There was a duel, and there was a duel.
She grabbed a wooden sword and tossed the broken one into the ground.
The number of discarded wooden swords was already in the dozens. Iria had truly, truly fought an incredible number of duels over the course of two days.
‘Is this the end of the lackeys?’
Having taken down the 63rd student, Iria let out a small breath. It was the moment when the one-sided violence known as a duel came to an end.
The duels she took part in were shocking in many ways.
It was a crude and violent fighting style. Iria’s movements didn’t mix in any technique or complicated maneuvers.
She simply held the sword and swung it.
With just that, elite students in their third year fell one after another.
It was a remarkably simple sword strike, but in its simplicity, it was hard to react.
Duels between students usually had a foundation of strategy and tactics, after all.
In contrast, Iria’s fighting style completely shattered that common sense. She wielded the same sword strike. It was the most basic stance anyone with a sword could display.
Anyone could do it, but what Iria swung was different.
Much faster and heavier.
Even though they knew where the strike would come from, they couldn’t block it. If they tried to block with a sword, it would break upon impact, and if they created a barrier with mana, it would shatter from sheer force.
With overwhelming mass coming from her small frame, the other students had no choice but to fall.
People compared Iria to an impregnable fortress.
The gap between Iria and them was so vast it was invisible.
Those who felt Iria’s power no longer spoke her name.
Fear is the most primal of emotions, after all. A bit rough, but theoretically, it was the most effective method.
Now, there would be no students left to slander her.
Iria proved her capabilities at the Academy, while the others could not.
“….”
After finishing her duel, she discarded the broken wooden sword and turned to walk away.
It was time for her last duel, to wrap up this situation.
Then, someone stood in her way. With blue hair and tired eyes.
Now that she thought about it, she had postponed a meeting last time. She had intended to visit.
“Why are you here?”
Iria asked Albert in a deliberately cold tone.
He wasn’t on her side, so she wanted to avoid forming any attachments.
The one blocking her path quietly adjusted his glasses.
A moment of silence passed between them.
“I assume you know why I’m here, Iria.”
“Today, I’m busy. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Busy with duels?”
“Yes.”
With Iria’s curt reply, Albert sighed.
His face showed signs of worry that were already weighing on him.
“I don’t intend to intervene in the duels among students, but could you please stop? There are no more beds in the infirmary to take in students.”
“….”
“I know why you’re dueling. I’ve heard the rumors about the incident. I understand it’s a sensitive topic for you. However.”
Albert paused briefly before continuing.
He caught Iria’s blank expression with his gaze.
Generally, the Academy encourages students to duel. It’s an effective way to improve their skills.
But that only applies when their levels are somewhat comparable.
“Did you really have to use such a violent method?”
There weren’t many students who could benefit from dueling with Iria. She was already far beyond any student level.
Albert recognized her strength. He might not know exactly how strong she was, but he at least knew she was stronger than him.
Perhaps only Ariel, who had surpassed limits, or Sera, who had exceptional talent, could have matched her. Regular students would be better off not facing her.
While appropriate trials can aid growth, an insurmountable wall can lead to despair.
He didn’t want to blame Iria for her actions, but he couldn’t ignore the impact she had.
Even if it was fine now, what about the future?
He was most worried about how long her actions would last.
In the wake of a disaster, there was a shortage of beds in the infirmary, too.
After a brief period of time passed, Iria finally spoke.
“I won’t do it anymore.”
Albert could guess what she was about to say.
He couldn’t read Albert’s mind, but she was somewhat aware of the problem herself.
She didn’t plan to continue. She intended to resolve the smaller issues and be done with it.
However.
“Just leave one bed in the infirmary. I want to have my last duel.”
It wouldn’t be fair to let Amelia go free when she had sent all those who slandered her to the infirmary.
That wouldn’t be fair.
“Well… if there’s no space, there’s a second-year student named Sera. She probably wants to leave the infirmary by now, so you could deal with her.”
“….”
“I’ll go now. See you tomorrow.”
Amelia, the top student of the third year.
Iria held no grudge against her, but she had to duel with her.
Why, though?
Iria herself wasn’t sure, but for some reason, she wanted to do it.
She couldn’t bring trouble upon Ariel again.
Throwing the broken wooden sword to the ground, Iria headed for the third-year classroom.
It was time to pay the price.
*
While she walked toward the third-year classroom, she bumped into Ariel this time.
He was the one who tried to stop her when she said she would duel with the third-year students.
It wasn’t because he was worried about Iria; he was one of the few who understood her strength.
If anyone should be worried, it should be the third-year students.
“So it comes to this. Are you feeling any better?”
“….”
Iria nodded.
Although she had used up all her mana in this last duel, it wasn’t much of a problem.
She didn’t heavily rely on mana. In fact, it was almost negligible. It wouldn’t affect her last duel.
Even so, Ariel spoke to Iria, concern still lingering in his eyes.
“You didn’t have to take it upon yourself like this. You don’t have to shoulder everything alone.”
“I’m just used to doing it this way.”
Iria replied as if it were nothing.
Ariel’s expression darkened further.
“….”
He reached out to Iria but ultimately pulled back.
Her emotionless words felt bittersweet.
What did she mean by used to?
If she meant that she was used to shouldering everything by herself, Iria was a pitiful girl.
Abandoned due to her red eyes, she had grown up alone until now. So perhaps she’d silently endured all the scorn directed at her.
Was it something she had always accepted as part of her daily life?
If that were the case, it had dulled her senses. She had become so worn out she wouldn’t be affected by trivial things anymore.
It wasn’t something that could be wrapped up with the word ‘used to.’
“Why do you look at me like that?”
Iria tilted her head at Ariel’s expression.
In stark contrast to the darkness she carried, her face looked innocent and untainted.
Unaware of his burning concern, Iria continued speaking.
“Um, the place I grew up in was a bit rough. It was a place where problems had to be solved with strength, so I’m used to it. This is all I know how to do.”
She meant to clear up Ariel’s misunderstandings, even if it seemed she was trying to convey something trivial.
She had slowly been sensing how Ariel’s gaze had changed towards her.
It was something she had done regularly without much thought, so she intended to reassure him.
“….”
“….”
It seemed her words hadn’t quite made it through.
Ariel told her to do well in her last duel and stepped aside.
Unlike Albert, he didn’t seem to intend to stop the duel itself. Not that it mattered.
As she walked a bit more, Amelia greeted Iria as if she had been waiting outside the classroom.
“Um~ Welcome. Here for the duel request?”
“….”
“I’ve been waiting. I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”
She had expected Iria to drop out halfway, but it seemed Iria’s skills were more impressive than she thought.
Amelia smiled slightly, examining Iria’s appearance.
Her uniform was slightly torn, and she was depleted of mana.
‘What a fool.’
Though she wore a relaxed expression, Amelia’s eyes could not be deceived.
Once a mage reaches a certain level, they can see the mana levels of humans.
To Amelia, Iria now looked like an empty shell.
And so, she readily accepted her duel request.
