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Chapter 217: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 217



Consciousness rises.


My mind returns to a body that is no longer truly human.


I feel the massive power flowing through my body and the reconstructed sensation in my restored left arm.


None of these are trivial, yet right now, they don’t matter.


The only thought filling my mind is one thing.


“Ugh…!”


I have to save Yoon Si-woo.


That was the only thing.


Still, everything around me was a sea of fire.


If this continues, Yoon Si-woo will be in danger.


With that thought, I focused all my mental energy on extinguishing the flames surrounding us.


I stumbled briefly, unfamiliar with controlling this new power.


But I pressed on urgently and desperately.


Maybe because of that desperation…


The flames that were about to engulf everything around us gradually began to subside.


Now, all that remained was the air, shimmering with residual heat and the thick smoke enveloping the surroundings.


“Huff…”


And Yoon Si-woo, groaning softly in pain.


It seemed he no longer had the strength to maintain his power, as the white armor that surrounded him slowly faded away.


Inside the armor, Yoon Si-woo’s condition was severe.


His gaze was unfocused, and his entire body was covered in horrific burn marks.


It was clear that he was on the brink of death, with no energy left for his body to regenerate.


Because of me… Yoon Si-woo ended up like this because of me.


Overwhelmed with guilt, I couldn’t lift my head.


“...Scarlet?”


Yoon Si-woo’s voice called out.


At that, I raised my head.


Yoon Si-woo was looking at me with great difficulty.


When he saw the pained expression on my face, he stared blankly for a moment, then muttered:


“You’ve... come back.”


Yoon Si-woo smiled with satisfaction, as if that alone was enough for him.


“You... idiot!”


I shouted without thinking, as if scolding him.


“Why… why on earth…!”


I could barely get the words out.


Why did you do something so foolish?


Why did you go to such lengths because of me?


So many thoughts ran through my mind, but all I could say were short, fragmented words of “Why?”


And to my brief question, Yoon Si-woo seemed to understand everything.


“Because... we’re friends.”


With just that one word, he gave his short answer.


Just that we were friends.


As if no other reason mattered for him to bear all of this.


“Ah, ahh…”


I couldn’t hold back anymore, and my tears burst out.


What could I possibly say to someone who risked their life simply because we were friends?


I, too, had tried to sacrifice myself, intending to take a demon with me, for the sake of those I cherished.


But instead of helping, I ended up causing harm to someone precious to me, and the guilt overwhelmed me.


“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”


Tears fell endlessly, and apologies spilled from my mouth.


The only thing that stopped me was Yoon Si-woo’s hand, weakly reaching out toward me.


With his trembling hand, he wiped my tears away and slowly shook his head.


As if to say that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.


I realized what he wanted me to say.


So, holding back my tears, I spoke to my stubborn, foolish, yet incredibly precious friend who once told me that there was no need for apologies between friends.


“...Thank you. Thank you for saving me, Yoon Si-woo.”


I expressed as much gratitude as I had apologies.


At that, Yoon Si-woo smiled brightly, as if my words brought him immense joy.


“...You’re welcome.”


He replied.


I couldn’t help but smile back at him.


But just then...


“...! Yoon Si-woo!”


Yoon Si-woo’s body swayed.


I quickly reached out to catch him as he collapsed, feeling his labored breaths against me.


Damn it, this wasn’t the time for us to be having a conversation.


“Just hold on a bit longer! I’ll get you to a hospital or somewhere, as fast as I can!”


I shouted, seeing how urgently he needed treatment. But then, from within my arms, Yoon Si-woo shook his head, as if to stop me.


Slowly, he lifted his head.


His face, pale and devoid of any remaining smile, stared at me.


And in a voice that seemed to squeeze out his last ounce of strength, he whispered into my ear.


Scarlet.


Run, he said.


From within my embrace, Yoon Si-woo’s body collapsed as if crumbling.


“Yoon Si-woo…?”


There was no response.


Panicking, I gently shook him, still holding him.


“You bastard!!!”


Suddenly, a shout filled with hostility came from somewhere, and—


Thud!


Blood splattered from the hand that had been holding Yoon Si-woo.


A sniper?


Although my hand quickly regenerated, the sudden attack made me look around. Beyond the smoke and fading heat, I felt countless gazes upon me.


And then another attack flew toward me, as if they were determined to separate me from Yoon Si-woo.


For a brief moment, I thought, why?


But then it dawned on me.


What I must look like to them right now.


Why Yoon Si-woo had told me to run.


“Get away from the captain, you witch!!!”


A wicked witch who had taken down humanity’s hope was standing here.


‘Living as something different from other people… is far harder than you could ever imagine.’


Smiling sadly, I carefully laid Yoon Si-woo down on the ground.


They may be aiming at me precisely, but if Yoon Si-woo were to get hit, it would be a disaster.


As I gently placed him down, I took in his face one last time.


I knew it wouldn’t be possible to clear up this misunderstanding with words. You must have realized that long ago.


I’ll do as you said.


Until the day we meet again.


Please, stay alive.


The sword that Yoon Si-woo had plunged into my heart fell to the ground with a heavy clang, echoing across the battlefield.


At the same time, a massive wall of flames surged up between me and the crowd.


“Ugh…!”


“Captain...!”


And after a short while, when the blazing wall of flames that had burned so fiercely vanished…


“...! The witch!”


“First, rescue the Captain!!!”


Leaving behind only a fallen hero.


The wicked witch had disappeared without a trace.



The story spread that Yoon Si-woo, Captain of the 2nd Squad, had been taken down by a witch who had infiltrated the academy disguised as a student.


Bang─!


“What is the meaning of this?!”


