Earlier during the day.
Leandra woke up early as usual and went through the motions.
She showered, changed into the academy hunter uniform—that her personal maid had prepared, and headed out to train. Now that she was a Chrysalis-rank Hybrid, she had to train her Supernatural Ego's attribute, which was unsurprisingly the starlight attribute.
It was key for a Chrysalis-rank Hybrid to get accustomed to their attribute.
And she intends to do so.
Not only because she knew that power is a necessity in this world, but because she had a feeling that a massive disaster was approaching. The peace would not last long—it never has in her life, and it never will be.
Bad things are bound to happen, and these peaceful moments are only a momentary break.
So that she could breathe before being choked again.
Especially with the problems at hand regarding Lucivar being a God's vassal and Bob's disappearance.
Leandra exercised the privileges Lucivar had given the family in the academy.
She trained using the students' facilities, which include the resources the academy has in its treasury.
As long as she wasn't going overboard, the academy would provide.
That's what Professor Aeldric said to them.
Once she worked up an appetite, she stopped training and headed out.
Outside, while she was gathering her things, she was intercepted by a bunch of students.
"Hunter Leandra, are you done with your training?"
A brown-haired woman with an air of modesty and a warm smile asked politely.
Leandra looked up and then looked down again, not interested.
"I'm done. You can use the room if you want."
"Actually, I wasn't asking to use the room. My name is Cathleen. It's nice meeting you."
Cathleen reached out her hand.
Behind her, a couple of students were also looking at Leandra with interest.
It was clear that this group was aiming to get to know Leandra.
"I'm not interested in making friends, Cathleen." Leandra stood up and wiped her sweat on her sleeves, intending to leave and find something to eat. "If you want to get close to the family, for any reason, go talk with Bakar or Mirel. Both are a lot friendlier to women."
Since Lucivar's triumph in the South Hues tournament, questions naturally find their way to the family.
Students, academy hunters, and people alike wanted to know who the people around Lucivar were.
And naturally, the family was exposed.
Of course, none of them mentioned anything about Master Tobias being involved.
Mirel tried saying that the seven of them came from an orphanage in a slave city, and considered one another as family members, hoping that it would push the people away. After all, they were in Sunhold City, an independent city.
People are more naturally inclined to look down on those with a humble background.
Especially ones who came from slave cities.
But instead of pushing people away, Mirel's answer did the complete opposite.
And now, people practically know a lot about the family.
Leandra wasn't willing to be caught up in that discussion again, so she'd rather not talk to this group.
"Actually, it was precisely because we went to meet Bakar that we're here."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Leandra stopped when she was a few steps away from the group.
She glanced over her shoulder and raised a brow at the group.
Cathleen's smile widened as she approached again.
"I asked Bakar who taught Lucivar how to fight, and that conversation led to who was the strongest in the family in terms of combat abilities—specifically martial arts. Bob is the strongest because of his experience, being much older than us. Next is Ravenna for the same reason. I thought the third strongest would be Lucivar, but it was not. Bakar said you."
"And? Is that so hard to believe?"
"Quite frankly, yes. You don't seem to be as skilful as Lucivar."
Leandra sneered at this comment.
In the entire family, in terms of combat capabilities, she was always in fourth place.
Darwin, Bob, and Ravenna had always been above her.
It was because of the gap in rank between them.
However, if talking about raw combat abilities, she and Ravenna are basically the same.
So, yes, she's higher than Lucivar.
"Lucivar learned martial arts recently from the others and adapted their teachings into his own fighting style. Even then, his skills are limited to only what the others knew. I'm a self-made martial artist—and I have a style of my own. So, believe it or not, I'm stronger than Lucivar."
"All his strength mainly stemmed from his mind and bloodline, not martial arts."
"Bloodline… Then what exactly is Lucivar's bloodline?"
Hearing this, Leandra's eyes narrowed.
She stared into Cathleen's eyes, realizing that this was her intention all along.
It seemed she wanted to know what Lucivar's bloodline was.
Not to make friends, not to provoke Leandra, but to gain insight as to what Lucivar's bloodline was.
Leandra exhaled through her mouth lightly.
Every single day, she has to endure this kind of approach from a lot of students, but she holds on.
Now, however, she was in no mood for this.
"Lucivar said he's a Harpy Hybrid—and you'd best believe that it was true," She said—her voice laced with a subtle threat that only Cathleen seemed to catch. "But if you still insist otherwise, I suggest you ask Lucivar yourself… and see what he has to say."
Leandra cast a cold but polite smile before turning around and leaving.
No need to wait for Cathleen to respond.
