Volume 4, Chapter 32 – Erin Slate

Night fell.

A green-haired young woman with a sword at her waist and wearing a black gauze dress walked slowly through the Royal Castle. Her stunning figure and long, shapely legs were a match for any woman in all of Blossom.

Erin Slate.

She was the eldest daughter of the former Duke Heller. Implicated by her uncle’s failed rebellion, she had not only lost her noble status but had also been exiled with her family to the crime-ridden Land of Exile, her status plummeting.

If it were just that, her experience wouldn’t have been particularly noteworthy on the World Tree Continent; there were countless people who had suffered more than she had. But fate always seems to inflict deeper pain on those who are already suffering. After arriving in the Land of Exile, her family discovered that she had contracted the Darkborn Disease. This incurable and contagious illness instantly made her a target of scorn. Her exiled family members all distanced themselves from her. Even her own father, Duke Heller, for the sake of the rest of the family, drove her out, leaving her to fend for herself.

For the Erin Slate of that time, who knew nothing but noble etiquette, it was almost impossible to survive in the Land of Exile after being kicked out. There was no order, a lack of food, and everything had to be taken from others by force. For her, there was only death.

Already on the verge of a breakdown due to the poor living conditions, and then being ruthlessly expelled even after pleading with her father, she naturally had a mental collapse. She began to hate her uncle, her father, and the Darkborn Disease that parasitized her body, and by extension, she came to hate fate and the entire world.

Unfortunately, hatred could not be directly converted into strength. Even though she had gone mad, she was still a weak and delicate young lady. After leaving her home, she soon faced the challenges of hunger and cold, and because she was not in her right mind, she had no awareness of actively seeking food.

In the Land of Exile, a beauty like her wandering alone would quickly be targeted by lustful men. However, she had the Darkborn Disease, and no one dared to risk contracting the incurable illness to approach her. Thus, in a twisted act of mercy from fate, she was able to wander safely, surviving by fighting for the corpses of monsters and drinking muddy water.

Of course, the Land of Exile had no place for someone with no survival skills, let alone a madwoman. After less than half a month of this life, she was on the verge of death from hunger and cold, collapsing by the roadside to wait for death with the other unfortunate souls.

—Until the Eldest Princess arrived.

A god who brought her food and warmth, unafraid of the Darkborn infection.

Erin Slate no longer remembered how long it took for her to go from a state of madness to being able to understand what people were saying. She only knew that as her physical condition improved, she slowly regained consciousness. And the first thing she saw then was the black-haired, red-eyed elf standing quietly before her.

Although she had a cold and merciless appearance that made one tremble, to the Erin Slate of that time, this black-haired princess was like the sun piercing through the dark clouds of the apocalypse, her only support.

No one would approach a sufferer of the Darkborn Disease, but the princess was an exception. Not only that, but she was even willing to look at and even touch her, an unlucky person. And that single action had made the once abandoned by the world Erin Slate burst into tears.

After that, events developed rapidly.

First, she slowly recovered her health under the princess’s care. Then, she learned how to use magic. As for the event that completely turned her into the princess’s loyal hound, it was when the princess used her own blood to reverse the fate of being consumed by the Darkborn Disease.

At that time, the patterns of her disease had progressed to the point where they could take her life at any moment. Just as she had accepted her inevitable death, the princess had cut her own wrist and, with a self-created spell, had her step into a wooden basin filled with a large amount of her blood. That amount of blood would have endangered the life of an ordinary person. Even someone as strong as the princess had turned pale and almost fainted on the spot. She had to recuperate for a considerable time after that.

As an outcast abandoned by the world, for the princess to be willing to do so much for her, anyone would have made only one choice: to be loyal to the princess, to be willing to do anything for her.

This was the reason for her, Erin Slate’s, existence.

Recalling her first meeting with the princess, a faint smile appeared on Erin Slate’s face as she walked along the path. At that time, although the princess had not personally taken care of her, but had a woman in the organization named Becky—Erin Slate’s predecessor—take care of her daily needs, this did not affect her loyalty. She knew that if not for the princess, Becky would not have paid her any attention at all.

Besides, her beloved master had a cold attitude towards everyone. It would have been strange if her master had personally taken care of her.

Her master’s feelings were always hidden deep. She preferred to act rather than express herself with words. Only by savoring them carefully could one discover that her master’s feelings were actually delicate and rich.

