“This must be a dream. Otherwise, there’s no way Ferdin would hold me like this and kiss my forehead.”

Erin tightened her lips at this thought. Such happiness couldn’t possibly happen to her in reality.

Yet despite knowing this… she didn’t need tomorrow. She only wished this moment could last forever.

Erin slowly reached out toward Ferdin. Just before her hand touched him, he whispered to her.

“Erin… wake up.”

Erin opened her eyes.

She curled up, feeling empty. The warmth of Ferdin who had embraced her so tenderly in her dream was nothing but an illusion.

Erin was alone in her dormitory room at the academy. No, not completely alone—judging by the presence she sensed outside.

‘How typical of Ditrion. Everything he does is utterly despicable.’

Suddenly remembering herself crying in the dream, she touched her face. It felt wet with tears.

Erin carelessly wiped her face. The mana signature outside belonged to Roham, Ditrion’s knight whom she had met earlier today.

Ditrion didn’t know her true capabilities. He probably suspected she possessed remarkable talent after being chosen by the sword. But he would never imagine she had reached Sword Master level. That’s why he sent Roham, a high-ranking knight.

Erin’s eyes gleamed dangerously in the darkness.

* * *

Roham moved stealthily. He quietly opened the door. Once inside, he looked at the small mound on Erin’s bed.

‘Don’t blame me.’

He swallowed nervously, feeling slightly guilty. He knew what he was about to do would be terrible for Erin. Roham recalled Ditrion’s words to him.

“Cut off Erin Liserth’s hair. Or just leave a big scar on her face. The more hideous, the better.”

Erin would surely attend the upcoming banquet. Disfiguring her face and cutting her hair?

‘Damn it, but it’s better than dying, right?’

With this thought, he approached Erin’s bed.

Such humiliation—couldn’t she endure it briefly? She had lived her whole life being insulted by others anyway.

Suffering another humiliation at the party wouldn’t be such a big deal for her. But for him, it was a matter of life and death. Despite these rationalizations, Roham’s heart felt heavy.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why he had fallen so low. Roham carefully pulled back Erin’s blanket. But there was nothing there.

Confused, he looked around.

Why wasn’t Erin here? He felt cold sweat running down his back.

“Damn it! Where did she go?”

“Why did you come looking for me?”

At that voice, Roham turned around. He lost his words at the sight before him.

‘Erin Liserth…?’

Where had she appeared from? More importantly, how long had she been behind him? He hadn’t noticed Erin standing behind him at all.

It was strange. How could he, a high-ranking knight, fail to detect the presence of a beginner-level student? Was that even possible?

But it was indeed Erin who had appeared behind him. Roham’s face hardened. Erin Liserth didn’t seem surprised to see him. She just stared at him intently.

But that was all. Her entire body seemed full of openings. This put Roham somewhat at ease.

“Lady Erin… His Highness Ditrion asked me to deliver a message to you.”

Roham said this while slowly approaching her.

* * *

Ditrion greeted the morning with a peaceful mood. He was drinking tea on a terrace with a clear view of the Swordsmanship Department’s training grounds entrance.

Ferdin sat across from him. He had deliberately called Ferdin early to show him this amusing situation. Ferdin was looking at Ditrion with eyes full of distrust.

Ditrion casually sipped his tea, though he found it curious that Roham hadn’t shown up yet, despite expecting him to come first thing in the morning.

However, Roham could never disobey his orders. If he didn’t follow his lord’s will, he wouldn’t receive his suppressant.

Regardless of when Roham would arrive, Erin Liserth would be in a terrible state by now.

‘This time, I’ll surely see despair in her eyes.’

As he thought this, Ditrion paused with his teacup halfway to his lips. For some reason, he felt uneasy.

He looked at Ferdin sitting across from him. Ferdin seemed to be searching for something, showing no interest in him.

Ferdin probably had no idea what was about to happen. This thought made Ditrion feel slightly better about his earlier uneasiness.

“What exactly are we doing here?”

“Well, occasionally seeing each other’s faces isn’t so bad. Besides, being with you means I might see your fiancée too.”

“You haven’t done anything to her, have you?”

Unnecessarily perceptive, that one. But today, Ditrion welcomed that sharpness.

“How could I? Who would dare touch the daughter of Marquis Liserth?”

Ditrion deliberately shrugged his shoulders playfully.

That’s when it happened.

Ferdin sighed with relief. Simultaneously, surprise filled Ditrion’s eyes. With an incredulous expression, he stared at someone heading toward the training grounds.

Erin Liserth.

She stood before them, completely unharmed. Erin turned her gaze to Ditrion. She could see him looking at her with a shocked expression. Ignoring this, she bowed to Ferdin. Receiving her greeting, Ferdin bowed his head in return.

Ditrion’s face hardened at the sight of them, but Erin ignored him like he didn’t exist.

‘By now, he must be desperate to know why nothing happened.’

Erin glanced down at her hand. With an expressionless face, she clenched her fist tightly. Perhaps she applied too much force—she felt blood trickling down and a tingling sensation.

Erin had to use all her patience to suppress the rising murderous intent. Last night, the uninvited guest who sneaked into her dormitory died by her hand. Thanks to that, Erin discovered one crucial fact.

Who was behind everything she had endured until now.

* * *

When Roham entered her room, Erin had no intention of killing him. Using him to pressure Ditrion would be more efficient than killing him.

Erin only meant to subdue him. Even if Roham rushed at her, she was confident she could easily restrain him.

A strike to the back of his neck would make him lose consciousness without even knowing why.

“Someone with a message comes at such a secretive hour. It would have been better if you had come after daybreak.”

“That’s…”

Roham’s face hardened. He had no explanation for that.

‘If I fail, I die.’

That was the only thought in Roham’s mind. Ditrion would not forgive his failure.

If he didn’t bring back Erin’s hair, he might be disposed of. This shortened his thinking. Moving like a possessed person, Roham drew his sword and rushed at Erin.

If he was going to be punished anyway, he would rather complete Ditrion’s mission and die with dignity.

His sword cut cleanly through the air, so normally he should have been holding a clump of Erin’s hair. But what he felt instead was a strong impact at the back of his head.

Unfortunately or fortunately, he didn’t fall, but he felt his consciousness fading. Roham soon realized what was happening. His mana was going berserk.

Today, Ditrion had withheld the necessary amount of suppressant, claiming it was punishment. But that alone wouldn’t be enough to make him go berserk, only to torment him.

What Roham overlooked was his physical condition.

Continuous use of suppressants had been steadily destroying Roham’s body. So the berserk state came faster than he had anticipated.

But thinking about what went wrong was pointless now that the rampage had already begun.

“D-damn it…”

Roham turned his head to look at Erin.

He couldn’t fathom how or when Erin Liserth had moved behind him.

Only one thing was certain. She would soon be torn to pieces by him.

After killing this powerless knight-in-training, he would go outside and kill many more aspiring knights in the academy.