It was quite some time after the 68th duel had ended.
Iria had kicked Amelia for a very long time. It was controlled power, but the shock was enough to lift her body into the air.
The duel ended only after Amelia had rolled around on the floor. She had tried to submit several times, but couldn’t do it.
Whenever she tried to say something, Iria would shove her shoe in her mouth to silence her.
Iria, who was always staring into Amelia’s eyes, knew the timing of when she wanted to submit.
That’s how the duel could last for such a long time.
Amelia was the student who had endured the longest against Iria. Just in terms of time, she had lasted longer than Sera.
Truly, it could be seen as an achievement worthy of a Top Student in her third year.
And then.
“I quit.”
The duel ended with Amelia’s victory.
Iria, who was now tired of kicking, declared her surrender before Amelia could.
While Iria was leaving the Dueling Arena, Amelia, who had somehow remained on the ground, ended up being declared the winner.
The loser, Iria, had no wounds, while the winner lay in tatters, passed out on the arena floor.
The long duel had come to an end. More than physical fatigue, Iria felt mental exhaustion and left the place.
*
In the end, Amelia became the first person to win against Iria.
I’m not sure if Amelia had any awareness when Iria declared her surrender while she was unconscious.
So, if you ask why she quit a duel she could have won, there isn’t really a reason. If anything, maybe it was out of pity.
Giving Amelia the victory was sort of a consolation prize.
Even if the duel was initiated by Amelia’s challenge, this time it went too far.
Iria wanted to stop dueling after today. After all, she was not on the same level as the students.
The professors at the Academy were no match either, and even as a Top Student in her third year, she was still just a student.
It couldn’t possibly lead to a fight.
“…….”
But if she wanted to stop dueling, she needed to leave a strong impression on the spectators.
Amelia was the perfect example for that.
Watching Amelia get beaten for such a long time did make Iria a bit anxious.
Maybe she had gone a bit overboard against a student.
Unlike Iria, Amelia likely didn’t have a high tolerance for pain.
So, with a hint of apology, she passed victory to Amelia. Iria was not obsessed with winning, while Amelia apparently had a strong obsession with it.
I wonder if a victory that no one acknowledges really has any meaning, but accepting such treatment is also a sin and punishment Amelia had to bear.
Sometimes, there exists a victory more miserable than losing.
Once the duel was over and she stepped outside, Ariel was waiting as if he had been anticipating her.
He handed Iria a towel. Not like she was sweating or anything.
“Good job. How’s your body? Not tired, right?”
“I’m okay.”
“Phew, I was a bit worried.”
At Ariel’s words, Iria tilted her head.
Being treated like this was a new experience for her. The only one who worried about Iria was Rena, but this felt like a different kind of concern.
Should she say it feels like he’s pitying her?
Ariel’s thoughts were unreadable, so she couldn’t grasp what emotions he carried while approaching her.
“Worried about me?”
“Is there a problem?”
Iria shook her head.
She didn’t know how to respond to him acting this way. Human relationships were difficult for her.
They just walked outside the cramped indoor area, into the open space of the Academy buildings.
As they walked, Iria began to realize how specifically different Ariel and Rena were.
While it might seem that the emotions they felt toward her were similar, to Iria, Rena seemed transparent while Ariel did not.
There seemed to be a difference in him not being able to read her emotions. Iria always recognized people approaching her by looking into their eyes.
This was her first time being approached by someone whose feelings she couldn’t discern.
Since it was something she hadn’t seen before, naturally her attitude toward Ariel was different from her demeanor toward Rena.
Both seemed to be showing kindness to Iria, but in different ways.
“You were a bit hard on her earlier, Iria. Why didn’t you end the duel sooner?”
“…….”
Ariel, who had been walking alongside Iria, suddenly spoke up. He had also watched the duel from the stands.
Iria didn’t feel the need to answer. It’s not that she was ignoring Ariel’s words; she was just deep in thought as usual.
“Was there really that much of a grudge against Amelia?”
“No.”
Iria shook her head. Although she ended up having a duel, she didn’t think much of Amelia.
She had only thought she needed the duel.
It had been uncomfortable attending the Academy lately anyway. She thought this incident might calm things down.
Whether it worked out or not, who knew?
“Then why?”
In response to Ariel’s question, Iria pondered for a moment before answering.
“Because I can’t let the same thing happen again.”
Her words were mixed with several meanings.
Ariel fell silent for a moment. He just stared at Iria, blinking.
His black hair swayed. His blue eyes were clear to the point of being blinding, making Iria look away slightly.
She didn’t want to meet his gaze.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Whatever meaning was conveyed, Ariel nodded, seemingly understanding.
