I Became a Murderer in the Academy. - Chapter 25

TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter.

The academy was noisy today.

It was usually like this, but especially more so today.

But this wasn’t limited to just one day.

It was noisy yesterday, it is today, and it will be even more so tomorrow.

Because exams were coming soon.

Students were in a state of emergency preparing for their exams.

Some were studying for written exams in the library, while others were preparing for practical exams outside.

So, the atmosphere inside the academy was generally chaotic.

It was hectic, to say the least.

So Iria, who was going to the library as usual, came back out because there were too many people.

Although it wasn’t loud despite the crowd due to the nature of the library, Iria was uncomfortable in such places.

In the end, Iria, who had lost her destination, decided to walk a little in the academy park for a change of mood.

Seeing the blooming flowers while the wind swept through her long hair felt quite good.

It was also one of the good feelings that while everyone else felt a sense of crisis about the upcoming period and was desperately preparing something, she wasn’t.

It’s usually good to be relaxed when others are busy.

Iria walked a little in the park and then sat down on a bench.

“We meet again.”

And this time too, there was already someone on the bench.

It was the same scenario as last time.

Albert, who had been there before Iria sat on the bench, spoke without even turning his head.

He was sipping coffee while looking at the park scenery.

The dead eyes and dark circles barely visible through his glasses were still the same.

“You look relaxed. Is your exam preparation going well?”

“My schedule has become a bit looser.”

“The external practicum. I heard about it.”

Thanks to the benefits of the external practice, Iria didn’t have to take exams for three subjects.

This had a significant impact on her exam schedule.

When others were busy, she had more free time.

This was a considerable advantage for Iria, who had been using her time efficiently since entering the academy.

She could even be absent if there was no schedule on the exam day.

“Do you have any plans for the remaining time?”

So what would Iria do with the time she had left?

Albert opened his mouth while sipping the coffee in his hand.

What to do.

That’s what I have to think about from now on.

“It’s okay if you haven’t decided anything right away. Sometimes rest is important too. You seem to have been busy lately.”

“Do you know about me?”

“I try to remember as much as possible about students who take my class. And if they’re excellent students, they tend to stick in my memory even more.”

“……”

After Albert’s words, silence fell between the two sitting on the bench.

Neither of them was very talkative.

So unless someone brought up a topic, silence would quickly settle.

But still, a cool, clean breeze gently blew by.

It was the quiet atmosphere that Iria liked.

She had no intention of leaving that place for a while, and Albert also planned to stay there until he finished the coffee in his cup.

How much time had passed like that?

In the end, Albert, slightly less taciturn than the two, broke the silence first.

Iria listened to his words.

“By the way, I heard Professor Eve is going on a business trip. It’s the place where you once went for practicum.”

“……”

“It seems to be to investigate the unidentified monster you saw during the practicum.”

“…Do academy professors do such things?”

“Of course not. It’s not part of a professor’s duties. But it would be different if they did it alongside other work.”

He took a small sip of his coffee.

“You may already know this, but among the academy professors, more and more are doing other jobs concurrently. Do you know why?”

“No.”

Iria shook her head, and Albert took another sip before speaking.

“It’s because it’s such a chaotic time. There’s a shortage of manpower everywhere you go. Those with power are sacrificing themselves by going to the frontlines. I, too, have been dedicating myself to the Empire, cutting down on sleep.”

“……”

“I thank you on behalf of Eve for helping with her work. She recently lost someone dear to her to the back alley monster that’s been in the rumors lately. She’s probably in a mentally difficult state. The world has become harsh, and she had to go to work before her painful wounds could heal.”

Eve is both an academy professor and a member of the knighthood.

She was sent on a mission to investigate the back alley monster with her senior, but she lost her respected senior.

It was a heartbreaking story.

Although Iria, the perpetrator, didn’t feel much sentiment about it.

While listening to Albert’s words, Iria briefly recalled the previous incident.

So that red-haired knight I saw in Leon’s memory was Eve.

The Empire is indeed small.

Perhaps the people related to the Empire were extremely limited.

After all, the academy faculty members were closely related to the knighthood.

Albert poured the now cold coffee into his mouth, then quietly stood up from his seat.

“Iria, you should also avoid stepping into that area. The imperial knighthood has already withdrawn from investigating the back alleys.”

