Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Psychopath
To be honest, Lucia did not like Iriya.
And it was not simply because she was the top-ranked first year student.
That was part of it, of course, but what she truly disliked was Iriya’s arrogant behavior.
Lucia had investigated Iriya for a while. At times she followed her, at times she monitored her, and at times she even used her family’s influence to dig into her background.
Even if she looked weak, she was still the overall first-year top rank. Even if her mana amount was low, there had to be something that made up for it.
But no matter how much she thought about it, Iriya’s recent behavior made no sense.
“Duel requests…”
“No.”
Iriya refused every duel request, did not train her martial skills, and restricted her movements severely.
Unless she was attending classes, she mostly stayed inside the library.
“Hey, you know that first-year top student? She’s so annoying, right? Honestly, she never accepts duels. She probably just got lucky.”
“I know, right? Acting all high and mighty just because she’s ranked first.”
As a result, rumors about her were not good. Lucia agreed with them as well.
Unlike the others she had seen during entrance exams, Lucia had seen nothing impressive from Iriya herself.
At first she was cautious due to lack of information, but the more she observed, the more she concluded that Iriya was not someone to worry about.
Was it really just luck?
She avoided every duel request and walked around as if she were someone important.
Frankly speaking, she looked like someone who had become first place purely by chance, while possessing barely any mana.
So Lucia decided to test Iriya.
How would she react if an unexpected incident occurred?
Would she run away after being insulted? Or would she lose control and accept a duel?
Either way was fine.
Because the so-called “fake top student” Iriya would not be her match.
“…?”
“You’re staring quite a bit. I already said it was an accident. You’re being too sensitive.”
“….”
“Even if it was a mistake, it’s my fault for not controlling my servant properly, so I’ll apologize for him. I’m sorry, Iriya. Is that enough?”
Lucia spoke with a mocking smile.
Iriya, soaked like a drenched rat, looked quite amusing.
But that smile did not last long.
The moment her eyes met Iriya’s gaze.
“…!”
Suddenly, it felt as if everything around her was pressing down on her.
Her breathing became heavy, and her heart began to race.
As Iriya stepped forward, the pressure intensified.
It felt as if her entire body was being twisted in pain. When Iriya took another step, Lucia’s breath was completely stolen.
It felt like invisible hands were tightening around her throat.
Painful. Suffocating.
“You did it on purpose.”
“…W-what are you talking about…”
She had planned to deny it from the beginning.
Without proof, how could anyone confirm it was intentional?
If anything, she thought she could mock Iriya for being overly paranoid.
But it did not work out that way.
She could not move even a finger anymore.
In the dimly lit changing room, Iriya’s red gaze felt sharp enough to cut.
Something was wrong.
Lucia frowned and tried to look away, attempting to seek help.
But her loyal servants, May and Rei, were already unconscious on the floor.
So only the two of them remained.
The cold air filled the room.
Iriya continued staring at Lucia.
Lucia forced her trembling voice out.
“There must be some misunderstanding…”
“You dumped water on someone’s head without warning, and you call that a misunderstanding?”
“That… that was! An accident!”
She desperately tried to frame it as a mistake.
But there was something she had overlooked.
Iriya could read the memories of those she made eye contact with. A single glance into Lucia’s memories would reveal the truth.
Even so, proving it to others would be impossible.
If a commotion broke out here, Iriya would be the one at a disadvantage.
So Iriya released Lucia.
Because she had thought of something better.
“Cough! Hah… haah…”
Freed from the pressure, Lucia gasped for air.
She could not even stand properly, collapsing to the floor.
As she spat out saliva and tried to breathe, someone looked down at her.
Iriya sighed and searched through Lucia’s pockets.
Skillfully taking only the wallet, she turned toward the door.
“This won’t happen a second time, Lucia. I’ll take this as cleaning fee.”
“You…! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”
“What did I do?”
Iriya tilted her head as if she genuinely did not understand.
Lucia clenched her teeth.
“You humiliated the daughter of House Aster and laid hands on my servants!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did you have a bad dream or something?”
“So you’re denying it?”
Lucia laughed in disbelief.
From the outside, it looked very similar to what Lucia had tried to do to her.
Denying obvious actions as if nothing had happened.
But there was one key difference.
“I have one victim and two witnesses. And no one outside saw you enter this room, right?”
“You…”
“You’re finished. I’ll make sure your academy life becomes miserable.”
Lucia had backing within the academy.
So she was certain Iriya had made a huge mistake by becoming her enemy.
At least, that is what Lucia believed.
She smirked, already imagining what would come next.
Iriya blinked, looking confused.
And then—
“I’ve never been in the changing room today.”
“…What?”
And with that final statement, Iriya disappeared.
She did not walk out the door.
She simply vanished, like wind passing through.
As if she had never been there at all.
“There’s… no way…”
Lucia felt as if she were dreaming.
May and Rei could not remember what happened inside the changing room.
“Me? I sprayed water?”
“Yeah! Iriya definitely came in here, and I gave the signal—”
“I don’t remember anything like that…”
Lucia called the other servants in panic.
“Rei! You remember, right? She came into the changing room and I—”
“…?”
Rei blinked as if hearing something completely unfamiliar.
Lucia grew anxious.
It couldn’t have been a dream.
It had felt too real.
And the stolen wallet was gone.
She asked the nearby students as well.
“Iriya? The top student? I think she was getting a private lesson from a professor earlier.”
“I didn’t see her in the changing room though…”
Lucia felt her mind cracking.
No one remembered it.
She insisted over and over that Iriya had attacked her, harmed her servants, and stolen her wallet, but no one believed her.
Finally, she went to Iriya herself.
After finishing her private lesson with a professor, Iriya was calmly organizing her sword.
“You… what did you do?”
Lucia asked.
What did you do to me?
Why does no one remember?
What are you?
And Iriya replied.
“Who are you?”
It was not really an answer.
She simply tilted her head with a blank expression.
As if she truly did not know her.
“Do you know her, Iriya?”
The golden-haired girl beside her interjected.
“No, I don’t.”
Iriya shook her head.
Iriya is currently bound.
Notable feature: she is cute.