Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor

Chapter 274 – Selection Exam

The Imperial Palace training ground was packed with soldiers from the Imperial Guard and Imperial Defense Department. Ahead of the talent selection, they also had internal promotion exams.

Especially for the Imperial Guard, two positions for captains were vacant. Everyone was focused on boosting their strength and honing their skills.

Barsabe, severely injured, leaned on the second-floor railing, watching her comrades train.

“Oh my, Miss Molar. You can’t train but you’re still attending regularly?”

“Ah, really.”

Her roommate held a cold drink to her cheek, mourning the absence of her molar. Barsabe roughly took it and drank half in one gulp.

Since that rainy day, the day Barsabe survived the black armor, everyone had been like this. The first joke she heard while lying in the hospital bed was something like ‘You really don’t have a molar anymore.’

“Why do you keep calling me Molar when I don’t have one?”

“Because you don’t. We’re commemorating it.”

“Go finish your laps. I saw you skipping one. You know it’ll be multiplied by ten if the captain catches you, right?”

“Doesn’t our Miss Molar know the word ‘self-training’?”

“I’m really going to die!”

“Hahaha!”

While her comrades were training with sweat and screams, Barsabe could only watch listlessly. Her whole body was itching to move, but there was nothing she could do. She was told that if she overdid it now, she might never be able to hold a sword again.

She frowned, glaring at the center of the training ground. Her roommate followed her gaze.

“He’s crazy, right? He’s been like that for an hour.”

“We got beaten up together, but I don’t know why that bastard is so fine. It’s unfair.”

It was Beric. He was covering the training ground with sandbags attached. Running, rolling, getting scolded by Captain Jeirutt, charging with a sword and getting beaten. He had been repeating this for an hour without rest, but showed no signs of fatigue.

Her roommate shook her head, fumbling for a cigarette.

“You at least have the excuse of being injured, but I’m perfectly healthy and still can’t keep up with that guy’s stamina. What would have happened if he hadn’t been stabbed in the stomach?”

Barsabe let out a sigh somewhere between envy, surprise, and lamentation, dropping her head. Seeing this, her roommate patted her shoulder playfully to comfort her.

“Don’t be like that. If you feel bad, your wounds will heal slower. There are rumors that he’s not human, you know.”

It was a rumor that had spread from Captain Jeirutt’s background check on Beric. Of course, the starting point was Beric’s miraculous recovery ability and behavior that was unlike any normal person.

Barsabe frowned and sneered.

“Not human? That’s funny. I’ll admit he’s a dog, though.”

“I’m leaning towards that too. The more I look at him, the less human he seems. Haha.”

How many people must have seen Beric’s naked body while treating his ruptured organs and mangled limbs? If he wasn’t human, there should have been some peculiarities left on his body. Instead of vague rumors, more concrete and certain words would have come out.

“Is that why Captain Jeirutt is pushing him like that?”

“Pushing? He’s been beating him up all day.”

“…Have you ever seen the captain move unnecessarily?”

At Barsabe’s question, her roommate just shrugged. Beric and Xiaoshi were almost the only outsiders apart from the Imperial Guard and Defense Department. Nevertheless, Captain Jeirutt was instructing them along with the Imperial Guard and made no effort to hide it.

Thwack!

“Aaaah!”

Sure enough, along with a clear striking sound, Beric’s scream rang out. The troublemaker had been hit by Captain Jeirutt. Everyone had been sneaking glances at Beric while pretending not to, but now they openly turned to look.

“It hurts, old man! Look!”

“…What the fuck?”

“No, look! Look at this! Bump! Bump!”

Thwack!

Beric clutched his forehead and fell forward. His body was already soaked and limp with sweat, so this was a ploy to lie down and rest. Realizing this, Jeirutt clicked his pocket watch in warning.

“If you don’t get up in 1 minute, you’re banned from the training ground from now on.”

“Aaaaargh!”

It was a scream mixed with annoyance, but his body was diligent. Beric jumped up and swung his fists in the air. Even without looking, it was clear who he was imagining.

“Oh, really. Just wait until I become captain!”

“…Haa, haa.”

