"In any case, you're the one refusing to let me examine your wounds, so it's not my fault if you suffer from any aftereffects. I'm going now," Lana said in a teasing voice before turning to leave.

"I'll be challenging  you in the future," Erwin said in a determined voice just before Lana left his room.

A cold look appeared on Lana's face as her footsteps drew to a halt, and she said in a frosty voice, "Feel free to come challenge me anytime if you're not afraid of my Shadowgleam Sword Array."

She then departed without a backward glance.

"So that's the name of that spell," Erwin murmured to himself as a smile appeared on his face.

During the few days that Erwin took to rest and recuperate, Larwood and the others came to visit him. Larwood and Chase were feeling quite guilty about what had happened, and they promised him that they would pay for his next trip to the Rivers Mansion.

Using the external application medicine made from the powdered winged tiger bones delivered by Lana, Erwin's injuries healed very quickly, and he made a full recovery after just a few days of rest.

Through that battle that had taken place outside the Redbud Pavilion, Erwin realized that he knew far too few spells that were capable of delivering decisive blows in battle. Thus, as soon as he returned to the academy, he immediately went to Professor Hawk to see if he could recommend some books to him.

Professor Hawk had also heared about what had happened outside the Redbud Pavilion, and he took the opportunity to mock Erwin for his shortcomings.

"I heard you were almost killed by Prince Lazaar's daughter," Professor Hawk said with a derisive expression.

"I didn't know she was that powerful! She's already on par with a magic mentor!" Erwin's complexion still hadn't quite returned to normal yet, so he was still looking a little pale.

"How did you manage to force her to a point where she felt like it was necessary to kill you?" Professor Hawk asked as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Thus, Erwin gave Professor Hawk a recount of the battle that had taken place on that day.

A meaningul look appeared in Professor Hawk's eyes after hearing Erwin's recount.

"After the battle, I felt like my repertoire of spells is sorely lacking, so I wanted to borrow a few a books from you today," Erwin said in a candid manner.

Professor Hawk nodded in response. "You are correct. I already pointed out this weakness to you in the past, and it's a good thing that you've also come to realize it yourself. I'll go pick out a few books for you. Make sure to study them carefully, but as for whether you'll be able to master them before the Pillow Sword Tournament, that'll be up to you."

Professor Hawk wandered back and forth between several tall bookshelves before finally picking out two books for Erwin, one of which was "The Origins of Arcane Spells", while the other one was "A Discussion on the Ultimate Damage of Magic".

Erwin took a rough glance through the pages of the book to find that many of the magic incantations in the book were written in ancient text. Thankfully, Professor Hawk had already made annotations in many places.

Erwin's original intention was to take these two books and return directly to the manor. He had to prepare for the Pillow Sword Tournament, and he hadn't yet fully recovered from his injuries, so he didn't want to go to some of the lessons that he wasn't interested in.

"You're not allowed to ditch the offense and defense class later," Professor Hawk said in a stern voice right before he left.

Erwin was rather perplexed to hear this. It wasn't like the offense and defense class was a particularly important class, so why was he required to go?

...

As Erwin arrived in the classroom with his pale complexion, most of the people in the room immediately stopped what they were doing before turning to him with curious expressions, and even Gwen took an extra glance at him. There were some students who were curious about the battle he had endured, and there were also some gossipy girls who asked him about Lana. In any case, he made his way from the front of the classroom to the final row in the back, and not a single person inquired about his physical condition.

Erwin was still feeling rather feeble, and he gave half-hearted replies to everyone's questions. As he caught sight of the sly grins on the faces of Larwood and the others, he was immediately struck by the urge to hit something. If it weren't for Larwood and Chase getting themselves into trouble, he wouldn't have come so close to losing his own life.

"What? You don't feel guilty at all now that I can walk?" Erwin asked with a dark expression as he glowered at Larwood and Chase.

"You didn't actually think that those two were capable of feeling guilt, did you?" Kaiba asked with an amused grin. "If you had actually died that day, I bet Miss Riley would've mourned for you more than they would!"

"Haha, I'm not gonna lie, that sounds about right," Chase chuckled. "In any case, if you have to blame anyone for this, then you should blame Larwood. If it wasn't for his perverted tendencies, none of this would've happened."

"Bullshit! Are you saying that I'm the only one who tried to hit on her that night? You're telling me you didn't say anything?" Larwood countered.

Right as they were bickering with one another, the classroom suddenly fell silent.

Erwin thought that the lecturer had arrived, so he opened his book and buried his face into it.

"Pst pst." Larwood made a sound to grab Erwin's attention, then gestured for him to look toward the front of the classroom. Erwin duly obliged, and he looked up just in time to see a red-haired woman making her way into the classroom.

