However, Erin surprisingly accepted Amon’s proposal easily. Actually, sparring with him wasn’t difficult. Amon was on the verge of becoming a Master, and with just a little help, he might become one immediately.

That evening, Erin mentioned this during dinner with Ferdin.

“Amon said he wants to invite as many people as possible.”

“Many people?”

“He said he wants to spar with me and throw a party. He wants to invite everyone from the knight order, along with their families and Duke Asili too.”

Ferdin nodded.

“It has been hard to see everyone for a long time, so I think it’s good…”

He thought of his friend Amon.

“I don’t know what Amon is thinking.”

Ferdin was worried about his friend Amon.

Erin’s power only grew stronger with each passing day. Even Duke Asili now found it burdensome to face Erin. She was currently experiencing the loneliness of having no worthy opponents that Duke Asili had felt before Erin appeared.

The Masters of the continent looked at Erin with reverent eyes, saying there was always a sky above the sky.

Being such an Erin, she was undoubtedly too difficult an opponent for Amon to handle.

* * *

Eventually, the day of Erin and Amon’s sparring match dawned. Erin looked at her sword, which she had taken out after a long time, with precious eyes.

When Erin said she was getting married, this was the sword Marquis Liserth had given her as a gift. He had presented the sword to Erin, saying he had done too little for his daughter.

It was a treasured sword among treasured swords, with an enormous budget invested in it.

“Lady Erin, it’s been so long.”

Erin smiled brightly while looking at Princess Asili who was speaking to her. Behind Princess Asili were Tower Master Alexis and his disciple Lilia. Besides them, people who had walked difficult paths together had gathered.

Those who had been ordinary academy students had all become people who controlled the Empire over time.

Amon stood next to Princess Asili with a flushed face. Derek could be seen shuddering in disgust at his unfamiliar appearance. It was the familiar sight of the knight order.

Their friendly appearance made Erin feel warmth in her chest. The future she had once dreamed of was now unfolding before her eyes.

Among them, the one watching with the most expectant face was Duke Asili. Though he looked somewhat displeased at Amon sticking close to the Princess, undeniable interest was evident on his face.

Erin could tell that he had noticed the level Amon was about to reach. That’s why he had made time despite being busy to come watch the sparring match.

Eventually, Ferdin stepped forward in front of the people. He slowly opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Then we shall begin this sacred duel watched over by the goddess.”

When his words ended, Erin raised her sword.

Suddenly, she recalled something from not long after her regression.

There had been a similar incident then too.

‘Amon had picked a fight with me.’

In their first sparring match, Erin had easily defeated Amon. It had been the same afterward too. Actually, the result wouldn’t be much different this time either.

But Erin felt something different somehow. It wasn’t just because Amon’s face looked resolute when facing her.

This felt more like the stories that had begun after she opened her eyes were coming to an end.

Amon was the first to start. She could see him charging fiercely.

Clang!

The sound of sword meeting sword rang out as Erin blocked Amon’s first attack without difficulty. Erin’s eyes sparkled.

Clang!

This attack was the same. Duke Asili, who was watching, nodded with satisfaction.

“Amon Hedor… Excellent.”

Amon looked like he was struggling just to block Erin’s sword.

But that alone was enough.

Erin was truly the Empire’s greatest Sword Master, and there were few knights who could block her sword even once. Just the fact that he had blocked Erin’s sword several times made Amon a fine knight.

Several more exchanges followed. The longer Erin’s sparring with Amon continued, the more she felt a strange emotion. Though Amon was desperately trying to block her sword, that alone made Erin happy.

‘I picked up the sword for this moment.’

Erin had first taken up the sword to protect someone. And the people she had protected with her sword were here now. The sight of people looking happy. Her sword had protected all of this. So now she could focus purely on displaying swordsmanship with a comfortable heart.

Meanwhile, Amon too had confidence.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had saved his ultimate technique until this very moment for Erin. From the first moment he felt a wall when facing Erin, Amon had begun making bone-cutting efforts. To achieve his goal of defeating Erin.

