Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 11

[Young Beatrice. I will forgive your earlier rudeness.]

“……”

[So, could you now… please talk to me?]

Beatrice opened her eyes.

She had been practicing mana breathing but was disrupted by an annoying presence.

“How can you still talk to me?”

As soon as she returned to the mansion, Beatrice had sealed the sword called Tyrfing.

She had wrapped it in a white cloth and hidden it in a secret place.

Since she had no immediate use for it, this was a natural outcome.

However.

The problem was that, even though she was separated from Tyrfing, the spirit called ‘Solid’ did not disappear.

[I am not the spirit of the sword but the spirit Solid. I merely used the sword as a medium to find a contractor. That sword and I are unrelated.]

“……”

Having resolved her curiosity, Beatrice closed her eyes again.

[Wait, wait! Young Beatrice, have you no sense of propriety? I kindly answered your question, so you should at least respond!]

‘He’s worse than a child.’

If he’d been trapped for 400 years, that meant he was over 400 years old.

Yet he kept whining like a child, which was immensely tiring.

“You said your name was Solid.”

[Yes, yes. Are you finally in the mood to talk to me? You’re a rather difficult person, Beatrice.]

“Shut your mouth.”

[…]

Gods or not.

Beatrice hated having her training disrupted.

She was already struggling with her limited mana.

Having to rely on such meager mana made her feel terribly uneasy, and every moment was crucial to expanding her mana reservoir.

[What are you doing? From earlier, mana seems to be gathering in one place. Could it be a mana technique? How unusual.]

“……”

Solid, however, was not so easily dissuaded.

Regardless of Beatrice’s reactions, he nonchalantly continued his own line of conversation.

The surprising part was that, despite ignoring him, she listened closely to what he said.

…She didn’t know much about this world.

It didn’t hurt to remember what she could.

[Oh, gathering mana in one spot and absorbing only the finest quality—what an ingenious method. I don’t know who devised it, but the person who created this technique must have been a genius!]

-Twitch.

Beatrice touched her mouth with her hand to hide the slight twitch of her lips.

…She was the one who had created this mana technique.

Praise could make even a whale dance.

[The more I see it, the more remarkable it is. This isn’t something that can be mimicked just by knowing the method. It requires a high degree of mana control. Young Beatrice, you have an exceptional talent.]

“Ahem, yes. What is it you want to say?”

Beatrice stopped practicing her mana technique.

She then asked in a more lenient tone, having been won over by his compliments.

[Oh, do you finally feel like listening to me?]

“It’s not hard to listen.”

[Hmm. The truth is, although I’m bound to your body, I cannot influence you in any way.]

“I know.”

If he had been able to influence her even slightly.

Beatrice would have found a way to rid herself of this nuisance.

[It means I cannot help you. Young Beatrice.]

“Yes, I said I know.”

[I, Solid, the God of War…]

“If you repeat yourself one more time, I will never speak to you again.”

At Beatrice’s firm declaration, the so-called God of War, Solid, became utterly deflated.

In a shrunken tone, he mumbled.

[…Form a contract with me.]

“No.”

[Why not!]

His once dignified speech had long been abandoned.

[Please!]

“I said no.”

[I am Solid, the God of War! I can offer you many things, young Beatrice!]

“I don’t need them. What do you expect me to do?”

[I can give you mana. I can teach you the ultimate cultivation techniques or impart swordsmanship that will leave your enemies in despair. This is an incredible opportunity! Do you not see that, young Beatrice?]

‘How could every single one of these be useless?’

It was almost impressive.

Even with significant merits, she would hesitate to form a contract.

The conditions Solid offered to persuade her weren’t attractive in the least.

And that was because she was the Sword Emperor.

When it came to swords, she had confidence that she knew more and handled them better than anyone.

“Solid.”

Beatrice spoke calmly.

“I don’t need it right now.”

[…Young Beatrice. Does that mean you are delaying the contract? Is that what you mean?]

“Yes. For now, I want to go as far as I can on my own.”

She left a door open for him.

‘If I don’t say something like this, he’ll keep pestering me.’

The spirit now residing in her body was incredibly talkative.

While he claimed he couldn’t influence her without a contract.

If he kept nagging her about a contract, she might develop a stress-induced illness and die prematurely.

Beatrice chose the wisest course of action.

[Young Beatrice.]

Solid, who had momentarily become uncouth, regained his dignity.

[You truly embody the name Beatrice. Yes, the Beatrice I know would act this way. Splendid. It seems you share more than just a name!]

-Yawn.

Beatrice listened with one ear and let it out the other.

She yawned lazily, speaking as though she couldn’t care less.

It was, in truth, how she genuinely felt.

“Well then, be quiet for a while. I can’t train with all this noise.”

[I will respect young Beatrice’s opinion. Go on, then. Show me something that meets my standards! Hahaha!]

Even so, Solid’s tone was filled with awe.

She managed to get him to promise to be quiet.

That was quite a significant accomplishment from a single exchange.

-Knock knock.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“My lady! The first young master is here!”

A lisping voice.

There was only one person in the mansion who spoke in this manner.

It was her personal maid, Lilith.

“The young master is asking for you. Shall I come in? We need to prepare you.”

Beatrice spoke confidently.

“Tell him I’m not here.”

“Wh-what?”

‘Partek, was it? My eldest brother.’

He was at the top of her list of people she never wanted to face.

‘So he’s alive, even after going out. What a pity.’

Beatrice thought harshly, despite never having met him.

And for a good reason… they were family only on paper.

This was the old-fashioned medieval era.

Which meant having to address him with detestable titles like “Brother.”

That was asking too much of her. She simply wasn’t ready for it.

“But you’re clearly inside!”

“Tell him Beatrice Cenci has collapsed from a fever. Say I’m afraid to move her, so she can’t greet anyone.”

