🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 76
The Reason Why That Villainess Wields a Sword
If rumors spread that Erin Liseth had used black magic, her reputation would sink so far that it could never recover.
“Spread the word that, by the Emperor’s order, the knights sent to find Erin Liseth were annihilated.”
The knight understood immediately what he was being told to do. Truth didn’t matter to him.
After all, those who had grown stronger using mana stones forged with black magic were nearly impossible to identify until they went berserk.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Atens Academy’s Training Grounds.
“Erin Liseth has returned!”
At a cadet knight’s shout, the grounds erupted with chatter.
“So the rumors were true.”
“She passed the promotion trial!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, a strange tension settled over the crowd.
The Western Promotion Trial. It was the dream of many talented knights, a challenge most longed to attempt at least once. But many who challenged it lost their lives.
By now, it was considered little more than a reckless act of bravado, and few attempted it anymore.
Even Duke Asili had taken the official promotion trial instead, so her achievement was nothing short of a new record.
Some expressed pure admiration. Others, jealousy flickered in their eyes.
But that wasn’t the end of the talk.
“I’ve also heard a strange rumor.”
“A strange rumor?”
“They say Erin Liseth killed the senior knights who came with the Emperor’s orders.”
“And that she grew stronger by using black magic.”
With that, silence fell over the cadets.
It was shocking enough that she had succeeded in the Western Trial—yet she had killed senior knights?
“Is that true?”
“I heard it happened in a village near the academy.”
“How many knights were there?”
“At least five.”
“That’s impossible. She’s not even a Sword Master. How could that be?”
Several swordsmanship students raised their voices.
“Then maybe the rumor’s true—that she got strong using black magic…”
But silence descended again at one student’s remark.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
That voice belonged to Caron.
From one corner of the training grounds, he had been listening to their chatter, and now he was so exasperated he had to speak.
“Have you gone blind with jealousy? As knights, aren’t you ashamed? Instead of slandering others, why don’t you spend that time training?”
“But Caron Liseth! You said it yourself before—that Erin Liseth never once picked up a sword.”
“….”
“You said she had no interest in the sword. Everyone in the Empire knows that. No one would deny it.”
“And? What exactly are you trying to say?”
Growing agitated, one knight exclaimed,
“Then how is it possible that she suddenly grew so strong? Even if the sword chose her, how could that alone make this possible?”
Caron stood up. The knight before him flinched and instinctively backed away.
In a fierce tone, Caron spoke.
“What you’re saying now is an insult to the entire Liseth marquisate. Can you take responsibility for those words?”
No cadet dared to speak further after that sharp rebuke.
Even so, once planted, suspicion was not easily erased.
Caron picked up his sword and turned on his heel without hesitation.
The rumors left a foul taste—but at least they confirmed one thing: Erin had returned to the Academy safely.
He quickened his steps.
Caron headed straight to the Academy’s central hall. He was certain Erin would be there.
Sure enough, he saw her—caught between Lady Asili and Amon.
The lady clung to Erin’s waist, nearly sobbing.
“Sir Erin, how could you leave for the Western Trial without saying goodbye to me? Do you know how devastated I was when I heard?”
Caron’s eyes, as they landed on the lady, were flat and emotionless.
By now, the cadet knights of Ferdin were beginning to catch on to the lady’s true character.
Ever since Erin had left, she hadn’t bothered to hide her real self around them.
“The orders came suddenly. I’m sorry.”
At Erin’s words, the lady jumped to answer.
“No, no, I don’t blame you, Sir Erin. Just… next time, at least give me a hint.”
Twisting her body coyly as she spoke, the lady made Amon shake his head.
Derek, still unused to her behavior, could not hide his shock.
Caron crossed his arms and quietly observed Erin. Surrounded by the cadets, she looked truly happy.
It had been so long since he’d seen her laugh so freely.
And, just as she had promised, she had returned safely.
‘She doesn’t look gravely injured, does she?’
But then Caron’s brow furrowed. Beneath her sleeve and across her hand, he glimpsed bandages.
Erin had been hurt in the West.
“Sister.”
“Caron!”
Erin beamed at him. It was the same smile she’d worn long ago when reading him books as a child.
“You’ve grown so much stronger.”
“….”
“But don’t push yourself too hard.”
Caron’s eyes widened in surprise. She was right—he had indeed grown stronger since she left.
After she’d gone, he had pushed his body relentlessly, training beyond reason. And she had seen through it all at a glance.
Caron lowered his eyes and sighed. No matter how much he trained, he was still far from being able to help her.
“I should be the one telling you that. You’re not too badly hurt, are you?”
His gaze never left her injuries.
“I had them treated in the West. I couldn’t avoid it, fighting monsters.”
A horde of monsters, in truth. But Erin had no intention of telling Caron that.
“They weren’t serious.”
Even so, Caron’s face was clouded with worry. His eyes flicked to the lady beside Erin.
If her wounds could have been healed with holy power, the lady would not have sat idly by.
‘So she’s already used her holy power.’
Lady Asili merely held Erin’s hand.
Likely, the wounds were beyond even holy power. Caron couldn’t help but wonder.
‘With her skill, she shouldn’t have suffered such injuries. She must have done more in the West than just the trial.’
He sat across from her. He wanted to demand answers, to know exactly what had happened.
But he didn’t want to exhaust her further, not when she had only just returned and was speaking with the others.
So instead, his eyes fixed coldly on Helix.
The man hovered near Erin, as if he were her bodyguard, and it irritated Caron.
‘Before the trial, he couldn’t stand her. What happened in the West to change that brat so much?’
At that moment, Lady Asili clapped her hands gleefully.
“Let’s hold a party tonight!”
“A party?”
“Yes, to celebrate Sir Erin’s successful trial!”
She said it with a mischievous smile.
Erin hated parties. To her, they were nothing but torment.
Other than the victory banquet after the recent subjugation, the only ones she had attended were imperial balls she’d been forced into by Corellia.
Erin hesitated, lost in thought, and Lady Asili tugged her along with a sly grin.
She pulled Erin toward a cabinet in the meeting room.
“I brought this from Ferdin’s office.”
The lady had another secret—she was a tremendous lover of alcohol.
A complete opposite of what people imagined a saintess to be.
Occasionally, wine gifts given to Ferdin for his office mysteriously disappeared. The culprit was always her.
Watching her, Helix said,
“Alcohol is forbidden in the Academy, Saintess.”
“Today is an exception.”
“There are no exceptions…”
Ignoring him, she raised the bottle high.
Helix just shook his head, exasperated.
“Ferdin said he’ll be late, something came up. He told us to start drinking without him.”
Erin sipped slowly from her wine glass. In her past life, she had often enjoyed drinking.
During her third life, the war with monsters had driven people to exhaustion. Many knights drank to soothe their weary hearts. Erin had been no different.
Her cheeks flushed red. She realized then that, in this life, she had never drunk before.
It was something she had forgotten, because everyone else was drinking so naturally.
