”I want you to take the credit for this incident. Especially for the fight with the demon.”
The moment Irina heard his words, a cold feeling washed over her.
“What?” Irina’s eyes widened in disbelief at Astron’s unexpected request. It was an unreasonable proposition, and the audacity of it angered her.
It was a natural reaction. After all, what that guy had just said touched a place that she would never remember. There was no way that she would take it normally and scoff it off.
“Let me repeat. I want you to take the credit for this incident.” And as if he didn’t even notice her words, he repeated the same thing without any disturbance. He talked as if this was something natural.
“You…..” And, Irina was not going to take it well.
–SWOOSH!
With a fast rush, she grabbed him by his collar once again. At least she tried to. Yet, this time, things didn’t go as she wanted, as Astron slightly tilted his body backward, evading her grip.
“Calm down.” He said, his voice monotone.
“Calm down? You want me to fucking calm down after hearing what you said?”
“What was wrong with what I said? Also, don’t swear in front of me.”
“What was wrong? Ahahahaha….” Irina raised her hand to her face after hearing his words, letting out a small laugh. “And you want me to not swear after saying all these things….This is beyond funny.” Her face once again turned serious, as fire psions started to correspond to her emotional state.
“What do you take me for?” Irina’s voice carried a mix of frustration and anger. “Someone who steals other people’s achievements for the sake of her own success?”
Astron remained composed, seemingly unfazed by her outburst. It was as if he had already been expecting what she was going to say. “It’s not about stealing.” He started as he looked into her fiery eyes directly. “It’s about keeping certain things hidden. There are matters that are better left in the shadows.”
“…..” Irina didn’t respond immediately. She just kept looking into his eyes, her fiery gaze meeting his with an intensity that mirrored her building frustration.
‘Here I thought his sleeping face was innocent. This annoying bastard…What does he think I am?’
After a brief silence, she finally spoke, her voice sharp and filled with indignation.
“Did I seem like a joke to you?” Irina’s words cut through the tension, each syllable carrying the weight of her growing frustration. “Someone you can control and manipulate as you wish?”
Astron maintained his composure, his expression unreadable. “It’s not about control or manipulation. I just proposed my wish to you. I am not controlling anything.”
Irina’s frustration flared, and she retorted, “If this is not controlling, then what is it? Proposing your wish? What kind of twisted way of asking for a favor is that?”
Astron has furrowed his brows at her words, seemingly thinking about them. It was as if he was saying internally, ‘I should have been more considerate. I guess I underestimated her pride.’
While he might not have admitted it openly, Astron had been already trying to make Irina way more agreeable while diminishing her overly prideful demeanor. After all, she needed such a development.
‘Well, the mask that one has been wearing for too long becomes a part of their real face, isn’t it?’
He thought inwardly and raised his hand in a conceding manner. “Irina, my words were inconsiderate and too insinuative. It’s my fault,” Astron admitted, his tone more ‘apologetic’ than before.
Well, at least, this was what Irina wanted to believe, yet inwardly, she knew this guy’s apology wasn’t from his heart at all.
‘At least, this should be fine for now.’
Yet, before he finished, Astron couldn’t help but add one remark. “However, you should stop jumping to conclusions without listening to everything in detail.”
And hearing it didn’t make it better for Irina; otherwise, it might have made it worse.
‘My bad, it is not fine.’
“You…..Are you looking for a beating?” She raised her hand, a small wave of fire swirling around her fists.
“Resorting to physical methods doesn’t make you right; it just proves you don’t have a valid point to respond.” Hearing his words and seeing his relaxed posture, she could feel that he didn’t even consider that she would hit him even for a second.
‘Should I just do it?’
She wanted to hit his annoying, calm face so bad…..But she couldn’t. After all, if she had attacked him right now when he was tired, it would mean both that she didn’t have a valid point, as he said, and that she could only fight him when he was tired.
“Tch. Annoying bastard.” She scoffed, turning her head to the side since she had no more answer to give.
“So, can I speak now?”
“If you don’t want to listen, I don’t have any measures to make you do so.”
“We both know I can no longer leave without hearing what you want to say.”
“You can’t?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know it.” Th link to the orign of this information rsts n NovlFir(.)nt
“…” At this point, the conversation wasn’t going to go anywhere, so Astron just stood and signaled her to do the same.
“Let’s talk while we walk. The scenery is going back to normal, and I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
Without waiting for her response, Astron began to walk through the remnants of the cavern, and Irina, after a moment of hesitation, followed suit. The quiet atmosphere persisted, with both of them lost in their thoughts.
