Chapter 222: Academy Heroine's Right Diagonal Back Seat

Chapter 222

Beep— Beep— Beep—

As Sylvia opened the door and stepped into the room, the regular beeping sound filled the air.

With her tired eyes, she glanced in the direction of the sound.

Her gaze first landed on the patient monitoring equipment, which beeps intermittently as it displayed various readings. She also noticed the IV drips, the ventilator, and other machines that one would expect to find in an intensive care unit.

And as her eyes traveled further, they settled on the figure lying in the bed.

"...Yoon Si-woo."

Sylvia sighed quietly, her gaze lingering on Yoon Si-woo, who was connected to all the machines in the room.

His body was covered in wires and tubes, which extended from the machines like strings on a marionette, making him resemble a lifeless puppet.

With a pale face that seemed devoid of life, Yoon Si-woo lay there motionless, as if dead.

Sylvia approached him and reached out her hand. The moment she touched him, she flinched, her body trembling involuntarily.

It felt as though she were touching something inanimate—like stone or earth.

Even though she knew he was still alive.

Even though the steady beeping from the machines confirmed that he was still breathing.

But the absence of vitality, the lifelessness that should not have been there, made her sigh once more.

So this is what they meant by calling him an "empty shell."

She murmured to herself as she recalled the conversation she’d had with the doctor the previous night.

---

[Ah, Doctor. Why are you contacting me...? Did something happen to Yoon Si-woo?]

[Well, I’ve done all I can with the treatment, but... I’m afraid I don’t have any hopeful news.]

[...Is his condition that bad? I was told he was unconscious, but...]

[...To put it simply, it feels as though his body is intact, but everything inside has been drained. Like an empty shell.]

[An empty shell... Does that mean it’s unlikely he’ll regain consciousness?]

[Yes... To be honest, the fact that he’s even breathing is a miracle. I don’t know what caused this, but unless another miracle occurs, I don’t believe he will recover.]

[Then... does that mean Yoon Si-woo will remain like this for the rest of his life? Isn’t there any way to help him?]

[Sigh... That’s actually why I contacted you. I was wondering if you could use your power in his treatment.]

[My power? Are you referring to the Star Spirit?]

[Yes. It’s said to counteract dark magic. If Yoon Si-woo is in this state because of the witch’s magic, your power might be able to help.]

[Do you think it will work?]

[...I don’t know. But I’ve exhausted all medical options, so I’m hoping for a miracle. If you’re not up for it, you can refuse. I’ll continue to look for other solutions.]

[...No, I’ll try. Please have him moved to my estate tomorrow morning. The more contact time, the better.]

---

That was why this room in the mansion had been converted into an ICU-like space for Yoon Si-woo.

Since the Astra family had their own physician, it made more sense to reduce travel time and focus on treatment here rather than going back and forth to the hospital.

Of course, whether this method would actually yield results remained to be seen.

Sylvia paused for a moment, then shook her head, refocusing her energy.

A soft, shimmering light flowed from her hand, slowly sinking into Yoon Si-woo’s body.

As expected, nothing miraculous happened. His eyes didn’t suddenly open.

But Sylvia, holding his hand tightly, wished with all her heart, just as she had done as a child when she’d wished upon the stars.

Please... let this boy in front of me recover.

Please... let a miracle happen for him.

At that moment, the door behind her opened, and Sebastian, one of the estate’s servants, entered.

“...Miss. I’m sorry, but there’s been an emergency summons from the Central Committee.”

“...I understand. I’ll get ready, just give me a moment.”

An emergency summons.

She didn’t need to think too hard to know why the Central Committee had called for her so urgently.

Before leaving, Sylvia took one last look at Yoon Si-woo, still lying on the bed.

And quietly, in her mind, she asked him:

Yoon Si-woo, how did this happen to you?

Did you end up like this trying to save Scarlet, as I suspect?

If so, do you regret it?

Of course, there was no reply. But that was enough.

Her questions had merely been a way to steal her own resolve.

As she stood up, Sylvia thought to herself:

Yoon Si-woo...

If you don’t regret what you did to save Scarlet, even at the cost of your own life...

Then I won’t regret my decisions either.

---

A line of students stood nervously in a row.

The sound of them swallowing could be heard as they fidgeted anxiously.

The expressions on the faces of those watching them were quite the sight.

Some were clutching their heads as if suffering from a headache.

One of the men standing in front of the students looked utterly baffled, as if he couldn’t comprehend their reasoning.

“Hah... what in the world...”

He stammered, at a loss for words due to the sheer absurdity of the situation. His mouth opened and closed as though he were malfunctioning, before he finally spoke in a frustrated voice.

“What were you thinking?!”

“...”

“I’m asking what on earth you were thinking!!”

When none of the students responded, the man’s voice rose in anger.

Sylvia expected this reaction. She thought to herself, Of course it’s come to this.

There was only one reason why they’d all been summoned as a group: they’d been caught for what they did last night.

“Disobeying orders? Fine, maybe we could overlook that. But you, hero aspirants, banding together to commit treason? Have you all gone mad?!”

From the way he spoke, it was clear he was certain of their guilt.

Sylvia noticed Mei glaring at the group of students, clearly furious. She had that look that said, We all agreed to play dumb—who gave us away?!

Some of the students exchanged guilty glances, while others averted their eyes. Sylvia, however, didn’t blame them. There was no way such a large group of students could all successfully lie their way out of this. In fact, expecting to get away with such a poorly executed plan had been foolish from the start.

Still—

“Who was the one who suggested this?!”

“...It was me. I’m the one who suggested it.”

Having promised to take responsibility, Sylvia knew she had to act. She stepped forward and answered, meeting the man’s gaze.

“If you’re referring to what happened last night, I led it. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me.”

“Ugh...”

The man hesitated for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the fact that the heir to the Astra family had stepped forward. But soon, his voice grew louder once again.

“What are you so proud of?! Did you think we’d let you off just because you’re from Astra?”

“No, I didn’t think that.”

“Then what is this? You say you led it, so you’ll take the blame? Are you planning to take the punishment on behalf of the others? Do you even understand what the punishment for treason is?!”

“Yes. It's a summary execution.”

“And you know that, yet you still—”

Before the man could finish, Sylvia raised her hand to her neck.

In one swift motion, she channeled her energy and made a sharp cut.

Slash.

Blood trickled down from the wound on her neck.

The room fell into a moment of stunned silence, before the man’s eyes widened in shock. He shouted, horrified by the sight of blood.

“What... what are you doing?!”

Sylvia responded calmly, her voice steady.

“I’m accepting responsibility and punishment. I’ll take the punishment on behalf of everyone else. So, could you spare the other students?”

“Stop this at once! I get it—just stop what you’re doing!”

The man’s voice was frantic as he pleaded with her to stop. Sylvia paused, pulling her hand away from her neck.

Blood continued to flow, and if she had delayed even a moment longer, it could have been truly dangerous.

As the other students began shouting in panic, Sylvia waved them off, assuring them she was fine.

Of course, I never intended to die.

Her actions weren’t driven by a desire to die. They were meant to seize control of the situation, to show her resolve in the only way she could in this dire moment.

And it seemed her dramatic gesture had worked.

“Hmph... So, even knowing you could face execution, you still chose to do this. Fine. Let’s hear it. Why did all of you act together like that?”

Diakonos, who had been quietly observing the situation, finally spoke, his gaze fixed on Sylvia.

I’ve bought us a chance to speak, Sylvia thought.

But unless she could convince Diakonos, the man who had ordered Scarlet’s execution, everything would be for nothing.

This was the crucial moment that would determine their fates.

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