REAPER SCANS
Hunter Academy’s Battle God
[Translator – SCM]
[Proofreader – ilafy]
Chapter 235
Within a daisy-filled garden, Adela, Leo, and Sophia received a blessing from Celeste, Bianca Academy’s principal, beneath a large tree.
"Bianca’s Zephyros Wind will guide you." As the annual prayer concluded, the students of Bianca neatly brought their feet together and placed their hands across their chests in salute.
“May the wind guide you!” the students shouted in unison with one heart and one will.
Adela, the party leader, slowly looked around at the gathered students before speaking. "May the wind guide us…"
The principal said, "These three students have been selected to participate as representatives of Bianca and Italy. This is an indescribably glorious event." Although she was almost middle-aged, Celeste appeared to be in her 30s at most. That was proof of the immense amount of mana she possessed.
Even she, a veteran who'd gone through many battles, respected Adela's party. "You will be an example to the students and to all hunters across Italy. Please, give it your all and know that we are alongside you."
When Celeste, the most important figure in the academy, bowed to them, Sophia fiddled with her glasses, seemingly taken aback. "I… I think Bianca has a very high chance of w-winning… At least…" she stammered.
Leo covered her mouth and smiled at Celeste. "We will surely secure victory for Bianca alongside Adela." The competition required the freshmen from different academies to compete against each other in a grand festival for each nation to showcase their strengths. Each country’s pride was on the line.
Celeste smiled and kindly asked, "Student Adela…? As the leader of Bianca's party and representative of Italy, do you have anything to say?"
Adela looked into the eyes of the students around her. Their eyes were full of admiration, but she found it too uncomfortable. What was the emotion blossoming in her heart?
Adela soon put such thoughts aside—there was no need for her to think of what she wanted to say. "I don't deserve your respect or admiration…" She chose to lay her thoughts out honestly.
Celeste was neither startled nor surprised by the answer. Instead, she gave Adela a gentle look of curiosity and asked, "Those are some unexpected words. Adela… Why do you think that?"
Adela felt the hearts of those who were cheering for her and nodded, but she didn’t want to answer their sincerity. Why had she returned to Italy? "There was no great purpose… behind why I returned to Bianca and decided to participate in the competition…"
She’d done it purely for herself and not thought of anyone else to the point of selfishness. Heart-pounding battles were the only time her previously dried-up emotions shone amidst her otherwise colorless world.
"It all started with, 'I want to fight against the strong’." Adela turned her head and looked at the portal. Not being able to see the admiring gazes of the students looking at her made her feel more at ease. "That's why I do not deserve your respect."
Once the competition ended, she was planning to return to Gaon. 'Yes…' She had returned to her homeland to take advantage of an opportunity, so the sincere sentiments of Bianca's students were too heavy for her.
"Hmm, I see." Principal Celeste smiled and said, "Sophia was right, then. I heard you’d changed a lot… Your frozen heart was thawed enough to be touched by everyone's warm sincerity."
Adela had been about to enter the portal but stopped in her tracks. Principal Celeste's voice was gentle but had a strange power to penetrate one's core.
"Adela…?" Celeste calmly called out to her from behind her back. "Heavy and sincere emotions aren't the only ones that matter. Lukewarmness and coldness aren't bad, either. That… goes for you as well."
Celeste's words were like an enigma to Adela. Maybe that’s why, instead of directly replying, she recalled the blessing and said, "May the wind guide us…"
Celeste watched Adela leave. "May the wind guide you."
As Adela passed through the portal, the students' voices echoed out again. Upon hearing them, she reaffirmed her resolution. 'I'm going to give it my all.'
She was determined to give it her all so that she would have no regrets.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - SCM
Proofreader - ilafy
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At the top of the over 100-floor Skyscraper Academy, the Sword God smirked bitterly while biting on a pipe. "The last part of the competition… Liú Jùn, you know I have high expectations for this competition, right?" The Sword God exhaled smoke from his pipe.
Tap- Foo-
Liú Jùn nodded. "I know." What was she talking about? Winning the competition? No. That probably wasn't it. Liú Jùn knew the Sword God. Such a thing couldn't be what she was after. Was she hoping her disciple would become China’s best hunter or reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship?
