Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 525

Chapter 525 117.7 - Second Mission

"What about the family named 'Carpenter?'"

The name hung in the air like a sudden chill. The Mayor's reaction was immediate and telling. His face paled, and his breath caught in his throat. His hands, which had been tapping nervously on the desk, stilled completely, gripping the edge of the wood as if to steady himself.

Maria's eyes widened in recognition of the name, a flicker of something like sorrow crossing her tired features.

Damian, who had been glaring at Astron with suspicion, now looked slightly down as if something had been revealed. Something that he wanted to hide. Celia, who had been simmering with irritation, now stared at her father, her expression shifting to one of shock.

The Mayor's mouth opened, but no words came out. It was as if the very mention of the name had robbed him of his voice. The room seemed to grow colder, the oppressive weight of unspoken truths pressing down on everyone.

Astron's voice cut through the silence, his tone still calm but carrying an undeniable edge. "It seems the name does ring bells for everyone here." He said while looking at everyone. "That is good, as this makes things easier."

Celia's voice cut through the thick silence, her tone defensive and strained. "That name... it can't have anything to do with what's happening now," she insisted, her eyes flicking nervously between Astron and her father. She tried to muster her earlier confidence, but there was a tremor in her voice that hadn't been there before.

Astron turned his gaze to Celia, his expression unreadable. "Really?" he replied, his voice carrying a weight that silenced any further protests. The single word hung in the air, challenging the very foundation of her denial.

The room remained silent as Astron began to speak again, his tone steady and deliberate, each word carefully chosen. "Let me tell you a story—a story about a family named Carpenter, who once lived in this very town. They were a family of three: a father, a mother, and a daughter. Simple farmers, like many in Shange Town, living a quiet life, tending to their crops, and contributing to the community." freewebnøvel.coɱ

Astron's voice remained calm, but there was an intensity in his eyes as he continued. "But then, things began to change. Rumors started to spread—rumors that the Carpenter family was involved in something dark, something unnatural. Witchcraft, they called it. The townsfolk whispered that while everyone else was struggling with their crops, the Carpenters were thriving. Their fields remained green, their harvests plentiful, even as others withered away."

He paused, letting the weight of the words settle over the room. The Mayor looked down, his face a mask of guilt and fear, while Maria's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her sorrow palpable. Damian's earlier defiance had crumbled, replaced by a look of quiet shame, his eyes fixed on the floor. Celia, though still trying to maintain her composure, was visibly shaken, her earlier bravado now a distant memory.

"But," Astron continued, "the truth was far less sinister. The reason for the Carpenter family's success wasn't witchcraft. It was something much simpler, much more mundane. They refused to use the seeds that most of the town had been provided with—the seeds that had been supplied by a company with ties to a certain influential figure in this very room."

At this, the Mayor visibly flinched, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of his desk. Astron's gaze bore into him, unyielding. "Those seeds were of low quality, bought at a fraction of the price they should have been. They were subpar, and they were the reason why the crops failed across the town. But the Carpenters, being prudent, chose not to use them. They stuck to their own methods, their own seeds, and that's why their crops thrived."

The realization began to dawn on the others in the room, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Celia's eyes widened in shock, her gaze snapping to her father, who sat trembling in his chair, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"But someone couldn't afford to have that truth come to light," Astron said, his voice now edged with steel. "Someone who had made a deal embezzled money and provided those faulty seeds to the town. Someone who needed a scapegoat to cover their tracks. And so, the rumors of witchcraft were born—whispers seeded by that very person to turn the town against the Carpenters."

Maria's soft gasp broke the silence, and Damian's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white with the effort to contain his anger. Celia, still in shock, slowly shook her head, unable to reconcile the story with the man she knew as her father.

"The town began to shun them, ostracizing the Carpenter family, driving them further and further into isolation," Astron continued, his voice softening slightly. "And in the end, the weight of those lies, the cruelty of the townsfolk, led to their demise."

The room was deathly silent, the gravity of the story sinking in.

"But of course, that is not the end," Astron continued, his voice steady yet laden with the gravity of what was to come. The silence in the room was thick and suffocating as each person grappled with the dark truths that had been unearthed.

"Lingering Resonance," Astron explained, "is a phenomenon not commonly found in adults. Their emotions, though strong, are often tempered by experience and the ability to rationalize their suffering. It is the younger, more vulnerable souls—those whose hearts are untainted by the harshness of life—that are most susceptible to this phenomenon. When a child or a young person experiences an overwhelming sense of betrayal, fear, or despair, their emotions can become so intense that they leave an indelible mark on this world."

He let his words hang in the air for a moment, allowing their weight to sink in before continuing. "While the Carpenter family was ostracized, there were some in the town who were not satisfied with merely pushing them to the margins. There was a certain someone who despised the family even more—someone who was consumed by jealousy, particularly toward their daughter, Abigail."

The mention of Abigail brought a new tension into the room. Maria's face paled even further, her hands trembling in her lap.

Damian's knuckles were now bone white; his fists clenched so tightly that the tendons stood out starkly against his skin. Celia's wide eyes remained fixed on Astron; her earlier shock now mingled with dawning horror as she realized where the story was leading.