Sword Emperor, Becoming the Young Lady of a Viscount House

Chapter 58: Graduation War (3)

The day had dawned.

The cadets gathered, all looking utterly haggard.

Even Beatrice had dark circles under her eyes.

‘I didn’t expect him to cling on like that.’

Argos, who was thought to have fainted, surprisingly regained his composure quickly.

Beatrice had to teach him boxing for hours on end.

[At least there were some meaningful results, weren’t there?]

‘...That’s true.’

Argos’s learning ability was quick.

In just five hours, there was nothing left to teach him.

After all, Beatrice was a swordsman, not a boxer.

The content she could teach was limited.

Still, it was much better than the impractical and strange martial art called Artantium.

“Yaaawn. Good morning.”

“…You look fresh. Seems like you slept well, Clone.”

Clone stretched wide, flexing his muscles, like a bear raising its arms to the sky, casting a shadow over Beatrice.

“Ha-ha! A man should sleep grandly! Something weak young ladies like you can’t possibly achieve. That’s right, that’s how it is.”

Clone was the only noble faction cadet who had slept well.

His expression was even bright, unlike the others who were tense.

He approached the upcoming battle like he was about to eat a morning croissant.

Beatrice envied Clone for his simplicity.

‘I wish I could live as simply as that guy.’

[...That’s not simplicity. That’s ignorance.]

**

“Use any means necessary. As long as you don’t die, the outstanding priests of Terra will heal you immediately.”

The cadets of the royal faction and noble faction.

Before the graduation war began, Crown Prince Luel explained the rules briefly.

With his hands behind his back, he scanned the cadets and shouted.

“Fight, and prove yourselves! I am a thorough pragmatist. If you’re useful, even a viscount’s child will be given an important role. If you’re not, you’ll be assigned tasks as trivial as your worth.”

It was a shocking statement.

In war, roles and especially positions were crucial.

No matter how exceptional your skills, if you were placed at the rear, you couldn’t earn merit.

The frontlines were the only option.

Moreover, these cadets looked down on Central significantly. They believed this would be an advantageous war.

The easier the war, the more they desired the frontlines.

Every cadet here, regardless of whether they were part of the noble or royal faction, had personal reasons to earn merit.

“We will begin in exactly 20 minutes. I’ll allow you time to strategize. After that, proceed to your designated positions. Let me warn you: no conflicts are permitted before the war begins. Violators will be severely punished. Also, I’ll be monitoring this war in real-time, paying close attention to every detail, so give it your all.”

“Understood!!”

Soon, the crown prince and the knights in formation disappeared.

A brief silence fell over the plains.

Twenty minutes.

Time for strategic planning.

The noble faction cadets turned to look at Beatrice.

“…Hm? What are you staring at?”

-Blink.

Beatrice wore a lethargic expression.

…To anyone, she looked extremely sleepy.

And considering the cadets had only seen her sleeping recently, they sighed and turned to Gareth.

“Strategic planning doesn’t need to happen now. Doing it now will only expose our plans to the enemy.”

It was a persuasive argument.

The cadets nodded in agreement.

At that moment.

“Beatrice!”

Someone ran toward the drowsy Beatrice.

It was Airy Arvanceco.

Beatrice startled awake, her eyes snapping open.

“Oh, long time no see.”

Blushing, Airy twisted her body shyly.

Beatrice replied somewhat awkwardly.

“…Yeah, long time no see.”

“…!”

The cadets were collectively astonished.

Airy Arvanceco.

Arguably, her family was second only to the crown prince.

And yet, a lady from such a family was speaking formally to Beatrice, merely a viscount’s daughter?

Not to mention, Beatrice was responding informally.

“Nothing much happened, right?”

Beatrice rubbed her eyes and asked casually.

“Y-yes, not much.”

‘C-cute.’

Airy struggled against the urge to run over and hug Beatrice.

But she couldn’t.

People were watching, and she had to maintain her dignity.

She didn’t want to seem rude to her benefactor.

“Beatrice, have you been… doing well?”

“Yeah, I’ve been eating and sleeping well. Isn’t it obvious?”

Beatrice lightly spread her arms to prove her health.

