Mystery Tales Under the Moonlight

Chapter 42: Category Determination Exams at the Academy (19).

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The boy with golden eyes was drifting in thought outside of what his body was currently engaged in.

Although his body was blocking, dodging, and attacking lightly, he had not focused his mind on facing his opponent.

This duel was, at its core, merely a performance to deliver an average show until he fell asleep.

However, this girl was unpredictable.

Her fighting style was beautiful, but there was a wild desire and lack of restraint in her fighting, as if she were a free person.

For him, her level did not reach a point that would make him gasp, but that was not what mattered.

Potential, that was what experts based their opinions on when choosing someone to polish and train.

From this perspective, this girl, Choi Aren, was a gem of potential.

Since one of the group's goals is to evaluate and train the young chicks, this served the purpose—even if it was a bit tiring.

This made him change his tactics and prolong the fight further.

Of course, it had to end.

Viron retreated more and more, trying to test her instincts, to see if she would notice any mistakes in the flow of the battle.

It seemed as if she was finally gaining momentum, and Viron found himself in an unfavorable position.

Even the audience outside could not help but admire her performance.

"As expected from the heir of the prestigious Choi clan! Her abilities are beyond our understanding as simple people!"

"Hmph! That arrogant one really doesn't know the limits of the sky! How could he face Lady Choi Aren with those skills?"

A voice dripping with disdain.

After seeing how the boy was asleep, and unlike Choi Aren who understood the situation and did not care, the audience felt that this boy was arrogant.

When he stood up and the mist revealed his muscular body and his shirt falling slightly, not to mention his calm smile, the males immediately felt an involuntary hatred towards him.

The girls' reaction was shock, before they screamed praises towards his perfect appearance.

And that hatred from the males was justified!

In the end, this person seemed to be a womanizer!

Bah! Have a little respect for our feelings, you scoundrel! We are singles, singles at the beginning of our youth!

Seeing the girls' madness towards Viron's masculine and stunning appearance, many hearts bled, and they felt the injustice of the world.

At first, with Viron's frightening speed against Choi Aren, many felt worried about her losing, yet as the fight progressed, the tide turned in her favor.

Internally, they felt relieved and the anxiety faded.

In any case, with the new feeling of jealousy, and showcasing Choi Aren's exceptional skills, there was a verbal assault on Viron, and praises from the girls towards Choi Aren.

"Her grace and perfect attack... She is like the immortals who descended upon this world!"

"He is really handsome, I don't want him to lose, but Aren-sama is my favorite, but look at his magnificence, aah~ Sorry, handsome... My heart bleeds, but I will cheer for Aren-sama!"

"Kyaah~ Choi Aren-sama is truly amazing~!"

Among the ordinary students, there were girls carrying large banners with encouraging words, wearing matching uniforms.

There were some girls who felt conflicted, whether to cheer for their first love or this handsome one who appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

And this seems to be what is called a fan club.

A fan club is a place where people share the same interest in something and openly express their admiration for that thing or person without shame or pressure.

Usually, a fan club is at a small level and their interest does not go too far.

However, when there are new factors in the equation, that admiration becomes greater and the positive emotions towards that thing increase.

Whether it is that the person who becomes an object of admiration is wonderful and accumulates achievements.

Whether it is the fans' desire to escape the pressures of life, directing their emotions towards their idol.

Whether there is a common enemy, where it becomes a foothold for the fans, and that enemy becomes a means to vent their frustrations.

When there are such factors, admiration increases, and when they come together, admiration becomes obsession.

That is what is called a "fan club."

Lilith Kronos watched the commotion with sarcasm, but she did not show it on the surface.

Despite all the praise and that feeling of false solidarity, most who call themselves fans are nothing more than hypocrites.

A person's life goes through transformations and complexities, and a person's emotions and frustrations accumulate over time.

When a person does not find an outlet in their life, they either direct their anger towards others, or simply find a hobby for themselves.

That hobby can be anything.

Some people will be like this, becoming fanatical about someone, venerating and admiring them.

Is that pure veneration? Do they really admire the person?

Hehehe, that's nonsense.

Of course, there are natural fans, and they are natural admirers.

That is true, but with that, there are such scary people.

Veneration, obsession, and unrestrained love.

They are people who blame everything in life when something bad happens to them, saying that the fault is in the world, and they are just victims.

These creatures, in order not to feel responsibility for themselves, direct their "sacred" emotions towards their idol to escape from their reality.

