”We need to talk.”
Just as I was about to enter the training grounds, I sensed someone’s presence before me. The voice wasn’t exactly familiar, but it was a voice that I still remembered.
“….”
Turning my head to the side, I saw silvery hair first : a silvery long hair. And then, my attention was captured by the beautiful face structure, with slightly long eyelashes and slim lips.
“It is rude to look at someone like that.” The voice continued its words.
“Is that so?” Words came out of my mouth naturally, looking at her bright blue eyes. There was a sharp glint in those eyes, unique to someone who had the innate coldness inside themselves.
“It is.”
She was the student who shared the first rank with Victor. A future powerhouse of ice if nurtured well.
Seraphina Frostborne.
“I see,” I replied and shrugged it off. Whoever the person before me, I did not care too much. Whether something was rude or not depended on the person affected, and I had no control over it.
This argument somehow sounded hypocritical, but there was no one to reprimand me for that fact, so I was all safe.
As I was just about to walk further, in the corner of my vision, I saw Seraphina’s mouth twitching. It seemed she disliked being ignored.
“Didn’t you hear me?” She asked, her voice a little bit grumpier now.
“I did. That is why I had reacted, hadn’t I?” I replied as I walked further away.
“Do you call it reacting?” She somehow sounded furious. Her words contained certain emotions, and they reminded me a little bit of Irina. But then again, Seraphina was someone who didn’t act as rashly as her counterpart. She instantly took control of her emotions.
Not bothering to look back at her, I said: “Well, what would you call it then? Seems like a reaction to me.”
Seraphina’s cold gaze bore into me for a moment longer before she sighed, the frustration evident in her voice. “We need to talk.”
“Why?” I asked. I already knew what kind of person this girl was. Even though she may act high and almighty as a noble should, she wasn’t someone to let go of things. This was the typical way of acting for nobles, and she was not an objection to that rule.
“You will understand when we talk.”
“I will understand when we talk. Why should I do that, if I don’t know the reason?”
At my question, she made a surprised exclamation. Her face showed clear signs of a lack of understanding of this matter.
“Because I am coming to you?” It seemed like in her world, if she came to someone, they must accept talking to her. That made sense, considering how it should have been for her in the past.
The heir of Frostborne family. One of the strongest magic noble families in Arcadia Dominion, one of the six pillars.
An incredibly beautiful girl that would make the person feel like their eyes are feasting.
Facing such a person, it was understandable why people never refused the offer to talk.
But for me, these qualities didn’t matter. If I had wanted to entangle myself with this bothersome woman, I would have already done so from the moment I came to the academy. I had plenty of opportunities to do so.
But I didn’t, since she was a rather troublesome person to deal with. Just like Victor and Lilia.
“So?”
As I raised my eyebrows, her stupefied face was worthy of taking a picture.
‘It is a pity that she would freeze me to death if I were to do such a thing.’
Sadly, even now, with all the things I have under my arsenal, direct confrontation with Seraphina is impossible. A monster is a monster, after all.
“You…..” She released a sigh. “I knew you would be different, but who would have thought that you would be this edgy.”
“You are free to think whatever you want.”
“I see.” Seraphina raised her head, seemingly realizing something. From the look inside her eyes, it seemed she made her choice. “If you are going to act like that, don’t blame me for being rude.”
“Hmm?” Somehow, her words triggered a response in me. It was an instinct I knew, the instinct when things weren’t about to go as I wished.
The moment her words left her mouth, I raised my eyebrow. I am already quite an expert at giving these types of reactions, and I am pretty confident in the control of my body. There was just zero possibility that I would give a hint about my reactions.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I replied.
“Ahahaha…” A faint laugh left her mouth, somehow feeling ‘amused?’ by my response. “Why are you hiding your strength, I wonder?”
I maintained my composure, refusing to show any sign of concern at her threat. “I’m afraid you’ve lost me. What strength are you talking about?”
She regarded me with a skeptical gaze, clearly unconvinced by my feigned ignorance. “Don’t play dumb, Astron Natusalune. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “If you say so. But I assure you, I have no idea what you’re getting at.”
Her lips formed a thin line, betraying her frustration. “Fine, if you want to play that game, be my guest. But just know that I’m certain about my assessment, and there’s no room for mistakes. I will report this matter to the headmaster, and let’s see if you can stay hidden even after that.”
I watched her carefully, noting the determination in her stance and the unwavering conviction in her eyes. It was clear that she believed she had me figured out, and there was little I could do to sway her opinion.
‘Headmaster, huh? Well, considering that she is one of the strongest people in the academy and the most talented, she could meet with the Headmaster easily. And, somehow, she sounds certain, regardless of my reactions. There is zero doubt about that opinion of hers, which sounds like the channel she confirmed this information doesn’t make any mistakes and could be trusted to the maximum. If that is the case, is it her [Trait], [Unique Skill], or the word from someone she is close to?’
