Rena and Iria’s relationship had grown distant.
Iria couldn’t understand the feelings of the human Rena. She couldn’t even lie; she was clumsy when it came to dealing with people.
Should she have at least said they were friends, even if it was just empty words?
Human relationships are tricky.
Monsters and humans have different ways of thinking and eating habits, making it quite hard.
Iria read Rena’s memories and realized what kind of mood she was in. It stemmed from a slight sense of distance that had developed between them.
But that faint distance was Iria’s way of considering Rena.
Even while hanging out with Rena, Iria intentionally kept a degree of distance. If they got too close, she might end up hurting her with her own hands.
Rena was the kind of person that monsters went crazy for. With a high mana density and talent, to put it bluntly, her blood tasted good.
If they met when hungry, it would be scary to think about what could happen next.
Thus, a misunderstanding arose.
“………”
Should I apologize first?
Not to mention others, but Rena had done so much for Iria. So, Iria didn’t want to distance herself from her.
If they met again, she intended to clearly say there had been a misunderstanding.
“Iria? What are you thinking about?”
Right now, Sera was next to Iria.
She’s a similar-looking human, but not the same person. Noticing that, Iria felt again that she hadn’t seen Rena in a while.
Maybe they looked alike and got confused.
It was a bit complicated. She had never cared about what others thought of her until now.
This was the first time she was worried about something like this.
Should I consult Sera about what to do? She thought, but decided against it.
She was also human, so she wouldn’t understand the thoughts of a monster like Iria.
“I haven’t really thought about anything.”
“Really? Your expression looks a bit dark for that.”
“I’m just like this normally.”
“Ah, I see.”
The three of them had just returned from the Swordsmanship Training Ground and were sitting in the Academy’s internal park.
If you were to ask why Sera, a mage, went to the Swordsmanship Training Ground, it’s because she’s a combat fanatic. Since mages have limited means of attack in close quarters, she wanted to learn swordsmanship as well.
Of course, she had no particular skill in swordsmanship, and after one day, she got beaten up by Ariel.
It was such an afternoon.
Today, it was Iria who only watched the two practice. She sat quietly, looking up at the sky.
As always, there was no particular reason. It was just a habit.
While she habitually looked up at the sky, she noticed even the slightest change that others might miss.
That’s how it was now. There was a dark hue swirling in the blue sky. It was an ominous sign.
“………?”
Is it possible for the sky to be black in a fantasy world?
No way, that can’t be.
Iria tilted her head and turned to look, but Ariel and Sera looked just as bewildered.
What started as a small stain in the beginning grew larger with time.
Before long, the stain covered all of the sky. The scenery of the Academy looked dark like midnight, just after lunchtime.
“Doesn’t something feel off?”
The first to speak up was Iria.
The two people next to her seemed completely at a loss for words.
Upon closer inspection, the sky wasn’t black; it was a black barrier forming a barrier around the Academy.
It seemed like someone had intentionally deployed this barrier, probably to keep the people inside from getting out.
“What on earth is happening….?”
In the darkened park, Ariel gasped.
He was staring up at the sky with a serious expression.
While the three of them hesitated in shock, screams erupted around the Academy.
It wasn’t just screams. The ground shook like a giant was moving, and they could hear a tremendous noise as if buildings were collapsing.
It meant the situation was more serious than expected.
“Run! Run away!!”
“What’s happening!?”
Ariel grabbed a student who was running away from the Academy.
The student was pale and breathing heavily. His rough breathing made it hard to speak. The boy who rushed over was catching his breath while grabbing Ariel’s shoulder for a while.
First, he decided to calm him down and listen to what happened.
After a bit more time passed, Ariel asked the same student again.
“What’s going on?”
“Monsters! Monsters! In the Academy!”
“………What?”
The Academy’s security was at the highest level in the Empire.
Protected by the barrier laid out by Dean Sertia, elite personnel were gathered in one place inside.
It should never have been a place where monsters could get in.
There were two possibilities.
Either Sertia became too weak to maintain the barrier, or some organization attacking the Academy had strong enough beings to break through the barrier.
Perhaps it could be both.
“Ah.”
In the end, amid the incident, Iria reacted more calmly than expected.
It wasn’t so much that she was surprised the Academy was attacked, but rather that what she anticipated had finally come.
She had been thinking that a major incident would happen soon.
If anything, it happened a bit later than she expected. It had been strange that things were peaceful until now.
After the incident breaks out, how will the protagonist respond?
Iria turned her head to look at Ariel.
But Ariel was already gone; he reacted faster than she thought.
He gripped his sword and dashed towards the Academy without a hint of hesitation.
“Wait! Ariel?!”
Sera, startled, tried to grab him, but it was too late. He was already too far gone to catch.
“Oh no! What am I going to do with that idiot!”
Sera immediately followed him into what looked like a dangerous area.
Even as the two left, Iria remained still.
She was just standing still, comparing herself to them.
She felt the magical energy spreading all around. As she absorbed it slowly, her calculations became quicker than usual.
Given the concentration of magical energy, it was likely the Seed of the Demon King. And not just one, but several. Even with the name of the strongest in the Academy, they were not something students could handle.
It was a place where they could die if not careful.
But Iria knew they weren’t running towards danger out of stupidity.
They were the protagonists in this story after all.
Ariel ran to protect others rather than himself. He was the ideal image of a protagonist. At least, that’s how it appeared to Iria.
So, should I step back as a supporting character here?
This incident was just a main episode in some novel. And in this world, Iria was not the protagonist.
Whatever happened here, it would be up to Ariel and his group to resolve it, and she had nothing to do with this incident.
In fact, it didn’t really stir any feelings in Iria, even if a few humans died.
It seemed wiser to stay still rather than move and change the development.
‘They’ll handle it.’
Whether it’s the professors or Ariel.
Iria walked through the Academy overshadowed by darkness.
There was no specific destination. She just thought it was a good day for a walk since the sunlight was blocked out.
With her sharper senses than others, when Iria walked with her eyes closed, she heard sounds from all directions.
Today, they were just a bit more varied than usual.
Someone’s scream, monster’s roar, the ignition sound of magic, the sounds of fierce combat.
Iria’s brow twitched slightly as she walked with her eyes closed.
“Someone! Someone help! There’s someone trapped inside!”
She heard that someone was trapped inside a building and couldn’t get out. She didn’t know what the internal situation was like; she hadn’t been inside yet.
But she could tell that the situation had spiraled out of control.
Iria turned her head.
It’s none of my business. The opponent is the Seed of the Demon King; she still found it uncomfortable to face monsters.
Rather than a reason, it was more like a gut instinct against it. Living beings hesitate to harm creatures similar to themselves. Iria was no different.
“………”
But could it really be none of her business?
There might still be Rena in that building.
If she were to die in this incident, how would Iria react? She pondered.
Would she be sad? She didn’t think so. Sadness was the first emotion Iria had lost.
Still, she didn’t want that to happen.
Because she owed Rena in many ways. The thought of her dying made Iria feel uneasy.
“Let’s see who’s behind this.”
Iria turned her steps around.
Not outside the Academy, but inside.
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