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Chapter 68: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 68



Sometimes, knowing the truth brings pain.


Unfortunately, the truth often falls into that category.


*


“......Please, give me some time to talk to him,” Sylvia requested.


Yoon Si-woo hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.


“.......The words you just said, they're lies, right?”


“Why would I lie to you, Miss?” Sator replied with a smile.


Sylvia clenched her teeth at his response. Despite his smile, she could see deep-rooted anger and hatred in his eyes whenever he looked at Scarlet.


She recalled the day Sator recommended a book titled *Wrath* to her.


‘How about reading this book? I found it quite moving.’


The author’s near-mad resentment, anger, and obsession with witches felt through the book. If Sator found it moving, he must have been greatly influenced by it.


If Scarlet was truly a weapon created by Astra using the heart fragment of the Witch of Wrath, it explained why Sator harbored such feelings towards her.


Sylvia had met many people who approached her for her background since childhood, making her instinctively gauge the sincerity of others’ words during conversations.


Her heightened senses as a superhuman often made these instincts accurate.


Because of this, she couldn’t help but be deeply shocked by Sator's words, which seemed to be the truth.


Watching the distressed Sylvia, Sator murmured sympathetically.


“I am truly sorry, Miss. The friend sitting in that chair is the one who stole and helped the experiment subject who burned down the lab and escaped. It seems you genuinely thought of this as a friend. It was my mistake not to prevent a subject infused with the witch's remnants from approaching you.”


Sylvia couldn't understand why Sator was apologizing after being caught red-handed, but what was even more incomprehensible were the words coming out of his mouth.


Her friend, hanging in a small cage-like prison with her hands and feet bound.


The one who approached her wanting to be friends with no ulterior motive, now being revealed as a subject created by her family, was too much for Sylvia to accept.


Desperately trying to keep her wits, Sylvia struggled to grasp the situation.


“......Was the plan you almost fought the elder over last time at the mansion about Scarlet?”


Sator's expression turned to one of surprise.


“You heard that? Originally, it was a secret only the elders and I in the family knew, but since we’ve come this far, secrets seem meaningless. To answer your question, yes. The official name is the Witch Weaponization Plan. The plan is to create a powerful biological weapon capable of wielding the power of the Witch of Wrath.”


“Are you insane? A biological weapon that can use the witch’s power sounds like the plan of a madman, and you’re saying the family pursued such a plan?”


Though Sylvia had suspected many things happened within the family without her knowledge, she never imagined something so outrageous would be taking place. She shouted in disbelief.


Sator chuckled at her reaction.


“Did you know, Miss? The plan was all for you.”


Sylvia froze.


She slowly turned to look at Sator, her voice trembling with shock.


“What... did you say? For me?”


Sator's expression softened with nostalgia.


“There was a time when everyone in Astra despaired, believing the World Tree had abandoned us because we failed to protect it. Talks of never reclaiming Astra’s glory circulated. But 11 years ago, you showed us otherwise. You showed us the brilliant starlight that proved Astra had not been forsaken.”


Sator's body trembled as if reliving that moment.


“I remember it vividly. It was a light of hope. A chance for Astra to become great again. And I realized we couldn’t miss this opportunity, that it was the World Tree’s final message to us. Despite the Eternal Forest being burned by the Witch of Wrath, the connection with the World Tree remained in that land. We were to reclaim that land and restore Astra’s greatness.”


Sator continued to speak.


“But the north was infested with fiery beasts of wrath. The humans rejected our request to expand the northern boundary, deeming the ravaged land unworthy of reclamation. It was up to Astra alone to reclaim it. Then, I recalled a peculiar trait of the wrath beasts.”


His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.


“Wrath beasts cannot harm those with stronger wrath abilities. Mid-tier to high-tier, high-tier to upper-tier. So I conceived a plan. What if we could create a weapon with powers akin to the witch’s? We could reclaim our land. I presented my plan to the elders, and they approved it. Thus, the Witch Weaponization Plan began.”


Sylvia trembled, looking into his blazing eyes.


“So, Miss Sylvia, you enabled this plan! You showed us the light of hope in despair! You will go to the land I reclaim with this weapon and become the head of the glorious Astra once again!”


Sator’s ecstatic look was that of a madman.


He never asked for her opinion and assumed she’d go along with his plan.


Sylvia never considered becoming the head of Astra, nor did she want to partake in such a plan.


Yet the thought that the plan was conceived because of her made her feel suffocated.


Swirling with emotions, Sylvia struggled to overcome them and shouted.


“......The elders ordered you to stop the plan!”


Pointing out the argument he had with the elder, Sator's actions halted.


His face, filled with joy, twisted into a demonic visage.


Slowly scratching his neck, he glared at Sylvia.


“......Yes. They all agreed initially but changed their minds after several years. They’re traitors who care only for their safety, not Astra’s true welfare.”


Then, smiling brightly again, Sator’s appearance made Sylvia shiver.


“But I have no intention of abandoning this plan. As long as you’re okay with it, I’ll handle all the dirty work. I truly care for Astra! All you need to do is lead the glorious Astra I create!”


He looked like a fanatic.


His eyes gleaming with madness made Sylvia speechless.


“...I...”


At that moment, Yoon Si-woo, who had been silently standing by, spoke.


“Do you know the pledge made during the hero commissioning ceremony upon graduating from the academy?”


Sylvia nodded slightly at the sudden question.


The traditional hero commissioning ceremony held each year upon graduation included a pledge broadcast to announce their status as true heroes.


Every child must have imagined themselves reciting it at the ceremony.


“Then you know the second verse, don’t you?”


Recalling the hero’s pledge she had heard every year, Sylvia managed to speak.


“......Uncle Sator, this is an order as Astra’s successor.”


