Chapter 50: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

 Chapter 50

The luxurious banquet hall in District 13, the city center, was brightly lit by the chandelier.

The city's elite were gathered here for a banquet, with many distinguished figures present, but the most striking of them all was Sylvia Astra, known as the successor to Astra.

Sylvia’s radiant appearance captivated people’s attention as she greeted those passing by with a smile at the center of the banquet hall.

Probably, no one knew that she was feeling at her worst despite her smiling face.

‘...I just feel like resting today.’

Having shed tears over what happened at school today, Sylvia was emotionally exhausted.

However, as the successor of Astra, she couldn’t afford not to show her face at a gathering filled with the city’s influential figures.

Despite inwardly complaining, Sylvia couldn’t help but smile brightly on the outside.

As she pondered how to escape from the center of the banquet hall, she spotted someone who had just entered.

A middle-aged elf with silver hair like hers was frowning as he looked inside the banquet hall with gloved hands.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Sylvia quickly left the center of the hall and approached him to greet him.

“Uncle Sator, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, it’s been a while, Sylvia.”

As Sylvia greeted him, the man stopped frowning, adjusted his glasses, and greeted her back.

He was Sator Astra, her uncle and a widely known authority in the field of superpowers.

Although they were both part of the Astra family, they rarely saw each other, so they were somewhat distant, but Sylvia was now filled with thoughts of escaping the center even for a while.

It was rare.

He was known to be so engrossed in his work that he rarely showed up at family events, and it was said that he had a bit of social anxiety.

Sylvia, puzzled, said,

“I didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t you dislike places with many people?”

“It’s not that I dislike places with many people; I dislike places with dust. Today, I had to talk about things related to the research institute...”

Sator answered, waving his white gloved hand in front of his face.

He was clearly expressing that he despised being in such a place.

Hearing the word “research institute,” Sylvia recalled an article she had read earlier this year.

It was about a major fire at the superpower research institute where Sator was the director, burning the building down to a level that required almost complete reconstruction.

Sylvia asked Sator,

“I heard about the institute. Is the reconstruction going well?”

“It seems it will take some time. It’s not just about the research data; all the samples we were studying were also lost... Hoo, all the research achievements over the years have gone up in flames. It looked like we were about to get results after a few more trials and errors.”

“I hope it goes well from now on. Would you like a drink?”

“...Thank you.”

Sylvia took a glass from a passing waiter and handed it to the sighing Sator.

Sator, taking the glass, stared at Sylvia’s left hand, frowning as he said,

“...What’s that ring on your hand? It looks a bit out of place with your outfit. Should I have one made for you?”

Angered by the comment that it looked out of place, Sylvia didn’t show it on her face.

However, there was a bit of emotion in her response.

“It’s a ring I bought to wear with a friend. I got it myself.”

“Oh, I see, I apologize. But, a friend... a friend...”

Sator, hearing Sylvia’s reply, had a complicated expression.

After mulling over the word “friend” for a moment, Sator drank his wine and spoke.

“Sylvia, let me tell you a story.”

His face was already a bit red, perhaps from the effects of the alcohol.

“I also have a friend. Someone I’ve known for a long time, and since I became the director, we’ve been conducting research together. But since the fire at the institute, that friend has become distant, and recently, they don’t even answer my calls. At that moment, I realized. That’s all friends really are.”

His eyes glimmered quietly behind his glasses.

“So, Sylvia, it’s better not to invest too much in a friend. People naturally swallow what’s sweet and spit out what’s bitter; breaking off a friendship happens in an instant.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ve talked too long. I have many people to speak with, so I’ll be going. Take care, Sylvia.”

After bidding farewell to Sylvia, Sator rubbed his nose with his gloved hand and slowly walked deeper into the banquet hall.

Once he was gone, Sylvia thought to herself while caressing the ring on her finger.

She was determined that her friend would never end up like that.

*

Saturday, I went to school since it was a week we had to attend.

Even though it was every other week, having six days of classes would probably shock modern kids.

During history class today, the teacher opened the textbook and explained its origins.

“The reason our academy has classes every other Saturday is to honor the achievements of the heroes who defeated the Witch of Gluttony, who was thought to be undefeatable. The founding hero of Aegis Academy, Hero Aegis, and the expedition fought for six days and nights without rest to finally seal the witch. It’s a famous story, so you all know it.”

The students nodded, confirming they knew the story.

It seemed I was the only one unaware.

A world where such stories were in history textbooks rather than other books, it was quite sad.

“It’s not well-known, but when Aegis first established the academy, he made students attend every Saturday. He thought, ‘I fought for six days and nights, so what’s so hard about attending six days of school?’ Having survived two witch hunts, he was strong enough to think that way. Because the students kept complaining, he changed it to every other week and left these words when passing on the principal position to his son.”

The history teacher cleared his throat and recited the great hero’s words.

“Ah, these days, young people have no grit. No grit at all...”

The line filled with humanity made the students laugh.

Even someone called a great hero was still human.

Smiling at the students’ reactions, the history teacher said,

“It’s a reminder not to think of attending school on Saturdays as too troublesome. Even though witches no longer appear, constant training is needed to protect citizens from monsters. Show that you have grit too.”

The students answered loudly to the history teacher's words.

After that, the class continued, and I slowly read the history textbook.

There were seven witches listed in the history book so far.

Each named after one of the seven deadly sins.

The Witch of Pride, said to be defeated by a hero from long ago.

The Witch of Lust, drowned by 70 warriors in the western sea at the mermaid’s city.

The Witch of Wrath, who burned down the World Tree in the northern forest and perished along with the Astra-led expedition.

The Witch of Greed, who fell with the last stronghold of the celestial and fish people, shattered with the island in the sky.

The Witch of Sloth, buried deep underground along with the ancient dwarf city under the eastern mountains.

And the Witches of Envy and Gluttony, defeated by the great hero Aegis.

Perhaps because it was an ancient story from hundreds of years ago, the information in the textbook wasn’t detailed, making it feel like reading a storybook.

The most detailed information was about the Witch of Gluttony, the most rampant and well-known.

I pondered the words of the history teacher.

Witches no longer appear, huh? Is that really true?

In the original story I read, the only witch who appeared as an enemy was the resurrected Witch of Gluttony.

But that only meant Yoon Si-woo fought the Witch of Gluttony directly.

I wanted to believe all the witches had been defeated, but I knew something and had seen something.

I recalled the girl with black and purple hair who summoned monsters in the gymnasium.

In a world where controlling information to prevent societal chaos was the norm, it wouldn’t be surprising if they claimed a witch was defeated when she wasn’t.

Besides the Witch of Gluttony and one other witch whose identity I knew, there were five more.

So, which witch was that girl?

After some thought, I closed the history book.

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