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Chapter 128: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 128



After dinner, as I lay on the bed sending messages to the people whose numbers I had saved, letting them know that I was safe, I suddenly received a notification about a deposit into my account. I checked my account balance.


"…Wait a minute, how many zeroes is that? One, two, three, four… Holy crap, who would send me this much money?"


Upon further inspection, I saw that the Dolos family, who had personally interrogated me on suspicion of being a traitor, had deposited a significant amount of money into my account as compensation.


Honestly, I couldn't say that I didn't feel wronged, but I couldn’t exactly shout, "Money can't compensate for that!" because the amount was just too large.


After staring at the numbers in my account and doing some quick calculations, I concluded that it was more than enough.


With this much, I could finally do something I had only been thinking about until now.


However, it wasn’t something I could just do on my own, so just as I was about to call for permission, someone naturally opened the door and walked in.


There was only one person who would come to my room like this.


And sure enough, it was Sylvia.


"Oh, Miss Scarlet! You're awake! How are you? Are you feeling okay?"


Sylvia, who looked a bit tired, likely from finishing her day’s schedule, was startled to see me up and asked how I was doing.


I put my phone away, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, and replied to her with my usual expression.


"Yes, I think I'm fine."


"Really? Phew, that’s a relief. I was really worried something might be wrong with you. Did you read the note I left? I hope I wasn't being too nosy?"


"No, not at all. Thanks to you, I was able to rest comfortably. Thank you for looking out for me."


At my words, Sylvia smiled slightly and then approached the bed where I was lying, sitting down right next to me.


She quietly looked at me for a moment before gently taking my hand.


And then, a tear suddenly rolled down from her eyes as she gazed at me.


Startled by her sudden tears, I cried out, "Huh…?! Sylvia, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"


"…No, no. It's just that seeing you okay suddenly made me feel relieved…"


My reflection was visible in Sylvia's tear-filled blue eyes.


She spoke to me in a quivering voice.


"…I'm just so glad you're safe. I was so afraid that I might never be able to talk to you again…"


I was worried about her.


That thought made my chest feel tight.


Seeing her like this made me realize how much my presence had grown in Sylvia's life.


Lately, I've been feeling it more and more.


The closer I get to someone, the more it will only end up making them sad someday.


I thought I should push her away, but seeing her cry like this made my resolve falter.


I gently pulled Sylvia into an embrace, holding her head against my chest.


This only seemed to make her emotions swell even more, and she burst into tears in my arms.


"I'm sorry. I promised I'd help you whenever you needed it, but when you were captured by the witch, I couldn't do anything. I'm so, so sorry…"


Although it was almost a one-sided promise from her, she seemed to feel a sense of responsibility for not being able to keep it. Her continued apologies made me feel a pang of bitterness.


That was just the kind of person Sylvia was.


She wasn’t someone who easily opened her heart to others, but once she did, she wanted to do everything she could for them.


Knowing this would happen was the reason I had tried to avoid getting too close to her in the first place…


As I thought about this, I slowly patted Sylvia's back and spoke.


"Sylvia, you don't need to apologize for something like that. There was nothing you could have done in that situation."


"…But still, I feel sorry."


"You did your best to help me in your own way, Sylvia. If it weren't for you during the interrogation, I would've been in big trouble. Thank you for helping me, for believing in me."


When I said that, Sylvia peeked up at me from my arms, looking at me with cautious eyes, and asked softly.


"…Did I really help you, Miss Scarlet?"


"Of course you did."


"…Then, could you pat my head?"


Sylvia blushed slightly as she made this request.


I obliged and gently patted her head. Sylvia seemed to calm down a bit, letting out a small giggle while still nestled in my embrace.


After a while of patting her head, I tried to pull away, but Sylvia clung to me tightly, refusing to let go.


I looked at her, wondering why she was acting this way, and she muttered in a small, pleading voice.


"…If you want me to let go, promise me something."


"…What promise?"


