Isis rarely left the western region.

However, after receiving a letter from the Princess recently, he had no choice but to head straight to Atenz Academy.

[Ferdin is in danger.]

The brief but urgent message had Isis trembling with anxiety throughout his journey to the academy.

That wasn’t all.

Throughout his journey from the west to the academy, strange rumors reached his ears.

“They say Erin Liserth actually gained her strength through black magic.”

“I heard Marquis Liserth secretly fled. He must have feared His Majesty’s wrath.”

Isis tried to dismiss these as baseless rumors without giving them much thought, but the persistent whispers only amplified his unease.

‘Has something happened to Lady Erin? But the Princess said Prince Ferdin was in danger…’

Arriving at the academy with an anxious heart, Isis couldn’t help but look puzzled when he saw the Princess smiling at him by the main entrance.

He had departed so hastily that he hadn’t even sent a reply, yet she was here to greet him?

Before he could ask about it, Isis found himself led to the infirmary by the Princess.

“Princess, did you deceive me?”

Isis looked at the Princess.

She simply stood beside Ferdin with her lips tightly sealed.

Why on earth had the Princess sent him such a letter?

“His Highness doesn’t appear to be in danger…”

Ferdin had wounds all over his body from battle, but his condition didn’t look serious. Isis sighed.

Ferdin was watching the two of them with curiosity.

‘The Princess wouldn’t have summoned Isis without reason.’

Noticing Ferdin’s gaze, the Princess opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.

After hesitating briefly, she told Isis about everything they had experienced.

“Those devils should rot in h*ll. To pin such a terrible false accusation! Our Lady Erin could never be that kind of person.”

Our Lady Erin?

Ferdin looked at Isis strangely. He couldn’t understand what had happened in the west that made Isis refer to Erin as “our Lady Erin.”

“I completely agree.”

The Princess nodded repeatedly at Isis’s words.

She looked back and forth between Ferdin and Isis before addressing Isis.

“Isis, please hold my hand.”

Isis narrowed his eyes at the Princess’s sudden request.

“How disgusting, why would I…”

“Really, you haven’t changed a bit since childhood…”

“…”

“It’s just in case, so please just hold it.”

The Princess clicked her tongue as she spoke.

Reluctantly, Isis took her hand.

The Princess gripped his hand tightly and turned toward Ferdin.

“Ferdin, how far would you go for Lady Erin…?”

“…”

“Could you make the same choice as you did in the past?”

Ferdin realized the Princess was making a prophecy, just as she had done recently.

His face hardened terribly.

Looking at the Princess, Ferdin was reminded of his mother.

His mother, like the Princess, often made prophecies. And each time, her health deteriorated.

Unable to bear watching this, whenever Ferdin tried to stop her from prophesying, his mother always said the same thing.

“Ferdin, a Saint’s life doesn’t belong to her alone.”

“Sometimes you must give up certain things to protect what’s precious.”

Ferdin clenched his fist.

If that was the case, what was the Princess trying to protect with her current prophecy?

“Princess, you’ll die if you keep this up.”

At his words, the Princess gave a faint smile.

“This is my choice, Ferdin Lexia. Just as you made yours, I’ve made mine.”

The Princess continued.

“Ferdin Lexia, you will die.”

It was a calm declaration.

“What are you saying?”

While Ferdin, the subject of the prophecy, remained composed, Isis, who was holding the Princess’s hand, shouted in anger.

But when the Princess suddenly staggered, Isis’s body began to tremble.

He had finally realized the meaning behind the Princess’s words.

Isis muttered with a shocked expression.

“No, that can’t be. It’s impossible. The previous Saint said… we would be happy…”

The previous Saint had always prophesied that they would be happy.

But now the Princess was making the opposite prophecy. At least, that’s how he saw it.

How could they be happy without Ferdin?

“Prophecies aren’t absolute.”

“…”

“The future can change for many reasons. It might change due to the goddess’s whim, or because a Saint like me has spoken of it.”

“…”

“Or it might change because of someone who has returned from forgotten time.”