They do not care who their idol really is, they do not care about their true character.

They only care about the person they see and admire, the embodiment of the ideal they are searching for.

They see in that person what is missing in their lives.

Facing the world realistically, not succumbing to the pressures of others, courage, strength, beauty, wisdom, and so on.

They love them because they have the power.

The power that they do not possess.

That kind of fanaticism is never beautiful, and in fact, it can be dangerous.

Even though it is extreme, one could even expect that fanatics would kill someone just for criticizing their object of veneration.

Well, from what can be seen—at least, this audience does not show those signs much.

She shook her head at this unimportant issue, and despite her habit of thinking here and there, she did not forget the main reason for her coming.

She had already finished her battle.

Naturally, her opponent did not last more than a few breaths.

That was really boring.

"A talent of grade (C)... this is unexpected"

She muttered with a slight smile on her face.

The sight of the boy shoving his hand into his stomach, struggling to stay conscious for one more second.

That was something that would not be easily forgotten.

It was a situation that could not be laughed about, and it almost cost him his life.

Leon is simply insane.

He and Logan Hermes, they are both insane.

Well... to be fair, to rise in this world, some madness is needed.

The essence of the matter now is Leon's talent, which is considered average.

"To be just an average talent, only ordinary students and those at the bottom of the pyramid will believe this, even he probably knows that"

His intentions were unclear.

Now, I regret not trying to ask him when we wrote the contract....

For her, it was important to know the direction of her business partner, to measure the benefits and risks.

And to know where she could benefit and where not, it was natural that obtaining information was essential.

Unfortunately.... researching Leon's background was unhelpful.

There was only simple information.

Really, very simple.

[A boy orphan who lived in the wilderness, went to a village in the suburbs, then lived there for a while, before coming to the Moon Island, and studying at the Crescent Light Academy]

That's it, a background anyone could have.

If he hadn't shown his abilities already, he would have deceived everyone with this kind of simple story.

Strength, intelligence, cunning, boldness, and madness.

With no restrictions on his behavior, instead of saying he is arrogant, it could be said, he treats everyone the same way.

Noble or commoner, big or small.

He treated them as normal people, and did not think of them as special individuals.

His communication experience was something frightening, not to mention his deep understanding of those he interacted with, as if he could read their thoughts.

That does not align with just someone who lived in the forest.

One could say, this person will undoubtedly enter class (A).

Now after making his unexpected move, everyone's perspective towards him was broken, and they no longer understood him.

Leon—originally an unknown, now surrounded by mystery.

For the merchant, this was an uncomfortable sign.

The essence of relationships is communication, and knowing the person you are dealing with is one of the pillars of maintaining a good relationship.

Know your enemy and know yourself, do not fear hundreds of battles.

Know yourself not the enemy, for every victory you achieve, you will face another defeat.

The situation was like that, Lilith Kronos was known throughout the continent, and most information about her was known.

This is unlike Leon, who is completely unknown in origin.

This would be concerning for the merchant.

However, this is for the ordinary person.

"The smell of money lies in risk, the smell of risk lies in money"

For a strong person like Leon, losing made him an enemy.

On the opposite side, the benefits of making him an ally.... were immeasurable.

Let's take our time calmly.

Little by little, until the fog around him completely clears.

I will understand this person more.

Sitting in a high chair away from the crowds, looking at the 3D screen in front of her, while surrounded by her guards.

The young girl had one hand on her chin, while the other hand held some papers.

With her hair that looked like pure snow, her beautiful eyes sparkled with a glimmer of curiosity.

A sly smile resembling a fox made its way to her lips.

On the other side of the screen, it seemed that the battle was about to end.

"Strange"

The sword in her hand danced through the air.

Her opponent was retreating little by little.

One could simply say, she was on the verge of winning.

That was a good result for the first battle.

At the very least, it was a satisfying match.

But still.... the feeling of discomfort remained.

The feeling that something was missing.

Something she could not fully understand, yet it was definitely there.

"Strange"

She pressed on faster, despite her tangled thoughts, the sword in her arm did not slow down.

A refined attack stemming from waving the sword thousands of times, hundreds of hours of training and frustrations, honed with sweat and tears, and even blood.

A beautiful fighting style, and at the same time, a deadly one.

Viron was blocking the blows with his left foot, retreating, dodging, yet his movements were slowing down.

For anyone, it was clear that the upper hand was in favor of Choi Aren.