After a while, Astron took a breath and started explaining his perspective,
“Irina, the reason I want you to take credit for this incident, especially the fight with the demon, is not about stealing achievements or controlling you,” Astron began, his tone more earnest. “It’s about the practical aspects of our positions here.”
He paused, choosing his words carefully. “First and foremost, my rank is relatively low. This incident, considering its scale and complexity, is beyond what a low-rank student like me should be able to handle. If the truth were to come out, there are a few possibilities.”
Astron’s eyes met Irina’s, his gaze unwavering. “Firstly, people might doubt my rank and start investigating my strength.”
‘That makes sense.’
His words certainly made quite sense. After all, Irina was well aware that he was hiding his abilities to some extent. It was evident from the moment where she had requested his footage of the joint dungeon. She also could see how easily he managed to direct their party in the practical dungeons and many other cases.
His way of thinking didn’t also belong to such a lower rank as well, as he was rather well-versed in terms of theory and calculations.
‘As for why he is doing this, I don’t know.’ She thought as she continued to listen.
“Secondly, they might question whether you’re lying and were somehow coerced by me or Sylvie into saying such things. But considering the rumors that had been going around regarding me, most people would be inclined to think that it was me.” Astron made his second point.
This also made sense; after all, Irina also had her fair share of rumors, and she was also subjected to prejudice. She was also at first inclined to think Astron was quite like rumors, so she understood how it would be for any normal stranger student.
“However, the most dangerous one is this.” He said, signaling the slowly disappearing mist. “There’s the risk that they could think I was somehow entangled with the perpetrator of this incident.”
‘What?’
Hearing this, she couldn’t help but ask herself.
‘Isn’t he being too paranoid?’
After all, who would link him to the perpetrator of this case?
“You may think I may be being too careful, but considering the number of things that demon-followers have done this semester, the academy needs to be careful about the events surrounding it. The public opinion is getting a little shaky as well. Therefore, demand on the investigation would highly likely occur.”
Irina took a moment to mull over his words. While initially skeptical, she started seeing the logic behind Astron’s request.
‘I can see that….’
It wasn’t about manipulating or controlling her; it was about mitigating the potential fallout from a situation that had escalated beyond what was expected.
“All of these things would make things hard for me,” Astron admitted, his expression serious. “So, I wish for you to take credit for the incident, especially the fight with the demon, since only you could have done it.”
Hearing the phrase ‘only you,’ Irina felt her heart throb a little, and she hated that fact.
‘…’
She nodded slowly, understanding the weight of his reasoning. The situation was indeed delicate, and Astron’s concerns were not unfounded. She could see the practicality behind his request.
Yet, that didn’t mean she was obliged to help him.
“I see your point.” She said while raising. “However, you know you should not-“
“I should not expect you to go against your own standards just to help me.” He cut her words and completed them on his own. “This was what you were about to say, right?” He met her gaze with a calm determination that left Irina momentarily dumbfounded.
“Exactly,” she finally managed to nod her head in agreement.
“This is the reason I’m requesting it from you,” Astron continued, providing insight into his perspective. “I know it goes against your principles, and I am willing to pay the corresponding price.”
Irina’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What could you possibly do?”
“I will grant you one request equal to this one. Consider it a transaction. You take credit for the incident, and in return, I fulfill a request of your choosing.”
Irina tilted her head, studying Astron for a moment. The offer intrigued her, and yet, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of caution. Considering the fact that he had also promised her to another one when she was teaching him the basics of magic, she thought he might be scamming. After a brief pause, she asked, “Anything?”
Astron nodded. “Within my capabilities and within the boundaries of reason. I won’t compromise my values too much of an extent either, and we both should deem it equal to what you are doing right now.”
His words made sense as she studied his expression.
‘Well, he certainly is not the type to go against his own words.’
Considering the fact that he was rather obsessed with being true all the time, Irina was sure his pride was also quite great.
Irina crossed her arms, considering the proposition. The exchange seemed fair, and the idea of having Astron owe her a favor was already satisfying.
‘Should I make him bark like a dog?’
He imagined the scene in her head, yet she was unsuccessful in even forming it.
‘Yeah, there is no way he would do that. But…..’
After a moment of contemplation, while her mind wandered to countless different scenarios that she ‘could’ think of, she smirked.
“Fine, deal,” she said, extending her hand for a handshake to seal the agreement. Astron reached out, and they shook hands, their unspoken pact binding them in a curious alliance amid the aftermath of the mysterious incident.
‘What should I ask him about this?’
As she was thinking about the future when she was in the position of control, she couldn’t help but smile.
Yet, in a place where many different things were happening, one boy opened his eyes.
“No…..”