“Have you heard the news? About His Majesty the Emperor using black magic…”

“Oh come on! Where did you hear such strange rumors?”

“It seems there’s some truth to it. There have been periodic disappearances in the western region for years, and apparently they’re connected.”

“Yeah, and they say that’s why there was such an uproar at the palace? I heard nobles have been storming the imperial palace since morning!”

Corelia frowned deeply. Following the Emperor’s orders, she had arrived near Atenz Academy. The voices of people gossiping in the tavern grated on her nerves. One of the knights beside her muttered indignantly.

“How dare they speak of His Majesty like that…”

“Keep quiet.”

The knight bowed his head at Corelia’s command. The conversation that followed only darkened her mood further.

“Speaking of which, I heard Marquis Liserth has posted notices searching for his wife.”

“His wife?”

“Yes. They say all those rumors about Erin Liserth being a villainess were actually fabricated by the Marchioness.”

“So the tales of her terrible behavior were all false accusations?”

“My goodness, is that even possible?”

Corelia pulled her hood lower over her face. These rumors and the posted notices with her image made it impossible for her to move freely.

‘Marquis Liserth, I never expected you to act so quickly…’

She lamented how she had ended up in this situation. Had she killed the Marquis earlier, none of this would have happened.

‘How dare he reduce me to this state?’

If all her plans had succeeded, she would still be living comfortably as Corelia Liserth in the mansion.

‘I’d love to teach him a lesson right now, but I need more time.’

She couldn’t yet raid Atenz Academy.

It took time for the Emperor to secretly move his monsters, as he needed to use large-scale spatial teleportation magic. Since he constantly shared his consciousness with the monsters, his mana reserves were limited. Ditrion had previously assisted with this, but he was now Ferdin’s hostage.

Ferdin had wasted no time in taking action. Rumors about the Emperor using black magic were spreading rapidly.

“Lady Corelia, where shall we go now?”

At the knight’s question, Corelia rose to her feet. “We’ll infiltrate Atenz Academy. I need to identify useful knights before His Majesty arrives.”

* * *

Hellix and Isis arrived at Duke Asili’s residence where Ferdin was staying. After a brief conversation with them, Ferdin departed with Duke Asili and Alexis to confirm Marquis Liserth’s safety.

Once Erin had recovered sufficiently, Isis prepared to return to the western region.

“Lady Erin, are you truly alright?”

“Yes, I was just a bit tired. More importantly, Isis, you’re returning to the west?”

“I’ve been away from my post for too long. I should visit the central temple.”

“…”

“Besides, the temple is in turmoil because of what happened to the Princess…”

Erin’s expression darkened at Isis’s response. After she regained consciousness, Duke Asili had informed everyone that the Princess had collapsed. The Saint was the spiritual pillar of the temple. Her falling into an “eternal sleep” as the price for her prophecy was deeply shocking.

‘Though this has happened before, never at such a young age…’ Isis tried to mask his gloomy expression.

“I must return quickly to rally the priests’ support before Prince Ferdin’s coronation.”

Hellix, standing beside him, nodded at his words. “We must ensure no one dares oppose His Highness becoming Emperor.”

“…”

“If there are any who do, we’ll quietly handle them…”

Isis smiled and covered Hellix’s mouth.

“How fortunate that I could say goodbye like this before heading west. His Highness asked us to go west and lend our strength. He must have firmly decided to become Emperor. Thank you, Lady Erin.”

Erin looked at him in response to his gratitude. “I haven’t done anything.”

“No. Your very existence gives us hope.”

Isis smiled bitterly as he said this, knowing how much Erin had sacrificed to change fate.

“So please leave the rest to us now. I wanted to tell you this before departing.”

Erin remained silent. Isis and Hellix bid her farewell and left the residence. From the window, she watched them leave.

Though Isis had asked her to entrust future matters to them, she couldn’t do that. She had vowed that Corelia, at the very least, would meet her end by her hand.

‘It will take some time for Prince Ferdin to return.’

Erin recalled the news Ferdin had shared through the communication orb. ‘He said they found traces of black magic near the mansion.’

She had heard they discovered a residence near Liserth territory where the Emperor likely stayed. Just as Ferdin predicted, the Emperor must have planned to attack the mansion. Yet it was strange that he hadn’t actually done so.

Erin gazed at the necklace around her neck, lost in thought.

* * *

Amon was packing his belongings in the infirmary. Among Ferdin’s reserve knight candidates, he had sustained the most severe injuries, which kept him in the infirmary longer than the others. Next to him lay a junior swordsmanship student who had fractured a bone during training.

The student, a recent academy newcomer, stared at Amon for a while before speaking up.

“Have you heard the news, Lord Amon?”

“What news?”

He looked around, confirming that only he and Amon were in the room, then continued.

“They say the Marchioness kept the Marquis imprisoned. Lady Erin was nearly executed for supposedly using black magic—thank goodness she’s a Sword Master. It’s terrifying just to imagine…”

Amon smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth at the student’s words. Recently, everyone at the academy talked only about Erin. The news of her recognition as a Sword Master had shocked the swordsmanship students profoundly. Their reaction was understandable—someone their age from the academy had become a Sword Master.

‘Erin truly is remarkable.’

Amon cleared his throat and whispered, “You know what?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve actually known about this for quite some time.”

“That Lady Erin is a Sword Master?”

“Yes. And I frequently sparred with her.”

The student’s eyes sparkled at his words. Though Amon himself was highly skilled, he couldn’t compare to Erin, a Sword Master.

“That’s amazing, Lord Amon! I hope to spar with Lady Erin someday too. I’ve only been able to watch from afar before…”

“With hard work, it might be possible.”

“…”

“So practice your swordsmanship diligently.”

The junior student nodded repeatedly, his face flushed with excitement. Amon recalled when he first met Erin. The girl who once struggled even to hold a sword had now become a knight others admired. Though it wasn’t his accomplishment, Amon felt proud.

“By the way, I heard Lord Philip claims to be Lady Erin’s closest friend…”

“…”

“He said he was once her rival and that he was the first at the academy to recognize her skills.”

Amon felt his mood souring. He frowned as he spoke. “Don’t believe that.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m Erin’s closest friend. I was her first sparring partner too. Ignore that guy—how could he recognize her skills without even sparring with her?”

The junior knight looked at Amon quizzically. He knew that Erin and Amon’s first match had occurred because Amon had provoked her.

Amon shamelessly shook his head. “So I’m the one closest to Erin.”

The junior student gave him a skeptical look, which Amon ignored as he left the infirmary.

‘I should go help Ferdin.’

He recalled what Derek had told him during a recent visit. “Ferdin has decided to become Emperor.”

“…”

“When you recover, I plan to take you to where he is.”

Just then, Amon, lost in thought, sensed something ominous and turned around. His expression hardened when he saw someone standing there—a figure wearing a deep black robe.

‘Who is that? I didn’t sense any presence at all.’

Amon retreated quickly, tension evident in his posture. “Who are you!”

Before he finished speaking, a sword flew past and embedded itself in the corridor wall. Though he dodged swiftly, the tip of his hair was sliced off. Had he been even slightly slower, his head would have been severed.

“Amon Hedor.”

He heard a familiar voice that he recognized from several parties. Amon’s face contorted as he remembered who it belonged to.

“Corelia Liserth? Why are you here?”

Amon attempted to draw his sword, but Corelia was faster, driving her blade into his shoulder. Intense pain radiated from the wound. Amon tried to shout to warn other knights, but the sleeping powder Corelia had brought quickly plunged him into a deep slumber.