Afterward, she did receive treatment.

  But the poor living conditions and the training master’s indifferent negligence allowed the wound to fester. She ran a high fever that wouldn't break.

  Back then, her younger self, lying in the pesthole they called an infirmary, her consciousness bouncing between icy cold and searing heat, could feel her life, like fine sand in an hourglass, slipping away.

  She was going to die.

  But, just as she was about to sink into that eternal darkness, Pandora found her.

  The Pandora of that time was just a girl two years younger than her, a bit thin and frail. Everyone in the manor said she was withdrawn, difficult to get along with.

  But it was this “difficult” Miss Pandora who, with an undeniable command, had her taken from that infirmary and brought to a clean residence meant only for the personal maids.

  Pandora tended to her day and night, visiting her every day, even personally dressing the wound.

  Miss said she was worried the manor’s doctor, who knew bloodletting as a cure for all ills, wouldn’t know the first thing about treating a wound, muttering something about, “He probably doesn't even know how to wash his hands.”

  But… how could a gentleman’s hands be “unclean”?

  Miss was just too kind, too pure. She didn't even know how to make a convincing excuse, yet she would do so much for her.

  That was why Aurora would rather die than pledge allegiance to Arthur. She pledged her fealty to Viscount Douglas, who had saved her the first time, and even more so to Pandora, who had saved her a second time, pulling her back from the brink.

  She would never forget that boy, and she would never forget who had pulled her from that mire of despair.

  Just as she was immersed in these memories, a mix of pain and warmth, a voice, without any warning, sounded from nearby.

  “Aurora?”

  “Ah!”

  Aurora, like a startled rabbit, snapped out of her daze. She abruptly ducked her entire body into the cold pond water, leaving only her face, flushed as red as a beet, exposed above the surface.

  She stammered, “My, my liege?!”

  Pandora looked at Aurora, who had hidden herself in water so clear it might as well have been glass, and shook her head helplessly.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  That being said, Aurora’s constitution was indeed a bit special. Even with the same, or even harsher, training as the other squires, she just couldn't get a tan, nor could she develop those sharply defined muscle blocks. But the improvement in her physical fitness was real. Her strength, speed, and endurance were on par with the top male squires.

  Perhaps, someone like Aurora was exactly the kind of person the hidden enemy mentioned—the “Demon Hunter Academy”—truly wanted to screen for.

  “Why are you here?” Pandora asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

  “I, I was just trying to follow your command, My Liege, to wash the blood off…” Aurora’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. If Pandora’s senses hadn’t been enhanced, she would have barely been able to hear her.

  Pandora looked at Aurora, whose redness had spread from the tips of her ears to her neck, and shook her head again.

  “I’ll go check the nearby area. You hurry up.”

  With that, she turned and walked toward a nearby patch of woods, leaving the small pond entirely to Aurora.

  “Yes, My Liege!” Aurora replied in a fluster, as if she had just received a royal pardon.

  Soon, Aurora had finished dressing. She hadn't been lying. The washing had cleaned off most of the bloody stains, and the smell wasn't as obvious anymore.

  Pandora walked back at just the right time. She hadn't intended to check on anything in the first place; she just wanted to give Aurora some space to compose herself.

  Upon returning, Pandora immediately walked to Aurora’s side and told her to absorb the Corpse-Red Mist.

  As the distance between them closed, without needing to do or say anything more, the scarlet mist swirling around Pandora seemed to find a new host. Pulled by an invisible force, it formed visible “streams” that flowed wildly into Aurora’s mouth, nose, and limbs!

  There was a lot of Corpse-Red Mist this time. Even though a portion had inevitably dissipated during Pandora’s journey back, the final remaining amount was still astonishing.

  Aurora felt the sense of power growing rapidly within her at a visible speed, and was both shocked and delighted. She knew the Corpse-Red Mist had the miraculous effect of enhancing physical fitness, but she had no idea the effect would be so immediate, so… terrifying!

  But with such a vast amount of Corpse-Red Mist… could it be… there was another, unrecorded large village in the Forbidden Forest? Did My Liege… “raze a village” all by herself again?

  ………………

  “You just said you were bathing?” Pandora asked suddenly, pulling Aurora from her excitement.

  “Y… yes, My Liege.” Aurora answered a bit unnaturally.

  “Then why didn't you go back to the manor to wash? Washing here, right on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, don't you think it's dangerous?”

  Pandora’s tone was flat, without a trace of emotion, but every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Aurora’s heart.

  “You took off your armor. You put down your sword. You even ignored the dangers of your environment…”

  “Aurora, have you forgotten even the most basic vigilance?”

  A wave of shame washed over Aurora. She lowered her head, biting her lip tightly, at a loss for words.

  Pandora looked at her state and sighed softly. Aurora’s performance, combined with her dejected back when she left earlier… how could she not know what kind of confusion and hardship Aurora was going through?

  In a situation like this, as a proper master, she should have given her knight some proper guidance.

  However… she was not a “proper” master. Who did she look like, a life coach?

  Her gaze sharpened. Pandora decided to resolve this problem in the way she was best at.

  “Aurora,” she said, her voice lower than before, “my knight, you should know that this world has already changed. It is not what you or I imagined it to be.”

  Aurora didn't speak. She just looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.

  Pandora didn't elaborate. Explaining this in detail would be too troublesome, and her own mind was a bit chaotic from the day's influx of information. She needed time to sort it out.