That was something only she could fully understand—no, besides her, there was Anastasia. In terms of loyalty, perhaps only Anastasia could compare to her.

Realizing this, Erin Slate pursed her lips in contempt.

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“Becky… that stupid woman.”

Becky was the first maid to serve the princess. Her duties were equivalent to the current Anastasia and Erin Slate combined. However, she had betrayed the princess’s trust. In the process of pursuing The Sovereign, she had lost herself, become timid, and in the end, out of fear of being liquidated, had even tried to make the organization’s secrets public, becoming its shame.

If only she had continued to work hard, there would have been no place for her or Anastasia. Yet she had chosen to betray the princess, taking the most foolish path, and was finally dealt with by her.

But that was all in the past. Now, with the organization under her management, there would be no more disappointments for her master.

“But why hasn’t Master contacted me yet? Is Anastasia watching too closely?” Erin Slate muttered to herself. It had been two days since Fia had returned to Blossom, but she had not contacted her. Normally, she should have found her on the first night.

“Colita hasn’t reported to me either… Hah, in any case, I must go and see.”

Using the excuse of asking for swordsmanship pointers, or simply using the excuse that Anastasia had asked her this afternoon to help look through the books in the library, would both be plausible.

Thinking this, Erin Slate soon arrived at Fia’s palace. And then, the scene of Fia’s index finger resting on Anastasia’s lips entered her vision.

“—!”

Her body acting on its own, Erin Slate stopped abruptly, her muscles instinctively tensing, a clear wavering flickering in her golden eyes.

How could this be…

How could my master do such a thing! Anastasia, since when!

Just as the shock appeared in her heart, Erin Slate seemed to remember something, and the wavering in her eyes receded like a tide. Her master’s current setting was that she had lost her memory. Since she had lost her memory, she had to act the part. The reason she was doing this in the garden was just to show the maids.

This was all part of a plan to lure Prince Schain into a trap—first, pretend to have lost her memory to show weakness to the enemy, then put pressure on him to make him mistakenly think that “I must act now,” “if not now, then when,” and finally, catch him red-handed with both human and material evidence.

In this way, she would not alarm the Elf King, and could completely crush Schain’s forces at the lowest cost. It was truly brilliant. With her own shallow knowledge, she would never have been able to think of a method of faking memory loss to lure him into a trap.

Of course, there were things she didn’t understand. She wanted to say that just to deal with one Prince Schain, Fia didn’t need to sacrifice to this extent. But Fia’s considerations would only be deeper than her own. To rashly speculate on the true face under the iceberg was tantamount to imagining the entire world with the knowledge of a frog in a well. For Fia’s orders, she only needed to nod and execute them.

Even so, looking at Anastasia enjoying the physical contact with Fia, Erin Slate couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.

The difference between her and Anastasia was that Anastasia was easily swayed by emotions and not rational enough. This was also the reason why the princess had made her the manager of the organization, but had kept Anastasia in the dark. Anastasia had too many of her own opinions, more like an elf than a machine, so the princess couldn’t let her take risks.

So Erin Slate had also had the chance to be by Fia’s side like Anastasia. Unfortunately, because of the princess’s choice, the responsibility of taking care of her daily life had fallen on Anastasia, and she had thus enjoyed the privilege of handling the princess’s private clothes.

It was so enviable.

She also wanted to see her master’s pure white, angelic, petite body every day. The mere thought of Anastasia being able to touch her master’s tender skin every day made Erin Slate’s heart fill with regret. If she had acted as foolishly as Anastasia back then, she would have also been granted the same privilege.

Dammit.

Only I am qualified to be Master’s possession. No, it’s enough that I am the only one who loves her.

A fire of jealousy surged in Erin Slate’s chest. She straightened her skirt and her light green twin tails, and after confirming that everything was in order, she quietly slipped up beside Anastasia—as a Sword Saint, erasing her own presence was the easiest thing in the world.

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She pretended to have stumbled upon them by chance, placed an index finger on her chin, and tilted her head in surprise.

“Oh my… am I interrupting something?”

“Eek! Not at all!”

As expected, Anastasia was startled, and her cheeks quickly flushed crimson.

This child is embarrassed—Erin Slate was more than ten years older than Anastasia.

“L-Lady Erin Slate, why have you come alone?”

Erin Slate recited her prepared lines, then turned to the Fia she had been longing for.

“Good evening, Your Highness Dofilia.”

