[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy":3,"chapter-the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-172":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1027226,1339,"Chapter 172: Silverleaf Academy (XX)","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-172",172,"\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahahaha—gah!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selene didn't stop laughing even as I pressed the sword against her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cyan hair sprawled out beneath her like a fan of moonlight, her body relaxed against the floor as if this was a joke to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clicked my tongue, the ice sword on my hand dissipating into countless pieces scattering like broken snow across her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her grin only widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? Giving up already?\" she asked, head tilted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's no fun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lay there with her arms spread like a martyr, smiling up at me as if she were the one holding the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And damn it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'She really is beautiful.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face seemed flawless, her skin resembling porcelain—slightly pink yet perfect. She had a smooth jaw and a small upturned nose; her straight eyelashes were as dark as ink, and her eyes were thickly outlined in black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enjoying the view~?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She teased, voice honeyed and sharp at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met her eyes at that moment..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And promptly replied to her words, because honestly, I was, and there's nothing wrong with appreciating a fine piece of art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only issue is that particular piece of art might be crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her long fox ears twitched at my words, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Honestly, they looked really fluffy, as well as her tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spit out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I demanded from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to know how she knew that it was me. Because if she knows, there's a very high chance that someone else also knows about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ocean eyes glittered—mischief dancing like fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm~ What could you mean~?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knelt down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not too close—but close enough to show I wasn't playing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you know?\" I asked once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile faltered—just for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"..I saw it in a dream,\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded slowly, her voice turning quite serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were standing in a sea of ice... surrounded by broken stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A throne of frost rose behind you, and blood… so much blood… dripped from your hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky above you was black, but the moon was especially bright, a glowing white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And your name—\" she stopped, licking her lips—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"—was not Aestrea.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A breeze slipped through the window, lifting her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn't look scared,\" she added. \"You looked... wrong. Like a mirror that reflects what shouldn't be, and your eyes... were glowing whi—no. It would be more proper to say that they looked like the moon itself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words settled on me like falling ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then slowly… your lips parted. You started to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You told me what happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events that ruined everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It started… with the day you traumatized the Emperor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But…\" she looked away now, lashes dipping low, \"before you could say anything more—I woke up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was complete silence as soon as she finished her 'prophetic' dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at her for a long moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dreamed that? Or remembered it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why did it sound real?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And strangely...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did it feel like something inside me recognized it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Well... It might just be a passing feeling...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That aside, there was a way to confirm if her words her true or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A judgment scale symbol appeared in my pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『 Judgement Eye (✦ S+ Level Skill ✦) 』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to my surprise...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't lying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had genuinely seen that, and because of that, I frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...Might as well check her status. It might give me some hints.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『 Scan 』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Target: Selene Aoki]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Title: N\u002FA]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Race: Kitsune]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Rank: S]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Talent: SSS-]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Affinities: Plant & Seduction]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sexual Preference: Vanilla]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Character Preference: N\u002FA]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Character Type: Dorodere]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Favorability: 20 (Neutral)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Sexual Desire: 00]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thoughts: I hope he does believe in me. If I want to kill the Emperor and the Star Society, he'll play a big card if I get him in my hands.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A scheming bitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought I'd help her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not out of trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because I'd be her ace card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A weapon she could use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Still... both she and I hate both of them, maybe... we could help each other.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Other than that... her status doesn't show anything useful.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down at her again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those dark lashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That smug grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That tail, lazily flicking like she knew all my secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's that look for, Mister Aestrea?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just wondering…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...how far you're willing to go to kill a god.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her grin widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill a god?\" she purred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You make it sound so romantic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat up slowly, the shredded remains of vines and leaves coiling around her bare arms like living jewelry. Her long tail flicked behind her—amused, curious, and maybe… just a bit excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes glinted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And here I thought you'd just freeze me and walk away,\" she whispered, placing a hand over her heart with a dramatic little gasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How cold of you, Aestrea~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't exactly answer her words, instead, she continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know that you hate the Emperor as much as I do, so... let's take everything from the Emperor,\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand reached forward, fingers ghosting along my jaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smelled really good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dangerous scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I caught her hand mid-air, gripping her wrist—not harshly, but firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We work together,\" I said. \"But if you betray me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You'll freeze me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile was sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. I'll let you live. And make sure you regret it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selene's eyes sparkled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm~ Ice and threats. You really know how to get a girl going.