Whatever it was, Liú Jùn couldn't accept it.
[Think about it. Even if things go well and you fulfill the Sword God's greed… How old will your little sister be by then?]
Liú Míng… No, Liú Jùn didn't have much time. 'Even at this moment…' Liú Míng was living a hellish life, relying on a machine to keep herself alive. He could no longer allow her to endure such a hard reality. 'Liú Míng is suffering.'
And for what? Why was that poor, small child suffering?
[How many years are you going to make her spend in that hospital room~?]
Yes. It wasn't that there wasn't a solution. The villain group, Rebellion, was right. The Sword God, who was a rank 8 hunter, had the power to cure Liú Míng.
[Leaving a sick person behind. Huh~? Those filthy and despicable people…]
Why was Liú Míng still enduring such hardships? If one person agreed, if only one person changed her mind, Liú Míng could be freed from her pain.
"Master…" Liú Jùn called the Sword God 'Master', A word he rarely used.
"Yes? Fuu-" Had the Sword God anticipated what Liú Jùn would ask? She smirked and exhaled smoke. "Go ahead. You called me 'Master', so I must listen." It was as if she knew what he would ask.
"Yesterday… I received information from an organization called Rebellion." Despite Liú Jùn's shocking statement, the Sword God's expression didn't change.
"Liú Jùn! You! What are you talking about?!" Wei Lin shouted.
"This might be misunderstood!" Han SeolAh argued.
Liú Jùn didn't care. Instead, he kneeled, something he'd never done before, and pleaded earnestly. "Please… I beg you to treat Liú Míng."
The Sword God found Liú Jùn's attitude odd. He was a very proud person who wouldn't bend, even if there was a knife pointed at his throat, so why did he feel so much pain when it was something related to his little sister?
"Information from Rebellion… Are your actions related to that request?" The Sword God inhaled and exhaled smoke, then looked down at Liú Jùn with a bitter smile on her lips. "Alright. Let's say that the information you received is correct. If I cure Liú Míng, then what could you give me in return?"
When Liú Jùn looked up at her, the Sword God emotionlessly said, "Tell me, Liú Jùn. What can you give me?" The Sword God seemed to acknowledge that she could truly cure his sister.
Wei Lin couldn't hold back and inadvertently said, "S-Sword God! Does that mean you have the power to save Liú Míng…?"
"Hey! Come back here!" Han SeolAh stopped Wei Lin.
The Sword God didn't get angry. "It's just a hypothetical situation. Even if I had such power, you have nothing to offer me." The Sword God knocked the ash off her pipe, looking uninterested. "At best, a promise? That doesn't make it worth the cost." She looked down at Liú Jùn.
Looking back at her, he saw the Sword God's eyes were colder than any he had ever seen.
"Didn't you hear? I asked you what you could give me."
Liú Jùn couldn't answer the Sword God. Just as she said, all he could offer were mere promises. The Sword God had seen through Liú Jùn's heart; the only answer Liú Jùn could give her at the moment was silence.
"I see. Is silence your answer?" she asked. The Sword God stood up and left behind the kneeling Liú Jùn, murmuring as she left. "Fine… We'll postpone this discussion until after the competition."
* * *
Within Gaon's club room, EunAh activated the portal zone she'd installed before.
Whir—!
Who would think there was a portal zone inside a club room? It was something that could only be done by a national-level organization.
Normally, one would have left for the competition through the public portal while receiving the students' farewells. Instead, the only ones giving their farewells to YuSung, EunAh, and Sumire were Amy and Velvet.
"The principal's amazing. To think he'd let all Gaon's students watch as spectators. He's unexpectedly generous. Now, Velvet~ You should tell everyone to have a safe trip." Amy laughed while waving her hand.
Velvet, dressed in an orca costume, vigorously waved her hand.
“Mom, Dad~ Have a safe trip! Kyahang! You must win~!”
Seeing the orca costume, EunAh curiously asked, "You can also shapeshift clothes?"
"I~ can change shapes, so it's possible!" Velvet exclaimed.
Although there were many things EunAh wanted to point out, she didn't say anything when she saw how cute Velvet looked. "Well, it does suit you. Then, we'll be going."
Indeed. Cute things were the best.
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