Chapter 129 30.2 - Conversation
"Are you ready?"
In front of me stood the boy who would one day save the world. His wavy blue hair, toned muscles, and bright green eyes were all showing signs of eagerness as if he was looking forward to this moment.
"I am."
I still didn't know why Ethan purposefully wanted to spar with me, but this opportunity was something that wouldn't come often.
In my hands, I was holding the two daggers that I had been using all this time while fighting in close combat range --The daggers that the academy gave me.
'My stats should be enough to compete with him toe-to-toe for a while.'
I thought as I raised my daggers while Ethan grabbed his spear with his hands. We were now inside the academy's special training grounds.
I am saying special because not every student can enter here. Ethan's surname as Hartley would come in handy in such situations, even in the game. Though at first he refused to use this special building, it seems he had a change of heart.
'Probably in the banquet.'
I thought. I wasn't present while Ethan was fighting in the banquet hall, but it wasn't that hard to see what had happened at that time.
"Then, shall we start?"
With those words, Ethan took his position.
"Yes."
SWOOSH!
The moment he heard my confirmation, he immediately rushed to me with a clean movement, his muscles bulging.
However, I was ready for his attack. Immediately, tensing my muscles, I sidestepped the stab aimed at my shoulder.
SWOOSH!
The spear passed right through my arm.
"Hiss…."
I winced in pain as the blade nicked my skin, a shallow cut on my arm that stung.
It was clear that Ethan wasn't holding back. His strength and agility were impressive, and his skill with the spear was evident.
But I couldn't let the pain distract me.
'He is a lot better than before.'
This was my first impression as I saw the spear retreating back, and that meant I also be serious at my maximum level.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Following the spear's retreat, countless other stabs came, each of them threatening me to get injured.
CLANK! CLANK!
However, this time, I was not going to get caught off guard. As my eyes continuously read his muscles and his spear's trajectory, I parried the attacks with my daggers.
CLANK!
Sparks flew with each confrontation, but I knew things wouldn't be like that for a long time. Even though I was able to parry his strikes and match his strength thanks to my improved stats, the thing I lacked was my constitution. Which meant, in the long run, I was going to lose eventually.
'I need to close the distance.'
And because the spear's length was longer than daggers, Ethan was in the safe zone, attacking me without risking himself.
CLENCH!
Seeing his muscles getting ready to attack, I also readied myself.
SWOOSH!
As the spear immediately flashed and attacked me from a distance, I could see it was aimed right at my side stomach.
THUD!
And that was what I was expecting him to do.
SWOOSH!
With a quick and calculated response, I lunged forward, my daggers aimed at his midsection. Since I didn't have any chance to use my speed even from the start of the spar, now was the time to move.
SLASH!
Immediately appearing right before his face, I slashed with my daggers.
"You have improved."
I could see Ethan mumbling. Since this was the first time we were exchanging blows after the time I had spent in the Chrono Groove, my speed was a lot faster than what he remembered.
SWOOSH!
However, as if it didn't matter, Ethan's eyes locked onto my movements, and with astonishing agility, he shifted his weight to the side, avoiding my strike by a hair's breadth. It was as if he had anticipated my attack, his reaction almost preternatural.
'What?'
I was initially surprised by how he easily evaded my attack, but I knew I had the momentum now.
I pressed on; my movements were fluid and aimed right at the places I determined in my head.
I launched a series of strikes, each targeting what I perceived as openings in Ethan's defense. However, he remained elusive, dodging and parrying with uncanny precision.
Something had been changed, and it was not only the way he was acting.
The way he fought and evaded was also a lot different from the past when we had sparred with each other at the practical lessons.
'This is weird.'
CLANK! CLANK!
I thought as I attacked with my daggers consecutively, trying to overwhelm him with the frequency advantage of my dual-wielding.
"I can see it."
I could again see him mumbling between his breaths as suddenly our eyes met.
STAB!
And the moment they did, Ethan's spear trajectory changed from trying to parry my attacks with his spear to attacking sweep.
'Fast.'
That was all I could say, as I could see the fast swing coming right to my feet. Since I was in the posture of attacking, I didn't have enough time to evade the attack while maintaining a good position.
SWOOSH!
And, to evade the attack, the only thing I could do was retreat back, giving up the advantage I got by closing the distance.
"Huff…."
My breathing was slightly ragged as I stood away, facing Ethan.
"Astron."
At that moment, I heard my name from his mouth.
"What?"
While catching up my breath, I raised my head and looked directly into his eyes.
