Chapter 22

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Iri was relentlessly stomping on Donovan, who had collapsed to the ground.

Her kicks were so strong that instead of a dull “thud-thud,” the sound rang out like “bang-bang.”

“What, what the hell is going on here!”

Vladimir flared up in anger.

What do you mean, what’s going on?

Clearly, that Donovan bastard had picked a fight with Iri, and in the end, Iri couldn’t hold back, snapped, and delivered some proper discipline.

“Aaron Stingray…!”

Vladimir glared at me with a face like a vengeful spirit, as if convinced I had ordered this to happen.

Of course, I was innocent.

I hadn’t egged her on. I just hadn’t stopped it—despite knowing exactly what was going to happen.

It was like purposely letting go of the leash of a dog barking furiously at someone. A comparison that would make her blow her top if she heard it.

“Is this how you’re going to play?!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Think logically. Would I have any reason to do such a thing?”

The truth was, I did have a reason.

Just from listening to the whispered conversations of other corporate sponsors, it was obvious.

—Amazing. How can such a small body have such power?

—The girl seems a bit hot-tempered, but that’s perfect for a soldier.

—There’s still plenty of time to train her. The raw material isn’t bad, so if we can just tame her, she’ll be very useful.

—Looks like there was a reason the Crown Prince took a liking to her.

In an instant, the attention that had been focused on Donovan shifted entirely to Iri.

Even though she had resorted to violence, they seemed to view her abilities positively.

Of course they would.

Unlike me, these so-called megacorp sponsors only saw students as investment assets, human weapons, or chess pieces.

Even if she was rough around the edges, if her abilities were outstanding, they’d welcome her with open arms. And in turn, my reputation for spotting and recruiting her early went up as well.

And now…

It was time to move to the next stage.

Keeping my expression neutral, I said,

“First things first—shouldn’t we stop them? Leave it like this, and something serious might happen.”

“…Damn it!”

Vladimir glared at me, spat out a curse, and turned his back. His security personnel hurried after him as he moved quickly.

Unlike him, I strolled leisurely toward the training area with Maria.

“Young Master.”

“This is where it begins, Maria. Let me handle it—don’t interfere.”

“…Understood.”

Maria seemed to have sensed my intent long ago. Naturally, she only dipped her head slightly in agreement.

I smiled inwardly.

‘You shouldn’t have done that, Vladimir.’

If you hadn’t tried that petty mind game with me—especially not with Iri Elisbell—this wouldn’t be happening.

I would have kept a tight grip on Iri’s leash…

And prevented this from happening.

But you made a mistake.

You crossed me.

So now…

It’s time you paid the price.

“Say it again! What? What? Go on, run your mouth again!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Iri vented her fury by stomping repeatedly on Donovan’s back. With every kick, his body sank a little deeper into the ground.

Even so, Donovan didn’t seem badly hurt. Instead, he rose, clearly no longer willing to hold back.

“You bitch! Who the hell do you think you’re—!”

“Shut up.”

Bang!

Iri stomped on Donovan’s head just as he was trying to stand.

Yet there wasn’t a single scratch on his face. It only made his temper flare even more.

“You damn bitch! I go easy on you, and you keep pushing it!”

Donovan took the kicks head-on and got back to his feet. Iri staggered as she lost her balance, and Donovan seized the moment to grab her by the collar.

Whoosh—!

Donovan’s arm shot upward with force, aiming to smash her face.

But Iri didn’t flinch in the slightest.

“Ha! Go ahead and hit me if you can!”

She was ready to counter the moment his fist came flying. One way or another, she was determined to finish this.

That was when a voice rang out.

“That’s enough.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Huh?!”

A group of people rushed to the scene of the fight. When the two fighters saw who it was, they finally stopped and backed off.

“Aaron Stingray…”

“Chairman Vladimir Kharitonov…!”

Aaron Stingray and Vladimir Kharitonov—royalty and a great noble who ruled over New Valhalla City.

For commoners, these were people they might never see even once in their lives. The surrounding students immediately sensed that this was no ordinary incident.

Murmur, murmur.

In the tense atmosphere, the first to speak was the Crown Prince, Aaron Stingray.

“Where’s the supervising instructor?”

“Where is the person in charge?”

Standing beside Aaron, Maria raised her voice to summon the instructor.

Instructor Nishiyama, who had been distracted elsewhere, finally realized what was happening and came running from afar.

“W-what is this… Huh!”

The moment Nishiyama saw Aaron and Vladimir, his face turned pale. He immediately knelt and begged forgiveness.

“M-my apologies! I looked away for just a moment, I never thought something this disgraceful would happen…!”

“So you’re the one in charge.”

“Y-yes, but…”

Aaron’s narrowed golden eyes scanned Nishiyama from head to toe with contempt. Maria, by his side, conveyed Aaron’s intent.

