I Became a Murderer in the Academy. - Chapter 17

Sometimes, I have a thought.

Humans consider killing other humans to be an unusually great sin.

The act of murder is evil.

It’s clearly stated as a criminal act by imperial law, and murderers receive appropriate punishment.

However, the act of killing other living beings besides humans is leniently tolerated.

Even killing monsters is praised as a great deed.

In this world, even if you snuff a being’s life, the treatment differs depending on what the target is.

To me, who is not human, they all looked like the same life.

There was no difference in the guilt I felt whether I killed another animal or a human.

It was also hard to feel much difference between the two.

Thus, most good and evil are aligned with human standards.

Then, am I, who can only eat humans, an evil being?

Am I, born as a monster, a being that must die in this world?

Today, my contemplation was long.

***

Objectively, Iria’s appearance is extremely beautiful.

Her long, snow-white hair creates a somewhat mysterious impression, and her red eyes, unlike her cute face, give a fierce charm.

But is it enough for many students to cling to?

“Worship Iria-nim as a goddess!”

Hmm.

At least, it doesn’t seem to be to that extent.

Of course, that’s just in terms of appearance.

Iria’s true value lies in her unique personality.

She’s basically indifferent to most things, and her tendency to reject those who approach her is well-received by some tastes.

However,

The peak of Iria’s popularity was probably due to that incident.

After Iria defeated Lucia, the recommended student, in a duel, she demanded that Lucia lick her feet.

This created an unimaginable gap moe as it was completely different from the image she had shown until then.

“Wow… She has that kind of taste with that face?”

“At this point, isn’t she just the embodiment of sex appeal?”

“Watch your words, man. Do you want to end up like Lucia?”

“Sounds good?”

Do they know that all their conversations are reaching Iria’s ears?

“……”

Iria had better hearing than normal people.

Having heard everything, I scratched my cheek as if troubled.

I only wanted to attend the academy quietly, but I didn’t know how to react to such things.

Since it wasn’t directly causing harm, I decided to ignore it for now.

Maybe I’ll go to the library today.

If there’s one thing that has been most beneficial since enrolling in the academy, it’s being able to freely use the largest library in the Empire.

Before enrolling, to gather information about the world, I had to eavesdrop on others’ conversations in taverns or spend all day interpreting newspapers I couldn’t even read.

Those were painful times I didn’t want to recall.

I hurried my steps towards the library.

Then someone blocked my way.

It was not exactly blocked, but they seemed to have some business with me.

“Iria! I was just looking for you!”

“Rena?”

“Come with me for a bit.”

Rena grabbed my hand and headed somewhere.

Being light-bodied, I was already being dragged before I could figure out what was happening.

Well, I didn’t mind it.

The place they arrived at was an empty classroom.

There, Rena handed me some kind of paper.

“Read this first.”

I read the text on the paper, but since her language wasn’t perfect, she could only read half of it, so she asked Rena again.

“What does it say here?”

“That means ‘external practice.'”

“And this part?”

“That says to form a team.”

To summarize the contents written on the paper:

If you leave the Central Empire and head east, there’s an unexplored cave.

They judged that it’s not highly dangerous and can be explored at the student level, so if you form a team, analyze, and write a journal, they’ll give points as a substitute for an exam.

However, it seems low-level monsters appear, so only one team of three or more people can apply, including at least two students in the top 10 in academic performance for the year.

Rena exclaimed excitedly.

“Let’s do this!”

“Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment.

Are monsters appearing?

I had never seen monsters since I had never left the Central Empire after my possession.

Still, I was somewhat interested as they were the same kind as me.

But I wasn’t interested enough to go through the hassle of going outside the Empire.

“If we submit this, we don’t have to take exams for 3 subjects during midterms.”

“……!”

It might be less troublesome than taking the exams.

Going out once was more time-efficient than taking 3 exams.

“Alright.”

I agreed immediately, as there was nothing to lose.

Rather, it was full of merits.

Even though it was full of benefits, few could apply for it because of the strict requirements.

Indeed, it didn’t seem easy for other students to form a team because the requirement was to include at least two students in the top 10.

