Iria decided to simply observe the situation from the sidelines.

Ariel and Amelia were facing off in the empty training hall.

Though it looked as if a fight could break out any moment, if they did clash, Ariel would undoubtedly win. It wouldn’t even be a battle—just a one-sided, overwhelming match.

Ariel had already surpassed even the professors at the Academy in terms of skill.

Amelia’s expression was dark, as there was nothing to gain from antagonizing the Academy’s strongest student.

She had merely resented Iria for drawing so much attention as a first-year, but now things had escalated beyond her control.

Amelia took a step back, seeing Ariel’s cold, anger-filled eyes fixated on her.

Of course, Ariel had no intention of resolving things with force. That wasn’t his way.

Instead, he let out a quiet sigh.

"Apologize to Iria formally. All those rumors spreading lately—it's due to your influence, isn’t it? How many people have you spread them to, just like you did with me?"

Ariel wasn’t oblivious to rumors, nor was he a fool.

He was aware of the influence various students held and which factions had power among them.

Amelia was one of the worst offenders.

Though she was strong enough to represent her grade, she couldn’t match the fourth years, and the second years had Ariel.

Being sandwiched between them had bred in her a staggering inferiority complex. The only other top student she could realistically compare herself to was the first-year, Iria.

It might seem pathetic for a third-year to compare herself to a first-year, but Amelia knew she couldn’t bridge the talent gap between her and the other grades.

At least, she thought, she should be stronger than Iria.

She had heard that the first-year top student’s mana was only 84.

Then came the day—

When Iria defeated Sera, Amelia realized the true gap in talent.

Amelia was just someone born into a fortunate era, who managed to claim the top spot due to sheer luck.

Amelia never wanted to acknowledge that, which was why she had turned into the person she was now.

She was the kind of person who, unable to climb higher herself, wished for others to fall.

"It’s not like I’m the only one doing it."

Amelia refused to apologize, too prideful to bend.

That was just the kind of person she was.

"It’s a rumor that everyone’s been talking about anyway. If you’re going to scold me, why don’t you tell everyone who mentioned it? I’m just unlucky to have been caught, that’s all."

"…"

"You’re just being sensitive, Ariel. The victim here isn’t even complaining, so why are you butting in? If it bothers you that much, fine—I’ll leave."

Why single her out? If Ariel was going to reprimand anyone, he should do it to everyone who spread the rumors, not just her.

It was nearly impossible to track down every person who’d been part of spreading those rumors and make them apologize.

Amelia knew this and had said it to recover her pride, speaking with a provocative tone.

After hearing her out, a voice spoke up.

"That’s actually a good idea."

"Huh?"

It was Iria.

Amelia looked startled, not expecting Iria to agree.

"What do you mean, good idea?"

Amelia felt a chill, uncertain what Iria meant.

"You’re right. It wouldn’t be fair if only some people were punished while others got away. So I’m going to find everyone who spread false rumors about me and challenge them to a duel. Does that satisfy you?"

"Are you insane?"

Amelia couldn’t comprehend Iria’s words.

She saw it as nothing more than a first-year’s empty bravado.

With Iria’s interruption, the confrontation fell apart. Amelia merely stormed off, muttering about her bad luck.

Was it really just bravado?

Watching Amelia leave, Iria thought about it.

At first, she hadn’t intended to get involved.

Whatever they said couldn’t harm her directly.

But—

"Apologize to Iria formally."

There was someone who had gotten angry on her behalf.

Someone who, of all people, had shown animosity towards the top third-year student for her sake.

The feeling was new and strange to Iria, but somehow, it wasn’t unpleasant.

She’d long since given up on having anyone on her side.

So, she didn’t want to leave this matter to Ariel.

It had started with her, and the thought of someone else handling it felt slightly uncomfortable.

Ariel wouldn’t let this go easily; he’d likely try to resolve it wherever his strength allowed.

But Iria didn’t want him taking care of it on her behalf.

'This is something I need to do.'

This was her responsibility, not Ariel’s. She had put it off because it was a bother, but now, she decided to act.

The Academy was abuzz with rumors about Iria as usual.

People talked openly, thinking she didn’t care enough to react.

"Look, the monster’s passing by."

"Hey, watch what you say. What if she hears you?"

"So what? I said it loud enough for her to hear. She never reacts anyway."

"Yeah, which first-year would challenge an upperclassman? That’s like making enemies with the entire senior class."

But today, Iria didn’t ignore it.

She turned toward the voices and walked over.

She grabbed the hand of the female senior who had been talking about her.

Her red eyes met the woman’s.

"W-What? Let go!"

The woman’s face twisted in shock, but Iria’s expression was as calm as ever.

She wasn’t angry or upset. Her blank face, seen up close, was unsettling.

The woman, terrified, tried to pull her hand away, but Iria held on.

Her voice came out cool and steady.

"Let’s duel."

"W-What?"

Then, without another word, Iria dragged her to the training hall.

Ignoring all reactions and whatever the senior said, Iria pulled her along until they reached the training hall. There, she beat her.

Iria’s rampage didn’t stop there.

Every time she heard someone talking about her, she would drag them to the training hall and beat them under the pretense of a duel.

With multiple challenges in a single day, injuries spread throughout the Academy.

Of course, Iria couldn’t be everywhere at once, so rumors about her only grew in her absence.

Iria’s actions were practically insane.

While the Academy had softened its hierarchy in recent years, there was still an unspoken order by grade.

Regardless of her strength, challenging a third-year meant taking on all of them.

Even if she won against one, she was just a first-year—going up against the third-years was like facing a unified enemy.

No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t take on every third-year at once.

Most thought she’d overstepped and would soon regret it.

But things didn’t go as they expected.

Iria was far stronger than they imagined. She easily won against students two years above her.

After a few victories, they stopped insulting her openly.

The rumors didn’t stop, but the insults turned into warnings about Iria.

They overlooked one thing, though: Iria’s hearing was better than they knew.

Especially sensitive to her own name, she picked up on every whispered word.

Could they really hide from her?

"I-I didn’t say anything! Really!"

"I saw you talking about me with that green-haired girl behind the park at 1:07 PM, two days ago."

"Eek!"

Iria could read people’s memories.

Even if they tried to deny it, she’d find them. They couldn’t hide from her eyes.

Just as Ariel had dominated all challengers as a first-year, Iria was now proving her strength to them.

"Feel free to come at me all at once."

Against overwhelming power, numbers, size, and mana meant nothing.

Iria defeated over thirty students in duels in one day. Yet she showed no signs of exhaustion.

After subduing most without a scratch, she remained standing.

That day, a blood-soaked wind blew through the Academy.