Erin opened her eyes.

‘Where am I?’

For a moment, she couldn’t recognize where she was. But soon she realized it was a familiar place.

It was her room within Atenz Academy.

‘I feel constricted.’

Her entire body felt heavy. She felt something pressing down on her. Sure enough, when she turned her head, she saw Karon sleeping soundly beside her.

He was holding her hand tightly. Karon’s face looked completely exhausted.

‘How many days have passed?’

Erin lifted her hand. She saw it was tightly wrapped in bandages.

And her body?

Her clothes had already been completely changed. Who could have changed them?

The fact that someone had changed her clothes meant that someone had seen the wounds still remaining on various parts of her body.

They were wounds she didn’t want others to see. Erin unconsciously tightened her grip.

At that moment, Karon’s eyes flew open. He stared at Erin, who was awake, seemingly unable to believe it. Then, appearing to come to his senses, Karon shouted.

“You… you really…”

“…”

“You nearly died… Do you have any sense at all? How strong do you think you are to try sacrificing yourself alone? Does it make any sense to face a monster horde by yourself?”

Her head hurt.

As she moved her heavy body to hold her forehead, she could see Karon fidgeting anxiously.

Why was he shouting if he was going to act like that? Thinking this, she checked Karon’s right arm. Then she carefully caressed his arm.

She could feel Karon looking at her with a surprised expression. Erin looked at his arm and murmured softly.

“I’m so relieved.”

However, Karon seemed to interpret her words differently, his face turning bright red. Tears also seemed to briefly well up in his eyes. Erin looked at Karon with a puzzled expression.

‘Must be my imagination.’

To Erin who was staring at him, Karon shouted angrily.

“So… why did you do something that could have killed you!”

“…”

“Next time, never, ever do that again. If you think you might die, just run away alone! Understand? Fortunately, you don’t have any major injuries, but you really could have…”

After fuming for a while, Karon looked down at Erin’s hand.

Unlike before when it was infinitely smooth and beautiful, he saw a hand that had become rough and covered in scars.

He looked upset for a moment before continuing.

“You wake up when Ferdin Lexia isn’t here.”

At Karon’s words, Erin tilted her head slightly. Seeing this, Karon sighed softly and continued.

“That guy was so annoying, coming here every day while you were asleep.”

“Stop joking.”

Erin shook her head dismissively. She clearly didn’t believe Karon’s words.

‘Well, it’s none of my business.’

Karon thought this as he gazed at Erin. Then, seemingly remembering something, he spoke up.

“Still, it’s fortunate.”

“Fortunate?”

At Erin’s puzzled tone, Karon took her hand with a relieved expression and carefully caressed it for a while.

“Sir Raymon said he’ll come.”

“Raymon…”

“Yes, Sir Raymon. You know, that knight who often played with us when we were young. The knight Father cherishes. Mother must have been worried after hearing about this incident. Sir Raymon will be your escort for a while. Then there won’t be any more incidents like this.”

“…”

“The academy has also given permission due to the special circumstances. So why are you doing things that make Mother worry, you fool?”

Erin responded with “I see” and gave a small smile.

Karon felt reassured seeing her face.

Indeed, Erin likes Sir Raymon too. Even though she disliked most people in the Duke’s castle from before, she trusted and followed only him.

With Sir Raymon, he would protect Erin well so she wouldn’t have to try so hard.

Thinking this, Karon’s face brightened.

“You always liked Sir Raymon too. You wouldn’t speak to other people, but strangely, you followed only him well.”

At Karon’s words, Erin recalled Raymon.

Raymon. An unforgettable name.

* * *

Raymon was someone her past self had greatly relied on. He was also the knight who always came to comfort her after the Duchess’s discipline sessions ended.

As Karon said, Erin had liked him very much. In the Duke’s castle where she thought no one was on her side, only he stood by Erin.

The gentle hand that stroked her head, that face that smiled at her.

