Albert couldn’t forget the memory of that day.

 

It had been raining.

 

His hair and clothes were damp, clinging to his skin, and Iria had pointed her red sword at him.

 

Her expression was too complex to put into words.

 

That day, Iria looked different from her usual self, yet Albert had recognized her instantly.

 

It wasn’t her appearance that gave her away; it was the familiar red magical energy flowing from her.

 

Part of Albert’s memories of Iria had been erased. However, human memories are not so easily wiped away.

 

They were just made to forget temporarily, but the emptied memories remain as a void for a long time, creating a sense of discomfort.

 

Everyone whose memories of Iria were erased lived with that discomfort.

 

But sometimes, in moments of intense déjà vu, seeing her would help them recall the forgotten memories.

 

That’s how it was for Albert.

 

He had his memories erased by Iria twice.

 

So, how did he feel when he first recognized her?

 

“……”

 

At first, he tried to speak. He had even offered her what he thought was her goal, a fragment of the Demon King.

 

A being with a human form, but not human.

 

Yet, they are able to speak human language and blend naturally among humans.

 

Albert knew someone like her.

 

He thought they were somewhat alike.

 

The way she struggled with inner conflict, the way she suffered, and more than anything, those crimson eyes that looked empty and hollow.

 

Objectively, Iria was a villain.

 

She was the back alley monster who had thrown the Empire into chaos, the worst criminal responsible for many casualties, even underground.

 

And a monster with such overwhelming power that there was no way to stop her.

 

That was Iria. To anyone else, she wasn’t someone deserving of sympathy. In fact, it was strange for Albert to look at her with such understanding.

 

Yet.

 

“… I’m sorry, Albert.”

 

He recalled the face of his former teacher, the one who almost killed him.

 

It was the day he brought red tea to the principal’s office, just as he always had.

 

But that day, Sertia, with red eyes glowing with hostility, was consumed by endless self-loathing and dissociation.

 

The teacup, brewed with sunflower leaves, shattered. And Albert was momentarily caught up in the monster’s power and was badly injured.

 

Upon realizing what had happened, Sertia apologized and explained.

 

She told him that the surge of hostility towards humans had overtaken her without warning.

 

It was around the time when Sertia’s curse began to spread in earnest.

 

If Iria was the same,

 

If, like Sertia, she was killing humans because she couldn’t control her own instincts…

 

Then maybe she was the most pitiful being in this world.

 

“Then why!!”

 

The image of Iria, standing in the rain,  shouting while pointing her red sword at him, flashed through his mind.

 

It might have been a cry from long-standing pain. If so, how should he treat someone like her?

 

Albert’s thoughts ran deep.

 

***

 

At Iria’s suggestion to change locations, Albert guided her to a suitable place.

 

It was a place with relatively few people, no sunlight, and quiet.

 

The man still had a good sense for choosing places. Iria sat down in a suitable spot in the quiet alley.

 

What could she want to say?

 

He waited quietly, sitting down. Although she had said she would kill him, she didn’t really intend to.

 

While there were few people, if she killed him here, it would be Iria who would be in a difficult position.

 

“So what did you want to say?”

 

Iria, who was usually taciturn and rarely spoke first, unusually initiated the conversation this time.

 

It was because this situation of meeting Albert again wasn’t very pleasant.

 

She wanted to finish the conversation quickly and leave.

 

Albert examined Iria’s face with a serious expression. He was trying to check her mental state before speaking.

 

Fortunately, she seemed fine.

 

Unlike before, she was at least capable of conversation.

 

There was no sign of aggression from that time. She looked like the student Iria he usually saw.

 

Though she seemed a bit displeased.

 

Albert explained everything from beginning to end to Iria, who was ready to listen.

 

That among the people he knew, there was someone who resembled her. And that person wanted to meet Iria, the back alley monster.

 

And there were things he wanted to ask her related to that.

 

Iria didn’t say anything until he finished speaking. She just sat there quietly and listened.

 

After hearing everything, Iria scratched her cheek.

 

She understood what he wanted to say. Since Iria also had some of Albert’s memories, the content was easy to understand.

 

She could see that his words were not lies.

 

But there were still parts that bothered her.

 

As mentioned before, Iria was clearly a villain from the Empire’s standpoint. She was the Empire’s worst criminal who had committed unforgivable atrocities.

 

Albert, a pillar of the Empire, was trying to take such a person somewhere.

 

No matter how she thought about it, it smelled fishy. She didn’t know his intentions behind his words, but at least Iria didn’t trust him.

 

So she asked.