As Xiaoshi tried to pass by, breathing heavily, Beric rolled over to block her path. While Beric was swinging his sword and making a fuss, Xiaoshi was diligently carrying out the basic training as ordered by Jeirutt.

Beric gripped his sword, sidling up to her.

“Xiao, finished your laps?”

“…Still, two more, left.”

“Let’s say you’ve done those, be my sparring partner. The other guys won’t even look at me.”

Xiaoshi wiped away her sweat and caught her breath for a moment. Isn’t that obvious? Even if it’s called sparring, it’s still a small match where there’s a winner and loser. What benefit is there in competing with someone of no status? If you win, it’s break-even; if you lose, it’s a disaster of disasters.

Most were facing promotions, so they had to be shrewd in choosing their opponents. And above all-

“Haa, haa, we’re outsiders, aren’t we?”

There was underlying discontent. Who were these guys to use the Imperial Palace training ground, and why was Captain Jeirutt personally overseeing them? The preferential treatment was clear, and every time Beric caused a commotion, the surrounding gazes became more aggressive.

Well, the fact that Beric treated sparring like real combat was also one of the reasons they avoided him.

“So what if we’re outsiders? We’re going to be family soon anyway.”

“…I’m going to finish my laps.”

“No! Stop that boring running and spar with me! Spar! Let’s swing swords properly! Xiao, I’ll really go easy on you, it won’t hurt. Okay?”

Beric clung to Xiaoshi’s trouser leg. Feeling troubled for a moment, Xiaoshi also stopped, thinking to rest a bit like this. Beric shook his body back and forth, shouting.

“Let’s spar!”

“Hey. Why don’t you shut your mouth?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah. Who else is here besides you?”

At that moment, a soldier from the Imperial Defense Department warned with a voice full of displeasure. Beric, still clinging to Xiaoshi’s leg, turned his head to look at the person.

“Then will you spar with me?”

“…You? You ill-mannered bastard.”

“You called me ‘you’ first, idiot. One-second memory? If you’re not going to spar, mind your own business and do what you were doing. Fucking bastard picking a fight.”

As the tension rapidly escalated, the surroundings became noisy. The Imperial Defense Department side vented their pent-up frustrations, saying that what they had been waiting for had finally come, while the Imperial Guard whispered and stepped back.

“Doesn’t the Imperial Defense Department know about Beric?”

“If they were outside the palace at the time, they might not.”

“If they don’t know, they should at least stay quiet. At least half-way decent.”

Do they think the Imperial Guard is staying quiet because they’re stupid? They know because they’ve seen Beric spar with Captain Jeirutt. Not just his skills, but his strong obsession with winning makes the process quite unpredictable.

It would only be their loss if they got injured before a promotion. And with Captain Jeirutt looking after him, they weren’t in a position to say anything.

“…Ah, sparring? Is this what you want?”

Smack!

Unable to control his surging anger, the man struck Beric’s face. It was too sudden. Beric had been chattering away, and Xiaoshi was cooling off, flapping her upper garment. Beric’s head was completely thrown back by the man’s attack.

“You little shit, who do you think you are to keep acting up here? You’ve been annoying me for days, and now’s a good chance. I’ll make sure you can’t come back here. Sparring? Let’s do it.”

“…Ahaha.”

Swish.

Blood trickled down Beric’s nose as he straightened his head. But in contrast, his eyes were sparkling. The joy of finally finding a worthy opponent was palpable. Tap! Just as Beric was about to charge with his black sword with all his might-

“Beric.”

Jeirutt’s voice stopped him.

“It’s not sparring time now. There will be disadvantages if you cause a commotion. And you. State your affiliation.”

“…I’m Hemp from the 294th unit of the 4th army of the Imperial Defense Department.”

“Soldier Hemp, the Imperial Guard is not sparring now, so you should stop and step back as well.”

He glanced at the sword stopped in mid-air, then bowed his head. He had no regrets, having landed one good hit. If anything, he was grateful for being stopped. The man dragged his feet as he reluctantly returned to his comrades.

“Ugh…”

Meanwhile, Beric’s hand holding the sword trembled as he dripped nose blood. He was trying to endure as told, but it was really tough. He wanted to immediately plunge his sword blade into that man’s flesh, cut it up, and make him bleed.

