Chapter 9

“Iberia, you don’t look well.”

“Yes.”

Iberia answered perfunctorily as she lowered her gaze to the notebook she had brought. 

Year 258, the establishment of the new Holy Empire. 

With one hand, she scooped food, and with the other, she turned the pages of her notebook.  

Young Master Nesferos glanced at Iberia’s notebook and then softly curled the corners of his eyes.  

“The love story of the first Saintess and the Holy Knight of the Holy Empire is quite famous.”  

“Yes.”  

“There are many books and plays based on it.”  

“Yes.”  

“Want to go see one?”  

Iberia lifted her gaze from the notebook and looked at his face. She had already set down the fork she was holding.  

There were less than three weeks left until the exams. Normally, she would have dismissed it as a joke, but coming from Young Master Nesferos, it couldn’t be taken as just a joke.  

“I’m sorry.”  

It was a polite refusal. Iberia muttered a brief apology and shifted her gaze back to her notebook.  

Young Master Nesferos raised one eyebrow and sighed. Iberia’s pace of eating slowed slightly.  

“I told you not to apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”  

Still, how could she confidently say she didn’t have time to someone of higher status, someone difficult to deal with? Iberia’s lips quivered slightly.  

She was already on edge, exacerbated by her ongoing lack of sleep.  

She was acutely aware of her state. She knew that venting her thoughts might feel satisfying in the moment but would undoubtedly lead to regret later.  

Suppressing the words that threatened to spill out, Iberia turned to the next page of her notebook. Her gaze sharpened. The sound of a fork scraping against the plate rang out.  

Young Master Nesferos watched her fumble and kindly adjusted the fork’s angle for her.  

As he observed her fiercely chewing, he casually asked, 

“Is your studying going well?”  

“Yes.”  

“Do you think you can beat me like that?”  

Iberia barely managed to maintain her composure. Her tightly clenched jaw showed just how irritated she was.  

Swallowing the food in her mouth, she looked up at him with cold eyes.  

“No. That’s why I need to study now.”  

“Why can’t you beat me?”  

His questioning lips curved into a faint smile.  

Iberia fervently wished for his grinning face to disappear from her sight. Yet, since he wasn’t going anywhere, it was she who had to avert her gaze.  

Without answering the Young Master’s question, Iberia stared at her notebook as if she might tear it apart. Her pace of eating quickened.  

“Do your best, alright?”  

Nothing about him pleased her. Iberia gripped her fork tightly.  

If he mad, he should do so without dragging innocent people into it.  

Having cleaned her plate, Iberia stood up without a word.  

As he watched her cold retreating figure, the smile disappeared from his lips.  

***

Even while studying, Iberia found herself suddenly recalling Young Master Nesferos and his words, unable to suppress the surging anger.  

The paper in her hands crumpled mercilessly.  

“‘Do you think you can beat me?’ Hah.”  

Recalling his words, a hollow laugh escaped through her clenched teeth.  

Iberia knew that some students at the academy were betting on who would top the upcoming exams.  

She also guessed that they were casually making presumptuous remarks about her, but she deliberately avoided finding out the details, thinking it was better not to know.  

She couldn’t help overhearing things even when she stayed quiet, which caused her stress. And on top of that, there was Young Master Nesferos.  

“Just wait and see.”  

Wait for what, though? There was nothing she could actually do.

Iberia unclenched her fist. Her head throbbed.  

Thinking back, it had been ages since she’d slept for more than five hours. Iberia downed a potion in one go, tossed the empty bottle into the trash, and stood up.  

Unfortunately, the paper she had just crumpled was the last one she had left. She would have to get more paper from the dormitory’s first floor or the study room.  

“Ah, seriously… why is this happening?”  

Dormitory first floor. Standing before the empty paper box, Iberia rubbed her eyes. It seemed she would have to go to the study room.  

Luckily, there was paper in the study room. Grabbing a generous amount, Iberia trudged back.  

The study room was located midway between the women’s and men’s dormitories. Surrounding the study room was a wall, and beside it was a narrow alleyway leading outside. Voices could be heard from beyond the wall.  

The mocking tones carried by the wind reached Iberia’s ears.  

The voices were somewhat familiar. Voices of a group of nobles Iberia despised and found ridiculous.  