Places abandoned by people have now been abandoned by the knighthood as well.

They suffered significant losses during the investigation.

Moreover, the back alley monster is highly intelligent, hiding when large-scale subjugation teams are sent.

Therefore, the knighthood has concluded that there’s no way to catch the back alley monster at the current point.

So that’s why the back alleys have been noisy lately.

Strangely, copycat crimes increased while Iria was briefly away.

Anyway, it wasn’t bad news for Iria.

With the knighthood’s interference gone, the back alleys would be quiet, and even if there were more criminals, it just meant more food for her.

“I’ve talked for too long. Let’s meet again if we have the chance.”

With those words, Albert disappeared.

His thoughts were still unreadable.

Iria stared into his eyes, curious about what he was thinking, but Albert’s mental defense was considerable, so she couldn’t read him.

It wasn’t impossible to penetrate, but she would have to use magical energy.

The moment she emitted magical energy in the academy, she would be exposed as a monster, so she decided not to do anything unnecessary.

She knew to some extent that academy professors were also capable in combat, but Albert was especially so.

He was the strongest among the humans she had seen so far.

Perhaps Albert might be the strongest in the Empire.

***

I decided to investigate the Demon King’s fragment with the remaining time.

“Do you know what this is?”

“No… I’ve never seen such an object before…”

I went around various places in the Empire, showing the fragment to people who looked intelligent, but it was difficult to find someone who knew.

Well, it’s probably not something ordinary people would see.

“Do you know what this is?”

“I don’t know?”

“What should I do?”

“What the hell?”

Still, I didn’t give up and kept asking.

Even though I walked around all day, there was no harvest.

Eventually, I entered a bar.

From experience, there was no better place to gather information.

I skillfully sat down and ordered a drink.

The owner here wouldn’t open his mouth for free.

With a seemingly ample wallet,

“Give me the most expensive one here.”

“The best one is 1 gold coin. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

Young and rich girl Iria nodded with a relaxed expression as if the price didn’t matter.

After opening my wallet and paying, I waited a bit, and the drink came.

Thirsty from walking without rest, I downed the drink in one shot.

It was a bit high in alcohol content to drink right away, but it was fine since my body wasn’t that affected by alcohol.

“… It’s a strong drink to down without any side dishes.”

“It’s fine.”

Because I would vomit if I ate food.

It was questionable how I could drink alcohol, but I was grateful that I could at least consume this.

Although it couldn’t satisfy her hunger, it could quench her thirst.

So, I didn’t dislike bars.

But I didn’t just come here to drink.

After emptying my glass, I opened my mouth to get to the main point.

“Is there anyone around here who knows a lot about monsters?”

“Monsters, huh? There are some.”

The bar owner responded to the conversation while wiping glasses.

He usually doesn’t open his mouth easily, but he did because I paid a lot.

“There’s one self-proclaimed monster expert over there.”

“Where?”

“Over there. Where people are gathered.”

I turned my head in the direction he pointed.

There, I saw people gathered around one man.

Curious about what they were discussing, I listened more closely.

I stood up from my seat and moved a bit closer.

“So, when I was young?! I killed a monster bigger than a carriage all by myself! There was even a three-headed lizard that breathed fire!”

When a man speaks loudly about something, the people gathered around listen intently to his story.

“You don’t know how big that monster was? Why don’t you buy me a drink if you’re curious?”

I watched for a while, but no matter how I looked at it, he seemed more like a quack storyteller than an expert.

“……”

Still, maybe I should check.

I thought it would be better than returning empty-handed anyway.

I pushed through the crowd and came in front of the man.

“Huh? Who are you?”

The method to persuade a beggar human wasn’t that difficult.

I took out two gold coins from her pocket and handed them to the man.

“Please spare me some time.”

Two gold coins in the Empire are a month’s salary for an ordinary commoner.

There’s no reason for a man drinking around because he has no money to refuse.

He accepted the gold coins with an awkward smile.

“Haha, this is something. Being too popular is also a problem, you know?”

I shot him a sharp glance.

It meant to shut up and just follow.

Iria’s eyes become fierce when she narrows her brow.

She wasn’t trying to threaten him on purpose, but that’s just her unique expression.

And.

“Ah, I got it. Let’s, let’s go.”

The man, intimidated by her gaze, followed behind.