Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 59: Graduation War (4)

“Airy-nim, is this humble place acceptable to you?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

‘This is uncomfortable...’

It wasn’t the environment that was uncomfortable, but the people.

Airy waved her hand with a stiff expression.

‘Why on earth are they using such extreme honorifics for me when I’m still just a young lady?’

She hadn’t even received a title yet.

However, the people around her called her “Airy-nim.”

…It was likely because she was the sole heir of the Arvanceco Family.

Even knowing that, she often felt uneasy, as though something was stuck in her chest.

“By the way, how long do we have to keep playing these childish games?”

“Just the fact that we’re being compared to those guys is an insult.”

“Isn’t that right, Airy-nim?”

“…Huh?”

The cadets suddenly asked Airy for her opinion.

It seemed they wanted to form a bond with her, as she held the highest position among them.

Of course.

‘I miss Beatrice.’

Even if all the people here were combined, to Airy, they couldn’t compare to the worth of Beatrice alone.

‘…She was different.’

Beatrice.

Unlike other young ladies or young lords, she never acted or spoke to Airy in the usual superficial manner.

It wasn’t intentional; it was simply her natural behavior.

For the first time, Airy felt what it was like to have a friend.

“…No. I don’t think so.”

“A-Airynim?”

“There’s one among them…”

However.

“…A strong person. Perhaps, even stronger than me.”

It was purely a feeling as a friend.

This was a battle.

And Airy had a strong competitive spirit.

“You should be careful. It won’t be as easy as you think.”

Therefore.

She had to win this game.

“W-Wait! It’s an ambush!”

At that moment, a cadet shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Be cautious of the forest terrain. If they ambush us from concealment, it’ll be dangerous.”

Gareth spoke with a tense expression.

The cadets quietly nodded in agreement.

“There’s no need for that,” someone interjected.

“…?”

“There’s no reason to go into terrain that’s disadvantageous.”

“But how…?”

Beatrice placed a flag in the ground, as though she had made up her mind.

Then—

“Airy! Come out!” she shouted loudly.

“…Beatrice?”

Gareth stared at her in disbelief.

But then.

-Step.

They really appeared.

All the cadets of the Royal Faction.

Beatrice silently walked toward their formation.

“Stay here.”

She spotted Airy.

At first, Airy looked surprised, but she quickly became serious and stepped forward to meet her.

Beatrice and Airy met at the midpoint.

Airy was the first to speak.

“What’s the matter?”

Her blue eyes deepened.

“I have a proposal.”

“A proposal? …I’m sorry, Beatrice. No matter how much I owe you, I can’t lose on purpose in this game.”

Beatrice replied, as though she found it absurd.

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Ahem.”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Airy turned her head for a moment.

‘…Even her smile is beautiful!’

After a brief moment of admiration, she managed to maintain her poker face and returned her gaze.

“So, what’s your proposal?”

“You and I,” Beatrice said, pointing at both of them.

“Let’s sit this fight out.”

“…?”

“You called me a benefactor. You can grant me at least this much, can’t you?”

‘This is the end of it.’

It was the moment when Beatrice concluded her long-standing plan.

The truth was, if she wanted, she could have stored her strength and unleashed her full potential now.

But there was only one reason she didn’t.

She wanted to reap all the benefits while simultaneously raising the overall level of the cadets.

War wasn’t something fought alone.

Therefore, Beatrice’s role ended here.

“Just the two of us… sitting out?”

“Yes. It’s fair, isn’t it? You of all people should understand.”

Airy was one of the few people who knew how strong Beatrice was.

“…Well, that’s true.”

“Why, is this suggestion unappealing to you?”

Beatrice frowned, trying to appear as intimidating as possible.

As soon as Airy saw her expression, she quickly turned her head and covered her mouth.

“?”

After a moment, Airy stopped laughing and turned back.

“…I think it’s a good suggestion. But are you okay with this, Beatrice?”

“I wouldn’t have proposed it otherwise.”

“…There’s quite a difference in skill levels.”

Airy was a straightforward person.

In her view, the cadets of the Noble Faction and those of the Royal Faction weren’t on the same level.

It was like comparing a first-string team to a second-string team.

Under normal circumstances, the first-string team would obviously win.

The Royal Faction cadets were all heirs who would inherit Krapos in the future.

“That’s something we’ll see for ourselves. My proposal is simple: just the two of us sitting out of this battle.”

“…Why are you going this far? C-Could it be…”

Airy’s eyes widened.

Then, her cheeks flushed red.

“…Ahem. You… You wanted to be alone with me.”

“…Huh?”

“…Beatrice, really. You’re so insincere. F-Fine. Let’s stay together. I didn’t want to fight you either.”

‘She’s under a huge misunderstanding.’

Beatrice noticed but decided to let it slide.

That wasn’t what mattered.

“Now.”

Instead, she decided to do something that would appeal to Airy.

It was a kind of service.

She extended her hand.

Airy’s eyes wavered.

“Let’s head somewhere quiet.”

-Thud.

Airy, completely deflated, was left speechless.

“Wow! I won again this time!”

“T-That’s unfair. Taking such small pieces like that.”

“Hehe. A win is a win.”

“Let’s play again!”

‘Playing with kids is exhausting.’

[…I’m sorry, but from my perspective, young Beatrice seems to be the most excited.]

Beatrice had moved to the forest.

Feeling bored, she had proposed a game to Airy.

They stacked sand, placed a branch on top, and took turns removing the sand without making the branch fall.

“Ack! Beatrice! How could you use mana?”

“……”

[Tsk tsk. That’s the most shameful display I’ve seen from you yet.]