Grind.

The sound of grinding teeth was clearly audible. The Imperial Guard knights whispered again as they saw this. That beast-like guy was actually listening to Captain Jeirutt? Unbelievable.

But his temperament seemed unchanged. Beric threw down his sword and shouted in frustration.

Clang!

“Ah, fuck! This is really fucking shit! I got hit once! My nose is bleeding!”

“If you can’t handle it, quit. No one’s forcing you to do this. The training ground would be more pleasant without you. I’d welcome it, actually.”

“Jeirutt! Damn it! Just you wait!”

Bang! Boom boom!

He kicks the ground several times as if filled with anger. Xiaoshi handed water to Beric, who poured it over his head to cool down instead of drinking it.

“Hah, shit.”

“…You’re doing well.”

“This is doing well?”

Xiaoshi nodded. Jeirutt was now teaching Beric discipline, and Beric was accepting it. For someone who lived like a ruffian to wear a uniform, isn’t this process essential?

Xiaoshi knew from experience. To obey something, suppressing one’s instincts is the beginning.

“If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn’t have said those things at the start.”

When they first came to the training ground, Jeirutt was closer to coaxing Beric. Just being a magic swordsman made him valuable.

But-

‘I want to be number one.’

‘Everyone wants that. But in the end, those who achieve it are those who desire it more desperately than others. You only want strength. No matter how deep that desire is, your driving force is just that one thing.’

‘So? Is there anything else besides that?’

‘Beric, create meaning. Decide what you want to do with your strength. If you don’t, it’ll be hard to reach your goal, and even if you do, it’ll be difficult to fully enjoy that joy.’

Jeirutt’s advice reminded him of that day. Beyond his father’s violence and the attacks of robbers, that recent day. When Timothy asked if he and Ian were truly friends, and he was at a loss for words, unable to boast about anything.

“After all that talk, who knew he’d completely change his attitude and push me like this? Fuck, I’ve been conned, really. I shouldn’t have let Ian bring it up!”

Crunch!

Beric crumpled the water bottle and threw it far away. Then he ran off as if to vent his frustration. Xiaoshi, who suddenly lost her water bottle, sighed.

Tap!

And without another word, she started running again. Both of them wanted the same thing. To be selected and prove their worth. It was the way to benefit themselves and their comrades.

Jeirutt watched the two with a whistle in his mouth. The Imperial Guard knights were also watching. Jeirutt blew his whistle hard and shouted.

“I see some slacking off with their swords. Keep moving!”

“Yes, sir!”

“If you have complaints, rise to the captain position! No matter how much you shout from below, I can’t hear you!”

“Hyaah!”

Tweet!

The Imperial Palace training ground faced its noisiest days ever. Day and night, the challengers’ battle cries never ceased as they strove to achieve their goals.

***

And on that long-awaited day.

It was the start of the talent selection exam that would take place over two weeks. People with number tags on their chests were lined up, waiting to enter the training ground. Beric and Xiaoshi were among them.

“Enter in single file. Keep your order and spacing!”

“We’ll call names from the front row. Go over there for a simple physical examination, then come for the basic fitness test. Those below the standard will leave the palace immediately, and those who pass, bring your name tags. We’ll make a sparring schedule.”

“Quiet! Don’t cause a commotion!”

“You there! Leave your weapons at the entrance!”

It was noisy, very chaotic. Beric grabbed Xiaoshi’s arm, who was standing right in front of him, shaking it to release his tension and excitement.

“Wow, there are so many fucking people.”

“……”

“Huh? Xiao, look over there!”

Beric turned Xiaoshi’s head upwards. Familiar people were standing in front of the second-floor railing. Ian, Romandro, and Jin were watching the two of them.

As their eyes met, Romandro waved both hands in greeting. It was encouragement to do well without getting hurt. Jin also carefully raised one hand, and Ian was just smiling with his chin resting on his hand.

“Iaaaan!”

“……”

“Xiao, you shout too. Sir! Romaandroo!”

Although the call was buried in the noise, it reached Ian. He smiled and nodded. As if to say, well, let’s see how well you do.