Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 817 - 189.3 - Mentorship

Chapter 817 - 189.3 - Mentorship

"If they were so successful, why did Eleanor leave?" 
The room fell into a brief, heavy silence following Irina's question. The unspoken tension hung in the air, as if the cadets were collectively turning the question over in their minds but reluctant to voice their speculations. Even Julia, usually quick to fill the silence with a quip, remained quiet, her brow furrowed slightly. 
Ethan shifted in his seat, his gaze dropping to his tablet as though the answer might magically appear there. "That's… a good question," he said finally, his voice quieter than usual. "I've heard a few things, but nothing concrete." 
"Same," Lilia admitted, her tone unusually restrained. "There are rumors, of course, but…" She trailed off, her green eyes flicking toward the front of the room as if half-expecting Eleanor to materialize and hear her thoughts. 
Julia tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "Rumors? Like what?" 
Lilia's lips pressed into a thin line, and she shook her head. "Nothing worth repeating here." 
Irina's fiery yellow eyes darted between her classmates, her sharp instincts catching the subtle shifts in their expressions. She didn't press further, but her silence spoke volumes—she understood there was more to the story, even if no one was willing to say it aloud. 
Julia, never one to let go of a thread, leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering her voice. "Oh, come on. You can't just drop that and leave us hanging. What kind of rumors are we talking about? Betrayal? Drama? A secret lover?" 
"Julia," Lilia said sharply, cutting her off with a glare. "Enough. You don't want Eleanor to overhear you speculating like that." 
At the mention of Eleanor, the tension in the room sharpened. Even Julia, who rarely took anything seriously, leaned back in her chair with a sheepish grin. "Okay, okay, point taken. I don't need her wrath raining down on me." 
Ethan chuckled softly, though his expression remained thoughtful. "Yeah, let's not poke that hornet's nest. Whatever the truth is, it's not something she'd appreciate being dissected in a classroom." 
The cadets exchanged uneasy glances, the air thick with unspoken questions they dared not ask. Irina returned her focus to her tablet, her sharp gaze scanning the list of hunters with renewed interest, as though the names might offer a distraction from the unanswered mystery. 
Julia broke the silence with a dramatic sigh, her grin returning as she attempted to lighten the mood. "Fine, we'll shelve the Eleanor drama for now. But seriously, how did Silver Vanguard even have time to be so legendary? Between running a guild and building reputations like that, it's no wonder they're still famous." 
Irina, sensing the shift in tone, smirked faintly. "Some people are just built different, Julia. You'd know that if you spent more time working and less time talking." 
"Ha, ha," Julia shot back, though her grin was genuine. "You wound me, Irina. But fine, I'll take the hint. Back to the list." 
The room slowly returned to its previous buzz of activity, with cadets reviewing the mentorship applications and murmuring about their preferences. Yet, the question Irina had raised lingered at the back of their minds, a quiet reminder of the enigmatic figure who had just left them with more than one mystery to ponder. 
As the cadets continued scrolling through the list together, Julia's finger froze mid-swipe, her blue eyes widening in surprise. She leaned closer to her tablet, as if to confirm what she'd just seen, before exclaiming, "Kaya Hartley?" 
All heads turned toward her at once, and then, almost as one, toward Ethan. Julia, never one to miss an opportunity, was the first to speak. "Your aunt is on the list?" she asked, spinning toward him with an incredulous grin. 
Ethan raised his hands defensively, his hazel eyes wide with genuine surprise. "I didn't know about this either! I just found out." 
Julia narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment as though trying to gauge his honesty. Then, her grin turned sly. "Well, if she's here, that must mean she's interested in someone. Maybe she's got her eye on one of us." 
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Or maybe," he said dryly, "she's just here to teach, like every other mentor." 
Julia waved a dismissive hand, her grin widening. "Sure, maybe. But thinking about the possibilities doesn't hurt, does it?" 
Ethan gave her a pointed look. "That's rich coming from you." 
Ignoring his jab, Julia's grin remained firmly in place as she leaned back, clearly enjoying herself. Ethan shook his head and reached for his smartwatch, deciding to check the list himself. 
Opening the academy's portal app, he navigated to the mentorship program section. As the page loaded, his brow furrowed in confusion. The section where the submission forms were supposed to be was blank. Instead, a bold message greeted him at the top of the page: 
"Your mentor has been confirmed." 
