TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter.
TL/PR: Ruminas; ED: novicelily
Iria decided to quietly observe the situation from the side.
Ariel and Amelia were at a standoff in the empty swordsmanship training hall.
Although it seemed like a fight could break out at any moment, if they did, Ariel would overwhelmingly win.
He had already reached a level surpassing even the professors.Amelia stepped back as Ariel’s cold, angry gaze bore down on her.
Of course, he had no intention of resolving this with force. He didn’t want to resort to violence.
Instead, he let out a small sigh.
“Apologize to Iria properly. The recent rumors spread because of you, right? Like you did to me, how many people have you spread them to so far?”
Ariel may have been oblivious to rumors, but he wasn’t stupid.
He understood the power dynamics and influence among the students.
Amelia was among the worst of them. Although she was a powerhouse representing her year, she couldn’t compare to the fourth years or to Ariel in the second year
.
Her inferiority complex, overshadowed by them, was beyond imagination. Her only point of comparison was Iria, a first-year.
A third-year comparing herself to a first-year might seem pathetic, but she couldn’t help but feel the talent gap.
She thought she was at least stronger than Iria when she heard the top first-year’s mana was only 84.
But when Iria defeated Sera, she realized the true difference in talent.
Amelia was merely the weakest genius who became the top student by being born in a good era.
She had become this kind of person because she didn’t want to admit it. A vicious human who wished for others to fall since she couldn’t rise herself.
“… It’s not just me, you know?”
In the end, she didn’t apologize because of her pride.
“First of all, it’s something everyone is talking about. If you’re going to do this, say the same thing to all of them too. Out of so many people, I was just unlucky.”
“…”
“You’re too sensitive, Ariel. Meddling even when the victim is staying quiet. If you don’t want to hear it, then don’t. I’ll disappear like you want me to.”
Her words were lengthy, but that was the gist of it.
It was practically impossible for him to pick out only the worst rumors and make them apologize.
Amelia had provoked him, knowing it was impossible; it was a move to salvage her crumpled pride.
After listening to the conversation from beginning to end, someone spoke up.
“That’s a good idea.”
“?”
“?”
It was Iria.
Her comment didn’t fit the situation.
“…What?”
What was so good? Amelia trembled with unease; Iria was unpredictable.
Soon, she understood what Iria meant.
“You have a point. It would be unfair if some people were punished while others weren’t for the same thing.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to find each person who spread false rumors and challenge them to a duel. Does that satisfy you?”
“Are you crazy?”
Amelia couldn’t understand it as she was now. It only seemed like the bluffing of a somewhat lacking first-year.
The conversation’s dynamic shifted with Iria’s intrusion, and Amelia left sullenly.
Was it really just a bluff? Ariel thought as he watched her go.
***
At first, Iria had no intention of getting involved.
No matter what they said, there wouldn’t be any direct harm to her.
It was just a little annoying, that’s all.
However,
“Apologize to Iria properly.”
Someone got angry on her behalf.
It was none other than Ariel, who showed hostility even toward the top third-year student for
Iria’s sake.
Feeling something like that for the first time was honestly amazing.
It was unfamiliar but not unpleasant.
She thought she would have no one on her side after that girl died.
“…”
So she didn’t want to leave this matter to Ariel.
After all, it was because of her. Entrusting it to someone else felt a bit awkward.
Ariel probably wouldn’t let this incident slide; he would try to resolve it as much as possible.
Iria didn’t want him to resolve it in her place.
‘It’s something I have to do.’
It was Iria’s responsibility, not Ariel’s. She had just been putting it off because it was bothersome.
That’s why Iria decided to draw her sword.
***
Rumors about Iria were circulating as usual.
People talked about her whether she was there or not. They must have assumed she wouldn’t care today either since she hadn’t before.
“The monster is passing by over there.”
“Hey, be careful. What if she hears?”
“I said it so she would hear. She won’t react anyway.”
“True, no way a first-year would pick a fight with a senior. It’s like making all the upperclassmen your enemy.”
But today, Iria didn’t let it slide.
She turned her head toward the voices and approached.
Grabbing the hand of the female senior who had been badmouthing her, she locked her gaze onto the woman with her red eyes.
“Wh-what are you doing? Let go!”
The woman cried out in surprise.
Iria’s expression remained blank. She wasn’t angry or crying.
That unreadable poker face felt eerie up close.
The terrified woman tried to pull her hand away, but Iria wouldn’t let go.
She simply spoke in a calm voice.
“Duel me.”
“What?”
Then she forcibly dragged her to the dueling grounds.
Ignoring the reactions around her and what the woman was saying, Iria reached the dueling area and defeated the senior that day.
***
Iria’s actions continued.
Whenever she heard people talking about her while walking, she would immediately take them to the dueling grounds and beat them up.
With duels happening several times a day, victims began to appear everywhere.
Of course, her notoriety spread even more in places where Iria wasn’t present.
This was literally crazy behavior.
Though things had become muddled recently, the academy still had a hierarchy by school year.
Even if she was strong, messing with the third years was akin to making all the third years your enemy.
Just getting into a fight with one would be seen as a first-year going after the seniors.
No matter how talented an individual was, they couldn’t be stronger than the entire third year.
So most people thought Iria had picked a fight with the wrong person. They assumed she would be beaten soon.
But the results were different.
Iria was far stronger than they imagined. Strong enough to one-sidedly defeat seniors two years above her.
After losing a few times, they stopped openly badmouthing her.
The rumors didn’t stop. They just changed from insults to warnings.
“…”
But Iria’s hearing was beyond imagination.
Sensitive to her own name, she caught even the words that slipped out.
Why not just pretend you didn’t hear?
“I, I didn’t say anything! Really!!”
“Two days ago, around an hour and seven minutes past noon behind the park, I saw you gossiping about me with the green-haired girl.”
“Eek!”
Iria could read human memories.
Even if they feigned ignorance, she brought them in. Her eyes couldn’t be deceived.
Just as Ariel had wiped out all the students in duels as a first-year, now Iria displayed her power.
“You can all come at me at once.”
In the face of overwhelming force, numbers, weight class, and mana quantity – it was all meaningless.
Iria defeated over thirty students in a single day. Yet she showed no signs of fatigue.
She stood there unscathed after subduing most of them without a scratch.
A storm of blood raged through the academy that day.