Chapter 12
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
He had trained with the sword since a childhood he could barely remember.
Of course, there were times when he slacked off and got scolded by Duke Hedor, but at the very least, he was confident he had spent far more years training than Erin Risus.
The image of Erin Risus’s delicate hands that he had seen in the past still lingered in Amon’s mind.
It hadn’t even been a year since he had seen her hands at that party.
Even if she had started practicing swordsmanship since then, there was no way she could have become stronger than him.
Amon tracked the trajectory of Erin’s blade.
Despite his fierce attacks, she did not panic. She deflected his killing blows as smoothly as flowing water.
It was a composure that someone with no real combat experience could never possess. At the same time, the occasional thrusts she made were terrifyingly precise.
Instinctively, Amon realized that if she had truly intended to kill him, she could have done so many times already.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
He was a genius. People always said he would become an outstanding knight.
Then what was Erin Risus, who had clearly held a sword for less than a year?
For the first time in his life, Amon felt powerless.
‘This is impossible. I’ve trained for over ten years… and she… in less than a year…’
Erin’s sword sliced past his hair.
If this had been a real battle, he would have lost his life just now.
The sword that had initially pushed Erin back gradually lost its strength.
Finally, her blade stopped right in front of his face.
There was no room for excuses this time. Amon’s eyes turned bloodshot with anger.
He couldn’t believe this outcome.
But the sword in front of him made it clear.
He had lost.
He had been defeated by Erin Risus.
“The duel is over.”
Lady Asili calmly concluded.
She didn’t seem surprised. As if she had expected this result all along.
Even after her words, Amon remained frozen for a long time.
His trembling hand was visible even to Erin.
It was obvious he had been deeply shaken. It was unfortunate, but something he would have to face someday.
Erin decided to leave and sheathed her sword.
She didn’t want to watch someone else suffer, and she needed to rest for the upcoming monster attack in a few days.
This still fragile body of hers was already tired from such a short spar.
‘I need to recover quickly.’
Facing a horde of monsters would not be easy.
No matter how much Amon had provoked her, given her condition, she shouldn’t have accepted the duel.
‘Maybe I just wanted to get back at him a little.’
She admitted she had been somewhat impulsive.
Just as she turned to return to the subjugation unit, Amon stepped in front of her.
His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles red. She understood exactly how he felt.
Before overwhelming strength, people became helpless.
Some would give up. But Amon wasn’t that kind of person.
He would grow stronger through anger rather than fall into despair.
He had always been that kind of man.
Amon looked down at her and asked in a trembling voice,
“How… is this possible?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You haven’t been holding a sword for long. I remember your hands at the party… your hands…”
Then how are you stronger than me?
Shock lingered on his pale face.
Erin recalled that moment—herself sitting alone in a corner of the ballroom, waiting for time to pass.
That was likely the last image Amon had of her.
But there was no way to explain her sudden strength. He would never believe that she had lived and died three times.
“I guess I’m more of a genius than I thought.”
“What?”
Amon’s face twisted, thinking she was mocking him.
But what she said was also true. Even in her past lives, she had surpassed him.
Even if she had trained normally, the result would not have changed.
Amon’s face flushed with humiliation.
“Right. You’ve always been that kind of person. I never expected anything anyway.”
“……”
“I don’t know why someone like you has such talent. Even the gods are cruel… blessing someone who doesn’t even understand honor…”
He glared at her and forced himself to continue.
“I lost. I won’t deny it. Do whatever you want.”
With that, he closed his eyes, as if ready to accept death.
It was at that moment Erin felt something strange.
The vibration of the ground had changed.
Amon also sensed something was off.
There shouldn’t be any tremors here.
When he opened his tightly shut eyes, Erin was right in front of him.
She grabbed his collar and pulled him into an embrace.
It happened before he could react.
Had she lost her mind? Why was she suddenly hugging him?
“It’s faster than before…”
She muttered something he couldn’t understand.
Amon was bewildered.
There was a metallic scent of blood in the air. But neither of them had been injured during the duel.
He lowered his gaze to look at her.
Her back had been torn open.
Amon stiffened as he looked forward.
A mid-level monster stood there.
But what shocked him more was what he saw beneath her torn clothes.
Her body was covered in scars—like it had been shredded countless times.
Those weren’t fresh wounds. They were old.
The marks had barely healed.
Scratches, tears, stab wounds—just imagining how they were inflicted was horrifying.
Such marks did not belong on the body of a noble lady.
Amon had seen wounds like that before.
In the underground prison, following his father.
On a prisoner who looked barely alive.
“These people committed crimes. That’s why they look like that.”
Duke Hedor had said, covering young Amon’s eyes.
The memory resurfaced.
Now, Amon stood frozen, holding Erin in his arms.
There was undeniable proof—she had been abused.
‘Why does Erin Risus have scars like these?’
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
It was widely known how much Marquis Risus doted on his daughter.
People even frowned at his excessive affection.
A spoiled noble lady, surrounded by jewels and dresses—that was Erin Risus.
But now Amon began to doubt.
Was the woman in his arms really that same villainess?
If everything people said was true, then why did her body bear such scars?
Did Karon Risus know? Did the Marquis know?
Who could have done this to her?
Did Erin Risus really kill Calypse in the past?
Amon felt like he had glimpsed a forbidden secret.
“You…”
“Sir Amon, this isn’t the time to stand still.”
Her voice snapped him back to reality.
She had clearly been injured while protecting him.
He couldn’t understand that either.
“Why would you…”
She didn’t answer.
She frowned slightly, as if her injury annoyed her, then grabbed her sword.
Kiiieeek—!
The monster shrieked.
Erin swung her blade.
To kill a mid-level monster, one had to infuse mana into the sword—a level only high-ranking knights could achieve.
Even Amon hadn’t reached that stage yet.
But Erin wielded mana as if it were second nature.
‘Erin Risus… a high-ranking knight?’
Her movements flowed as if she and mana were one.
Amon couldn’t take his eyes off her.
