Honestly, I might have been too hasty.
There was no real way for me to deal with a top 10 student, even if I had just received Absolute Rank Authority.
I had only managed to slightly alter my stats, but they were still nowhere near Iris's.
Still, I had a plan.
It was quite the gamble, but it was still a plan.
I took a deep breath as I stood before her dorm door. A quick glance made it clear that we did not belong in the same category. Her door was luxurious, and her dorm was massive—completely the opposite of mine, which felt like a pile of trash.
-Knock.
-Knock.
-Knock.
"Coming~!" A joyful voice resounded from the other side, followed by the soft sound of footsteps.
The door swung open, revealing a bright, smiling Iris.
She didn't seem surprised to see me standing there. After all, this was usually how it went when I got punished.
I sighed as I watched her look at me with those puppy eyes, teasing me.
However, the words that came out of my mouth next greatly confused her.
"Can I enter?"
"I refuse your apologies!" She frowned. "Huh? What did you say?"
"Can I enter your dorm? I want to talk."
It took her a few seconds to comprehend what I had just said, but she eventually nodded.
[Did something happen? Why isn't he apologizing right away like he usually does?]
I smirked, hearing the thoughts running through her mind.
That was the critical part of my plan. I needed [Mind Reading] to make this gamble work.
She turned around lazily and sat at the end of the huge round table, which was about the size of my own dorm room.
'This is so unfair…' I complained internally as I sat across from her, calming myself in the process.
[Why does he look so calm and collected? Usually, he's nervous when he sees me. Something must have happened.]
"Speak. What did you want to ask my beautiful self?" she asked, tucking her long brown hair behind her ear.
"I need you to stop reporting those lies about me."
She burst out laughing, unable to control herself.
"Was that really what you wanted to talk about? Well, the answer is no. I have fun teasing you, and you deserve it."
"Tsk." I clicked my tongue. "Can't you forget about that already? It's my family's fault, not mine. I never wanted to cancel our marriage!"
She scoffed. "You could have convinced them. Do you think it was easy to convince my family to marry someone like you? The only reason they ended up agreeing was because of your background."
Okay, that did hurt a little.
But she was right; the only thing I had was my background—at least before I killed the author.
I looked down, dejected. "Isn't there something I can do to make you stop? I swear I'll keep out of your way."
[But I don't want you out of my way.]
'W-What did she just think?!'
I looked back up and noticed a discreet flush on her cheeks.
When our eyes met, she looked away instantly.
'Don't tell me she's still in love with me!'
I was too stunned to speak or think. It was the last thing I had expected. I thought she had moved on and was simply teasing me for revenge. But… that wasn't the case at all.
"There's nothing."
Now that I understood why she kept reporting me, this whole situation had become much easier.
I knew her weakness, and I'd make sure to use it.
After all, I remembered the quest description clearly; I needed to show her who was boss.
Without saying another word, I stood up from my chair and slowly made my way to the other side of the table until I was just a few inches away from her.
[W-Why is he getting closer?!]
The flush on her cheeks was becoming more pronounced. It almost reached the point where I could hear her heart beating through her chest.
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" I asked, staring directly into her eyes, my voice soft and soothing.
I could feel that she was approaching her breaking point. I just needed to keep pressing, and I would get what I came here for.
She looked away and whispered under her breath, "W-Well… there is one thing you could do."
I heard her gulp.
This was fun. I thought I would be the one getting pressured, but it was the complete opposite. She was the scared one, even though she was probably five times as powerful as me.
"What is it?" I asked, placing my right hand against her armrest.
[H-He's so close! W-Why is he suddenly acting so confident?!]
Her mind was racing, which was great because it was giving me more information about her.
"E-Every day after school, I want to duel against you. If you accept, then I will stop sending in fake reports."
'Duels against a top 10 student?' I smirked internally. 'This is more of a reward than a punishment.'
Sure, I would probably get badly beaten up… but I would also be able to learn from one of the most talented students in the Royal Academy. Any student would jump at such an opportunity.
However, I knew the real reason she had asked for this duel.
[If he accepts, then we will be able to meet every day after school…]
I sighed and said sarcastically, "Fine, but you have to promise me one thing."
Her eyes brightened. "Sure, what is it?"
"You can't beat me up to the point where I have to go to the infirmary."
[I'd never actually hurt you.]
She regained her smug attitude and stared back into my eyes. "I can't promise that."