Princess Asili calmly summarized the situation.
She didnât seem particularly surprised. She looked composed, seemingly having expected this result.
Even after the princess spoke, Amon remained motionless for a long time.
Erin could see his hands trembling slightly.
He was clearly shocked. It was unfortunate, but something he would have had to experience eventually.
Erin sheathed her sword, intending to leave.
She didnât particularly want to watch someone in shock, and she needed to rest in preparation for the monster attack coming in a few days.
This weak body of hers was already feeling tired from that brief duel.
âI need to recover quickly.â
Facing a horde of monsters wouldnât be easy.
No matter how much Amon had provoked her, considering her physical condition, she shouldnât have accepted the duel.
âMaybe I just wanted to teach him a lesson.â
She admitted she had been somewhat impulsive.
As Erin turned to head back to where the subjugation team was, Amon approached her.
His clenched fist was red. She could understand his emotions.
People become powerless when faced with strength they cannot overcome.
Some people give up and do nothing in frustration. But the Amon she knew wasnât that type of person.
He would grow stronger from his anger toward her, rather than becoming discouraged. He probably couldnât accept that a dishonorable villain like her was stronger than him, which would fuel his determination.
That was the kind of person he was. He would be different from the past Erin Liserth.
Amon looked down at Erin and asked in a trembling voice.
âHow is this⌠possible?â
âI donât know what you mean.â
âYou havenât been holding a sword for long. I remember seeing you at parties. Your handsâŚâ
But why are you stronger than me? Amonâs pale face showed traces of shock.
Erin remembered the moment he was talking about. Her powerless self, waiting alone in a corner of the party hall for time to pass.
That was probably the last image of her that Amon remembered.
However, there was no way to explain why she had suddenly become stronger. She didnât think he would believe the truth that she had died and come back to life three times.
âI guess Iâm more of a genius than I thought.â
âWhat?â
Amonâs face contorted at Erinâs words. He seemed to think she was mocking him.
But what she told Amon was also true. Her past self was indeed a genius who surpassed Amon.
Even if she had learned swordsmanship through normal methods, the result wouldnât have been different.
She could see Amonâs face reddening with humiliation. Grinding his teeth, he spoke to Erin.
âRight. You were always that kind of person. I expected nothing less.â
ââŚâ
âI donât understand why someone like you has such talent. Even God is cruel, bestowing blessings upon someone who knows no honorâŚâ
Amon glared at Erin and forced himself to continue.
âI lost. I wonât deny it. Do as you wish.â
Amon closed his eyes after saying those words. His attitude suggested she could kill him or spare him as she pleased.
That was when Erin sensed something wrong.
The vibrations in the ground were changing.
* * *
Amon also felt something strange about the sudden vibrations.
There shouldnât be such tremors in this area?
When he quickly opened his tightly shut eyes, he saw Erin Liserth approaching him.
She grabbed his collar with one hand and embraced him.
It happened before Amon could react.
What was wrong with Erin Liserthâs head? Suddenly embracing him like this?
âItâs faster than beforeâŚâ
Erin muttered something he couldnât understand.
Amon couldnât help but be confused. A fishy blood scent was coming from somewhere. But neither of them had bled during their fight.
Amon lowered his head to look at her, who was shorter than him.
Erinâs back had been torn open by something.
Amon looked straight ahead with a rigid face. There was what appeared to be at least a mid-level monster.
But what shocked him even more was Erinâs body visible through her torn clothes.
Below the wound inflicted by the monster, there were marks all over her body as if she had been butchered.
Those werenât wounds she had just received from the monster. They were traces of older torment.
Those marks on her white back, still not fully healed, wouldnât leave his eyes.
They were wounds from something that had clawed, torn, and stabbed her body. Traces that were horrifying just to imagine how they were inflictedâŚ
These marks seemed out of place on the body of someone who had lived as a Marquisâs daughter.
Amon had seen someone with such scars before.
A prisoner he saw when he followed his father to the underground dungeon.
Similar wounds to that man, whose survival was questionable, were on Erinâs back.
âThey ended up like that because they committed crimes,â Duke Hedor had said, covering Amonâs eyes. The sight was too horrific for someone as young as he was then.
Recalling that incident, Amon held onto Erin, who was embracing him, forgetting even to breathe.
Clear evidence that she had been abused by someone was right there.
âWhy would Erin Liserth have such wounds on her body?â
Amon couldnât believe the marks despite seeing them with his own eyes.
Stories about Marquis Liserthâs love for Erin Liserth were famous. No matter what she did, the Marquis was busy covering up his daughterâs mistakes.
That blatant affection made people frown.
A person surrounded by dazzling jewels and beautiful dresses, living as she pleased. That was the Erin Liserth known to the world.
But now, Amon had doubts. Was the woman in his arms really the villain from those rumors?
If all that was true, why did she have these wounds on her body?
Did Karon Liserth know about this? Marquis Liserth? No, who could possibly leave such wounds on her?
Was it really Erin Liserth who killed Calips in the past�
Amon felt like he had seen a secret he shouldnât have.
âYouâŚâ
âLord Amon, this is no time to be standing still.â
Amon came to his senses at Erinâs words.
She had clearly been injured while protecting him. Even that action was incomprehensible to Amon.
âWhy on earthâŚâ
Erin didnât answer his question.
She winced briefly, seemingly annoyed by the wound on her back. But she immediately grabbed the sword at her waist.
Screech-!
Erin swung her sword toward the monster that let out a bizarre shriek.
To kill a mid-level monster, one needed to be able to infuse mana into their sword, a skill only achievable by reaching the level of a high-ranking knight.
That was a level even Amon hadnât reached yet. But Erin was easily infusing mana into her sword and displaying her swordsmanship.
âErin Liserth is a high-ranking knight?â
Amon couldnât take his eyes off Erin, whose movements seemed so natural, as if she had become one with mana.
