Chapter 146: Iona’s Observation Diary
Chapter 146: Iona’s Observation Diary
Iona Francesca.
A 372-year-old Lord-class vampire.
Occupation: Academy Professor.
Likes: Killing cultists.
Dislikes: Cultists.
Specialty: Blood Magic.
Appearance: Striking crimson hair and eyes the color of deep blood. She possesses an incredibly sultry, captivating figure.
However, since she can’t exactly go around seducing students, she hides her charm behind ditzy behavior and a conscious suppression of her natural allure.
Well, sometimes she’s so natural at it that I wonder if that’s just her actual personality.
Surprisingly, the original Iona was said to be a much more dangerous and violent individual.
It makes sense, considering she was a powerful vampire who had made a name for herself even before the War of the Gods and was the successor to a fairly large clan.
But as the war intensified, vampires, like all other races, were forced to make a choice.
As a result, some defected to the cults, while others allied with the different races to fight against the armies of the Evil God.
Iona’s clan chose the alliance and performed brilliantly on numerous battlefields. Perhaps because of that, they were ambushed by cultists and wiped out.
Iona was the sole survivor.
Crazed with a thirst for revenge, Iona began throwing herself into every battlefield imaginable, as if discarding the life she had barely managed to save.
It was a suicidal streak in an era where even masters who had transcended human limits—like Sword Masters and Archmages—could die if their luck ran out.
Yet, thanks to her innate combat instincts and the tenacious vitality unique to vampires, Iona somehow survived.
And she grew stronger.
It was an age where you either died or grew stronger, so I suppose it was only natural.
She reached the level of a High Magician, and her blood—the very essence of a vampire—accumulated enough karma.
Thanks to this, she succeeded in gaining the qualifications of a 'Lord,' capable of founding her own clan...
However, Iona claimed her clan was dead and continued the fight alone without creating new familiars.
She didn't stop. Not until the Hero sealed the Evil God and ended the war. She just kept going.
That is also why Iona is called a 'Lord-class vampire' rather than a 'Vampire Lord.'
Just as a king without subjects is no king, a Lord without familiars cannot truly be called a Lord.
But since her martial prowess was far too great to call her a mere vampire, the modifier 'Lord-class' was attached to her name.
After that... well, she felt the limits of what an individual could achieve and became an Academy professor, leading to the present day.
Unlike her blood-soaked past, the professor version of Iona was an utter clown, but her goal had remained unshaken for three hundred years.
Kill every remaining cultist.
If it was impossible with her strength alone, she would raise her disciples to be strong enough to kill them instead.
Even if it took hundreds of years more, she would gladly endure it.
Iona still couldn't forget the sight of her clan members—who were like family—dying before her eyes.
...That is the extent of everything I know about Iona.
Oh, if I were to add one more thing, it’s that she plays a fairly active role in the latter half of H&A?
However, that only consists of brief combat scenes in cutscenes, so I don't know exactly how she fights.
Looking at it this way, it seems like I know a lot... but in the end, it’s just a summary of her history.
The things I need to know are the more detailed elements.
According to what I heard in the library, her constitution changed after she stopped direct blood-sucking a long time ago.
If so, would her suppressed instincts react and cause her mind to waver if someone bled right in front of her?
If that’s the case, can I use that to my advantage?
Besides that, there’s her personality hidden behind her bubbly behavior, and how that personality affects her combat style, and so on.
I need to learn about Iona herself, not just the footsteps she left behind.
Only then can I somehow land a blow on her.
"For those reasons, I’ve decided to observe Professor Iona for a few days. I’ll be moving alone after school for a while, so you guys go ahead and wait at the dormitory. It’ll be too noisy if we move in a group."
"Master... that’s what people call stalking."
"Ahem! Stalking? This is strategic intelligence gathering!"
"..."
Carla’s expression looked like she had a lot to say but was forcing herself to hold back.
She looked like someone trying to figure out how and where to begin explaining things to a child who had proudly brought her an answer sheet that said 1+1=11.
Was Elisha, the one who had brought up the idea, no different?
Just yesterday, she had been in a great mood because of my constant praise, her blue drills bouncing around as she walked.
Now, she looked as composed as if she had just downed a glass of ice water.
"Yandel. My darling. Please don't forget that even if you catch a weakness, you must always think about what comes after."
"What comes after?"
