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Chapter 190: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 190



In this city, there is an organization called the Central Committee.


It is a decision-making body for the city, centered around three prestigious families—Aegis, Astra, and Dolos—along with many other influential figures.


Among them, the most well-known face was Sylvia Astra, who was known to be the future successor to the Astra family.


Despite being the daughter of a renowned family, she attended Aegis Academy and was known for her consistent involvement in volunteer work, earning her a very positive image.


But now, that very Sylvia was bowing her head in front of a large crowd.


“...I sincerely apologize to everyone who was affected by this incident. We, the Central Committee, promise to thoroughly strengthen the city's defenses to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.”


With those words, Sylvia slowly raised her head.


She could feel the deep sorrow and helplessness in the gazes of the people looking at her.


And sometimes, among those gazes, there were traces of resentment and anger as well.


It wasn’t they who had harmed these people, but rather the witches and monsters; yet she couldn’t blame them for their feelings.


After all, those gathered here were either direct victims of this monster invasion or their families.


Expecting rational judgment from people who had lost their loved ones or a perfectly healthy body overnight was, in itself, a cruel demand.


The only thing Sylvia felt was pity for the gazes directed at her.


So, she bowed her head once again and offered her apology.


“We will provide compensation to the victims and their families as much as possible. Once again, I am truly sorry.”


“...We don’t need compensation, just give us our mom and dad back...”


Sylvia couldn’t lift her head at the trembling voice of the young girl murmuring through her sobs.


Just like the girl said, what people really wanted wasn’t compensation money.


But they, who were not gods, didn’t have the ability to return what had been lost to their embrace.


Surely, even they knew this.


But accepting that was another matter, and the resentment that seemed to surge at the girl’s words grew stronger.


The atmosphere among the crowd became increasingly heated, as if reflecting their growing resentment.


Sylvia thought it was fortunate that she had come out here herself.


If it had been someone else, not her, with her good image, it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had already been grabbed by the collar.


But there was nothing she could do about the escalating tension.


The voices of resentment that had started as murmurs grew louder.


At this rate, something bad could happen.


But at that moment, someone’s voice echoed through the crowd.


“Everyone, please calm down a bit.”


All attention turned to the owner of the sudden voice.


And the swelling voices fell silent, just like that.


Instead, the people began to murmur.


“...Yoon Si-woo, it’s Yoon Si-woo.”


“That’s the one who took down the witch, right?”


Amidst the murmuring, Sylvia quietly exchanged a glance with Yoon Si-woo.


Then, as if switching places with him, she quietly stepped aside.


As if she, a member of the Central Committee, was yielding her place to Yoon Si-woo.


Everyone, as if mesmerized, focused their attention on Yoon Si-woo.


The eyes that had been filled with resentment now looked at him with friendly gazes.


Watching this, Sylvia quietly moved to the corner.


And from that corner, she silently watched Yoon Si-woo.


As everyone’s attention was focused on him, the first thing Yoon Si-woo did was—


“I understand that everyone here has been affected by this incident. First of all, I apologize to all of you. I’m truly sorry.”


—bow his head in apology.


But the reaction from the crowd was completely different from before.


“No, why would Mr. Yoon Si-woo of all people apologize to us...”


“That’s right. You don’t need to apologize.”


Even as the people shook their heads as if they couldn’t understand, Yoon Si-woo stubbornly continued his apology.


“No, if I had tried a little harder, I could have reduced the damage...”


“...Please don’t say things like that.”


One person among the crowd stepped forward and grabbed his hand tightly, shaking his head.


“Didn’t you avenge my family’s death for us... If it weren’t for Mr. Yoon Si-woo, we would have died from the injustice.”


“...But still.”


“Really, thank you so much...”


Perhaps that person’s tearful gratitude acted as a trigger.


From here and there, voices calling out to Yoon Si-woo could be heard.


“That’s right! Thank you so much for defeating the witch!”


“You’re a hundred times better than the other heroes who didn’t come to protect us!”


“Mr. Yoon Si-woo, you’re the real hero!”


Cheers and praise poured out toward Yoon Si-woo.


But Yoon Si-woo’s expression didn’t look pleased.


Perhaps he didn’t like being praised alone while other heroes were being criticized.


Or maybe he found people’s expectations burdensome.


Standing in front of people wasn’t an easy task.


But with things having come to this, Yoon Si-woo would have to get used to it.


Sylvia silently mouthed words to Yoon Si-woo, who looked at her uncomfortably.


Maintain. Your. Expression.


Whether he understood the message, Yoon Si-woo forced a smile onto his face.


Then, with that forced smile, he recited the words from the script he had prepared earlier.


“...Thank you. I will continue to do my best to protect the safety of all the citizens. I will also speak to the Central Committee to ensure that the compensation is not lacking, so that it can help you overcome your sorrow, even if just a little. So, please, I ask that you do not lose hope.”


At those words, the crowd cheered for him.


“Wow, he’s got such a good character. We need someone like Mr. Yoon Si-woo to lead the heroes.”


“That’s right! If Mr. Yoon Si-woo becomes the leader of the heroes, no one will oppose it!”


“Yoon Si-woo! Yoon Si-woo!”


Even amid the cheers of the people, Yoon Si-woo kept his smile, but Sylvia could sense that he was struggling.


Would they know?


That the person standing before them was still just a young boy.


But it didn’t matter, anyway.


What the people saw was not a young boy, but the hero who defeated the witch.


Sylvia shook her head at the sight of people placing such high expectations on Yoon Si-woo, and soon after, a bitter smile appeared on her face as she realized they were no different.