"…Promise me you won't say sorry and leave on your own ever again. I don't want that. I don't want to lose you, Miss Scarlet, so please promise me you won't do that again…"


Her voice trembled as she spoke while holding me close.


I could sense the anxiety in her, fearing that something like that might happen again.


I realized how much the last incident had shaken her.


Even though I had returned safely, this was how she felt—what if something had gone wrong?


She must have struggled a lot, crying her heart out.


The thought of it pained me, and I could easily imagine the scene.


I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn’t make that promise.


Because no one knew my situation better than I did.


Instead of giving her the words she wanted, I asked a different question.


"…Sylvia. Do you still want to be my friend?"


"…Yes. Miss Scarlet, you're a precious, precious person to me."


Sylvia nodded without hesitation, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


Hearing her answer, I spoke again.


"…I feel the same. I've always wanted to be your friend too. You're just as important to me."


"…Then."


I could see the expectation in Sylvia’s eyes.


But what I was about to say wasn’t what she was hoping for, so I spoke with a bittersweet smile.


"That's why I can’t be your friend, Sylvia. No, I shouldn’t be."


Her eyes trembled, showing she didn’t understand my words.


Even though it hurt, I continued, believing it was necessary for both her sake and mine.


"As you know, I'm not a normal person. There will definitely be times when people around me get hurt, like this time. I realized that painfully. As much as you’re important to me, I don’t want to cause you any more harm. I don’t want to owe you anything more."


"But I…! I don't care about that! Don’t think of it as a debt! It’s not a burden at all! I help you because I want to! I’m doing it because I care! So please, don’t worry about it!"


"It’s precisely because you're that kind of person that I feel I must do this. You’re someone who endlessly cares for those you consider friends. I also tend to rely on friends without realizing it, even though I hate being indebted. If this continues, I’ll unknowingly place too heavy a burden on you. And I don’t want that. So, Sylvia…"


I looked at Sylvia, who was staring at me as if she couldn’t comprehend what I was saying, and then voiced the decision I had made earlier.


"I’ve decided to leave this mansion."


*


It took a long time to calm Sylvia down as she clung to me, crying and causing a commotion.


No matter how much I explained, Sylvia couldn’t accept that I was leaving the mansion.


So the next morning, after comforting her a few more times as she looked on the verge of tears, I had no choice but to pack my few belongings and almost flee from the mansion.


In truth, there were other reasons I hadn’t explained to Sylvia.


But I couldn’t tell her everything.


How could I possibly say it?


That you’re too kind, too gentle for me to stay here without worry.


That if the worst came to the worst, you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to kill me, so I can’t feel at ease in a place like this.


Besides, there were simply too many people living in the mansion.


So after leaving the mansion, I decided to find a new place to stay.


A place where hardly anyone lived.


And a place where I could feel at least a little more at ease.


*


How long had it been since he’d had such a peaceful rest?


Though Yoon Si-woo’s body had been perfectly healed by the Holy Sword of Resilience, he had been denied return to duty and was forced to take a vacation. Now, he was resting idly at home.


He had already trained enough with Lucy during his sleep, so now that he was awake, there was nothing much for him to do.


As he pondered what to do with his rather long vacation, his phone suddenly rang, and he picked it up, bringing it to his ear.


[Si-woo. It’s Scarlet. Do you have time right now?]


Hearing the unexpected voice, he was so startled that he blurted out.


“Huh?! Oh, yes! I’m totally free! What’s going on?”


[Can I live at your place?]


The phone slipped from Yoon Si-woo’s hand.



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Comments

  1. Hold up!This writing is fire?!?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bro was flabbergasted 😭🙏🙏

    ReplyDelete
  3. Will check out your other novel tl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is their other tl?

      Delete
    2. What is their other tl?

      Delete
    3. Raising the Princess to Overcome Death, NU link above in the translator’s notes

      Delete
  4. Yeah, this isn't going to fix Sylvia's misunderstanding anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete

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