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Chapter 88
The Reason That Villainess Took Up the Sword
“A Sword Master who can’t even control her own body…”
But Erin, whenever she stood in front of Ferdin, felt as if she forgot that she was a Sword Master and reverted to her past self.
“I… I really thought something bad would happen to Sir Ferdin. That’s why…”
It was too terrifying. Erin swallowed those words. She didn’t want to act foolishly or whiny anymore.
Ferdin embraced the trembling Erin. He hadn’t received permission, but he couldn’t bear to see her silently shedding tears, keeping her lips tightly shut.
Why did he have to look so sad? Erin realized that the memories she held completely didn’t exist for him.
Even when he tried to recall, it was as if a fog obscured everything, leaving it hazy.
Ferdin felt sorry for not remembering everything.
“You mustn’t get hurt, Sir Ferdin. You mustn’t leave me alone.”
Ever since he promised not to leave her, Erin no longer intended to let Ferdin go.
She would protect everyone. Only then would she truly be with him.
Ferdin repeated the same words in her ear until Erin felt reassured.
“I will never leave you, Lady Erin.”
He whispered continuously, until her body no longer trembled.
Duke Asili moved forward.
“The Second Knight Order reports that Count Leon definitely imprisoned Lady Erin.”
If the knight’s words were true, there was something that needed to be verified.
Duke Asili hurried to the academy’s prison.
Upon entering, he immediately noticed the bars made of mana control stones were bent. He slowly approached the mana control stones.
The knights who followed him murmured in shock at the sight.
“Just being near the mana control stones gives me goosebumps…”
“Did Lady Erin really do this?”
“Are we really saying she’s a Sword Master, just like the Second Knight Order claims?”
“Wait, how old is Lady Erin this year?”
Duke Asili carefully examined the mana control stones, then placed his hand on them.
An unpleasant sensation surged through him.
Erin had really bent the mana control stones.
The duke’s low laugh echoed through the prison.
“Duke?”
“Isn’t this remarkable?”
“Huh?”
“Look at this. She bent the mana control stones purely using mana.”
“……”
“This isn’t something achievable in just a few years.”
The chief knight’s eyes were filled with doubt. Even at his level, he could not fully comprehend it.
“We’ll go find Lady Erin immediately.”
Duke Asili looked at his daughter, who blocked his path.
The princess had her arms crossed and stared directly at him.
“You can’t go in, Father.”
If it were anyone else, the duke would have ignored the words.
But it was his daughter, Princess Asili.
“I’ve been ordered to kill Lady Erin.”
“I know, but that’s absolutely absurd.”
“Once an order is received, there’s nothing I can do, my daughter.”
The princess clenched her teeth. She didn’t want to interrupt the time Erin was spending with Ferdin.
‘He must have already confirmed everything.’
Duke Asili must have known about Count Leon’s corpse and the person responsible for it.
“If you go in on your own, I will tell Mother.”
The duke’s expression turned shocked at his daughter’s words. The First Knight Order behind him shared the same sentiment.
Most in the empire didn’t know, but Duke Asili was actually an extremely devoted father.
Sighing, he spoke.
“Count Leon is dead.”
“……”
“This happened inside the academy. I heard from His Majesty that Lady Erin Lyses was imprisoned.”
The princess tightly shut her eyes.
“But she wasn’t in the prison.”
“……”
“What I witnessed was the prison bars made of mana control stones… bent.”
The First Knight Order’s expressions grew serious.
Even if Erin was falsely accused, killing an imperial Sword Master acting under the Emperor’s orders was unreasonable.
She may be innocent, but any citizen of the empire must follow proper procedures to prove it.
“A Second Knight Order member testified that Lady Erin is a Sword Master. And the fact that she escaped prison proves their claim.”
At first, Duke Asili did not believe it. He remembered Erin’s still not fully trained body.
Erin’s existence was undeniably puzzling. Was there ever a knight with such outstanding swordsmanship whose body was so untrained?
“Lady Erin is hiding something. I need to find out what that is.”
The princess looked furious. She shouted at her father.
“Father, the Emperor is corrupted by evil! He isn’t sane! There’s a demon in his mind!”
Several knights were shocked by the princess’s words. Her statement was a clear act of treason against the royal family.
Duke Asili quietly ordered the knights.
“Erase it from your memories.”
“Yes, sir!”
He wanted to warn his daughter. Even before him and his knights, speaking against the royal family was dangerous.
But as he prepared to speak, the princess’s face lost all color.
She staggered.
The shock that hit her was on an entirely different level from any prophecy she had spoken before.
Duke Asili rushed to her side, catching her.
“Are you alright?”
The princess muttered angrily.
“Damn it… I can’t even call a demon a demon. Goddess… why are you putting me through this trial…?”
“……”
“Die, you demon…”
Duke Asili held his head, shaking it.
He knew his daughter sometimes used rough words, but this was extreme.
“You’re still speaking, so I guess you’re alright.”
At that moment, the infirmary door, which had been closed, opened. The princess turned in surprise.
Seeing who came out, she rose from Duke Asili’s arms.
Seeing her upright and fine, the duke felt slightly outmaneuvered.
“Lady Erin, weren’t you talking with Ferdin?”
“Sir Ferdin fell asleep, so I came out. He hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
The princess looked troubled. Erin, being a Sword Master, would certainly have extraordinary hearing. She couldn’t have missed their conversation outside the infirmary.
“Greetings, Duke.”
“Lady Erin, it’s been a while.”
Erin bowed politely, then stepped closer to him.
Duke Asili scrutinized her.
“A Sword Master…”
He was a genius among geniuses.
From the moment he first held a sword, through entering and graduating from the academy, to the present.
He had never faced a proper rival. Even those self-proclaimed geniuses who ruled the world shrank in his presence.
Life hadn’t been hard for him—it was too easy.
So he became bored.
Practicing swordsmanship was a habit, something he did consistently, but nothing more.
“Yes, all my words were just excuses.”
What he said to Princess Asili before was really just an excuse.
When Count Leon died, he felt nothing. He had no interest in knights who had forgotten how to improve.
“This greedy fool somehow reached the Sword Master level… surely he deserved such punishment.”
His interest now was focused on Erin, standing before him.
Duke Asili had never forgotten their sparring before her promotion match.
“Why didn’t I notice?”
He muttered unexpectedly. But Erin immediately understood his meaning.
“Perhaps for the same reason I cannot gauge your level, Duke.”
The duke let out a hearty laugh at her answer.
“Interesting, Lady Erin. Can you prove your innocence? You know why I came here, right?”
Indeed, she understood why he had come.
The princess blocked him.
“No! Lady Erin just recently dueled Count Leon!”
“It’s fine, Princess. This is what I want too.”
Erin saw pride and competitiveness in Duke Asili’s eyes. She had also been dissatisfied with their sparring before her promotion match.
Hiding her skills while sparring felt almost like an insult to him.
Erin folded one arm across her chest, bowed slightly, and spoke.
“Please give me the chance to prove myself, Duke. I request a sparring match with you.”
The duke smiled, satisfied with her answer.
“This sparring match will include the First Knight Order. There, you will prove your innocence, Lady Erin
