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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Reason That Villainess Wields a Sword
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"Run... damn it, run!"
In truth, Roahm held no particular grudge against Erin Resus.
He had only done so because Ditrion held his life by a thread, thanks to that damned suppressant. Roahm never wanted to live like this either.
Blood rushed to his head, and his reason flickered. At the same time, he felt his instincts growing ferocious.
He was about to become a monster. A monster that would kill the Atenz Academy students.
Roahm clutched his chest, his heart pounding like mad. His eyes were bloodshot.
Even with his consciousness fading, Roahm couldn't tear his gaze from Erin, who stood before him.
‘Crazy woman! Why isn't she running away?’
Erin stared intently at him.
"Run... I said run! Do you really want to die?"
Roahm had committed many wicked deeds under Ditrion's orders. Was he finally paying the price for his sins?
"You... what have you done?"
This was truly the limit now.
Roahm didn't want to fall into hell like this.
Of course, he couldn't deny that he was a bad enough person to deserve hell. But at the very least, he wanted to die with his human dignity intact.
Perhaps it was his last shred of knightly pride, something he hadn't been able to protect until now.
So, even knowing it was impossible, he pleaded with the small woman before him.
"Please... kill me."
After that, his reason had definitely snapped.
It had. And yet... not long after, Roahm opened his eyes.
‘How did my reason return?’
He couldn't understand how he had woken up.
He had surely been consumed by Black Magic because he couldn't take the suppressant.
At that moment, the pain in his abdomen made him understand what had happened.
His Mana Core, which sustained his mana, had shattered, and his consciousness had returned.
‘Who in the world?’
Only a Sword Master could subdue him in one go, as he was being consumed by Black Magic and transforming into a monster.
It would have taken dozens of Advanced Knights risking their lives.
When he turned his gaze and saw a single face, Roahm let out a hollow laugh.
The one who had stopped him was Erin Resus.
"Foolish Ditrion! Stupid Emperor... serves you right!"
He scoffed at the Emperor and Ditrion, who had reduced him to this state. Even in his dying moments, he laughed.
The Emperor always spoke ill of the nobles to his puppets.
Since they were people who could be killed the moment they betrayed him anyway, he spoke very lightly of them.
Thanks to that, Roahm knew the story of the Resus Marquisate.
"Do you know this, Sir Roahm? Nobles are utterly foolish. Especially those who wield swords! Let me tell you an amusing anecdote about how stupid a person becomes when they combine nobility and knighthood."
For Roahm, a knight, these were deeply insulting words. Yet, he couldn't refute them and merely bowed his head before the Emperor.
And he heard it clearly with his own two ears.
"People believe Karon Resus is the one chosen by the sword in this generation. But the truth is different. Erin Resus is the one chosen by the sword."
"..."
"And I suppressed that foolish girl's talent! Even the sprout of a Sword Master is nothing special."
No, you're wrong, Emperor!
Ditrion almost shouted aloud without realizing it.
Erin Resus's brilliant talent blossomed even amidst the Emperor's interference. The Emperor must not have even dreamed of it.
He wouldn't know his own neck was tightening, and he'd probably be doing another foolish thing.
"You... are you... a Sword Master?"
"Yes."
At Roahm's words, Erin readily admitted that she was a Sword Master. There was no need to hide it from someone on the verge of death.
Roahm smiled as if genuinely pleased. As a knight, he felt reverence for Erin Resus.
"Amazing... truly amazing, Erin Resus. How in the world... how at that age..."
"..."
"No... there's no time for such words now."
He raised his shattering hand.
This was what happened when one was fully consumed by Black Magic and lost their Mana Core. His body was crumbling.
Soon, he would turn into a handful of dust. Roahm crawled to Erin's feet.
He had something to tell Erin before he died.
***
Ditrion was in a very sullen mood. Roahm had disappeared without following his orders.
But what bothered him even more was Erin and Ferdin, whom he had seen a few days ago.
Erin had simply ignored him and walked past, while Ferdin gazed at her with affection.
As if the two of them were truly in love.
An inexplicable rage consumed Ditrion. He spoke to the knight before him.
"Find Roahm. There's a high probability he went berserk, so find at least a trace of him."
He could feel the knights trembling in fear at his wrath. But such things were of no importance to Ditrion.
"How in the world is Erin unharmed? Even if Roahm hadn't gone berserk, only an Advanced Knight or a Sword Master could subdue another Advanced Knight."
The knights before Ditrion dared not answer his words.
They feared the reprimand that would follow if they answered incorrectly.
"Yes, a Sword Master... Could such a person truly be within this Academy?"
But soon, he shook his head.
There was no way a Sword Master would be in Atenz Academy. Even if one existed, they certainly wouldn't be a student.
‘Most Atenz Academy students are in their early twenties.’
Only the instructors remained, and their identities were certain. He was confident he knew the swordsmanship level of all the instructors.
So where had Roahm gone, and how was Erin safe? Ditrion frowned.
Erin's gaze, which had only been on Ferdin, kept coming to mind, irritating him.
‘Why is Erin Resus bothering me so much?’
Just then, a servant opened the door and rushed in, shouting urgently.
"Your... Your Royal Highness!"
The surrounding knights' gazes turned to the servant who had broken the quiet atmosphere.
Even Ditrion looked at the servant with a bewildered expression.
But then, upon seeing a woman appear behind the servant, Ditrion's complexion brightened.
He exclaimed, looking at the woman.
"Marquis's Wife! I thought you'd arrive a little later."
"His Majesty wished to ascertain the situation here more quickly, so I hastened my arrival."
There were still more than ten days left until the banquet.
Considering that ordinary nobles arrived precisely on the day the party began, this was unusual.
Ditrion felt very pleased by this unusual occurrence.
If it was Corelia, she might be able to discover why Erin had changed.
Moreover, wasn't she the person Erin Resus feared the most? With the Marquis's Wife, everything would be properly resolved.
Corelia elegantly removed her hat. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders.
At the same time, the atmosphere surrounding Corelia shifted. Ditrion's knights, sensing her aura, took a step back one by one.
The fact that she didn't need to hide her power here delighted Corelia.
"So, Your Royal Highness, have you found out how the Second Prince returned unharmed?"
"That damned Sword Master has appeared again, they say. The same Sword Master who appeared during the monster extermination."
At Ditrion's words, Corelia's movement paused.
Then he continued speaking.
"And are you certain Erin Resus was thoroughly broken? She has changed."
At his words, a faint crack appeared on Charlotte's face, who stood behind Corelia.
***
After the Swordsmanship Department class ended, Erin went to find Ashili Princess. It was to heal the wound on her side.
Originally, Ashili Princess had told her to come immediately after the extermination, but Erin had refused.
She knew that Ashili Princess, whose health wasn't good to begin with, felt a slight fatigue every time she used Divine Power.
However, due to Ashili Princess's persistent requests, Erin eventually had no choice but to go see her.
For the Princess, who had become a Saintess, the Emperor had built a small temple within Atenz Academy.
It was to flaunt the fact that the Lexia Empire had not been abandoned by the gods.
Because of that, the Princess's temple was very flamboyant, befitting the Emperor's taste.
"Sir Erin, you've arrived."
The Princess greeted Erin with a bright face. Clinging to the Princess's leg was the child Erin and Ferdin had rescued from the Werewolf Tribe.
And beside them, Ferdin was looking at her with a surprised expression.
"Sir Erin?"
He quickly approached Erin.
She could easily guess that Ferdin had also come here to receive healing from the Princess.
His internal injuries seemed to have recovered a lot, as his complexion looked much better.