In the hellish Duke’s castle, Raymon was like a sanctuary for her.

Until her death, she believed Raymon was on her side.

“You believed that?”

“Raymon… why are you…”

“It was just amusing. A young lady who acted like she would give up her liver and gallbladder just because someone was a little nice to her.”

She truly believed it until he plunged his sword into her neck while saying those words.

Erin touched her neck, thinking of that time. The sensation of the sword piercing her neck was still vivid.

Though she had experienced death multiple times, none was as intense as the memory of her first death.

That momentary instant when her breath stopped from being stabbed by something sharp was truly painful.

More than her neck, the knife lodged in her heart hurt Erin more.

As Karon said, it was fortunate. This time, it was her turn to plunge a sword into his neck.

* * *

Ferdin was sitting in the central hall, same as always.

His dazzling blonde hair looked unusually dull today. The dark circles under his eyes were also unlike the usual Ferdin.

It wasn’t the appearance of the prince who was always impeccable.

Derek stood beside him, looking at Ferdin helplessly.

They were waiting for the knights’ council meeting to organize reports for the Imperial Palace after the monster subjugation.

So many incidents had occurred during this monster subjugation that they could no longer postpone the meeting.

Originally, they should have submitted a report to the Imperial Family immediately upon returning from the monster subjugation.

Derek was extremely anxious, knowing what Ferdin would suffer if such an important matter kept being delayed.

‘The Emperor will surely make a fuss.’

He fiddled with the teacup in front of him, thinking somewhat impure thoughts.

He couldn’t imagine what the Emperor would make them do this time, using the delayed report as an excuse.

‘Why are you acting differently than usual, Ferdin?’

Ferdin was not unaware of the Emperor’s personality. That’s why he did his best not to provoke the Emperor.

He was already perfect, but he tried even harder not to show any weakness.

But lately, Ferdin had been strange. More precisely, he had become strange after meeting Erin Liserth.

‘Even just being kind to Erin Liserth is enough for the Emperor to find fault.’

Derek thought this as he looked at Ferdin with concern.

What the Emperor would say was also too obvious.

He would say, ‘Since you only watched and couldn’t stop the villainy of your beloved fiancée, you deserve punishment.’

Or he might find fault with them for not abandoning Erin and retreating during the monster subjugation.

‘Not fleeing and abandoning Erin Liserth when a monster horde appeared. Don’t you know that Princess Asili is more important than such a villainess?’

Derek shuddered at the voice that automatically came to mind without even hearing it.

Of course, the Emperor didn’t actually care about Princess Asili. He would obviously say such things just to hold Ferdin responsible.

And the Emperor would certainly demand that he complete an unreasonable mission under the pretext of punishment.

While insisting that it was the way to purify Ferdin’s filth.

‘He might order him to capture a drake from the southern mountains, or to capture a werewolf alive.’

Derek gritted his teeth at the Emperor’s unfairness in treating Ditrion and Ferdin differently.

Derek sighed deeply. It was fortunate that Ferdin had maintained enough sanity not to miss the meeting time.

But seeing how absent-minded he was even now, his condition didn’t look particularly good.

“Ferdin, everyone seems to have arrived.”

Derek’s words interrupted Ferdin’s thoughts. He nodded and straightened his posture.

Someone was approaching the central hall. Seeing that person, Derek exclaimed.

“Amon Hedor?”

Amon was entering the central hall. Derek couldn’t help but be genuinely surprised.

That Amon Hedor, the epitome of laziness, arrived earlier than the scheduled time!

In response to Derek’s reaction, Amon frowned and snapped at him.

“Don’t make a fuss over nothing.”

After returning from the monster subjugation, Amon had become quite diligent.

It was a change that surprised the other Swordsmanship Department students. But that wasn’t all.

Amon had moved to Edward’s class. That is, he had moved to the beginner class, the same as Erin Liserth.

It was truly hard to believe.