Eventually, Beatrice, who had gotten frustrated and used mana, was caught red-handed.

-Plop.

Mentally drained, she sat on the ground in defeat.

“Are you sulking?”

“Not at all.”

“…You look like you are.”

“I’m not. I’m not that petty.”

“Your lips are sticking out a mile.”

“I said they’re not!”

“Kyah!”

Airy ran away as fast as she could.

Zero wins, ten losses.

That was Beatrice’s record.

Having never experienced defeat in her life, it was only natural for her to feel frustrated.

After running around the forest for a while, they eventually stopped.

“Haah, this is exhausting.”

[You should lose some weight, then.]

“......”

‘Should I kill him?’

Sometimes, Beatrice felt a sudden urge to end Solid.

“Oh, look over here. There’s something strange.”

Airy, seemingly untiring despite being a mage, was busy pushing through the forest foliage.

Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.

“What is it?”

Beatrice’s curiosity was piqued, and she approached quietly.

It was a strange, coal-like stone.

It looked rigid, as if it allowed no light to pass through.

“What an ugly rock.”

…It was indeed a very ugly rock.

“Is it a mana stone?”

Airy tilted her head in doubt.

“A mana stone?”

“It doesn’t look like just an ordinary stone. Hold on a moment. Oof.”

Airy strained as she tried to lift the stone.

But it didn’t budge an inch.

“Move aside.”

Growing impatient, Beatrice stepped forward.

‘How can she not even move something like this?’

[…I hate to say it, but from my perspective, Airy seems to have more raw strength than you.]

Ignoring Solid’s remark, Beatrice adjusted her stance.

Then, putting all her strength into it, she tried lifting the stone.

…It didn’t move at all.

“……”

“……”

Both Airy and Beatrice were taken aback.

“It’s quite solid.”

-Scring.

Frustrated, Beatrice drew her sword.

“Wow, so c-cool.”

Beatrice held the sword vertically.

“If my guess is correct, it’s deeply embedded. To remove it, I’ll have to cut it.”

“Understood!”

And so, she stabbed the sword straight into the stone.

-Clang!

Her body trembled as an unpleasant sound rang out.

The rock still stared back at Beatrice stubbornly.

“……”

Unwilling to lose, she gathered mana.

-Whoom.

‘Let’s see if you can withstand this.’

Aura could cut through steel.

This measly stone should be as soft as tofu.

She lightly swung her sword.

-Swish.

“…!”

Beatrice’s eyes widened.

At the same time, Airy’s expression hardened.

“This is…”

The moment her aura touched the stone, it vanished.

There was only one explanation for this.

“A control device.”

Argos glared at Sillion.

Sillion cocked his head confidently.

“I’ll yield the first move to you.”

“Let’s see how long you can keep smiling, Sillion.”

“Kahaha! You worry too much. Think you can break through them?”

Sillion licked his lips.

With Airy Arvanceco absent,

the Royal Faction’s main power was him.

In other words, he believed his job was to orchestrate the cadets from behind.

‘No matter how skilled you are, you won’t make it through this many people to reach me.’

If Argos fought him one-on-one, he’d surely lose.

However,

the Royal Faction’s heirs were not to be underestimated.

Each one was stronger than a knight.

Such was the strength of noble blood.

Sillion was certain.

No matter how strong Argos was, there was no chance they’d lose this battle to those insects.

“I’ll give you one warning.”

At that moment,

the space around Gareth began to distort.

Tiny vortexes of light gathered, exuding a dangerous aura.

“You might die.”

As Gareth smirked faintly,

-Zing!

a high-energy laser shot out in a straight line.

“Shield!”

-Kaang!

One of the Royal Faction cadets responded with magic.

The clash of Gareth’s magic and the shield made the air vibrate.

It was the signal for the battle to begin.

“Attack!”

With a thunderous roar, the Noble Faction cadets charged forward.

The mages stayed in the rear, while the swordsmen led the charge—a simple yet effective formation.

“Fight as if your lives depend on it!”

Gareth shouted while providing covering fire.

The disparity between the cadets and their opponents was significant.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

However,

-Kaang!

“W-What’s with these guys?”

The momentum was different.

Unlike the Royal Faction cadets, who treated this as a ‘game,’

the Noble Faction cadets fought as if their lives were on the line.

No matter the skill difference, the tide shifted when things were like this.

“Hurrah!”

At the forefront, Clone broke through their ranks.

He was so strong that some cadets didn’t even dare to block him and simply stepped aside.

“What is our team doing? You swordsmen, deal with that brute already!”

The mages screamed and scrambled to escape.

That’s when Gareth’s eyes gleamed.

An opportunity had come.

-Crack!

The shield, which had been blocking Gareth’s attacks, began to crack as Clone disrupted their formation.

Gareth’s mana control was excellent.

He wouldn’t miss such a small opening.

The shield split with a screech.

“Now—!”

Taking advantage of the gap, Argos sprinted at full speed.

To drive the final nail into the coffin of this battle.

‘…I’ll show you why I’m Argos, not Edward.’

Argos assumed the basic boxing stance Beatrice had taught him.

Then he began chanting magic lightly.

The Royal Faction cadets were in utter chaos.

It was clear that if Argos joined the fray, the Royal Faction would face total annihilation.

Sillion’s eyes twitched nervously.

“It’s over!”

Argos swiftly dealt with the cadets near Sillion, advancing with terrifying momentum.

“D-Damn it.”

Sillion infused his sword with mana.

“Don’t underestimate me, you bastard!”

The moment the two collided—

-Whoom.

A mechanical hum filled the air.

-Flick.

“…!”

Every cadet lost their mana.