Chapter 15

All the subjects Iberia was taking were also being taken by Young Master Nesferos.  

It was a fact she hadn’t realized until just before the exams. The possibility that she had been outperformed by other students seemed less likely than the possibility that every subject she shared with Young Master Nesferos had overlapped entirely. It was almost laughable.  

Iberia recalled her rank and let out a hollow laugh. The number was so consistent that it was impossible to forget.  

2. She had seen the number two so many times in the past few days that it was almost nauseating.  

Young Master Nesferos was someone far beyond what Iberia could imagine—whatever that might mean.  

Of course, it wasn’t that he hadn’t studied… but still.  

Iberia furrowed her brow and buried her face in her hands.  

Could I work any harder than this in the future? 

Iberia asked herself this question. The answer was no.  

She had done everything she could, and now she had hit her limit. She had been thoroughly and undeniably defeated. Her competitive spirit turned out to be entirely useless. No matter how much effort she put in, it seemed impossible to beat someone like Young Master Nesferos.  

At one point, she had believed she could win. She had thought that the one thing she possessed—the so-called “Lacanel’s Miracle,” a term that had started as mockery but had become her symbol—might not be lost.  

No, the mistake had been hoping in the first place. She had dared to overestimate herself.  

Negative thoughts began to consume Iberia’s mind.  

At that moment, Young Master Nesferos spoke to her in his usual light tone.  

“Hello, Iberia. It’s been a while.”  

“…Hello.”  

Even as she responded, Iberia didn’t remove her hands from her face.  

Young Master Nesferos was always confident and impeccably composed. She didn’t want to show him the state she was in—it felt too pathetic.  

He sat down across from her, resting his chin on his hand, leaning slightly to one side.  

“Did something upset you?”  

Iberia’s shoulders flinched.  

From his tone alone, it was impossible to tell whether Young Master Nesferos already knew what was wrong or if he was genuinely asking.  

Iberia opened her mouth, and a trembling voice escaped. It carried a strange hint of vulnerability.  

“Haven’t you received your grades yet?”  

“I have.”  

Iberia’s lips twitched slightly. Taking a deep breath, she asked more specifically,  

“What about your rank?”  

“I’ve checked that too.”  

“Then why… Oh, I’m sorry.”  

She had been trying to stay composed, but tears suddenly welled up. Not wanting to cry in front of Young Master Nesferos, Iberia buried her face in her arms on the desk.  

The Young Master watched as her shoulders trembled slightly. The faint sobbing, so quiet it was almost inaudible, reached his ears all too clearly.  

His hand moved slightly, as if to reach out, but then lowered back to his lap. He bit his lip, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his face.  

When he finally spoke again, his voice was as calm as ever.  

“Should I leave?”  

Even in her disoriented state, Iberia heard his words clearly. Without saying a word, she nodded.  

Her mind was in turmoil. At the same time, she felt so ashamed she could die.  

What was this? Not long ago, she had told herself she wasn’t doing this to compete with him. She had acted so confident, pretending she didn’t care about winning or losing.  

Now, she felt utterly miserable.  

She didn’t know how she would face Young Master Nesferos again. Iberia buried her face deeper into her arms.  

Her efforts had been acknowledged, but at the same time, they hadn’t. That was what made it all feel so empty.  

***

Once the grades were fully released, the academy buzzed with talk about Iberia and Young Master Nesferos.  

“I never thought I’d see the day when Iberia Del was overtaken.”  

“How did he even beat her? Should I ask him myself?”  

“Don’t. You’ll end up in tomorrow’s newspaper.”  

The students were busy laughing and chatting among themselves.  

Iberia couldn’t help but wonder how these people had even gotten into the academy. If they were children of prominent families, there might have been ways, but still…  

“Do you remember that one time, in first year? Someone tried to confess to her as a form of attack?”  

“Oh, yeah. That was hilarious. I thought it was a joke, but when they actually did it, I was shocked.”  

“That person wasn’t exactly normal either.”  

Iberia passed by them with a neutral expression.  

The moment she walked away, the group fell silent, only to resume their chatter as soon as she was out of earshot.  

She had thought that all her stress would disappear once the exams were over, but that had been a complete misunderstanding.  

There had been a time when she believed the academy students didn’t talk much about others. That wasn’t true. They simply hadn’t had anything to talk about before, and even when they did gossip, it rarely involved her. 

This was a period of shattered illusions for Iberia.  

As she walked, she thought about what to do next and how to face Young Master Nesferos.  

Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder. At the same time, she frowned. A chill ran down her spine.  

“Excuse me.”  

