Erin leaped toward the tower. Winged monsters began pouring down on her from midair—the same creatures that had given even Duke Asili trouble. These were special monsters meticulously crafted by the Emperor, now rushing at Erin to protect their master.

A chilling murderous intent showered down as her shoulder was pierced by monster claws. Her leg suffered a critical wound that exposed bone. Despite these injuries, she managed to reach the Emperor.

He stared at her with a stunned expression. The monsters surrounding him like bodyguards rushed at Erin all at once, but they were sliced apart by her sword like paper.

Thump.

Her heart beat rapidly. Erin instinctively realized that this was the ending the goddess had wanted.

The Emperor shouted at Erin with a voice full of rage, “Do you think I’ll die alone? Even if I die, you won’t leave here alive!”

Erin responded with a faint smile. The Emperor glared at her, his face contorted. Though Erin had come within arm’s reach, he remained unconcerned.

While his monsters failing to stop her was certainly an unexpected variable, the Emperor knew she couldn’t kill him.

“If you kill me, a terrible curse will immediately fall upon everyone in this academy.”

“…”

“Then Ferdin and all those knights you’re so fond of will die.”

“No. Your curse won’t harm anyone.”

Erin spoke these words as she moved closer to the Emperor.

“Could it be…”

“That’s right. A Sword Master can create a shield with mana.”

To block his magic with a mana shield, she needed to be near him—which meant Erin would die in the process of creating the shield. Knowing this fact gave the Emperor confidence.

With a relaxed smile, he asked her, “If you do that, you won’t survive either, will you?”

“That’s not your concern.”

The Emperor couldn’t believe Erin’s words. Everyone valued their own life above all else. He thought she was just bluffing in this terrible situation.

“I see, is that so? Then I’ll change the curse. I’ll limit it to affect only you. Can you imagine how powerful that curse will be?”

The Emperor smiled viciously. “Your body will slowly rot away.”

“…”

“Being a Sword Master, you might endure for a while, but that’s it. The pain will be so excruciating that dying slowly will be torturous.”

“…”

“Looking at these monsters, you can see what a high-level mage I’ve become, can’t you?”

The Emperor burst into maniacal laughter.

“I’ve grown stronger by sacrificing thousands, tens of thousands of lives. Now I’ll use all that power to kill you!”

Erin knew the Emperor’s words were true. She could feel his mana surging.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m prepared.”

The Emperor snorted at Erin’s words. He knew the look in the eyes of those who desperately clung to life, the eyes of people begging him to spare them in their final moments. Erin’s eyes resembled theirs.

“Don’t lie. You want to live more than anyone.”

Erin didn’t respond to the Emperor’s words. In truth, he was right. She wanted to live more than anyone.

She was greedy. She wanted Ferdin and his knights to remain unharmed. And in that world where everyone was safe and sound, she wanted to be there too. She had dreamed of marrying Ferdin someday with everyone’s blessings, receiving the good wishes of all those she loved.

A tear rolled down Erin’s cheek. Yet her lips formed a smile. Finally, she raised her sword.

Seeing Erin’s action, the Emperor frowned and shouted, “So you’re making this foolish choice!”

At the moment of her regression, she had promised herself. She would protect Ferdin and others even at the cost of her own life. They had protected her life, and now it was time for her to sacrifice hers.

The people outside were precious to Erin. She couldn’t allow even one of them to be hurt. If she didn’t defeat the Emperor now, the monsters wouldn’t stop their sl*ughter.

The people who had believed in her. Those who still believed in her. And… the person she loved. She had to protect them all.

Various emotions swept through her heart. Erin’s face contorted, seemingly both smiling and crying. Ferdin’s smiling face appeared in her mind. Would she ever meet him again?

“In h*ll… atone for the people you’ve killed.”

With those words, she swung her sword.

* * *

Duke Asili stared blankly ahead. The other knights did the same. Erin’s physical ability as she climbed the tower transcended human limits. Duke Asili realized that she had surpassed even his level.

‘That’s why she could destroy the monsters created by the Emperor.’

Erin cut down without hesitation the monsters that had been difficult for him to handle. Duke Asili felt chills run down his spine.

He was filled with awe at the level Erin had achieved. In such a short time, she had grown even stronger.

Just as he realized this, the knights’ shouts reached his ears.

“The monsters are weakening!”

“Our swords are starting to work!”

“My God, what has Lady Erin accomplished?”

“A miracle! A miracle has happened!”

Duke Asili sliced through the neck of a monster blocking his path. The knights were right. The monsters that had overwhelmed them were now easily cut down. His face brightened.

Just then, one of the knights fighting the monsters shouted in an emotional voice, “Lady Erin must have defeated the black mage!”

The weakening of the monsters meant that the black mage connected to their minds had fallen.

Woooaaaaah!

The knights who realized this fact cheered loudly. Simultaneously, a massive barrier formed around the academy. The mages from the Magic Tower had finally completed the barrier. Alexis wiped his sweat-soaked forehead and approached Ferdin.

“Your Highness, we’ve completed the barrier.”

“…”

“Something seems strange.”

Alexis said this while looking toward the tower where Erin had disappeared, his face filled with incomprehension.

Though he had been focused on creating the barrier and couldn’t see clearly, he knew Erin had disappeared into the tower.

‘The black mage died and nothing happened? That’s impossible.’

Ferdin seemed to share the same thought, his face remaining rigid.

Alexis spoke to Ferdin, “Black mages are sinister beings. This can’t end so easily.”

“…”

“In the worst case, they’re the type to cast large-scale deadly curses before they go. This silence is rather concerning.”

Ferdin nodded at Alexis’s words. He too felt something ominous. He didn’t think everything would be resolved so simply. He knew his father well; the man was extremely meticulous.

Such a person wouldn’t have failed to prepare contingencies. Ferdin’s gaze remained fixed on the tower where Erin had gone.

That’s when Ferdin’s vision suddenly inverted. He staggered and clutched his head as a piercing headache followed. Suddenly, Erin appeared in his sight.

“Lady Erin? Are you alright? What’s happening…”

Ferdin approached Erin and reached out to her. But his hand passed through her without making contact. He looked at her with a bewildered expression, but Erin seemed unaware of his presence.

Ferdin’s face twisted in anguish. Soon, blood began dripping from Erin’s nose. Her body started trembling. Moments later, her fingertips turned black.

Instantly, Ferdin recognized what these symptoms meant. He recalled words his mother had occasionally shared with him—seemingly casual remarks that now came flooding back.

“Ferdin, a black mage’s curse is terrible. Sometimes, the curses they cast with their lives at stake are even more painful.”

What Erin was suffering from… was a horrific curse cast by his father.

Ahhh!

A scream like that of a wounded beast echoed. Erin’s body slowly collapsed.

Ferdin clenched his fist tightly. He tried to approach Erin and embrace her, but once again, he couldn’t reach her. Another headache began.

At that moment, Ferdin remembered the promise he had made with the goddess, his promise asking her to make Erin happy. It was a memory from the past he had forgotten until now. His eyes lowered, filled with anger.

‘Goddess, this is different from our promise.’

His vision inverted again. Ferdin realized he had returned to reality. He grabbed Alexis’s arm and spoke in a resolute tone, “Please use spatial teleportation magic to that tower.”

Alexis shook his head at Ferdin’s request.

“The mana is unstable. We can’t be certain of the black mage’s condition either. I cannot send Your Highness to such a dangerous place…”

Alexis couldn’t finish his sentence. Ferdin’s face had hardened to a frightening degree.