After Lilia's performance, the competition went smoothly. Though none of them were able to outshine Lilia.
"How was it?"
However, our masked goddess seed to want my opinion on her performance.
"It was superb."
I replied to her question. The way she utilized new aspects and introduced such types of relations in theory to archery itself brought a different feeling to . Even now, I am thinking about how to make myself better at such things.
The usage of mana anchors and reflective mana fields are both different ideas that only creative people could co up with, and that alone itself is insane, in my opinion.
"Superb…..That's it?"
"What do you want to say more?"
"Maybe worship ?"
"Are you a goddess?"
"Am I not?"
"You might be."
"Then…."
"Then, I would be an atheist."
"I believe I have the power to convert an atheist to my believer."
"This answer is all you could co up with after thinking before the bed all the ti?"
"So what?"
"It was cringe."
"…..You don't seem to hear your own words."
"I do. Sotis, I cringe at myself."
"Is this why you don't speak a lot?"
"..."
"Heh….It is my win this ti."
As she smiled triumphantly over , I shook my head. I was not even competing in any case, and I certainly did not feel annoyed at her smirk.
Certainly.
"So even you can make such a face?"
"What about my face?"
"You look annoyed."
"I am not annoyed."
"This is what an annoyed person would say?"
"….."
It seed right now that my brain wasn't working on giving quick answers. Considering every person has their peaks and downs, it made sense for to be the sa.
'Next ti, it won't be like that.'
My useless inner pride seed to get hurt a little, but I consoled myself, thinking I would do better next ti. And I have then redirected my own thoughts to upcoming events in the future.
"You are leaving already?"
Lilia asked, seeing getting my things up.
"Yes. I have no reason to watch anymore."
"So, you were waiting for my performance."
"Of course."
"Are you that obsessed with ?"
"Do you want to be?"
"Urghk- That would be creepy."
It seed she had at least a little bit of common sense.
"Then, you shouldn't make jokes like that. It normalizes the idea itself."
"...I see….."
Lilia's acknowledgnt was accompanied by a subtle shift in her deanor. It seed she also understood what I implied.
There were many examples of what I just said, as this idea was sothing that was used by politicians to control the masses. Even by making jokes about sothing that seed out of the world, you introduce those things to the receiver's mind, and underneath the subconscious, you are making them familiar.
And, once you have made enough of this, this new familiarity results in less repulsion by the idea itself, making it a lot smoother to introduce it as a new normal.
These are the basics of the ruling, and Lilia must also be aware of my words.
"Do you have sothing to say?" I asked, looking at her gaze probing at . Her bright red eyes seed to shine a little more.
"I am really curious, you know." She said with a slight smile.
"About what?"
"About this person nad Astron Natusalune."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"If you don't know, why are you telling ?"
"Just to let you know?"
"…..This doesn't make sense."
"Does everything have to make sense?"
"If you are not making any sense, then it is nad as being crazy."
"Once, Newton was nad as crazy too. Look at it right now; his na is everywhere."
It seed this conversation wasn't going anywhere. She may be curious about , but I don't hold the responsibility to satisfy that curiosity.
"I am going to investigate you."
She suddenly mumbled, looking directly into my eyes.
"Why are you telling that?"
"I want to hear from you if you have any objections."
"Will you listen to if I have any?"
"Probably not."
"Then it is pointless for to answer you."
"Why?"
"No matter what, you have the necessary manpower to investigate my background regardless of my will. I have absolutely zero impact on your results or your actions, aning you are the only one responsible for what you do. That ans my answer would be pointless."
Hearing my answer, she stopped for a second, seemingly thinking about it.
"You would be a good sophister."
Acknowledging the futility of further discussion, I gathered my belongings and stood up, ready to leave. Lilia's probing curiosity had offered a brief diversion, but it was ti for to focus on what truly mattered—my continuous pursuit of improvent.
"Where are you going now?"
"I'm going to train," I replied, not wanting to linger in a conversation that seed to lead nowhere.
"Training, huh?" Lilia's eyes glead with interest. "Do you always train alone?"
"Yes," I replied, unfazed by her curiosity.
"That's quite boring. Don't you want soone to spar with or at least keep you company?"
What she said made sense. In a way, training without sparring with soone would offer nothing. It was like knowing everything in theory, but once you enter the practical field, that would be useless.
It was similar, but not the sa. After all, while I was alone, training didn't an I didn't spar with anyone. Training rooms were designed to match the students, after all.
"I prefer solitude."
She nodded, accepting my preference without further insistence. As I made my way towards the exit, she called out, "Good luck with your training."
With a nod, I left the place, walking to my own room.
*******
Just as Astron had left, Lilia was left alone in the crowd, watching the competition. By this ti, it was almost reaching its end since the archery club wasn't that large.
'Interesting fellow.'
Certainly, that guy's opinions were different from the people she t in general. He had a different way of interpreting things.
When she asked him if she wanted to investigate him, she was looking for any reaction that would co from his side. After all, there were tis when the body spoke more volus than the words themselves.
