On the night after the festival, a after-party was held.
Not everyone from Class A attended; they had gathered some students who had run booths for a feast.
Iria did not attend. The fleeting emotions that momentarily filled the void in her heart after the dawn quickly faded away.
It was a night full of thoughts. Iria was walking along the mountain path behind the academy.
It was dark and rugged, and since few people were around, this was the closer way home.
Iria actually preferred the dark, quiet path.
Her eyes were specialized for seeing in the dark, making the bright places illuminated by lamps uncomfortable to look at.
As she moved forward, she organized her thoughts. Most of them were about Rena.
Iria felt emotions more faintly than others, but the feelings she had during the Fireworks Festival lingered slightly.
‘Is it about relationships with humans?’
Now that she thought about it, Iria realized she had never really considered her relationships with those around her.
If she thought about Rena, who was the closest to her, it didn’t seem like they were just acquaintances.
Should she call her a friend?
Probably not.
Iria didn’t know what Rena thought of her, but a human and a monster couldn’t be friends.
From ways of thinking to actions and even what they regarded as food, everything was different.
A relationship that transcends races is impossible. History has proven that already. Just looking back at Amy, who died recently, made that clear.
Now, even if they mingled while suppressing their instincts, Iria could not guarantee when her attitude towards Rena would change.
If Iria stood in front of Rena in a state of hunger, would she be able to suppress her appetite?
If she fell into an extreme state of hunger where rational judgment became clouded, could she really manage not to kill Rena?
She didn’t know.
Not being able to guarantee that meant she couldn’t casually use the word ‘friend.’ It felt a bit sorry for Rena, though.
While organizing her thoughts and climbing the ridge, she sensed a presence nearby. Could there really be people in such a place? It wasn’t just one presence.
Since it was felt from a bit of distance, Iria closed her eyes and concentrated on her senses.
“······.”
Then she opened her eyes.
There was a smell of blood coming from the mountain ridge behind the academy, where no one seemed to be coming.
It was the sweetest scent she had ever smelled.
As if drawn by the sweet aroma, Iria changed her direction. She wasn’t hungry but rather curious.
*
Where she was moving towards, a man and a woman were intensely engaged in combat, each holding a sword.
For an ordinary person, it would be difficult to even follow with their eyes; it was a high-level battle.
The weight behind the swords was significant. Their movements were extraordinary, and the waves of strange power emanating from the swords shook the surroundings.
But there wasn’t any murderous intent behind their strikes. Although they were vying with real swords, it didn’t seem like a fight to kill each other.
That was because their skill levels weren’t the same. The woman was noticeably stronger.
If she had intended to kill, she could have done so already several times.
But the man wouldn’t be dismissed easily either. He didn’t appear to have a skilled movement, but he learned quickly.
He was able to see and react to every sword strike aimed at him.
That was something impossible even for a human’s dynamic vision.
Even those beyond the human condition couldn’t do what that boy was showing as an apparent student.
Of course, it couldn’t make up for the overwhelming gap in experience and skill.
Bang!!
After the sharp metallic clash echoed in the area, the boy’s sword flew into the air.
Following that, it was his neck.
The woman’s blade altered its trajectory, stopping just short of slicing the boy’s neck.
It was astonishingly precise. Stopping at the last moment was as though it had been calculated in her mind, showcasing superb control of her strength.
She lingered for a moment, then retrieved her sword. Her reaction was lukewarm, as if the matter was concluded.
“Let’s call it a day.”
“······.”
After that, she simply conveyed the necessary words and turned to leave.
Before long, only the boy remained in the woods. His appearance was tattered and filled with wounds, as if he had rolled on the ground several times.
At that moment, I stepped through the brush to reveal my presence.
I was intrigued by the man who was exuding a sweet scent to the point that it hurt my nose.
“What are you doing over there···.”
“······Who are you? How did you get here?”
“······.”
I had asked first, but he responded with a question before answering mine. Shouldn’t I be the first to reply?
He seemed to be on guard, so I couldn’t approach.
But it was okay.
I knew how to deal with a human who was wary of me.
I took a step forward and showed him the uniform I was wearing. It was the uniform of the Imperial Academy.
“School uniform? First year, huh.”
As I expected, his guard completely relaxed. By the way, one can tell the grade by the color of the ribbon.
He seemed to be in the second year, so a normal person wouldn’t be wary of a junior from the same school.
Then I asked again.
“What were you doing in a place like this?”
I wasn’t sure if it was something I should be asking, but he was rather peculiar in appearance. In this world, black-haired people were rare.
He had black hair and blue eyes.
He opened his mouth.
“Well, I was… having a private lesson. Usually, no one comes here during the festival, so it’s a quiet place.”
“You normally have private lessons with a real sword?”
“No, this time it was my request. I asked for as close to a real battle as possible. I’m still weak, so I usually spend most of my time training.”
“Hm.”
Objectively, his combat ability was not weak. In fact, he seemed strong enough that there would be no one to match him among the academy students.
However, that was because his opponent was a monster.
Sword Saint Freya.
She might not remember me, but I knew her. When I stood farther away, I had my doubts, but when I got closer, I was convinced.
As far as I knew, there was only one human capable of showing such dexterity.
There was no way I could forget. She was the woman who had cut off my right arm with a single sword about a year ago.
So she was still alive, huh? Back then, I unfortunately couldn’t kill her.
Who on earth was this man that he could consider such a woman as a personal training partner?
He could be the offspring of a high noble family or an important figure in the Empire.
“Then what were you doing in a place like this?”
“This is my way home. It’s a shortcut.”
“That won’t do. Next time, stick to proper paths. The mountain trails at night can be riskier than you think.”
This was a path I frequented. I hadn’t seen anything dangerous before.
So I asked.
“What specifically is dangerous?”
“Sometimes ferocious beasts roam around, and above all, it’s easy to get lost at night when visibility is poor. Even for an academy student, it’s better for a first-year to stick to safe paths.”
I could chase animals away, and I had good night vision.
So those words didn’t really apply to me. Since it was bothersome to explain, I nodded and said I understood.
“Well, I’m off now, so you should head back safely too.”
“Uh….”
He said that and turned to leave. I instinctively reached out to stop him but then halted.
I extended my hand forward, but I ended up pulling it back without grabbing anything.
Should I have caught him before it was too late?
That brief conversation revealed many things.
He wasn’t an ordinary human. I still didn’t know his name, despite having looked him in the face.
It wasn’t because he had high mental defenses like Albert. Something was different; an external factor impeded me. I felt like I couldn’t pierce through his mental state even with magic.
And I also remembered the incredibly sweet scent of blood that nearly made my head spin. I had never reacted so much to a human before. That only heightened my curiosity.
He was bleeding after that duel, and even though he had left, the blood he spilled remained on the ground.
“······.”
I shouldn’t eat it.
Even though I knew that, my hand reached out.
I bit my tongue with my sharp fangs. The pain helped jolt my senses. A slight pain spread, and the taste of iron filled my mouth.
Blood that belonged to a monster, not a human, entered a human’s throat.
“Cough, cough!!”
Maybe because I wasn’t human, my blood tasted so terrible that I couldn’t swallow it. I felt sick all the way to my core, so I spat it back on the ground.
My first encounter with him wasn’t pleasant at all.
