Erin was right. Though he didn’t understand what was happening, this was no time to stand idle.

Even as he assessed the situation, Erin sliced through a mid-level monster’s neck in one swift motion. She then stabbed the monster’s neck several more times to ensure it was dead.

Watching her, Amon recalled the first time he killed a monster.

Taking a life felt dirtier than he had expected. Even though his first kill had been a monster, he had struggled emotionally for quite some time.

But Erin showed no hesitation whatsoever. She moved with the confidence of an experienced, seasoned knight.

Amon had vaguely heard rumors that Erin Liserth had exterminated a group of monsters on her way back to the academy.

He could now see for himself that those rumors everyone had dismissed as false were actually true.

“Princess, get on my back.”

Meanwhile, Erin ran to the princess without hesitation and spoke. Hearing this, Amon frowned.

“I’ll carry her.”

Amon was concerned about Erin’s back. The scene from earlier still hadn’t left his mind.

Erin Liserth, wounded while saving him when his eyes were closed.

And those inexplicable, healing scars kept flashing before his eyes.

Feeling complicated emotions that he couldn’t quite describe, Amon carried Princess Asili on his back.

The princess seemed to have struggled just standing during their brief duel, as she breathed shallowly behind Amon’s back.

The subjugation team wasn’t far from here.

Amon thought that if they ran quickly, they might be able to rejoin the team before encountering the monster horde.

But after walking just a few steps, he realized what a grave misconception that was.

With each step they took, monsters surrounded them. The sheer number of creatures was intimidating.

‘Can we make it back?’

Amon gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

Supporting the princess with one hand while killing monsters with the other was quite challenging even for him.

The psychological pressure increased as the monsters kept coming endlessly.

Though Erin dispatched the creatures with impressive swordsmanship, it was hard to guarantee how long they could keep this up.

Humans had limited stamina. Unless one was a Sword Master who could surpass human limitations by enveloping their body with mana, they would eventually tire.

‘What should I do?’

On his back was the princess, and before him stood only one apprentice knight covered in wounds.

But that thought was interrupted by a low-level monster that suddenly appeared from his right.

The creature that sprang out attempted to pierce between his eyes.

No way to dodge. Thinking this, Amon instinctively twisted his body. He moved to ensure the princess wouldn’t be hurt even if he fell.

That’s when it happened. Erin, who had been dealing with another monster, leaped out with unbelievable speed and struck down the low-level monster.

Despite the sudden situation, her connected movements were remarkably clean. Amon couldn’t take his eyes off her fluid motion.

“Let’s take shelter over there for a moment.”

Covered in monster blood, Erin spoke to him. She pointed to a small cave visible nearby.

* * *

Erin skillfully created a barricade outside the cave.

She didn’t know how long it would hold. But they didn’t need to stay long anyway.

All she needed was a brief moment to restore her strength.

Erin winced at the pain she felt on her back.

Having to hide her power to appear as just a “moderate genius” was annoying.

She had to get injured even in situations where she shouldn’t have been hurt at all.

But reading and immediately countering a mid-level monster’s surprise attack in that sudden situation wasn’t something a moderate genius could do.

So Erin had reluctantly exposed her back to the monster.

‘Why has the timing of the monster horde’s appearance… been moved up?’

What could be the reason? Because she changed the past?

Reken, who should have lost an arm, was fine, and the Swordsmanship Department students who should have hated the villainess were getting along well with her.

Could that be the reason?

Though the changing future was frightening, this current situation might actually be fortunate.

Erin thought this while looking at the princess lying weakly in one corner of the cave.

Originally, she had planned to defeat the monsters alone before the horde attacked.

Since someone wanted to kill the princess during this subjugation, staying with the team was dangerous.

In the past, this was discovered by mages investigating after the princess’s death.

They surmised that the monsters attacking the subjugation team had been controlled by an extremely powerful mage.

Otherwise, they couldn’t understand the monsters’ sudden abnormal behavior.