Sylvia’s eyes fell on Scarlet, who was hanging beside Sator.


Because she had made a promise.


If there was something she couldn't solve with her power, she would get help no matter what.


[I swear here that I will never abandon my comrades under any circumstances.]


That was the second verse of the [Hero's Oath].


"Effective immediately, that plan is halted. So, release my friend right now."


At Sylvia's words, Sator's expression hardened.


The hand scratching his neck started moving faster.


"That can't, that can't be... You mustn't, miss..."


Muttering with bloodshot eyes while incessantly scratching his neck, Sator said.


"It can't be. Astra will be great again. The plan must continue. But a friend? This person was born as the Witch of Wrath. She took everything from Astra."


He scratched, scratched, and then shouted.


"But, but, but! How can you, the heir of Astra, who should despise and loathe the Witch of Wrath more than anyone, say such things? If it's a homunculus made from the witch's heart fragment, it's not enough to use it until its body is crushed and then kill it miserably in the end for revenge!!! How can you!!! Speak of friendship!!!!"


Then, suddenly, his body stopped.


And Sator laughed.


His gaze shifted to the side,


In the direction where Scarlet was hanging.


"Is that so, is that so, is that so. It's because it's not fully completed yet. Don't worry, miss. I'll soon resolve all of your confusion."


And he jabbed the syringe he was holding into Scarlet's neck.


A ringing sound echoed.


"What the hell is this!"


Sator shouted furiously as the syringe got stuck in something.


Under Scarlet's feet, a large sword was lodged in the iron bars on the floor.


A barrier from the Holy Sword of Protection was covering her body.


Yoon Si-woo, who had thrown the Holy Sword to protect Scarlet, stared at Sator with a blank expression.


Whether she was a witch or an experiment subject didn't matter to him.


What mattered was that Scarlet, whom he had sworn to protect, was in danger because of someone.


Although he had tolerated and listened so far because it involved a classmate's family, it had been a real ordeal.


Fortunately, that man had given him a justifiable reason not to endure any longer.


"What's in that syringe, dark magic, isn't it?"


Yoon Si-woo recognized the black energy filling the syringe Sator was holding.


He clenched his fists in anger at the thought of such a dangerous substance being injected into Scarlet.


"Anyone using dark magic for nefarious purposes is considered a terrorist and can be summarily executed by a hero's discretion without a report. Yoon Si-woo, first-year student at Aegis Academy, will now eliminate the terrorist."


With those words, Yoon Si-woo took a step forward.


As his foot moved with a firm step, Sator, flustered, shouted while looking at Sylvia.


"Executing someone from Astra on the spot, what nonsense! Miss Sylvia! Stop this rascal! Didn't I tell you? Everything I did was for you! To make you the head of the family! Because I wanted you to live happily!"


At those words, the Holy Sword of Truth reacted, and Yoon Si-woo spoke without hesitation.


"That's a lie."


He had been loud about doing it for her sake from the beginning.


The very idea that someone who seemed to move only for their own desires would say such things was laughable.


Sator's face hardened at Yoon Si-woo's assertion.


Sator looked at Sylvia, seeking her reaction, but she just stared at him with cold eyes.


As Yoon Si-woo's footsteps didn't stop, Sator shouted again.


"It's a plan that will benefit all humanity! The sacrifices of heroes will decrease! After reclaiming Astra's land, we can save countless people! It's not a plan for someone like you to interfere with!"


The Holy Sword of Truth reacted to those words.


"That's a lie."


Yoon Si-woo once again spoke without hesitation.


"To be honest, you didn't think like that, did you? Kidnapping and torturing people, talking about humanity. Moreover, Scarlet is a greater hero than anyone. No hero would wish for someone else to sacrifice in their place."


Sator scratched his neck vigorously.


Blood droplets splattered from his neck, but a twisted smile remained on his face.


With a sneer, Sator shouted.


"A hero? A hero? That thing made from the witch's heart fragment? Don't make me laugh! If you keep thinking that way, it will become a seed of misfortune that will burn everything around you someday! Just like it burned down my entire lab! Foolish bastard!"


The Holy Sword of Truth reacted to those words, and Yoon Si-woo paused for a moment.


"That's also a lie."


But the words he spoke didn't change.


"This time, it's not a lie!"


Sator shouted frantically at Yoon Si-woo, who had approached right in front of him.


But Yoon Si-woo didn't care about the voice he heard.


"No, it's a lie."


Instead of listening to that voice, he chose to speak his own thoughts.


It was both a change and a resolution.


"I will never let that happen."


The boy's sword swung.



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Comments

  1. he's both so goated and stupid at the same time i love him

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    Replies
    1. The more flaw character are the more human they are , no one perfect but it the truest human can be

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  2. I hate you still but good job

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  3. The neck scratching is eerie

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    Replies
    1. Kinda reminds you of some other pale mad neck scratching maniac hih

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  4. Thx for the chapter

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  5. thanks for the chapter

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  6. That neck scratching reminds me of Hinamizawa Syndrome from Higurashi series, and their symptoms is almost the same too, with The signs and symptoms of the Syndrome include the development of anxiety and paranoia accompanied by delusions which can lead the sufferer to commit seemingly unprovoked violent acts including suicide and murder

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    Replies
    1. It’s sad how they butchered and completely killed the series with that sequel

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  7. Well, i'm glad that both of the kids want to help MC.
    Though the way of thinking is a bit skewed, in this situation what matters is actions.
    The rest can be talked later.
    But to be honest, the place burned in the past because of what crazy guy did, not because that pitiful girl wanted it.
    As we seen, she did her best bu it was just too much.
    Maybe, now is different because MC isn't the original soul, so it may affect how much effect the voice has on control.
    There's a reason MC fainted, after all.

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  8. Atleast that stalker and slyvia save MC so I can relief

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