Adrian’s brows furrowed slightly as he observed the deviation from the expected course of action. The onlookers, including the scouting guild members and fellow participants, exchanged puzzled glances.
[Did you do something?]
From the small artifact on his ears, he asked the magicians under his command.
[No. We did just the usual.]
[I see.]
From how it looked just before, Adrian thought Astron Natusalune would be able to hit the target efficiently in the last part.
This was his own way of showing his consolation, as he thought he was also a threat. Thinking that he disturbed him unfairly (?) he decided to let him have his way, but that wasn’t the case.
“Sigh, I couldn’t do it in the end.” Seeing the frustration etched on his face, Adrian shook his head.
‘I misjudged him.’
He thought this guy was different from the rumors as he trained relatively hard, but it seemed he wasn’t that special.
‘Not that it matters.’
In a split second, he dismissed the idea of him being a possible target, and from the looks of the eyes belonging to scouts he invited, it seemed they thought the same as him.
********
As the arrow struck the target’s side, missing the center, the onlookers exchanged perplexed glances. Whispers of confusion and speculation permeated the air.
“What just happened?”
“He missed the center completely.”
“I thought he was good, but maybe he’s not as skilled as we thought.”
“That was a strange choice.”
The intricacies of the micro-challenge, the attempt to hit the tiny insect amidst the rain and wind, went unnoticed by everyone in the audience. To them, it appeared as if I had simply miscalculated, casting a shadow on the previous commendable performance.
Adrian, on the other hand, continued to observe with his usual stoicism. His analytical gaze seemed to delve into the layers of the unexpected choice, looking for something beyond the surface.
“Sigh, I couldn’t hit it at the end.”
So I decided to completely relieve him from his worries, as I showed a rather uninteresting sight. Humans tend to operate on their first impressions as it is a defense mechanism they developed.
‘This will work to my advantage.’
Allowing the misconception to linger will create an underestimation that would be advantageous in the long run since the first impression Adrian held for me is now getting control of his own thoughts.
“Why did you do it like that?”
Just as I had returned to my own location, there I had seen the same girl with the mask standing there.
“Like what?”
“You….” Lilia was seemingly displeased at my performance, and I could see she herself was doubting her own assessment. “You could have done better.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know. For some reason, when I was shooting, my arrows didn’t move as I thought.”
“…That….” Lilia understood the meaning behind my words. Well, that was to be expected since she was well aware of how Adrian had rigged the competition.
“This bastard….” She glared at Adrian with an infuriated gaze. Surprisingly, she had this weird side when she couldn’t stand the injustice.
She was truly a weird girl who constantly contradicted herself. Sometimes cold and businesslike individual and sometimes a follower of justice.
Not that I could say anything about that, as I was not that different. It wasn’t like I was a person who always pursued justice anyway.
“He’s been pulling off these kinds of things lately. Especially if he can’t find any useful talent, he pulls this kind of trickery to lower the ones who can compete against him in the future.”
Lilia voiced her thoughts, seeing what he was doing right away. In the game, she was aware of that as well.
“But this is the first time I had seen someone do this kind of thing for such a small test. Why would he?” I asked, wanting to see her reaction.”
“Well, he is probably expecting a lot from these tests. After all, he would want to find the gems that weren’t that noticeable until now. These people will be his hidden trumps in the future, especially in the league where the rules don’t limit anything.”
The league she mentioned was a different type of field where Awakeners competed against each other for fights.
It was like the UFC on Earth, but with the mana and traits involved, each category had its own weapon.
“Leagues, huh?”
“Indeed.”
“I see.” I nodded my head, looking at her reaction. “But that doesn’t mean you have to lower others for it.”
“No, that’s where you are wrong. The political and influential world isn’t that clean. After all, there are people who value their ego and reputation more than anything.”
She seemed rather calm when talking about that.
‘Well, she is well integrated in the high society.’
In the future, she would be manipulating many people to gain control, and essentially, she became no different than them.
“…..You have a point, but isn’t this overdoing it?”
“….Even you know he can do whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if he has to lower you.”
I agreed with her viewpoints. Different people had different methods, and nobody had a direct relation to prove which method was right.
After all, the definition of ‘right’ itself belonged to the subject, and we humans tended to reason ourselves for each act we would do regardless of how bad it looked.
I myself is no different either.