Unlike before she had gone to the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, her master was even more beautiful now. The faint light of the Holy Tree and the moon light on her skin, reflecting a lustrous white glow. In addition, her face was no longer as cold as before. At a glance, she was like a fairy of the night.

Although Erin Slate had seen Fia like this during the day, that had been from a distance. Now, face to face, the strong sense of novelty instantly filled her heart, so much so that she almost couldn’t maintain her expression and reveal her affection for Fia.

But even so, Erin Slate did not miss the fleeting look of contemplation on Fia’s face. She guessed that her master was probably thinking of how to send Anastasia away.

Although she shouldn’t have contacted her master without being contacted first, her master had always been tolerant. Even if she suddenly contacted her, she would not refuse or get angry.

And the reality was just as she had thought. Fia used the excuse of taking a bath to send Anastasia away, and the two of them quickly arrived in the library.

The library was the most common place where the princess gave orders in the past. It was for this reason that there was a rule that “if the princess is inside, no maid is allowed to enter.” Erin Slate was already a regular here—in private, of course.

Silently watching Fia flip through the materials she had submitted, Erin Slate, standing behind her, was secretly astonished. Even with her ability, it would take at least half a day to read through all these materials, yet Fia was going through them as if she were reading ten lines at a glance, only staying on each page for a few seconds before turning to the next, so much so that it seemed as if she wasn’t reading seriously at all.

Come to think of it, the current master was indeed a little different from before. Not just her ability to read ten lines at a glance now, but also her strength in defeating Greyan and Godley during the day.

Others might not have been able to see the battle between Greyan and Fia clearly, but she could. She had clearly seen Fia parry every one of his punches with her sword. That speed and decisiveness had even surpassed her own, a Sword Saint. Yet in the past, her master could never have defeated her in swordsmanship.

Could it be that the story of her gaining great power after being injured by the Unsinkable Moon was true? But could such an absurd thing really happen in this world? Or had her master been this strong all along, but had just never told her?

Between hiding it and the truth, Erin Slate was more willing to believe the former. She had always been the person the princess trusted the most. She couldn’t believe the princess would keep her in the dark as well.

But, if it were the former, could it be that her master’s memory loss was also a fact?

Erin Slate’s eyes flickered.

No, that’s impossible.

Erin Slate quickly denied it in her heart. Although even if Fia had really lost her memory, she would not be disloyal to her, but that would mean Fia had forgotten her past with her and the others in the organization.

And taking a step back, both leading her to the library and telling her to use the memory loss as a plan to lure Prince Schain into a trap showed that her master still remembered her. If she had lost her memory, she would not have made the preparations that corresponded with the plan—that is, to release the news in advance so that Schain would learn of her memory loss.

She was overthinking it.

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“Hah… I have a general understanding now. It’s just this last part… Erin Slate, you suspect Kalsey is up to something?”

Fia’s words brought Erin Slate back to her senses.

She really was overthinking it. Her master’s calm tone was no different from before.

Erin Slate breathed a sigh of relief and answered in a reporting tone.

“Yes.”

“Is there no other evidence that he is problematic?”

“No. That is why I could not make up my mind.”

“Then let’s put this matter aside for now. Don’t act rashly, so as not to alert him.”

“Understood.”

Although Kalsey might be problematic, all things had their priorities. Just being hard to follow didn’t need to be resolved immediately. The person who needed to be dealt with now should be Prince Schain—her master probably meant to express this.

Until Fia’s next words came out.

“Why don’t these documents mention anything about the past? Like what we do, or what happened between you and me?”

“Uh?” The muscles in her face twitched uncontrollably. Erin Slate’s expression froze. She had an ominous premonition. “Lord Thanatos, you mean… you’ve forgotten me?”

“Mmm… I thought you had already understood what I said earlier. I have indeed forgotten all of you. My understanding of you now is only based on the notes the former princess left on this desk.”

Erin Slate could clearly see the look of shame on Fia’s face. The emotion was so obvious that she couldn’t lie to herself.

Her master had really lost her memory.

Like a bolt from the blue, Erin Slate’s whole body trembled. She even took a step back, her legs weak, and almost lost her footing.

“Impossible… You… you must be joking, right?”

Before Fia could answer, Erin Slate hurriedly explained, a clear panic and hope on her delicate face.

“You clearly let me use your memory loss as a plan against Prince Schain. How could you have lost your memory? And you-you still remember me, don’t you? If you had lost your memory, you should have been surprised by my performance just now, yet you acted as usual and brought me to the library.”