 

“Before that, I have a question. May I ask this time?”

 

Albert closed his eyes and nodded.

 

“By all means.”

 

It’s the same question she asked before. But a little more precisely corrected.

 

“Why don’t you treat me as an enemy? Isn’t it a bit strange to say it’s simply because someone similar to me is around you?”

 

Iria killed Albert’s junior.

 

Normally, one wouldn’t react like that when faced with the monster who killed their junior.

 

So it was suspicious.

 

Since Albert was a person whose thoughts were not easily read, it was necessary to pay attention.

 

“I just thought you were someone I could talk to.”

 

“Why?”

 

“After the incident, during the investigation, two beings were suspected to be Seeds of the Demon King inside the building. This is a very serious situation, but considering the scale of the incident, the damage was less than expected.”

 

There wasn’t enough power inside the building to capture two Seeds of the Demon King.

 

Moreover, one of them was even stronger than Albert. If such beings had gone on a rampage, normally everyone inside would have been annihilated.

 

Even if some survived, only a handful of elite professors would have come out.

 

Although Albert wasn’t inside the building, he could guess what the interior scene would have been like from examining the corpses.

 

It must have been a hellish scene.

 

But there weren’t many victims inside the building. Rather, there were fewer casualties than outside.

 

Then what factor contributed to that number?

 

Who was responsible for defeating a being stronger than Albert, the Empire’s strongest power at the time?

 

“According to the testimonies of survivors at the time, they saw a red-haired female student of unknown identity wandering the corridor. When everyone fled, she alone was going in a different direction.”

 

“……”

 

“I don’t know why, but that day you saved many people’s lives inside the building. I thought it was worth having a conversation.”

 

The only one who could stop the beings rampaging there was Iria.

 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it would have been an extremely difficult fight without her.

 

It was nothing short of a miracle that the damage stopped there.

 

He didn’t know why Iria took the side of humans.

 

No, he could understand not long after. Because he heard it from Iria herself.

 

“I didn’t save them. Those things just happened to block my way. I just collected the fragments while I encountered them.”

 

“Yet you didn’t kill any humans.”

 

“……”

 

That’s right.

 

Iria didn’t kill any humans in this incident. Except for injuring Rena and Albert when she half went berserk at the end, she didn’t even create any injuries.

 

In the end, it seems that what she said on that rainy day wasn’t a lie, and that this incident had nothing to do with Iria.

 

“Unless it’s a special case, you’re not aggressive towards humans. Is that correct?”

 

Since it wasn’t wrong, Iria nodded.

 

Albert was looking at Iria with an ambiguous gaze.

 

She was a dangerous being who shouldn’t be in the Empire, but at the same time, he thought her situation was pitiful.

 

Even if Iria was an enemy of the Empire, to begin with, there was no way to stop her.

 

Since there was no way to stop Iria with the Empire’s current power, it was important not to provoke her as much as possible.

 

“…I haven’t disclosed information about you, and I won’t in the future.”

 

Because if he carelessly disclosed it and she went berserk, the Empire would collapse.

 

“I won’t hold you accountable for the evil deeds you’ve done so far.”

 

It’s sad that people died, but Iria is like a living disaster.

 

It can’t be helped that humans got caught up in a natural disaster. As long as there was no way, the Empire could only hope she would stay as quiet as possible.

 

“Instead, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

 

“……”

 

Iria gestured as if to say go ahead and speak.

 

“There’s someone who wants to meet you. Could you come find me again in the relatively near future?”

 

“What benefit would I get from going?”

 

“The Empire should have a fragment of the Demon King in its possession. I don’t know for what purpose you’re collecting the fragments, but if you need it, I’ll give it to you.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

If there is one, it’s better than not having it.

 

It meant that the grace period for Iria to remain as Iria would be extended.

 

“Alright.”

 

Iria accepted Albert’s proposal.

 

She didn’t need it right away, but there was no reason not to go.

 

If needed, it was possible right now.

 

But Albert’s side refused, saying it was difficult right away. Apparently, the person was not feeling well and was resting.

 

Iria left the place.

 

Translator’s Corner

 

So I was reading some comments, and I wanted to say some stuff.

 

While some of you may not like it, the Ariel and Sera fight is kinda necessary to develop their characters. Though it is kinda bs how Ariel just got so strong, but you kinda need it for Iria to feel any sort of threat.

 

Also the Albert scene where she could have ended him. Surprised she didn’t go for the head, but I’d say there is also still some lingering attachment to him. Also drama.

 

Yeah I’ll stop.

 

-Ruminas