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Chapter 185 Chapter 41.3 - A Change of Heart

Irina glanced over the report, a nod of approval following. "Yes, it looks comprehensive. We\'ve covered the analysis, the discovery of the map, and the implications of our findings."

Though, at first, Irina wanted to write, both her and Astron\'s writing were almost impossible to read.

"Is it readable?" As Astron asked it, Sylvie looked at him with an expression saying, how dare you ask such a question with such a writing.

"….."

"Okay, okay. My bad." Astron waved his hand, as he also understood that his handwriting wasn\'t that good.

It wasn\'t bad, but Sylvie certainly had a neater writing. At least, that was what he thought, but Sylvie knew what kind of good she had done to assistants who would read those papers.

"Let\'s go submit this to the professor. We\'ve covered everything necessary," Irina declared as she grabbed the report. However, the other two didn\'t move with her at the same time.

"? What are you waiting for?"

Astron raised an eyebrow at Irina\'s prompt to go submit the report. "Why do we all need to go? You can submit it on your own. Our names are already on the report," he suggested, his voice carrying a nonchalant tone.

"You! Are you going to leave me alone?"

"What are you, a child? Just go on your own. It is not like you need someone."

Irina considered his point, realizing the practicality of the suggestion. After a brief pause, she nodded in agreement. "Fine. I\'ll go on my own. I thought we could eat something after that, but I guess it was just me."

"It is fine. I will eat from the cafeteria anyway. And you don\'t come to the cafeteria most of the time."

"How do you know that?"

"Everyone knows you are a picky eater."

"….Really?"

"Yeah. Don\'t you remember what you did last time when someone offered food to you in the dungeon?"

"Ah..."

Irina\'s expression shifted, recalling the incident. She grumbled, "Well, I have specific tastes. That\'s all."

"I know; that was why I said it."

"What happened in the dungeon?" Sylvie asked with an innocent tone.

"Well, this girl ov-" Astron started, but Irina quickly cut him off, her face turning a shade of embarrassment.

"Nothing. Just some trivial incident. I\'ll go submit the report," Irina hastily interjected, standing up and leaving the small soundproof section of the library before Astron could spill any details.

And before she left, she threw a threatening look at him, and Astron simply shrugged his shoulders.

Sylvie, curious but not pressing the matter, looked at Astron, awaiting an explanation. "What happened there?"

"It is not my place to disclose this information."

"..."

At his stern reply, Sylvie just looked at him bewildered.

\'It is not like this is a government secret.\'

She wanted to say but held it in, as she knew he wouldn\'t say anything anyway. She was curious, but she also knew how uncomfortable it would be if she were to do something like this.

As the two of them were left alone, they also started preparing for the leave.

"Now that we have time, I wanted to ask."

"About teaching close combat?"

"Yes."

Astron considered for a second, and then he said, "Let me see your schedule first. We can figure out a time that works for both of us."

Sylvie opened her schedule from her watch, which was neatly organized with her classes, study sessions, and other commitments. She handed it to Astron without hesitation.

Seeing this, his eyes widened for a second. Everything was planned and written there, and he also understood how dangerous it might be if someone targeting her were to find out about this.

"You really shouldn\'t trust people this easily." He mumbled as he looked at the schedule while taking notes in his mind.

Of course, while he mumbled that, Sylvie could see his emotional palette. There, she saw a small concern.

Sylvie shrugged, "I don\'t trust everyone like that."

Astron raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "Why did you show me this, then?"

"Because I trust you," Sylvie replied simply, her gaze meeting his. However, the moment her gaze met with his, she could see a small doubt in his heart.

And then she realized what she had said just now, and her face got crimson instantly.

"….."

His questioning gaze continued to bore through her eyes, and she realized she made a mistake.

There was no way she could say, \'I had been watching you all the time, and I can see what you feel. You are not someone to harm people randomly.\'

So, she became more embarrassed and felt the need to push excuses.

"W-we\'re a team now, right? Shouldn\'t I trust you?"

\'I feel safe with you.\'

She also couldn\'t say those words since they were too embarrassing.

Astron\'s expression remained inscrutable, his doubt evident. Sylvie, feeling the need to provide more justification, stumbled through a series of excuses, "I-I mean, I couldn\'t ask anyone else, either."

As Sylvie uttered her explanations, Astron\'s gaze didn\'t waver.

\'Aren\'t your friends are both close combatants?\' He wanted to ask but didn\'t.

After a moment, he responded with a curt nod. "All right, no need to explain yourself so much; I get it."

After a time that felt like an eternity for Sylvie, he finally pushed her schedule.

After a moment that felt like an eternity for Sylvie, Astron finally pointed out the empty slots in her schedule. "I won\'t push you too hard, especially at the start. Let\'s train at this time," he said, indicating a couple of two-hour slots twice a week.

Sylvie nodded, appreciative of the consideration. "Thank you for doing this. I really want to get better at defending myself."

