But he couldn’t do it.

It was clear that Erin had reasons for not revealing the whole truth.

Ferdin’s hands trembled slightly as they held her shoulders. He felt overwhelmed by the unbearable truths that suddenly weighed on him.

* * *

Lilia and Amon were imprisoned in the werewolf dungeon.

She stared at the iron bars blocking her way with irritation.

Unlike her, who had no injuries, Amon was covered in wounds from apparently resisting during their capture.

Though he looked terribly disheveled, his eyes still shone brightly. Amon looked at Lilia and said:

“You really can’t use any magic? These werewolves are impressive. Where did they get mana control stones?”

“Those creatures are obsessed with mages… But I think we’ve caused trouble for Ferdin. What should we do? Can we get out of here?”

“Ferdin… he probably escaped, right?”

Amon muttered anxiously.

Count Leon likely wouldn’t send reinforcements.

He had suspected something was wrong when the Count, who hated being late, wasn’t in werewolf territory.

They never anticipated being captured by werewolves…

What worried him most now was Ferdin trying to rescue them.

Amon hoped he wouldn’t come here.

If that happened, he could imagine what fate awaited Lilia and himself.

But he thought that would be better than causing trouble for Ferdin.

Though they spent time together casually at the academy, he had decided to serve Ferdin as his lord after graduation.

As a knight-in-training, taking his own life would be better than harming his lord. Amon’s eyes hardened with resolve.

If the worst happened… he would die with honor. That was his determination.

* * *

“Damn it!”

Just as Amon was berating himself and pounding the ground with his fist,

“Erin Liserth?”

Lilia’s voice sounded somewhat weak.

Amon jerked his head up at her words.

He was about to shout that Erin couldn’t possibly be here when he saw her standing before them and fell silent.

Erin wasn’t the only one entering the underground prison. Ferdin appeared behind her, carrying an unfamiliar child in his arms.

Amon was dumbfounded by the appearance of people he never wanted to see here.

Why on earth were they here? Had they also been captured by werewolves?

What would happen now? And who was that child?

Images flashed through Amon’s mind: Ferdin taken hostage, the Emperor smiling wickedly at the sight.

In such a scenario, no one might die, but Second Prince Ferdin’s standing would be buried.

Lilia must have been thinking of the worst-case scenario too, as her face had turned deathly pale.

But there were no werewolves escorting Erin and Ferdin.

Amon asked Erin, “Erin, how… did you get in here?”

But neither Erin nor Ferdin answered.

Looking at them, Amon decided to think positively.

Perhaps they hadn’t been captured but had come to rescue him and Lilia.

However, he quickly realized how absurd that thought was and let out a hollow laugh.

They were inside a werewolf prison. He had seen how many werewolves guarded the entrance when he was brought here.

By common sense, it would be impossible for them to eliminate all threats and reach this place.

Amon cried out in despair, “Damn it, just move already! This cursed mana control stone!”

He shook the bars furiously, but the sturdy bars made of mana control stone didn’t budge.

“Why did you come here? Ferdin, you should have escaped! Have you forgotten that your life is more important than ours?”

“…”

“And Erin, why are you here too? How do you two plan to rescue us?”

Amon felt rage building to the top of his head.

It was anger at himself for foolishly becoming a hostage and causing trouble for Ferdin. Erin met his gaze as he shouted.

In that moment, Amon felt something strange. Erin’s demeanor changed instantly.

She approached the iron bars with what looked like newfound determination. Then she drew the sword from her waist.

What is she trying to do? Lilia wondered blankly as she watched Erin.

Erin’s sword wouldn’t even scratch the mana control stone.

Even if she hadn’t learned swordsmanship formally, she must have been taught such basic knowledge in the Duke’s household.

Watching her, Lilia spoke incredulously:

“Erin Liserth, this is mana control stone. You know that, right?”

“…”

“Don’t do anything stupid! You could die trying to forcibly break mana control stone.”

Amon agreed with Lilia’s words. He muttered with a pale face, “That’s right, Erin. Instead of doing that, go outside and… surrender to the werewolves.”

He understood her feelings, but he didn’t want her to get hurt because of a momentary emotional decision.

But what happened next left Amon and Lilia frozen.

Before they could shout anything, Erin raised her sword and sliced through the prison bars made of mana control stone.

The bars split cleanly, as though they had been pre-cut.

Realizing what this meant, Lilia and Amon gaped. After a moment, Lilia muttered in disbelief:

“This is insane…”

Amon rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.

Ferdin and the child also stared blankly at Erin, speechless.

Cutting through mana control stone with a sword? Something unimaginable had just happened.

“How did you…?”

Mana control stone was an extremely hard metal.

Only 6th circle magic or a Sword Master could cut through it.

For such a stone to be easily sliced by Erin’s sword…

Lilia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, her mind felt numb, unable to process thoughts properly.

Lilia muttered, “Is this even possible?”

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

The easily cut mana control stone. And Erin Liserth standing there with a calm face, as if she’d done something perfectly normal.

It meant only one thing.

Erin Liserth was a Sword Master.

She had achieved the glorious state that every knight aspired to reach.

Lilia’s fingernails dug into the ground.

‘A murderer like her is a Sword Master?’

There were many knights who understood honor, but not all of them became Sword Masters.

To reach a level that some couldn’t achieve in a lifetime, at such a young age? Wasn’t that too unfair?

Lilia felt suffocated. She… had wanted to kill Erin Liserth someday.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had lived for that purpose.

After Calips died, life had been hell for her.

Lilia had resolved to live again only after discovering her magical talent.

She wanted to become a great mage and gain enough power to kill the Marquis Liserth’s daughter someday.

But if Erin Liserth was a Sword Master, Lilia’s life goal had essentially crumbled.

“That’s impossible… How can someone that young achieve that? A Sword Master? That’s absurd!”

Amon grabbed Lilia’s shoulders as she cried out in despair.

“Lilia…”

She turned to look at Ferdin and asked:

“Ferdin… did you… know Erin Liserth was a Sword Master? Is that why you’ve been protecting her all this time… How could you?”

Lilia’s hands trembled. She glared at Erin with bloodshot eyes.

The past years of crying herself to sleep every night, missing Calips, flashed through her mind.

During that long time, Lilia had suffered terribly.

Not her body, but her heart… had hurt too much. Even knowing she couldn’t see him, she couldn’t bear how much she missed Calips.

After he died… Lilia waited for her brother who never returned to their shared hut, not knowing what had happened.

“Why isn’t my brother coming back… I miss him.”

She learned about her brother’s death when a maid from the Marquis’s mansion came to find her.

A maid named Charlotte burst into tears and told her that Calips’s death was entirely Erin Liserth’s fault.

Then she handed Lilia a small pouch, calling it consolation money from the Marchioness.

Calips’s life was worth only a few gold coins.