"Professor Iona is not your enemy. Regardless of her methods, she is someone trying to help you. So, you must avoid doing anything that would make her truly hate you."
"That... you're right. Yeah."
Her methods were incredibly harsh, but Iona was truly teaching me with all her heart.
Above all, she had shown goodwill before, saying she would grant me a few favors if I just crushed the cultists well enough.
There was no need for me to reduce the number of my own allies.
"Maybe I should put the strategic intelligence gathering on hold—"
"Which is why you should wear this robe today, my dear."
"???"
While I was bewildered by the completely unexpected turn, Elisha draped the Transparent Robe over me with gentle hands.
After neatly tidying my clothes one last time, she tapped my chest and curled her lips into a smirk.
It was the smile of an aristocrat plotting something wicked.
I stared blankly at the robe and Elisha for a moment before nodding.
"Right. It’s fine as long as I don't get caught."
"Yes. It is perfectly fine as long as you aren't caught."
"Hehehehe!"
"Ohohohoho!"
Carla’s sigh leaked through the sounds of our villainous laughter filling the room.
It was time for school.
*
"Hello, hello again! Is everyone preparing well for the exams? For the Magic Combat subject, you just need to spar, but there’s a lot to prepare for the other subjects!"
Of course, I was preparing properly. I wasn't worried about the theoretical classes since I was memorizing them whole thanks to my Excellent Memory trait.
As for the rest, I had Carla, who had made it to the 4th year, giving me targeted tutoring on what would likely appear on the tests.
Even in Class A, the top class, grades were important.
This was because grades exceeding a certain cutoff were converted into Points—something similar to merit points, the opposite of demerits.
These could be exchanged for various items in what players called the Achievement Shop, a special support system for outstanding students.
Most students usually exchanged them for elixirs, rare scrolls, or high-level magical tools...
But those were things that could eventually be obtained with gold.
Items that required a lot of points but couldn't be bought even with gold were the true reason for the Achievement Shop's existence.
Specifically, the Dragon Heart Fragment at the very top was an item essential to my plans...
Thanks to performing much better than in the game, at this rate, I might be able to collect all the necessary points by the 3rd year... no, maybe even by the 2nd year.
While calculating the points I would earn from this exam in my head, I didn't take my eyes off Iona.
Even while carrying those massive 'blood pouches,' her movements showed no instability during exaggerated actions like forward rolls, hopping, or waving her arms wildly.
Even if she was wearing loose-fitting clothes, it was a phenomenon that was hard to understand.
I tried focusing my mind just in case, but I didn't feel any mana being used.
Then there was only one conclusion.
She was perfectly controlling her body's center of gravity.
How can a mage use their body this well...?
Still, if I thought about it carefully, it made sense.
Unlike other mages, Iona had spent her time fighting cultists 'alone.'
Naturally, she would have prepared for physical abilities and close-quarters combat, which are the chronic weaknesses of mages.
...No wonder I kept getting countered every time I tried to close the distance during our spars.
I should give up on the idea that I can handle her just because it’s close-quarters combat.
It’s true that I move my body better than other mages, but I don't think I'm even close to Iona’s level.
I’ve already learned one thing. Why didn't I realize this until now?
Just as I was mentally crossing out the close-quarters combat entry from my strategy to defeat Iona.
Iona suddenly turned her head, her eyes curving playfully as she asked.
"What’s this, what’s this? I feel a very 'hot' gaze from somewhere... Student Yandel. Do you know where it’s coming from?"
"My respect for you, Professor, is indeed quite hot."
"Ack..."
Iona blinked, her expression looking a bit put off.
"Um, excuse me... did you perhaps eat something wrong this morning?"
"No. I’ve been skipping breakfast lately since I’d just end up throwing it all up while sparring with you anyway."
"Ah..."
Iona looked a bit apologetic, seemingly aware that her classes had been a bit rough lately.
"You know, you know... should I lower the intensity of the sparring a bit? You even collapsed yesterday. I even got scolded by Priest Colhen..."
So the name of that prickly middle-aged priest I saw last time was Colhen.
But at this point, I was the one who refused to lower the difficulty.
I shook my head firmly.
"No. Please keep it as it is. I'm fine."
When I said that while staring straight into her blood-red eyes, Iona avoided my gaze for some reason, breaking into a cold sweat.
"That’s strange... your heart was definitely pierced, but it wasn't your head that was injured..."
How rude.
I am perfectly sane.
Probably.