Isis shook his head with effort. If Erin truly was “that person,” he needed to tell her to leave him behind all the more. Even if it meant his death here, she needed to survive. Only then could she save not just Ferdin but also the people of the Holy Kingdom.

A wry smile crossed his lips. “Come to think of it, the Saint told Hellix we would recognize her, but she never said we wouldn’t doubt her.”

Just as Isis was lost in these thoughts, Hellix called out, “Look at this!”

He hurried toward them, his face deathly pale, and set down several objects with trembling hands. Isis’s reaction upon seeing these items mirrored Hellix’s own.

“Don’t these seem somewhat familiar, Isis?”

“These are mana stones created with black magic. Why would they be here…?”

“Isis, read this too.”

Hellix handed over a worn journal. Though torn in places and stained with blood, the cover bore the word “Journal” in neat handwriting. As Isis slowly read through it, his face contorted.

“People who abandoned their humanity.”

“…”

“This cannot be happening. It just cannot…”

He seemed to be falling into panic. The journal slipped from his hands and dropped to the floor. Erin picked it up and opened it, sensing that the reason for her coming to the west might be found within these pages.

She began turning the pages.

[My mind grows hazy. I don’t know how many days have passed. Writing in this journal, given to me by one of the mages who studies us with what seemed like pity, is all I can do now.]

[Should I be grateful just to write in this diary? At least I still maintain my sanity. But Hansen, who was beside me, lost his mind not long ago. He had no talent with the sword but wanted to become a knight more than anyone. I remember the sword he wielded. I remember him saying he wanted to join the knights in the capital someday. I remember him saying he took up the sword to protect others. How did we end up in this situation?]

Just from this journal and the traces of research left in the basement, it was clear what had happened here. Isis spoke in a somber tone.

“Experiments were conducted here.”

“…”

“Someone experimented with black magic on people. It used to happen frequently in ancient times. They needed strong knights to face the monsters.”

“…”

“With black magic, even ordinary people could instantly gain physical abilities equal to monsters, becoming stronger with ease.”

“…”

Hellix continued where Isis left off. “But after the severe side effects of black magic were discovered, the temple forbade its use. Someone carried out those forbidden practices here.”

As they explained, Erin continued reading the rest of the journal.

[I spend more time unconscious than conscious now. I want to escape this damned hell. I’m not afraid of dying. Everyone here gave the same answer. But this is not where we’re meant to die. We didn’t take up the sword to meet our end in such a place. I always thought if I died, it would be on the battlefield. I imagined dying in a fierce and honorable duel. I wanted to die as a knight, not a mercenary, protecting someone… Why am I in a place like this?]

Erin’s eyes grew bloodshot. The same was true for Hellix, who read alongside her. The journal had not been written by just one person.

[I want to go home.]

[I want to practice swordsmanship.]

[I told Linzi I would return. Will I ever see her again?]

[I’m sorry, Mother. I never became a knight after all.]

[Will anyone ever read these words?]

With each page turned, the hastily scrawled short entries increased.

[I am not a beast. But they won’t give me the medicine unless I cooperate. Without it, I lose my sanity for longer periods.]

[Sword, I want to hold a sword.]

[I miss my mother.]

[I can’t remember my family’s faces. Who was I originally?]

The journal’s writer changed with each passing day. Finally, the last page:

[I wanted… to die as a knight.]

Erin silently set down the journal.

BOOM!

At that moment, a tremendous sound echoed from the iron door. They truly had no time left.

She looked at Isis and asked, “These side effects… they refer to mana going berserk, correct?”

“Yes. As mana goes berserk, the physical form begins to change, and gradually… one becomes a monster without intelligence or emotion.”

“…”

“The monsters outside are likely the people who wrote this journal.”

Isis looked like he might vomit as he spoke these words. “They are all like us—no, they were once human.”

BOOM!

Hellix couldn’t hide his devastation either. “Half a year ago, I began investigating strange disappearances in the western region under Prince Ferdin’s orders.”

“…”

“Many mercenaries and physically strong individuals who had vanished over the past few years…”

“…”

“They were brought here.”

Silence fell over the basement. Isis turned to Erin and said, “It’s tragic, but we can do nothing. There’s no way to save them.”

He was right. There was nothing they could do. Simply escaping with their lives would be fortunate enough. Erin understood this well.

Yet the final sentence she had read in the journal wouldn’t leave her mind: “I wanted… to die as a knight.”

She felt a connection to them. She too had once wanted to wield a sword but ultimately couldn’t fulfill her dream before her life ended.

Erin stared at the journal. If she hadn’t come here, what happened to these people would have remained buried forever. No one would have remembered them.

They would have been remembered only as the monsters that destroyed the west. That’s how even Erin had remembered them until now.

She covered her mouth with her hand. Had they known their bodies, trained to protect others, would be used to harm the people of the west?

Erin didn’t know what kind of people had been at the orphanage or what lives they had led. But she did know what kind of people aspired to become knights.

She gripped her sword tightly. Seeing this, Isis continued speaking.

“There’s nothing we can do, Lady Erin. This is… this is the way of nature. Those people are already dead.”

“…”

“They’re just empty shells being exploited. We can’t help them. We can’t turn back time.”

Erin understood everything Isis was saying. He was right. There was nothing they could do for those who were already dead. As he said, even in death, these people were being used by others.

Erin turned to Isis and said, “I have one request.”

* * *

“How annoying.”

This was why Charlotte despised Erin Liserth. Those unwavering eyes irritated her. Even without the Emperor’s or Corelia’s orders, she would have hated Erin.

The iron door to the basement Erin had entered was specially crafted to prevent interference with black magic research. Breaking it down by force would take time, but that would only be a moment’s delay.

“I’ll kill you right away.”

Charlotte felt no concern as she watched the monsters move according to her gestures. Since the monsters were originally knights, she believed that even if Erin had reached the level of Sword Master, she would have her limits.

“Sacrificing yourself to save the western vermin. I suppose trash understands trash.”

BOOM! BOOM!

With a thunderous sound, the firmly locked door opened. Charlotte smiled with satisfaction. She could see Erin standing right in front of the doorway, with Isis and Hellix beside her, making no attempt to flee.

Charlotte’s task was clear. Just as she was about to command the monsters to dispose of everyone in the room, Erin slowly walked forward to face the monsters.

Charlotte was so surprised by Erin’s actions that she simply watched the scene unfold.

Erin stepped forward and bowed her head deeply. The gesture resembled what knights did before a duel. Then Isis, standing beside her, spoke.

“The sacred duel begins.”

‘What are they doing…?’

Charlotte couldn’t understand the meaning behind their actions. These people who should be running for their lives were stepping forward to engage in a duel.