Chapter 38: Act of forgiveness, an act of mercy

While every student and nearly the entire Academy staff had gathered at the arena to watch the tournament, right now, behind the Academy grounds, Ilunia stood behind a tree, leaning comfortably against it, wearing a sweet smile.

"Wilson, you don’t actually think I’d care about the fallout, do you?"

She spoke with easy composure, while up above, perched on a thick, sturdy branch, the man in question, Wilson, seemed to be thinking it over for a moment.

"I see, so I take it Miss prefers staying behind the scenes with this one. Besides, it’d be quite the hassle if the government started devoting more resources to tracking us down. The only reason they haven’t done that so far is because we haven’t caused much of a stir."

Hearing that, Ilunia nodded. "You’re not wrong, but you know, none of that actually matters to us."

With a small smile on her face, Ilunia lifted her head, "gazing" up at the sky, her hand curled weakly against her chest.

"Eland Dimne tried to make ’him’ kneel, tried to humiliate ’him’, and the simple fact that Eland Dimne is still alive right now, standing right in front of us, is already an act of forgiveness, an act of mercy."

Wilson studied Ilunia, taking in just how fanatical she was, her excessive obsession with the figure who would one day become humanity’s only salvation.

He had no idea just how special that person actually was, since only Ilunia herself knew that, a girl capable of glimpsing into the future, and that exact gift was precisely what had made her the leader of this cult.

"So what should we do with Eland?"

"Hmm..." Ilunia thought it over for a moment, then let out a small laugh and said:

"Turn him into ’his’ follower, and if he shows even the faintest sign of rebellion... simply erase him from this world entirely."

Wilson, a Rank-C hunter and a graduate of the elite academy, nodded obediently to this ordinary-looking girl from Central, then his body vanished from that spot, swallowed whole by a cold gust of wind.

Leaves swept up by that same wind drifted through the air before finally settling right onto the top of Ilunia’s head.

Ilunia picked one up, running her fingers over its surface for a moment before letting it go again. The leaf caught the wind once more and drifted off into the distance.

After a while, Ilunia left the back of the Academy grounds. She found herself curious whether Kiena had won the tournament or not.

But since Kiena was ’his’ disciple, surely it was safe to assume she’d win, right?

Ilunia walked for quite some time, eventually arriving at a park with a lake where swans swam, a pigeon perched among the trees, and a certain figure sitting on a long wooden bench.

Of course, Ilunia couldn’t perceive any of that visually. She only made sense of her surroundings through sound, and even without sight, she could at least faintly sense the ripple of Mana around her.

She wondered who exactly was sitting here alone, before that figure finally called out to her, "Ilunia?"

Ilunia’s body froze, nearly startled out of her skin hearing that familiar voice.

Her heart pounded hard, her frozen expression slowly melting into a sweet smile, and she took a single step forward, closing the distance gradually.

"Ah, so it’s you," Her smile grew even sweeter, her voice carrying an unmistakable note of excitement. "We meet again, sir."

***

Julian hadn’t expected to run into Ilunia here at all. So he found himself a little at a loss for what to say.

While he hesitated, Ilunia herself looked genuinely thrilled.

"What are you doing here? Who dared to make you wait like this?"

’Hm? What does she mean by that?’ Julian blinked at that last line, well, maybe it was just some Academy student joke, right?

So Julian brushed it off entirely. "I’m waiting for Kiena."

"Oh, so it’s Kiena," Ilunia nodded. "Did she win?"

"Yes."

"Wow, Kiena’s not just cute, she’s strong too, huh."

Of course, given Kina’s SSS-Grade potential, it was hardly surprising she’d turn out this impressive. Julian nodded internally, agreeing wholeheartedly with what Ilunia had just said.

After a moment’s hesitation, Julian’s gaze settled on Ilunia.

Just as expected, Ilunia had a notably smaller frame compared to her peers her age. Given that her family had passed away long ago, and given how often she’d been bullied since, that was surely the reason she looked this fragile.

"How’s Academy life treating you?" Julian asked calmly, and that question alone made Ilunia pause thoughtfully before finally smiling and answering:

"Thanks to you and Kiena, Academy life’s gotten a lot more pleasant, you know."

"...Glad to hear that."

That was good news. Somehow, Julian found himself thinking he ought to protect this fragile girl’s smile. Unfortunately, Julian himself struggled just to protect his own well-being, so he needed to think things through carefully before committing to anything.

"By the way, sir, if you don’t mind, could I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"So," Ilunia rubbed her own fingers together gently, thinking it over, then "looked" toward Julian. "If someone commits an evil act to protect something important to them, do you think they’re still an evil person?"

’That’s an odd question.’

Julian wondered what exactly was going through her head, but since it was Ilunia asking, Julian wasn’t about to brush it off carelessly.

Besides, he felt a flicker of unease. Since Oracle was tied to prophecy, was there a chance he was being read right now?

His own future, perhaps?

’...I hope I’m still alive in that future.’

Julian blinked once, then gave a small smile. "Situations are always different, aren’t they? I think I’d judge it based on the circumstances themselves."

"Ah, I see."

For Julian, it was probably just a simple question, but for Ilunia, that answer gave her exactly the confirmation she needed on how to act going forward.

’I’m glad I gave that man a chance. If I’d just killed him outright, the situation might have made this man think I was some kind of evil person.’

Without Julian ever noticing, Ilunia’s breathing turned faintly ragged as she gripped the hem of her academy uniform tightly.

At the same time, Ilunia caught the sound of approaching footsteps from a distance. She hesitated, turning toward the source of the sound, and indeed, someone was making their way toward them.

"Oh, that’s Kiena."

With Julian’s confirmation, a smile spread across Ilunia’s face, though inwardly, she felt a small pang of regret.

’Oh, what a shame, our alone time’s already over...’

Ilunia let out a small sigh, but kept her smile in place, greeting Kina with her usual bright, cheerful expression.

"Kiena! I heard, you won, right? That’s amazing!"

Kina, having just arrived, looked a little surprised to find Ilunia there too, but quickly broke into a slightly smug smile.

"Of course, I mean, it’s me we’re talking about, hehe."

Then Kina’s gaze shifted toward Julian, her smile brightening even further as she lifted a book from her arms, holding it up to show him.

"Master! I got a D-Grade skill book as a prize, look!"