“Heehee, yes. You’ve definitely gotten a bit chubbier. So cute!”

“……”

‘I guess I need to lose weight.’

As the two shared a somewhat emotional reunion,

perhaps encouraged by Airy taking the lead, other royal faction cadets approached.

“Hey, Argos.”

Among them was Sillion, heir to the Marquess of Grafton.

Argos looked at him silently.

The two had a poor relationship, both politically and personally.

“I heard the news. You’ve been stripped of your heir status, huh?”

Argos’s eldest son had lost his position in the succession struggle.

It was a hot topic in Krapos, second only to the recent rebellion.

“To think the great Argos would lose his heir status. If I hadn’t seen you hanging around with this trash, I wouldn’t have believed it. But now I see. What else would be in the trash but garbage? Ha-ha-ha!”

-Twitch.

Argos’s eyebrows moved.

Sillion had struck a nerve.

It was impossible not to be affected.

“Why so quiet? Oh.”

Sillion rolled his eyes mockingly.

Then, he feigned an apologetic look.

“Ah, it’s because Argos isn’t your name anymore, is it? My apologies for not considering that. Argos, or should I say…”

Sillion leaned in close.

A foul stench emanated from his yellowed teeth, stained by alcohol and tobacco.

“Edward.”

“…!”

The Argos family had a unique tradition.

Those destined to become the family head or heir were called ‘Argos,’ not by their personal names.

And upon becoming the head, they abandoned their original name, signifying their life was now dedicated to the family.

This was the traditional rule of the Argos family.

Edward Argos had lived as an heir for ten years, perhaps his entire life.

Even if he had temporarily lost his status, outsiders couldn’t know the details of internal family affairs.

He might reclaim his position someday.

Thus, addressing him as ‘Edward’ instead of ‘Argos’ was a grave insult. A provocation.

It meant, ‘You’ll never be the heir again.’

Grind.

Argos clenched his molars tightly.

His fist trembled as if shaking like an aspen tree.

“Khhk, hahahaha! So you can make that kind of face, Edward. It suits you well, that look steeped in inferiority and a sense of defeat!”

When humans insult others, they unconsciously reveal their own flaws.

Just like that, Sillion mentioned inferiority toward Argos.

The two families, rivals of Krapos, were always compared.

Argos was exceptional.

However, Sillion was ordinary.

Sillion had to grow up in an unfavorable environment because the Marquess of Grafton didn’t want his child to fall behind the rival Argos family.

So Sillion lived looking upward his whole life.

Unfortunately, mediocrity cannot surpass genius.

Argos was above Sillion in every field.

Sillion rotted away in his sense of defeat.

In that despair, he constantly ground his teeth and tried every means to surpass Argos.

But then, what was this?

…Argos had fallen on his own?

No less than the great Edward Argos himself.

Sillion couldn’t help but laugh.

“But don’t worry too much, Argos. I’ll personally hire you into our family as a tactician. No, that’s too high a position... Hmm, yes, a butler would suit you better. Hahaha.”

Even as Sillion laughed, holding his stomach, he couldn’t contain himself.

“…Enough and go away.”

Just in case, no conflicts are permitted before the war begins.

Argos recalled the crown prince’s words and exercised superhuman patience.

It wasn’t too late to deal with Sillion after the game started.

For now, he had to endure.

“Hey.”

Even so, Sillion spoke as if incredulous.

“Are you under some illusion that in your current position, you can dare to speak to me in that tone?”

Argos’s eyes gradually darkened.

Seeing his expression, Sillion smirked and approached Argos.

“Huh, you’re about to hit me, aren’t you? Go ahead, punk.”

As Sillion strode toward Argos.

-Thwack!

“What the… cough!”

“Oh, sorry.”

Beatrice, who had been fleeing from Airy’s pestering, collided with Sillion while running without looking back.

The problem was that Beatrice was rather short…

“Cough, cough, w-who…”

“Ahem. Does it hurt much?”

“You dare!”

…And had landed a direct blow to Sillion’s solar plexus.

As a bonus, Beatrice’s firm sword, hanging on her left, also struck a rather unfortunate spot.

Undoubtedly, it was a mistake.

Beatrice wore an awkward expression.