Astron nodded back, "It\'s nothing. But remember, training your body is equally important. Do some physical exercises when you have free time with your friends. If I remember correctly, both of them are close combat fighters, so they should know how to train themselves. You need to build strength and stamina along with combat skills. While we were walking, I noticed it, but you really neglected training your body."

Sylvie lowered her head at this, as she herself knew that was what she did. Danielle and Jasmine constantly called her to train together, but she refused since it reminded her of her trauma. But now that she decided to confront it head-on, she knew she needed to improve herself physically.

"Yeah, you\'re right," Sylvie admitted, her voice carrying a mix of determination and hesitation. "I\'ll work on that too. It\'s just… some things are hard for me."

"…." Since Astron was the first one to open that wound, he himself knew what Sylvie meant.

"It is fine. At least you took the first step. That is something itself."

"...Thanks."

"Good, then. I will see you tomorrow in the club."

"Ah, right….We had a meeting…"

She had completely forgotten about this.

As she saw him leaving, she waved her hand. "Take care."

"You too."

Just like that, the two went to their own dorm rooms….

******

"Tch. Bastard."

Irina muttered under her breath as she left the room, irritated by Astron\'s nonchalant attitude.

She headed to the professor\'s office to submit the paper immediately, wanting to put some distance between herself and the archer who seemed to effortlessly get on her nerves.

As she walked towards her room, still fuming silently, her phone vibrated with an incoming message. Pulling it out, she saw a group chat notification.

[Julia: Hey, gyus…. We\'re plangnig to mete up at the usual spot. Are you coming?]

Then, she added a couple of emojis, emphasizing the friendly nature of the invitation.

[Julia: ???? Uusla dirll - Burgers and game night. What do you say?]

Looking at the typos in the text, she couldn\'t help but shake her head.

[Lilia: I won\'t come, I am busy. Also, type correctly; it is annoying to read.]

[Julia: It is not like I am writing an essay.]

[Lilia: It doesn\'t matter. Write correctly.]

As she saw those messages, naturally, a small smile formed on her face. Since she came from the small holiday, she has been working hard on tests.

However, she disliked playing games most of the time since she couldn\'t do them in her home. Her mother didn\'t let her play….Thus, naturally, she wasn\'t fond of the idea.

[Julia: A new game has been released, and it is quite good. It\'s called "ChronoScape." It\'s connected to our smartwatches, and we can play it everywhere.]

[Julia: ???? Imagine an open-world game where you explore different realms, and the game adapts to your location. Plus, there are cool quests and challenges.]

Seeing the messages, she couldn\'t help but be intrigued. After all, it wasn\'t your daily game that you could find connected to your smartwatch.

[Ethan: Sounds interesting. But how do we play it?]

[Julia: Well, you need to order special equipment.]

[Ethan: You said we didn\'t need anything.]

[Julia:?It is fine; I already ordered the equipment, and it is in my room.]

[Ethan: Hm, I\'m not much of a gamer, but I could use a distraction. I\'ll come.]

[Julia: Anyone else?]

[Irina: I am coming.]

As she hummed a soft tune, Irina nodded her head in agreement, with a slight smile playing on her lips. She navigated through her smartwatch, fingers dancing across the screen as she searched for the "ChronoScape" game.

The prospect of exploring different realms and engaging in quests appealed to her, providing a welcome break from the academic rigors and recent frustrations.

She also had recently read an article that talked about how video games increased one\'s spatial awareness and motor reflexes, and it was something helpful. So, she was actually trying to improve herself at the same time.

"That\'s right."

Nodding at her perfect reasoning, she made her way to the academy grounds with a smile plastered on her face.

******

"Haaaah...Haaaaah..."

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Under the sky that had darkened, a heavy breathing sound echoed.

"Don\'t come closer…."

Her desperate plea sliced through the eerie silence as her eyes darted in every direction, paranoia consuming her.

The dim light from the lampposts cast long, ominous shadows, amplifying the sense of dread.

"No, no, no…."

She tried to pull her leg, which was bleeding, but that seemed to be impossible.

She scanned the surroundings, her gaze flickering nervously from one shadow to another.

The rustling leaves seemed to mimic sinister whispers, heightening her anxiety. The chilling wind carried an otherworldly murmur, and the tapping sound persisted, echoing like a menacing heartbeat.

"Why? Why are you doing this-"

Just at that moment, as she frantically turned to escape, something lunged at her face, a dark, indistinct shape that blocked out what little light remained.

SCREECH!

Her vision was abruptly shrouded in darkness, and a blood-curdling scream tore through the night, the sound muffled by an unseen force.

"Gurghk!"

The lamplights flickered ominously as if responding to the terror that unfolded in the obscure corners of the night as the body convulsed underneath the sky.

"I need more, I want more…."

And amidst the chilly wind, a pair of crimson eyes opened, creating an eerie aura as the body turned limp.