“I learned of this organization’s existence by chance from Renee’s mouth. Your names and your respective positions, I also learned from the notes the princess left on this desk. Hey!”

Fia’s words were like a mental spell, making Erin Slate feel dizzy, her vision even blurring. Her legs gave way and she was about to fall to the ground. Fia caught her in time and helped her into the only chair in the library.

Erin Slate knew she shouldn’t be sitting in her master’s seat, but the pressure in her chest made it hard to breathe. The bones in her body felt as if they had been removed, and she couldn’t muster any strength. She held her ringing head and, with great effort, swallowed and said with difficulty.

“…You really don’t remember me?”

“Although I am ashamed… I really can’t remember what happened in the past. At the very beginning, I was even convinced that I was just an outside soul inhabiting the princess’s body, that there was a problem with my self-perception. If not for Anastasia’s forceful persuasion, I would have already abandoned the identity of the Eldest Princess and gone to live somewhere else on the continent alone.”

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“Impossible… I don’t believe it… I don’t believe you would be injured by the Unsinkable Moon! How could a mere human harm you!”

Suddenly, Erin Slate felt a heat spread through her body. Sweat poured down her back like water. The ringing in her ears grew louder, to the point where she could no longer hear what Fia was saying. An intense regret and hatred began to overflow from her chest, as if someone was urging her, telling her she had to do something quickly.

It was all Anastasia’s fault.

“Anastasia… ANASTASIA!!!”

Almost grinding her teeth, Erin Slate squeezed Anastasia’s name from between them. She had never hated her so much. Since the matter with Becky, this was the first time she had hated someone on her own side.

She had always seen Anastasia as her colleague, her friend. Yet she had confidently let her protect her master, only for her to bring back a broken master. And her opponent was a weak human! Anastasia had betrayed her trust and was not worthy of being by her master’s side!

The overwhelming anger that surged in her chest made Erin Slate shoot to her feet. She felt an unprecedented power welling up in her body, her mana boiling, filling her mind with rage. At this moment, she had only one thought: she had to settle the score with Anastasia.

And from Fia’s perspective, Erin Slate’s eyes were now as if soaked in blood, completely bloodshot, like a crazed fighter. No matter how you looked at it, it was extremely abnormal.

She grabbed Erin Slate’s arm, trying to pull her back, but her strength was surprisingly great, so much so that Fia couldn’t move her with a light pull. Fia frowned and pulled her back with force.

“What do you think you’re doing, Erin Slate?!”

“Settling the score with Anastasia!”

“You will stand still. Without Anastasia, there would be no me of today. Do you intend to defy my will?!”

Without listening to Fia’s words, anger had already clouded Erin Slate’s reason. She tried to forcefully shake off Fia’s hand, but Fia had already tripped her, and with a strong pull, she was easily taken down.

However, with her excellent reflexes, Erin Slate adjusted her landing posture, using her hands to support her body and quickly preparing to counterattack. But Fia had already made her next move before she could react.

[Mental Shock].

Erin Slate’s mind instantly went blank. She could only vaguely hear the sound of clothes being torn and ripped.

This lasted for less than a second. Erin Slate came to her senses. Due to the dizziness brought on by the [Mental Shock], the feeling of blood rushing to her head was no longer as strong as before. Like a person waking from a dream, she looked around in a daze for Fia’s figure. But soon she felt a chill on her back, and a stinging pain from her twisted, pinned arms.

“…So that’s it. You were affected by the Darkborn Disease. Two months was too long, after all.”

Without giving Erin Slate time to react, Fia, with her knee pressed into her lower back, manipulated Laevateinn to cut her own fingertip, then brought her finger to the prone Erin Slate’s mouth, letting the blood drip onto her tongue.

Then, Fia began to chant a cryptic spell she had never used before.

As faint purple particles of light floated from Fia’s body to Erin Slate’s back, an arcane purple rune and magic circle quickly outlined themselves there. As the magic circle continuously shrank and compressed, the ugly black patterns on her back also quickly shrank, until they disappeared completely.

“—Hah.”

After doing all this, Fia withdrew the finger she had just put in Erin Slate’s mouth and slowly stood up.

“You should be better now, right? To be eroded by the Darkborn Disease to this extent… if not for the detailed description in the princess’s note, things would have been bad just now. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”