Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 573

Chapter 573 127.2 - Answer

As I loosened the collar of my shirt, revealing the pale skin of my neck, I couldn't help but feel the weight of this moment pressing down on me. The vulnerability in Maya's eyes mirrored the storm swirling inside me. And yet, as I watched her struggle to suppress her desires, I realized something had been gnawing at me for a while.

Something that had taken root deep in my heart, quietly growing until I could no longer ignore it.

Maya… she reminded me of her. Of Estelle.

Ever since we started spending time together, I found myself seeing Estelle's traits in Maya more and more. It wasn't just her kindness or her unrelenting desire to help people, though that certainly played a part. There was something more—a deeper connection I couldn't fully comprehend until now.

'Is that why I feel this way?'

Just like Maya, Estelle had always put others first, even when it came at her own expense. She had this unshakable will to support those around her, lifting them up when they were at their lowest. Maya carried the same spirit, always offering me a light when I was trapped in darkness. I couldn't shake the thought that every time she reached out to help me, it felt like Estelle was still watching over me, guiding me through her.

And then there were those moments, the ones where Maya's mischievous expressions broke through her usual calm demeanor. It was uncanny. The way her eyes would sparkle when she was about to tease me or when she'd poke fun at my seriousness. Estelle had always been the same—able to break through my defenses with just a look, a playful smirk that made me forget, even if only for a moment, about the burden of responsibility.

'Estelle, you… would've liked her,' I thought, a strange ache forming in my chest. Would you have been proud of me for finding someone like her? For some reason, I could imagine Estelle watching us, her gaze warm, approving, even though I knew she wasn't there. But Maya's presence felt like a link to the past, a bridge between the person I had been and the person I was becoming.

I was scared. Scared of how much Maya reminded me of her.

Scared of the emotions stirring inside me, emotions I hadn't allowed myself to feel in a long time.

Estelle had been everything to me, and her loss had forced me to close off parts of my heart to shut away the pain that came with attachment. I had conditioned myself to live without those emotions, to focus only on survival and the mission ahead.

But now… now there was something more. Maya wasn't Estelle, and yet she was becoming just as important, just as irreplaceable.

I had always told myself I'd repay the kindness Maya had shown me, that I'd find a way to balance the scales. But deep down, I knew it wasn't just about repaying her. It was about the fear. The fear that if I allowed myself to care again, I might lose her too. That maybe, if I let her into my heart, I'd be setting myself up for the same kind of pain I'd experienced before.

But that was the utter disrespect that I could have towards someone.

This was what I realized after the talk I had with Dakota not long ago, one that had struck a chord deep within me.

How she was seeing someone in me.

I had been doing exactly that—seeing Estelle in Maya, instead of seeing Maya for who she truly was. And that wasn't fair. Not to Maya, and not to Estelle's memory.

Maya cared about me. I wasn't blind. She made it clear with every gesture, every time she stood by my side, even when I pushed her away. She didn't deserve to be seen as a replacement for someone else. She had her own story, her own struggles, and she had made a place for herself in my life, carving out a space that was hers alone.

If it had been me before, before everything that happened with Estelle… there was a good chance I would have taken advantage of her vulnerability. I would have let her fill that empty space in my heart, selfishly allowing myself to lean on her without offering anything in return.

But things were different now. I had changed.

In one way or another, Maya had already become a part of my life, someone irreplaceable, and I couldn't let myself disrespect that. I couldn't treat her like someone who existed just to fix the broken parts of me.

Her trust in me, the way she had opened up about her family's deepest secrets—it wasn't something I could take lightly. The amount of faith she was putting into me, the way she laid bare her vulnerabilities, made everything that much harder. Because I knew, eventually, I'd have to respond to those feelings. I couldn't keep taking without giving something in return.

Maya deserved more than that. She deserved honesty. She deserved someone who could see her for who she was, not someone haunted by the past. And if I wasn't careful, if I kept holding back, I'd be doing exactly what I feared the most—hurting someone I cared about.

That was the reason why I was doing this.

'I won't disrespect you. I won't take advantage of your trust or your vulnerability. You've given me too much for me to do that.'

If I were such a person, I would become a disgrace to the person I wanted to avenge.

As I looked into Maya's eyes, I could see something more than the emotions she was trying to suppress. With the improvements to my eyes, the mana flows became more vivid, more defined.