-Bang bang!

“My lady! That’s a lie. Lying is bad.”

When the clueless Lilith began whining, Beatrice snapped in exasperation.

“Do you want to go back to the laundry yard?!”

Realizing she had momentarily lost her composure, Beatrice awkwardly cleared her throat.

-Ahem.

“Anyway, just tell him I’m not here.”

With those words, Beatrice retreated under the blanket.

**

Inside the Crown Prince Luel’s office.

He glanced at the documents handed to him by his aide, and a vein bulged on his forehead.

“Have these people truly gone mad?!”

-Bang!

He slammed the desk in his office with force.

Fortunately, the material was sturdy; if it hadn’t been high-quality wood, it would have split in two.

“Not a single one, not one! There isn’t a single proper person among them!”

“Your Highness, please calm yourself.”

“Could you calm yourself in my place?”

Luel was visibly agitated.

The problem was the list of participants in the war.

He had ordered all nobles in Krapos to participate in the war.

The nobles aligned with the royal faction had their heads of households participate directly.

It was expected—this was a war to determine the fate of the kingdom.

However.

Members of the aristocratic faction, without exception, sent either their second sons or heirs deemed unfit within their households.

This was a despicable maneuver, calculated to prevent further depletion of their faction’s strength.

Luel hadn’t imagined they would engage in such power struggles even in the face of war.

“Don’t they understand? If we lose the war, all the power they’ve so carefully hoarded will vanish as well.”

“They likely haven’t even considered the possibility of losing. Even if they know it won’t be easy, they probably assumed other nobles would send capable forces. They likely didn’t expect everyone to hold back simultaneously.”

In short, it was collective selfishness.

Everyone thought, “Someone else will handle it.”

“This is a serious problem. We cannot afford to spark another civil war at this point.”

There was a way to compel the heads of noble houses to join through a royal decree.

However, the issue was the potential for civil war.

The aristocratic faction was already in shambles.

If they were forced to act, resistance would surely follow.

Even if the likelihood of another civil war was low, it couldn’t be entirely ruled out under the current circumstances.

“Your Highness, if I may, the situation might not be as dire as it seems.”

“Even after looking at this list?”

“Yes, this might actually work to our advantage.”

“…Explain.”

“Control.”

The aide calmly elaborated on the current situation.

“If the heads of the aristocratic faction had joined, managing them would have been a significant challenge. Some of them might have acted as they pleased, just as we anticipated.”

“That’s why we had prepared countermeasures.”

“Yes. But as things stand now, one major concern has been eliminated, hasn’t it?”

Luel wasn’t yet the king; he was the crown prince.

The king had not passed away, and the nobles of Krapos were generally conservative.

They placed great value on tradition and were often arrogant.

This attitude would persist even during war.

As Luel hadn’t ascended to the throne through traditional means, it was predictable that they wouldn’t follow his orders without question.

Countermeasures had already been prepared for that.

“Since most of the representatives are weaker figures, they will be easier to manage.”

“…That is good news.”

But the fundamental issue remained unresolved.

Luel muttered gloomily.

“However, they are utterly incapable.”

The heads of Krapos’s noble families were talented, despite their arrogance.

This was because Krapos frequently faced invasions by magical beasts.

The constant battles meant that heads of households accumulated substantial experience.

And in war, experience was the most critical asset.

“We only need to slightly adjust the ‘preparation’ we had in place.”

“What sort of adjustment?”

The aide replied calmly.

He was a man who had risen to his position through sheer ability.

His advice was always invaluable.

“Shift the focus of the original plan from fostering loyalty to enhancing leadership skills. Even with just about a month’s time, the difference between training and not training will be significant.”

The ‘preparation’ for those who might resist authority was military training.

Before the war, all heads of noble houses were to be summoned to one location for intense drills.

The capital was Luel’s domain.

Once the nobles had stepped foot there, no rebellion would be possible.

They could then be forcefully detained and trained.

The training would instill loyalty and fear—lessons people wouldn’t easily forget.

Of course, they planned to execute this carefully to avoid creating long-term resentment.

It was a meticulously balanced approach.

The aide suggested modifying this military training’s focus slightly.

“Excellent.”

After a brief pause, Luel nodded in admiration.

There didn’t seem to be a better plan under the circumstances.

It was a straightforward idea—something anyone might conceive.

But offering such advice during a crisis was no easy feat, especially when he himself had been consumed by anger.

Luel readily acknowledged the aide’s proposal.

“Turning a crisis into an opportunity.”

“With the proper abilities, they can become your finely honed weapons, Your Highness.”

Luel immediately grasped the deeper implications of the aide’s words.

“Assuming we win the war, you’re not wrong.”

“Yes, according to the list, most participants are individuals marginalized within their families.”

“If we recognize their contributions and naturally replace their heads of households, it would be ideal.”

“In time, the shameless nobles obstructing Your Highness will disappear. Perhaps the aristocratic faction, which has been a blight on Krapos, will vanish as well.”

“When I ascend the throne, I’ll hold unparalleled authority.”

“Of course, that assumes victory in the war.”

“We must do our utmost. It won’t be an easy fight, but your words have given me courage.”

Luel chuckled faintly.

“What is your decision?”

“By royal decree.”

Luel, Crown Prince of Krapos.

Entrusted with full authority by the king, his command was as good as royal law.

“Summon all participants of the war to the capital.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The aide bowed deeply.

**

It didn’t take long for Luel’s decree to reach the Cenci household.

A single letter arrived.

-Beatrice Cenci. Upon receiving this letter, proceed to the capital with a minimal escort and present yourself to His Highness. This is a royal command. Failure to comply will result in immediate execution for treason.

1621, Crown Prince Krapos von Luel.