If she knew what was best for her, she'd understand what Leandra was trying to say and drop the topic.
Or else, the academy would lose a student.
In the cafeteria, Leandra used her ID card, equipped with the privilege of having any food for free, and sat down heavily on the corner bench. She looked at the food in front of her and then ahead at the relaxed and carefree students.
She came before the break time, before it was crowded.
But even then, there were still students hanging around.
Pushed by necessity, she began to eat even though her mind was filled with disturbing thoughts.
Even though she looked fine from the outside, she was struggling inside as the matter regarding Bob's disappearance and the possibility of Master Tobias having something to do with it was always nagging her mind throughout the day.
She was in a constant battle to stop herself from going to Master Tobias and asking about this herself.
If not that, then she wanted to investigate.
So much so that her hands were trembling from holding herself back.
"I can't do anything. I have to stay put," She muttered inwardly, jabbing the spoon into her rice harder than intended—the tip clacked sharply against the plastic tray. "Lucivar was right. If Master Tobias has something to do with this, then it's better to wait for everyone to be present. That way, he will have no choice but to tell the truth."
Leandra knew that it was the logical move, the sensible move.
But it's hard.
She considered Master Tobias as her own father.
In her lowest, he was the one who was there, like the sole beacon of light.
Leandra was trying to forget her past, but she couldn't.
She could hear the blazing fire as if it had happened yesterday.
The sound of people cheering for her demise as she screamed in pain.
Even the tightness of the rope that bound her was still very fresh in her mind.
That moment was engraved into her soul.
And she couldn't forget how Master Tobias smiled at her, assuring her that everything was going to be okay.
Just those memories alone made her heart pound faster.
'Master Tobias probably sent Bob somewhere. He's lying because he has a special task for Bob.'
'He had been good to us for years, sacrificing himself in the process. I don't see why he'd change from that. He's a good person. How he stayed strong even after Delilah died is proof that he's a good person. He cared for us.'
'I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. Yes… It must be.'
Leandra unconsciously clenched her fist as the dark thoughts began to take over.
One that she had been fighting back, but hard to do.
'But he's shady… He's a capable man who took in young people like me under her wings. I don't even know anything much about his past. He never talked about it to me or anyone. Even Delilah… I tried probing information from her, but she never budged.'
'She only looked uncomfortable whenever I asked.'
'What if… What if he did something to Bob? He always said that he wanted something from us, but he never specified what it was clearly. What if Bob was gone because it's for him to repay his debt? No one will ever do something good without wanting something in return. And since he kept it a secret, what he wants must be something bad...'
As soon as she thought of that, Leandra's eyes widened.
She quickly shook her head, pushing those thoughts away as if they were plagues.
Grimly, she leaned forward, burying her face in her hands.
'No, this isn't me…' Leandra whimpered, her shoulders shaking viciously as emotions caught up to her like a tidal wave. 'This is Lucivar talking. Being near him all the time, analyzing his decision-making path, also influenced me. I'm not like this… Master Tobias is a genuinely good person.'
For a good moment there, she stayed like that.
Sobbing silently.
Her food was becoming cold.
Even though she promised to change Lucivar, unconsciously, she was the one changing instead.
Moments later.
Leandra returned to the academy dormitory, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
She has to jog back to the dorm when the bell rings—signing the break—lest everyone notice.
Until late at night, she spent her time inside her room.
Despite always remaining strong, even after everything Lucivar did to her, she finally broke down.
She was crying profusely, burying her face against the pillow.
Recognizing that she has to talk to someone about this, she walked out of her room around eight, using makeup with the help of her personal maid to mask her puffy face from all that crying. She wanted to talk to Ravenna.
She was the only one who knew about Master Tobias; Mirel and Bakar didn't.
Surprisingly, she found herself standing in front of Lucivar's room.
For some reason, she went to this room to search for Ravenna.
It was a hunch.
But there was no answer even when she knocked on the door for a good minute.
Dejected, she walked along the hall and headed for Ravenna's room.
Unlike Lucivar's room, Ravenna's room was unlocked.
Leandra stepped inside and was greeted by an empty bed and the window open.
She sat on the edge of the bed, wondering where Ravenna was.
But then, she noticed a piece of paper folded four times on the bed.
Leandra grabbed it and read its content before her body tensed.
She walked toward the window with the paper in her hand, looking out profoundly.
In the letter, it was written:
I'm looking into it. Don't get involved, Leandra.
Ravenna has gone to find out what happened to Bob, despite Lucivar's warning.
"I'm sorry, Lucivar… I was too distracted. I can't stop her.