The Academy's Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

Chapter 73: - Gift

༺ Gift ༻

The wind grew increasingly chilly as I traversed the road adorned with colorful fallen leaves.

Lately, more and more students were wearing cape shawls over their school uniforms, me included.

With the incident on Elt Island coming to a close, discussions about demons had become commonplace between the students.

─ Is there a person among us who can control demons? Maybe someone like a hidden mastermind.

─ That’s a little much...Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

─ Yeah, let’s stop with the conspiracy theories.

─ If there was someone like that, wouldn’t their mana capacity be visibly massive?

─ Could it be Luce? She has an S rank mana capacity.

─ It can’t be. If it were her, there’s no way she would have been attacked by demons last semester.

─ It’s probably not the Star Witch either, since she fought against the demons.

─ Then it’s almost certain that the demons are after one of us?

─ Probably.

By now, most students at Märchen Academy had realized that the cause of the frequent demon appearances was highly likely to be one of the students.

Otherwise, there would be no explanation for their dormancy while the students were on vacation.

It was a logical conclusion.

From my perspective, the constant appearance of demons was like having a meal at lunch break.

It was simply the law of the academy genre.

The evening was filled with a calm atmosphere.

Within Josena Forest, located near the Academy’s entrance, there was a lake densely flowing with mana.

At night, it would become even more vibrant.

I was currently seated on a stump nearby.

On the day I walked to Orphin Hall, Kaya had given me a note.

There was nothing abnormal about her.

Inside, she had written that she would like to meet me ‘here’, to properly thank me.

In addition to the note, there was also a cute drawing of the destination, ‘Norhan Lake’.

I wasn’t seeking any sort of repayment, but I had agreed to meet, because we had a lot to talk about.

I had decided to fully explain myself to Kaya today.

‘Did I come too early?’

I hurried here immediately after classes had ended, but I probably could have taken my time.

While holding a mana meter, I continually circulated mana through my hand, using the spare time to train my [Elemental Efficiency].

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew behind me.

「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」

Whoosh–

I could feel the flow of mana along with the wind spell.

Startled, I turned to see a female student approaching from a distance.

A calm smile accompanied her twin emerald braids and mysterious crimson eyes.

‘She’s changed personalities again.’

It was Kaya the Ravenous.

[Kaya Astrean] Lv: (140)

Race: Human

Elements: Wind, Ice, Plant, Blood

Danger: X

Psychology: [Happy to see you.]

“You’re already here. Sorry for being late, I thought I would get here quick enough.”

“It’s alright, but what’s that in your hand?”

Kaya was holding onto a long object wrapped in a bundle, making it difficult to discern what it was.

“Huhu, it’s a secret.”

[Kaya Astrean] Psychology: [Excited to see your reaction to her gift.]

She had mentioned wanting to thank me further, so it seemed she had brought along a gift.

Brushing it off, I casually made an affirmative noise before turning my attention to the lake.

Kaya sat next to me on the stump, tightening her grip on the gift.

“I testified as you instructed me to the Truth Investigation Committee. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.”

As she had gone through the same thing as Ian, it was easy for her to fabricate her statement.

She had her guard down and was knocked unconscious by a demon, before Lisetta healed her.

That was how she explained the situation to the Truth Investigation Committee.

If nothing significant occurred during the investigation, the Truth Investigation Committee would have no reason to look further than Kaya’s testimony.

“That’s a relief.”

“Did anything happen on your end? You rescued me, so I’m sure they asked you a few questions as well.”

“It wasn’t anything important, especially since they think I’m also a victim. By the way, how much do you remember?”

Squinting into the sky, Kaya started combing through her memories.

“When I was taken by the demon... I remember the blood in my body accelerating. My body felt really hot... the pressure made me feel as if my arteries would burst.”

Extending one of her arms, Kaya looked at the back of her hand before replying.

The sun was gradually setting.

“By any chance, Sir Isaac, will a powerful demon emerge during our third year? Have you been planning all this time to defeat that demon? That’s the reason you entered the academy... Or something like that?”

Kaya’s accurate deduction stopped me in my tracks.

“...You have quite the imagination.”

