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Chapter 201: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 201



A few days had passed since I received the letter from him.


The story about the man who took his own life and the wrongdoing committed by Astra was quietly buried without being publicly announced on any broadcasts or news outlets.


「... There’s already a lot of distrust towards the committee due to various incidents. If news about the experiment got out, it would cause all sorts of problems. So, it was best to handle it quietly. Besides, no one could ignore the principal’s request to keep it under wraps.」


I heard this reason from Sylvia over the phone.


From what I gathered, the principal was concerned about the negative impact of people talking about his deceased brother. Regardless of the actual circumstances, being associated with an experiment involving the witch wouldn’t be seen in a positive light by the public.


Considering the principal’s request and the potential repercussions of the story spreading, it was clear that keeping things quiet was the only option, and I couldn’t help but agree.


Additionally, I heard from Sylvia that a few key figures involved in establishing Astra’s plan to weaponize the witch were punished.


Even though they realized their wrongdoing and tried to stop the plan midway, and no direct victims were involved except for those related to the experiment itself, they were still punished. While the punishment was merely house arrest, a punishment was still a punishment.


With the people in power being collectively penalized, it resulted in Sylvia having to take on a lot more responsibilities.


「Ugh, there’s just so much paperwork... Please save me, Scarlet...」


As a result, the now very busy Sylvia would often call me to vent her frustrations.


These days, my routine included encouraging her whenever she called.


「Thank you... I’ll do my best... By the way, Scarlet, is everything okay on your end?」


When I encouraged her, she hesitated before asking if everything was fine on my end.


I smiled slightly at her question.


I wasn’t completely oblivious. I knew that the increased frequency of her calls wasn’t just to vent her frustrations. She was worried that I might be struggling with his death and was subtly checking on my well-being each time she called.


I had realized this long ago but hadn’t mentioned it to her, partly because I appreciated her consideration and partly because these brief conversations with her had become quite precious to me as well.


“Yes, everything’s fine.”


「... Really? That’s a relief...」


So, as usual, I responded, and I listened with a faint smile as she murmured in relief.


Normally, our calls would end shortly like this, but today, Sylvia added something more.


「You’ll be coming out tomorrow, right?」


“Yes, I’m going with Director Maria and the kids from the orphanage.”


I answered, thinking about the people I was going to the event with tomorrow.


Director Maria, who had been seriously injured by the beast, had recovered to the point where she could manage her daily life again, thanks to timely first aid.


I was really relieved that she could join us tomorrow.


It was going to be a very meaningful event for her in many ways.


「Then I’ll finally get to see you tomorrow after a long time. See you then, Scarlet.」


“Yes, see you tomorrow.”


With that farewell, the call with Sylvia ended.


I put my phone away and opened the door to head out to the living room.


Yoon Si-woo was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the TV with a stiff posture.


Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I sat down beside him and asked casually.


“... Are you nervous?”


“... Yeah. I didn’t think I would be, but I’m more nervous than I expected.”


Even as he answered, Yoon Si-woo’s hands, clasped together as if in prayer, were trembling with anxiety.


I gently placed my hand on his trembling ones and spoke softly.


“It’s okay. You’ll do great, Yoon Si-woo.”


“... Yeah, thanks, Scarlet.”


Together, we watched the TV screen showing his face.


Tomorrow was the day of Yoon Si-woo’s appointment ceremony as the new captain.


*


After sending off Yoon Si-woo, who had left early in the morning for a rehearsal, I finished getting ready and headed to the orphanage.


“Yoon Si-woo is going to be the captain! Isn’t that awesome?”


“He’s so cool!”


“Alright, everyone calm down and line up. Hold hands and follow the director closely, okay?”


“Yes!”


When I arrived at the orphanage, I saw the children, all excited and chattering loudly, and Director Maria trying to calm them down.


“Director, I’m here.”


“Ah, Scarlet!”


The director greeted me with a bright smile, and I bit my lip slightly.


Because of the eye patch covering one of her eyes.


Most of her injuries had healed perfectly, but the damage to her left eye, which had been completely gouged out, was deemed irreparable.


If only I had gotten there a little earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out like this.


As I stared at the eye patch with a heavy heart, the director seemed to notice my gaze and pointed at it, asking me.


“Does this bother you that much?”


“Ah... I’m sorry for staring...”


“There’s nothing to be sorry about. In fact, I’m grateful to you, Scarlet.”


The director looked at me with warm eyes and continued.


“If you hadn’t come, I might never have been able to see the children’s faces again. I wouldn’t have been able to come out on such a joyful day like today.”


