TN: James Baily for the chapter.
TL/PR: Ruminas; ED: novicelily
Many duels had taken place.
Wooden swords were grasped, then broken and thrown to the ground.
The number of discarded wooden swords had already reached dozens. Iria had fought an astonishing number of duels in just two days.
‘The small fry are finished now.’
Iria, who had defeated her 63rd student, exhaled softly. It was the moment the one-sided violence of the duels came to an end.
The duels she fought were shocking in many ways.
Her fighting style was crude yet intense. There were no techniques or complex movements mixed into Iria’s actions.
She simply grasped a sword and swung it.
That was all, yet the elite third-year students were knocked out.
It was the simplest sword strike of all, but that’s precisely why it was difficult to react to.
Duels between students often had strategy and mind games as a basic premise.
In contrast, Iria’s fighting style completely shattered such common sense. She swung the same sword strike repeatedly. It was the most basic stance a person holding a sword could show.
Anyone could do it, but there was something different about Iria’s swings.
Much faster and heavier than a human could reproduce.
A strike that they couldn’t block even though they knew where it would come from. If they tried to block it with a sword, it would break the blade, and if they used mana to create a barrier, it would shatter from the strike.
Faced with the overwhelming force coming from her small frame, the students could only take it helplessly.
People described Iria as an impregnable fortress that was impossible to exploit.
The gap between Iria and them was so vast it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.
Those who experienced Iria’s power no longer uttered her name.
Fear was the most primal emotion. Although it was a bit rough, it was the most effective method in theory.
Now, there would be no students who could badmouth her.
In an academy where one proved themselves with skill, Iria had done so, while the others had not.
“……….”
Having finished the duels, she tossed aside the broken wooden sword and turned to leave.
It was time for the final duel that would conclude this situation.
And someone stood in Iria’s way. Blue hair, eyes still weary with fatigue.
Come to think of it, they had postponed the meeting last time. She had thought about finding him, but…
“Why are you here?”
Iria asked Albert in an intentionally cold tone.
It was so that she wouldn’t grow attached to him, as he was not Iria’s ally.
He quietly adjusted his glasses as he blocked Iria’s path.
There was a brief moment of silence.
“I’m sure you know why I’m here, Ms. Iria.”
“I’m busy today. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Busy fighting duels?”
“Yes.”
Albert sighed at Iria’s short reply.
He looked as if he had been quite worried about that very thing.
“I have no intention of interfering with duels between students, but could you please stop the duels for now? We no longer have any hospital rooms to accommodate the students.”
“……….”
“I’ve heard why you’re fighting these duels, Ms. Iria. Rumors spread about what happened in the incident. I know it must be a sensitive topic for you. However,”
Albert paused for a moment before continuing.
He made eye contact with Iria, who had a blank expression.
The academy usually actively encouraged duels between students, which was an effective means of improving each other’s skills.
But that was only when their levels were somewhat matched.
“Did you really have to use such an intense method?”
There weren’t many students who would benefit from dueling Iria. She had already far surpassed the student level.
Albert knew of Iria’s power. He didn’t know exactly how much, but at least he knew she was stronger than him.
If anything, the third-year students should be worried, not exceptional cases like Ariel or the extraordinarily talented Sera.
Ordinary students were better off not doing it.
Appropriate challenges helped with growth, but a wall so high that people couldn’t even think about climbing over it would make them despair.
He wasn’t trying to blame Iria’s actions, but he couldn’t ignore the impact she had.
It was fine now, but what about in the future?
The biggest concern was not knowing how far her actions would go.
There was also a shortage of hospital rooms to accommodate patients in the aftermath of the disaster.
After some time had passed, Iria’s mouth opened.
“I won’t do it anymore.”
She understood what Albert was trying to say.
Although she couldn’t read Albert’s mind, Iria herself was somewhat aware of this problem, too.
She also had no intention of continuing it. She had intended to resolve the small problem and be done with it from the start.
However,
“Just keep one spot open in the hospital room. Let me have my last duel.”
It wasn’t over yet because she hadn’t kept her promise.
She had sent everyone who badmouthed her to the hospital, so she couldn’t let Amelia off especially.
That would be unfair.
“Hmm…….. If there’s no room in the hospital, there’s a senior named Sera in the second year. She probably wants to leave the hospital by now, so she should be fine.”
“……….”
“I’m going. See you tomorrow.”
Amelia, the top third-year student.
She had no grudge against her, but Iria had to have a duel with her.
Why was that?
Even Iria herself didn’t really know the reason, but she wanted to do it.
Also, she couldn’t trouble Ariel again.
Iria, who had tossed the broken wooden sword to the ground, headed toward the third-year classroom.
Now it was time to pay the price.
***
On the way to the third-year classroom, she ran into Ariel this time.
He was one of the few who had tried to stop Iria when she first said she would duel the third-year students.
He wasn’t trying to stop her out of concern for Iria either. He was one of the few who knew the extent of Iria’s power.
If anything, shouldn’t he be worried about the third-year students instead?
“So it’s come to this after all. Are you feeling alright?”
“……….”
Iria nodded.
She had used up all her mana in these duels, but it wasn’t a big problem.
She didn’t rely much on mana in the first place. Rather, it was almost nonexistent. It wasn’t enough to be an issue for the last duel.
Even so, Ariel spoke while looking at Iria. His gaze still seemed to hold sympathy as he looked at her.
“You didn’t have to go this far on your own. You don’t have to try to shoulder everything by yourself.”
“I’m just used to doing things this way.”
Iria spoke as if it was nothing.
Ariel’s expression darkened further.
“……….”
He reached out his hand towards Iria but ended up stopping.
The words Iria uttered expressionlessly only felt bitter.
What was she used to?
If she meant she was used to shouldering things alone, Iria was an extremely pitiful girl.
Abandoned for having red eyes, she must have grown up alone until now. Maybe that’s why she stayed still even when faced with criticism towards her.
Was it like a daily routine she had always experienced?
If so, that was being numb. It had already worn away and disappeared from being hurt by every little thing.
It couldn’t be brushed off by saying she was used to it.
“Why are you looking at me with that expression?”
Iria tilted her head as she saw the look on Ariel’s face as he gazed at her.
In contrast to the darkness she held, her face looked innocent.
Not knowing his burning heart, Iria continued speaking.
“Um, the place I grew up in was a bit of a rough area. It was always where you had to solve problems with force if they came up, so I’m used to it. It’s also the only thing I know how to do.”
Even if it didn’t seem that way, she tried to clarify Ariel’s misunderstanding of her to some extent.
Because she had also been feeling little by little, Ariel’s gaze towards her had changed at some point.
She tried to convey that he didn’t need to worry so much because it was something she had always done.
“……….”
“……….”
It didn’t seem to get across properly.
***
Ariel told her to do well in the last duel and return, then stepped out of the way.
Unlike Albert, he didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping the duel itself. Not that it really mattered.
After walking a bit further, Amelia waited in front of the classroom as if she had been expecting Iria.
“Hmm~ Alright, come on in. Here to challenge me to a duel?”
“……….”
“I’ve been waiting. I didn’t think you’d actually make it this far though.”
She thought Iria would drop out halfway through, but her skills seemed better than expected.
Amelia showed a small smile and looked over Iria’s condition.
Her uniform was slightly torn, and her mana was completely drained.
‘Dumbass.’
Despite her relaxed expression, Amelia’s eyes couldn’t be deceived.
Once a mage reached a certain level, they could see a person’s mana quantity.
In Amelia’s eyes, Iria looked like an empty shell right now.
That’s why she gladly accepted her duel challenge.