I stared intently at Iris, gripping the window frame, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me. The bruises visible through her shirt and the scabbed lips stood out even more prominently. A gasp escaped me involuntarily.

“What happened to your face?”

“Well. Isn’t this what you expected?”

“What… No, wait a moment.”

I quickly retrieved ointment from the drawer and hurried outside the lab. Up close, her condition looked even more serious. The bandages wrapped around her arm were visible beneath her thin sleeve, making my face contort without my realizing it.

“What is this? The doctor said it was just a minor bruise…”

“It’s not from that. I just, well, took a tumble.”

Iris shrugged her shoulders lightly, acting nonchalant. But her casual behavior only raised more suspicion. The wounds clearly indicated abuse by someone, yet she was deliberately trying to hide this fact.

“Iris. Do I look that stupid to you?”

“Yeah. Seeing how you’re still worried about me, you’re not particularly bright.”

A short, cynical laugh echoed. She seemed to have given up on speaking indirectly. This was better, actually. Direct communication was much easier than making me wonder about hidden intentions.

“Let me apply the medicine first.”

“I’d rather not.”

Looking at her face still full of mockery, I murmured quietly:

“Don’t you have something you want back?”

Her sardonic smile immediately twisted. She silently followed me back into the lab. I seated Iris in the same place where we had been eating muffins and chatting just minutes earlier. Sitting across from her using the table as a chair, I could see traces of abuse all over her pale white skin.

Not knowing where to begin, I sighed deeply and said:

“I’ll just apply ointment to your lips for now.”

As I tried to touch her lips with my pinky finger coated with ointment, Iris pulled her head back and said:

“Is something wrong with your head? Did you forget you nearly died because of me in the library?”

“I remember it clearly.”

“Good. Then you don’t need to put on this nice act. I came to get my magic stone back, and you just need to hear the truth.”

There was no room to argue, but strangely, I couldn’t just leave Iris like this. Had I grown attached to her while reading the novel where she was the protagonist? Or was I simply a hypocrite, like she said? Maybe so.

But one thing was certain—for some reason, I didn’t dislike her.

“Since I want to pretend to be nice, like you said, let me just treat your face.”

I immediately applied ointment to her wounds before she could protest further. The moment my finger touched her, Iris frowned sharply and lashed out:

“Ow…! That hurts, you jerk!”

“I wish the person who hit you could hear that.”

“Geez… I told you I wasn’t hit.”

Averting her gaze while grumbling, she looked exactly like a child. I patiently absorbed all her complaints while evenly spreading the ointment before withdrawing my hand. With the basic treatment done, it was time to get to the main point.

“Now, tell me.”

Standing up, I remembered to infuse magical power into my earring. Soon, the earring vibrated with a soft humming sound. Hoping it would reach Asrein, I sat down on the sofa opposite Iris. She hadn’t noticed the earring and muttered leisurely while crossing her legs:

“Well. I wonder what I should say to make you return my magic stone willingly.”

With her arms folded, Iris raised one corner of her mouth in a smirk and said:

“First of all, yes, I was the one who made the magical creature’s shadow visible at Reton Temple.”

“Hecate?”

“You figured that out already? Impressive.”

“What’s impressive is your magical skill. Where did you learn the magic to control Hecate?”

The moment my question ended, the previously confident Iris closed her mouth. The color gradually drained from her tightly closed lips. This wasn’t because she didn’t want to speak but because she couldn’t. Not wanting to force an answer that might lead to unpredictable consequences, I changed the subject.

“Why did you show people that suspicious silhouette?”

“Your guess at the infirmary was right. To spread rumors that magical creatures have started appearing in populated areas.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either. What would a low-ranking person like me know?”

“Who ordered you to do it?”

Iris once again refrained from speaking. Just looking at the marks all over her body made it easy to guess the reason. She had been silenced by someone referred to as “higher-up.”

…Baron Klaus? I stopped pressing and pondered, when suddenly Iris spoke up:

“Isn’t there something you’re most curious about?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you curious why I tried to get rid of you?”

My eyes trembled involuntarily. I had some idea of the reason. Gripping my hands tightly together from tension, I asked:

“Is it because I took something from you?”

“Yes~ That’s right.”

Nodding readily, Iris placed her right hand on her chest and said:

“The one who should have become his disciple wasn’t you, but me.”

A cold gleam flashed in her gray eyes, then disappeared easily like a blown-out candle.

“As you know, Professor Asrein’s disciple position was vacant. When the Baron learned this, he told me I absolutely had to secure that position. I thought it would be impossible. But the Baron sent letters multiple times and finally secured a meeting opportunity for me. …You have no idea how much he expected from me.”

Iris stared into space and let out a hollow laugh.

“How could I disappoint someone who had swallowed his pride just to place me in that position? So I studied constantly, day and night. All to catch Professor Asrein’s eye… Then one day. No, exactly the day before our appointment. Suddenly, a letter came from Professor Asrein. Something felt wrong. The signs were very strange.”

Her upturned corners of the mouth trembled.

“Do you know what it said?”

“……”

“That he had found a suitable candidate and was canceling our appointment!”

The end of her desperate voice cracked sharply. Iris, smiling brightly even as her face contorted, looked utterly miserable.

