Chapter 167: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat
Chapter 167
Yoon Si-woo's sword struck down.
Freede, who had been trembling for a moment, soon stopped moving, as if her life had ended.
Immediately after, Yoon Si-woo turned his gaze away from Freede without a hint of hesitation and sprinted toward me, leaning against the wall and watching.
"Scarlet! Are you okay?!"
Seeing Yoon Si-woo's worried expression as he rushed over, I couldn't help but smile.
Just moments ago, he had shown a cold demeanor while facing Freede, but now his face was filled with concern and worry. Maybe that reassured me.
Even though he had turned from his usual gentle self to someone darker, the essence of Yoon Si-woo hadn't changed one bit. As I stared into his now-dark eyes, I spoke.
"…I’m fine, so calm down a little."
"Calm down…?! How can you say that when you’re in that state…!"
"…I'm okay. This body is tougher than it looks, so don't worry too much. I’m just dizzy from losing some blood."
Honestly, it was a bit of an exaggeration to say I was completely fine.
Considering the amount of blood I seemed to have lost—enough to kill me—I felt dizzy and weak, but not to the point of dying, so I figured I was in relatively good condition.
I could understand why Yoon Si-woo was so anxious.
If I saw a friend bleeding out with just one arm left, I wouldn’t be able to stay calm either.
Still, seeing how worried Yoon Si-woo was, I thought of reassuring him by pretending to smile, but just then, he mumbled with a sorrowful look.
"…It’s my fault."
"…Huh?"
I looked at him, puzzled, and he responded with a guilt-ridden expression.
"…It’s because I said something stupid like, as long as you’re breathing, even if your limbs get cut off… I didn’t mean it for you…"
…I wasn’t sure what he meant, but it seemed that something he’d said was bothering him.
Does he think I ended up like this because of what he said?
What a fool.
"…You didn't do anything wrong. It's not because of you, so don't say that."
"No, it's my fault… If I had just gotten here a little sooner… If I hadn't been late, Scarlet, you…"
Even though I told him he wasn’t to blame, Yoon Si-woo continued to berate himself, convinced that my current state was his fault for arriving too late.
Watching his self-reproach, I sighed in frustration and called his name.
"…Hey, Yoon Si-woo."
Then, with my remaining arm, I grabbed his hand and placed it against my chest.
"How about now? Can you feel it?"
"…Huh? Oh…?"
"I asked if you can feel it, my heart still beating."
When I repeated the question, Yoon Si-woo, who seemed dazed, slowly nodded his head.
His gaze wavered as I spoke to him.
"Yoon Si-woo, if you had truly been late—if you hadn’t come—I wouldn't still have a beating heart. But you came. You saved me. Just like you promised, you did whatever it took."
Honestly, I had faith that he would come, but I can’t say the thought of him not making it hadn’t crossed my mind.
But Yoon Si-woo kept his promise.
I don’t know what methods he used, but he ran to help me when I was in danger.
Because of that, all I felt for him was gratitude.
Pouring those feelings into my words, I spoke earnestly to Yoon Si-woo.
"You weren't too late. Just like every other time when you came to help, you came this time, too. So, don’t blame yourself."
Yoon Si-woo nodded at my words, but his eyes still carried the weight of guilt as he looked at me.
He removed his hand from my chest and looked at my left arm, then at the rest of my severed limbs, with a pained expression.
It was as if he blamed himself for any inconvenience I’d face in the future, believing it was all due to his tardiness.
If that’s the case, he’d probably blame himself every time he saw me in the future.
Not wanting him to feel that way, I pondered for a moment before an idea crossed my mind. With a hesitant heart, I said to Yoon Si-woo.
"…Hey, Yoon Si-woo. Could you put my severed arm against the stump?"
Yoon Si-woo’s eyes filled with bitterness, as if to say, ‘See, you still miss your arm, don’t you?’
Even so, he reluctantly complied with my request, picking up the arm lying on the ground and placing it against the stump.
"…! Scarlet, your arm!"
Yoon Si-woo shouted, stunned beyond belief.
When his loud voice made me wince, he quickly quieted down, but still—
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched the unbelievable and shocking sight that had him so startled.
The severed arm was slowly reattaching itself to the stump, melding back together bit by bit.
Damn, it actually works…
As I mumbled to myself, Yoon Si-woo asked, still looking bewildered.
"…Scarlet, what is this…?"
"…Ever since my body partially transformed into that of a witch, my regenerative ability has improved. I wondered if I could reattach severed limbs, and it seems I can. The clean cut was probably thanks to that guy’s ability."
"…So, you can reattach your severed limbs? That’s a relief…"
"…Yeah, it’s a relief."
I nodded along with Yoon Si-woo, who looked relieved.
But deep inside, my feelings were complicated.
Sure, being able to reattach my limbs was definitely a good thing.
But I couldn’t help feeling uneasy, like I was no longer fully human—more like a clay doll that could be pieced back together if torn apart.
Realizing how far from human my body had become, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
Yoon Si-woo seemed to catch on and asked me.