The monster horde that attacked the subjugation team had specifically pursued only Erin and the princess. It was unmistakably clear who they were targeting.

That’s why even now, Erin couldn’t return to the subjugation team.

Already powerful monsters became even more difficult to deal with when controlled by someone and moving in an organized manner.

Moreover, she currently couldn’t reveal her full power in front of others.

But if she kept pretending to be naive, someone else would surely die or get hurt.

So Erin decided it would be better to leave the subjugation team and act alone.

It was somewhat crude, but there was no more definitive solution.

Besides, Karon was also in the subjugation team. Erin feared the future unfolding as predetermined.

She didn’t want to leave even the slightest possibility of Karon losing his right arm.

Seeing her brother’s despairing face was something she’d experienced enough in the past.

“Erin Liserth.”

Erin turned her head at the voice calling her. Amon was looking at her with a complicated expression.

He hesitated briefly before approaching her.

It had grown dark, forcing them to rely solely on moonlight to distinguish each other.

But paradoxically, it was only at that moment that Erin could properly see Amon.

The man who usually wore a scowling expression was looking at her with a very serious face.

Erin wasn’t particularly interested in others’ appearances, but she could now understand why he was considered one of the most handsome men at Atenz Academy.

Despite his foul temperament, Amon was famous at the academy for his sculpture-like looks.

He was a man with a sturdy body and sharp features that suited it.

She recalled someone at the academy saying they liked how he delivered cutting remarks with that face.

Though Erin found it an incomprehensible preference, she somewhat understood what they felt.

He tied his black hair into a single ponytail as if annoyed by it and spoke to her.

“Are your wounds okay?”

Erin was so surprised by the unexpected question that she was at a loss for words. It was something she never imagined hearing from Amon Hedor.

He searched through his uniform pocket and pulled something out. The small bottle from his pocket contained medicine.

“I always carry this with me. It will ease the pain.”

This wasn’t like Amon at all. In her previous life, he hadn’t even tried to have a proper conversation with her until the moment of his death.

It felt strange hearing words of concern instead of hateful remarks.

Erin silently reached for the medicine bottle in his hand.

But Amon didn’t hand it to her. He shook his head with a stern face.

“How exactly do you plan to apply it? I’ll do it for you, turn around.”

“Um, but…”

“What, afraid I’ll eat you or something?”

Perhaps her feeling that Amon had changed was just an illusion.

His face looked as grumpy as usual. Well, that was probably for the best.

Thinking about it, Amon was equally prickly to everyone. Recalling this fact, Erin felt a strange sensation.

Could it be that in the past, he had acted that way because he was concerned about her?

‘No way.’

With that thought, Erin immediately turned her back to him.

Contrary to her expectation of rough handling, Amon’s touch as he applied the medicine was careful.

After applying the medicine silently for a while, Amon’s breathing became slightly ragged.

Simultaneously, she felt his fingertips trembling as he applied the medicine.

Amon spoke in a subdued voice.

“The scars on your back… who did this to you?”

“…”

“Who would do this to someone from House Liserth…”

Only then did Erin recall the marks on her back.

Surprisingly, she had half-forgotten about the wounds that still hadn’t disappeared from her body.

In the past, she had insisted on wearing only high-necked dresses to hide them. She deliberately chose clothes with long sleeves and even wore gloves just in case.

But memories dulled by several lifetimes were enough to make her forget such things.

Right after realizing she had returned to the past, she had checked the bruises on her legs, but soon erased them from her memory.

In truth, she didn’t want to think about them anymore. After all, they weren’t created from good memories. But that intentional forgetting had created an awkward situation.

Erin slowly turned around. When she faced Amon, she was at a loss for words.

Through several lifetimes, she had always thought that Ferdin and his knights were truly good people.

They were capable of sympathizing even with the most wicked villainess. They surely believed she had killed Calips, yet they made such expressions.

Seeing his face contorted as though feeling her pain, Erin’s expression also twisted.

“Does Duke Liserth know?”

“…”

“Answer me, Erin Liserth.”