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Chapter 99
“The Reason That Villainess Drew Her Sword
Entering the imperial palace wasn’t difficult. The knights guarding the gates naturally opened them upon seeing Duke Asily’s arrival.
Erin hid behind the duke, her entire body covered by a robe.
One of the palace knights approached her, noticing her suspicious appearance. He assumed that the duke’s sudden visit at this late hour was because he had received word that the Marquis’ private soldiers were on the move.
“Your Grace, it seems the troops of Marquis Lysis have reached the capital.”
“……”
“If you give an order…”
“They didn’t come to fight us.”
“Huh?”
“Do not take any action until I give the command.”
The knight looked bewildered at Duke Asily’s words.
It had spread throughout the palace that Erin Lysis was a Sword Master. To say that the marquis was innocent was also to say that he had almost been killed under a false accusation.
If he had moved his troops, his purpose would have been obvious.
Yet, they were told to do nothing. Still, without the emperor’s command, the words of Sword Master Duke Asily were absolute.
Duke Asily passed by the stunned knights and walked straight into the palace.
“You know, there isn’t just one underground entrance to the palace.”
“……”
“Erin and I will act separately. The First Order of Knights will move in groups of at least five.”
He spoke as he looked at Erin.
“You already know about the special magic set up in the palace, right?”
“I do.”
The palace had protective spells to guard the royal family. Any action against a royal would trigger ancient magic, strong enough to either restrain or, in extreme cases, kill the offender.
“It’s unlikely, but if you meet the Emperor or Dietrion, avoid them. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
As Erin responded, Duke Asily placed a hand on her shoulder. He often thought of her as a noblewoman whenever he saw her. Speaking sincerely, he said:
“Be careful, Knight Erin.”
With that, Duke Asily departed. The First Order of Knights also bowed to Erin and dispersed.
Erin’s steps faltered as she walked quickly. She removed her robe and slowly lifted her head, her gaze falling on the palace spire.
And in that moment, her eyes met someone’s.
‘There you are.’
Her eyes narrowed. She restrained her urge to rush toward the spire. There was something more important to handle first.
Corelia awoke, a cold sweat forming on her brow.
Despite moving her quarters from the palace basement to the spire, thanks to Dietrion, her sleep had been restless. Draped in a shawl, she approached the window.
She looked down into the palace from the spire. A strange sense of discomfort had been lingering.
She noticed someone wearing a suspicious robe.
‘Who is that?’
Frowning, Corelia listened as the voice of a hurried knight came from outside.
“Lady Corelia! I have urgent news for you!”
“Come in.”
The one who entered was one of the emperor’s personal knights, one of the few who knew Corelia’s true identity.
“The Marquis’ private soldiers have surrounded the palace. They are stationed at every entrance.”
“Has Marquis Lysis finally gone mad? Planning a rebellion?”
Corelia could hardly believe it. She knew Marquis Lysis well, having been by his side for over ten years. He was not the type to commit treason.
“Strangely, they’re not attacking—just stationed in front of the palace.”
“And Prince Dietrion? What did he command?”
“He said he wanted to check on the monsters and went down to the basement.”
Corelia put a hand to her head.
‘Of all times, he had to be away…’
A few days prior, the emperor had left the palace after making a doll of himself. He enjoyed personally finding knights to command through dark magic.
“What should we do?”
“Leave it be. Prince Dietrion will handle it.”
The knight looked unsettled at Corelia’s words.
“The prince?”
It wouldn’t be easy for a prince to handle this alone, but Corelia simply nodded.
“Perhaps it’s for the best.”
Dietrion regularly went to the palace basement to experiment on monsters. Though not as skilled as the emperor, he knew how to use dark magic.
The Marquis’ soldiers would make good test subjects for newly created monsters.
Corelia muttered, frowning:
“Such foolish humans, to the very end.”
Her gaze returned to the window. The robed figure had stopped moving.
She felt the situation was familiar. A long time ago—though in a different place—she had dreamed of a similar scene.
‘Was it when Erin returned from a monster hunt?’
It was a dream of Erin raising her head while swinging her sword, meeting Corelia’s gaze.
‘A truly unpleasant dream.’
Just then, the robed figure removed their hood. A wave of tension made Corelia clutch the window frame tightly.
Seeing the familiar face, she froze.
“Erin…?”
Their eyes met. Corelia felt her heart pounding.
But the moment she blinked, Erin’s figure vanished.
Corelia’s pupils trembled helplessly.
Confused, she asked the knight staring at her:
“Did you see any unfamiliar people nearby on your way here?”
The knight shook his head.
“No, I didn’t. Was someone there?”
Corelia released the window and clutched her shawl.
‘Perhaps I saw things incorrectly.’
Since returning to the palace, she had often had inexplicable nightmares. Perhaps she had imagined it due to weakened stamina.
For a long time, she couldn’t take her eyes off the spot where Erin had vanished.
Erin moved along the palace corridors, guided by the power of the necklace.
She saw a few knights guarding the door to the basement.
Disguised in her robe, she approached them.
“Who….”
Her hand struck the knights’ necks, rendering them unconscious. She opened the door to the basement.
The stairs exuded a chilling aura. Despite the instinctive unease, Erin moved forward without hesitation.
Drawn by the unfamiliar power, she followed the path she had seen before. Soon, she found a person—and the monsters beside him.
The monsters obeyed the person’s command, behaving calmly.
“Dietrion.”
At her call, Dietrion slowly turned. He was genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance.
Narrowing his eyes, he studied Erin.
Without hesitation, she removed her hood.
“How did you….”
Dietrion chuckled, unable to believe she was in front of him.
“How did you find this place?”
Erin answered with a cold glare, not words.
Dietrion frowned in discontent.
“Why aren’t you answering? I asked how you came here.”
Tilting her head, Erin countered:
“And you—why are you here?”
Dietrion remained silent, studying the Sword Master before him.
“Yes, you became a Sword Master,” he recalled, thinking of her past words.
‘You said to wait…’
At that time, he thought she was just posturing, threatening him from a mana-formed prison. He had found it amusing.
But now that he knew her skills, he could no longer take her words lightly.
‘But this is the palace.’
He calmly assessed the situation. In the palace, Erin could not attack him easily.
“Erin, my words still stand.”
“……”
“We will create a new world—a world of the strong and the useful. In that world, you can have anything. So don’t do anything foolish. Lower your sword. I don’t want to fight you.”
Dietrion was confident. The palace basement was filled with countless monsters.
The palace and the monsters bolstered his confidence.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Erin met his gaze sharply.
“You don’t want to hurt me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
At her question, Dietrion approached, recalling his feelings upon learning she was a Sword Master.
“I told you before—choose me, not Perdin. Why did I say that? Because I like you, Erin.”
He smiled, continuing:
“I’ve thought about my feelings… and it seems I truly like you.”
Erin’s face twisted in anger.
“No. You’re wrong. That’s not love.”
“……”
“I don’t want to talk more, so just answer my questions, Dietrion.”
Dietrion stepped back. Erin’s sword was right in front of his neck.
The blade glinted dangerously, close enough to cut him at any moment.
“What were you planning to do using the monsters?”
