Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – Resentment (2)

Erin snapped her fingers lightly.

In an instant, heat fierce enough to swallow the surroundings flooded the training grounds. Before anyone could even assess the situation, a fireball twice the size of the one the Seventh Commander had hurled at her materialized in midair.

The heat was so intense that breathing became difficult. Everyone stood frozen, faces pale with fear. Everyone except Erin, who remained perfectly calm.

“You cannot even use Hellfire properly,” Erin said coolly.

The only people who could stop her here were Duke Ferr or the Pope himself. But neither of them interfered in mere friction within the holy knight order.

As long as no one died, it was acceptable.

And Erin had no intention of killing him. This was only a warning.

“If you want to compete with me using magic,” Erin continued evenly, “I will gladly accept.”

She flicked her fingers.

The massive Hellfire shot forward in an instant, stopping right before the Seventh Commander’s eyes. With no way to block it, he squeezed his eyes shut.

The flames vanished.

His legs gave out as the tension drained from him, and he collapsed to the ground. Erin calmly extended a hand toward him.

Grinding his teeth, the Seventh Commander tried to ignore it and stand on his own, but Erin seized his hand and hauled him upright. When he staggered, she caught his shoulder to steady him.

“You cannot beat me in swordsmanship or magic,” Erin said quietly.

She leaned closer and whispered so only he could hear.

“Do you think I became the First Commander for no reason?”

Instead of answering, his body stiffened with rage. Erin deliberately chuckled beside his ear, making sure he heard it.

What did his height matter? He could not surpass her in swordsmanship, magic, or intellect. A truly inferior being.

“Know your place, Seventh Commander,” Erin said with thinly veiled contempt. “If you were worth remembering, I might at least know your name.”

“You…” the Seventh Commander growled.

“Did I give you permission to speak casually to me?” Erin cut in sharply.

Even though they were both commanders, the difference between the First and the Seventh was not something that could be compared.

This was insubordination.

Erin gripped his shoulder as if she might crush it.

“I asked if I gave you permission.”

“…I apologize,” the Seventh Commander said stiffly.

“If you are bitter, come back after gaining the strength to defeat me,” Erin replied.

As if that would ever happen.

She brushed past him as though he no longer existed.

“Today’s training is dismissed. Tomorrow, I will oversee it again,” Erin announced to the gathered knights. “Those who do not wish to remain may leave on their own. I have no intention of accepting those who refuse to follow me.”

She pulled the longsword from the ground and dismissed it, then continued speaking with the Seventh Commander standing beside her like a prop.

“The First Knight Order admits only the finest among holy knights. Yet today, you all disgraced that honor with your own hands.”

The faces of everyone except Ten and Neo darkened. The First Knight Order was not only ranked by merit but also composed largely of children from high-ranking noble families.

They were the sort who took pride in their elevated status, often to the point of arrogance. Their pride had been struck directly.

After Erin had become the demon god’s sacrifice, they must have decided she was no longer of their caliber and acted out in this pathetic manner.

“Even if I bear the disgrace of being a demon god’s sacrifice,” Erin said firmly, “my strength has not diminished. I am not on the demon god’s side. I am still your commander, Erin Ferr. If you have a brain, remember that.”

With that, Erin turned and left the training grounds. Thanks to the Seventh Commander, she had gained some personal time. Time she could devote to digging deeper into the ancient documents.

I should thank him for this.

Footsteps rushed up behind her. When she turned, she saw Ten running toward her.

“Commander,” Ten called out urgently.

Erin looked at him as he approached, his expression so earnest it reminded her of a puppy staring at its owner. A laugh slipped out before she could stop it.

“What is it?” Erin asked lightly. “Did you come here hoping for praise?”

“N-no,” Ten replied quickly. “I just did not see any value in learning when your swordsmanship is clearly superior, Commander.”

His blunt sincerity amused her. Erin snorted softly and ruffled his hair.

Ten flushed and stood stiffly, saying nothing.

“So,” Erin said, “why did you really come?”

“I was worried about you, Commander,” Ten admitted. “I thought you might be feeling very upset.”

“My mood is obviously foul,” Erin replied flatly.

