The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-197

"Merlin, what should I do?"

The colors of the once vibrant garden had since turned green. The sweet scent of spring had long since departed.

Around the time when the freshmen were getting used to academy life, Princess Snow White felt depressed.

White was sitting on the dry grass, leaning against the base of a tree near Orphin Hall, expressing her troubles to Merlin Astrea, who was standing right beside her.

It was a usual affair. Merlin was now unsure whether to consider this a part of her duties as a knight escort.

"It's because of me that Senior Isaac is suffering from malicious rumors... rumors that he's a player. I didn't mean it in a romantic way. I meant that I liked him out of respect... that was what I meant in my victory speech, but I never expected things to turn out this way..."

White, shook her hands tremulously, her face stricken with grief.

It was about the beauty contest held during the Grand Festival.

White was chosen as the Goddess of Beauty at Märchen Academy during the Grand Festival, having won first place.

It seemed that her victory speech, dedicating her honor to Isaac, whom she trusted and respected the most, was unintentionally conveyed with a different meaning to the students.

─ ‘I... like this person the most in this academy. I dedicate all this honor to “Senior Isaac”.’

The expression, “I like this person,” was the problem.

“Like,” or, “Love”.

Students love sensational topics, and many knew how attractive Isaac, the male student, was.

With a handsome appearance, outstanding talent, abilities, diligence, a promising future, and maturity beyond his years as a student... it would be a lie to say many female students did not find Isaac attractive.

However, as Luce’s intimidating aura was so strong, most female students had no choice but to suppress their budding feelings.

White used the phrase, “I like this person,” which ignited the fire among two female students, Luce and Dorothy, who were already heavily involved with him... This rekindled the rumor that had died down last year of, “Isaac being a player”.

As a result, White's victory speech naturally came to be seen as her expression of “Love” for Isaac.

It wasn’t that Isaac did not seem like a potential romantic interest, but the feelings White had when she looked at him were much closer to “Like”.

I should have been more careful with my words…

White regretted it for days.

Without even knowing it, Isaac even got into a fight with the Priestess and was seriously injured. When White was called in as a person involved in the incident, she heard that the Priestess had brought up White and staged a drama.

Isaac must have fought with the Priestess, the ruler of the Eastern Nation and a genius with Grade S mana, for her sake.

Naturally, White felt tremendous guilt over everything. That was why she ended up confiding her troubles to Merlin.

"That should be okay, right? The Sir Isaac I know is a thoughtful person. Someone who would not be disappointed over such a matter…"

Merlin couldn't finish her sentence.

It was a terribly dishonorable rumor, after all.

If Merlin herself had been the subject of the rumor that she was a player, she would have immediately wanted to find and cut down the person responsible.

It didn't matter who took White's victory speech properly or not. People interpret what they see and hear in their own way. The problem was that the rumor had already spread in such a manner.

What about this case? While it was true that White had been careless, Merlin struggled to decide if it should strictly be considered her fault.

"Wouldn't the issue be resolved if you have a good conversation with Sir Isaac? After all, most conflicts are resolved through conversation."

Merlin managed to respond with difficulty.

Whatever the case, it was ultimately an issue between Isaac and White. If Isaac just let it pass without much fuss, the rumor would die down.

The problem was, had that been the case, White's troubles wouldn't have persisted until then.

With a sad face, White shook her head.

"But you've seen it too, Merlin. These days, Senior Isaac has been avoiding me. He hardly talks, and when he does, it's always with short answers... I thought everything was resolved after my apology, but now it feels like we've grown even more distant..."

Lately, Isaac had only been formal with White.

A few days ago, White had explained the situation and apologized to Isaac. He told her not to worry about it because it wasn't her fault, and he was actually grateful that she thought of him.

So, White had been relieved, believing that everything had been resolved...

But afterward, their conversations were brief and strictly about academics.

Whenever White tried to bring up a personal topic, Isaac would only respond with dry answers like "Yeah," "Uh-huh," and "Right," so they never had long, normal conversations.

In actuality, however, Isaac was just focused on mastering 7-star elemental magic.

White, being used to his kind demeanor, incorrectly perceived it as him being uncomfortable around her.