Ethan blinked, sitting up straighter as he read the message again to be sure. Beneath it, a line of text appeared, simple yet striking: 
"Mentee: Ethan Hartley. 
Mentor: Eleanor White." 
"What?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. 
The others noticed his reaction immediately. Julia leaned in, her curiosity practically radiating off her. "What's wrong, Zeus? You look like you just saw a ghost." 
Ethan didn't reply right away, his gaze fixed on the screen. Finally, he glanced up, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. "I… I don't have a submission form," he said slowly. "It says my mentor's already been assigned." 
The group exchanged surprised glances. "Assigned?" Irina repeated, her fiery yellow eyes narrowing. "Without you applying?" 
Julia raised an eyebrow, her grin turning mischievous. "Ooooh, who's the lucky mentor?" 
Ethan exhaled deeply, glancing back at his screen before answering. "Eleanor White." 
That announcement hit like a lightning bolt. The group's reaction was immediate and loud. Julia clapped her hands together, a mix of disbelief and excitement in her voice. "What?! Eleanor? As in Instructor Eleanor? The same Eleanor who strikes fear into every cadet here?" 
Lilia's green eyes widened slightly, though her tone remained measured. "That's… unusual. Assigning a mentor without application isn't standard protocol." 
Lilia's green eyes remained fixed on her tablet as she scrolled through the guidelines, her expression sharp. "It says here that everyone is supposed to choose their own mentors," she remarked, her voice even but tinged with curiosity. She tapped the screen and turned it slightly to show the others. "The system is designed for cadets to submit their applications, and then mentors select from those applications. There's no mention of pre-assignments anywhere." 
Ethan frowned, glancing between Lilia's tablet and his smartwatch. His mind raced as he tried to make sense of it. Then why? he thought, his brows knitting together. Why was I assigned directly? 
Before he could voice his thoughts, Julia leaned in with a mischievous grin, her blue eyes sparkling with humor. "Maybe she's taken a liking to you," she said, her tone laced with teasing. "Maybe Instructor Eleanor just wants to spend some alone time with you. Who knows? Maybe you're her favorite." 
Ethan shot her an incredulous look, echoed by everyone else in the group. "Even jokes should have some boundaries, Julia," he said, his tone firm. "If Instructor Eleanor were here, you'd have been blasted across the room by now." 
Julia waved her hand dismissively, completely unbothered. "It's just a joke," she said, crossing her arms with a dramatic huff. "And what's with all this talk about boundaries? The darker the joke, the better!" 
"..." 
The silence that followed was heavy, punctuated only by Ethan's slow blink as he stared at her, utterly unimpressed. 
Julia rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in mock frustration. "Humph. You guys don't know how to appreciate good humor. Honestly, the only thing darker than my jokes is your sense of fun." 
Lilia smirked faintly, but her focus remained on the guidelines. "Regardless of your theories, this situation isn't normal," she said, her voice cutting through Julia's antics. "If Eleanor requested Ethan specifically, it means she has a reason. And knowing her, it's not something casual." 
Irina, leaning back in her chair, added calmly, "Whatever it is, Ethan, you're going to find out soon enough. Eleanor doesn't seem like the type to keep things vague." 
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "Great. So now I've got to figure out why the most intimidating mentor in the program decided to single me out. No pressure." 
Julia grinned, nudging him playfully. "Oh, come on, Zeus. Look on the bright side—at least you won't have to fight for her attention like the rest of us. You're already in." 
Ethan groaned, but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips despite himself. "Yeah, lucky me." 
The group chuckled, their banter lightening the mood even as the mystery of Ethan's sudden mentorship assignment lingered in the back of their minds. 
Just as the group's conversation began to settle, the sharp creak of the classroom door broke through the chatter. All heads turned as Eleanor stepped inside, her heels clicking against the polished floor with precision. Her gaze swept over the room, sharp and commanding as always. 
"Ethan. Astron. Come to my office," she said briskly, her voice leaving no room for questions or delay. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and exited the room, the door closing behind her with a definitive click. 
---------A/N-----------
My keyboard is apparently broken....I needed to send it to service.....
I will try to write one more chapter, but my laptop is kinda slow.