“You want me to listen? Is that your request?”

Duke Asili asked with a puzzled expression.

“I can grant you anything within my power. Yet all you want is for me to listen?”

“……”

“I could give you a rare sword difficult to obtain in the Empire, or even territory. If you desire a title, I could request that from His Majesty as well.”

Erin shook her head.

None of these things mattered to her.

“No. Rather than those things, I want you to listen to what I have to say first, and then grant me a different favor.”

* * *

While Erin was engaged in combat practice, Princess Asili returned to the infirmary.

The princess coughed violently and staggered to a chair.

Though she had pretended to be fine in front of the Duke and Erin, her physical condition was terrible.

She had lost too much energy using her holy power after making consecutive prophecies.

“Haa, haa.”

She looked at her hand. Blood stained the palm that had covered her mouth.

“D*mn it.”

The princess muttered the curse quietly while gazing at Ferdin’s sleeping face.

“You’re incredible, Ferdin Lexia. Not for nothing are you the son of the previous Saint…”

She closed her eyes and thought of the previous Saint.

The princess admired the strong spirit hidden behind the former Saint’s fragile smile.

‘Could I ever become like you?’

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Until now, she hadn’t realized how frightening it was to know truths that others didn’t.

Though she had once wanted to know the truth… it was terrifying.

She feared death. The princess wanted to live more than anyone.

“How did you do it?”

How could someone summon the resolve to sacrifice their life for others?

Both the previous Saint and Ferdin.

How could they have given their lives for those they loved?

Lately, the princess had begun dreaming whenever she slept.

Dreams featuring the previous Saint. She recalled the dream she had experienced.

The Emperor’s gleaming eyes looking at the Saint. And the malice contained within them.

“He is a demon.”

In the room, the previous Saint was talking to herself. The princess, immersed in the dream, could see the Saint’s figure.

She knew the Saint had left those words for her.

Telling the future to the living carries great risk. But speaking to oneself required no payment.

“The Emperor was always wicked, but now he has become an irredeemable demon.”

“Countless humans will die because of his actions.”

“God will show you the terrible future he will create.”

The vision flipped, and the princess saw it.

The frontlines against monsters collapsing, humans screaming.

Both citizens of the Empire and people of the Holy Kingdom. All would fall into despair.

If the future flowed unchanged, many innocent lives would perish.

“I’m hungry, please save me.”

“Mom, Dad…”

She saw children who had lost their parents.

“My child, open your eyes. Please.”

She saw parents who had lost their children.

People screaming.

Streets filled with nothing but crying.

The princess turned her gaze.

She saw Count Leon. He was leading the knights, k*lling citizens.

“Those who don’t qualify to live in the coming new world should not be spared! Children who cannot work, the elderly who cannot move. K*ll all who are of no use to the country!”

And the Emperor, smiling at them. The princess realized that he was controlling these monsters.

Then she heard the Emperor muttering as he watched the Empire fall into despair.

“I am God.”

This was what had happened to the Empire after Erin’s death.

‘Oh Goddess…’

The “new world” the Emperor wanted to create meant one where the weak and obsolete disappeared, leaving only those strong and useful by his standards.

‘That’s not the end. They used forbidden methods.’

The princess recalled why the Emperor and his subordinates could control monsters.

Seeking to become a god, the Emperor used black magic to transform humans into monsters and controlled the unconscious minds embedded within them.

Black magic was the power of an evil god from the distant past.

Using such black magic always came with a price. The Emperor paid that price with the lives of others.

‘He must have conducted mass sl*ughter to continuously use that magic.’

As long as they ruled the Empire, its future would clearly remain unchanged.

That was the conclusion given by the Goddess who governed all worlds. And the princess agreed with the Goddess’s thoughts.

Just then, someone flung open the infirmary door.

The princess quickly wiped the blood from her hand on the back of her waist before anyone could see.

“Princess?”

The one who called her in a subdued voice was Karon. He seemed to have come straight here after regaining consciousness, not even wearing shoes.

He slowly entered the infirmary with a dazed expression.

“Ferdin… is Lord Ferdin alright?”

Seeing Ferdin lying on the bed with closed eyes, his legs wobbled, losing strength.

“Ferdin is fine, Lord Karon.”

“I… how am I even alive?”

Karon muttered with a blank face, unable to understand the situation.

The last scene in his memory was Count Leon swinging his sword with terrifying momentum.

“Yes, Count Leon… he clearly tried to kill me…”

“……”

“We… my father and sister were falsely accused. The Liserth family never used black magic.”

“I know.”

Karon’s eyes wavered at the princess’s response. He urgently questioned her.

“Then did Count Leon withdraw after learning of our innocence?”

The princess shook her head.

“No. I heard he still tried to kill you even after learning all the facts.”

“Why would… the Count…”

“And then he was killed by Lady Erin.”

“What?”

Karon momentarily doubted his ears.

“You’ll find out anyway, so I’ll tell you. Lady Erin is a Sword Master.”

Hearing this unbelievable statement, he stared at the princess with his mouth open.

Karon was so shocked that he collapsed into a nearby chair.

“My sister… she first held a sword only after coming to the academy… even if she was chosen by the sword, how is that… possible…”

His words were disjointed. He was so stunned he couldn’t finish his sentences properly.

The princess could understand his feelings. Even she, who knew little about swordsmanship, was surprised, so Karon’s bewilderment was inevitable.

But if he learned how Erin had grown stronger, he would immediately understand why she had reached the level of Sword Master.