If anything, they were worse for orchestrating this scenario.


After observing the scene for a while, Sylvia stepped outside. Before long, she saw Yoon Si-woo, who had been receiving cheers from the crowd, walking out with a tired look on his face.


Sylvia spoke to Yoon Si-woo, who looked exhausted.


“Good work. You must be tired from keeping up appearances again today.”


“...I’m still not used to standing in front of people.”


Even though he had stood in front of crowds like this several times over the past few days, he frowned, saying he still wasn’t accustomed to it. Sylvia gave a bitter smile.


She understood how Yoon Si-woo felt, but there was nothing they could do about it.


“You shouldn’t be struggling like this when you’re about to become the leader. Of course, I don’t particularly enjoy making you do this kind of thing either, but it’s necessary. Being appointed as the leader at your age is a shocking decision. The Committee believes that we need to build a solid base of support beforehand to prevent any backlash.”


“...Public sentiment, huh. Judging by the people’s reactions so far, it doesn’t seem like such measures are necessary.”


“...That’s true. You’re even more popular than we expected. If we were in a monarchy, you might have ended up on the throne.”


At that, Yoon Si-woo shook his head frantically.


“Ugh, don’t say things like that. It gives me the creeps just hearing it. Besides, even though I was prepared for this, the expectations people have are more overwhelming than I thought. It feels like something heavy is pressing down on me.”


“Well, there’s no need to take people’s reactions too seriously. We’ve planted people on our side to steer the atmosphere in a favorable direction toward you.”


“...What? So that’s what it was? I really thought people were blindly following me like that.”


Relieved, Yoon Si-woo let out a small laugh, and Sylvia just smiled back.


There was no need to add more pressure on him by pointing out that, in reality, they didn’t even need those plants to sway the crowd.


As she was smiling bitterly, Yoon Si-woo let out a deep sigh and muttered.


“This is exhausting. Is this the last one for today? I just want to go home and rest.”


“Hmph, you’re not being honest. You could just admit that you don’t want to be stuck here and would rather spend every moment with Scarlet.”


When Sylvia teased him with a sly smile, Yoon Si-woo blushed and shook his head.


“T-that’s not it!”


“What’s wrong with wanting to see someone you want to see? On that note, would it be alright if I joined you at your house? My schedule ends with this, and I’d like to have a brief conversation with Scarlet.”


At that, Yoon Si-woo muttered with a troubled expression.


At first, Sylvia wondered if it was because he didn’t want her to intrude, but his next words revealed that wasn’t the case.


“Well, I don’t mind, but I’m not sure if Scarlet would be okay with it. She was really sick until a couple of days ago. Yesterday, she was so exhausted that she was already asleep when I got home...”


“She was sick? Why didn’t you tell me! That just gives me more reason to visit. I’ll come by and check on her under the guise of a house call. Is that alright?”


“...Sure. Come if you want. I’m heading straight home without stopping anywhere else.”


Despite his words, his expression was tense.


Does he dislike me visiting Scarlet that much?


Maybe Yoon Si-woo is more possessive than I thought.


With that thought in mind, Sylvia followed Yoon Si-woo, who was now walking more briskly, toward his house.


* * *


Arriving at Yoon Si-woo’s house, Sylvia took a quick glance around the exterior.


‘So, this is where Scarlet is staying now. It’s much smaller than our estate. But for Scarlet, this place must be much more comfortable than the Astra estate, where there are people who want to poison her...’ 


With that thought, Sylvia felt a bit downhearted.


But she quickly regained her spirits at the thought of seeing Scarlet and followed Yoon Si-woo, who was hurriedly opening the door and entering the house.


There was already a pair of shoes in the entryway, indicating that Scarlet was home.


“Scarlet, are you there?”


Sylvia called out in an excited voice, but oddly, there was no response.


Just as Yoon Si-woo had said, was she already asleep from exhaustion?


In that case, she’d feel bad for waking her, so it’d be best to leave quietly.


While Sylvia was having those thoughts, she turned her head and witnessed a shocking sight.


Yoon Si-woo, without even knocking, went straight into what she assumed was Scarlet’s bedroom.


Even if they were living together, barging into a girl’s room without permission was highly inappropriate unless they had already reached a level of intimacy where such permission was unnecessary. 


Ready to scold him, Sylvia grabbed Yoon Si-woo immediately.


But when she looked inside the room he had opened, she could only tilt her head in confusion.


There was no one in the room they had just opened.


“What’s this? Isn’t Scarlet home?”


She asked in bewilderment, and Yoon Si-woo responded with an ominous answer.


“...She’s here. She has to be.”


With that, Yoon Si-woo stepped into the empty room.


Sylvia, still puzzled, followed him in.


That’s when she heard it.


A faint sound of someone in pain, coming from inside the room.


Could it be that there was a ghost in the room?


For a moment, Sylvia had such thoughts, but she soon realized that the sound was coming from inside the wardrobe.


Realizing this, Sylvia held her breath.


This was Scarlet’s room.


Which meant there could only be one person making that sound.


“Scarlet!” “Scarlet!”


As that thought crossed her mind, Sylvia hurriedly flung the wardrobe door open.


Yoon Si-woo, seemingly thinking the same thing, acted at the same time.


Inside the opened wardrobe was a girl, curled up and gasping for breath as if she couldn’t breathe.


“Ah...”


And it was then that Sylvia realized.


That even someone who had always appeared so strong and dignified—


Could cry like a little child.


----------------------


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Comments

  1. :P some Pov change! Honestly, I think getting to know other's thoughts from different povs is doing the story wonders. Thanks for the chapter!

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