episode_0029

Even before Erin fought with the great sword, her advantage was her speed, but now that the constraint of the sword was gone, she truly moved like a bee. With one sword in hand, she shattered incoming spears, while with the other sword, she slashed through fireballs, not missing a single one.

“Haah!!”

“Kuk, don’t come!!”

Professor Bella also did not just stand by quietly. She continued to provoke Mana by taking advantage of the openings when Professor Manya was casting spells. Under constant pressure, Professor Manya seemed more visibly exhausted than before.

“I don’t like being ignored either!”

Erin pushed back Mana’s charge and caught up behind Professor Bella, who blocked Bella’s sword. Naturally, protective spells were layered multiple times, but even so, they could only withstand the magical attacks.

Since protective spells wouldn’t last forever once cast, at this point in time, with the magic having been cast for a while, the flow of mana was likely unstable. Erin exerted more force in the hand holding the sword.

Soon, her field of vision was filled with two dots. As if connecting dot to dot, the dots shimmered. She drew her sword along the dots. The path of the sword left traces as if colored with a brush.

The traces destructively devoured everything like a black hole. All of Manya’s protective spells were blown away.

“!!”

“Erin!”

Swish-

In an instant, Erin approached and struck Mana’s throat with the hilt of her sword. Dazed from the blow, Mana struggled to regain her balance. Despite trying to use magic until the end, she lost consciousness as Bella’s strike hit her spine.

“Huff, what is happening for real..”

“That’s right. Professor Manya. You’re not someone who would act like this without reason..”

“…”

Erin, who had been silently glaring at Manya, soon sat down next to her and looked down at her sword, which had transformed into two.

“I’m not like Trifia. I don’t even want to become her.”

Although she had resolved the immediate situation, Erin still seemed troubled, unable to confirm her own identity. She cautiously sat beside her.

“Yeah. You’re not Trifia; you’re the mercenary king’s daughter. You said it so confidently earlier.”

“Yeah. The only person who loves me and cherishes me. I’m a little, just a little confused.”

Clank-

As Erin flipped her sword back and forth, looking somewhat disappointed, she began to tell her story as if asking to be heard.

“He said that when he was camping in the forest, I was wrapped in a cradle and drifted down the river. If I stay still, it feels like my dream world will be disturbed or something.”

“So, he made you his family.”

“Well, I’ve never seen my parents or siblings, never felt a warm embrace, so I don’t really understand what a family is… Maybe this kind of relationship can also be called a family?”

“… Yeah. Families come in all different forms.”

After swallowing quietly and rolling the words in her mouth, she spoke.

“I don’t have parents or siblings either. In this life and the previous one, there were no parents who gave birth to me in my world. But I could find comfort in the fact that there were parents who cared for me and raised me.”

“Really? But you’re a noble, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m just a minor noble from the North. Like you, I was abandoned as a baby on a winter day. Lady Gaju found me, took me in, and treated me as her own.”

Thinking of Aria worrying at home, a smile naturally crept onto her lips. Seeing this, Erin tried to lift the corners of her mouth with her two fingers.

“You seem confident about your current family.”

“Yeah. Lady Gaju with a warm heart, strict Rebecca, and the clumsy jester Anna – they are all family. Family isn’t just the one you’re born into; it’s the one you choose. My chosen family, the ones I love.”

“Choosing your family?”

“Sure. The family I desire is the one I am building myself.”

Erin seemed shocked by what was just said, then snapped back to reality. The expression she showed afterward seemed devoid of any worries.

“You’re right. From now on, I will choose my own family.”

As Erin said that, she raised her fist. Erin looked puzzled as she suddenly extended her fist. Waving her fist as if urging her to strike, Erin cautiously met the fist.

Thud-

It was a good punch filled with determination felt in the girl’s small yet plump hand.

***

“Ugh..”

“Manya, snap out of it.”

“Ro…se..? Where am I.. Ugh.”

“You really messed up.”

Manya, seemingly coming to her senses, looked around. She appeared to be searching for Erin. As Erin approached from behind, Manya struggled to somehow lift her exhausted body. Failing to get up easily, she tried to rise even with Mana’s help.