The person she could be most comfortable with in this academy was Senior Isaac. She couldn't bear the thought of growing distant from him.

"There must be a reason. It will be okay soon."

"What if…"

"Yes."

"...What If Senior Isaac feels uncomfortable around me and ends up wanting to leave me... what should I do?"

When people start feeling uncomfortable around someone they were close to, they gradually distance themselves until one day, they just leave. White was worried about this. At that time, Isaac seemed to be distancing himself from her, and she feared he might eventually abandon her.

"How could Sir Isaac abandon Princess White? He even fought the Priestess for you. He's not someone who would do that."

"That's true… isn't it?"

"Even if that were to happen, so be it. There's no need to hold on to someone who wants to leave."

"That's also true..."

White let out a sigh of helplessness.

Merlin found her expression endearing and smiled silently before quickly composing herself.

"Don't worry too much. You'll be receiving guidance from Sir Isaac soon, you shouldn't be so disheartened."

"I'm not disheartened, just hurt. If I've done something wrong, I'll have to make an effort to fix it..."

White spoke lifelessly as she got up from her seat.

"Should I go see Senior Isaac?"

* * *

At a corner of the Hydrangea Garden, White's wind magic swept over the lake.

"White, take a break."

"No, I think I'm still okay! I can do more... Uh-oh, nosebleed!"

"I said take a break."

White was more diligent in her training than usual. It was clear she was trying to show me her best, and regardless of the reason, it was a good thing, which brought a smile to my face.

"Time's up. Good job."

"Haaa, haaa... It's over...!"

After finishing training, I created a rock chair using [Rock Generation]. White, drenched in sweat, weakly sat down on the rock chair and caught her breath.

In the meantime, I brought over five pieces of parchment that I had prepared in advance and handed them to White. They were all rolled up in scroll form.

"Here, this is your homework."

Flustered, White fully embraced the parchment within her arms.

"Ah, Senior Isaac, why is there so much homework today...? You usually only give me one..."

"Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to mentor you for a while."

“…!”

Suddenly, White became as rigid as stone, as if she had heard a bolt of lightning out of the blue.

"It's probably because my schedule won't allow it."

"Why, why?!"

"Do you remember I said I was going to learn a 7-star spell?"

As I took off my glasses and asked, White nodded.

"I got the opportunity to learn that from the Tower Master of Hegel. She said if I passed the test, she would take me as her disciple. The test will probably last for three days."

He spoke calmly as he took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with a cloth.

"If I pass the test, I won't have much time. I'm planning to pass no matter what."

He was determined to do everything possible to pass the test set by Aria Lillias, along with Luce.

If he passed the test and started receiving training, he didn't know how his schedule would be adjusted. What was certain was that his free time would be significantly reduced, making it difficult to continue teaching White.

"So, I think I need to focus on my own tasks right now. I'm sorry. Let's disband for now..."

As he put his glasses back on and looked at White's face, he was suddenly lost for words.

A look of shock was on her face. From her mouth, a whining, “Heeee…” sound emerged, making her seem as if she had lost her mind.

Why is she acting like this?

"White?"

"I'm okay... I'm really, okay..."

She didn't look okay at all.

I read her psychology.

What's this? Is she worried that I might abandon her forever?

Why all of a sudden?

I rummaged through recent memories related to White and guessed the reason.

Come to think of it, I haven't been talking to her much lately.

I had been preoccupied all day with constructing 7-star formulas, which naturally reduced our conversations significantly.

Was she taking it sensitively? To think that she felt I was distancing myself just because of that...

...No matter how hard I tried to understand, it was futile. [Psychological Insight] couldn’t make me fully comprehend the psychology of a teenage girl, after all.

Anyway, it would be better to reassure her before leaving. The problem was that I was too thoughtless, saying, “Let's disband,” when we wouldn't see each other for a while.

"White."

"Yes..."

I took out a pudding bar from my pocket, unwrapped it, and held it out.

Whoosh!

Merlin sprinted over and, taking a bite of the pudding bar, ran past us. At that moment, a gust of wind arose, whipping her hair and the hem of her dress.

Done. I held out the pudding bar, about one-third of it gone, in front of White’s mouth.

