I wondered if I could control my strength to a student’s level, so I watched Lucia wield her sword and practiced matching her.

Since Lucia was the most outstanding student among the first years at the academy, I wanted to understand what it felt like, so I tried to take as much time as possible.

At first, it was difficult, but as I kept trying, I started to get the hang of it. I crossed swords with Lucia, who was surprisingly not bad.

However, there is always a difference in strength between a sword infused with mana and one that isn’t.

When we clashed swords at the same level, mine was the one that broke.

So, I ended it. I would have continued if my sword had been intact.

I seriously considered giving her the top spot, but in the end, I didn’t.

[Bow your head and lick my feet.]

Lucia had become too arrogant because I let her win in that sparring match.

If it had been in a back alley, I would have already killed her. I only held back because there were too many eyes watching.

Anyway, for now, I became the top student in the first year. It wasn’t a position I wanted, but defeating Lucia, the most likely candidate, secured my spot.

It wasn’t particularly good news, but I hoped this incident would reduce the number of duel requests coming my way.

***

A world where nothing exists.

An endless horizon.

Lucia fell into such a place. A place where even the sense of time dulls.

“Huff, huff… Please, please stop…”

In a place shrouded in pitch-black darkness, Lucia was running away from something.

Behind her was something with glowing red eyes chasing her.

It wasn’t fast, but it was slowly walking towards Lucia.

Terrified, Lucia kept running away from it. She didn’t know how long she had been running. Even if she ran until her legs gave out, the scenery remained the same.

“Kyaa!”

Eventually, she tripped and fell. Maybe her legs just gave out.

And then…

“Lucia.”

“Eek!”

The red-eyed being finally walked up to her and grabbed her ankle.

As it came closer, she could see the expression that hadn’t been visible from afar.

A cold gaze looking down from above. A contemptuous expression, as if looking at something insignificant.

She instinctively knew. It wasn’t a human like herself. It was something different, an alien being.

Iria asked Lucia.

“Why did you do it?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Iria… I was wrong, so please…”

“I’m not asking for an apology. I want to know why. Why did you do it?”

And so, the time for confession began.

Iria stood still, waiting, while Lucia trembled with fear and backed away.

But she knew.

This was a dream where Iria had trapped her. She couldn’t escape from her.

And…

If Iria didn’t let her go, she wouldn’t be able to leave this place.

So, Lucia bowed her head at Iria’s feet.

She began to spill her wrongdoings, begging for mercy.

“I, I did it because I was jealous of you. Sniff, seeing you with that empty expression even after becoming the top student annoyed me… So, that’s why I did it.”

“…”

“You bothered me… Sitting in the position everyone aims for, yet not acting like you deserved it…”

The title of the top student at the Imperial Academy was more valuable than Iria realized. It was an honorable position that could only be obtained by defeating outstanding competitors.

But Iria herself seemed unaware of what it meant to hold that position.

Iria looked down on the position that everyone desired as if it were nothing.

Some had swung their swords until their bones wore down to reach that spot.

They had made grueling efforts to cultivate mana since childhood, only to feel invalidated.

“Not everyone is like you, a doll without emotions…”

Everyone wants to be acknowledged—for their talents, efforts, and the lives they’ve built.

Lucia was the same. She, too, wanted to be recognized after proudly earning the top spot with her skills.

Not everyone is cold like Iria. It is human to feel jealousy and negative emotions when seeing those better than oneself.

It is precisely because they cannot be perfect that they are human.

Hence, Iria, who is not human, could never understand this emotion. And it is this deeply realistic emotion that Lucia now feels toward her.

Resentment toward those above.

That was the cause. Lucia spoke as candidly as she could, pouring out her raw emotions.

Splashing water, uttering insulting words—it all stemmed from her jealousy of Iria.

It took a long time for her to admit that.

After losing to Iria in the sparring arena and running endlessly in the never-ending dream, she finally had the chance to reflect on herself.

The dream Iria trapped her in felt like an eternity, even if only a moment had passed in reality. She had been trapped in that dream for what felt like days.

In the final scene of the dream, Lucia emptied everything within herself, and then she could return to reality.

It was a long dream.

***

Those who lost the ranking match had to fulfill one request of the winner.

In fact, the request wasn’t significant. Since it took place within the academy, approval from the supervising professor was required for it to have any effect.

Excessive requests were often cut off by them.

The academy’s ranking match culture originated about half a century ago when the Demon King ruled the continent.

Back then, there was a dominant opinion that students should be trained to be strong.

Now, this painful tradition from the wartime era has lost much of its significance during the temporary peace that followed the Demon King’s death. It has become relatively lighter.

Still, a loser was a loser. Lucia approached Iria with heavy steps.

“….”

“….”

Iria remained silent for a while. Lucia’s state was somewhat unusual.

She trembled as if terrified and couldn’t make eye contact, fidgeting nervously.

‘What kind of dream did she have?’

Iria scratched her cheek at Lucia’s inexplicable demeanor.

She had indeed trapped Lucia in a dream, but she hadn’t controlled its contents.

It was merely a space created by Lucia’s imagination and subconscious.

Curious about what she might have seen there, Iria tried to peek into her memories, but since Lucia wouldn’t make eye contact, she couldn’t see anything.

Well, it didn’t matter to her.

“So, what can you offer me?”

Lucia was the second daughter of a noble family. So she thought it would be something simple.

“Money…”

“I already have plenty.”

“Then, magical artifacts…?”

“I don’t have mana.”

“Anything you want…”

“I want you to offer something yourself.”

“…?”

“What.”

The conversation wasn’t going smoothly.

Iria had no desire for money. While she took it if necessary, she already had more than enough to suffice.

So Iria pondered briefly. It wasn’t an opportunity to be wasted.

“Hmm.”

The contemplation didn’t last long. Iria had just the right idea.

Since there wasn’t anything she particularly wanted, Iria decided to exact a minor revenge for the insult she had endured before.

Let Lucia learn how unpleasant it was.

Iria sat down in a suitable spot and took off one shoe and sock.

Then, she lifted her foot and placed it in front of Lucia, wiggling her toes.

“Bow your head right now and lick my feet. If you do that, I might turn a blind eye. What do you think?”

It was a scene she had seen somewhere before, but only this time, the roles were reversed.

Just like then, many eyes were watching. Iria was curious to see if the proud Lucia would kneel before them.

It was pure curiosity. There was no particular malice.

Lucia looked on the verge of tears. As the loser, she couldn’t refuse Iria’s demand.

“At least let me do it somewhere else…”

“Do it here.”

“Sniff…”

Lucia hesitated, conscious of the onlookers.

The sight of the victim under observation is always thrilling.

Lucia finally knelt in front of Iria. She lowered herself, aligning her gaze with her leg.

Then she lifted Iria’s pale, bare leg. But even given time, Lucia couldn’t bring herself to follow the command.

She grasped the small foot with both hands, her body trembling.

“Sob, sniff…”

It must have been the first time she had experienced such humiliation. There were tears in Lucia’s eyes. Iria whispered coldly, showing no intention of letting her off.

“Hurry up. Do you want to have more nightmares?”

“….”

Resigned, Lucia pressed her lips to my outstretched foot. Not knowing how long she needed to do it to satisfy Iria, she tentatively licked it.

But perhaps her attitude was not satisfactory.

Iria pushed her toes into Lucia’s mouth.

“Mm! Mmph!”

The reaction was more amusing than expected.

It was the afternoon of the day the sparring had ended.