Of course, Rena and I were in the top 10, so we could bring anyone as the remaining member to fill in the numbers.

At that point, Rena opened her mouth.

“Hmm, so Iria, you know some swordsmanship and can use magic to some extent, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll fit perfectly in the middle. I’m a mage, so I’ll stay at the rear. It’ll be best if we have a vanguard.”

“So?”

“Do you know anyone from the swordsmanship department? Preferably someone skilled enough to be reliable.”

“……”

I wondered if I could only think of one person because of my extremely narrow social circle.

But still, Lucia was definitely not the right choice.

However, they weren’t close enough to be on the same team.

Just as I erased the thought of that one person from my mind, I heard Rena muttering to herself.

“Sorry, now that I think about it, Iria doesn’t have any friends, does she? I should have considered that…”

“…”

Rena continued, smirking.

“What’s with that expression? Did I say something wrong?”

“I do have friends.”

“Liar.”

“I really do.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Whatever you believe.”

Rena nodded but didn’t look convinced at all. I felt a twinge of annoyance.

She left me with no choice.

“Follow me.”

“Wait, you really do have friends?”

This time, I took the lead. Curious, Rena followed.

**

Lucia’s routine was consistent.

She woke up early, went to the academy, attended lectures, and spent all her free time training with her sword.

After her overwhelming defeat in the recent duel, she was now savoring the bitterness of that loss and focusing on her training.

Despite the terrible humiliation she had suffered after losing, Lucia wasn’t discouraged.

There would always be a next time. Her priority was to analyze the reasons for her defeat and improve herself.

At the outdoor training ground of the Imperial Academy, it was lunchtime, and apart from Lucia, no one else was around.

That was until an uninvited guest arrived at the deserted place. Familiar silver hair and red eyes.

“What the hell?! Why are you here?!”

Lucia screamed involuntarily upon seeing Iria’s face.

Iria had destroyed her in both reality and dreams, so her guarded stance was understandable. She eyed Iria warily.

Rena, who followed Iria, asked, “Is she really your friend?”

“Yes.”

“No way!” Lucia retorted simultaneously.

They clearly had different views on their relationship, with Iria unilaterally considering Lucia a friend.

Feeling a sense of unease, Lucia asked, “Wh-why are you bothering me again?”

Iria handed her a piece of paper without meeting her eyes.

“What’s this… Group outdoor practice? So what?”

“Let’s go together.”

“I’d rather go with someone else. Do you really think I’d go with you?”

“Fine. I didn’t expect much anyway. Rena, let’s find someone else.”

Rena had been absent due to illness when Iria and Lucia had their duel. Although she didn’t know the details, she could tell they had a bad relationship.

From an outsider’s perspective, Rena wanted to mediate, but given their current state, a conversation didn’t seem possible. Lucia appeared to be terrified of Iria.

Rena turned to Iria. “Iria, do you know anyone else?”

“No.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

She hadn’t expected much.

Iria being Iria.

“Let’s go find someone else.”

Rena sighed softly and turned away. Iria was about to follow her when Lucia called out.

“Wait.”

Lucia had read the notice on the spot.

“It’s first-come, first-served for the teams.”

Despite her feelings about her would-be teammates, she was interested in the outdoor activity. It offered valuable real-world experience, even if it wasn’t particularly difficult. Plus, she could receive a recommendation letter from a professor, which would be beneficial when deciding on her future career after graduation.

It was a good opportunity.

“Hmm…”

Lucia hesitated.

She hadn’t taken the entrance exam yet, so she had no official rank. To meet the requirements, she needed to recruit two top-performing students, but Iria’s group would likely submit their application first since they already met the conditions.

But teaming up with Iria, who had humiliated her, was naturally repugnant. The memory of the salty taste from licking Iria’s foot was still fresh in her mind.

However, she had to think logically.

Lucia had already lost to Iria once, but she hadn’t given up on being the top student. Her mind was filled with thoughts of eventually defeating Iria and reclaiming the top spot.

If she followed Iria this time and discovered any weaknesses, it might be worth the humiliation.

So, she decided.

“… I’ll join your group. It’s not like you’ll find anyone more suitable than me.”

And with that, Lucia joined the team.