Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 834 - 193.2 - Selene

Chapter 834 - 193.2 - Selene

Selene's smile deepened at my response, the faint glow of amusement dancing in her brown eyes. "Are you a wise person then?" she asked, her voice smooth, almost indulgent.

I didn't answer immediately.

Instead, I met her gaze directly.

Silent.

Unwavering.

Cold.

"It is not that easy to find that out," I said finally, my tone steady, devoid of embellishment.

Selene's expression didn't waver, but I caught the small shifts—the way her pupils flickered slightly as she assessed me, the way her breathing remained measured, as if ensuring she was in complete control of every micro-expression. Her amusement hadn't faded, but something beneath it had sharpened.

She was searching.

Looking for something in me.

Something she couldn't quite place.

And I? I was watching her right back.

Selene was used to people reacting to her. That much was obvious. She was a master of control—of weaving tension and expectation into something tangible. But what happened when that control met something unmoving?

She was trying to feel me out.

Testing.

Calculating.

I knew that because I did the exact same thing.

Her gaze lingered, her body perfectly still, as if she were trying to peel back a layer that wasn't there.

00:38

My presence was low. Erased, even. I had refined it to the point where people often overlooked me, their gazes sliding past without truly registering my existence. It allowed me to observe without being observed.

But Selene wasn't just anyone.

She was trained.

She noticed.

Her gaze lingered, her body perfectly still, as if she were trying to peel back a layer that wasn't there.

I let the silence stretch.

Her brown eyes bore into mine.

And then—

She laughed.

Soft.

Melodic.

But real.

"Interesting," she murmured, more to herself than to me.

She hadn't gotten what she wanted.

And that?

That intrigued her.

Intrigue.

A curious thing.

Attention from someone like Selene Thornheart wasn't something one simply dismissed. It carried weight—an implication that she saw something worth noticing. That could be dangerous. Or beneficial.

The answer depended.

Would her interest work against my goals? Possibly. Possibly not.

This was where the principle applied—Don't take risks you don't control.

The moment I had accepted Lilia's trade offer, it had already been set in motion. Walking in with her, aligning myself, however loosely, meant I would be noticed. And if Selene was truly as perceptive as I already knew her to be, she would have marked me regardless.

Then Irina.

It didn't matter that I wasn't actively involved in their game before. The fact that I was here—standing at Lilia's side, within her sphere of influence—meant Selene would have accounted for me in her calculations.

And if not Lilia?

Then Irina.

Selene had already seen the reports. She had already been looking. Even if I had kept my distance, her curiosity would have brought her to me eventually.

And if not Irina?

Then Adrian.

That one was inevitable. Selene had contacted him for a reason, and Adrian wasn't subtle about his grudges. I wasn't part of his world before, but now? Now, I was standing on a battlefield that he thought belonged to him.

One way or another, she would have come to me.

So, the choice wasn't whether I avoided her attention.

It was whether I let her form her own conclusions—or if I guided her toward the conclusions I wanted her to have.

Control.

That was the key.

I met her gaze once more, watching the way she studied me, amusement still curling at the edges of her lips.

She thought she was peeling back layers.

But the trick was simple.

You let them think they were seeing through you—while showing them only what you wanted them to see.

I let the silence stretch again, just enough to keep her waiting, to let her anticipation build before I finally spoke.

"Interesting?" I echoed, my tone unreadable. "Is that your way of saying you haven't figured me out yet?"

Her smile widened just a fraction, her brown eyes glinting with intrigue. "Oh, Astron," she murmured, tilting her head. "That would take more than a single conversation."

That was true—for her.

But not for me. After all.

'I had already figured you out.'

*****

Selene's brown eyes lingered on Astron as the match continued in the background, but she barely registered it now. The excitement of the audience, the shifting dynamics of the fight—none of it held her interest anymore.

No, her focus was entirely on the young man before her.

'Strange.'

That was the first word that came to mind. Not because of his demeanor, though that was certainly noteworthy. His calm, unwavering presence had been a rarity in itself, but that alone wouldn't have made her look twice.

No. It was something else. Something she couldn't quite place.

It wasn't his looks—though she could acknowledge, on a surface level, that he was handsome in an effortless, almost unfair way. It wasn't even the way he spoke—measured, composed, never giving more than he wanted to.

