Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 364

Chapter 364 84.2 - Acceptance

There are times when a person may not remember their actions as they were supposed to be. And there is a really simple explanation for that.

We judge other people by their actions, but we judge ourselves with our intentions.

After all, a person would have no way of knowing what their counterpart is thinking since, in general, they don't possess the powers of mind reading. Therefore, they can only see their actions as reference material.

But is it the same for themselves? What does one think when looking at themselves? How do we judge ourselves? The answer to this question itself is a revelation to the human psyche. Most of the criminals don't think they are criminals at all.

A child who is hungry and only wants to fill their stomach wouldn't necessarily think that their actions are stealing when they or they secretly grabs bread from a bakery and runs away. However, in the eyes of an objective observer, those actions are nothing but stealing, even if the world forces them to do the deed.

Therefore, it had always been pretty easy for humans to ignore their own actions and deem themselves as right.

"For you, wasn't I just the heir of Emberhearts, just like for everybody else?"

As Irina asked him this question, those thoughts passed through Astron's head in a split second.

"Someone you can use?"

"Isn't t-that….true?"

Irina was punching his chest, and even if there was no force behind her fists, it was an act of silent protest. She was pouring the resentment she had felt for the whole day; the accumulated feelings needed something to go away.

"So what?"

After a moment of silence, Astron spoke. Somehow, his words contained a slight anger.

"Huh?"

"So what if it was true? What if I had approached you with the intention of using you? Is it wrong?"

The words suddenly spilled out of his mouth, and Irina couldn't raise her head. His eyes now contained a strange emotion that she had never felt from him.

"T-that…."

"Are you any different? Do you remember the first time we entered a dungeon? The time when I was ranked last."

Hearing that, the memory fragments of that time suddenly appeared. Though it wasn't too long ago, somehow, in this short time, she felt like countless different things happened.

"….."

"The time when you thought that I was the weakest, someone who didn't deserve to be on your team? Hadn't you ignored me back then when I showed the intention to talk to you?"

Then, Irina remembered the time when she first saw him.

'Ah...I did that….'

At that time, Irina was a lot more different than now. She got irritated more easily, and she was a lot more fiery than she is now. She also thought highly of herself, thinking that the world needed to serve her. She disliked weak people around her, thinking that they would drag her down.

"Did you not judge me based on the value I would present at that time? Seeing my rank, you just chose to ignore me."

"…."

Irina couldn't retort back against his words, as they were all true. At that time, she really thought he was useless and deemed him not worthy of her attention. This was her own justification since nobody said she needed to talk to him.

"And then, somehow, your perception of me changed because I revealed my talents slowly. You saw how I was able to see in the dark, how I could see the weakness of the monsters. And then, you saw I had a talent for leading. Because I revealed my strength, you didn't have any choice but to acknowledge me."

The more she spoke, the more Irina remembered the past. At that time, she knew she made a mistake while leading, and her decision-making skills weren't enough to be a leader. She was acting rashly and rather moved with her emotions.

Since she had always been strong, she never had the need to think about strategies against enemies, but Salamander was the first time that her strength failed, and she understood the importance of cooperation as a team.

And this guy was the one to show that to her.

'I can't refute him.'

"After that, we did many assignments together, and at the end of the day, you saw my merits more and were moved by that."

Astron said, looking deep into Irina's eyes.

"Do you think we would still be here together if I didn't do all these things? Or, if I didn't have all those talents with me? Do you think you would be talking to me like this right now, or would I be another stranger to you?"

Astron's words hung heavy in the air, each one piercing Irina's defenses and laying bare the truth she had been reluctant to confront. As he spoke, memories of their past interactions flooded her mind, each one a testament to the evolution of their relationship from indifference to reluctant respect.

She couldn't deny the validity of his words, nor could she find any rebuttal to his accusations.

Everything he said was true, and each admission only served to deepen the knot of guilt and shame that twisted within her.

"In any case, I don't want to talk anymore. You can think whatever you want." Astron mumbled as he raised his hand, channeling his mana. Now that he had killed Danielle, things had a chance to get ugly, and Astron would rather prefer that this accident was buried in history.

Thus, he was about to clean the scene.

Unable to meet his gaze, Irina shrank back before his presence, her fists unclenching as the weight of his words pressed down upon her. At that moment, she felt small and insignificant, dwarfed by the magnitude of her own shortcomings.

For the first time, she saw herself through Astron's eyes, and the reflection she saw was not one she was proud of.

She had judged him based on his perceived weaknesses, dismissed him without a second thought, and only deigned to acknowledge him once he had proven his worth.

Though that was her past actions, and she had changed considerably compared to that same past, couldn't he say the same thing?

'He could.'