Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 35: Division (2)

When one reaches a certain level in any field, things become simple.

This is because simplicity is the most efficient.

No matter how elaborate the swordsmanship learned or the techniques polished, one inevitably returns to the basics upon reaching the peak.

This meant that the fundamentals were crucial.

And it meant that they could never be mastered overnight.

Beatrice had held a sword for more than thirty years in her past life.

Just because she lost mana and her previously trained body.

That time didn’t disappear.

It remained in her mind.

Regardless of the situation or the opponent’s tactics, she could instinctively find the best, most efficient method.

“Catch her—!”

Beatrice ran through the forest.

The cadets of the Red Team chased her desperately.

It was their chance to end this tiresome game.

But Beatrice wasn’t someone who would be caught so easily.

While running, she glanced back slightly.

She could see them, but they couldn’t see her due to the distance.

‘It’s time to wrap this up.’

Beatrice wasn’t invincible.

Lacking mana, her stamina was limited.

While the terrain was advantageous, if the chase continued, she would inevitably be caught.

So, she hid behind a random tree.

The forest was so dense that any spot could serve as cover.

“Don’t let her escape! The Mana Heart, the Mana Heart is running away!”

‘Calling a person a Mana Heart, how rude.’

Beatrice furrowed her brow.

Those who said such mean things deserved a lesson.

-Tadadak.

Before long, the cadets chasing Beatrice approached her hiding spot. It was a narrow margin; had she been a few seconds slower, she would have been discovered.

Without hesitation, Beatrice darted out from her hiding spot.

First.

She subdued the cadet at the forefront.

From their perspective, it was as if Beatrice had fallen from the sky.

-Smack!

With a crisp sound, the cadet collapsed.

The cadet running alongside him widened his eyes in shock.

“What are you staring at?”

But the cadet quickly grasped the situation and swung his sword at Beatrice.

‘Block and counter.’

Rather than attacking first, she decided to block once and counterattack to ensure a clean finish.

However—.

-Crack!

“Urgh…!”

The cadet’s strike was stronger than expected.

She dropped to one knee, pain shooting through her wrist.

‘Damn, this wasn’t in the calculations.’

Had she underestimated him too much?

But there was no time to hesitate.

The opponents vastly outnumbered her. If she delayed even slightly, she would be the one to fall.

-Smack!

As she barely deflected the sword strike, she struck the cadet’s nose.

“Argh!”

The cadet let out a horrified scream and tumbled to the ground.

Having taken down two cadets in an instant, Beatrice retreated to catch her breath.

It was a hair-raising difference. Although she wasn’t hit, she could feel the lingering trace of the strike as though it had been split in two.

‘Four swordsmen.’

Retreating now would have been the rational choice.

She had suffered a minor injury. A wrist injury, critical for a swordsman.

However.

…For some reason, the remaining cadets didn’t seem to be pursuing her.

That meant they were separated from their main force.

‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’

For Beatrice, this was like rain falling during a drought.

Moreover.

Judging by their dumbfounded expressions.

It seemed she could handle them easily.

Beatrice shifted her weight to her front foot.

-Tap.

Then she leaped lightly and swung her sword sideways.

One cadet quickly raised his sword to block Beatrice’s attack.

At that moment—.

-Wobble.

Beatrice’s sword blurred for a moment.

“Argh!”

And struck the cadet’s fingers with great force.

The cadet, overwhelmed by pain, dropped his sword.

‘…It’s been a while since I’ve done this; my shoulder hurts.’

Beatrice bit her lip slightly.

A sharp pain coursed through her.

She had altered the trajectory of her sword mid-swing, which naturally strained her joints.

Frankly, it was an impossible move.

Altering a strong sword strike mid-swing was unheard of.

No matter how strong or skilled one was, it defied the laws of physics.

Beatrice had accomplished the impossible. As a result, her wrist and shoulder ached, but she couldn’t stop.

Three cadets were now rushing toward her.

“Hiyaah!”

An ordinary person would have retreated.

Three against one, finding a favorable position to take them down one by one would be the best course.

Physically, she wasn’t much different from them.

The only difference lay in her fundamentals and combat knowledge.

However, Beatrice charged directly into their midst.

To anyone watching, it was a reckless act.

[Young Beatrice! Foolish!]

Solid, who had been secretly cheering for her, shouted.

Beatrice frowned.