Had she really done so poorly to be treated like this? Or was she a commander who commanded no respect at all?

A thousand thoughts crossed her mind, but they would pass. Everything would improve once the incident was resolved.

“They are afraid,” Erin said quietly. “And when people are afraid, they look for someone to hate.”

“…Commander,” Ten murmured.

He wanted to say something, anything. But the bitterness on Erin’s face made him realize that no words would truly reach her.

Comfort would not help. Still, was there nothing he could do for her?

Nothing that might bring even a faint smile to her face?

“You have been pushing yourself harder lately, have you not?” Ten asked cautiously.

“I do not have the luxury not to,” Erin replied.

“If there is anything at all you need me to do…”

“There is nothing,” Erin said sharply.

She looked straight at him. Ten lowered his gaze, clearly dejected.

Erin felt no need to comfort him. She needed to return to the ancient documents as soon as possible.

“So train harder and improve your skills,” Erin said curtly.

“…Yes,” Ten answered brightly.

Why did he look so pleased by that? Erin raised an eyebrow, unable to understand.

Then, suddenly, a thirst seized her, so intense it felt as if her throat were tearing apart.

Startled, Erin clutched at her neck. The thirst only grew worse.

Something felt terribly wrong. An instinct screamed at her to leave this place immediately.

“Commander?” Ten asked anxiously.

“I am heading back first,” Erin said shortly.

There was no time to run to the study. Erin used spatial magic and returned directly to her office.

Her throat felt as though it were burning from the inside. She gulped down water in desperation, but just as before she had drunk Gabriel’s blood, the thirst only intensified.

No, it was worse than before.

Whatever had been suppressed for so long surged violently, and cold sweat broke out across her skin.

It was unbearable.

She needed to drink something.

Not water. Something else. Something sweet, like Gabriel’s blood.

Blood?

Erin froze. Had she really just craved blood?

Was she becoming like the demon god, desiring blood?

Gasping for breath, Erin shook her head.

No. That could not be it. She must have lost her senses to the thirst.

This realization shocked her far more than the Seventh Commander’s provocation.

“…That is right. It cannot be,” Erin murmured.

She rose slowly from her seat.

“I have never wanted to drink blood.”

She rubbed her face with dry hands, forcing herself to calm down. It was only a momentary lapse in reason.

She had been desperate to escape the pain, and an extreme thought had surfaced.

Taking deep breaths, she worked to steady her heart, which felt as if it might burst from her chest.

Then a frantic knock echoed from outside.

“Commander. This is urgent,” a voice shouted.

“What is it?” Erin asked warily.

She frowned at the door, making no move to open it. Cold sweat still clung to her body.

If someone like the Seventh Commander saw her like this, they would surely try to exploit it.

“Speak,” Erin ordered.

“The holy knights in the southern province were attacked by undead that appeared suddenly,” the messenger reported. “All but one have been wiped out.”

For a moment, Erin could not process the words.

Undead?

In the South?

All but one wiped out?

She flung the door open and stared down at the messenger.

“Why would undead appear in the southern province?” Erin demanded.

“We are investigating,” the messenger replied quickly. “Holy knights from other regions have been dispatched, but the number of undead is so great that they cannot advance recklessly.”

At that moment, Gabriel’s words surfaced in her mind.

A calamity will arrive soon.

Was this the beginning of it?

Did this mean the Night Demon had risen again?

They needed to find the demon god’s heart as soon as possible. There was no time to waste.

Her palms grew slick with sweat.

“The Pope has ordered the First Knight Order to deploy,” the messenger added.

“…I see,” Erin said quietly.

Under normal circumstances, the Pope would have insisted she remain by his side. Now, because she was the demon god’s sacrifice and no longer made for a pleasing image, he was sending her as far away as possible.

Well, this was still better than dealing with the emperor.

The real problem was that she had to provide Gabriel with blood at least once every two days. That meant she would have to take him with her.

If the Night Demon and the Silver Demon were both present, the situation would grow far more dangerous.

That was troublesome in its own way.

Erin kept her expression neutral until the messenger left. Once she was alone, she swept everything off her desk in one violent motion.

At last, she truly began to feel it.

God had abandoned her.