Falling into an unknown world, I ended up in the Central Empire, and with no money in this world, I lived by memories of the back alley.
“······.”
Even after quite some time, I hadn’t forgotten. There was no way I could.
The back alley was where every tragedy began, the place where I became a monster, not a human.
Before I realized I was stronger than ordinary humans, I struggled just to get through each day.
Of course, I didn’t forget the lessons I learned back then.
“Listen well, Iria. You need to be wary of kindness without reason in the back alley. Nothing in this world is free.”
“······.”
“Always be cautious of the color white. If someone hands you something that looks like a white powder, never accept it.”
“······.”
“Surviving in the back alley, where people die every moment, means you’re strong. Consider every human around you an enemy, and never confront them head-on. Run away. That’s the only way to live a little longer.”
And then…
Again…
“······.”
What was it again?
Be wary of kindness without reason, be cautious of white things…
And then…
Again…
“······.”
Can’t remember.
No more than that came to mind.
I was still gazing at the phantom of Riana.
Maybe I was secretly reminiscing about someone already dead, someone I had killed with my own hands.
“Sigh.”
I let out a breath to shake off my deep thoughts.
After that, while looking at the unvanished phantom of Riana, I spoke.
“You warned me to be cautious of white things, didn’t you?”
Words spat out with her long, pure white hair.
“But why did you reach out to me?”
I questioned the phantom.
Asking a person I had ultimately killed, who reached out to me with white…
“······.”
“······.”
But no answer came.
The dead can’t say a word.
Today, I couldn’t hear a response.
*
Iria asked the tearful Saint.
“So, how much do you have now?”
“I… I have about thirty silver coins received from the Church…”
“Hmm.”
Then, she took all the money that was in Klana’s wallet.
“It’s a bit short, but since it’s your first time, I’ll let you off this easily. Next time, bring more money.”
“Eeep…!”
Since then, Klana learned that life is a real battlefield.
That the world outside the Church isn’t as beautiful as one might think.
And that you should be careful of white.
“Hee, hee! Iria!”
“Everyone, run away!”
Is that a common sense here? Whenever they see Iria, everyone just runs.
It seems that the scariest being at this Academy is that silver-haired girl.
Even after that day, Iria’s bullying of Klana continued.
She’d appear right in front of where Klana would walk, taking her money.
Today, as Klana was walking, Iria tripped her.
With no experience in such matters, Klana tripped over Iria’s foot and spectacularly fell.
“Graah?!”
“Hmm.”
“Ouch… it hurts…”
“Where were you looking? If you’re that careless, you won’t survive in this world.”
Klana raised her head while lying flat on the ground.
When she slowly looked up, there was Iria. The number one person to be cautious of.
Now, just seeing her face sends shivers down her spine. The rumors say she’s a top-tier powerhouse, even looking at it from a distance.
She felt she could never win in a fight. Not even a Saint blessed by the stars could measure up, since Klana had no real combat experience until now.
And the numerous times she had learned to fear made her even more intimidated. Just hearing Iria’s voice made her body tremble.
“You tripped me, so it hurts. It seems like I need some compensation.”
“······.”
“How much did you bring today?”
“I… I have about sixty silver coins…”
“Give them all to me.”
“Heeek…!”
Iria took Klana’s funds whole with the wallet.
Klana is a treasure cherished by the Central Church, one of the three main powers of the Empire. Even if she gets robbed a few times, her livelihood wouldn’t be in jeopardy.
Just saying a word to the nun supreme supporting her would lead to full assistance.
But the tears just flow uncontrollably.
The humiliation from the act of tribute hurt far more than expected.
“You’ve brought quite a bit today.”
Today marks one week since Iria started bullying Klana.
Enrolling in the Academy, something she had dreamed of while in the Church, turned out to be quite different from what she had anticipated.
The biggest reason for the pain caused by Iria’s bullying lies in her expression.
That emotionless face and those icy eyes frightened her. It felt as if she were looking at a doll without feelings.
Klana was afraid, and once again pretended to hold back her tears.
Iria watched the whole scene from beginning to end. A slight silence hung in the air.
“······.”
“Hee, heeek…!”
Iria let out a small sigh, and Klana seemed frightened, pulling back.
Iria’s mouth opened next.
“Why not try resisting a bit? Being targeted by someone means you look too easy prey. In this world, strength is everything. The strong take from the weak, and the weak always get taken.”
She shook the wallet in her hand in the air.
It was the first time she had heard such words from a flower grown in the greenhouse called the Church.
In the end, to step out of the greenhouse and into a new world, one must learn the common sense of a new environment.
Even though her words were threatening and humiliating, they didn’t feel wrong. After all, she too had seen and learned something outside the Church.
The Academy was thoroughly based on strength, and ignoring those below you was the everyday norm.
It was not the hopeful and bright place viewed from afar. The Academy was a small society where Iria’s law of the jungle ruled.
“······ So what was I supposed to do?”
Klana mustered up the courage to ask.
To the villain who had been bullying her for the past week.
And Iria replied.
“That’s for you to figure out. The world isn’t kind enough to teach you everything.”
“That’s…”
“But if it were me, I would’ve at least demonstrated that I’m not weak enough to let someone take my wallet.”
Though not physically weak.
Iria slightly turned her head as she added.
Klana was born with a blessed talent far beyond the reach of ordinary humans. Her personal strength should never be weak.
Though not as much as Iria or Ariel, Klana was also among the strongest at the Academy when it came to power.
While she might not realize it herself, the keen-eyed Iria saw it clearly.
But it was frustrating because she didn’t know how to use that strength. As if to show no more interest, Iria sharply turned her head away.
“How long do you plan to stay under someone else’s shadow?”
Iria said those words before leaving.
Of course, she didn’t return the wallet.
“······.”
Left alone, Klana pondered.
She reflected on herself and struggled to understand the meaning of what Iria had left behind.
Today, Klana’s thoughts ran deep.
*
After observing Klana for several days, Iria began to recall parts of the original story.
She realized why the Klana she saw now was different from the Klana in the original.
The timing was still before Sertia died from illness, and remnants of the Demon King’s army were invading the Empire’s territory.
The invasion of the Demon King’s army escalated into a major war, causing many to die and suffer.
In the original story, Klana was forced to the front lines, oblivious to everything. Before being a cowardly student, she bore the heavy title of a Saint.
A flower that had only grown in a warm greenhouse confronted the bloody battlefield. She witnessed humans being torn apart by demons, seen by her own eyes as people died in horrific ways.
It was far too harsh an experience for the innocent Klana to bear.
She faced the cruel reality and the dark side of the outside world. No one learned the harshness of the unknown world better than she did.
Perhaps it had been more severe than what Iria experienced in the back alley.
“······.”
Klana’s innocence died there.
Her curious, brightly shining blue eyes lost their color in that place.
The outside world wasn’t shining.
It was murky.
Dark.
So red it could make one frown, nauseating and brutally harsh.
Walking like someone broken, having lost something, she resembled the original Klana compared to now.
Did being ignorant lead to a better state of being now?
“Etiquette training is more than enough at a back alley level.”
She was innocent, but not foolish.
Just inexperienced.
Having bullied her to this extent, she’d likely realize on her own. She would at least understand she needed to defend and think for herself.
But Iria was unaware.
“What… what are you looking at?!”
“······?”
“I’m not giving you my wallet! If you want it, you’ll have to take me down!”
She had no idea how her words and actions influenced Klana.
From that moment, Klana’s demeanor shifted in an odd direction.