Not because her choice was wrong.

But because it was noisy.

-Smack!

She struck the forehead of the closest cadet with the flat of her sword.

As fast as she was, her opponents weren’t fools.

Two swords simultaneously aimed at her from her left.

Beatrice quickly assessed their paths and blocked without hesitation.

In basic swordsmanship, the first strike is often taught to be a feint.

It’s like stabbing someone with a dagger; the farther you go, the more forceful the impact becomes. It’s a principle of rebound. Whether blocked or not, there’s always a recoil.

Thus, the fundamental of swordsmanship is not to use full power on the first strike. If you do, it’s harder to muster strength for subsequent strikes.

Beatrice used this principle against them.

-Clang!

Instead of deflecting, she wedged her sword diagonally between theirs. With this simple action, the movements of the two cadets were restricted.

However, Beatrice was similarly constrained.

With her sword firmly wedged, she couldn’t make any moves either.

It became a typical contest of strength often seen in duels.

Beatrice felt her arms growing increasingly stiff. Her opponents were two robust adult males. Despite her skill, numbers could not be ignored.

The two cadets thought simultaneously.

‘We’ve won.’

Indeed, if things continued this way, Beatrice would lose.

But she didn’t care.

“Hup—.”

She let go of her sword.

The sudden loss of resistance caused the cadets’ pupils to dilate in shock.

Both had put all their strength into their stance, and their weight now pitched forward uncontrollably.

They had never imagined Beatrice would abandon her sword.

Letting go of a sword was inconceivable for a swordsman unless, like earlier, their fingers were struck.

‘That kind of fixed thinking makes you weak.’

Smirking at their astonished expressions, Beatrice struck each cadet’s solar plexus with her small but decisive fists.

-Thud! Thud!

One-two jab.

The basics of boxing. Highly effective in situations like this.

However, simple punches lacked sufficient power, so she added one more move.

An elbow strike.

“Guh—!”

The elbow was humanity’s ultimate weapon.

Whether it was knees or elbows, using such joints could produce maximum destructive force even with minimal strength.

[…Young Beatrice.]

‘What? Are you impressed?’

The four cadets had been subdued in an instant, left kissing the ground in a rather undignified state.

[Did you plan all this?]

‘Plan? Not at all.’

-Smirk.

As Beatrice lightly stretched her wrist and ankle, she spoke.

“It’s just basic.”

Indeed.

For Beatrice, this level of combat?

It was nothing more than the basics.

So obvious, it didn’t even bring her joy.

-Smirk.

Perhaps.

[…That confidence is admirable, but are you sure about this?]

“No.”

Beatrice dropped her smile and wore a serious expression.

“I don’t even have the strength to hold my sword.”

[Ugh, tsk tsk.]

Ignoring Solid’s disparaging tone, cold sweat trickled down Beatrice’s back.

**

The Red Team cadets arrived at the scene about five minutes after Beatrice had acted.

Those five minutes had made a significant difference.

After all, five of their members had been taken down.

“W-When…?”

“This doesn’t make sense. It’s only been a few minutes.”

Argos closed his eyes.

His head ached.

‘To think she’d move so boldly first.’

At most, he had anticipated traps.

That’s why he sent five cadets ahead and followed at a distance, thinking it would be catastrophic if they all fell into a pre-dug pit.

But Beatrice’s strategy was guerrilla warfare.

She had no intention of relying on traps to win.

‘She plans to face them all alone.’

Looking at the fallen cadets, he was convinced.

There was no mercy in her actions.

She hadn’t killed them, but it was clear she only stopped short of doing so.

One cadet’s face was nearly caved in, and the others were vomiting blood or lying unconscious with their eyes open.

‘She went all out to eliminate any variables.’

Argos’s assessment of Beatrice was that she was a calm and calculating individual.

She wasn’t the type to use unnecessary force to subdue opponents.

Yet, she had dealt with these cadets so thoroughly it bordered on excessive.

This only meant one thing.

Even in something as trivial as a rabbit hunt, she was giving it her all to minimize even the smallest variable.

-Crack.

Argos clenched his fists tightly.

Even if it was only temporary,

The sight of his teammates defeated wasn’t pleasant.

Argos gritted his teeth. He vowed to repay this humiliation.

“Tsk, they were so dismissive, but they’re no different now.”