The happiness or pride that comes from that was absent.

Strange.

Just strange.

"... It's time now" Viron muttered in a low voice.

His voice was barely audible, his words incomprehensible.

Bam!

With a final attack from Choi Aren, Viron retreated a few steps into the air.

The coat that was like a cloak fluttered in the air as he flew.

He barely flipped in the air to regain his footing.

The golden-eyed boy's eyes flashed with an incomprehensible light, his tired eyes were leaning towards sleep.

".... I surrender"

His voice did not change, as if he was uninterested in his decision, the young boy said his words.

There was no trace of disappointment.

"... What?" For the first time, her voice was confused.

She expected him to resist until the end, before losing, or to be determined to win.

Yet here he was now, announcing his surrender.

She was taken by surprise, and stood for a moment, staring at him with a foolish expression.

Viron chuckled lightly, ignoring her confused gesture.

For those outside, his surrender was natural, and there was nothing strange about it.

But for the young girl, it was strange, just very strange.

Despite holding the initiative in the middle of the battle until the end, the feeling of superiority was lacking.

As if this person in front of her was playing with her.

"Well, goodbye" saying that, Viron went on his way.

[Student Viron Dragona has surrendered, victory to student Choi Aren]

With the announcement of the result, Choi Aren woke from her daze.

"Wait..."

Unsure of what to do, she suddenly called out to him.

"Hmm?"

Viron turned towards the source of the voice, and saw the girl approaching him.

With hurried steps, and somewhat urgency, she approached the boy, the source of her strange feeling.

"Why?"

She stood close to him, very close.

She looked into his unique eyes, with an expression that seemed like questioning.

His facial expression did not change, Viron remained unaffected.

"Miss, I don't think it matters anymore"

His words echoed in the girl's ears, annoying her.

His words were true, it didn't matter anymore, whether he said the reason, or whether he complained about it.

She knew all that.

Of course, knowing something and accepting it are two completely different things.

Knowing the facts did not help reduce the young girl's discomfort.

She continued to stare into his eyes for a while, unyielding in movement.

Viron did not move from his place, despite being tired, he was curious about what the young girl in front of him would do.

Their faces were inches apart.

It seemed as if time had stopped for a moment.

Naturally, the atmosphere outside was heated.

"What? What? What? What do my eyes see!"

"Kyaah~! Aren-sama is really proactive!"

"No more, you scoundrel... Please, no more moments of lucky womanizers... ugh!"

"Eh? Eh? Don't faint, wake up! Water, bring water quickly! There's someone unconscious here!"

From how an outsider would see it, the distance between the two was like the distance of someone about to kiss.

A kiss.

For some, that is a lot, for others, it is simple.

Seventeen-year-olds, in this world, such an age is considered enough to be considered grown up already.

Yet, that was only in terms of facing the world.

When it comes to romantic relationships, it is a completely different matter.

Most students here grew up in a sheltered environment, or simply lived through hardships that made them shy away from such matters.

And certainly, their experience in male-female relationships does not go beyond theoretical education.

From this perspective, one can indeed guess.

The world of romantic relationships was an unknown world for them.

A bold step like Choi Aren's step is enough to make their imagination soar.

"What? Are you going to kiss me now? You are very close"

His voice was laughing.

He moved his finger and tapped her forehead.

The sudden movement, the tap on the forehead, and the slight pain caught her off guard, making her retreat in confusion.

"... Ouch" her voice came out as a whisper.

She glared at him with slight annoyance, while holding her forehead with her hands.

The pure white of her forehead was marred with a little red.

Her annoyed eyes, the slight frown on her lips while holding her red forehead, and her soft voice.

That appearance of hers was somewhat cute.

"Anyway" while putting his hands in his pockets, Viron opened his mouth, "If you are really curious about it, wait until the end"

He did not wait for her to process his words, he left the place with quiet steps.

"You might understand it then"

As his black cloak—actually the winter coat—fluttered, he put his hands in his pockets, walking confidently.

The upper buttons of his white shirt were open, revealing a slight glimpse of his muscular body.

His golden chestnut hair, dragon-like eyes that were predatory, and the distinctive smile on his lips.

There was not a hint of feeling of loss.

As if he had not lost from the beginning, as if his loss was unimportant.

The boy said his last words to the girl standing alone.

And with that, he left the hall, leaving her in a staring silence.

Her battle with her opponent ended and she won.

But still, she felt no joy.

Just... confusion.