Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 838 194.3 - Path

Chapter 838 194.3 - Path

Lilia paused at his question, her crimson eyes locking onto his. Astron's expression remained unreadable, his voice as cool and detached as ever, but there was something beneath the surface—something subtle. His dark purple eyes, distant yet sharp, held a glint of curiosity, faint but present.
It made sense. Astron was observant, more so than most people gave him credit for. He must have noticed how she had carried herself throughout the night, how she had played the game differently than usual. And now, he was curious.
Lilia exhaled, tilting her head slightly. "You really do like watching people, don't you?" she mused, her voice quieter now, less guarded.
Astron didn't blink. "Observing," he corrected. "People are predictable if you pay attention."
A small smirk tugged at Lilia's lips. "And what? You think I wasn't acting like myself?"
Astron studied her for a moment before replying. "I think you were acting like someone who wanted to win."
Lilia stilled. It wasn't an incorrect statement, but coming from Astron, it felt oddly precise.
Wanted to win? She turned the words over in her mind. Did she really want to win, or did she just refuse to lose?
She let out a quiet sigh, glancing away toward the dimly lit training grounds in the distance. "I feel…" She hesitated, as if the answer itself was caught somewhere between her thoughts and her pride.
She considered lying—saying something light, something dismissive. But Astron wasn't the type to accept shallow answers. He'd only see through it.
So instead, she answered honestly.
"Frustrated. Tired." Her voice was steady, but she didn't hide the weight behind her words. "But more than that… disappointed."
Astron didn't react immediately, but she saw it—the way his gaze flickered slightly, as if processing her words with more care than expected.
"Disappointed in what?" he asked.
Lilia let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "Myself, mostly."
Astron raised an eyebrow slightly, but he didn't interrupt.
She turned back to him, her crimson eyes sharper now, not with anger, but with a more introspective intensity. "I knew what I was walking into. I knew how Selene and Adrian operate. And yet, I still let myself play their game."
She exhaled, her hands tightening slightly at her sides. "That was my mistake."
Astron was silent for a moment, then he nodded. "It was."
Lilia blinked, half expecting him to say something else. When he didn't, she let out a short laugh. "You're terrible at comforting people, you know that?"
 "I'm not trying to comfort you."
"Yeah, I figured."
For a moment, there was only quiet between them. A strange, comfortable kind of quiet. Lilia had expected more from him—some comment, some analysis—but Astron just stood there, watching her, waiting.
And oddly enough, that was enough.
Lilia exhaled softly, the night air cool against her skin, her mind still running through the match, through Selene's schemes, through every move and counter-move that had played out tonight. And yet, just as she thought the conversation was winding down, Astron suddenly spoke.
"I sometimes wonder… why do you care about all this?"
Lilia blinked, her gaze snapping to him. His voice was the same as always—calm, measured—but there was something different about it this time. A faint curiosity that wasn't just about observation. He was actually asking.
Her brows furrowed slightly. "Care about what?"
Astron tilted his head slightly, his dark purple eyes cool and steady. "The guild. Olympus Vanguard. The succession battle. Why do you care so much about winning?"
Lilia's steps slowed for a moment. The question wasn't difficult, not on the surface. It was something she had been answering her entire life—to others, to herself. And yet, hearing it from Astron, spoken so plainly, so detached, made her pause in a way she hadn't expected.
Why did she care?
Her lips parted slightly, then pressed into a thin line. "That's an easy answer," she said finally, her voice smooth despite the momentary hesitation. "Because I want to be the one leading it. I want to be the one in power."
She glanced at him, gauging his reaction, but Astron remained as impassive as ever, merely listening.
Lilia continued, her voice growing sharper, more certain as she spoke. "The Olympus Vanguard isn't just a guild, Astron. It's one of the most powerful organizations in the world. Whoever controls it doesn't just lead a group of Awakened—they dictate alliances, control resources, influence entire nations." She exhaled, crossing her arms as her eyes flickered with determination. "That kind of power doesn't come easily. And if it's going to fall into anyone's hands, it should be mine."
