At the same time Erin was meeting with Duke Asili, Ditrion was heading toward the imperial palace. The high-ranking knight beside him asked, “Your Highness, shouldn’t we witness Karon Liserth’s final moments before leaving?”

“Count Leon will handle it. Everything should be finished before Duke Asili arrives.”

The order to kill Karon had come from Ditrion himself. The Emperor had shown no interest in Karon’s fate, dismissing him with gleaming eyes as “Do whatever you want with that defective piece.”

Originally, Ditrion hadn’t been particularly interested in Karon either. He had merely pretended the execution order came from the Emperor because he was curious about Erin’s reaction.

“Aren’t you curious, Sir?” he asked.

“Pardon?”

“Erin told me she would come find me, so I should wait for her.”

“She’s still imprisoned. She won’t be able to leave.”

“Exactly. It’s quite amusing that she would say such a thing when she lacks the ability to escape,” Ditrion smirked.

“I wonder what will happen when she hears about her younger brother while spending time in prison? I would have liked to see that.”

Hearing these words, the knight silently clicked his tongue. Though this was his lord, the man was surprisingly cruel. Somehow, the knight felt sorry for Erin Liserth, whom he barely knew.

“Do I seem like a demon to you?”

The unexpected question nearly startled the knight, but he managed to maintain his expressionless face. Ditrion grinned at him knowingly. The knight deliberately looked up at the sky, trying to erase the chilling sensation.

* * *

In the distant past, Erin had admired Duke Asili. She remembered how the knights looked at him whenever he visited the Duke’s mansion—gazing at him like he was larger than anyone else in the world.

The great Ronald Asili, idol of all knights. One of Erin’s small childhood wishes was to learn swordsmanship and someday earn his recognition.

Erin knew that Duke Asili was being considerate toward her. Her gaze shifted to the First Order knights—the finest knights in the Empire, led by the greatest swordsman himself, Duke Asili.

They had been meticulously selected as the Empire’s elite. The Duke was giving her the opportunity to prove her innocence before them, ensuring no further rumors would circulate about her.

Duke Asili asked Erin directly, “Why did you kill Count Leon?”

“He tried to kill my brother.”

“Even knowing you were a Sword Master?”

“Yes.”

“He deserved it, then.”

“…”

“But I’m in a similar position. My imperial order is to kill you.”

“I see.”

Duke Asili’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“You seem more composed than I expected.”

“I’ve decided to stop being afraid of things I haven’t done.”

The Duke asked something he’d been curious about all along.

“You’re quite fascinating. Do you remember? We met when you were young. You didn’t give me this impression back then.”

“Much time has passed since then.”

“Time, indeed…”

After being lost in thought for a moment, Duke Asili asked, “Did you really only start learning swordsmanship after coming to the academy?”

“No, I’ve been honing my swordsmanship for much longer than you think.”

The Duke tilted his head, puzzled. “I see… One last question before our duel. During that monster subjugation, was it you who eliminated the monster horde?”

Erin remained silent for a moment. She could see the knights waiting for her answer, some with faces full of disbelief.

She suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu—she had received these same looks when she first came to Atenz Academy.

Under their scrutiny, Erin held her head high and gripped her sword, then answered confidently, “Yes. I eliminated the monster horde.”

* * *

The First Order knights watched the confrontation between the Duke and Erin with clenched fists. The chief knight’s eyes burned with intensity.

However, upon hearing Erin’s next words, the knights couldn’t help but feel angry toward her.

“Duke, I have a request.”

“…”

“If I fight evenly with you or win our duel, please grant me a wish.”

“That’s an interesting proposal.”

“…”

“Very well. I accept your terms.”

Fight evenly with Duke Asili or win?

Even if she truly had reached the level of Sword Master, such words were unspeakable before the Empire’s greatest knight.

“How dare she say such a thing,” muttered one knight.

The chief knight responded in a low voice, “It’s not the time for such comments. Knights speak through their skills. If Lady Erin demonstrates sufficient ability, we have no right to criticize her.”

“…”

“We cannot judge skill by age.”

The knights fell silent at the chief knight’s words, giving him a sense of satisfaction.

‘That might have sounded cool,’ he thought.

His efforts to emulate Duke Asili’s usual demeanor had paid off. But he quickly resumed his solemn expression and focused on what was happening before him—the duel between Duke Asili and Erin had begun.

“Is she really a Sword Master?”

“I can’t believe it.”

“At her age, I couldn’t even perform proper swordsmanship.”

The First Order knights muttered amongst themselves. A brilliant aura shone clearly from Erin’s sword. Duke Asili followed suit, infusing his sword with mana.

Honestly, the chief knight couldn’t properly track how the duel was progressing. All he could see was the deep smile forming on Duke Asili’s face—everything else was a blur.

“Even Count Leon wasn’t at this level…”

“Remarkable.”

The other knights were equally bewildered. The two combatants moved at speeds too fast to follow with the n*ked eye, then would suddenly slow down dramatically. Sometimes Erin would be pushed back, other times Duke Asili would be on the defensive.

When she struck the Duke’s chin with astonishing speed, the watching knights were collectively shocked. Duke Asili didn’t yield either—his sword bent strangely as it sliced along Erin’s arm. 

The chief knight’s face turned pale, remembering when that same sword had been directed at him.

As time passed, the chief knight realized that Erin Liserth’s request to the Duke might actually be fulfilled.

* * *

The Duke looked down at Erin. She was the first to collapse from exhaustion, but this wasn’t a matter of skill. Her physical stamina was simply too weak compared to her level of mastery.

She could have forced her body to move using mana, but there was no need to go that far in a friendly duel. So they had stopped, with the Duke genuinely impressed.

He felt a thrill run through his entire body as he gazed at her. “What remarkable… talent. This is…”

“…”

“No, no. This can’t be described as talent. It’s strange, Lady Erin. Every time our swords cross, I get an odd feeling.”

“…”

“You fight like someone who has wielded a sword for at least several decades…”

Erin kept her mouth shut because his words weren’t exactly wrong. The Duke closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the afterglow of their duel.

Erin was the first to break the silence. “Have I proven that I don’t use black magic?”

“I never believed that anyway. One cannot become a Sword Master through black magic.”

“…”

“Those fools who spread such rumors simply didn’t know you were a Sword Master, so they pinned that false charge on you.”

At the Duke’s words, the chief knight quietly murmured, “Imperial slander…”

The Duke sheathed his sword and then, suddenly remembering something, looked at Erin and said, “Don’t worry about the Count Leon incident. Given the circumstances, even the Emperor won’t be able to impose a severe punishment.”

Even if that weren’t the case, the Duke had no intention of letting Erin come to harm.

“Besides, you’re a Sword Master. With Count Leon gone, the Empire wouldn’t persecute a new Sword Master who could strengthen our forces.”

“…”

“You just need to go to the imperial palace and receive formal recognition.”

Erin looked at Duke Asili thoughtfully. He was a man who had lived his entire life pursuing the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Moreover, he was the Emperor’s knight.

Though he maintained a neutral stance, he fundamentally followed the Emperor’s orders. There was a reason she had asked him to grant her request before their duel.

“I fought you as an equal, so please listen to my request.”