However, the answer she got wasn't relatable to anything she had in her mind—pure indifference and no reaction at all.
As if she was talking with a doll.
'I really can't predict him after all.'
No matter how she thought, he didn't seem to fit any type of pattern that she could think of. That made him a singularity.
Deciding to leave the archery competition early, Lilia discreetly slipped away from the crowd. She weaved through the dispersing spectators, skillfully avoiding any undue attention.
As she walked through the academy grounds, she pondered Astron's peculiar nature. The encounter had left her intrigued, and she found herself contemplating the unpredictability that seed to shroud him. He was an enigma, a puzzle she couldn't quite solve with her usual analytical approach.
anwhile, Ethan and Julia, who were still observing the archery competition, received a ssage on their watches.
[Lilia: I've returned. et at the usual spot.]
The cryptic nature of her ssage left room for speculation, but one thing was certain—it seed like Lilia had sothing on her mind that she wanted to discuss privately.
*******
"Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Don't kid with , Adrian. I could see what you were doing?"
Elara was the person who had been in the Archery Club for a whole year, and she had been with Adrian for a long ti as well.
Thus, she knew his nature and how he acted most of the ti. In a way, she could easily predict what kind of things he was going to do in the competition.
But, this ti, he crossed the line. In a sense, the archery competition itself was a tradition, but by rigging it, she basically crushed that tradition itself. Therefore, in her eyes, he was now in a position that should be reprimanded.
Even though she had been with him in this club for a whole year and she had overlooked many things he had done, it was now different.
Elara's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing through Adrian's nonchalant deanor. The tension in the air was palpable as they stood face to face in the quiet archery range, away from the prying eyes of other club mbers.
Adrian, the captain of the Archery Club, leaned against a nearby target, feigning innocence. "Elara, darling, I have no idea what you're talking about. I simply showcased how hard it is to acquire skills. It's not my fault the others couldn't keep up."
"Don't play gas with , Adrian," Elara snapped, her frustration evident in her tone. "I saw you tampering with the scoring system, manipulating the targets. You rigged the entire competition to make yourself look like the only competent archer. That's not showcasing skills; that's undermining the very essence of the competition we hold dear."
Adrian chuckled, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, Elara, you always take things so seriously. It was just a little fun, a way to remind everyone who the true talent is. Besides, it's not like anyone else could beat anyway."
Elara's jaw clenched as she fought to contain her anger. "This is not a joke, Adrian. We're a team, and you've betrayed the trust of every mber here. The archery competition is about camaraderie, about pushing each other to excel. By rigging it, you've tainted the spirit of our club."
Adrian pushed himself off the target and approached Elara, a condescending smirk on his face. "Camaraderie? Please, Elara, don't be so naive. In the end, it's every Awakened for themselves. I just made that reality a bit more transparent."
Unable to hold back any longer, Elara's hand shot forward, gripping Adrian's collar as she glared into his eyes. "You've let your arrogance blind you, Adrian. You're the captain, ant to lead and inspire. Instead, you've chosen to sow discord among us. I won't let you tarnish the reputation of our club any further."
Adrian felt the sudden grip on his collar, and for a mont, he allowed a flicker of surprise to cross his face before swiftly morphing it into a scowl. The nonchalant facade that adorned him monts ago vanished, replaced by a simring aggression that emanated from his entire being.
Elara's words seed to have triggered a dormant anger within him. His tone turned threatening, and his eyes, once indifferent, now held a dangerous glint. "You think you can lecture , Elara? Touch like that again, and you'll regret it."
Elara, undeterred by his change in deanor, maintained her steely gaze. "Your actions demand accountability, Adrian. I won't let you drag the others down with your selfish ambitions."
Adrian's lips curled into a sneer, and he forcibly shrugged off Elara's hand from his collar. "You've been getting on my nerves for a while now, you little….. Always poking around where you don't belong. But this," he gestured dismissively towards the archery range, "this is none of your business. You're overstepping, and I won't tolerate it."
His tone was threatening, and his gaze was overbearing. But Elara had seen her fair share of such people in this industry. Even the place where she did her internship had such people.
"Then what? What are you going to do?" Her gaze t with his scowl. After all, the best response to such people was to show that she wasn't scared.
But, contrary to what she had experienced, Adrian was different. Unrelenting, he brought his face dangerously close, and Elara could feel the weight of his killing intent pressing down on her.
'What is this?'
The air beca thick, and breathing seed like an arduous task, as if she stood in front of a prowling lion.
His lips curled into a nacing smile. "If you're going to keep up this attitude, you might want to stop those shaking legs of yours first. Maybe then I could consider you as a possible threat."
THUD!
Adrian abruptly threw her away, and without another word, he turned on his heel, leaving Elara standing in the quiet archery range.
"Haaaah…..Haaaah….."
With her breaths heavier than usual.
"As expected, you are different."
However, at that mont, a person appeared right behind her.
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