“Beatrice! Are you okay? I heard a huge noise just now.”

Airy looked on in shock.

“This is your fault.”

Beatrice wasted no time shifting the blame.

“Gasp, why is he lying down?”

“…We collided.”

“Oh… Unintentionally causing trouble.”

“…Cough, I-I’m fine.”

Though Sillion glared daggers at Beatrice as if to kill her…

…he couldn’t bring himself to lash out in front of Airy.

Such was the overwhelming power of the Arvanceco family.

**

The battlefield was identical to the one used during the mock war.

A plain, with identical shelters on both sides.

They would likely drop supplies midway through as well.

Of course, that wasn’t part of Beatrice’s plan.

“Beatrice, do you really intend to charge in immediately?”

“Yes.”

“…It’s not that I don’t trust you, but that’s too reckless.”

Gareth, unusually, opposed Beatrice’s opinion.

Charging in straight away wasn’t just reckless; it was the epitome of inefficiency.

There was no need for such an approach.

“The opponents haven’t experienced the mock war.”

While both groups were academy cadets, the royal faction cadets had a different curriculum.

According to hearsay, their training focused on tactics, unlike the extreme methods used for the noble faction cadets.

Having played the game once already,

it was only natural that the noble faction cadets held a strategic advantage.

But charging in immediately would throw away that advantage.

“Charging right away is foolish.”

“I agree with Gareth.”

Argos respected Gareth’s opinion.

“There’s no reason for us to go in first.”

Argos was calm and calculating.

He had undergone extensive heir training and knew the basics of strategy.

“You cowards! Have you lost your nerve before the fight even begins? We are not cowards! Let’s charge in and tear those arrogant royal faction cadets to shreds!”

Remembering the earlier provocation by the royal faction cadets, Clone was trembling with rage, driven solely by the desire to crush them.

“Calm down. I understand your desire for revenge, but timing is key in everything…”

Gareth tried to soothe Clone.

Then.

-Snap.

“…?”

Beatrice had somehow already grabbed the flag and held it in her arms.

Gareth was flustered.

Wearing a face that said, “Oops, I’ve been caught,” Beatrice quickly switched to a solemn expression and spoke.

“It seems you’re mistaken. Do you think the goal of this war is mere victory?”

“Of course…”

“No. That’s not it. The goal of this war isn’t victory but the process.”

She paused briefly.

“We must prove ourselves. Mere victory isn’t enough.”

“What do you mean…?”

“We must show the crown prince our potential.”

“Then wouldn’t victory naturally suffice?”

“Mere victory? That only benefits ‘me.’”

The cadets’ eyes widened.

“What’s the point if I win using my strength alone?”

“…!”

“If we win through strategy, they’ll assume I devised the plan as I did last time.”

“T-that’s…”

“That’s why I suggest we abandon strategy and charge in. Using pure individual strength to crush them will make the strongest impression on the crown prince. Above all else.”

Beatrice smiled faintly.

“This time, I won’t step in.”

“W-what?!”

“Of course, I won’t completely stay out of it. I’ll at least keep Airy occupied.”

“……”

A heavy silence followed.

In truth, the cadets believed they could easily win if Beatrice took charge again this time.

But now, she was saying she wouldn’t step in?

“B-Beatrice, no matter what, that’s…”

“Of course. And.”

Cutting off the dissenting cadet, Argos stood up.

He spoke earnestly.

“Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Beatrice.”

“…!”

Gareth added.

“It’s more than enough that you’ll handle Arvanceco. With just that, we can win on our own. Isn’t that right?”

Gareth smiled slightly as he looked around at the cadets.

“Of course.”

“It’s sufficient!”

The cadets’ mood became positive.

Beatrice felt a sense of satisfaction.

The once-terrified rookies now showed signs of growth.

‘…Things have gone according to plan. Now all that’s left.’

She just needed to approach Airy and propose that they mutually abstain from fighting in this battle.

That way, Beatrice could spare her wrist.

At the very least, she needed it fully healed before the war.

She couldn’t afford to fight one-handed.

“Alright. If you understand.”

Beatrice confidently held the flag and pointed forward.

Toward the royal faction cadets’ camp.

“Let’s go.”