Mana bloomed from his sword. It was clear evidence that he had reached the level of Sword Master.

A sword containing hundreds of hours of training shot out. However, such a sword from Amon didn’t work on Erin at all.

“Erin…?”

Amon muttered blankly.

He couldn’t protect his sword. Rather, he dropped his sword from a strike Erin had unconsciously swung. People just stared at Erin’s sword with dazed faces. 

The sparring match had ended before they knew it.

Duke Asili raised his finger toward the people. At his gesture to be quiet, people left their seats one by one. After confirming that people had left, Duke Asili looked back at Amon.

“So, did you see the level?”

“Yes, I became a Sword Master. But Lady Erin is still strong.”

Awe appeared on Amon’s face. He had thought he could catch up to Erin someday. No matter how high the sky above the sky, he thought he could reach it with effort.

Through countless sparring matches with Duke Asili, Amon had been able to nearly reach the level of Sword Master.

He thought he had gotten a little closer to Erin now, but instead she had only become more distant.

“She’s at a level I absolutely cannot follow. I’m almost afraid of what level she’ll reach when she opens her eyes again.”

Amon smiled helplessly.

But at the same time, deep admiration burst forth for the level Erin had achieved.

* * *

Erin blinked blankly. She had awakened in a forest similar to when she was severely injured in the west in the past.

“I was definitely sparring with Amon…”

Erin could tell that enlightenment had come during the sparring match. Erin habitually looked down at her arm. Then Erin’s eyes widened greatly at the sight of her clean arm. The scars that had bound her for life were not visible.

All she could see was clean skin. The traces of the terrible past that had happened to her had disappeared.

Erin slowly blinked her eyes. It was an unbelievable situation.

‘Because I gained deep enlightenment…?’

She had heard that such cases occasionally occurred among outstanding swordsmen of the Eastern Empire. That there was a supreme level called complete transformation.

If not that, the current situation couldn’t be explained. Even Princess Asili had said the scars were too old to heal.

Erin too had believed she would never be able to escape these scars in her lifetime. But now her scars had disappeared. Erin bit her lower lip gently.

An unknown emotion stirred her chest. It felt like everything that had been binding her until now was disappearing like dust. That’s when it happened. She felt a warm warmth she hadn’t even noticed.

Erin slowly raised her head.

Titi was sitting on her lap.

“Titi…!”

Erin hugged Titi tightly. She could feel Titi happily licking her cheek.

Erin couldn’t understand why she had come here even though she hadn’t experienced a life-threatening crisis.

Then a woman appeared. A blonde face resembling Ferdin. Erin now knew who that woman was. Ferdin’s mother, the previous Saint.

How surprised she had been when she confirmed her appearance in the photo Ferdin had shown her.

“Saint…”

Erin could tell that she had been watching over them even after her death. There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to say thank her for giving birth to Ferdin, thank her for thinking of them and watching over them from the distant past.

“Originally, Lady Erin would have had to wait much longer to come here again…”

The Saint smiled as though troubled.

“Lady Erin’s talent is truly tremendous. Even God is surprised.”

She said this while grasping Erin’s hand.

Erin could tell where she was looking. It was Erin’s healed arm. The Saint’s eyes wavered. The tears hanging in her eyes slowly fell. The Saint was genuinely happy. About the fact that all the wounds on Erin’s body had healed.

Erin had been her guilt. Though it was a path for the future, the things Erin had experienced always made her heart ache.

“Really, I’m so glad. That your future is happy.”

The Saint began speaking of the future in a quiet voice.

“May I touch it for a moment?”

The Saint’s gaze was directed at Erin’s arm. Erin slowly nodded.

“Thank you so much for protecting Ferdin.”

“…”

“Thank you for making the real villains pay for their crimes. And…”

The Saint smiled brightly.

“Thank you for… becoming happy.”

The Saint continued with a happy face while saying this.

“You should prepare to welcome a new family member soon.”