowed them to chat freely.

Beatrice quietly kept her mouth shut and focused on circulating her mana technique.

It would have been better to practice swordsmanship, but her arms were sore from the strain of training, and the muscles were badly fatigued.

“It’s starting to get colder.”

“Damn it, that Reiser guy. He could at least provide us with some help.”

Reiser had made it clear that he wouldn’t interfere in any way with the game.

Naturally, there were no basic supplies either—not even food or water.

The first challenge they faced was the cold.

The weather was gradually turning chilly, to the point where even Beatrice could feel it.

“It won’t last long. Those guys must be hungry too.”

“Is there no mage here? It’s freezing! Can’t someone light a fire?”

She opened her eyes and cautiously observed the situation.

‘Come to think of it, magic exists here, doesn’t it?’

The thought struck her.

If they could light a fire using magic, it would certainly be warm.

“You say that so casually. This is why sword-wielding brutes are hopeless. Do you even know how magically demanding it is to conjure fire?”

“…If a mage can’t even light a fire, what good are they?”

“Do you know how much mana it takes? Magic is inherently about illusions. Creating a simple flame—not an explosion—requires an immense amount of mana.”

Beatrice sighed in disappointment.

‘Is that true?’

[It’s not entirely false, but the problem is simply that this person lacks skill.]

‘I thought so.’

[Creating fire purely with one’s own abilities, without relying on a Spirit’s help, is a manageable task. However, magic created with a Spirit’s power cannot be sustained for long. Any magic involving a Spirit will eventually dissipate.]

This meant they couldn’t create a temporary fire to keep going with materials like wood.

The inadequacy of these mages left her at a loss for words.

‘Wait. Didn’t you say that Luce, the guy you claimed was strong, could use magic?’

[That’s right. Judging by his aura, he’s a Magic Swordsman who uses both swordsmanship and magic. His skill level is significant, so lighting a fire should be a trivial task for him.]

It seemed fate wasn’t entirely cruel.

Beatrice glanced at Luce and spoke.

“Squad Leader Luce.”

“Yes, yes?”

He responded in surprise.

“Can you do it? Light a fire, I mean.”

“…Well…”

Luce wore an awkward expression and shook his head.

“I’m not a mage, though.”

[He’s lying.]

Even without Solid’s resolute statement, it was obvious.

His demeanor screamed that he was hiding something.

Beatrice clicked her tongue and closed her eyes.

It seemed he had his reasons, so she decided not to force him.

“Achoo.”

She sneezed, deep in thought.

At this rate, she’d catch a cold.

Beatrice rubbed her nose and sighed.

It seemed there wasn’t a single easy thing in the world.

-Thud, thud, thud.

At that moment, the sound of someone running urgently reached her ears.

The cadets of the 1st Squad, including Beatrice, turned their heads.

It was one of the scouts assigned to reconnaissance.

Beatrice’s face lit up.

Could it be that those fools of an enemy team had already launched an attack?

“Cenci! No, Company Commander!”

The scout was panting heavily, having run all the way back in a rush.

It had to be a sign of an enemy assault.

Beatrice felt a surge of excitement.

“Something appeared out of nowhere.”

“…So, it’s not an attack.”

Beatrice’s excitement turned into instant disappointment.

It seemed the scout had come to report something unusual instead.

Since he was already there, she decided to inquire further.

“What do you mean by ‘something’?”

“…A massive box appeared in the middle of the field.”

“…A box?”

“Yes, a box emitting blue smoke. It doesn’t look ordinary.”

Beatrice blinked.

A box out of nowhere?

Was it some sort of gift box?

“…We should check it out ourselves.”

Beatrice stood up.

Her curiosity was piqued.

**

She climbed up a tree with great effort.

It was quite tall, and she had to struggle because of her short stature.

Still, once she reached the top, she immediately spotted the mysterious box the scout had mentioned.

“…It’s real. A box emitting blue smoke.”

Even from this distance, the box appeared enormous—likely requiring four people to lift it.

But then.

‘Isn’t that…?’

Beatrice suddenly realized what it was.

It looked exactly like…

“Battle X Grounds?”

It was identical to the supply crates from a PC game she had frequently played in her previous life.