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let her go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood and brushed herself off, her tails swaying as she turned toward the academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We start tomorrow,\" she called back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a small wink over her shoulder—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't be late, partner~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched her walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I knew, without a doubt:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not the last deal I'd regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she was a weapon I could use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until I had no further need for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I walked back through the path leading to the dorms, the cold breeze brushed against my cheeks, but it wasn't the wind that chilled me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were standing in a sea of ice... surrounded by broken stars.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They echoed in my mind like the lingering ring of a bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A throne of frost rose behind you, and blood… so much blood…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vision, she claimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it felt like more than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like a memory—or even a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your name was not Aestrea.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That part hit harder than I wanted to admit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because deep down… I knew she was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was wrong with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A part of me was completely twisted apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a puzzle piece jammed into a space it didn't belong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had always chalked it up to the transmigration or to the fusion of both my soul and Aestrea's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or even to this bloody world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that dream—her dream—told a different story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sea of ice…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A throne behind me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a sky blacker than death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the part of the glowing white moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was I becoming?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My phone buzzed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Group Notification: Class Chatroom]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't bother opening it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, I glanced back at the message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Selene Aoki has added you as a friend.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I accepted without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click, click...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I stuffed the phone into my pocket, I heard footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I instantly lifted my head, glancing ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, under the pale lantern light, standing at the edge of the courtyard path, was Ella.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her long, silver hair caught the wind like strands of moonlight, as she wore a simple academy coat over her uniform, hugging it around herself like a shield against the chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her light blue eyes met mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aestrea,\" she uttered my name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My face instantly broke into a casual smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yo,\" I raised a hand, about to greet her properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips parted again, and her voice changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...We need to talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That froze me mid-step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone wasn't soft anymore, it was serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about the way her hands trembled slightly behind her back made the air feel tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Sure,\" I said, adjusting my posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She walked a little closer, her eyes never leaving mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she stopped, not too close, not too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been meaning to ask you something for a long time,\" she began, voice quieter now, but steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Back during the Hunting Festival… three years ago. Do you remember that ambush on the east ridge? The one with the shadow wolves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That… yeah, I remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood, the howling wolves, and especially... a girl shaking in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that moment—brief but vivid—when I stepped in, sword drawn, wearing a fox-patterned silver mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Moonlight Swordsman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You… you saved me,\" Ella said, lowering her head. Her cheeks had turned a soft pink, glowing even under the dim light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't know who you were at the time. Just this quiet, graceful swordsman who showed up out of nowhere, fought like lightning, and then disappeared before I could even say thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was so dramatic, I thought I imagined it. But… when I saw your identity being revealed...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up, meeting my eyes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I couldn't imagine that I would meet you on the same day that happened.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scratched the back of my head, unable to hide the crooked grin forming on my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah... I guess that happens to the best of us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed again, the sound coming out sweet and airy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can't believe I spent months writing poems about the Moonlight Swordsman, only to meet him at the moment when his identity is revealed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Poems?\" I raised an eyebrow, amused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forget I said that!\" she waved her hand in a panic, and I couldn't help but chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a step closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hands gripped the hem of her coat tightly, and her face slowly turned bright red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aestrea…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her, sensing the shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes shimmered, but not from tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pale pink lips trembled as she licked them carefully...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Wait, don't tell me—!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I like you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My smile froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the world itself had stopped for a heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leaves stopped rustling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even the lantern above us seemed to dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there, blinking, unsure if I'd heard her correctly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her trembling breath…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her flushed cheeks…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her trembling voice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confirmed it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had confessed to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Just the last thing, I was hoping that it didn't happen.\u003C\u002Fp>",1790,"2026-06-03T09:18:17.304Z","2026-06-03T09:18:22.612Z",1,"novelbin.me","b5c6d023daaac243cc12f5af74f32bf64e80921238d4f862f5040e99d803fe7d","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-249","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-248",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-cover.jpg"]