“My father would never do such a thing… this must be someone’s false accusation. Could it be the Emperor…?”

Karon shook his head. He didn’t want to imagine such a worst-case scenario. What reason would the Emperor possibly have for doing this? Since morning, he had been confined to his room at the academy—treatment he’d never experienced before. He noticed the knights around him looking at him with contempt.

He could place his hand on his heart and swear to his innocence.

“Was this how my sister felt?”

The thought suddenly made his chest tighten. Even this brief experience was terrible, yet for Erin, this had been her daily reality.

As he sat there in despair, Count Leon appeared again, leading the Second Knight Order. The Count looked at Karon and spoke.

“Karon Liserth, by imperial decree, you are to be executed.”

* * *

Count Leon had always disliked Marquis Liserth. More precisely, he despised the absurd talent passed down through the Liserth family. It seemed unfair when he thought about it. Count Leon had spent decades striving to become a Sword Master, crossing countless life-and-death situations. That was how he had finally achieved his status.

Yet the Liserth family’s “sword’s blessing” wrapped everything up under the name of talent. He found this fundamentally unjust.

“It seems that ‘sword’s blessing’ no longer exists,” he thought, observing the bound Karon before him.

At a glance, the young man’s physique was certainly impressive. If he didn’t die here and continued to hone his swordsmanship, he could likely reach at least the level of a high-ranking knight. But this was the end of the line. With that thought, Count Leon drew his sword from its scabbard.

Despite kneeling before him facing death, Karon’s eyes remained bright and defiant.

“Insolent brat,” thought Leon. That irritating gaze was typical of someone from the Liserth family. But that gaze wouldn’t last much longer.

“By imperial decree, I will execute you.”

Count Leon raised his sword. Had Ferdin’s voice not called out at that moment, the blade would have fallen directly on Karon’s neck.

“Stop, Count Leon.”

Count Leon turned his gaze. Ferdin and his knights stood there, swords drawn. Seeing them, the Count tilted his head.

“Your Highness Prince Ferdin, what is the meaning of those swords?”

“Karon Liserth is my knight. Release him.”

“Your Highness, what you’re doing now is treason.”

“Treason, you say…”

Ferdin’s face contorted. His gaze never left Karon.

“You’ve done well until now.”

“…”

“If you had lived like you were dead, you could have at least preserved your life.”

At Count Leon’s words, Amon erupted in anger.

“Cut the b*llshit.”

“You insolent fool. I was going to spare your life out of respect for Duke Hedor.”

“Who asked for that? K*ll me if you want. Would you stay silent if your lord was being insulted?”

Hellix, standing beside Amon, silently nodded in agreement with his words.

“Do you truly wish to die, Amon Hedor?”

Looking at them, Count Leon felt perplexed. Since becoming a Sword Master, he had never faced such disrespect. Mana began to emanate from his body.

“How amusing. Are you trying to provoke me to buy time?”

Count Leon smiled.

“I’ve heard that Duke Asili is on his way here. But Your Highness, your knights won’t survive until then. Besides, he comes with the same purpose as mine. Do you think someone who maintains neutrality would refuse the imperial decree?”

“You talk too much, Count Leon.”

Count Leon’s face twisted. The moment Ferdin finished speaking, Hellix and Amon sprang into action.

* * *

“Go to the prison and tell Lady Erin this message.”

“Tell her Lord Karon is in danger. We’ll go ahead and hold them off, and we’ll be waiting for her.”

“Gather the knights from the beginner class.”

Derek was running. After hearing that Karon had been taken by Count Leon from his locked room, Ferdin had immediately assembled his knights. He then left Derek with only those instructions before disappearing with the others.

Derek couldn’t understand Ferdin’s words. The prison where Erin was confined was also under surveillance by Count Leon’s Second Knight Order.

Moreover, the cell bars were made of mana control stone—a prison impossible to escape from unless one was a Sword Master.

Bringing Erin to Ferdin from such a place seemed nearly impossible. Derek glanced to his side where students from the beginner class had joined him, their faces showing confusion about the situation.

He gave a hollow laugh looking at them. When he mentioned that Erin needed help, the beginner class students, led by Philip, had followed him without hesitation.

“If Erin needs our help, we’ll go without question.”

“That’s right. After all the sparring practice she gave us, we owe her that much.”

Derek closed his mouth with a troubled expression. Despite his warnings about the danger, they insisted that was all the more reason to go.

While he appreciated their sentiment, Derek remained deeply troubled. He found it difficult to believe that bringing these beginner knights and Erin would change anything. With Duke Asili not yet arrived at the academy, no one existed who could face Count Leon.

“If only Duke Asili were here…”

Then they could have bought time. But the Emperor had sent Count Leon to the academy first.

In the end, there was nothing they could do except follow their immediate orders. Anxiety settled in Derek’s chest. It felt like being slowly pushed toward a cliff in pitch darkness.

“Will Karon end up dead, and the lives of the rest of the knight candidates be endangered as well?”

Despite these thoughts, Derek kept running. There must be some reason Ferdin had asked for Erin to be brought.

He desperately hoped that Erin could somehow turn this situation around.

“Erin Liserth has disappeared!”

“Find her!”

He heard knights shouting as they searched for Erin. Derek stopped in his tracks, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Lord Derek.”

But soon after, Derek held his breath at the voice of someone who had appeared behind him. Erin stood there.

Derek tilted his head in confusion. The Erin he knew and the one standing before him now had completely different auras. Just standing in her presence, he felt intimidated.

And those cold eyes—was this really the same person who had been laughing and talking with the knights just recently? Was the person before him truly Erin?

He wasn’t the only one feeling strange. The beginner class students who had approached to speak with Erin had also stopped in their tracks, merely staring at her.

“E-Erin…”

“Huh… huh…”

Seeing Derek and the students struggling to breathe, Erin seemed to notice something and reduced her intimidating presence. Only then could Derek breathe comfortably again.

“Lady Erin, how did you…”

He wanted to ask her how she was there. What had happened to the Second Knight Order that was guarding her, and why was she standing before them covered in blood? What exactly had happened?

But Derek couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Take me to Lord Ferdin.”

At Erin’s words, Derek’s face hardened. She seemed to know what Ferdin had gone to do.

Derek spoke up.

“Ferdin has gone to confront Count Leon. He said he would buy time. He said he would protect Lord Karon until you arrived… but Lady Erin, I simply don’t understand.”

“…”

“Will anything change if you go there?”

Derek knew the situation was urgent. Though he was acting on Ferdin’s orders, his fear of the unknown future was great.

What difference would Erin’s presence make? He was afraid she might end up dead too. While Derek was willing to die to protect Ferdin, he didn’t believe Erin felt the same way.

“I’m not leading you to your death, am I?”

At his words, Erin looked into Derek’s eyes. She understood the anxiety reflected there. Even as he asked the question, he was likely despairing, clutching at straws when asking her—just as she herself had done in the past. Hoping for a miracle, clinging to the hope that things would improve…

Erin raised the sword in her hand. Actions would speak louder than words.