Again, there was an audience.

 

The swordsmanship training hall, where Iria, Ariel, and Sera were present, was the arena for today’s spectacle. It’s safe to say they are the strongest in the entire academy.

 

That’s why the training hall was noisier than usual. This continued even after they had left. Most of the students were evaluating and discussing the brief sparring match between Iria and Ariel that had just taken place.

 

The topic of discussion was simple.

 

So, who won?

 

At first, it seemed like an even match. Iria and Ariel clashed swords and were in a tense confrontation.

 

After that, the first to gain the upper hand was Iria. The speed from leaping with superhuman strength was far beyond the imagination of those watching.

 

Iria leveraged her exceptional speed to press Ariel. She swung her sword sideways and increased the speed of her attacks, flowing seamlessly into a series of strikes.

 

No matter how strong Ariel was, it seemed difficult to keep up with her speed. At first, it was like that.

 

But Ariel gradually began to adapt to Iria’s speed. He also gradually accelerated to match Iria’s tempo, becoming so fast that it was difficult for the average person to keep up with their eyes.

 

They were watching a duel that surpassed human speed.

 

Even among the spectators, including high-ranking students, none noticed the scene at the end.

 

Iria’s figure disappeared momentarily, and then a platinum-colored aura burst out.

 

After the light settled, Iria was sitting on the ground, and Ariel was still holding his sword until the end.

 

“…Then did Ariel win?”

 

“Well, I’m not sure about that either.”

 

“The use of magic is prohibited in the swordsmanship training hall. It was a duel that was originally decided to compete only with swords. Iria is a combat magic major, so judging that Ariel won is difficult, right?”

 

“Come to think of it, that’s true. I wonder if it would be different if they fought in the dueling arena.”

 

Today’s discussion didn’t conclude. To be precise, no one could.

 

Those who had gathered in one place to watch the fight returned to their respective positions.

 

The swordsmanship training hall, where the atmosphere had heated up, died instantly.

 

***

 

Several days had passed since the incident in the dueling arena, but Ariel still couldn’t forget that day. Even now, whenever he closes his eyes, it comes to mind.

 

Iria, the top student of the first year—her name was so famous that even he had heard of her, though only in passing. But recently, her name had become etched into his memory. Since their accidental meeting in the back mountain, he had been running into her with surprising frequency.

 

Perhaps until then, he didn’t have any particular thoughts.

 

Then came the day of the incident.

 

When Sera brought Iria, he was slightly puzzled. Were the two of them originally that close?

 

According to what he heard from her, Iria seemed to want to become friends with Ariel.

 

It was as natural as breathing for two people who were serious about the sword to clash their wooden swords. Even thinking about it now, Ariel believes there was no problem with the duel itself.

 

Originally, swordsmen often had more sincere conversations through their swordplay than verbal exchanges.

 

‘…Iria was strong.’

 

Iria was much stronger than he had thought.

 

Perhaps because she is a first-year student, Ariel may have unconsciously underestimated her.

 

The duel they had that day resulted in Ariel’s defeat. There was a difference in ability that made the word “duel” meaningless.

 

Especially her last blow, it was something that Ariel could not respond to.

 

If it weren’t for the automatic defense of starlight, he would have been defeated.

 

“…”

 

Ariel’s thoughts were deep.

 

In the end, his instructor’s words about being nothing without the starlight inherited from the hero’s bloodline came to mind.

 

Moreover, he couldn’t even handle that properly.

 

The starlight that exploded uncontrollably and injured Iria remains vividly imprinted in his memory. Whenever he closes his eyes, he can still clearly recall the scene of the out-of-control star causing harm.

 

He still has a long way to go. Even gaining the title of the strongest in the academy relied on the power of the star, not on individual ability.

 

In the depths of his endless self-loathing, Ariel swings his sword again today, trying to forget the incident.

 

It was only after some time that he gathered his resolve and went to formally apologize to Iria.

 

***

 

Iria focused on healing the wound on her arm for a while.

