Damon smirked at her sharp words, crossing his arms casually.
'What a firecracker,' he thought, taking in her defiant stance.
The girl stood in front of him, her short pink hair plastered to her skin with sweat. She wore brown pants and a white shirt, both worn and frayed, evidence of her frequent training. Her piercing blue eyes glared at him with suspicion and fiery determination.
He sighed, tilting his head slightly. "Sothing tells you're not going to listen to ."
She narrowed her eyes further, the flas in her hands flickering ominously.
"Oh yeah? What gave you that impression?"
He pointed at the fireballs she held.
"Well, for starters, you're holding a literal ball of flas while looking like you're ready to incinerate ."
She didn't lower her guard, her expression hardening.
"Says the shady guy sneaking into my yard, dressed like so hooded creep. I should scream 'pervert' or 'rapist' and have you dragged away."
Damon winced inwardly at the threat, knowing how troubleso that would be for him.
"And yet, you haven't," he said, his voice calm but pointed.
She glared at him, her hands tightening. "I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Barely."
Damon chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the quiet night.
"Go ahead, then. Scream all you like. Your voice won't travel far enough for anyone to hear you."
Her face paled slightly, and her gaze flickered to her surroundings as if realizing the truth in his words.
Seeing her hesitation, Damon softened his tone.
"But there's no need for that. I'm not here to hurt you."
He reached up and pulled down his hood, revealing his pale face. Her blue eyes widened when she saw the black blindfold covering his eyes. His dark hair frad his face, giving him a slightly lancholic appearance, though he still wore a faint, almost playful smile.
"You're… are you blind?" she asked hesitantly.
Damon nodded. "At the mont, yes. But I can see the world just fine in my own way."
She stared at him, clearly confused but sensing no imdiate threat.
"Why are you here? Are you… are you a friend of my father's?"
Damon's heart sank at her words, his chest tightening as the weight of his past actions bore down on him. He hesitated, then answered carefully.
"Perhaps. Let's just say I owe him my life."
Her eyes lowered, her expression darkening.
"He's dead. Whatever debts you had are repaid. You can leave now."
He shook his head slowly.
"Don't you want to get into the Academy?"
Her head snapped up at his question, her interest piqued despite her guarded deanor.
"I do… but what's that got to do with you?"
Damon took a deliberate step closer, his tone steady.
"I can help you get in."
She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms skeptically.
"Oh really? And how exactly do you plan to do that? Don't tell you've got a golden ticket or sothing."
He chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"No golden ticket. But I can help you train to pass the entrance exam."
She eyed him warily as he bit his lip, hesitant but resolute.
"Beco my apprentice."
For a mont, Iris simply stared at him, then burst out laughing, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Pfft! Hahaha! Are you for real right now? You want to be your apprentice?"
Her laughter faded as she glared at him, her tone turning sharp again.
"Are you insane? You're barely older than , and you don't even look strong! Honestly, you look like a stiff breeze could knock you over. You'd probably fail the Academy entrance exam yourself, let alone train soone else!"
Damon stayed calm, watching her reaction closely through his shadow perception. Despite her words, he could sense her curiosity and the faintest hint of intrigue beneath her fiery exterior.
'She's testing ,' he thought, a smirk forming on his lips. 'Ti to show her I'm not as weak as I look.'
'I am loath to admit she's right… I didn't survive the entrance exam. Hell, I ca in through a backdoor I didn't even deserve. But I'm not the sa guy anymore. I don't have many talents, but I know a lot about the Academy. For the things I don't know, I can get help. I can share resources with her… so, this is sothing I have to do.'
Damon sighed, keeping his expression calm.
"Don't be ridiculous… I'm actually very strong."
'Ti to bluff my way through this.'
Iris raised an eyebrow, skepticism written all over her face.
"You? Strong? You don't look it."
Damon pulled his cloak back slightly, revealing the intricate design of his Academy uniform beneath. The black and gold embroidery shimred faintly in the dim light, and the insignia of the Academy glead on his chest.
Of course he had removed his brooch of sha before hand.
Her eyes lingered on it, curiosity flickering beneath her guarded expression.
Damon smirked inwardly.
'Finally got your attention, huh?'
Iris took a step closer, her gaze fixed on the uniform. She bit her lip, her eyes narrowing.
"So what? There are plenty of students at the Academy. How strong are you, really?"
Damon had been waiting for that question. He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, his tone laced with feigned indifference.
"Oh, ? Not very strong… I only defeated the strongest students in my year. No big deal. I even went up against Lilith Astranova."
Her eyes widened, her breath catching slightly.
"No way. You fought the student council president?"
Damon didn't respond imdiately, letting the weight of his words sink in.
'I went up against her… I never said I fought her.'
He kept his expression neutral, content to let her misinterpret his vague statent.
"She's very interested in after she lost, in fact. I'm one of the few people in the Academy who has permission to call her by na."
Iris's shock deepened. Of course, that wasn't entirely a lie. Lilith had told him to call her by her na, and she was interested in him—though her interest stemd from a desire to hunt him down, not admiration. But there was no need for Iris to know that.
Iris tilted her head, her skepticism battling with her newfound awe.
"Is that so? Then you've reached the first class advancent, at least."
Damon's eye twitched, but he quickly composed himself.
"No… but—"
"Then we have nothing more to talk about."
Damon blinked, startled by her abrupt dismissal.
'What… huh… this girl.'
He chuckled lightly, regaining his composure.
"I suppose you haven't heard of people like . I'm actually the most well-known student in my year. All the professors had their eyes on ."
'Although they despise now.'
Iris sneered, her skepticism returning in full force.
"So what? You're just so guy."
Damon bit the inside of his cheek, suppressing his irritation.
"Tell you what… wanna make two hundred thousand zeni?"
Her brows shot up. "I'm not interested in selling myself into prostitution, sorry."
He suppressed the urge to groan, his patience wearing thin.
'What the hell do nobles think prostitution is? Prostitution would have been cheaper.'
He raised his Academy-issued pager, the device glowing faintly in his hand.
"Let's duel. If you win, I'll give you two hundred thousand zeni. If you lose, you beco my apprentice."
Iris sneered again, crossing her arms.
"As if. Do I look crazy? Why would I take on an Academy student in a magical duel? That's suicide."
Damon smiled, unfazed.
'Good, she's interested. Running this house must cost her a money. I imagine she doesn't want to live off people's charity forever.'
"Oh, but there's a caveat. I won't use any magic at all."
'Because I suck at magic, with abysmal mana level' he thought bitterly, though his expression remained confident.
Iris narrowed her eyes, still skeptical but clearly tempted.
Damon decided to push her further.
"Or… you could stay here, living off the charity of the townspeople. I'll just take my money and go. This should be easy money for soone as capable as you. Unless you're scared. Unless you want to be a parasite your whole life."
Iris gritted her teeth, his words hitting a nerve.
Her hands flared with pink flas as she glared at him. "You're on."
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