Albert asked Iria if she might not be human.

 

She didn’t know what prompted him to ask the question. He was the Empire’s greatest magician, and simply making eye contact wasn’t enough to read his memories.

 

Therefore, she had to infer his intentions by observing his gaze, actions, and faintly audible heartbeat.

 

“Why do you think so?”

 

Iria countered his question with another question. She didn’t know how to answer his inquiry, so she stalled for time.

 

Simultaneously, she was also testing him.

 

There was no way to know if his question was asked with certainty or if he was testing her.

 

Silence lingered for a while. The atmosphere was such that it wouldn’t have been strange if a massacre broke out at any moment.

 

Even Iria, who was not skilled at sensing mana, could tell that the air in the vicinity was strange.

 

“It’s your red eyes. Actually, they resemble those of someone I know. As you know, humans with red eyes are extremely rare. The person I know wasn’t entirely human either.”

 

However, contrary to the atmosphere, Albert’s words were calm.

 

It was the attitude of someone seeking conversation rather than combat.

 

Iria slightly lowered her guard. It seemed that his request to talk for a moment meant exactly that.

 

“Headmaster Sertia.”

 

Iria uttered the name before Albert could finish his explanation. This was probably the person Albert was referring to.

 

“Do you know her?”

 

Albert asked with a serious face.

 

Iria didn’t know her in detail. She had never actually met her. It was merely an inference based on Albert’s memories that she had previously stolen.

 

But if it was about red eyes, it could only be her. The probability of a human being born with red eyes is extremely low.

 

A human half-tainted by a curse, it was quite interesting.

 

Despite her curiosity, Iria had no desire to meet such a dangerous individual in person.

 

“I don’t know much about her. I’ve just heard her name.”

 

“In any case, you do know of her.”

 

“……”

 

Iria didn’t deny it.

 

That alone was enough for the conversation to progress.

 

“Headmaster Sertia conducted several experiments on herself and concluded that it’s nearly impossible for a human body to naturally have red eyes. Even if such cases exist, it’s likely due to some kind of chronic illness.”

 

His deep voice lowered, maintaining the same nonchalant tone as usual, much like when he gave a lecture as a professor.

 

At least, it wasn’t the sharp voice he had shown during combat. Looking closely, Albert didn’t seem to have any intention to attack. It was a question born out of pure curiosity.

 

“Are you also under some kind of curse?”

 

A curse.

 

It might not be entirely wrong.

 

Iria was cursed by someone unknown, fell into an unfamiliar world, and became a monster that had to kill people.

 

But that was far from the curse Albert was talking about.

 

For one thing, there was no curse on Iria’s body. If there had been, she would have noticed it long ago.

 

She didn’t feel like something was eating away at her body like Sertia, nor did she feel like there was another personality inside her.

 

It would be more natural to say that she was a different, separate species from her.

 

So Iria shook her head.

 

“I’m not under a curse.”

 

“……”

 

This time, Albert fell silent.

 

Although she couldn’t read his memories, Iria thought she knew what he was thinking.

 

He must be curious about her identity—a being that looks like a human with red eyes but doesn’t have a chronic illness and isn’t cursed.

 

Then what was she?

 

“Then what are you?”

 

The question she had expected finally came.

 

However, she couldn’t give him a definite answer, because even she didn’t know exactly what she was.

 

In times like this, Iria decided to maintain a firm attitude.

 

“What would you do if I said I don’t know either?”

 

In this confrontational situation with him, Iria had nothing to lose.

 

If necessary, she could erase his memories, or even kill him.

 

It was late in the park, and there were no witnesses. Iria hoped he wouldn’t ask any more questions about her.

 

“As expected, Miss Iria……”

 

“It would be better for your well-being to stop questioning me here.”

 

The reason Iria didn’t kill Albert that day was because he was one of the Empire’s key figures.

 

She didn’t want to make a big deal out of the incident when she attacked the Empire. She wanted it to be of a scale that the higher-ups could adequately cover up, like now.

 

It could be said that she was afraid of the repercussions that would follow if she killed Albert.