“By the way, Sera is being discharged today. Faster than expected, right? I heard she tried to escape several times but ended up letting her go because there wasn’t enough room in the hospital.”
“Hmm…”
“So, she’s probably on her way here. She heard about you dueling from her hospital room.”
Iria had half-jokingly said this to Albert, but perhaps it really came to pass.
A sudden wave of anxiety surged over Iria as she turned around. This was her instinctive feeling, being sensitive to presences.
And her anxious premonition was somehow never wrong. She saw a woman with red hair running from afar.
“Iria!!!!!!!”
“…….”
The speed at which she was running was alarming. It was hard to believe she was someone who had just dashed out of the hospital without healing.
Was she coming to hug her? Iria declined being lifted like last time.
She swiftly dodged. Without thinking about the aftermath, Sera, who had run out, lost her balance and fell.
“Ugh, waaaah!!”
Thud, a loud noise echoed.
Sera fell in a dazzling yet pitiful manner. That seemed just like her.
What a consistently troublesome person. Iria thought to herself as she watched her fall.
“It hurts…”
“Are you okay?”
“That hurts! You should have caught me!”
“……?”
Iria looked down at Sera with a cold gaze.
It wasn’t a meaningful action, but for some reason, it felt chilling with Iria staring so.
“Hey, I was just joking, so don’t look at me like that!”
“What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“Anyway, it’s been a while! You have no idea how much I missed you?”
“…….”
Iria grabbed Sera’s hand and helped her up.
Now standing on her own two legs, Sera seemed calmer than before, but she was still expressing her joy quite violently.
What on earth had happened in the hospital?
Iria recalled the time she had gone into the hospital with Sera. After expressing frustration, she had escaped in less than a day.
Maybe keeping Sera locked away was akin to torture. It was only natural for a patient to stay in a hospital.
“I heard you caused quite a scene this time? I heard it from the staff.”
“Was it that flashy?”
“Of course! Everyone at the Academy knows about it! A first-year turned the entire third year into enemies. And then you beat them!”
So, she had become so famous?
Iria scratched her cheek.
“So, you just got back from dueling Amelia, right? You won? You did win, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Ahaha! I knew you would! I was starting to think you might really get hurt! Honestly, I didn’t like her that much either. She can’t come forward, and just talks behind everyone’s back like a coward.”
Sera laughed cheerfully as if she had just come out of the hospital, and her mood was quite high.
“But isn’t she your senior since she’s in third year? Can I talk casually with you now?”
“You don’t even call me senior.”
“Well, at least I was using formal speech.”
“Doesn’t matter! You can drop the formalities. Just try calling me ‘older sister’ this time. Come on, repeat after me. Older sister.”
Sera draped her arm around Iria’s shoulders, actively displaying familiarity.
Iria didn’t feel bad about it, but it was a bit burdensome.
She poked at Sera’s wound with her finger.
“Hyik?!”
While Sera was stunned from the pain, Iria managed to slip away from her grasp.
After some time had passed, Amelia found herself waking up in the hospital room.
Her whole body hurt, and her head was spinning.
But more than that, what tormented her was the fact that she had been unilaterally beaten by Iria, whom she had underestimated.
Her pride was crushed and trampled upon. Just recalling that moment made her tremble all over, as if the fear of violence was imprinted on her entire body.
“Ugh…”
For a long time, Amelia remained unable to move, reflecting on the feeling of defeat.
Should she wash her face or something? Maybe that would ease this uncomfortable feeling a little.
She didn’t know. At least it seemed better than just lying here doing nothing.
Slowly, Amelia placed her feet down from the bed.
“That’s her, right? The girl who got beaten like a dog by a first-year.”
“I heard she spread false rumors, so this is karma.”
“What a piece of trash. She doesn’t even feel ashamed.”
“But you won, didn’t you? Here’s to you.”
Then she stepped outside the hospital room and heard the public opinions about her.
Most of them were sharp criticisms. Perhaps they were things she might have done, or rather, things she had continued to do.
“Why am I being treated like this…?”
Someone’s voice talking behind her was almost more than she could bear.
When she mentioned her name behind her back, did Iria feel this way too?
If so, then this too was another form of fairness.
Amelia continued to sense the weight of fairness pressing down on her. It would likely continue that way in the future.
The scales of fairness had tilted, now combined with the karma she had accrued over time.
Until fairness becomes unfair, all the arrows of criticism would point towards Amelia.
At the end of it all, she had no right to blame them. She had to accept it, whether she liked it or not.
Because it was her sin.
Amelia’s day passed in the hospital room.
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