This speculation formed in my head first because she was sure of this information. If she were to hear my strength from someone, she would first need to confirm with her eyes since Seraphina is not someone to trust others blindly. But, I am sure I hid my actions well without any surveillance to point out to me; thus, this option is invalid. Then, it meant that she found this information without observing me in combat, and this case was similar to Irina and Senior Maya.
Since both of them didn’t see me fighting but saw the results and were able to infer my strength from there. But Seraphina didn’t have the luxury of that since I am sure that neither Irina nor Senior Maya would reveal anything, and she also didn’t know about my achievements.
This brought me to the [Trait] case. If she was able to see my strength, that would satisfy everything, and this would also answer some of the questions I had in my head about the game. There were several instances where Seraphina judged the strength of the enemy correctly in the game when she was in the player’s party.
Thus, I believed that it was because of a [Trait] or a [Unique Skill]. After all, there were many weird skills and traits in this world, and the scope was very large. Why wouldn’t there be a talent that showed the strength of a people?
‘Always assume bold and broad. You can always confirm it later. It is better than being unprepared and not thoughtful about something.’
It is one of the most important mottos for a street person to live where there are many enemies around. Of course, this can also backfire, but with enough knowledge, it worked well most of the time.
‘But it seems she came with a plan in her mind, and she had already observed my attitude and inferred some things about me. This is the reason why this girl is troublesome to deal with.’ ‘If I were to deny this further, there is no doubt that she would hold on to her promise. And listening to her shouldn’t be that bad. Even if she is troublesome to deal with, right now, the most logical act would be complying with her request.’
After a moment of tense silence, I relented, realizing that further resistance would be futile. “Alright, fine. Where do you want to talk?”
Seraphina’s expression softened slightly, a hint of satisfaction flickering across her features. Her face revealed a smirk as if she had won. “It is good that you know when to back off. Follow me. I have a good place in my mind.”
For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this, but sometimes things wouldn’t go the way we wished.
No one can control everything about the world around them, not even their own lives.
As I followed Seraphina through the roads of the academy, her silvery hair swayed gracefully with each step she took.
Despite my initial reluctance, I somehow couldn’t help but admire her poise and confidence, traits that seemed to come naturally to her.
As we walked, Seraphina broke the silence with a seemingly casual remark. “Isn’t it quite interesting, Astron?”
I raised an eyebrow, curious about her sudden shift in topic. “What do you mean?”
She glanced sideways at me, her gaze piercing yet thoughtful. “The whole academy is bustling with students striving to excel in their studies and grades, to prove themselves worthy of their place here. Yet, there’s someone among us who seems to be indifferent to all of it.”
“There is nothing interesting about it. That person most likely is just lazy to deal with everything.”
“Lazy to deal with everything? Maybe they find these types of things troublesome?”
“It is good that you know how they feel. Maybe you should consider their feelings as well.”
“Sadly, one’s feelings are not that important in the adult world.”
“Somehow, you entered the adult world now?”
“I never left it.”
“That is what a child would say.”
“Your assessment seems wrong; you should correct it.”
“I doubt that.”
“Maybe. But, you see, Mister Astron,” she continued, her tone contemplative, “it’s fascinating how some individuals can exist on the fringes of our society, untouched by the expectations and pressures that weigh down the rest of us.”
I considered her words carefully. “And what do you make of such individuals?”
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I suppose it depends on the individual. Some may see them as rebels, defying the norms of society. Others may view them with envy, wishing they had the courage to break free from the constraints placed upon them.”
We reached our destination, a secluded café corner of the garden terrace overlooking the tranquil scenery below.
A place for the high-ranking students.
Seraphina gestured for me to take a seat on one of the stone benches, and I obliged, settling myself down as she joined me.
“But in the end, everyone had a secret or two. And once you grasp them, no one can escape your hand.”
“…..”
“So, let’s talk about our main topic, shall we.” She said while sliding through the menu. “You wouldn’t mind if I choose it for you?”
“It would be an honor to drink what mighty Seraphina Frostborne chosen for me.”
“Your humor seems good.”
“It was supposed to be sarcastic.” Read Web Novels Online Free – NovelFire Novel Fire – novelfire.net
“For me, it looked rather humorous.”
“It seems so.”
As Seraphina smiled at my words, she naturally had chosen one of the options from the menu. Though I wasn’t able to see what she had chosen, it didn’t matter in any case.
“Now, let me ask you a question first,” Seraphina said, locking her eyes with me.
“Why are you hiding your strength?”