After saying this, the Princess staggered toward Ferdin.

“Ferdin Lexia, in the past, you chose to leave. This time it’s the Liserth mansion. What will you choose?”

“My choice is connected to her, isn’t it?”

The Princess nodded.

“What happens if I don’t go to the Liserth mansion?”

After a brief pause, she answered Ferdin’s question.

“Marquis Liserth will die.”

“…”

“Ferdin, the goddess has only shown me this one path.”

Ferdin recalled seeing Erin that morning.

She had begged him never to leave her alone.

It was clear that his past choice had caused Erin pain.

Ferdin wasn’t afraid of death. What worried him were the people who would grieve after his death.

If he were to die, the sorrow Erin would feel. That sorrow weighed heavily on his heart.

“Everything depends on your choice.”

“…”

“Marquis Liserth is seeking the goddess’s help.”

“…”

“If you choose to leave, go with the First Knight Order. And make sure… to take Isis with you.”

“Then will His Highness’s life not be in danger?”

The Princess didn’t answer Isis’s question.

She simply looked at Ferdin with a tired face.

Isis realized that her silence meant denial. Despair spread across his face.

* * *

Late in the evening, Erin was heading to the infirmary to see Ferdin. Her conversation with Duke Asili had made her quite late.

‘I want to see him.’

It was strange.

She always wanted to see him, but now she wanted to see him even more. Perhaps because she wouldn’t be able to see him for a while once she left for the Imperial Palace.

With that thought, Erin quickened her pace.

Just as she entered the building where the infirmary was located, she ran into Karon.

Erin was surprised to see him awake earlier than expected and approached him happily. But as soon as he saw her, Karon began to stammer.

“Sword… no, Sister…”

Erin realized he had learned everything.

He would have found out soon anyway, but…

She muttered with an awkward expression.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Karon’s expression grew complex at her words.

“No, I don’t know what happened, but you must have had your reasons for not telling me.”

“Karon…”

“It’s actually fortunate. Thanks to you being a Sword Master, all the misunderstandings have been cleared up. Are you okay? I heard you faced Count Leon.”

“I paid him back for all the trouble he caused you.”

He smiled brightly at her playful remark. Karon patted Erin’s shoulder and said:

“Thank you.”

After parting with Karon, Erin continued on her way with an excited feeling.

That feeling reached its peak when she arrived at the infirmary.

She knocked softly and said:

“Lord Ferdin, may I come in?”

Ferdin’s voice came from inside, telling her to enter.

Opening the infirmary door, Erin was surprised.

Isis, who should have been at the western temple, was sitting next to Ferdin.

But what was even more surprising was the redness around his eyes.

“What happened? Why is Isis here all the way from the west?”

At her question, Isis smiled faintly and answered.

“I had some business at the academy, so I stopped by.”

After looking at Erin and Ferdin briefly, he excused himself to go see Hellix.

“Lady Erin, I heard from the Princess. You had a duel with the Duke?”

“Yes. The Duke gave me a chance to prove my innocence.”

Erin sat down in a chair as she spoke. A gentle smile appeared on Ferdin’s face.

She loved his smile.

Whenever he smiled at her, an indescribable happiness washed over her.

“Duke Asili asked me to go to the Imperial Palace with him.”

“He wants you to gain His Majesty’s recognition.”

“I suppose that’s necessary to fully protect the Duke’s family.”

Ferdin, who had been looking at Erin, spoke up. He wanted to share the news she had been waiting for.

“I received a letter from Lilia recently. Lady Erin, she asked me to send her regards to you.”

“…”

“She said she’s doing very well with Bahan and that she misses you. She mentioned she hasn’t written to you directly yet because she still feels too sorry.”

“She doesn’t need to feel so apologetic…”

“She’s strict with herself. It’s probably because she’s so grateful to you.”

“…”

“And… she couldn’t stop praising Bahan’s genius-level mana detection ability. The Tower Master wants to take him as a disciple.”

Erin’s face brightened.

Whenever she heard news about people whose fates she had changed, her heart fluttered with the thought that she could continue to change the future.