TRWTVPS 13

Chapter 13

Erin was right. Something was clearly wrong—this was no time to stand still.

Even as Amon tried to grasp the situation, Erin swiftly slit the throat of a mid-level monster. Then, to make sure it was dead, she stabbed its neck several more times.

Watching her, Amon was reminded of the first time he had killed a monster.

Taking a life felt far dirtier than he had expected. Even though his first opponent had been a monster, he had suffered for quite a while afterward.

But Erin showed no hesitation. She moved like a seasoned knight with years of experience.

Amon recalled hearing a rumor that Erin Ressus had defeated a group of monsters on her way back to the academy.

Everyone had dismissed it as nonsense.

But now, he realized—it had been true.

“Lady, get on my back.”

In the meantime, Erin ran toward the noble lady and spoke without hesitation. Amon frowned at her words.

“I’ll carry her.”

He couldn’t stop thinking about Erin’s back—the moment when she had been injured while saving him.

And the strange sight of her wounds healing lingered in his mind.

With complicated emotions he couldn’t quite describe, Amon carried Lady Asilly on his back.

She seemed too weak to even stand, letting out faint breaths against him.

The subjugation squad wasn’t far from here.

If they ran quickly, they might be able to rejoin before encountering more monsters.

But after only a few steps, Amon realized how wrong he was.

With every step they took, monsters surrounded them. There were so many it was overwhelming.

‘Can we even go back?’

Amon clenched his teeth and swung his sword.

Supporting the lady with one arm while fighting with the other was no easy task, even for him.

And the endless wave of monsters only added to the psychological pressure.

Erin was cutting them down with incredible skill, but there was no telling how long that could last.

Humans had limits. Unless one was a Sword Master who could wrap their body in mana, exhaustion was inevitable.

‘What do I do?’

On his back was the noble lady, and in front of him stood only a wounded trainee knight.

Then suddenly—

A low-level monster lunged from his right, aiming straight for his forehead.

He couldn’t dodge.

Realizing this, Amon twisted his body instinctively—if he fell, at least the lady wouldn’t be hurt.

At that moment—

Erin, who had been fighting elsewhere, burst forward at an unbelievable speed and struck the monster down.

Despite the suddenness of the situation, her movements flowed seamlessly.

Amon couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Let’s take shelter over there for a moment.”

Covered in monster blood, Erin pointed toward a small cave.

Erin skillfully created a barricade at the entrance of the cave.

She didn’t know how long they could hold out—but they didn’t need much time.

All she needed was a brief moment to recover her stamina.

She frowned at the pain in her back.

Pretending to be a “moderate genius” was troublesome.

She had to get injured even in situations where she normally wouldn’t.

Reading and countering a mid-level monster’s ambush instantly wasn’t something a “moderate genius” could do.

So she had no choice but to expose her back.

‘Why… did the monster horde appear earlier than it should have?’

Was it because she had changed the past?

Reken, who should have lost an arm, was fine.

The academy students, who should have hated her, were getting along with her.

Was that the cause?

The future changing was frightening—but perhaps this situation wasn’t entirely bad.

Erin looked at the noble lady lying weakly inside the cave.

Originally, she had planned to deal with the monsters alone before they attacked.

Someone was trying to kill the lady during this subjugation.

In the past, after the lady’s death, mages had discovered the truth.

The monsters had been controlled by a powerful mage.

Otherwise, their strange behavior couldn’t be explained.

The horde had targeted only Erin and the lady.

It was obvious who the target was.

That was why Erin couldn’t return to the subjugation squad.

Monsters were already dangerous—but if controlled and organized by someone, they became far worse.

And she couldn’t reveal her true strength in front of others.

But if she kept pretending to be weak, someone would surely get hurt.

So she decided it was better to act alone.

It was a crude solution—but the most certain one.

Besides, Karon was with the subjugation squad.

Erin feared the future repeating itself.

She didn’t want even the slightest chance of him losing his right arm.

Seeing her younger brother in despair once had been more than enough.

“Erin Ressus.”

Erin turned at the voice calling her name.

Amon stood there, looking conflicted.

After hesitating, he approached her.

It was already dark, and they could only rely on moonlight.

Strangely, it was in that moment that Erin saw his face clearly.

He, who usually looked irritated, was now staring at her seriously.

She didn’t care much about appearances, but she could now understand why he was considered one of the most handsome men in the Atens Academy.

Amon had a strong build and sharp features.

She recalled someone once saying that his harsh personality made his looks even more appealing.

She didn’t understand that taste—but perhaps she could now see it a little.

Tying his black hair back as if it annoyed him, he spoke.

“Are your wounds okay?”

Erin was so surprised she couldn’t respond.

It wasn’t something she ever expected to hear from Amon Hedor.

He searched his uniform and took out a small bottle.

“I always carry this. It should help with the pain.”

This wasn’t like him.

In her past life, he had never even spoken to her properly.

Hearing concern instead of hatred felt strange.

She reached out to take the bottle—

But Amon didn’t hand it over.

Instead, he shook his head.

“How are you going to apply it? I’ll do it—turn around.”

“…But…”

“What, do you think I’m going to eat you?”

Maybe he hadn’t changed after all.

His tone was as blunt as ever.

Still, that might be better.

Thinking about it, Amon had always been rude to everyone.

That realization gave Erin a strange feeling.

Had he… been worried about her back then too?

‘No way.’

She turned around.

Contrary to her expectations, his touch was careful.

As he applied the medicine, his breathing grew heavier.

His hands trembled slightly.

Then, in a low voice, he asked—

“Those scars on your back… who did this to you?”

“…”

“Who would dare do this to someone from the Ressus Marquis family…?”

Only then did Erin remember the marks on her back.

She had almost forgotten about them.

In the past, she had gone to great lengths to hide them.

High-collared dresses, long sleeves, gloves—

But after living multiple lives, those memories had dulled.

She didn’t even want to think about them anymore.

They were never good memories.

But forgetting them had led to this awkward situation.

Erin slowly turned around.

And when she saw Amon’s face—

She couldn’t speak.

As always, she thought—

Ferdin and his knights were truly good people.

Even toward a villainess, they could show sympathy.

They believed she had killed Calyps.

Yet still—

They looked at her like that.

Amon’s face was twisted as if he shared her pain.

Erin’s expression also hardened.

“Does the Marquis of Ressus know?”

“…”

“Answer me, Erin Ressus.”