[{"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-173":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},1027228,1339,"Chapter 173: Silverleaf Academy (XXI)","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-173",173,"\u003Cp>My smile stayed frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She really just said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I like you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a nice timing, huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just when I was about to start planning how to kill the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes subtly narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if I accepted her feelings…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I became her boyfriend…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I'd have an unshakable reason to walk into the Imperial Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one would question it. Not the guards. Not the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the Emperor itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I'd be his daughter's lover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His precious little Ella, the Second Princess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be the perfect cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need for tricks, nor infiltration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a clean path straight to my target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could be damn useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I thought about it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I imagined saying \"I like you too,\" and placing a gentle hand over hers…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I pictured us holding hands in the garden, smiling in front of her father like nothing was wrong…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the typical flicker of male instinct when a pretty girl confessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just… nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An empty silence inside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly like how I used to feel—Back on Earth. Before I was Aestrea. Before this world of magic and monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no \"me\" anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twisted and melted together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aestrea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And whoever I used to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't care anymore about who I was before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no going back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're quiet…\" Ella whispered, her smile faltering as she looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers fidgeted slightly, doubt crawling in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Was I wrong to say it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her flushed cheeks, her eyes shining with hope... and how fragile she looked right at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I did what I had to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled again; it wasn't exactly a warm smile, but it wasn't cold either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I said gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You weren't wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I took a breath…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And opened my mouth, ready to say sweet words that wouldn't make her that hurt. But then, my eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is something... wrong?\" Ella asked softly, looking at me with a hopeful gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But my attention wasn't on her right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was on the... me behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not this me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had my face, but sharper, like I was three years older than now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little taller, with hair longer and messier, like it had grown wild with time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked like someone who had stopped asking what was right and finally started chasing what he wanted—even if it meant becoming a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his right eye… was light blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same kind of cold you'd see in glaciers untouched by the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his left eye... was a glowing white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind of color you could see on the moon at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in them was something else—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sadness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on his forehead, shining like a divine scar…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mark of the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crescent-shaped brand, glowing silver-white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second I saw him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath left me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared right into me, like he had been waiting—watching—since the moment I first stepped into this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, his lips moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be selfish for once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exact same words I had whispered to Aestrea's soul before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, when I felt his overflowing kindness and selfless emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be selfish for once.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at Ella once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at me with quiet hope, her silver hair swaying in the breeze. Her lips were trembling slightly, and her eyes searched mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached forward, gently brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breath hitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had made my decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let's try,\" I said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ella's eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, she smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly smiled, like she'd been holding her breath for weeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I… I'm glad,\" she whispered, her cheeks redder than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked down, laughing nervously, twisting her fingers in the hem of her sleeve. \"I thought you were going to reject me for a second...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilted my head, teasing her with a small grin, \"Didn't I say you weren't wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But inside me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That blue-eyed version of myself kept echoing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Be selfish for once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I would.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it meant lying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it meant breaking her heart later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I needed this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Emperor needed to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And no one—not even the girl who loved me—would stop that from happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ella giggled to herself, her face was still flushed, her fingers playing nervously with her sleeves, eyes darting away like a startled deer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped closer, letting my voice drop just a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So… you've had a crush on me for how long exactly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes shot up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"W-What?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smirked at her words, \"You confessed, remember? It's only fair I get the juicy details now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not how it works, Aestrea!\" She puffed her cheeks, clearly flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? I thought that once a girl confesses, the guy is entitled to at least one embarrassing story.\" I leaned in, just enough that our noses nearly touched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rules of romance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gasped, half-laughing, half-panicking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are no rules like that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I guess I'll have to make them up as we go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out and took her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flinched for a second—but then let it happen, slowly curling her fingers around mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her skin was warm, soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft silence fell over us as we stood like that, the evening wind dancing past and making her silver hair flutter like silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…It was during the Hunting Festival,\" she finally whispered. \"I… I was supposed to be safe in the carriage, but the barrier broke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded as I clearly remembered a quivering girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought I was going to die,\" she continued. \"And then… you came. Wearing that black cloak and silver fox-patterned mask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moonlight Swordsman. Sounds cool, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was,\" she uttered, cheeks pink. \"You looked… like a hero from a fairy tale. The way you cut through the wolves, the way the moonlight followed you…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced up at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never forgot you. Even when you disappeared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't disappear,\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, I just started using invisibility potions and found a way to hide my mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just… got better at hiding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And now?\" she asked quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm here,\" I replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ella's breath caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tugged her gently forward, letting her walk beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stars began to appear above, scattered like dust across the velvet sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, Princess,\" I said playfully, \"if I start dating you, does that mean I'll be getting an invitation to the palace sometime soon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Should I start practicing how to bow to your royal father?\" I raised an eyebrow, teasing, though inside, the thought made my blood throb cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you bowed, I'd laugh,\" she said with a grin. \"I think I'd prefer if you stayed the way you are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dangerous?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded. \"And kind… when you want to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm...\" I hummed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, for you… I can be a little of both.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers squeezed mine just a little tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe...\" she giggled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced sideways at her as we strolled slowly down the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She kept sneaking glances at me, cheeks still a soft pink, lips slightly parted like she wanted to say something—but couldn't find the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adorable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know,\" I murmured, leaning closer to her ear, \"you're surprisingly easy to fluster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not,\" she said quickly, face immediately turning redder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mmm, then prove it.\" I turned to face her, walking backward with a lazy grin. \"Look me in the eyes and say you don't think I'm handsome.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mouth opened—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…T-That's not fair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thought so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled and turned forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her little huffs and foot-stomps behind me only made it worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—or better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ella caught up beside me again, this time bumping her shoulder lightly into mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're a bully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I prefer 'charming rogue,' actually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More like 'arrogant troublemaker.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave her a lopsided grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Careful. You're describing the man you just confessed to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She covered her face with both hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Agh, don't remind me…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached over and gently tugged her hands away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I liked it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breath hitched the moment she heard my words, her eyes meeting mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RING~ RING~ RING~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The academy bell echoed across the campus, loud and abrupt, like a splash of cold water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked, sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Time to head to class.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ella pouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I have to go report to the headmistress,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a step back, sliding my hands into my pockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then I paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wanna go on a date?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\" Her eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A date.\" I leaned in slightly, repeating my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After classes. I'll even let you pick where.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I-I…\" she stammered, flustered again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Say yes,\" I whispered. \"Or I'll ask in front of your classmates next time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Y-Yes,\" she muttered, looking away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave a wink, then started walking toward my class building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See you later, Princess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind me, I heard her squeak—and then a soft, breathless laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A date.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just didn't know that she might be falling for someone who wasn't entirely real anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for now, I'd play the part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And play it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like I always did.\u003C\u002Fp>",1585,"2026-06-03T09:18:17.304Z","2026-06-03T09:18:22.612Z",1,"novelbin.me","9c3aabc158273c887c0092f7534cb22863d96eaeed2cf849b822c4e6f2b72f74","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-250","the-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-chapter-249",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-strongest-student-of-the-weakest-academy-cover.jpg"]