 

Unlike other wounds, it couldn’t be regenerated by ordinary means, so she tried a different method.

 

It took about a week to completely remove the burn on her arm. It wasn’t the time it took to regenerate naturally, but the time it took to find a method.

 

The hero’s starlight and magical energy were structurally completely opposite substances. So, it was possible to neutralize wounds caused by starlight by enveloping them with magical energy.

 

Perhaps the opposite is also possible.

 

If Iria injures the hero Ariel with magical energy, he can heal that wound with starlight.

 

At that point, Iria’s thoughts deepened.

 

When Ariel manifested the starlight and injured her, she was honestly surprised. She didn’t expect him to be hiding such a thing.

 

And somehow, it was fatal only to her. Iria saw with her eyes the radius of the starlight bursting out in that brief moment.

 

It definitely enveloped others, including herself. However, she was the only one injured.

 

It was as if the substance called starlight was uniquely hostile to her.

 

‘Is it because I’m half-monster?’

 

Perhaps it was because Iria was the Seed of the Demon King. She carried the Demon King’s energy even if it was only a part.

 

Still, there was a gain.

 

She learned that starlight can be neutralized using magical energy and that Ariel is a more dangerous being than she thought.

 

His ability was slightly inferior to the top knights of the Empire, but for Iria specifically, he could become a more threatening existence than the top knight.

 

‘Should I kill him before he grows into an even more threatening existence? It might become impossible to kill him later.’

 

“…”

 

Iria decided to move up the schedule of killing Ariel a bit.

 

‘For now, I should go meet him.’

 

Recently, Ariel has been looking for Iria more often. Still, she didn’t meet him to fully regenerate her wound.

 

She didn’t know what would happen if his hand, the owner of the starlight, touched her in a wounded state.

 

Her arm should have healed by now, so she decided to meet him again today.

 

***

 

As usual, Iria went to the academy and attended lectures, and when she left, she saw a familiar face.

 

With her striking red hair fluttering, her very presence drew the attention of those around her.

 

Perhaps it was due to the palpable mana pool she carried with her.

 

There was an ambiguous quality to it. While it was clear she possessed a vast amount of mana, the size of her chest, which might be thought of as a pouch for that mana, made Iria feel somewhat overshadowed.

 

Sera greeted Iria happily. Not knowing how to react, Iria tilted her head slightly.

 

“Oh, Iria. I’ve been waiting for you.”

 

“Should I call you senior?”

 

“You can call me ‘unnie’ more familiarly.”

 

(ED: “unnie” is a term used by females to address older sisters or older female friends.)

 

“I’ll call you senior.”

 

It was rare to see Sera visit the first-year lecture hall. Sera, who dedicates herself to training as much as Ariel, simply doesn’t have the time.

 

This was almost the first time, except when she came to request a duel with Iria.

 

That means she has another purpose for coming. Iria tried to make eye contact to figure out what purpose she came for, but as expected, she faced resistance due to the huge mana pool.

 

She couldn’t use magical energy in the middle of the academy, so Iria decided to stop reading her memories.

 

Of course, making eye contact isn’t the only way to discover what she’s curious about.

 

Sera wasn’t the type to be good at lying or harboring hidden agendas, so she simply had to ask.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Nothing much. Ariel wants to meet you to apologize formally for the last incident. He said it’s like you’ve been intentionally avoiding him these days, is that true?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

‘I wasn’t avoiding him on purpose.’

 

Iria just kept her distance whenever she felt his presence. Living things are naturally afraid of the unknown.

 

Iria was the same. It was the first time she was injured in that way, so she may have reacted a bit sensitively.

 

But once the wound was healed, there was no reason to avoid Ariel any longer. Iria was also planning to meet him soon anyway.

 

“It’s not true,” Iria answered.

 

“Really? When are you free after classes today? If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to come.”

 

Iria nodded her head.

 

“Seriously? You’re coming?”

 

Iria nodded her head once more.

 

“Then come to the main gate of the academy after class is over. I’ll be waiting there.”