White looked back and forth between the pudding bar and me, bewildered.

"Study hard and improve your skills. Make me surprised when I return."

White had not been able to pay off her debt by the last due date.

So, I said that if we could circulate and share our mana with one another, the time spent doing so would be deducted from her debt. It was a training method to enhance Mana Mastery and Elemental resistance, a direct way to tap into White's potential power.

We talked about it last time and tried it out. Contrary to my expectations, White couldn't withstand the mana backlash and ran away in a panic to go vomit somewhere. Ultimately, we decided to extend the due date.

Because of that, White showed a mix of happiness and bitterness. The expression was adorable.

Regardless of White being a key figure in Semester 2 Year 2, I felt a deep affection for her. I couldn't even joke about abandoning her.

"You're coming back, right...?"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, White asked in a subdued voice, looking down. It seemed she was trying hard to gather her courage to ask a sincere question.

"You're really coming back, right...?"

White slowly lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyes were moist, and tears were welling up around them.

White gently grasped the collar of my clothes.

"I'm such a lacking person... hic, a pest that only causes trouble for you, Senior... You're not trying to distance yourself from me, right...?"

White's voice choked up as if she was about to cry any moment.

I got goosebumps.

Why the self-deprecation?

"You have talent and you're doing well, why would I leave your side?"

"Then, Senior Isaac, please come back soon... I'll miss you..."

Her effort to hold back tears was so funny that I let out a chuckle. I nodded.

Finally, it seemed White relaxed a bit as she took a bite of the pudding bar I offered and chewed happily.

"Sniffle, it's delicious..."

White took the pudding bar entirely, savoring its taste with a sad expression.

* * *

[It's quite funny, isn't it.]

The sky was inked and the stars shone brightly.

In the student council room, only the lamp on the office desk emitted a soft glow.

Next to it sat a fat purple cat, Phantom Cat Cheshire, who spoke to the girl with pale gold hair in front of him. She was the Student Council President, Alice Carroll.

Alice sat in the president's chair, gazing out the window and holding a cup of tea.

[Meow~. Let's go over the situation once again!]

Phantom Cat Cheshire stood up abruptly and spread its front paws to the sides.

[The Black Monster, always swiftly defeating demons and running away, appeared on top of the clock tower as if it had been watching the academy...! As soon as people noticed, it ran away at once! But, you know, it's strange.]

On the last day of the festival, the Black Monster, The Nameless Hero, was acting suspiciously.

Alice took a sip of her tea.

[The White Dragon flew to the Black Monster, didn't it? So, the teachers and Imperial knights, looking at the White Dragon, naturally had to notice him. As if he wanted people to find him! As if to distract, to hide something, he deliberately drew their attention!]

Suddenly, the Phantom Cat's head tilted to the side.

The magic beast's eyes shone sharply, like the blades of a knife.

[Isaac, let's kill him.]

Alice stopped her hand from taking a sip of her tea.

[It's clear he's the Black Monster. He gave the cloak to his colleague and created an alibi…]

"Cheshire, go back."

[Meow? Suddenly?]

Whoosh.

Alice reversed summoned Phantom Cat Cheshire.

Soon after, dark mana began to seep out from the inside of her choker. It rose above her head like smoke and took the form of a head, albeit a monster, it was closer to a female form.

Alice remained still, looking out the window without changing her expression.

Soon, the head made of dark mana moved its lips.

[Venerable Alice, how are you...?]

It was a bizarre female voice.

[It's almost time... Enough with the games, don't you think...?]

From the cheekbone area of the strange head, an arm surrounded by dark mana protruded. It was a skinny, frail arm.

A hand with seven slender fingers gently stroked Alice's hair.

[For the sake of the kingdom you cherish…]

The mysterious being whispered.

[Please... faithfully fulfill the contract.]

Soon, the figure made of dark mana disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Indifferently, Alice was about to sip her tea again but then placed the teacup back on the desk.

She touched her choker with her finger. Her hand gradually started to tremble.

Alice deeply scratched her choker with her fingernails. Despite the grating sound, her nails breaking, and bleeding, she paid no mind.

Eventually, Alice silently exhaled a deep breath.