When I asked Lucia why she kills monsters during the external practicum, she replied that she doesn’t have a particular reason.
Monsters just attack humans if left alone. And, for the sake of the practicum assignment, she has to kill monsters.
Of course, she didn’t seem to feel any guilt about it. It’s ingrained in her mind that humans killing monsters is a given.
This time, as the Seed of the Demon King, I asked Amy, who caused many casualties, why she kills humans.
She too answered without a special reason. She just said she killed because she wanted to.
That’s because it’s instinct for monsters to want to kill humans. She tried to suppress that instinct while living, but in the end, she couldn’t hold back.
So, Amy killed humans.
It seemed like Amy didn’t feel guilt about it either.
She thought it was only natural for monsters to kill humans.
Monsters are beings that cannot survive without killing humans. They are born that way.
Humans kill monsters.
Monsters kill humans.
I didn’t think either side was evil.
It’s just how they were born. They were created to have no choice but to kill each other from the very beginning.
Who is good and who is evil was an irrelevant question from the start.
Both sides kill each other, and only the strong survive.
It’s not about good and evil, but rather about the weak and the strong.
I was not an evil being; I was simply someone stronger than those I killed.
“……”
I am the killer of the back alley.
I’ve killed an uncountable number of people, but if you ask me if I feel guilt about it now, I would have a hard time answering.
Is killing people such a bad thing?
At least, it seems less bad than torturing monsters that look similar to humans.
I don’t really know.
At some point, I found myself thinking differently than before.
*
After the academy exam ended, we found ourselves at the midway point just before moving on to the next semester.
During this period, a festival is held. One could say it’s a chance to take a good break before heading into the next semester.
Therefore, the atmosphere in the academy is chaotic. Everyone is busy preparing their respective booths.
Iria, however, seemed completely unaware of this fact.
After piecing together various opinions, the 1st-year Class A booth from the Combat Magic Department decided to be a maid cafe.
Many thought that this would be the most commercially successful option, especially since there were many pretty girls in Class A.
Particularly, conversations frequently revolved around Iria.
Undoubtedly, Iria was the most famous student among the 1st years at this point.
She not only passed the entrance exam as the top student but also knocked Lucia down in the first semester, and lightly topped the midterm exam again.
Thus, it was thought that having such a person serve in a maid outfit would surely draw a huge reaction.
Moreover, she is also strikingly beautiful.
If asked to pick the prettiest person at the academy, she would always be a strong candidate.
Iria in a maid outfit equals money. It was a cheat code that could not fail.
Of course, this decision was made without even asking for her opinion.
Perhaps it was easier to discuss because she wasn’t present.
After all, the most important thing is the individual’s opinion, but Rena didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
It was a festival that might only happen a few more times before graduation.
Due to circumstances within the school, events with higher priorities might get canceled.
In fact, there were more cancellations, so having the festival proceed smoothly from the first semester was a stroke of luck.
“Oh, Iria! So this is where you were? Everyone was looking for you.”
“……?”
Rena, who found Iria in the central park of the academy, approached her.
Iria tilted her head in confusion, her face full of questions.
“Me?”
“Yes! We need you right now! Come this way for a second!”
“……”
Iria, who had been sitting on a bench in deep thought, was not in the mood to be disturbed.
However, since Rena had done so much for her, it wouldn’t hurt to at least listen to her.
Iria was pulled away by Rena towards the booth operated by 1st-year Class A of the Combat Magic Department.
The moment she began to feel something strange was when Rena presented her with an unfamiliar outfit and urged her to try it on.
“This kind of thing… you want me to wear it?”
“Yep!”
“……Me?”
“Is that a no?”
“……”
It was summer.
It seemed especially lively today because of the festival preparations.
Everyone appeared busy for some reason. Each class was showcasing their strengths and preparing various things.
They were busy, similar to when they were preparing for the midterm exams, but the vibe was a bit different.
There was a spark of life in their hard work. They were sweating and hustling, but they looked joyful.
There’s definitely a clear distinction between what you must do and what you want to do.
This is also an atmosphere that won’t be felt once they’ve graduated, likely because they are bustling about to create memories to look back on later.
Memories.
That held no meaning for Iria.
No matter how much she piled them up now, they would just be a handful of memories that could be forgotten at any moment.
But she was not entirely uninterested.
Before she fell into this world, she vaguely remembered doing something similar in her original world.
When she wasn’t a monster, wasn’t she perhaps similar to that?
At that time, wasn’t she a bit more straightforward? Letting everything go and having fun?
Now, it’s just something to reminisce about.
Recalling that she was once like them.
Now, feeling the bitter emotion that she couldn’t meld in with them completely, unlike before.
While walking and feeling somewhat like this, someone spoke.
“So, Iria. Are you really not going to participate?”
“Yeah.”
Rena and Iria were in a tug-of-war.
It was about whether Iria would participate in the festival.
“Please! Just once! I bet B class that we could do better than them!”
“……”
“If you help, I’m sure we’d win! Plus, it’s a rare chance to do your best in a festival, isn’t it?”
“A class? You mean the one with the blue-haired person?”
That would surely be referring to Wendy.
Did the two even have a connection?
Rena briefly wondered but answered anyway.
“Uh? Yeah, that’s right. Why?”
“I just don’t like that person.”
“That’s fine. I don’t like her either.”
Even though it was a bet, the conditions hadn’t even been decided yet, but this was a matter of pride.
Iria paused for a moment, deep in thought.
She didn’t want to intrude on the backstory between the two, but she couldn’t help but feel worried since she killed Rena’s friend in the past.
I’ll just consider it a form of penance for the past, I guess.
Such things could only be done when a bit of humanity still remained.
I thought I wouldn’t mind at least joining them once.
“How about the losing side having to lick the winning side’s feet?”
Just in time, Iria knew an unpleasant way to torment the opponent of the losing side.
Lucia’s expression had been quite amusing that day. Wouldn’t it be fun to make Wendy look like that too?
After hearing this, Rena briefly contemplated before grabbing Iria’s hand.
“Really?! You’ll do it?!”
Iria nodded.
*
About two days before the festival would start.
Rena, having successfully recruited Iria, was now teaching her a simple customer service manual.
“Alright, you draw a picture on the food with ketchup like this. Can you do that?”
“Hmm.”
Iria pressed down on the ketchup she received.
Pfft!
The force was too strong, causing the ketchup to burst out everywhere.
Red stains covered both Rena and Iria’s bodies and faces.
A moment of silence passed. A brief exchange of glances occurred.
“Is this right?”
“No, um… well…”
After a short pause, Rena suggested something else.
“How about peeling fruit in front of the customers? Make it as cute as possible.”
This time, handing Iria a fruit and a knife, she said so.
Iria cut the fruit dutifully. Unlike with the ketchup, she was proficient.
“Oh… you’re good at this!”
However, it didn’t take long for Rena’s expression, which was purely impressed, to shift.
Schwa-shwa-shwa!
Iria was great with a knife, but her skill was beyond what was normal.
In the blink of an eye, she was slicing the fruit like a slaughtering weapon, resembling anything but a maid.
The way she wielded the knife was intimidating. For some reason, it felt like Iria shouldn’t be given a knife.
“Wait, stop! You can stop now! The customers will be scared and run away!”
“……”
“I’m sorry for asking this of you… I think it would be better if you just gather customers outside.”
“I can show more tricks.”
Iria tossed an apple into the air, showcasing her skill by peeling it mid-air.
The fruit had been neatly arranged and landed on a plate after flying up.
After that, she got scolded thoroughly by the head chef for what seemed like reckless behavior inside the shop.
