“Come at me.”

Hellix had no intention of abandoning either Erin or Isis. As long as he drew breath, he wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on them.

“I despise hypocritical humans like you.”

“…”

“And those eyes of yours—I loathe them to the point of disgust!”

Hellix charged at Charlotte, but his sword never reached her. The fight was entirely one-sided. Charlotte’s monster-transformed arms were sharper than any blade. Blood streamed from Hellix’s arm where she had pierced it, yet he refused to stop.

His leg was slashed. Then his back, and his stomach. Still, Hellix wouldn’t fall. He felt his mind growing numb, unable to form coherent thoughts.

Simple sensations overwhelmed him: ‘It hurts. I want to rest.’ His consciousness grew hazy as his thoughts became fragmented.

‘No, if I stop now…’

If he lost consciousness, Erin would die. Despite his determination, Hellix felt himself slipping away. In that moment, memories of the previous Saint before her death flooded his mind.

As a child, Hellix had once asked her, “Saint, I don’t understand what it means to protect someone.”

“…”

“Why do you sacrifice so much for others?”

“…”

“Why do good people always lose?”

Hellix couldn’t comprehend the reality of the Saint dying, or the oppression faced by the people of the western region. In his eyes, no one was kinder than the Saint. She lived for others rather than herself.

Why did good people always die early? It wasn’t just the Saint. The holy knights he knew also met early ends. When they died, people spoke of noble sacrifices—great individuals who died protecting others, insisting their lives weren’t wasted.

Hellix couldn’t understand. Had they lived, they could have protected and saved many more people. The Saint had smiled faintly at his words and replied, “Hellix, someday you’ll understand. And when that time comes…”

The Saint had been right. Now Hellix finally understood what it meant to sacrifice oneself to protect another. Sometimes, you discover something more valuable than your own life.

“Now die, you worm.”

Time seemed to slow for Hellix. At that moment, he realized his abilities had reached a new level. His sword blocked Charlotte’s attack.

CLANG!

A clear sound rang out—too pure to be merely a sword meeting an arm.

“How dare a worthless holy knight like you block my attack?”

Charlotte’s face twisted horribly. Humans transformed into monsters were powerful, and she had further enhanced her physical abilities with the abundant mana of a mage. Normally, only a Sword Master could face such an opponent. Yet Hellix had managed to block her.

Charlotte soon smiled, however, realizing that Hellix’s condition was so poor it was a miracle he remained standing. She believed his successful block was merely luck. After parrying her blow, Hellix had frozen in place. Charlotte realized he had lost consciousness while still standing.

‘What disgusting willpower.’

But that was the extent of it. He would die by her hand now. Charlotte truly hated people like Hellix. Sacrificing oneself to protect others? Was it that “will” that kept him standing even while unconscious?

‘What does it matter? He couldn’t protect anyone anyway.’

The only certainty was that Hellix would soon die—and so would Erin Liserth. With this thought, Charlotte reached for his throat. But before her hand could touch him, it was severed.

* * *

Hellix’s resistance had meaning. Had he not blocked Charlotte’s strike, he would have died instantly, and Erin would never have opened her eyes. But his defense bought crucial time.

Just as Charlotte was about to attack Hellix, Erin awoke. Immediately grasping the situation, she swiftly swung her sword at Charlotte.

“Erin Liserth!”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in disbelief at Erin’s attack. Her surprise lasted only a moment. She assumed Erin had inflicted a serious wound on her arm because she saw her as a monster. After all, killing a human was fundamentally different from killing a monster.

Charlotte glanced at her arm. She could see it slowly regenerating—and Erin was watching this too.

“How did you wake up?”

At Charlotte’s question, Erin scanned her appearance and immediately recognized the monster before her as Charlotte.

“Did you do this to Hellix and Isis? Charlotte.”

Instead of answering, Charlotte assessed Erin’s condition. Having collapsed once already, Erin didn’t look well. Moreover, Charlotte had excellent hostages at her feet. She believed this wasn’t a hopeless fight.

Besides, her opponent was Erin Liserth—a Sword Master who, until recently, couldn’t kill even a single insect. A human who had cried all day when her beloved cat was killed. Charlotte didn’t consider even the slightest possibility that Erin could kill her.

Perhaps due to consuming the mana stone, she felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of fighting a Sword Master. She thought she might even defeat Erin in her current state.

‘It’s surprising she killed so many monsters, but that’s where it ends.’

Erin had always prioritized others and obediently followed Corelia’s orders. No matter how severely injured she became during their fight, Charlotte believed Erin would never be able to kill her opponent.

“What if I did? What will you do about it?”

“Did you deceive Lilia too?”

“And if I did? Will you kill me?”

“…”

“Killing a person is completely different from facing monsters. Even someone you hate—you’ll hesitate.”

Erin didn’t respond to her words. Instead, she continued questioning.

“Was it you who turned the people here into monsters and controlled them?”

“Yes, that’s right. The research here was truly fascinating. If not for you, I could have created many more over a longer period.”

Charlotte looked at Erin, finding her pathetic as she swayed, barely able to stand. Her breathing was rough and labored. Charlotte examined her arm, now completely regenerated. Erin must have noticed this too.

‘To kill me, she’d need to cut off my head in one strike, but someone like Erin who’s never killed a person couldn’t possibly do that.’

While Erin might block some attacks and defend herself for a while, if she couldn’t kill Charlotte, victory would ultimately belong to Charlotte. Just as she was relaxing and preparing to attack, Erin asked her an unexpected question.

“Have you never felt any guilt?”

* * *

Erin often wondered if the people behind all this had ever felt remorse. In truth, Erin regretted every moment—her choices and the tragic outcomes they led to. Only after living through three lifetimes could she properly face what had happened to her.

Why did these things happen to me? Perhaps those people had their reasons? She had always wanted to ask: Charlotte, have you ever regretted anything? Did you never feel guilty about deceiving Lilia and aiding Corelia’s evil deeds?

“Why should I feel guilty?”

“Truly, you’ve never felt sorry even once?”

“Never. The people here were from the western region who weren’t properly treated as humans anyway, and they had no talent with the sword.”

“…”

“Even if they had become knights, they would have lived insignificant lives like worms.”

“Worms?”

“Yes, just like Calips.”

At Charlotte’s words, Erin froze.

“Calips?”

Charlotte laughed with genuine amusement. No matter how much she changed, Erin Liserth was still Erin Liserth—the stupid girl who only shed tears when Corelia said harsh things to her. Just look at her now, asking foolish questions.

Am I not sorry? Would she forgive me if I said I was?

The very question proved she hadn’t changed.