I calmly replied, making sure not to reveal even the slightest reaction.

“What kind of reason would that be? If a strong demon was going to appear in our third year, I would have told someone else about it.”

“You knew nobody else would believe it, and only you realized. Your abilities are far beyond my imagination.”

The resurrection of the Evil God.

It wasn’t entirely incorrect to say that only I knew.

However, my knowledge was limited to what was written in the ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

There was no way a weakling like me could recognize that the Evil God would be resurrected.

As I tried to explain myself, Kaya giggled before interrupting me.

“What you’re saying is that you have no plans of ‘dating’ until you complete your ‘goal’, right?”

A sense of unease traveled down my spine.

It was the same feeling I had every time Luce acted suspiciously.

I hurriedly read Kaya’s current thoughts by using [Psychological Insight].

[Kaya Astrean] Psychology: [Attempting to seduce you without holding back.]

‘Huh...?’

Her thoughts were very different from what I expected...?

I had anticipated her acting like she was in a drama, asking, ‘If I still feel the same way during our third year, will you accept my feelings then?’

I had even expected her to exclaim angrily, asking me, ‘Do you just not have feelings for me? I’d rather you be honest, I hate this...!’ Or something along those lines.

‘Did I just loosen Kaya’s restraints...?’

Regardless, Isaac was not in a position to date anyone.

So, she could continually seduce him until he liked her.

Ultimately, when he decided to pursue a relationship, she would make him hers.

This was likely how Kaya had arrived at her current conclusion.

“...I hope you don’t misunderstand me.”

“Don’t worry. I understood completely.”

After Kaya giggled to herself, she grabbed the long object that had been left at the base of the stump.

“Sir Isaac, did you know about this?”

Kaya began gently caressing the wrapped object as she spoke.

“In the Masop Forest, the Rompa tribe has a tradition of offering choices when giving gifts to their tribemates, allowing them to choose the gift they prefer. Whether it’s a rock or the skin of an animal...”

After staring in my direction, Kaya smiled brightly.

“Thank you for saving me. If Sir Isaac wasn’t there, I probably wouldn’t be alive. Huhu, I prepared two gifts, so please choose one.”

It was a wooden staff.

The gemstone at its tip had a blend of deep blue and sunset hues. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

Kaya passed the object to me with both hands.

“‘Zhonya’s Staff’ is a magical weapon that we’ve kept in our safe. You don’t have to worry about it being valuable, since I use it myself. I brought it because I was planning on using a staff...but I think it suits Sir Isaac much better.

My mouth started watering, but I quickly suppressed my urges.

A magical weapon was quite tempting.

A suitable magical weapon would require a significant amount of gel to purchase, and the Frostscythe I currently had in my possession couldn’t even be used properly...So a magical weapon was perfect.

Not to mention, it was Zhonya’s Staff...! I couldn’t remember if it was a tier 2 or 3 weapon, but it was definitely a rare item worthy of being guarded in the Astrean family’s coffers.

‘I wasn’t planning on receiving a gift in return...’

At this point, my thoughts shifted. Her sincerity was impossible to ignore, leaving me no choice but to accept the gift.

My hand naturally moved towards the staff that Kaya was offering.

Suddenly, she withdrew it behind her.

“There is another choice.”

Kaya held onto the staff with one hand, while simultaneously lifting her skirt slightly with the other.

Her flawless skin shone, showcasing her beautiful features as she smiled mischievously.

“The second choice is me.”

I stopped.

“Which do you want more, Sir Isaac?”

With a voice full of charm, Kaya mischievously asked.

[Kaya Astrean] Psychology: [Hopes that you will return her feelings.]

The humid air of Norhan Lake filled my lungs as the cool night air started sneaking underneath my clothes.

For a long time, we stared into each other’s eyes.

“Haa.”

Letting out a sigh, I approached Kaya.

As I was seemingly about to embrace her,

“Ah!?”

I took Zhonya’s Staff from her arms and moved away.

“I’ll use it well. Thanks.”

“...”

Shadows covered Kaya’s eyes as she glared at me for the first time today, her face contorted in disappointment.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t desperate enough for romance to succumb to her pitiful advances.