Iberia sharply brushed off the hand on her shoulder and turned to glare at the person who had stopped her.  

It was someone she didn’t even know.  

The man looked at her, clearly displeased with her reaction, and smirked.  

“How could someone like you lose to someone like that? If I had stayed up all night studying, I would’ve won.”  

Iberia didn’t bother hiding her incredulous expression.  

This person must hold a significant status—otherwise, he wouldn’t dare speak about Young Master Nesferos in such a manner.  

The absurdity of the situation was almost laughable.  

Words escaped her mouth before her brain could filter them.  

“If you really think so, why don’t you try staying up all night first?”  

“…”  

“How did you do on the exams? Did you do well?”  

“You’re so rude.”  

And what about what you had just said—was that polite? 

Iberia furrowed her brow.  

There had been a time when she thought all nobles were elegant and intelligent. She had never imagined she would encounter someone so one-dimensional and simple, especially at the academy.  

This was almost an embarrassment to Lacanel Academy.  

Iberia looked at the man with genuine curiosity written on her face.  

“Are you perhaps Young Master Nesferos?”  

“No…”  

“Why does your face look so different? Did you use magic? You know magic is prohibited outside designated areas unless there’s a special reason.”  

Her tone was calm, but her words were anything but.  

The man’s face twisted further. He had taken her words as mockery. While that wasn’t entirely untrue, Iberia had genuinely been curious.  

“You…”  

“I’m sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now. If I don’t want to fall behind next semester, I need to study hard. Goodbye.”  

Iberia gave him a slight bow and walked past him.  

***

“I don’t like this.”  

He stared out the window with bored eyes as he spoke. Without seeing Iberia, he had lost interest in everything else.  

He ran his hand through his silver hair, leaving it disheveled, and collapsed onto his bed, staring at his hand. For a moment, it overlapped with the hand of a child.  

He still hadn’t completely escaped that time. Perhaps he never would. Maybe he didn’t even want to.  

“I wonder if she’s eating dinner.”  

These days, they hadn’t even been able to share evening meals together.  

Clenching his fist, he closed his eyes tightly. He wanted to reach out to Iberia.  

When they were younger, Iberia hadn’t liked physical contact. He recalled the time he had touched her shoulder.  

Perhaps she was still the same. Habits ingrained in the body don’t disappear easily, even if the memories fade.  

Staring blankly at the ceiling, he slowly sat up.  

***

Young Master Nesferos appeared in the newspapers again the next day. His face had been published alongside the article, so it was accurate to say he had “decorated” the front page.  

***

After lunch, Iberia sat on a familiar bench along her usual walking path. She and Cynthia were reading the daily newspaper that was always placed in front of the library.  

For once, there was silence between them. Both of their gazes were fixed on the same part of the newspaper.  

The article was about a fight involving Young Master Nesferos and another academy student.  

Cynthia tilted her head and asked, 

“Why does he keep getting into fights?”  

“I don’t know…”  

Cynthia’s expression showed genuine curiosity. Iberia, not being directly involved, couldn’t provide an answer. She simply read and reread the article.  

However, one of the faces in the article—aside from Young Master Nesferos—looked strangely familiar.  

Iberia squinted at the page, her mouth falling open as realization struck.  

It was the same person who had spoken to her about Young Master Nesferos.  

“Oh, this man…”  

“Hm?”  

Startled by Cynthia’s transparent gaze, Iberia quickly composed herself.  

Cynthia, being more attuned to rumors than Iberia, might have already known about the negative gossip surrounding her. But Iberia didn’t feel like bringing it up herself.  

She deflected the topic, steering the conversation toward something Cynthia would enjoy.  

“It’s nothing. By the way, weren’t you planning to open a booth?”  

At the mention of her interest, Cynthia’s face lit up instantly. Iberia watched her with a satisfied smile.  

Last year, Cynthia had also opened a booth. Iberia regretted not visiting it back then, even though Cynthia had invited her.  

Cynthia’s excitement about the festival and the booth was evident. Her lively voice continued.  

“That’s right! I’m going to open one booth for both the magic and swordsmanship departments.”  

“Wow.”  

Iberia nodded as she listened, responding appropriately.  

Cynthia’s father ran a small trading company in the empire. It seemed that skill had been passed down.  

With a happy look in her eyes, Cynthia clung to Iberia’s arm. Iberia flinched instinctively. She was still startled by unexpected physical contact.  

“Not bad, right?”  

“Yeah. If you do it well, it’ll be amazing. But, uh, can you let go of my arm? I haven’t washed yet.”  

Iberia shook the arm Cynthia was clinging to slightly. Cynthia pouted but obediently let go.