“Iberia Del is working hard, huh?”  

“She’s probably desperate not to fall behind. Her rank is on the line.”  

“It’s times like these that make you pity commoners. They have to struggle just to barely get by.”  

The group continued to laugh among themselves as if they found something hilarious.  

One thing Iberia had come to understand after enrolling in the academy was that not all nobles acted with decorum.  

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Iberia was used to such remarks.  

During every exam period, there were always people who made a mockery of the efforts of students like Iberia. While it was stressful to hear unpleasant comments, she had grown accustomed to it.  

Before she knew it, their conversation had shifted to other commoner students. It was utterly pathetic.  

Iberia was about to ignore them and move on when a sharp, mocking remark struck her ears.  

“No matter how much they study, they’ll just end up working under nobles like us after graduation. Poor things.”  

Iberia’s eyes widened as if doused with cold water. She clenched her fists tightly.  

Her nails dug into her palms, leaving deep marks.  

They weren’t wrong.  

Graduating with excellent grades from the academy was indeed a remarkable achievement, but for someone like Iberia, a commoner, it was a title with limitations.  

She might earn good money, but overcoming her status was nearly impossible. Even if she gained recognition as a scholar, the label of being a commoner would stick.  

Even within the empire alone, there were numerous educational institutions, and across the continent, there were three official academies. There was no shortage of talent to replace someone.  

No matter what she did, she would remain beneath them. Beneath the nobles she despised, who relied solely on their lineage.  

That truth, the futility of her efforts, left Iberia feeling powerless.  

“I hate it.”  

Faced with a new problem, Iberia’s eyes wavered.  

No, it wasn’t even a new problem. It was an old issue she had buried and was now facing again.  

Iberia’s lower lip turned pale as she bit down on it.  

Problems exist to be solved.  

So, this problem must also have an answer. Even if she couldn’t find a clear solution, she needed to regain her resolve.  

Her bright blue eyes burned as they fixed on the paper in front of her.  

***

From then on, Iberia’s daily life seemed to flow as usual.  

Studying as always, drinking potions like water only to be scolded by Cynthia, and having dinner with Young Master Nesferos.  

The more she thought about it, the more lost she felt.  

In truth, it was only natural since she wasn’t even sure what she wanted for herself.  

“Maybe I’ll think about it after graduation.”  

Honestly, she wanted to run away.

Simply following her original plan of joining a merchant guild or a noble house to secure a stable income didn’t seem like a bad idea.  

“No.”  

But that felt far too unfair. Iberia’s eyes twisted in frustration.

The paper in front of her was soon filled with scribbles. The once-white sheet became a blotchy mess in an instant.  

With ink-stained hands, Iberia washed up and prepared to head to dinner.  

She wanted to skip dinner, but she feared Young Master Nesferos might show up in front of her dormitory again. He had done so before.  

Grabbing her notebook, Iberia hurried toward the dining hall. As always, Young Master Nesferos was standing in front of it.  

“Hello, Iberia.”  

“Hello.”  

“You don’t look well.”  

Iberia thought to herself that no one would look well during exam season and stared at him with indifferent eyes. She was becoming slightly twisted herself.  

After studying his face briefly, Iberia nodded absentmindedly and returned her gaze to her notebook. Whatever his intentions were, she decided not to pay attention to his words, knowing they usually only complicated her thoughts.  

As always, Young Master Nesferos spoke lightly.  

“Don’t overthink it.”  

“Yes.”  

“It doesn’t matter whether you beat me or not.”  

“…Yes.”  

Iberia wanted to say that it mattered to her, but she held back and kept her eyes fixed on her notebook. From past experience, she knew that letting his words pass over her would help her blood pressure.  

Though she was looking down, she could tell he had stopped walking. Naturally, Iberia stopped as well.  

When she sent him a questioning look as if to ask why he wasn’t moving, he smiled in satisfaction.  

“Just do your best. So you won’t regret anything.”  

Iberia started to say something but stopped when she met his gaze. His eyes, unusually serious, silenced her.  

Despite his gaze, his voice was as light as ever, carrying a strange weight that lodged itself in her chest. Perhaps it was precisely because his tone was so light that his words resonated more.  

Iberia took a deep breath.  

Young Master Nesferos was annoyingly perceptive about her situation.