“Guh..”

However, due to the circuitry caused by Mana’s awakening, there would be limitations on mana usage until treated. Manya writhed in terrible pain as a consequence of her greed.

“The child of Triphya..”

“No. It seems like you seek revenge against Triphya. Unfortunately, I’m not someone like Triphya.”

“The family I want is not over there.”

With a gaze full of conviction, Erin shouted at Manya. If her words during the fight were cries, now they were closer to self-assured statements.

“…Yes. I actually know. That I am being greedy. That this behavior is self-justification. But if I don’t do this, my family, my family!”

“Manya, stop. Even Menienne wouldn’t want this.”

“Sob..Ugh…”

Tears streaming down her face, Manya suffered in agony. Beside her, Professor Rose stood with a sympathetic look.

.

.

.

“You said Erin, right..? I’m sorry, I imposed my desires on you.”

“No, it’s okay. At first, I was confused and then bewildered. But now, I actually feel more certain about family. So, I’m happy now.”

Saying so, Erin playfully pulled my arm and whispered softly in my ear, “Thanks to you.” It was her natural laughter, something I hadn’t seen before.

“Yeah, Kidney Sangdo was there too. I’m really grateful for stopping me. If I had done something unforgivable under the pretext of my sister, I would have been scolded later.”

“So, maybe. Could you tell us something about Triphya? Erin should hear it too.”

“Yes. Please tell us.”

After taking a deep breath, Professor Manya cautiously began speaking.

“Triphya was the frontline fighting against the demon forces. Therefore, they received extensive support from other countries. Numerous corruptions occurred during this process.”

“Since our family has held the position of prime minister for generations, we struggled with headaches but still tried to solve the problems. However, the issue lay in the results of those efforts.”

Manya took out an old notebook from her bosom and started reading aloud.

“Prince Perou, 50 million gold coins. Princess Tinya, 42.8 million gold coins….”

“And King Chaimbel. 1 billion gold coins. This was all embezzled funds taken to flee when the frontlines pushed forward. They intended to escape with the money received to fight and endure, living luxuriously. Using the citizens as meat shields.”

If a family of four could live comfortably for a month with just one gold coin, then it must be assumed that they embezzled all the money they received.

“Tossing the remaining aid funds to their subordinates to keep each other in check. Inciting them to fight. My father, who was the prime minister, thought he couldn’t turn a blind eye anymore and rushed straight to the king.”

“At first, I tempted my father with the promise of a lavish life, but when he didn’t yield, I targeted him and our family for conscription. Then, as if clearing obstacles, I began hosting banquets… While my father, who had lived his whole life with pen and staff, suffered countless wounds on the battlefield!”

“In the end, everyone in my family except for my younger self and my sister was ruthlessly killed when the demons invaded! It wasn’t the demons who killed my family, it was the Triphia royal family!!!”

“They told the people that they bravely fought on the front lines after volunteering to enlist, but they sent others instead.”

Manya’s voice, filled with sorrow, continued to cry out as if her lament was not over.

“The atrocities of Triphia did not end there. At a victory celebration, not a victory, the acting head attended, and Prince Perou tried to rob my sister while she was drunk. Despite my sister’s desperate resistance, the prince beat her to death with a sword cane.”

“That…”

“The next day, claiming not to remember anything, they brushed it off as if it never happened and gave me a few coins as compensation. They said they were sorry my sister died, but they couldn’t enjoy her ‘pussy’!!”

The heinous deeds committed by the Triphia royal family were truly horrific. Her hatred towards Triphia was understandable.

“And then, exactly one week later, the kingdom itself was destroyed. Unable to seek revenge, I was the first to flee, only to be pierced and killed by the lurking demon attack.”

Listening intently with a stern expression, Erin patted Manya’s back and comforted her, saying that even if she wanted to, she could become a target of hatred.

“No, I can’t do that anymore. They are not your family. Now, I must cast away the hatred.”

“Manya..”

It may not be easy, but if she, who had given up revenge for Erin, could do it. Surely, breaking free from the chains of hatred is possible.