Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest - Chapter 1045 247.3 - Brother

“…Brother.”

A brief silence passed.

Then Leonard spoke again, more lightly this time. “You really made me chase you halfway through the rankings, didn’t you?”

Sylvie blinked. “So you did watch it.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” His tone softened, just slightly. “And it was… quite something.”

There was no exaggeration in his voice. No pomp. Just a quiet thread of conviction.

“You fought like someone who’s been doing this for years,” he continued. “Controlled. Adaptable. And that glyph collapse spell near the end? That wasn’t Arcadian standard theory.”

Sylvie glanced away toward the trees. “No. It wasn’t.”

“I figured as much,” Leonard said. “You’ve been learning from someone.”

“A few people,” she murmured. “But most of it was… me. Patching things together.”

A faint pause. Then, warmer—

“I wanted to make sure you saw something real when you finally looked.”

Leonard didn’t answer immediately.

But the silence wasn’t cold.

“…I did,” he said at last. “I saw exactly that.”

He paused, then added, “You’re not just a healer anymore, Sylvie.”

“I never was,” she said, voice soft. “Not entirely.”

Leonard exhaled, almost like a chuckle. “You’re going to get poached within a month. You know that, right?”

“Not if Irina has anything to say about it,” Sylvie replied dryly.

Now Leonard did laugh—quiet and genuine. “Fair. I wouldn’t want to cross her either.”

The line fell quiet again, the sound of distant wind threading between them.

Then, Leonard’s voice—calm and steady.

“I’m proud of you.”

Sylvie didn’t respond for a moment. She stared up at the darkening sky.

But a small smile touched her lips.

“…Thanks,” she said.

And meant it.

Leonard’s voice hummed gently through the communicator, low and clear even through the fading static of distance.

“I’ll be leaving tonight,” he said. “Final day of scout access, and my last open slot’s almost over.”

Sylvie blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone. “…Oh.”

He continued, his words measured but light, as if trying not to push too hard. “So I thought—how about a meal together? You and your team. Just something small. I’d like to meet them.”

Sylvie’s hand tightened slightly around the communicator.

Of course. Of course he would ask that. It wasn’t a demand, not really—it was Leonard’s way of showing warmth. A gesture that, in another world, she would have said yes to without hesitation.

But this wasn’t another world.

She was visible now.

And more importantly… watched.

Since the second dungeon, they’d taken care to only eat in private sectors of the academy—quiet corners behind nullifying wards, where scouts and guild affiliates weren’t allowed to linger. Controlled zones, neutral spaces. Because Irina had warned her. Because Astron had confirmed it. Because even her headmaster had once said, “Visibility is a choice. Make sure it’s yours.”

A public dinner—especially in a scout-friendly venue—meant exposure.

And Leonard, for all his sincerity, was a scout. She knew he wouldn’t betray her trust, but others might not be so respectful. Others might be watching him, not her. And one photo, one overheard sentence, one misplaced glance…

It could become something else.

Still.

It was Leonard.

And this might be the last moment they had for months.

“I…” Sylvie started, hesitating.

The wind rustled softly through the trees. Somewhere behind her, she could hear Layla laughing at something Jasmine said—warm, real, close.

“I want to,” she said finally. “But I have to ask the others first.”

Leonard was quiet for a beat, then nodded. “Fair. I’ll wait to hear back.”

Sylvie looked out over the path again, back toward her team still walking up ahead—backs turned, unaware. And her heart fluttered in the strange space between family and newfound loyalty.

“I’ll call you soon,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”

“Take your time,” Leonard replied. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until I’ve said goodbye.”

And the call ended with a soft pulse of mana, fading into the deep gold of the evening.

Sylvie stood there for a moment longer, communicator still in her hand.

And then, quietly, she turned to rejoin her team.

As Sylvie rejoined the group, her footsteps light against the cobbled path, the soft mana buzz of her communicator still fading from her fingers, it didn’t take long for someone to notice.

Layla’s eyes caught the faint glow as Sylvie tucked the device away.

“Oh-ho,” she said, elbowing Jasmine. “Look who’s back from her secret call.”

Jasmine turned, eyes glinting. “Was it the Brother again?” she asked, drawing out the title with exaggerated reverence. “Should we be worried? Is he here to spirit you away from us?”

“I mean,” Layla added, leaning in with mock seriousness, “he is handsome, isn’t he? Do we need to watch out for some dramatic sibling rivalry arc?”

Irina gave a low snort, not bothering to look back. “If he shows up in a long coat and offers to transfer her to a mysterious family-funded elite guild, I’m setting him on fire.”

Sylvie’s cheeks flushed faintly, but the teasing wasn’t what made her hesitate. It was the shift in tone that would come next.

She cleared her throat gently. “Actually… I needed to talk to you guys about something.”

That stopped them.

Astron glanced back. Irina raised an eyebrow.

Sylvie continued, her voice quiet but steady. “He wants to meet you.”

There was a pause.

Jasmine tilted her head. “Wait. What?”

Layla blinked. “Like—meet us how?”

Sylvie offered a small shrug. “Over dinner. Tonight. He said it’s his last day here, and he wanted to… see the people I’ve been fighting beside.”

Irina frowned slightly. “Hold on. Why is he here in the first place?”

Sylvie hesitated for half a beat. “Apparently… he’s a scout.”

A longer silence followed.

Jasmine’s eyebrows slowly rose. “…Apparently?”

Sylvie’s smile turned a little sheepish. “Ahem. I didn’t know either.”

Layla narrowed her eyes. “So you mean to tell me that your brother has actually been a guild scout the entire time?”

Sylvie rubbed the back of her neck, her face growing redder with each word. “Yes,” she admitted. “He came to the academy last Sunday. I was really surprised to see him here.”

Layla’s expression was somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “And then you found out he was a scout?”

Sylvie nodded, a little sheepishly. “Yeah. He didn’t tell me beforehand. I just… assumed he was visiting. And then when I asked how he entered the academy….” She trailed off, wincing. “That was how I found out.”

Jasmine narrowed her eyes, grinning. “You’re saying you didn’t even know what kind of job your own brother had?”

Sylvie shrugged helplessly. “I mean, I knew he traveled a lot. That he worked with ‘enchantments and systems analysis.’ I thought he was just… doing consulting or engineering. You know. Quiet magic support work.”

Irina gave her a long, dry look. “Sylvie.”

Sylvie raised both hands. “I swear. He was never specific. I thought he liked being vague for mystery points.”

Layla snorted. “I’m starting to think you both like hiding important information.”

Sylvie sighed, resigning herself to the mockery. “I’m just as shocked as you are, okay?”

Jasmine jabbed her gently with an elbow. “Still. Not a bad twist. Mysterious older brother turns out to be a top-tier scout here to spy on his prodigy sister.”

“Please don’t say it like that.”

Irina smirked. “Say it again, actually. It’s growing on me.”

Sylvie groaned and buried her face in her scarf. “I regret everything.”

But even as they teased her, there was a lightness in the air. A comfort.

Because the truth was—they weren’t really laughing at her.

They were with her.

And tonight, even if it meant bringing two parts of her world together, she was ready.

Yet a pair of eyes looked at the situation narrowed.