Ariel was still holding onto the events from last time.
He had made a mistake with Iria before that incident too.
Surely, he had been wounded by the explosion of starlight in the Swordsmanship Training Ground.
No matter how much Iria forgave him, the lingering guilt in his heart wouldn’t easily vanish.
It was unavoidable that he worried, regardless of Iria’s feelings.
But in that state, he made another mistake. This time, it wasn’t an accident; it was a wound he inflicted with his own words.
He just wanted to hear an explanation, but he didn’t expect it would touch upon Iria’s trauma.
How many wounds are hidden behind that cold expression? Seeing her now gave him some understanding.
Her emotions might be shallow compared to others, and not showing discomfort could simply be the result of being worn down over time.
‘Just because her eyes are red doesn’t mean she’s a monster.’
Thinking that she must have faced all sorts of ridicule and disdain just for being born like that, Ariel felt his heart squeeze painfully.
He couldn’t provide comfort to that girl, yet he ended up causing her pain instead.
Ariel bowed his head, lost in thought.
‘Seduced by the whispers of the stars…’
The stars warned Ariel that Iria was not human.
He didn’t want to believe it, so he sought the answer from Iria herself.
Hence, he was anxious. Perhaps it was to deny the whispers of the stars more than to face Iria.
‘No, in the end, it would just be an excuse.’
No matter the intention, blaming it on the stars was ultimately an excuse.
Ariel believed it was clearly his fault, at least he thought so.
He planned to formally apologize soon. She might not forgive him, but he was aware that wrongs needed to be righted.
In the midst of that, Amelia showed up.
“But honestly, don’t you think Iria is a bit unpleasant? Her eyes are red and she seems kinda like a monster.”
“······.”
After a moment of silence, Ariel slowly turned his head.
“What did you just say?”
The expression on Ariel’s face, turned towards Amelia, was filled with cold fury.
Amelia’s expression changed this time, surprised by a reaction different from what she expected.
*
I walked through the academy while ignoring all the rumors circulating around me.
I didn’t even hear the words of weaklings.
Whether they were scared or not didn’t concern me.
After all, they couldn’t expel me, so I wasn’t worried.
Occasionally, a few would try to engage me in conversation, but they were just cowardly annoyances.
What could they do, anyway? I thought they couldn’t do anything.
In reality, they couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t apply for a duel with their skills.
“······.”
However, I was a bit concerned about Ariel.
I recalled the recent incident on the back mountain ridge. It was related to Ariel asking me if I was human.
“Hmm.”
How did he know I wasn’t human?
Thinking back, there were many clues.
When we dueled, I got hurt by starlight, or maybe my physical abilities exceeded that of a human despite not using mana.
A more fundamental reason could be my red eyes.
But I doubt those reasons were enough to raise suspicion. I hadn’t read his mind, but I assumed it wasn’t.
I had encountered many humans by now.
He wouldn’t easily suspect others, especially those close to him.
There were plenty of reasons to doubt, but I didn’t think that would lead him to ask me that question.
There must be some other factor I wasn’t aware of.
‘Since awakening the stars, my perspective has changed.’
I figured it must be closely related to that.
When we talked before, I might have responded somewhat drastically.
Naturally, it wasn’t that I was actually angry. I just thought there was no other way but that to hide the truth.
At least during that situation, that was all I could think of. Anyway, I couldn’t tell the truth.
I didn’t lie, but well… I honestly don’t care much about it now.
I wouldn’t have worried in the past. Now, I had become too accustomed to it.
It wasn’t exactly wrong either, so I wouldn’t feel bad. What’s wrong with asking a monster if it’s a monster?
Ariel did the right thing, and rather, the one in the wrong might be me.
I was the one who deceived him without him knowing anything.
It was a rather effective method for someone like Ariel, who had a good character. I almost felt sorry for him as if I felt too much guilt.
‘Should I go see him?’
So, I decided to meet Ariel again.
Given our differences in position, I could not resolve the misunderstandings he harbored, but I planned to convey that I was okay as best as I could.
The place where he’d likely be was obvious. He would undoubtedly be wielding a sword at the Swordsmanship Training Ground.
As soon as I finished that thought, I found myself standing in front of the swordsmanship training ground.
It was lunchtime, so nobody should be around; surely Ariel would be alone.
I opened the door without a second thought.
But then.
“I’ll ask you again, what did you just say?”
“Th-that’s not it…”
“If it’s not that, then what is it?”
What on earth is happening here?
It took Iria quite some time to understand all the circumstances upon arriving at the scene.
Only after reading Amelia’s memories from beginning to end was she able to grasp the content of the conversation between those two.
It took a bit longer since she couldn’t read Ariel’s memory.
“······.”
Iria scratched her cheek.
So the culprit spreading the rumors recently was Amelia, and she approached to drive a wedge between Ariel and Iria.
“Uhm… Iria? What’s going on here?”
Though she already knew the rough situation after reading Amelia’s memories, Ariel explained the situation to Iria.
Slowly and taking the time to provide detailed explanations helped Iria to understand the situation better and more accurately.
Of course, most of it was common knowledge, so it was a bit dull, and Iria nodded casually.
“I’m not really worried about it. Neither Amelia nor Ariel are my concern.”
“Wait, how do you know my name?”
Iria slightly flinched at Amelia’s question.
Thinking about it, it was their first meeting.
“Because you’re the top student?”
Having read the memories, Iria knew her background well enough, so it wasn’t difficult to bluff.
The topic of conversation circled back to its starting point again.
“Why are you saying something like that to me?”
“······.”
It was rare to see Ariel in such a sharp demeanor.
The kind-hearted and upright person he usually was was now displaying a cold fury.
Amelia could only be taken aback. Was Ariel actually this kind of person? She thought he was someone who had no interest in the world and was solely focused on training.
He was kind to others but kept a certain distance. He valued strengthening his own power more than forming relationships.
So, in this incident, Amelia thought Ariel would abandon Iria.
Regardless of what Ariel thought of her, she believed Ariel would coldly turn his back if he felt she would hinder his training.
As much as he disliked getting involved in inconvenient matters, she assumed he would completely leave after this incident.
‘What the hell! Why is he taking it so personally!’
Normally, he wouldn’t have reacted to any rumor at all. He would have deemed it unrelated to himself and focused on his training.
Yet here he was, supporting Iria.
Why she was being treated specially was something Amelia couldn’t fathom.
“No… I mean, did I make up something that didn’t happen? During the incident when we all got hurt, wasn’t there someone that resembled her acting strangely? Isn’t it normal for those who witnessed the tragedy to feel anxious? I just shared that fact with others; what’s the problem?”
With no retreat possible, she began to aggressively defend herself.
Her voice grew louder to prove her actions were justified, showing that she wouldn’t be intimidated—right in front of the undisputed strongest student of the academy.
“Isn’t it your fault that you didn’t correct things during the time these rumors were circulating? Keeping silent means you probably couldn’t deny it.”
That wasn’t entirely wrong.
Iria, who had been quietly listening from the side, thought that. It was true that Iria herself had indeed been silent, and though she had no talent for lying, she partly kept quiet because she was too lazy to deal with it.
But the biggest reason for not caring about it was simply that it didn’t directly affect her. The academy was just a means to keep an eye on Ariel for her.
That’s why she cared even less.
“Amelia Endelson. You’re a coward.”
“What?”
“Iria is not a target for you to unleash your dirty emotions on. Aren’t you ashamed as a third-year student to target a first-year student?”
Someone was angrier than the victim.
Ariel’s blue eyes emanated a chilling light.
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