I Became a Murderer in the Academy.

Chapter 97

When Ariel opened his eyes in the hospital room, he found himself in a world that felt entirely different.

Starlight surged through his body, and everything—objects, people—seemed to move in slow motion.

It was as if he were the only one disconnected from the flow of the world, like he had fallen into a grayscale world.

‘Is this also an effect of the stars?’

It seemed like it would take some time to adjust. Everything looked unfamiliar, different.

When he looked at a person, he could roughly gauge their strength and the paths they had walked. It was as if starlight veiled his vision.

And then, when Iria entered the room, his perception shifted again.

She harbored an unfamiliar energy in her body, something Ariel had never encountered. Was she even truly human?

He didn’t know.

He had never seen such an ominous presence before.

Ariel tried to extend his starlight to sense more about Iria.

“Ugh?!”

He was blocked.

Ariel couldn’t read anything about Iria. Instead, he was assaulted by a splitting headache.@@@@

Simply by existing, Iria disrupted the starlight’s view. The stark contrast between her harmless appearance and the monumental presence was unsettling.

Were others really not aware of such a colossal presence?

Thinking back, Ariel hadn’t noticed it either until he opened his starlight sight. Perhaps he alone felt this way.

That was why he had brought her somewhere secluded. Just as Iria seemed interested in him, Ariel found himself unable to ignore her.

When he called her, she followed without question. She was as radiant as always.

Her long, silver hair flowed behind her, and her cold demeanor exuded an air of mystery.

But that wasn’t all.

Her red eyes resembled something other than human. What did they remind him of? Ariel thought, staring into her eyes.

And then he understood.

Iria’s gaze was reminiscent of the wolf he had once seen.

Was Iria even human?

The star answered his thought: no.

Ariel chose not to believe the star’s words. He wanted to discover the truth for himself by facing her.

They stood atop the ridge behind the academy, where few people ever ventured. A heavy silence hung between them.

The star was wary of Iria, and so Ariel was, too. But he hadn’t called her here to be hostile.

In fact, he wanted to clear any misunderstandings.

He hoped that the immense presence he felt was just a trick of his senses, and that Iria was still as harmless as she seemed.

To confirm that, he felt a conversation was necessary.

“Iria.”

“Yes.”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

Since neither of them was particularly talkative, their exchange was brief.

But the feelings underlying their words were not shallow. Ariel was hesitant to ask, while Iria seemed slightly tense.

Her usual impassive expression hid her feelings, yet she was subtly watching Ariel’s face.

If worse came to worst, she could just erase his memory. But she couldn’t do that with Ariel. His mind was immune to her control. She couldn’t read his thoughts, nor could she hypnotize or manipulate him.

None of her mental powers worked on him. When she had tried to put others to sleep, like Sera or Albert, it had never been this difficult.

“...”

She knew he wouldn’t do it.

While she couldn’t read Ariel’s thoughts, she understood enough about his character.

Ariel wouldn’t strike. Even now, his hand on the sword trembled.

So Iria waited.

A monster unfamiliar with emotions, she left the choice to others.

Waiting was something she was good at. There was nothing more familiar to her.

And waiting always came with silence. It took Ariel a moment to respond to Iria’s outburst.

Ariel...

“...I’m sorry.”

He apologized.

He stepped back, sheathing his sword.

Not knowing anything about Iria, he must have thought his question had triggered her trauma.

That hadn’t been his intention, but he’d still ended up hurting her.

Their conversation ended anticlimactically. Hearing his apology, Iria turned away, as if there was no reason to stay.

“Ariel.”

“...I’m listening.”

“Don’t try to understand me too deeply.”

Ariel wasn’t ready to understand Iria yet.

Even though he had grown stronger, he still didn’t have the right.

If, someday, he became strong enough to converse with her as an equal, then maybe he would find out.

“Forget what happened today.”

For now, it wasn’t the time.

If he tried to delve any deeper, one of them would die. And it was very likely Ariel would be the one.

Today, Ariel was haunted by the monster of the back alley.

He had tried to talk to Iria, but he had failed.

He hadn’t expected her to take his question so personally.

“Do you also see me as a monster, Ariel?”

“How much of a curse it is to be born with red eyes in this world.”

Had he been too inconsiderate?

Perhaps Iria had always been treated as less than human.

It was rare to see a human with red eyes.

Considering that, he could imagine what kind of dark past she might have endured. Surely, she’d grown up in a harsh environment.

She seemed almost too familiar with being seen as a monster.

Like she had heard it too many times before.

Despite the sensitive question, she had remained composed. Even while her demeanor was sharp and her words biting, she never lost her calm.

It was as if she had grown numb from repeated wounds.

“...”

Ariel blamed himself. He should have been more careful before asking.

He had been so distracted by how her eyes had momentarily seemed like a monster’s that he hadn’t considered her feelings.

From that day on, the sympathy and pity in Ariel’s gaze whenever he looked at Iria became clear.