In an emergency meeting of the Central Council, one of the members pounded the table, shouting after hearing the just-arrived news.


His outburst was directed at Sylvia Astra, heir of the Astra family, who had just arrived at the meeting room and sat down with a dazed, hollow expression.


Normally, he would never dare raise his voice at someone of her status, but he didn’t care as he continued shouting.


“The witch who took down Captain Yoon Si-woo—Scarlet Evande, a first-year academy student—was vouched for by the Astra family during the previous interrogation! What is going on here?! Is Astra somehow in league with the witch?”


A brazen and disrespectful remark.


Yet, given the gravity of the situation, no one stopped him.


Even Sylvia, the person directly involved, didn’t lash out in anger. She merely shook her head blankly, mumbling, “No, no, that’s not true…”


Seeing her state, the council member who had been yelling sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. 


No matter how things looked, her current behavior didn’t seem like that of someone who had conspired with a witch.


She just seemed like a victim, stunned by the revelation of a truth she hadn’t been prepared for about someone she thought was her friend.


This wasn’t the time or place to determine fault, so the councilman took a deep breath to regain his composure before asking the person who had delivered the news earlier:


“...What’s Captain Yoon Si-woo’s condition?”


“It’s said that the fact he’s alive at all is a miracle. We’ve done everything we can to treat him, but… his body is little more than an empty shell. It’s unlikely he’ll ever wake up.”


“Damn it, with Vice-Captain Lucas in a coma, now Captain Yoon Si-woo too? And former Captain Tellos ended up like that as well...”


A heavy atmosphere hung over the room.


It wasn’t just the loss of combat strength that weighed on them—it was the despair of losing those who played such crucial roles.


Yoon Si-woo had recently become a symbol of hope for humanity, being hailed as a new hero. His defeat was a grave blow to everyone.


The councilman sighed and muttered:


“What’s the reaction from the public...?”


“We tried to prevent the news from spreading, but rumors are everywhere. No matter where you go, people are talking about Captain Yoon Si-woo and the witch. Some are even blaming the monster attack on the witch.”


As they discussed the witch, a voice suddenly broke through:


“That’s not true...!”


Sylvia, who had been sitting in a daze, suddenly cried out, almost as if gasping for breath.


Shaking her head frantically, she shouted at the others in the room:


“Miss Scarlet isn’t someone who would do something like that! Do you even know how many lives she saved during the attack? How can you say something like that…!”


“We weren’t saying that… It’s just what people are talking about...”

The council members murmured amongst themselves, surprised to see Sylvia, usually calm and composed, shouting in such a distressed manner. Their sympathy stirred as they watched her tear up.


But one person remained unmoved.


“Still, the fact remains that the witch harmed Captain Yoon Si-woo. Isn’t that true?”


It was Diakonos Dolos.


Sylvia quickly retorted, as if to argue:


“Th-that’s true, but… still…!”


“I understand the witch was quite close to Captain Yoon Si-woo. Given that she harmed someone she was close to, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that she was hiding her true intentions all along.”


Diakonos spoke in his usual calm, logical manner.


However, to everyone present, it felt as though he was suppressing a cold fury.


After all, today, Diakonos had lost his father, Tellos.


Sylvia, too, knew this and found herself unable to argue, quietly listening to his words. Diakonos continued:


“I was just informed that the witch was spotted escaping through the sewers. We cannot allow her to escape.”


“So what do you plan to do...?”


“The witch just fought Captain Yoon Si-woo. Considering she didn’t finish him off, it’s likely she fled in haste. If she’s weakened, the captains could join forces and take her down.”


“No! You can’t do that!”


Sylvia cried out as if in shock at the mention of killing Scarlet.


Diakonos responded coldly:


“Is Astra in any position to offer an opinion?”


“...What?”


“During the previous interrogation, you assured us that Astra would take full responsibility if anything went wrong with her. Fine. Let’s say we spare the witch. But if she recovers and returns as an even stronger threat, can Astra take responsibility for that?”


“Ugh…”


At the word “responsibility,” Sylvia’s eyes trembled.


She was now in a position representing her family.


For someone in her role, the word “responsibility” was not one to be spoken lightly.


Seeing her trembling under the weight of her own words, Diakonos continued:


“I’ll overlook this for now. But in the future, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Responsibility is a heavy burden.”


Turning his attention away from Sylvia, Diakonos addressed the others in the room.


“I’m sorry to impose on the exhausted heroes of today’s events, but please spread the word.”


His voice was firm.


“Find the witch before she escapes the city and kill her.”


Hearing those words, Sylvia thought to herself.


At this rate, Scarlet is going to die.


I should stop this.


But all she could think about were the flames.


The flames that had become a witch’s power that had hurt Yoon Si-woo, and nearly consumed her as well.


Those flames.


Yoon Si-woo had fallen before he could keep his promise to Scarlet.


Should I honor her wish in his place?


I don’t know.


I don’t know what the right thing to do is.


But crushed by the weight of the responsibility she had once claimed, Sylvia, in the end, said nothing to stop Diakonos’s order to kill Scarlet.


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


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Comments

  1. Hey, isn't Dolos family suspicious? Truth Sword couldn't catch mind-controled cook, if witch of lust doesn't need worm medium for direct control (last time was through lust beasts), it is possible. Diakonos pushed for imperfect space seal, was seen outside, more over, Telios, who no one expected to be defeated, died easily, as if ordered to perish in believable way. Flora's "cosmetics" trigger Silvia's intuition and evaporated after last time lust witch tried to control Scarlet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Their purification facilities were built to leave 10% of miasma unpurified too.

      Delete
  2. 🤧🤡🤬

    ReplyDelete

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