“I still can’t forget the Baron’s face slowly distorting… From then on, hellish days followed. Fearing I might become a thorn in his side, I lived quietly like a mouse. I begged and pleaded not to be abandoned, blaming my own incompetence. But the Baron treated me like I didn’t exist once I lost my usefulness.”

Her bloodshot eyes stared directly at me.

“You understand, don’t you? That you’ll do anything to avoid being abandoned.”

When I frowned, Iris wore a cold sneer on her lips.

“To prove my usefulness, I finally… used the magic stone I had received as an heirloom. I felt my core gradually breaking down, but I had no time to worry about that. And finally, I regained the Baron’s recognition through my abilities.”

Her face filled with joy, almost like someone receiving baptism. But it took only a moment for her eyes, colored with happiness, to change to hatred.

“Then I suddenly became curious about you. What kind of extraordinary person could immediately catch Professor Asrein’s eye?”

Ha. A short laugh flew like a dagger and struck me.

“After asking around, I found out. It wasn’t even worth discovering. An ordinary human with no special abilities. Even worse, someone who had nearly died while serving Count Ameli. It was so absurd… my head rang with disbelief.”

Iris slammed the desk with her bandaged arm.

“To think I lost to someone like that!”

Her trembling eyes looked at me in confusion.

“So I transferred to Angelus University to take that position back. My first impression of you was predictably ordinary. No, it would have been better if you were just ordinary. From the beginning, you were unnecessarily pretentious. Giggling without even knowing what position you had taken… it irritated me beyond endurance.”

As she raised her voice, the wound on her lip tore, and a drop of blood formed on her lower lip.

“What if… what if I had gone there instead? I imagined it over and over!”

But Iris continued to vent her anger, ignoring the blood.

“I barely restrained myself from taking it immediately… Because I had a job to do. First, according to plan, I made Hecate move in the library so rumors would spread every dawn. That was supposed to be the extent of it. But seeing you worry about me in the midst of all this made my anger surge.”

“…Iris.”

“What was he that he had to interfere with everything I did? Not only taking my place but possibly discovering the truth behind the shadow incident someday? So I made a decision.”

Iris squeezed her eyes shut, seemingly recalling that day, and murmured softly:

“Ah… I need to eliminate him. That’s the only way I’ll survive.”

Her constantly trembling lips drew a twisted arc.

“But instead, I fell into a trap. I never imagined you could control magical creatures. I was stupid to underestimate you.”

Iris calmed her rough breathing while wiping her flushed face.

“As a result, I completely lost my usefulness.”

“…What do you mean?”

“My core has completely lost its function. The price for recklessly using the magic stone.”

Shrugging her shoulders weakly, Iris roughly wiped the tears gathering in her eyes and said:

“That’s everything. Do whatever you want now.”

“Everything? There’s still something you haven’t told me.”

“What?”

“The person who made you like this, the one behind all these plans.”

A heavy silence hung in the lab. After calmly observing her complexion, I carefully asked:

“Were you… threatened?”

“You’re quick to catch on. Precisely, it’s not a threat but a contract.”

Her long finger touched her scabbed lips.

“Keep silent about the truth, and testify that all actions were planned by me alone.”

“That’s…”

“If I break this, my head will roll. However, as long as I keep my promise, they won’t threaten me further.”

Only then did I notice the leather strap around her neck. I had thought it was simply an accessory, but it was actually a collar put on a disobedient dog. Iris, who had resigned herself to death, leaned back in her chair and gestured to the air.

“Since I’ll die either way, feel free to take your revenge however you please.”

Having spilled all her grievances, Iris looked quite relieved. Perhaps she had anticipated a miserable end. But once again, Iris overlooked one fact.

“I won’t take revenge.”

“…What?”

“I don’t want to play into the hands of the person you’re trying so hard to protect.”

If Iris disappeared now, the true mastermind would cleanly wash their hands of the matter. Making a powerless person take all the responsibility… Their actions were just like those of the dirty Count or the petty academic advisor. I muttered a small curse, causing a rather surprised Iris to say:

“You believe me? What if it’s all lies?”

“Even if they’re lies, it can’t be helped.”

“Are you really an idiot?”

“It’s not because I’m an idiot, but because I’ve served someone like you do, so I understand.”

Now I understood why I couldn’t hate her. Iris was frighteningly similar to me. With her circumstances and situation, unable to become the perfect protagonist, she was just an ordinary citizen. A small, weak person like a dry leaf swept away by the gentlest breeze.

“Before their grand causes, we’re lighter than dust. In the end, Iris did what she did to survive, right?”

Iris harbored ill will toward me not only because she lost an opportunity. There must be someone who nurtured her jealousy into hatred. The current suspect is Baron Klaus, but there might be an even greater presence hiding behind him.

“So Iris should protect her life in her own way. I need to use Iris to protect mine too.”

“…Use me?”

In the worst case, even if Iris testified, those with power would slip away unscathed. Instead, Iris would be condemned as an ungrateful person who disregarded her master.

“I need to know not the person who threw the stone at my head, but the one who ordered it thrown.”

So I needed to take time to completely tie up the long tail so they couldn’t escape.