The atmosphere among the Red Team was gloomy. Everyone was silent, as if a mouse had died in the room.

But in moments like these, there’s always someone who doesn’t read the room.

“What? A mere girl? Foolish. She’s ‘beyond standard.’ We didn’t lose because we’re weak. She’s simply on another level.”

“Right now.”

Gareth ground his teeth and glared at the losers who mocked them.

The fact that they had dismissed her earlier had completely slipped his mind.

“Even after losing five of us, you still say that?”

“Gareth, stop.”

Argos quickly intervened.

Now, there were only five of them left.

Not long ago, there had been thirteen.

But now, only five.

In such a favorable situation, they had fallen into a disadvantage.

And it was all because of one person.

Argos was just as upset, but this was no time for petty arguments.

“Don’t you see the situation?”

“……”

“There are only five of us left. Just five. In less than ten minutes, we’ve lost seven people! Can’t you understand the situation yet?”

“They started this atmosphere,” Gareth said, nodding toward the losers.

The two defeated cadets bit their lips and lowered their heads.

Argos felt dizzy for a moment.

Even in this situation, Gareth’s hypocrisy in absolving himself of responsibility was revolting.

But.

‘Endure it.’

He had to endure.

Even a small division now could spell disaster.

In a restrained tone, he said,

“They didn’t go down without a fight. They must’ve resisted to some extent. She’s already exhausted; she must be even more worn out now.”

“…Argos,” Tar said in a quiet voice.

“You said something similar yesterday.”

“……”

It was true.

Argos had confidently claimed yesterday that Beatrice was exhausted from their fight and could be subdued with just two people.

But reality?

Seven had been cut down without achieving anything.

“There are still seven left. All of them are ‘victors.’”

Gareth delivered the final blow to Argos, who was already stung.

“I question your leadership.”

“…I understand. Much of this is my fault.”

Argos’s expression hardened.

A leader is judged by results.

The process doesn’t matter.

From that perspective, Argos was unfit to be a leader.

“I have a plan. Will you listen?”

Gareth addressed the other cadets, not Argos, as though he had already usurped the leader’s position.

Argos furrowed his brow.

But he couldn’t stop Gareth’s words.

“We’ll return to the base camp now. There’s plenty of food there.”

Gareth wore an arrogant expression.

“We’ll go back and hold out. Then we’ll have a chance. If we set traps and prepare well enough, we can—”

Argos thought this strategy was useless in their current situation.

Their opponent had the advantage, and holding out was pointless.

This wasn’t the right approach. He was about to voice his disagreement.

…But someone else denied Gareth’s plan first.

“That won’t work.”

It was Beatrice Cenci.

“I’ve been listening quietly, but—”

When had she arrived?

She was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.

The Red Team cadets were startled and immediately went on guard.

“You lot have a lot of complaints, don’t you?”

“…Beatrice. What are you up to? Don’t tell me you plan to take us all on…”

“The game is already ours. No matter what you do, it’s useless.”

“The game isn’t over yet!”

Argos shouted in indignation.

Beatrice didn’t even flinch.

“There are seven of us. You have five. And all of us are victors. Plus, Argos just claimed I’m exhausted, didn’t he?”

She shrugged.

“Look. Not a scratch on me. I’m in perfect condition.”

Beatrice spread her arms and spun around as if to show off.

It was true.

There wasn’t a single wound on her.

Shadows fell across the faces of the Red Team cadets.

“…Don’t be ridiculous.”

Argos gritted his teeth and denied her words.

“You were visibly exhausted when we fought. The damage must have piled up, Beatrice! Don’t try to deceive us with lies!”

“Well, think whatever you want. But more importantly.”

She tilted her head slightly.

Specifically, toward the losers.

“Are you men?”

“W-We?”

“Yes, you.”

The defeated cadets’ eyes wavered.

“You’ve been treated unfairly. It’s as if this game’s outcome was your fault. Didn’t he say that?”

She pointed at Gareth.

“If it were me, I’d have cut him down already. Have you forgotten the hidden rule of this game?”

Everyone’s minds replayed Reiser’s words.

-Of course, the existing rules of Torze Officer Academy apply here as well. The relationship between victors and losers can change at any time. Keep that in mind.

“I’ll help you. So—”

-Beaming.

Beatrice smiled like an angel.

Argos thought, that’s no angel—that’s a devil in disguise.

“From now on, kill each other.”