She was wearing a long green dress, draped over which was a pinkish gray sheep wool cape. She took a glance at the spot where Erwin was sitting, then strode directly toward him down the walkway at the center of the classroom. Erwin was very familiar with this get-up of hers, and he couldn't help but wonder just how many sheep wool capes of different colors she owned. All of the male students in the classroom involuntarily gulped slightly at the sight of her. This was Prince Lazaar's daughter that everyone had been hearing about. Her beauty was truly unmatched, and looking into her blue eyes made one feel as if they were looking into a seductive ocean that infinitely captivated one's imagination.

"Hey, that's the daughter of Prince Lazaar! I heard that she has red hair and is extremely beautiful, so that has to be her!"

"She doesn't look like the type of person who would try to kill someone in public!"

"Well, Erwin and his friends are known for getting into fights. Maybe they really crossed the line this time, so it's only normal that he almost paid with his life."

"I heard that she already went to Count Friar's manor to deliver an apology. What is she doing here in our classroom?"

"Who knows? In any case, we should be treated to a good show here."

All of the students in the classroom were discussing spiritedly among themselves.

Larwood and the others were also quite bewildered. They had thought that the incident was already in the past, and never did they think that she would come to their academy! Of course, it seemed that she was here for Erwin rather than them.

Lana paid no heed to what everyone else was thinking as she made her way directly over to Erwin's side, then gestured for him to scoot over and make room for her.

"Why are you here?" Erwin refused to budge as he looked up at Lana with a gloomy expression.

"I'm here to take this lesson with you. I'm worried that you'll suffer from aftereffects from your injuries," Lana whispered into Erwin's ear as she bent down with a smile, and everyone in the classroom began to wonder whether there was something going on between the two of them.

Erwin continued to refuse to move, and Lana's smile remained unchanged, but the tone of her voice cooled down significantly as she ordered, "Scoot over! Hurry up!"

At the same time, her hand was already resting over Erwin's wounds.

Erwin scrutinized Lana with an intense gaze to find that there was a very pronounced look of provocation in her eyes. She could unleash an instant-release spell at any moment to tear his wounds open again. In fact, he could already see blue lightning flashing faintly from Lana's delicate fingertips.

Thus, Erwin could only swallow his pride and vacate his seat for Lana with an indignant look on his face. The astonishment on the faces of Larwood and the others became even more pronounced upon seeing this.

"How did you know that I would come to attend this lesson this afternoon?" Erwin asked with a puzzled expression.

"I asked Professor Hawk to make sure that you attended this lesson," Lana replied with a smile. "My teacher and Professor Hawk studied in the same cohort together, so it's quite the coincidence."

So that old bastard sold me! No wonder he insisted that I come to this lesson! I bet they didn't just study together, her teacher is probably an old lover of his! No wonder the old bastard never got married! Erwin was cursing Professor Hawk internally.

"Don't blame Professor Hawk for this, I was the one who asked him to arrange this," Lana said.

"What I want to know is how you managed to find Professor Hawk," Erwin said with a curious expression.

"I saw your name on the list of contestants for the Pillow Sword Tournament, so I checked who recommended you, and that's how I found Professor Hawk," Lana replied with a smug expression.

"So what are you doing here? Why did you suddenly come to our academy?" Erwin asked with furrowed brows.

"I'm interested in the way that you use magic, so I want to see what you're learning at the academy," Lana replied as she turned toward Erwin with a smile, as if this were a very normal occurrence for her.

Lana then caught sight of the two magic books placed on Erwin's desk, and her eyes immediately lit up as she grabbed one of the books before opening it with an intrigued expression. In Erwin's eyes, she was being completely inexplicable, and he didn't know what to make of this situation. She was acting as if the two of them were old friends who had known each other for years!

"I don't know what your intentions are, but let me remind you that we've only met three times in total, and on the first occasion, you almost killed me!" Erwin said with a dark expression as he grabbed his book back from her.

Lana was unfazed by his attitude, and she supported her own head with her hand as she cocked her head to the side to look at Erwin with an amused smile. "Why are you so petty? Shouldn't a man like you be more open-minded and willing to let bygones be bygones? Or are you just embarrassed that you can't beat a girl like me?"

"That's not it, I'm just wary of people who are more powerful than myself," Erwin replied in a serious voice.

"Oh, I see..." Lana nodded in response, then continued with a smile on her face, "These two books of yours seem to be quite interesting. How about we study them together? I can teach you to improve your pathetic magic."

Lana was looking at Erwin with a charming smile, while Erwin was looking back at her with fierce resentment in his heart. His gaze roamed over the seductive body under her dress, and he vowed to himself that he was going to repay her with interest for what she had done to him.

Larwood and the others were eavesdropping on their conversation, and they almost laughed out loud upon hearing Lana refer to Erwin's magic as pathetic. All three of them were doing everything in their power to hold back their mirth, and their faces had become as red as beetroot.