"I want to ask something."
With his spear pointing to the sky, he was looking at me with a serious expression.
"….."
"Will you answer?"
"Depending on the question."
"Don't worry, it won't be that personal."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it is."
"…."
"Then, what do you think about demon contractors?"
As those words left his mouth, I was left speechless for a second, not expecting such a question to come.
*******
From the start of the spar, Ethan had been serious against Astron. After the exploration in the dungeon, it was the first time they would be exchanging blows, and he was looking forward to seeing his improvement.
And as he expected, Astron didn't disappoint him. He had improved a lot more than he was expecting him to do.
However, as their spar continued, the urge to talk to Astron grew bigger and bigger. For some reason, rather than talking with Lucas, Julia, or his other friends, he wanted to get Astron's opinion on the recent event.
"Then, what do you think about demon contractors?" As those words left his mouth, he could see Astron getting surprised for a second, definitely not expecting him to ask such a question.
However, following the initial reaction, Astron's frows burrowed, his eyes seemingly getting darker for a second.
Seeing this, Ethan suddenly felt chills all over his body, as if he had made a mistake.
"Calm down." Ethan, spear at the ready, took a brief pause from their spar and started his inquiry. "I just want to know your opinion about demon contractors. Are they all evil?"
It was a question that was bothering him for a while.
Astron's demeanor remained stern and unsmiling as he responded, "Demon Contractors and evil." He mumbled as he raised his dagger, looking at the reflection of himself on the blade. "Why did you ask?"
Astron's response was another question, which caught Ethan by surprise. "Recently, I encountered some demon contractors...."
Astron urged him to continue with a simple, "And?"
"And, while I was exchanging blows with one, I got the opportunity to talk," Ethan explained.
"What did he say?"
Ethan chose his words carefully, "He said humanity is weakness, and they were transcending that weakness."
Astron's expression remained cold as he replied, "I see."
Ethan, undeterred by Astron's stern demeanor, continued the conversation. "I couldn't help but feel that some of these demon contractors have their worldviews manipulated, or perhaps they're driven to desperation. They end up making these contracts as a way to survive in a world that's often cruel to them."
It was what he had been thinking. What if those people were contracting demons as a last resort? What if they were good people who were taken to the edge?
Was it right to simply label them evil?
"Does it matter?" Astron's grip on his dagger tightened as he replied.
"What?"
"Does it matter what their past or what their conviction is? Does it matter if they were pushed to the edge by the world? Does it matter if they really believed they were doing something good?"
His words continued as his purple eyes shone. Ethan was taken aback by his words, not expecting such intense emotions to come from that mouth.
"What do you mean?"
"The thing we call evil. You asked if they were all evil, right?" Ethan could see Astron's hand clenching so strongly that the veins on his forearms were protruding.
"From the eyes of someone like you, who hadn't been directly harmed by the demons, you may try to sympathize with them, and it may be challenging to label them directly as evil. After all, you are the type of person who wants to be a hero, aren't you?"
Ethan felt as if he had been read like a book. Of course, if it was Astron, Ethan knew he had the capability to understand things.
"But, from the eyes of the people who lost someone dear to them at the hands of demons, this question you are asking as the one holding the power will be enough to anger them."
As Ethan heard those words, he remembered the people who were being slaughtered by demon contractors and his essential reaction and his anger as a stranger. But what could the people who were dear to those who died at that time have felt?
Anger? Despair? Hatred?
"At the end of the day," Astron continued, his voice low and unwavering, "what matters is not if they are evil or not."
"Then—" Ethan began.
Astron interrupted, determination etched in his features. "You asked me at the start what I think about the demon contractors, didn't you?"
Ethan nodded, silently urging him to continue.
At that second, Ethan could see Astron gritting his teeth, his expression changing into something he had seen for the first time in his life.
He could feel instinctively – the immense amount of hatred oozing from the guy before him.
"The answer is not that hard," Astron said, his grip on his weapon tight. "They are my enemy."
Ethan was taken aback by the stark declaration.
"And I will keep moving forward," Astron affirmed, his purple eyes shining in the, "until I exterminate the enemy."
"Until I get back everything for everything that had been done to me, done to her."
'Her?'
Ethan wanted to ask, but he couldn't as he could see Astron's face.
"So, shut the crap Ethan."
The weight of Astron's words hung heavy in the air, leaving Ethan with a profound sense of the darkness and determination that fueled his friend's actions.
"And grab your weapon; the talk is over."
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