“You will have to take responsibility for this incident, Instructor Nishiyama.”

“B-but I…”

“Please take the students away. We’ll be filing an official complaint about this matter through the faculty office soon.”

“Th-that can’t be…!”

“Please take them away. Our students will be given a separate test later.”

Maria urged.

With a dazed look, Instructor Nishiyama led the remaining students away, trudging off.

And so—

The only ones left were Iri, Donovan, and the sponsors of both sides’ students.

The first to speak was Vladimir.

“What is the meaning of this, Donovan von Delay!”

“M-my apologies, Chairman.”

Donovan now looked far more intimidated than before. Clearly, he hadn’t expected the city’s power players to suddenly show up over a mere scuffle.

“I regret causing a disturbance. But she attacked first—!”

“That’s not the damn point!”

Vladimir barked.

“How could you let yourself get beaten without landing a single blow?! Huh?! Do you know how much was invested into your cyberware and combat modules?! Do you know how humiliating this is for me?!”

“M-my apologies.”

It seemed Vladimir was far more upset about Donovan “being beaten without doing anything” than about the fact he caused trouble or got hurt.

‘Ha! Serves you right, bastard.’

Watching Donovan get scolded, Iri felt a surge of satisfaction. But she also knew she couldn’t just bask in it.

Step.

A black shadow strode forward.

A pair of sharp golden eyes swept over her from head to toe. There was a pressure in those emotionless eyes that was hard to describe.

The gaze of royalty.

The unique charisma of a privileged class that had ruled from above for generations.

“…”

An ordinary person might have been frightened into begging for forgiveness from that look alone. And it wasn’t that Iri felt no fear.

Aaron had explicitly told her not to cause trouble—going so far as to send a personal email—and had dangled the “deal” in front of her as a way to keep her in check.

And yet she had defied him.

Aaron would undoubtedly be furious, and in one way or another, he would hand down a severe punishment for disobeying orders.

The way rich people thought was predictable.

Even so—

Iri met Aaron’s eyes.

Standing firm, refusing to avert her gaze even in fear.

“I did nothing wrong.”

Yeah.

She’d been treated like this plenty of times before.

Just for being from the Fallen Sector, she’d endured countless humiliations and discrimination.

The countless old wounds remained etched deep in her chest.

‘In the end, they’re all the same.’

You’re no different, Aaron Stingray.

Everyone here is in the same league. I have no allies here. No matter how hard I try, I’ll just face an unjust verdict.

‘So at least, I’ll be proud.’

Even if I get beaten and treated unfairly, I won’t cry or show pain. Even if I fail to achieve my goals because of this, I won’t grovel.

At the very least, I’ll look them in the eye and flip them off—especially those damned suits, and especially Stingray’s people.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it!”

Iri steeled herself.

No matter how this man responded, no matter what humiliating words he threw at her—she would answer in kind.

If punishment came, so be it.

It wouldn’t break her.

She’d make them pay back somehow—

Even if it took her whole life.

Just as she reaffirmed this to herself—

“Iri Elisbell.”

Aaron finally spoke.

And the words that came out of his mouth were—

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

A casual yet gentle question.

It was a line she had never expected in her wildest dreams.

Like a drop of rain seeping deep into a stone wall, it slipped into the cracks of Iri’s hardened heart.

Her mind went blank for a moment.

“Huh? Ah? Uh…”

“I asked if you were hurt anywhere.”

“Ah, um… No, I’m not hurt… Actually, I, uh, might have been the one who hit first… so, well…”

“Then that’s fine.”

Aaron gave the short reply and immediately turned his head toward Donovan—no, glared at him.

“Explain. What happened here?”

“Yes, Donovan! Answer now!”

Vladimir also pressed Donovan.

Donovan, not having expected things to escalate this far, spoke in a subdued tone.

“I-I only tried talking to her. But that girl was the one who—”

“What?! You lying—!”

“Quiet.”

Still rattled, Iri tried to lunge at him again, but Aaron moved to stop her. Not that she was listening.

“That’s complete bullshit! If you heard what that bastard said to me—!”

“That’s impossible! Surely you’re not going to believe someone from the Fallen Sector?”

At Donovan’s protest, the air shifted instantly, and Iri felt it sharply. Soon, icy stares turned toward her.

As if saying—

—What, is she a criminal?

—How did someone like that get into the Academy?

—Dirty blood.

‘Damn it…!’

Iri bit her lip hard.

Again.

Fallen. That name dragged her down.

Even Aaron wouldn’t be able to defend her once the mood turned like this.

At least, that’s what she thought—

“Donovan von Delay.”

At that moment—

Aaron spoke lightly.

“Do you have a death wish?”

And with that, the atmosphere flipped entirely.

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