 

But,

 

“……”

 

Now it’s different.

 

She could erase him from this world without leaving even the slightest trace if she wanted to.

 

She could even erase the memories of those around him so that no one would remember him.

 

It was a night with a full moon.

 

Iria waited for his words while bathing in the bright moonlight.

 

She was waiting to see if he would cross the final line she had set.

 

If he crossed it, she would kill him, and even if he didn’t, she would still erase his memories.

 

After spreading her magical energy around her body, she showed him her red eyes. This is her true form.

 

Not the student Iria, but the worst murderer to roam the Empire.

 

Albert swallowed hard and tried to grasp a spell with his hand, but it was too late. In the current situation, Iria would be faster no matter what he did.

 

The moment he started chanting a spell to attack her, the red magical energy in the vicinity would pierce his heart.

 

Realizing this fact, Albert didn’t attack her. It was a wise decision.

 

The silence continued, and another dawn breeze blew.

 

Perhaps it’s time to stop waiting.

 

“There won’t be a next time, Albert. From now on, pretend not to know me even if we meet.”

 

Saying this, Iria turned to leave. She thought he would understand by now.

 

It was a place where red magical energy had settled like a mist.

 

***

 

Albert closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

 

A few days ago, he had lost a certain part of his memory due to something. The events of that day were like dreams.

 

It was like that in the sense that it seemed about to be remembered, but as soon as he opened his eyes, it quickly faded.

 

What remained faintly in the hazy memory were the red eyes glaring at him. And for some reason, someone came to mind when he tried to recall it.

 

The first-year top student, Iria.

 

She was a person with red eyes, just like his mentor. At first, he thought it must be just his imagination. It’s an absurd assumption to consider her the same being he saw underground just because her eyes are red.

 

But the sense of déjà vu he felt every time he saw her was real. Albert was bothered by it. This led to today’s question.

 

“Are you not human?”

 

The red eyes reflected in the dark background matched those in his hazy memory.

 

It wasn’t a question filled with certainty.

 

Although he wasn’t sure, Albert thought the blank in his memory might be related to her.

 

And,

 

A day passed.

 

Albert woke up in his usual bedroom. He had returned to his mansion after being discharged from the hospital.

 

Right after waking up, he endured a considerable headache. When he came to his senses, he couldn’t remember what had happened the previous day.

 

Should we say he’s lucky?

 

He had encountered a back alley monster twice and still didn’t lose his life. The events of the previous day also felt like just a dream.

 

***

 

Some more time passed, and the day of the duel with Sera arrived. This wasn’t a ranking match, nor was it a practical exam.

 

As it was simply a battle between individuals, normally there would be no judges or spectators.

 

But in this case, there were both.

 

Despite the difference in school years, it was still a duel between the top and second-ranked students of different years. It was a big match between two people famous in various ways.

 

What started as a small rumor gradually became known, and eventually, they succeeded in renting a dedicated dueling arena.

 

There were many spectators, but among them, no one predicted Iria’s victory.

 

It wasn’t that they were underestimating her, but her opponent was overwhelmingly strong. Sera, second-ranked in the second year.

 

Although overshadowed by another monster in the same year, her strength surpassed even the average level of a second-year top student.

 

She won all duels in dominant fashion, looking down on her opponents with her characteristic relaxed expression.

 

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that the image of her losing couldn’t even be imagined. Her losing figure couldn’t be pictured. Sera was almost synonymous with victory.

 

But,

 

“If you put it that way, doesn’t Iria look the same?”

 

“That’s right. She’s always been relaxed too.”

 

By that logic, Iria was no less impressive. She, too, had never shown a struggling appearance in a duel so far.

 

Both were called monsters in their respective years. It will be a fight worth watching regardless of who wins.

 

“Ah, but Sera will win anyway.”

 

Although many predicted Sera’s victory as she was a second-year monster and had shown more of her abilities so far, it remained to be seen how Iria would be defeated.

 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that people had gathered to see that cold expression crumble.

 

Two students stepped onto the dueling arena. Iria with her fluttering silver hair and Sera revealing her fiery presence on the opposite side.