I Became a M*rderer in the Academy

Rumors can be scarier than you think!

Since there’s no physical form to words, it’s tough to stop them from spreading, and once they spread, it’s nearly impossible to contain them.

Iria has plenty of allies, but she also has just as many enemies. Stopping rumors from quietly circulating in unseen places is a monumental task.

At the very least, Iria doesn’t know how to do that. Perhaps there’s simply no way to stop them at all.

That’s why Iria decided to do what she does best.

Words aren’t her strong suit. So, she resorts to force. After all, it’s about the only thing she knows how to do.

“You’re weaker than I expected.”

In a dueling arena, Iria put away her broken wooden sword after facing three opponents at once.

Before her lay the fallen students, injured and sprawled on the ground.

Even now, they’re crawling on the floor, but they are upper-tier students. Third years, at that.

Iria easily took down elite students who are more skilled than any aspiring top student from the first year—without even a scratch.

‘Did I overestimate them?’

Sure, they were different from first-years, but still… it felt a bit disappointing.

Maybe it was unfair to compare them to Sera or Ariel from second year.

At this point, it seemed right to treat the protagonists in a novel differently from the other extras.

Iria slowly walked towards the fallen students.

“Ugh, don’t come any closer…”

“Please stop… we’ve lost…”

After getting beaten so badly, now even the sight of Iria terrifies them.

They struggled to crawl away by pushing against the ground.

But naturally, there’s a speed difference between crawling on all fours and walking upright.

Even with her leisurely pace, she quickly caught up. The third-year students screamed.

Iria’s cold red eyes were looking down at them. They didn’t know a blank expression could be so terrifying.

They learned a new kind of fear this day. Surely, it sent shivers down their bones.

“Where’s Amelia?”

Iria asked in a chilling tone.

Despite her usual voice, it felt unusually cold—perhaps because she truly learned what fear meant today.

They tried to mumble something, but it was too late.

Before they could speak, Iria met their gaze and acquired the information she needed, promptly turning her back.

It was as if she had no interest in the defeated students.

“…”

The reason she was searching for Amelia was simple.

She wanted to call for a duel, just like the students she had knocked down a moment ago; Amelia was one of them.

Amelia desired fairness.

It wouldn’t be fair if some faced consequences while others did not for the same offense.

Iria treats everyone equally.

No matter who the opponent was, she never deviated from that demeanor and didn’t think Amelia’s words were completely wrong.

So, she was putting it into practice.

‘You can’t capture the king first, right?’

Once she cleansed the humans who wronged her in a way Amelia could comprehend, she’d call them to the dueling arena.

Iria walked through the academy building, as there were still plenty of humans left to capture.

*

At this point, Iria was literally the embodiment of fear for the third years.

To be honest, it looked pretty ridiculous for Iria to take on all the third-year students alone.

No matter how great one’s individual strength may be, in the end, she was just one person. There’s a limit to how many opponents one can face alone.

“So, what can Iria do? It’s not like she can win against all of us at once.”

They acknowledged her strength, but the general reaction remained, “What can she achieve by herself?”

But…

“Uh…?”

Iria was actually doing it. She was suppressing the spreading rumors—by sheer force, no less!

Was that even possible? Surprisingly, it wasn’t impossible.

When you have force, there are more things you can do than things you can’t.

If something seems impossible, you might want to question your own power.

Anyway, that’s how Iria took down the students.

Even after knocking down dozens of students, she showed no signs of fatigue.

She simply listened. To see if they were talking about her.

Whether the effect of the duels was evident or not, there were fewer who threw her name around carelessly than before.

But they weren’t completely absent.

“Never touch Iria. Don’t even speak her name, or we’ll all be done for! I’m so scared of Iria.”

“Huh? Did you just say her name?”

“Ah! We’re doomed!”

Now, the words of the terrified had turned into screams.

Iria listened closely, considering for a moment.

“…”

They didn’t say anything particularly bad; they were just scared.

But they mentioned her name. Should they be put on the list for cleansing too?

The dilemma didn’t last long.

‘No exceptions!’

That would be what Amelia meant by ‘fairness.’

Iria doesn’t distinguish between good and evil. In her worldview, the concept of good and evil is quite blurry.

It’s not about bad students versus good students; it’s about weak students versus strong students.

Iria grew up in a back alley where only the strong survive. And as the strongest there, she became the last resident of that alley.

That’s why her ideas will naturally lean in that direction.

Strength is the most certain form of self-assertion. Iria had no doubts about the path she walks.

“Ah! It’s Iria! Everyone, run!”

“…”

Now, just meeting her gaze sends them running.

It seemed it would take a while to capture everyone.

At this point, one student was trembling in fear more than anyone else.

A girl who checked the corridors several times a day, fearing Iria might come looking for her.

“That girl is completely insane!”

Amelia shouted, watching Iria knock down the students.

She couldn’t bear to get too close, so she watched from a distance, her feet tapping anxiously.

Iria was acting on threats made in jest.

“She really does it?”

Watching her coolly take care of the approaching students made her seem like someone who had lost it entirely.

No, she was definitely broken.

This was only the second time in her life she had seen a woman so out of her mind.

For reference, the first was Sera—was it possible that her madness had spread after recent encounters?

No, it was more than that; she’d always been a bit off.

“Those crazy girls found each other.”

Amelia said, biting her nails.

This was just an action to shake off rising anxiety. But, as expected, it wasn’t enough to make her feel better. She didn’t have time to waste like this!

Once Iria established her dominance over the third years, she’d eventually come for her.

It was impossible to avoid her for a lifetime. Sooner or later, they would have to face each other.

What should she do then?

“Ugh…”

Amelia sighed deeply.

Purple sparks scattered around her.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got, shall we?”

What was she going to do? If she won, that was enough.

If she thought she could win after numerous duels, even in a drained state, that was a big mistake.

After all, Amelia was the top student of the third year. Wasn’t it about time she stopped underestimating her?

Iria defeating Sera was merely a matter of luck, or at least that’s how Amelia saw it.

Fighting against a skilled wind mage with fire magic doesn’t have a favorable matchup, and she would have taken it easy since she was facing a first-year.

On the other hand, she was different.

Aside from her cunning personality, Amelia was thorough when it came to battle.

She never lets her guard down against anyone.

Moreover, unlike Sera, Amelia had the advantage when facing Iria.

Though she was briefly startled by Iria’s antics, once you looked at the overall picture, Amelia had no reason to be afraid.

‘After all, every human’s mana has its limits.’

Human strength usually comes from mana. Unless you’re a rare case like Ariel, that’s generally the rule.

And there’s a limit to how much mana one can regenerate in a single day.

Thus, Iria, as a human, would not escape that limitation.

It’s impossible to defeat Amelia with depleted mana.

That’s why she smiled.

“Come on then, if you’re so confident, give it a shot!”

For now, Amelia was feeling confident.

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