As the conversation between us concluded, Adrian’s voice echoed through the archery grounds once again.
“Next participant, Vivian Johanson.”
I turned my attention back to the ongoing evaluations, and the newcomer confidently stepped forward. ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ Nov(l)ꜰre .t
She wore a smirk that exuded confidence, and as she grabbed her bow, her demeanor was akin to a predator eyeing its prey. “
What are you going to do about it?” I asked Lilia, genuinely curious about her approach to dealing with Adrian and his manipulations.
She smirked cockily, a glint of determination in her bright eyes. “Deal with these types of people? Crush them in their own field. Always.”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her response. It seemed Lilia had her own strategy to navigate the intricate web of influence and manipulation within the academy.
“How will you do that exactly?” I asked, intrigued even though I knew the answer. Seeing her speaking about her methods was a little interesting; it was as if the scene of the game was playing right in front of my eyes.
Lilia tilted her head, her green hair flowing slightly as she met my gaze.
“Simple. I’ll become the best archer in this academy. Adrian can manipulate and scheme all he wants, but if I’m at the top, he won’t have a choice but to acknowledge it.”
Her confident tone carried a hint of ambition. Lilia wasn’t the type to be easily deterred by obstacles; instead, she embraced challenges head-on.
“You’re going to do it by being the best archer?” I raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised at her straightforward approach.
“Of course. Why settle for less? The archery world is just another battleground, and I plan to dominate it.” Her eyes sparkled with determination, reflecting her unwavering resolve.
It reminded me of Irina a little as she also had this look in her eyes, although in Lilia’s case, it was different.
From how Irina did things, I always thought she wasn’t actually arrogant, but she was forcing herself to be one.
‘As if to gather attention.’
It was my own analysis, though I wasn’t that sure. One thing, though, was that she was annoying whenever she did that.
However, Lilia genuinely believed she was better than others; it was her own evaluation of herself. So, I was sure she was really going to do it right now here.
“Certainly something you would say.”
“If you settle for less, then you can never improve.”
“Yeah, yeah….” I rolled my eyes at her squinting look. She was implying my previous response with that look, though I didn’t care much.
“Sigh…..I won’t say anything more.”
“You better.”
“…”
lightsnοvεl CLAP! CLAP!
Just at that moment, we heard the sound of clapping from the scene as we both turned our attention to the scene.
“It seems she has finished her performance.”
“Indeed….”
We saw the girl leaving the scene with a smile on her face. It seemed her performance was rather outstanding as the onlookers also followed her movements.
Well, considering what Adrian was doing, there was a chance that she was his acquaintance.
In any case, I leaned on the wall while looking at the people watching the event. I still hadn’t forgotten the feeling I got at the start: someone who was acquainted with demons was in this place.
With my eyes, I constantly looked for possible individuals, but I found none. It was to be expected, as demon followers were always like cockroaches.
They knew how to hide themselves well.
‘Though I will crush you no matter what.’
At the end of the day, they were bound to make a mistake. I recorded some suspicious faces in my head to search for them at a later time. Even if I couldn’t find them now, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to find them later time.
Once I found them, they could prove to be a good way to enter the web of demon followers.
“Next contestant, Lilia Thornheart.” While lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard Adrian’s voice echoing through the place.
The name “Lilia Thornheart” resonated through the archery grounds, drawing attention from the spectators.
As the spotlight shifted to her, Lilia flashed a confident smirk, her green hair shimmering ethereally. She carried herself with an otherworldly beauty, capturing the admiration of those around her.
“Watch closely, Astron,” she said with a playful glint in her eyes, clearly reveling in the attention. “I will show you how it is done.”
“I never wanted to learn?”
“You will be after watching me.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Just don’t be captivated by me.” Saying that, Lilia elegantly moved toward the center of the stage, every step exuding a self-assured grace.
Her confident posture and the air of someone completely at ease with their abilities spoke volumes. It was apparent that she intended to make a statement with her performance.
As she prepared to showcase her archery skills, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle yet powerful energy emanating from her. Lilia Thornheart was no ordinary student; she held the potential to redefine the standards within the academy.
‘I guess it will be a good show to witness the future Bow Empress in serious action.’
After all, thanks to my now improved [Perceptive Insight], I was a lot better when observing, and Lilia was going to show her abilities to a much larger extent.
‘Let’s enjoy the meal.’