The two continued to do quite a bit after that.
They even caused some trouble at Lucia and Wendy’s place, and they consulted the tarot cards about different matters.
Rena was checking on financial and romantic fortunes, while Iria asked to see what might happen in the future.
The man who drew Iria’s cards turned pale and started to panic, though.
“You might be the source of calamity. The path you walk will only lead to destruction.”
“………”
Of course, tarot cards typically don’t work on scientific principles, so she didn’t really believe it.
But if things went wrong later on, it did seem like it could come true, which made her a little serious.
Since her expression rarely changed, it wouldn’t be noticeable unless you looked closely, but Rena, who had been with her all this time, noticed.
“Don’t make that kind of face. It’s all superstition.”
“I know.”
“Really? For someone who knows, your face looks a bit grim.”
Iria jerked her head away like that didn’t bother her at all.
Time passed without them noticing, and it didn’t feel long until evening arrived.
This was a ridge on the back side of the Academy. On the last night of the festival, there would be a fireworks show, and Rena said she knew a great spot to see it.
Iria didn’t like crowded places. She preferred somewhere relatively quiet.
This was the kind of environment she would like. It was evening, so sunlight didn’t reach here, there were few people, and it was peaceful.
It was a full moon night. Rena and Iria sat in a suitable spot, watching the sky where the fireworks were about to burst forth.
With a blank expression, Iria’s eyes shimmered slightly with a hint of red. According to Iria, her eyes sometimes sparkled, but it was especially noticeable on full moon nights.
She was always such a mysterious girl. Maybe that was why Rena felt drawn to her.
Rena, sitting next to Iria while staring at the sky, spoke up.
“Iria.”
She called her name. No particular reason, just because.
Iria turned her gaze from the sky to Rena.
However, Rena wasn’t looking at Iria. She was just gazing at the sky.
She had done that for some time.
“Actually, you remind me a bit of an old friend. That’s why I wanted to get close to you from the start.”
“………”
“I feel guilty about a lot of things. To be honest, that person probably didn’t even see me as a friend. But now it’s too late to apologize.”
Iria diverted her gaze momentarily.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in Rena’s words. She just couldn’t look at her face right now.
She turned her head but lent her ear.
“You’re talking about Celine, right? Like I mentioned before. She was quiet too, just like you. She never showed her emotions and you couldn’t tell what she was thinking at all.”
Iria almost corrected her, saying it was Arhene, but decided against it.
She knew what happened that day. Iria had been involved directly as one of the perpetrators.
Only Rena was unaware of that fact.
To clarify one more thing: While Iria and Celine might seem similar at first glance, they were not the same.
There was a fundamental difference.
Celine had closed her heart due to childhood trauma, while Iria had lost her emotions as she gradually became a monster.
Celine was just good at suppressing her feelings; it wasn’t that she couldn’t feel them. In contrast, Iria’s ability to sense things had waned significantly, almost to a faint level now.
“I had been unconsciously comparing you to her. Even the properties of the elements you manipulate and how you manage your mana are similar. It felt like they were used by the same person. She was talented, though not as much as you. At least far more than someone like me.”
It was true that Arhene had a talent too precious to waste away at that place.
She possessed the most outstanding talent among all the humans Iria had consumed until now.
If she had been admitted to the Imperial Academy normally, she would have competed with Lucia for second place.
But it wasn’t disappointing. Her talent hadn’t disappeared; it had been passed down and inherited by Iria.
In a sense, one could say she hadn’t died. She was just living on, merged with Iria.
They exchanged some casual chatter. Mostly Rena opened up about her feelings to Iria.
After a short silence, Rena finished speaking, and Iria, who wasn’t much of a talker, naturally did not say anything.
Taking advantage of that moment, this time it was Iria who spoke up.
“I had a friend like you a long time ago.”
“Really? What was she like?”
Rena reacted vigorously.
After all, it was none other than Iria’s past, so she was very curious.
“………”
Iria seemed to fall into deep thought for a moment.
Was she reminiscing about the past? Perhaps she was trying to recall a half-forgotten dream.
She rifled through her faint memories. Normally, she wouldn’t have thought of sharing it with anyone, but since Rena had opened up about her own embarrassing past, maybe it was different now.
Feeling trust in her, Iria chose to trust her back.
“Her name was Riana. She was the first person to show me kindness.”
“From what you’re saying, she must have been close to you? Did you meet before you entered the academy?”
Iria nodded.
She was the first person who taught her how to live. It was fair to say they were close.
“Riana too… Hmm. She felt a bit like you, Rena. Yes. Usually, it’s rare for someone to approach me first.”
“Hmm, I see. So what happened to that friend? Are you still close? I’d like you to introduce me.”
Iria’s friend intrigued her.
To be honest, it was quite difficult for Iria to make friends due to her personality.
So, if she was willing to call someone her friend, Rena was curious about what kind of person that might be.
Iria slowly took her time to think. A slightly long silence passed.
Fireworks burst into the night sky. By the time the light from the rising fireworks reflected in Iria’s red eyes, the answer hadn’t come.
The second and third fireworks rose up.
After the fourth explosion, when the red fireworks covered the dark blue background, Iria finally spoke.
“Are you asking what happened to Riana?”
Rena couldn’t read the expression on Iria’s face that day.
It was a blank one, but it felt a little different from her usual expression.
While it was the same blankness, it seemed to hold emotions Rena couldn’t decipher.
And even Iria herself didn’t know it.
She couldn’t see what kind of expression she was making.
“Well, I guess I don’t really know either.”
It was the last night of the festival.
*
It had been several nights since an unknown intruder entered the Empire Headquarters.
Albert, lying in the hospital room, was having a long dream.
Time had flowed for so long that he could no longer tell how much had passed.
In his dream, a boy with blue hair was watching a girl with a mystical aura.
The girl had silver hair and red eyes. It was a face he almost recognized. But he couldn’t remember her name.
As he looked at her, there was a peculiar atmosphere that made it feel like he was seeing something non-human. Albert seemed to find that discomfort intriguing.
Somehow, it reminded him of his old master. The blank expression and that gaze of red eyes were similar.
If she were human, he would think what a peculiar human she was.
And the master he was reminded of surely wasn’t human.
“………”
“Are you awake?”
Albert, who had been dreaming for a long time, opened his eyes.
The ceiling and background looked familiar. This was the medical room inside the Empire Headquarters.
He had visited this place several times to see someone, but it was his first time lying here himself.
His body was wrapped in bandages.
“You’ve been asleep for a week. During that time, there was nothing that could wake you.”
“Hmm…”
“Thanks to pouring all the miracles the priests could muster into you, you managed to survive, Albert. I’m glad you didn’t die.”
“Lady Sertía.”
The one who had taken care of Albert during that time was a woman with pitch-black hair and mismatched red and blue eyes.
Her appearance was strikingly noticeable.
“When we’re alone, feel free to call me master. How does your body feel?”
“It’s not great. What on earth happened?”
“As expected, you don’t remember anything. Can you walk? Let’s take a stroll together after a long time.”
Moving a body that had been asleep for a week wasn’t easy.
But Albert couldn’t refuse Sertía’s words. Her eyes were redder than before. It likely meant time was running short.
He accepted immediately. He didn’t want to see her affectionate expression twist.
“I’ll get ready.”
“Okay. I’ll step out first.”
Once Sertía left the hospital room, Albert was left alone.
His head was in a mess. It felt like the memories of the past few days had vanished completely.
Right now, he couldn’t remember anything. Why he was in this condition and what had happened during that time.
He let out a deep sigh alone in the empty hospital room.
He just hoped that his old master, who was a monster, knew something.