“Stop sitting there and let’s go meet Isis.”

“Isis…? Isn’t he the priest from the western temple?”

“Yes. He’ll be arriving here soon.”

“Why would the western priest come all this way…? And how do you know he’s coming, Princess?”

“Shh, knowing too much can hurt you.”

The princess said this as she rose from her seat. Then, suddenly remembering something, she paused.

She opened the drawer beside the bed and handed Karon a letter.

“Come to think of it, I can probably greet Isis by myself. Lord Karon, could you deliver this letter to Lady Lilia?”

* * *

Duke Asili headed to his office with Erin.

As soon as she sat down, Erin hastened to the main point.

“My father is not the one who used black magic.”

Duke Asili responded with an expressionless face, showing this was nothing new to him.

“I think so too, Lady Erin. Marquis Liserth and I have known each other for a long time.”

“……”

“I believe the discovery of traces of black magic in the marquis’s  basement was someone’s plot.”

At those words, Erin smiled slightly.

“That’s right. The one who orchestrated that plot is my stepmother, Corelia Liserth.”

“Corelia Liserth…?”

At Erin’s words, Duke Asili recalled Corelia whom he had seen recently.

He remembered feeling unsettled by the intense murderous intent emanating from the Marchioness, who had clearly never held a sword before.

“Are you aware of the frequent disappearances occurring in the west?”

“The west? No. I wasn’t aware.”

“The Marchioness was involved in those disappearances.”

Erin told him everything she had seen in the west, including who was there, without omission.

The more he listened to her story, the more anger clouded Duke Asili’s face.

Unconsciously, he gripped the armrest of his chair with force. It instantly broke.

“How dare they… commit such acts against living people. They can’t even be called human.”

“……”

“I believe you. You have no reason to lie to me. But there’s something that puzzles me.”

“Please speak.”

“Why would Corelia Liserth do such things?”

Erin kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t speak freely about that matter yet.

Especially not to Duke Asili, a knight of the Emperor.

“I cannot tell you about that yet. My request is something else, Duke.”

Erin spoke while looking straight into his eyes. In that moment, Duke Asili witnessed the intense fury swirling in her eyes.

“When all the truth comes to light, please don’t interfere with what I intend to do.”

The Duke remained silent for a moment.

How foolish were those who had incurred her wrath. He couldn’t imagine how much stronger this knight, who had fought him to a draw, might become.

The Duke didn’t know what had angered her or what she intended to do to them.

But he knew he needed to answer her request with utmost caution.

After staring at Erin intently for a long while, the Duke spoke.

“Very well. I made a promise, so I have no choice.”

He made his promise to Erin and added in a firm tone.

“But before that, there’s something you must do.”

“What is it?”

“You must come with me to the Imperial Palace and be recognized as a Sword Master.”

Erin frowned at his words, looking troubled.

“That’s the only way to fully protect the Liserth family. His Majesty is not known for his patience, so we must move immediately.”

“……”

“If you don’t prove your innocence, His Majesty’s knights might receive orders to execute the Marquis’s family members at any moment.”

“……”

“They might even punish the servants of the Marquis’s mansion for deliberately concealing matters related to black magic. Lady Erin, we must hurry.”

The Duke frowned, appearing to have a headache. With the Emperor’s temperament, all of this was possible.

“But my father is in danger.”

At Erin’s words, his body froze.

“Indeed… it was Corelia Liserth who claimed Marquis Liserth had fled.”

“My father is likely still at the mansion.”

Erin was certain. When Ditrion tried to persuade her while she was imprisoned, what he said was likely true.

Hearing Erin’s words, Duke Asili fell into thought.

It was an urgent situation where the Emperor might act at any moment. Perhaps the Third Knight Order, dispatched for investigation, was already moving.

If Marquis Liserth was truly imprisoned in the mansion, his life was in danger.

If possible, the best approach would be for the Marquis to rescue his friend while Erin went to the Imperial Palace to prove the Marquis’s family’s innocence.

‘But I can’t send Lady Erin to the Imperial Palace alone.’

He was the strongest witness to prove Erin’s innocence. There was one more reason.

‘His Majesty seems to be acting even more strangely lately, which worries me.’

Duke Asili was considering the worst possible scenario.

While he followed the Emperor’s orders, he did not trust him.

‘His Majesty might do something rash out of anger over Count Leon’s death.’

The neutral faction was already growing stronger, and now one of the two Sword Masters who balanced power with him had died… it was obvious the Emperor would be more wary of the Marquis.

Duke Asili knew well that the Emperor disliked him.

Since he was already in disfavor, if the Emperor became angry, he needed to protect Erin from harm.

She was a worthy opponent he had found after a long time.

Duke Asili didn’t want her to choose an even more dangerous path on her own.

So he proposed the most viable alternative.

“If you come with me to the Imperial Palace, I’ll send the First Knight Order to the Liserth mansion.”

“Will that be enough?”

Duke Asili understood what Erin meant by “enough.” She was concerned about their abilities.

If other knights heard this, they would have been outraged.

To worry about the skills of the First Knight Order, composed of some of the strongest warriors in the Empire.

But Duke Asili understood Erin. By her standards, their abilities might indeed be concerning.

“Though we don’t know the level of our enemies, they should be able to escape from a Sword Master, even if they can’t kill one.”

After considering his words briefly, Erin nodded.

But she had an ominous feeling. A sense that she might regret this choice at some point.