"…What’s wrong?"
"…It’s just, I really feel like a monster now…"
As I muttered this while waiting for my arm to reattach, Yoon Si-woo suddenly raised his sword.
As Yoon Si-woo held his sword, he smiled at me and said.
"Don’t worry too much. Look, even I can handle losing an arm or leg—"
"…?! Hey, you crazy idiot!!"
“Oops.”
Seeing him suddenly attempt to cut off his perfectly fine arm, I was so startled that I threw myself at Yoon Si-woo.
I had forgotten that my legs were still weak, so all I ended up doing was collapsing into his arms.
But at least I managed to stop him, and gasping for breath, I shouted at him.
“What the hell are you doing?! Why are you trying to cut off your perfectly good arm?!”
“Well… I just wanted to show you that even if I lose an arm, it’ll grow back…”
That’s at the cost of your lifespan, you idiot!
Knowing the price of the indomitable Holy Sword’s regenerative abilities from the original story, I silently cursed him. I trembled at the sight of Yoon Si-woo casually trying to sever his own arm as if it were no big deal.
He knows Lucy is around, so there’s no way he’s unaware of the cost of his abilities.
Is he really going to use such powers just to cheer me up…?
I was grateful, but desperately hoping he wouldn’t do such things, I looked up at him and pleaded.
“My heart’s about to drop, so could you please take better care of your body…?”
“…Sorry. But you know, Scarlet, it’s pretty ironic hearing that from you.”
“...I don’t care. Because of you, the arm that was almost fully attached fell off again…”
…Come to think of it, I really had no right to say anything, considering how often I end up losing my limbs. I averted my gaze and mumbled.
And just how long is he planning to keep holding me like this?
Being cradled like this in my weakened state made me feel like a baby, which was kind of humiliating.
As I squirmed to get out of his embrace, Yoon Si-woo turned me around to face outward and muttered.
“Stay still. Holding it up until it’s fully attached is tough, you know. Let me help.”
I hesitated for a moment, but then I relaxed and leaned on Yoon Si-woo.
Maybe it was because I had shouted at him earlier to stop, but a wave of dizziness washed over me. I decided to just accept it, humiliation and all.
I closed my eyes, leaving my arm and body in Yoon Si-woo’s care.
As I rested, I felt the severed nerves slowly reconnecting, accompanied by the firm strength of Yoon Si-woo holding my arm in place.
When I peeked up at him, he was staring intently at the reattachment point, worried that the arm might not attach correctly.
…It was odd seeing Yoon Si-woo with black hair and black eyes when I had grown so accustomed to his previous white appearance.
In reality, his previous hair color was the unusual one.
I guess I’ve really gotten used to this world.
Caught up in these trivial thoughts, I hesitantly asked Yoon Si-woo.
“...Hey, Yoon Si-woo. Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“…Doesn’t using the witch’s power scare you?”
Yoon Si-woo flinched at my question and answered in a small voice.
“Not really, no. I’ve only recently learned about my true nature, but the witch sealed in my sword, Lucifer—no, Lucy—has been like family to me since I was young. Using her power doesn’t scare me at all.”
After saying that, he cautiously looked at me and asked.
“But if there’s one thing I’m afraid of, it’s how people react when they see me using this power. Scarlet… aren’t you afraid? Of me using the witch’s power…”
His question reminded me of the inner conflict Yoon Si-woo always struggled with in the original story.
Yes, originally, Yoon Si-woo hesitated to borrow Lucy’s power until the very end.
He knew how people felt about witches.
And he knew how they would react.
Seeing him ask me anxiously, I smiled faintly and answered.
“Scared? Look, we’re both tied to witches, aren’t we?”
With that, I shared a thought I’d kept hidden in my heart.
“Honestly, I think it’s a relief.”
“…A relief?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Yoon Si-woo’s puzzled expression, I smiled and explained.
“Now, you and I are the only ones who share this secret, and we can understand each other.”
As I spoke, I leaned more into Yoon Si-woo.
Ever since I fell into this world and discovered the secrets of my own body…
I was so grateful that someone like Yoon Si-woo existed here.
Without him, I might have gone mad long ago.
But because of Yoon Si-woo, I didn’t.
Knowing that there was someone in this world I could confide in about my secrets.
Knowing that there was someone who had grown up alongside me, who could look past the prejudices about witches.
I bet that’s why Yoon Si-woo could use the witch’s power without hesitation in front of me.
“From now on, we’re the only ones who know each other’s secrets.”
I gazed into Yoon Si-woo’s dark eyes.
Meeting his gaze, I smiled slightly and said.
“We’re secret friends now, aren’t we?”
At my words, Yoon Si-woo blushed slightly but nodded.
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uwooogh
ReplyDeleteSecret Friends? Reminds me of Goo and his Secret Friends.
ReplyDeleteLet's go!
ReplyDeleteYessss!!! This is great! Scarlet is opening her heart slowly!
ReplyDeleteThe less worries she has, the lower her chances of exploding! Hopefully...
Yoon Si-Woo, you better take care of her! - Sylvia