Throughout her journey to the academy, Erin never once looked back. Various emotions rippled through her heart before fading away.

She recalled Corelia’s cruel words to her.

“You can never be happy.”

“Erin, you’re a bad child who makes everyone miserable.”

“You will cause everyone’s death.”

After k*lling Raymon and Charlotte, Erin often had nightmares where they returned from death to kill the people she cared about. Corelia’s curses had played on these anxieties.

Yet at some point, the nightmares had stopped—probably after Ferdin discovered her empty wish: “Give her a chance to be happy.”

From then on, Erin began dreaming of happiness instead. Her dreams became so warm they brought tears to her eyes, almost like someone had taken all her nightmares away. Dreams where her revenge succeeded and everyone she loved survived.

Everyone was together in these dreams, unlike her previous life. No one was hurt, no one suffered, no one experienced the pain of loss. Everyone smiled while talking about the past and the future that awaited them.

That’s why Erin knew Corelia’s words were all lies. This was the future she had changed. No one would die, and no one would blame her.

Erin felt the powerful energy emanating from near the academy. Normally, such energy would have made her anxious, but now she knew the ending to this story. On the path to happiness, she might fall.

The journey might be so difficult that she’d break down in tears. But just as Ferdin had wished, Erin would eventually grasp a happiness so brilliant it would shine.

‘I will be happy,’ she thought, gazing straight ahead. For that happiness, she needed to move forward now.

* * *

Isis was praying to the Goddess, one of his daily routines as a high priest. The Pope watched him with cold eyes, but Isis didn’t open his eyes until he finished his prayer, despite feeling the Pope’s stare.

Meanwhile, the Pope surveyed the prayer room, confirming that only the two of them remained. After a moment, he smiled maliciously.

“Isis, do you truly believe in the Goddess?”

At the Pope’s words, Isis slowly opened his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. The Goddess’s miracles disappeared long ago.”

“…”

“They say the Princess receives divine revelations, but I can’t believe it. If she truly received them, she would have known about this future.”

Isis’s eyes grew cold as he looked at the Pope. He couldn’t tolerate insults toward the Princess.

“What future are you talking about? Haven’t you heard Prince Ferdin’s testimony?”

Isis recalled what Ferdin had recently told him—that the Princess had fallen into eternal sleep because she had revealed divine prophecies to protect them.

“She sacrificed herself to protect people.”

“And this is all we get as a result?”

“What are you saying?”

“Isis, don’t be stupid. His Majesty will ultimately triumph.”

Isis glared at the Pope, gritting his teeth. Madness gleamed in the Pope’s eyes.

“The Goddess is nothing but a powerless shell.”

The Pope truly believed this. If the Goddess had power, why couldn’t she stop the Emperor?

The Pope had once thought himself beloved by the Goddess above all others. That’s why he was born with such strong holy power and rose to become Pope. But at some point, he lost the ability to use his holy power.

At first, he couldn’t believe that his perfectly functional holy power had suddenly disappeared. After much contemplation, he reached a conclusion: ‘The Goddess’s power must have run out.’

This belief became even stronger after meeting the Emperor. His holy power disappeared because the Goddess’s power was depleted. That’s why he chose to side with the Emperor when approached.

“The Emperor has revealed his power. The man you serve will die. And that’s not all—everything in the Empire will change. With the Goddess gone, the temple has no use.”

“…”

“I received a message from the Imperial Palace requesting support for Atenz Academy. As Pope, I intend to refuse.”

Isis’s face contorted at the Pope’s words. “You say the Goddess has lost her power?”

Isis was incredulous. He, more than anyone, had witnessed the Goddess’s power remain intact. The holy power overflowing within him proved it.

“The Goddess has lost her power. All the academy students will become monsters. It’s already too late.”

The Pope mocked Isis with a vile smile. “You know the temple itself is under the Pope’s influence? Isis, you’ll remain trapped here.”

No one could leave the temple without the Pope’s permission—one of the abilities granted to those who rose above the Goddess’s representative.

“I’ll tell the High Priests that you also opposed sending support.”

“…”

“I’ll say His Majesty was falsely accused and that Prince Ferdin is the mastermind behind all this.”

The Pope tried to walk past Isis, but stopped when Isis spoke.

“You are completely wrong.”

“I’m wrong?”

Isis smiled crookedly. The Pope probably didn’t know that his personality wasn’t as pleasant as one might think. He never contained his anger when someone threatened his people.

It seemed the Goddess also found it difficult to watch the Pope’s behavior any longer. Isis felt powerful holy energy rising within him, realizing in that moment that he had been chosen by the Goddess.

The Pope was wrong. The Goddess’s power remained intact, and She was not a merciful deity who would overlook betrayal.

Isis pushed past the Pope’s shoulder.

“How dare you…!”

“From the moment I walk out of this place, I will be the Pope.”

“What?”

Isis continued past the Pope. “I’ll speak to the High Priests myself. I’ll tell them you stepped down from your position as Pope to repent for your sins.”

The Pope sneered at Isis’s behavior, finding his impossible claims amusing.

Shortly after, the Pope blinked with a blank expression as Isis left the prayer room without hesitation.

“What’s this? What trick did you use?”

It was impossible to move within the temple without his permission.

The Pope hurried to follow Isis. “Open this door right now! Isis Igzart. Now!”

He was the Pope. The temple should move according to his will. But the prayer room door remained firmly shut, refusing to open.

* * *

When Erin arrived at the academy, she saw monster corpses beneath her feet—clear evidence of battle. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the mana she sensed. The familiar mana of people she knew mixed with the terrible mana of black magic, confusing her senses.

She could also feel the presence of knights nearby.

‘There are large-scale forces here too.’

Erin realized the Magic Tower must have lent its strength. Somehow, they had discovered the danger to the academy and used large-scale spatial teleportation magic.

‘Without Master Alexis’s help, it would have been impossible to teleport this many troops at once…’

Even with additional forces arriving through Alexis, she couldn’t completely relax. Civilian homes lay just beyond Atenz Academy, and ordinary people were no match even for low-level monsters. If even one monster escaped, it would obviously cause significant damage.

“Help us, please!”

“Monsters have appeared!”

“Mommy, waaah!”

Screams reached her ears. Erin turned toward them and saw people being chased by monsters.

She moved quickly, sword in hand. Soon her blade severed the neck of a monster pursuing children. In an instant, she dispatched one monster, then plunged her sword into the chest of another that lunged at her.

People forgot to flee as they stared blankly at Erin, who had killed two monsters with single strikes. She picked up a child trembling with fear. That’s when a familiar voice reached her ears.

“L-Lady Erin!”

Turning her gaze, she saw Duke Asili’s chief knight looking at her.

“How did you… no, more importantly, are you alright? Where did you get those wounds?”

The chief knight’s face turned pale. Erin asked him in a casual tone, “Where has Duke Asili gone?”

With the mana so mixed, it was difficult to pinpoint the Duke’s exact location.

The knight’s face darkened at her question. “Prince Ferdin moved inside Atenz Academy with the Tower Master. They said they would set up a barrier to contain the monsters there.”

Just as he finished speaking, Erin’s face hardened at the powerful energy she felt. The chief knight reacted similarly.

“My goodness, is the Duke engaged in battle right now?” he asked in a shocked voice.

They could sense Duke Asili’s and the Emperor’s mana coming from the center of the academy.