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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Villainess Who Wielded a Sword
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“Did you just call me big sister?”
“What?”
Erin smiled faintly.
Karon’s mind went completely blank, forgetting everything he had just been saying, simply because of that smile.
All he could do was sit there, staring blankly at Erin’s smile.
Suddenly, his mother, the Marquis’s wife, came to mind.
“Don’t believe anything Erin says. There’s something very wrong with that child.”
But how could he not believe her when she was looking at him with such conviction in her eyes?
“It was going to happen eventually, even if I did nothing. What’s wrong needs to be set right, after all.”
Erin said, her gaze fixed on Karon’s eyes.
* * *
“What’s wrong needs to be set right.”
That’s what the Marquis’s wife always told Erin.
She enjoyed punishing Erin while saying those words.
Erin detested the Marquis’s wife, but she agreed with her words.
What’s wrong needs to be set right.
‘The Extermination Squad departs in a month.’
It wouldn't be perfect, but it was enough time to generate a Mana Core.
Erin gazed at the spot where Karon had been. The neatly emptied mug was still there.
In that place, her younger brother would lose an arm.
And Ashili Princess would die.
Of course, those things wouldn’t happen in this life.
* * *
Over the past month, Erin quickly adapted to the Swordplay Department.
It was certainly strange. But the atmosphere within the Swordplay Department was better than expected.
Erin learned how much a small action could change the future.
First, Philip apologized to her.
He said he was truly sorry for publicly humiliating her based only on rumors.
For some reason, he blushed as he spoke to Erin.
“You were more knightly than anyone else. It was I who was unknightly. I want to apologize… and I have nothing to say if you don’t forgive me. I’m sorry.”
“……”
“I was trapped by trivial prejudices, and my vision narrowed. Only now do I realize how meaningless rumors are. Anyone who loves the sword and strives for it deserves to be a knight…”
Erin couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation when Philip said that.
In the past, Philip was one of the people who criticized her the most. Her life in the Swordplay Department became even harder because of Philip.
But this time, it was different. He apologized to her and acknowledged her as a fellow prospective knight.
Erin’s ability to blend into the Swordplay Department without much trouble was partly thanks to Philip’s friendly behavior.
Watching him, she realized that people truly harbored many different facets.
The person who had tormented her so much in the past was now helping her.
If she hadn't met Philip in the Swordplay Department in the past, they might have become quite good friends.
Could the Marquis’s wife also be a precious person to someone?
Erin decided not to think that far.
At any rate, Philip being friendly towards her was a good sign.
In the past, Philip was one of the knights who spearheaded the First Prince's faction because of her. In a way, it meant one less enemy.
But some facts remained unchanged.
The fact that Erin was going on the monster extermination mission hadn't changed.
She recalled what she had said when she called Ferdin out.
“I’m going on the monster extermination mission anyway.”
She also remembered Ferdin frowning at her words.
He must have received an order from the Imperial Family by now, instructing Erin Resus to participate in the monster extermination.
“You don’t need to object to that order, Sir Ferdin. I want to go on the monster extermination. You don’t have to do anything for me.”
These were words she had wanted to say in her previous life.
Erin remembered, without missing a single detail, what happened to those who tried to help her.
They met horrific ends in various ways.
Even now, Erin often wondered how Ferdin’s future might have changed if he had kept his distance from her, if he had treated her like a terrible villainess and scorned her.
The same was true for Lilia’s brother, Calips.
Erin clenched her eyes shut, remembering him.
There are people one can never forget, no matter how many lives pass. Calips was one of them.
If she had woken up further in the past, she would never have let Calips go that way.
He was the first to notice the Marquis’s wife’s ugly true colors.
“Young Lady, you must tell the Marquis.”
But at that time, Erin was young and afraid.
Both her father and Karon liked her stepmother.
“What if my father thinks I’m a useless child, just like my stepmother says, even if I tell him? What if nothing changes…”
“That’s not true. The Marquis loves you, Young Lady.”
Calips was the one who instilled a small amount of courage in Erin.
However… he died. Was that the price of courage?
Should she not have harbored even a small hope?
At the same time, Erin’s small courage died with him.
She opened her closed eyes.
The sun had already risen.
* * *
As soon as early morning arrived, Erin prepared to leave.
As she expected, her participation in the monster extermination proceeded without a hitch.
It was due to an order from the Imperial Family.
“Since the Resus family so greatly desired for their daughter to transfer to the Swordplay Department, she must possess some skill. Let Erin Resus join the Extermination Squad as well.”
In the past, Ferdin had defied the Imperial Family’s order, angering the Emperor.
He not only provoked the Emperor but also drew criticism from knights who agreed with the Emperor’s words.
She also remembered those who shouted that it was wrong to come to the Swordplay Department without such resolve.
Back then, she had been truly afraid of seeing monsters and had only caused trouble. And it didn’t end there.
‘The monsters were stronger than I thought. Strong monsters even appeared in hordes.’
It was a situation even advanced knights found difficult to endure, and many prospective knights who were meant to uphold the Empire died trying to stop those monsters.
Ferdin’s prospective knight squad also suffered heavy losses. In a desperate retreat, Ferdin was faced with a choice.
In that chaotic, overwhelming situation, he had to choose between Erin’s life and Ashili Princess’s.
At that time, he chose Erin.
The Duke of Ashili’s rage upon learning this was terrifying. It was the first time she had seen him, who always maintained his composure in any situation, crumble.
After the Princess’s death, the Duke tried to destroy everything Ferdin had.
‘They told me to show my skill, so I must.’
Erin smiled crookedly and picked up her sword.
Now, it was her turn to protect.
* * *
This combination is too strange.
That was the only thought in Derek’s mind right now.
He slowly turned his gaze to Ferdin and Erin. Then he thought of Ashili Princess, who was likely in the carriage beside them.
It was unnatural for the three protagonists of Atenz Academy’s biggest scandal to be in one place.
Derek cautiously observed them and continued his thoughts.
‘Whatever the reason, it must be good news for the Marquis that both children of the Resus Marquisate are participating in the monster extermination.’
It seemed he wasn't the only one thinking that, as other knights were also glancing at Erin.
A considerable number of knights, not just students, had joined the Extermination Squad.
Monster extermination was one of the most important events in the Swordplay Department.
It was only natural for knights to accompany them to broaden the experience and skill range of outstanding students while also preventing them from getting hurt.
And most of those knights were looking at Erin with hostility.
From Derek’s perspective, it was a perfectly understandable situation.
Unlike the Swordplay Department students, they hadn't seen Erin’s sword skill.
‘Well, it doesn't seem like she's paying any attention to them, though.’
Derek saw Karon approach Erin.
“Does it not hurt? You must be tired from riding for so long… No, and since when could you ride a horse? Huh? What have you been doing behind my back?”
“……”
“Are you properly bandaging your hand? Why hasn’t it healed after a whole month?”
Karon’s face was full of complaints throughout the journey.
Yet, he stuck to Erin’s side, showing no intention of leaving.
Derek realized for the first time that Karon was such a talkative person.
‘Were they always this close?’
Karon was acting as if Erin might disappear if he looked away for even a moment.
Erin, who should have been tired of his endless nagging, was accepting all his chatter.
She even seemed to be smiling faintly.
And there was one person watching the two of them with fervent eyes.
