Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

For the whole month, Leonard had been searching for the 'Kin of the Moon.' Since the prophecy had long predicted that the Kin of the Moon would have their fate interlocked with the 'Stars' of the world, Leonard started from Arcadia City.

Though he was taking a break now, his mind was still occupied with his mission after all. He was having a good time talking to his sister and learning about her life, yet part of his mind was still tense.

"The reason I left—"

And just as he began, he suddenly flinched, his gaze snapping away from Sylvie and toward the cafe's entrance.

His eyes briefly shone with a vivid yellow light, and an intense, almost predatory intent seemed to radiate from him.

Though he was adept at controlling his aura, making it invisible to ordinary people, Sylvie's unique powers allowed her to sense the shift.

Her eyes widened, and she gasped softly, but she quickly regained control of her emotions, masking her reaction. She watched Leonard closely, her mind racing with questions and concerns.

"Brother?" she asked softly, trying to keep her voice steady. "Is everything alright?"

Leonard didn't immediately respond, his focus entirely on something—or someone—outside the cafe. The artifact around his neck had tingled, alerting him to the presence of his target. 'Kin of the Moon,' the thought echoed in his mind, heightening his senses and making him hyper-aware of his surroundings.

Without turning back to Sylvie, he spoke in a low, urgent tone. "Sylvie, I need to step outside for a moment. There's a call that I need to take."

THUMP!

Sylvie's heart pounded in her chest. Since this was the first time she had seen something like this.

No. It was not the first time.

There was once a time when she felt the same thing. The time when she witnessed someone getting brutally murdered.

That brutal murderer who killed Demonic Human Mason had the same type of intent. Such a type of intent, similar to a murderer, was coming from her brother. How could she stay completely calm?

'This is…..No, Sylvie. Calm down.'

But eventually, she nodded, forcing a smile. Since this was how she was supposed to act if she wanted to learn more, she needed to keep her calm and act logically, not letting her emotions get the better of her.

Since this was what she learned.

"Of course. It is completely fine."

Leonard gave her a reassuring nod, his expression softening momentarily. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

Leonard stepped out of the cafe, his demeanor shifting from relaxed to hyper-focused. Once outside, he quickly checked his surroundings before pulling out the artifact hanging around his neck.

The 'Kin of the Moon'—a target he had been hunting for some time—was near. He injected his mana into the necklace, enhancing its influence to trace the target more precisely.

As the mana flowed through the artifact, Leonard began to sense the mana imprints of everyone around him.

Each person had a unique signature, a distinct energy pattern that the artifact could detect. He scanned the area meticulously, his senses heightened to pick up even the faintest trace of his target.

However, no matter how much he searched, he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the 'Kin of the Moon.'

"Annoying. Or should I say, as expected from the world's best academy?"

The academy's wards and protective artifacts were causing interference, disrupting the resonance of his mana with the artifact.

The intricate magical barriers designed to safeguard students and faculty were inadvertently shielding his target from detection.

Leonard's eyes narrowed in frustration as he continued to scan the area. He could sense the presence of powerful wards, their energies mingling and creating a complex web that made it nearly impossible to isolate a single mana imprint.

'No, this will not work no matter what.'

After almost a minute of fruitless searching, Leonard realized that he would have to get closer to his target without relying solely on the artifact. He would need to employ a more direct approach to uncover the identity and location of the 'Kin of the Moon.'

'But still…..I have finally gotten something. It seems the lord is on my side.'

Despite the setback, a smile tugged at Leonard's lips. The fact that his target was somehow affiliated with the academy—either as a student or a relative—meant he was on the right track. The proximity of his target gave him hope that he was closing in, and it was only a matter of time before he uncovered the truth.

With a final, calming breath, Leonard turned and re-entered the cafe. Sylvie was waiting for him, her expression calm, but her eyes filled with concern and curiosity. Leonard's demeanor softened as he approached her, masking the intensity of his recent focus.

"Sorry about that," he said, sitting back down. "Had to take care of something urgent."

"It's alright. Everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Leonard reassured her, his smile gentle. "Now, where were we?"

Sylvie forced herself to relax, deciding to continue their conversation and gather more information when the time was right. "You were about to tell me why you left so suddenly," she reminded him, her voice steady.

Leonard's expression grew serious again as he nodded. "Right." He smiled slightly. No matter what, he knew he couldn't escape his fate.

Sylvie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Purpose?"

Leonard's smile widened. "It's fine if you don't understand everything completely right now. When the time comes, you'll understand."

Sylvie narrowed her eyes, feeling a mix of curiosity and frustration. "And the right time isn't now?"

