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Chapter 8
“Did you just call me ‘sister’?”
“What?”
Erin smiled faintly.
At that smile, Karon completely forgot everything he had been saying up until now.
All he could do was sit there and blankly stare at Erin’s smile.
For a moment, the words of the Marchioness came to his mind.
“Don’t believe anything Erin says. That child is very flawed.”
But how could he not believe her when she was looking at him with such confident eyes?
“Even if I had done nothing, it was something that would have happened eventually. And what’s wrong needs to be corrected.”
Erin said this while locking her eyes onto Karon’s.
“What’s wrong must be corrected.”
That was what the Marchioness always told Erin.
She would say that while enjoying punishing Erin.
Erin hated the Marchioness, yet she agreed with the statement.
Wrongdoings must be corrected.
‘The monster hunting squad leaves in a month.’
It might not be perfect, but it’s enough time to generate a mana core.
Erin glanced at the place Karon had left. The mug was emptied cleanly.
Her younger brother would lose an arm there.
And Princess Asily would die.
Of course, these were things that wouldn’t happen in this life.
For the next month, Erin adapted quickly to the Swordsmanship Department.
It was certainly unusual. But the atmosphere inside the department was better than expected.
Erin realized how much even a small action could change the future.
First, Philip apologized to her.
He said he was truly sorry for wanting to publicly humiliate her just based on rumors.
For some reason, he said it while blushing.
“You were more knightly than anyone else. The one who wasn’t acting like a knight was me. I wanted to apologize… though you don’t have to forgive me. Still, I have nothing else to say. I’m sorry.”
“……”
“I was trapped by trivial prejudices, my perspective was narrow. Now I realize how meaningless rumors are. Anyone who loves swords and works hard deserves to be a knight…”
Erin couldn’t help but feel strange when Philip said that.
In the past, he was the one who had criticized her the most. Her life in the Swordsmanship Department had been even harder because of him.
But this time, it was different. He apologized and acknowledged her as a fellow aspiring knight.
Her smooth integration into the Swordsmanship Department was partly thanks to Philip’s friendly behavior.
Watching him, she realized that people can have many sides.
Someone who had been so harsh in the past could now be offering help.
If she hadn’t met the past version of Philip in the department, perhaps they could have become good friends.
Then, maybe the Marchioness could be someone valuable to someone too.
Erin decided not to think that far.
Anyway, Philip being friendly toward her was a good sign.
In the past, he had been one of the knights siding with the First Prince because of her. So, in a way, her number of enemies had decreased.
Yet one fact remained unchanged.
Erin was still going on the monster hunt.
She recalled what she had said to Ferdin:
“Anyway, I will end up going on the monster hunt.”
She remembered the frown that crossed Ferdin’s face at her words.
By now, he must have received orders from the royal family to make Erin Lysis participate in the hunt.
“You don’t have to argue with that order. I want to go on the monster hunt, Sir Ferdin. You don’t have to do anything for me.”
These were the words she had wanted to say even in her previous life.
Erin remembered in detail the fates of those who had cared for her.
They had all met horrific ends in various ways.
She often wondered what would have happened if Ferdin had treated her with distance or contempt, as if she were a terrible villainess.
The same went for Lilia’s brother, Calips.
Erin clenched her eyes shut thinking of him.
Some people cannot be forgotten, even after several lifetimes. Calips was one of them.
If she had awakened earlier in the past, she would never have let Calips go like that.
He was the first to notice the Marchioness’s ugly side.
“Miss, you need to tell the Marchioness.”
But Erin had been young and afraid.
Her father, and even Karon, liked her stepmother.
“What if I tell him and, like my stepmother said, Father thinks I’m useless? What if nothing changes…?”
“That’s not true. The Marchioness loves you.”
Calips had given Erin a small measure of courage.
Yet… he had died. Was that the price of courage?
Was it wrong even to have a small hope?
At the same time, Erin’s small courage died with him.
She opened her eyes.
By then, the sun had risen.
As soon as it was early morning, Erin prepared to leave.
As she expected, her participation in the monster hunt proceeded without issues.
It was because of the royal order.
“The Lysis family wanted their daughter in the Swordsmanship Department, so she must have some skill. Make sure Erin Lysis joins the hunting squad.”
In the past, Ferdin had defied the royal order and angered the Emperor.
He not only provoked the Emperor but also angered the knights who agreed with him.
There were also those who protested that it was wrong to come to the Swordsmanship Department without the resolve to face monsters.
Back then, it had been terrifying to see the monsters firsthand, causing nothing but trouble.
And it wasn’t just that.
“The monsters were stronger than expected. Some of the strongest appeared in packs.”
Even high-ranking knights struggled, and many aspiring knights died trying to fend off the monsters and sustain the empire.
Ferdin’s aspiring knights suffered great losses too. Even in escape situations, Ferdin faced a choice.
In that chaotic scenario, he had to choose between Erin’s life or Princess Asily’s.
He chose Erin.
The Duke’s rage at learning this was terrifying. He had always been calm, but seeing him crumble was something no one had seen before.
After the princess’s death, the Duke tried to destroy everything Ferdin had.
‘I told him to show his skill, so it makes sense.’
Erin smirked crookedly and prepared her sword.
Now, it was her turn to protect.
This combination is strange.
That thought filled Derek’s mind.
He slowly turned his gaze to look at Ferdin and Erin. Then he thought of Princess Asily, who would be riding in the carriage next to them.
It was unnatural for the three, who were at the center of the greatest scandal at Athence Academy, to be in the same place.
Derek observed them carefully.
‘Regardless of the reason, all children of the Lysis Marchioness participating in the hunt must be good news for the Marchioness.’
He wasn’t the only one thinking that. Other knights were glancing at Erin as well.
The hunting squad included many knights, not just students.
Monster hunting was one of the events the Swordsmanship Department valued highly.
It allowed students to broaden their experience and skills while being protected by knights to prevent injury.
Most of those knights looked at Erin with hostility.
From Derek’s perspective, it made sense.
Unlike the students, they hadn’t seen Erin’s swordsmanship.
‘Well, they probably aren’t even paying attention.’
Derek saw Karon approaching Erin.
“Aren’t you hurting? Riding for so long must be tough… And when did you even learn to ride? Huh? Why didn’t you tell me and go do things secretly?”
“……”
“Are you keeping the bandage on your hand properly? Why hasn’t it healed in a month?”
Karon had a face full of complaints throughout the journey.
Yet he didn’t leave Erin’s side.
Derek realized he had never seen him so talkative before.
‘Were they always this close?’
Karon acted as if Erin would disappear if he looked away even for a moment.
Even though the constant nagging could be irritating, she accepted it all.
She even seemed to smile occasionally.
And one person was watching the pair with ardent eyes.
