There had been duels, and more duels.

She gripped a wooden sword, and she discarded broken wooden swords onto the ground.

By now, Iria had discarded dozens. Over the past two days, she had fought an incredible number of duels.

'So, that’s the end of the small fry.'

Iria exhaled softly, having just defeated her 63rd student. The one-sided violence that had masqueraded as a duel had ended.

Her duels had been shocking in many ways.

Her combat style was brute force and intense. There was no finesse or complicated technique in Iria’s movements.

She simply wielded her sword and swung it.

Yet, despite the simplicity, she brought down the elite third-year students with ease.

Her swordsmanship was straightforward, but that only made it harder to counter.

Student duels usually involved strategy and a battle of wits.

Iria’s combat style defied that expectation entirely. She used the most basic stance, the kind that anyone could perform.

Yet, something was different when Iria swung her sword.

She was much faster, and her strikes carried a heavy weight.

Even when her opponents knew where her strike was coming from, they couldn’t block it. If they tried to parry, their swords broke; if they erected a mana barrier, her strength shattered it.

With her overwhelming mass, students were left defenseless.

People started describing Iria as an impregnable fortress.

The gap between her and them was vast, almost immeasurable.

After experiencing her strength firsthand, no one dared to speak her name.

Fear is the most primal of emotions. It was a crude method, but effective.

Now, no one would speak ill of her.

At an Academy that valued strength, Iria had proven hers, while others had not.

"…"

She discarded the broken wooden sword and turned away.

There was one last duel she needed to finish this ordeal.

And blocking her path was someone with blue hair and tired eyes.

She had been meaning to visit him after their last encounter.

"What brings you here?"

Iria asked Albert in a deliberately cold tone.

He wasn’t her ally, and she didn’t want to grow attached.

Albert adjusted his glasses, standing in her way.

A moment of silence passed.

"I think you know why I’m here, Iria."

"I’m busy today. Let’s make it tomorrow."

"Busy with duels?"

"Yes."

At her curt response, Albert sighed.

He looked as if he’d been worrying about this already.

"I have no intention of interfering with student duels, but could you stop? We’re running out of room in the infirmary."

"…"

"I understand you’re upset about the rumors that spread after the incident. I know this is a sensitive topic for you. But—"

He paused and met Iria’s vacant gaze.

The Academy generally encouraged student duels as a means to improve skills.

But that was only true when the students were somewhat evenly matched.

"There must be other ways to handle this than resorting to such extremes."

There weren’t many students who could benefit from a duel with Iria. She was far beyond their level.

Albert knew Iria’s strength. While he didn’t know its exact extent, he knew she was stronger than him.

Perhaps Ariel or someone as talented as Sera could keep up, but the average student was better off not trying.

Proper challenges can foster growth, but an insurmountable wall leads to despair.

Albert wasn’t blaming Iria for her actions, but he couldn’t ignore the impact she was having.

If this continued, what would happen next?

It was a time of recovery after a disaster, and the infirmary was already full.

After a moment, Iria finally spoke.

"I won’t do it anymore."

She understood what Albert was getting at.

Though she couldn’t read his mind, she was aware of the problem to some extent.

She hadn’t planned to keep this up forever. She had only intended to settle a minor issue.

But—

"Just keep one spot open in the infirmary. I have one last duel to finish."

It wouldn’t be fair to stop now, having sent everyone else who slandered her to the infirmary, and let Amelia off the hook.

That wouldn’t be just.

"Well… If there isn’t room, there’s a second-year, Sera, who’s probably eager to leave the infirmary. Maybe she could make space."

"…"

"I’m off. See you tomorrow."

Amelia, the top student of the third years.

Iria held no personal grudge against her, but she had to duel her.

Why?

Iria herself wasn’t entirely sure. But for some reason, she felt she needed to.

Besides, she didn’t want to be a burden to Ariel again.

Iria dropped the broken wooden sword and headed for the third-year classrooms.

It was time to settle things.

On her way, she ran into Ariel.

He had tried to stop her from challenging the third-year students initially.

Not out of concern for Iria, since he knew her strength well enough.

If anything, he should have been worried for the third-years.

"So, it’s come to this. Are you okay?"

"…"

Iria nodded.

While the duels had drained her mana, it wasn’t a big deal.

She didn’t rely heavily on mana. In fact, she barely needed it. It wasn’t going to be an issue for this last duel.

Still, Ariel looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"You didn’t have to handle this alone. You don’t always have to bear everything yourself."

"I’m just used to it."

Iria spoke as if it were nothing.

Ariel’s expression grew even darker.

"…"

He almost reached out to her, but stopped himself.

Her words, spoken with a blank expression, left him with a bitter feeling.

Used to it? What could she mean?

If bearing everything alone was something she was used to, then Iria was a truly pitiful girl.

Abandoned for her red eyes, she had grown up alone. Perhaps that was why she remained silent in the face of others’ scorn.

To her, it must have been routine.

In that case, she had simply become numb. It wasn’t something that could be brushed off as "getting used to it."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Iria tilted her head, noticing Ariel’s expression.

Her innocent face stood in stark contrast to the darkness within her.

Oblivious to his simmering emotions, Iria continued speaking.

"Well, I grew up in a rough place. When there was trouble, I always had to handle it with force. So, I’m used to this. It’s pretty much all I know how to do."

She said it to clear up any misunderstanding Ariel might have had about her.

She had sensed that something had changed in the way he looked at her.

She wanted to reassure him that there was no need for concern.

"…"

"…"

But it didn’t seem to have the intended effect.

After a moment, Ariel simply told her to finish her last duel and stepped aside.

Unlike Albert, he didn’t seem inclined to stop her. Not that it mattered much.

As Iria continued walking, she found Amelia waiting in front of the classroom.

"Ah, welcome. Here for a duel, I assume?"

"…"

"I’ve been waiting for you. I didn’t expect you’d actually make it this far."

She had thought Iria would give up partway through, but her strength had evidently exceeded expectations.

Amelia examined her with a faint smile.

Her uniform was a bit torn, and her mana reserves were empty.

'Pathetic girl.'

Despite her confident expression, Amelia’s eyes couldn’t lie.

As a seasoned mage, Amelia could see the flow of mana in others.

To her, Iria now looked like an empty shell.

That’s why she readily accepted the challenge.