Leonard shook his head. "No, not yet. But I'll give you a hint."

Sylvie leaned in, intrigued. "A hint?"

Leonard's eyes twinkled with a secretive light. "Do you think our family is a simple family?"

Sylvie stood in silence, pondering his question. She had always felt there was more to their family, especially with the abilities she and Leonard possessed as well as she herself possessed, but she had never delved too deeply into those thoughts. Her mind raced with realizations, trying to piece together the fragments of what Leonard was implying.

"Leonard, what do you mean?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Leonard smiled and put a finger to his lips. "Shh. Not the time."

Sylvie sighed, realizing that she wouldn't be able to get any more information from him. He was always like this, after all. If he didn't want to talk, he would evade the topics like this. Despite her frustration, she knew pushing further wouldn't yield any results.

"Alright, I'll wait," she said reluctantly. "But you have to promise to tell me when the time is right."

Leonard nodded. "I promise. Just trust me for now."

Sylvie looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of deception, but all she found was sincerity. Normally, she wouldn't even have the urge to check her family's emotional palette since she trusted them deeply. But right now, she couldn't forget the intent that Leonard had displayed just now.

The fact that he resembled that murderer alone made her feel a suffocating feeling inside.

'How do you expect me to trust you?'

She thought inwardly. Yet, she knew she could only answer in one way. With a deep breath, she decided to let it go for the moment.

"Okay," she said, forcing a smile. "I trust you."

Leonard's expression softened. "That is my sister." And then, suddenly, he smiled mischievously. "So, it seems my sister is a bit popular now?"

And he asked a question that was so out of nowhere that Sylvie couldn't help but give a surprise exclamation.

"Huh?"

"You know," Leonard continued, leaning in with a teasing grin. "The one who asked you out at the infirmary. I saw the whole thing. Is there a person you like? Is that why you rejected him?"

Sylvie felt her cheeks heat up and crossed her arms with a huff. "There's no such person."

Leonard released a thoughtful "Hmm?" as he leaned back, a glint in his eyes.

*******

'What was that?'

As I was walking across the academy grounds, I suddenly sensed a presence. It was not a presence of someone, but rather a presence that was incredibly similar to the Logo that the woman named Reina had shown.

It was spreading a weird type of energy that wasn't exactly mana, but at the same time, it was something I was a bit familiar with.

'Divine Power. It is similar to the energy Sylvie emits from time to time.'

Sylvie learned to control her energy a lot more while we were training in close combat, but that also exposed me to her energy.

'Someone from Aurora Sanctum is here.'

Regardless of who they were, the important thing was something else.

'I felt threatened.' That was the important thing. The energy. Somehow, the moment I felt exposed to it, my senses started screaming at me.

It was such a warning that I almost felt suffocated. Even in the presence of a high-ranking demon, I didn't feel such a threat.

Therefore, my first instinct was to run away. I even used [Shadowborne] to mask my presence. It was a bit risky, but that was necessary.

And thankfully, after getting away from the crowd, the threatening presence left. It seemed I had successfully escaped.

'That is not normal.' Something was happening.

I didn't know who this person was or what their intentions were. But, if they were to exclude such a dangerous presence from everyone in the academy, there was no way they wouldn't be spotted.

Even if my [Intutition] parameter is quite high, it is still not higher than the instructors. Therefore, the fact that that person wasn't even recognized means one thing.

'I was the target, or I was in the desired target group.'

Something had triggered. There was a special distinction that the person from the Aurora Sanctum was looking for.

'What makes me different from any other student?'

The question has several answers, but there are three of them that can be detected.

'My Trait [Shadowborne] is related to the Primordial Demon of Shadows.' The first one was the existence of my trait. If it was detected, it could possibly display a link to demons, and I could be misunderstood as if I were affiliated with them.

And if it was the Aurora Sanctum, the land of holiness, that was possible.

'Just because I had sent the documents to Eleanor, she called an expert related to demons this quick?'

If it was Eleanor's influence, it slightly made sense that such a thing was possible. Since I had informed her that a possible attack would happen in the final exams and the demon contractors were planning something. It made sense that she called an expert.

But something inside me doubted it. Since the Aurora Sanctum wasn't that easily accessed and contacted.

'The second thing is, my special soul situation.'

The fact that my soul was somehow dismantled and transported from another dimension itself was a special occurrence. If it was detected, I could see it resembling the 'possession' of evil spirits.

This was possible since the Aurora Sanctum was known for its holiness, and that power was known for its purification properties.

As for the last one.

'It is because of my trait [Lunar Enigma.]'

Since the other representation of the Aurora Sanctum was 'Sun's Land.'