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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Reason That Villainess Took Up the Sword
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But he couldn’t.
There had to be a reason why Erin couldn't reveal the whole truth.
Ferdin's hand, gripping her shoulder, trembled faintly. It felt as if truths too heavy to bear were crushing him all at once.
* * *
Lilia and Amon were imprisoned in the Werewolf Tribe's dungeon.
Lilia glared irritably at the iron bars blocking her way.
Compared to her, who had no injuries, Amon seemed to have resisted a lot during their capture, showing wounds here and there.
Though his appearance was quite pathetic, his eyes shone brightly. Amon looked at Lilia and spoke.
“Is magic completely unusable? The Werewolf Tribe is impressive. Where did they get Mana Control Stones?”
“Because they're crazy about mages... Anyway, I feel like we've caused Ferdin trouble. What should we do? Can we get out of here?”
“Ferdin... he must have escaped, right?”
Amon mumbled, sounding anxious.
Leon Count probably wouldn't send reinforcements.
He had somewhat realized it when the Count, who hated being late, wasn't in the Werewolf Tribe's territory.
Their capture by the Werewolf Tribe was completely unexpected, but...
What worried him most now was Ferdin, who would try to rescue them.
Amon hoped he wouldn't come all the way here.
If he did, he could imagine what fate awaited Lilia and himself.
But he thought that was better than causing trouble for Ferdin.
While they were casual within the academy, he had decided to serve Ferdin as his lord after graduation.
As a prospective knight, it was better to commit suicide than to harm his lord. Amon's eyes became resolute.
If... the worst came, he would die with honor. He vowed it.
* * *
“Damn it!”
It was when Amon, blaming himself for his pathetic state, slammed his fist on the ground.
“Erin Resus?”
Lilia's voice, sounding somewhat drained, was heard.
At her words, Amon abruptly raised his head.
Just as he was about to shout, asking how Erin could possibly be here, he saw her standing right before his eyes and immediately fell silent.
It wasn't just Erin entering the underground dungeon. Ferdin was visible behind her. And in his arms, he held a child Amon had never seen before.
Amon was dumbfounded by the arrival of people he absolutely didn't want to see.
No, why on earth were they here? Could it be that they, too, had been captured by the Werewolf Tribe?
What would happen now? And who was that child?
In Amon's mind, an image flashed: Ferdin held hostage, and the Emperor sneering at him.
If that happened, even if no one died, Second Prince Ferdin's standing would plummet.
Lilia seemed to be thinking of the worst-case scenario as well, her face deathly pale.
But there were no Werewolf Tribe members leading Erin and Ferdin.
Amon asked Erin.
“Erin, how... how did you get in here?”
But Erin and Ferdin didn't answer.
Amon looked at them and decided to entertain a hopeful thought.
Perhaps these two hadn't been captured, but had come to rescue him and Lilia.
But he soon realized how absurd that thought was and let out a hollow laugh.
They were inside the Werewolf Tribe's dungeon. As he had been dragged in, he had seen how many Werewolf Tribe members guarded the entrance.
By all common sense, it was absolutely impossible for them to eliminate all threats and reach this place.
Amon cried out in despair.
“Damn it, move, already! This cursed Mana Control Stone!”
He screamed and rattled the bars, but the sturdy iron bars, made of Mana Control Stone, didn't budge.
“Why on earth did you come here? Ferdin, you should have run away! Did you forget that your life is more important than ours?”
“...”
“Erin, why did you come here too! How do you two plan to rescue us?”
Amon felt his anger rising to his head.
It was anger at himself for foolishly being taken hostage and causing trouble for Ferdin. At Amon's cry, Erin met his gaze.
Suddenly, Amon felt a strange sensation. Erin's aura changed in an instant.
As if she had made a decision, she approached the iron bars. Then she drew the sword hanging at her hip.
What is she doing? Lilia thought blankly, watching Erin.
Erin's sword wouldn't even scratch the Mana Control Stone.
Even if she hadn't learned swordsmanship, the Marquisate wouldn't have failed to teach her such basic common sense.
Lilia, watching her, opened her mouth in disbelief.
“Erin Resus, this is a Mana Control Stone. You don't not know that, do you?”
“...”
“Don't do anything stupid! You could die trying to force your way through a Mana Control Stone.”
Amon also agreed with Lilia. He mumbled, his face pale.
“That's right, Erin. Don't do that. Instead, go outside and... surrender to the Werewolf Tribe.”
He wasn't that he didn't understand Erin's intentions, but he didn't want her to get hurt by giving in to a momentary emotion.
However, at her next action, Amon and Lilia froze.
Before they could shout anything, Erin raised her sword and cut through the bars of the dungeon, which were made of Mana Control Stone.
The iron bars split cleanly, as if they had been severed from the beginning.
Realizing what that meant, Lilia and Amon gaped. A moment later, Lilia mumbled, her face dazed with disbelief.
“She's insane...”
Amon also rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.
Ferdin and the child also stared blankly at Erin, speechless.
To cut through a Mana Control Stone with a sword. Something nobody had ever expected had happened.
“How on earth...?”
Mana Control Stone was an incredibly hard metal.
Only magic reaching the 6th Circle, or a Sword Master, could cut through it.
For such a Mana Control Stone to be easily cut by Erin's sword meant...
Lilia's legs gave out, and she sank to the ground.
For a moment, her mind felt paralyzed, unable to connect her thoughts properly.
Lilia mumbled.
“Is this even possible?”
She couldn't believe this reality.
The Mana Control Stone, easily severed. And Erin Resus, standing before her with a nonchalant expression, as if she had simply done the obvious.
What it meant was only one thing.
Erin Resus was a Sword Master.
She had achieved the glorious realm that all knights aspired to.
Lilia's fingernails dug into the ground.
‘That murderer is a Sword Master?’
There were many knights in the world who knew honor, but not all of them became Sword Masters.
A realm that some strive their entire lives for and never reach, achieved at such a young age? Wasn't that incredibly unfair?
Lilia felt choked. She... had wanted to kill Erin Resus someday.
It was no exaggeration to say she had lived for that.
After Calips died, her life had been hell.
Lilia had resolved to live again only after realizing she possessed magical talent.
She wanted to become an Archmage and gain enough power to kill the Young Lady of the Resus Marquisate someday.
But if Erin Resus was a Sword Master, it was as good as her life's goal crumbling.
“That's impossible... How is that possible at her age? A Sword Master, it's absurd!”
At Lilia's hollow cry, Amon gripped her shoulder.
“Lilia...”
She turned her head to look at Ferdin and asked.
“Ferdin... you... did you know Erin Resus was a Sword Master? Is that why you've been protecting her so much...? How could you?”
Lilia's hands trembled. She glared at Erin with bloodshot eyes.
The past years, when she had cried herself to sleep every night, longing for Calips, flashed through her mind.
During that long time, Lilia had been terribly hurt.
Not her body, but her heart... it hurt so much. Even knowing she couldn't see him, she couldn't bear the longing for Calips.
After he died... in the hut where they had lived together, Lilia waited for her brother to return, not knowing why he didn't.
“Why isn't brother coming back...? I miss him.”
She only learned that her brother had died when a maid from the Marquis's manor came to visit.
The maid, named Charlotte, burst into tears and said that Calips's death was all because of Erin Resus.
As she spoke, she handed Lilia a small pouch, saying it was consolation money from the Marquis's Wife.
Calips's life was worth nothing more than a few gold coins.