It was a feeling.

An offbeat vibration in the air. A subtle wrongness that wasn't inherently negative, just... different.

Selene prided herself on being able to read people. To get under their skin, to twist the subtleties of a conversation until they unraveled just enough for her to see what lay beneath. It was what made her dangerous. What made her effective.

Yet with Astron…

'He wasn't unraveling.'

He had remained exactly where he wanted to be. Still. Cold. Just out of reach, as if he existed in a place beyond her grasp.

And that was unusual.

Most people, when faced with her attention, fell into one of two categories—either they wanted it, or they feared it.

But Astron?

'He does neither.'

That made him interesting. That made her curious.

Selene tilted her head slightly, studying him as she let her thoughts wander back to earlier that evening.

She had ordered a background check, of course. Just a quick one, nothing invasive. She had expected basic information—academic performance, club affiliations, maybe a family name of note.

What she had found instead had been… unexpected.

Astron, an unassuming young man, was connected to someone she very much knew.

Irina Emberheart.

The fiery demoness herself.

Selene's fingers curled slightly at the thought.

'Now that is interesting.'

The Emberheart name carried weight, but it wasn't just prestige that made it significant. Irina wasn't merely a noble—she was an entity. A force of nature known for her ferocity, both in combat and in the political sphere. Her reputation preceded her, whispered in corridors with equal parts respect and wariness.

And this young man?

'Somehow, he's tied to her.'

That fact alone was enough to shift Selene's entire perception of him.

Astron hadn't reacted when she prodded him earlier, but she had seen it—the way he assessed her just as she assessed him. It hadn't been defensive. It had been calculated. Cold, yet precise.

The same kind of precision she had seen in Irina before.

'How close are they?'

That was the real question.

Selene's fingers tapped idly against her arm, her mind threading through the implications of the report she had received.

Irina Emberheart.

The reports had been vague, almost annoyingly so. She had expected more substantial details, but even a rushed inquiry had revealed something interesting.

Astron and Irina… a couple?

Selene's lips curved slightly, amusement flickering in her gaze.

'Now, isn't that something?'

At face value, it was almost absurd. Irina, who was known for her explosive temperament and overwhelming presence, bound to someone like Astron—silent, unassuming, the very definition of restrained control?

Opposites, in every way.

And yet, it wasn't impossible.

No, the more Selene thought about it, the more it made sense.

Irina had always been surrounded by bold, brash suitors—men who sought to conquer her, to stand beside her as equals or rivals. None of them had lasted long. They either burned out trying to match her flame or realized too late that Irina Emberheart was not the kind of woman to be had.

"Maybe this guy is different."

"Did you say something?"

"Did I?"

"…."

Selene's fingers curled slightly at the thought, a spark of intrigue settling in her chest.

'If that's the case, then this man is more valuable than I initially thought.'

Even if he wasn't the strongest, even if his rank within the academy wasn't the most outstanding, his connection alone made him a piece worth considering.

Because Irina was a force—an entity of chaos and destruction wrapped in nobility and prestige. And anyone tied to her, whether romantically or otherwise, carried influence by mere proximity.

Selene exhaled softly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she regarded him.

'But is it really true?'

Reports could be wrong. Assumptions could be misleading. A few scattered accounts and observations did not confirm the depth of their relationship.

Were they truly a couple, or was there something more beneath the surface?

Was Irina protecting him? Guiding him? Using him?

Or was it the other way around?

Selene had seen many relationships of convenience in her time—alliances formed for power, connections leveraged for influence. If Astron had somehow positioned himself within Irina's sphere, then whether through skill, luck, or sheer circumstance, he had already elevated himself beyond the average cadet.

'And that makes you… useful.'

The word lingered in her mind, and she let it settle there.

Yes. Useful.

Even if he wasn't the best archer, even if his combat skills weren't as refined as others—if Irina Emberheart held him in regard, then he was someone to watch. Someone who could be leveraged.

And that meant he was no longer just a background figure.

Selene's smile deepened ever so slightly.

'Oh, Astron. You may have wanted to stay in the shadows, but I'm afraid you've stepped into the light now.'

Because now, she was watching.

Now, she was interested.

And she had every intention of finding out just how much of these rumors were true.