Astron nodded slightly but didn't respond immediately. His silence stretched just long enough for her to feel the weight of her own words.
Lilia narrowed her eyes. "What?"
Astron shrugged lightly, his gaze unwavering. "It makes sense," he said. "You're ambitious. You want power. But is that really all?"
Lilia frowned slightly, his words catching her off guard. "What are you implying?"
Astron's expression didn't change, but there was a slight shift in his posture—something more calculating, more interested. "Ambition, control, leadership. Those are things you want. But why? Is it really just about power, or is it about something else?"
Lilia felt a flicker of irritation, though she wasn't sure if it was directed at him or at the fact that he was making her think about this in ways she hadn't before. "What else would it be?" she countered.
Astron studied her for a long moment before he spoke again. "Proving yourself," he said simply.
Lilia's breath hitched slightly, though her face remained composed.
Astron continued, his voice still calm, still unreadable. "To your family. To your father. To Selene." He tilted his head slightly. "And maybe even to yourself."
Lilia felt something tighten in her chest, an uncomfortable pressure she wasn't used to.
"I don't need to prove myself to anyone," she said automatically, her voice sharper than she intended.
Astron didn't flinch, didn't react, just kept looking at her with those damnable, unreadable eyes. "Don't you?"
Lilia stopped walking. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides as she inhaled deeply, forcing her composure to remain intact.
This is ridiculous. She knew why she fought. She knew why she wanted to win. It wasn't about proving anything. It was about control. It was about being the one in power. It was about securing her place so that no one—not Selene, not her father, not anyone—could dictate what she could or couldn't do.
But then… why did it feel like Astron had struck something deeper?
Her crimson eyes met his again, and for once, she wasn't entirely sure what expression she was wearing.
"What's your point?" she asked quietly.
Astron exhaled softly, his gaze still steady. "I just think it's interesting."
Lilia let out a short, humorless chuckle. "You think I'm interesting?"
Astron studied her for a moment longer before speaking again, his voice as detached as ever. "Indeed. You are an interesting subject."
His dark purple eyes turned slightly colder, a glint of something analytical crossing them as he continued. "You say you want to win the succession battle, but you also don't want to dirty your hands."
Lilia's expression stiffened slightly, but she said nothing, allowing him to continue.
"Take Adrian or Selene, for example. People like them—they play to win, no matter what it takes. They manipulate, they deceive, they set the board in their favor before the game even begins. Yet when you face those types of tactics, your response is always the same."
His voice shifted slightly, not in mockery, but in eerie accuracy, as though recalling the very words she had spoken before.
"'I'd rather win with my own talent than resort to underhanded tactics.'"
Lilia's fingers twitched.
"'I can win even without those methods. I am better than them.'"
She inhaled slowly. She did say things like that. Often.
And deep down, she believed them.
Astron observed her carefully, then added, "That's the way you approach things."
Lilia's lips pressed into a thin line. "And? You say that like it's a flaw."
Astron tilted his head slightly. "Not necessarily." Then his voice lowered, just slightly, his next words sharper. "But it's not entirely true either."
Lilia's crimson eyes narrowed. Something in the way he spoke made her pause.
"What?" she asked, her voice cool but laced with something more dangerous. "What do you mean by that?"
Astron met her gaze evenly. "I mean, that's the way you want to approach things."
He took a small step forward, not threatening, but deliberate. "Or at least, you make it seem like that's how you approach things."
Lilia's breath caught slightly, but she didn't react outwardly. She had faced countless people who tried to analyze her, break her down, tell her what kind of person she was. But something about the way Astron spoke—calm, detached, yet precise—unsettled her.
"Explain." Her voice came out sharper than she intended.
Astron's gaze didn't waver. "In reality, you just don't want to do things like that inherently." His words were smooth, cutting, yet delivered without an ounce of malice. "You don't have the necessary drive."