The academy’s and, in general, the human domain’s stance on how healers were to protect themselves was as such–leaving the responsibility to the combatants and making their jobs as easy as possible.
The healers didn’t need to fight since they were not suited to do so. It was very rare for a healer to possess an offensive skill, and that made them unsuited for combat, and the Hunter Association didn’t want to risk such rare individuals.
However, Sylvie was different.
She wasn’t a normal healer. She was the future Saintess; therefore, her job and fate were a lot more different from a normal healer. She was bound to be pursued by countless different people thanks to her powers, and it was very hard for her to trust anyone other than herself or maybe him.
She had been thinking about this for the whole day since Danielle came out to be a demon contractor. The person that she thought was her friend was, in fact, a demon contractor and a murderer. This made her no longer trust how people look.
The more she remembered the times they had spent, the more she realized how countless different times could be picked up that Danielle was a demon contractor. She just didn’t look at it that way, and if she were to suspect, if she were to look into the matter more, maybe she could have saved all those students who had died in Danielle’s hands.
Sylvie may have hated her powers since they always showed the ugly side in people, but for the first time in her life, she was feeling responsible. The fact that she had the ability to prevent all those deaths but didn’t do so because of her lack of judgment and commitment made her feel guilty.
“Sylvie, never forget. Great power comes with great responsibility.”
‘Yet, where is my responsibility? What did I even do with this power, aside from hiding?’
Even if she would be in danger, did it justify the lives that are lost?
‘No, it doesn’t.’
Sylvie knew the answer well since she also remembered the time when she was powerless. Therefore, she could empathize with those who lost their lives.
‘Right. I need to get stronger as fast as I can so that I no longer need to hide.’
But the blood had been spilled, and there was nothing she could do. Even though she felt responsible, she also knew the reason why she didn’t go to the academy to get opportunities from them was because she couldn’t trust anyone. It made sense since there were countless different factions in the academy, and Sylvie had witnessed the corruption.
Either she had been targeted by insiders, or she saw people getting targeted.
Mason was a demon contractor, and that almost cost her and his life.
He was targeted in the mid-terms and almost lost his life. If Sylvie had not been there, he would most likely no longer be there.
And now Danielle.
She didn’t even know just how many more were in this academy or even in the government. She knew she wasn’t safe. He had emphasized this a lot of times, and she knew that her hiding was the most logical one.
‘But is it the right thing to do?’
Yet, this question constantly gnawed at her inside.
Those thoughts were on her mind as she approached the place that was determined by him for the training.
It was the sparring grounds that she had rented exclusively, thanks to her privilege as a healer. As for whether the academy was suspicious about her training or not, she had been trying to improve her physical aspects for the whole half of the semester now, and the other healers already knew that.
The instructor at that time made a knowing gesture since she was well aware of the trauma Sylvie had. Thus, she even encouraged her to take a step forward.
[Sylvie Gracewind. Rank, Healer, 12.]
With the recent changes, the academy decided that healers were no longer included in the general ranking list since it didn’t make sense to do that.
As she entered the lounge, she saw him waiting on the sides. Normally, she would feel enthusiastic seeing him since she liked the training and the feeling of improvement, as well as something else.
But today, she felt like she wasn’t doing it.
“Have you been waiting? Sorry.” She walked to Astron and said.
“It is fine. I just came here five minutes forty-two seconds ago.”
“Ah…..”
“Let’s not waste any more time.”
As Sylvie followed Astron into the sparring rooms of the academy, she couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between this environment and the makeshift training grounds she had grown accustomed to.
Here, everything exuded a sense of luxury and sophistication, from the polished floors to the state-of-the-art equipment lining the walls.
The air hummed with the anticipation of rigorous training, and Sylvie couldn’t shake off the feeling of being out of place amidst such opulence. She glanced around, taking in the gleaming weapons racks and the meticulously maintained practice dummies, feeling a mixture of awe and intimidation.
“Today will be our last training session,” he announced, his voice cutting through the silence of the room.
‘What?’
Sylvie, who heard his voice, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“What?” She asked, her voice surprised. How could it not be? She wasn’t even sure of herself or her training. She still felt like she had a lot more room to improve, and she was not even at the level of a beginner.
Astron turned to face Sylvie, his expression calm and composed. “Our goal for these training sessions was never to make you the best close combat fighter,” he began, his voice measured. “It was to equip you with the necessary skills to defend yourself and understand how to utilize your strength in close-range combat.”
Sylvie listened intently, her brow furrowing in confusion. She couldn’t understand why Astron would consider ending their training when she still felt like there was so much more she needed to learn.
Or was it something else? She didn’t want to answer, nor want to think about it.
“We’ve accomplished what we set out to do,” Astron continued, his tone unwavering. “You’ve shown remarkable progress in a short amount of time, and you now possess the knowledge and skills to defend yourself effectively in close quarters.”
Sylvie opened her mouth to protest, but Astron raised a hand to silence her. “Listen, Sylvie,” he said firmly. “You are not a fighter. You are a healer. Your primary role is to support and protect others, not to engage in combat yourself.”
‘With my powers, I can fight too!’ She wanted to protest. She wanted to shout out that, with her newly awakened trait [First Lord’s Authority], she could deal with people. But then, she remembered she needed to keep her powers to herself.
And knowing that the person saying those was him, he must have already thought about these matters before bringing them up. Thus, she saw no reason for her to object.
“Your strength lies in your ability to heal and nurture,” Astron continued, his gaze softening. “That is where you will make the greatest impact.”
Sylvie nodded, “You are right.”
In this world, nothing is everlasting.
The meal you eat is bound to end. The drink you are having is bound to finish. The youth you take for granted is bound to dimmish away.
When people think that they have the time to get to the world, reality slaps them really hard. That is just how it goes and how it has always been.
The flow of time never stops, and nothing can go against it. You can buy time by increasing your rank and your life span, but at the end of the day, it still ends.
‘Then, why do we take everything for granted?’
Sylvie asked herself while looking at him.
“Now, let’s start.”
He stood there with his presence faint. When they started training together, Sylvie had always thought that he was kind of a mountain. It wasn’t that he was big or anything; it was just that his presence seemed like it would never have been shaken.
But then, as she progressed, she realized it was because of her own shortcomings. The reason why she thought like that was because she didn’t know how to judge her opponents.
In fact, the academy had been teaching this to the students from the start of the academic year, but since Sylvie was not a combatant but a healer, the academy’s focus for her education was not how to fight but rather how to deal with the injuries efficiently while taking a good position in parties since this was their stance.
As she progressed, she realized that he was not like a mountain but like a swift wind. His presence was faint, as if he could always disappear from one’s eyes if they were not paying attention.
And he was swift. His attacks didn’t contain huge amounts of force but rather concentrated on attacking weak points quickly. He never let himself get over his head and always acted cautiously.
That was most likely in his nature.
Someone who could always disappear from one’s life. Someone who always felt close but not at the same time. Regardless of the time and the location, Sylvie always felt like there would be a time when she would never see him again.
It was a random thought, close to instinct. It was like something had been warning him.
SWOOSH! THUD! Yet, those thoughts in her head were interrupted by the swift motion that had appeared right before her face.
It was the start of their last training session.