“...”


“You’re my savior, Scarlet. Thank you. Truly.”


The director sincerely thanked me as she held my hand tightly.


Even though it must be hard, she’s thinking about my feelings before her own.


Yeah, with her saying all this, it would be rude of me to stay downhearted.


I smiled and nodded, and the director smiled back, seemingly satisfied.


I suddenly remembered her words from when she first woke up in the hospital, saying that no one but her could take care of the children.


I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.


I wanted to be someone who could handle my hardships as gracefully as she did.


“Unnie...”


While I was talking with the director, Rion came up to me and grabbed my sleeve, looking at me as if asking for attention too.


“Alright, Rion. Shall we hold hands and go?”


“Yeah! Hehe...”


I took her hand with a smile, and Rion beamed happily.


Holding Rion’s hand tightly, we headed to the plaza where the appointment ceremony was being held, together with everyone from the orphanage.


*


When we arrived at the plaza, it was already bustling with a large crowd.


According to Sylvia, they had purposely planned it as a large-scale event.


It was meant to reassure people who were feeling uneasy after various incidents, to show them that the city still had this much capacity left.


I heard they even pushed the city’s reconstruction schedule more tightly for this, and I remember laughing at the thought of it when I heard.


No wonder they were working us so hard.


While I didn’t mind since my body’s in this state, others who were less physically strong were practically on their last legs lately.


Anyway, it seemed that the hard work was paying off, as the faces of the people gathered in the plaza didn’t look too bad.


Of course, that was also partly thanks to Sylvia, who had worked hard to bring about this atmosphere among the crowd up there on the stage.


When I caught her eye and waved, she glanced around nervously before giving me a slight wave back.


Her eyes, as she waved, were filled with unmistakable fatigue.


She had been working hard these past few days, so it was understandable.


In fact, when the announcement was first made that Yoon Si-woo would be appointed as the captain, public opinion wasn’t as good as it was now.


After all, people thought he was too young to become the captain.


Many were anxious, and some even protested, saying it was an absurd decision.


But history has shown time and again that there’s no more effective way to change people’s minds than through the media.


The TV aired programs like ‘Why He Should Become Captain’ and ‘The Achievements of This Youngest Hero So Far’ around the clock, and though at first, people were skeptical, thinking, ‘How does that even make sense?’ as the broadcast continued for several days, people started to shift their stance to, ‘... Well, if they say so, maybe we should give him a chance.’


It was Astra, in other words, Sylvia, who spearheaded this campaign.


She had stayed up for several nights working on this, and the result of her efforts was the atmosphere among the people gathered in the plaza today.


Of course, because of this, Yoon Si-woo’s sense of pressure had increased several-fold, and he had complained to me about it just yesterday.


While I was thinking about this, an announcement came over the loudspeakers that the ceremony was about to begin.


The bustling atmosphere quieted down, and everyone held their breath as they focused on the stage. At that moment, the sky began to shift.


In the clear sky, dark clouds started to gather.


People murmured at this unexpected weather, but I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile as I watched.


I knew how many mages had been put to work behind the scenes just for this display.


I’d heard that even Dwight and Martina, who had just returned from the front lines, had agreed to help with the special effects for Yoon Si-woo.


As the clouds, summoned by the mages, covered the sky, the surroundings grew dark and gloomy.


Everyone was looking up at the sky.


That’s why no one noticed the boy in uniform walking out onto the stage.


Only I was watching him, not the sky.


He was so nervous yesterday. I wondered if he was okay now.


Worried, I muttered softly to myself, cheering him on.


Even though he couldn’t possibly hear me from this distance...


It felt like Yoon Si-woo glanced over at me and gave a slight smile.


“O light that will pierce even the darkest shadows.”


Right after, a beam of light from the ground cut through the dark clouds.


Sunlight streamed through the gap in the clouds, illuminating the boy.


Just like the day he saved the city.


The people, who had been gazing at the sky, were now entranced by the boy.


Even my heart pounded at this majestic sight, so I could only imagine how those who were unaware would feel.


The faint unease and doubt in the people’s gazes transformed into anticipation and cheers.


Yet the boy, who just yesterday was trembling with nerves, stood there, dignified and steady, taking in all the attention.


“Look at how splendidly he’s grown...”


Director Maria’s eyes were brimming with tears as she looked up at the stage, deeply moved.


I turned my head, took her hand, and then looked back at the stage.


There he was, Yoon Si-woo, smiling straight at me, as if to say it wasn’t just my imagination.


In response, I gave him the brightest smile I could.


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