The conference room had grown eerily silent.
In the midst of it all, only the First Elder of Astra was calmly speaking.
“-Thus, we have been conducting experiments to create weapons capable of harnessing the power of witches using the remnants of the witches that Astra had previously defeated. We’ve decided to halt it now, as it seems to lack much meaning.”
It was already a bombshell that had gone off.
There was no turning back, no matter what.
Therefore, Sylvia could only watch silently as he nonchalantly recounted the details of the situation, just as the others around her were too stunned to respond.
The words flying from his mouth were so shocking, considering that the Astra family had done such things, that she was left listening in a daze like the rest.
“-This is the general outline of the plan.”
As the First Elder finished explaining, he looked around as if to invite questions.
Seemingly regaining composure under his gaze, someone shouted at him.
“That… that’s something you shouldn’t have done!”
“It is indeed something one shouldn’t do. I am well aware of that.”
“Then why would someone who knows that do such a thing?!”
“Because we were that desperate back then.”
Cutting through the angry outcry with his response, the First Elder slowly looked back at the crowd and spoke again.
“I wonder if anyone remembers what happened 15 years ago. The Fourth Squad from Astrape was tasked with a scouting mission to develop the area near the Northern Forest, which was originally home to the Elves, only to suffer significant damage and retreat due to Fury Beasts. The former Captain and Deputy Commander were helpless against the onslaught. After that incident, the Northern Forest was designated as a danger zone due to the peril of stirring up the beasts. On the surface, that’s the reason. In reality, the Northern Forest, devastated by the demonic beasts and miasma, was deemed not worth the great risk to expand into.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
“Because that incident deprived the Elves of any chance to reclaim their homeland and the World Tree. Even when we desperately requested to go see for ourselves, we were refused under the pretext of avoiding danger. That was what led us to execute that nonsensical plan.”
The First Elder answered that and continued in a gentle tone.
“We were anxious. We felt the connection with the spirits and the World Tree fading with each passing generation. The World Tree is the foundation of Astra. But what if that connection were to sever completely? Back then, we were consumed with fear. So, the Witch Weaponization Project was the measure we chose. The Fury Beasts can’t harm higher beings. So we thought… if we could create weapons that could harness the power of witches, we might be able to restore the Northern Forest, which has the World Tree, without being harmed by the beasts. Even if it meant borrowing the power of our sworn enemy, the Witch, we wanted to reclaim our foundation.”
“……”
“I don’t expect you humans to understand or even want to. Nevertheless, we recognized that it was wrong, enough to halt the plan, albeit belatedly. But I want to convey that, for us at that time, it was an unavoidable choice.”
The First Elder spoke, not as a plea but simply stating it as an unavoidable fact.
Sylvia felt anxious, wondering if he would inadvertently mention Scarlet as she kept her eyes on his expression, noting how remarkably skilled his rhetoric was.
In an era where there are hardly any survivors of the Ain race, discrimination against races other than witches is marked as evil.
He was instilling guilt with comments that human efforts had prevented their attempts to regain their homeland.
And what if someone reacted negatively to that? Would they be perceived as someone unable to understand the differences between races?
At the same time, his words were creating a sense of solidarity by equating the viewpoints on considering humans, elves, and witches as enemies.
Even though it was a situation that warranted condemnation, the attempt to smooth things over with his words almost made her snicker.
How could someone who understood the human heart so well carry out such cruel experiments?
She lamented internally, but in reality, Sylvia understood that the witch was, like they said, someone they should detest above all else.
To create test subjects using the remnants of such an enemy, it was clear there was no intention of treating them as humans.
Regardless, as Sylvia contemplated this, the atmosphere in the conference room began to shift in real-time.
As if the First Elder intended it, the mood of scolding him for why they did such things began to wane.
More than anything, it seemed they were aware that it was indeed a wrong act and that they attempted to halt it, which seemed to carry weight.
Yoon Si-woo, with a stern face, was nodding firmly at those who looked at him as if questioning him whether this was not a mere excuse but the truth.
Someone finally asked the First Elder in a somewhat softened voice.
“…Why did you stop?”
“…Because we realized belatedly that what truly made Astra, Astra was not the World Tree or anything like that, but the spirit that has been passed down. That very spirit, urging us to pursue what is right, was what we should have upheld above all.”
Sylvia noticed the First Elder looking at her as he answered.
And in his eyes, overflowing with remorse, regret, and deepest affection, she found herself biting her lip without realizing it.
“…I have no intention of denying Astra’s guilt. I am prepared to receive punishment as well. However, I have one request for you.”
The only thing filling his gaze was longing, remorse, and deep affection.
“Miss Sylvia here has nothing to do with this matter. We, who have committed the wrongs, will all receive the penalty, so I ask that you do not cast blame upon someone innocent.”
With his words, Sylvia felt she understood why he appeared somewhat relieved when he confessed to this matter.
Perhaps he had been thinking this way from the beginning.
Secrets always come to light eventually.
So rather than keeping it hidden, he perhaps decided to come clean before it was exposed and to take all the blame upon himself to avoid any repercussions on anyone else.
The words he had once told her echoed in her mind.
You are Astra.
Is this your way of cherishing Astra?
She felt an intricate mix of emotions, a contradiction of wanting to blame him but finding herself utterly unable to do so, making her want to cry.
“Is that true, Miss Sylvia?” someone asked.
At that question, Sylvia muttered inwardly.
No, I know the truth.
However, in order to protect someone dear, she simply shook her head and replied.
“…No. I have no knowledge of this.”
“…That is true.”
Yoon Si-woo, his face tense, lied to assert his innocence.
And seeing Yoon Si-woo’s expression that seemed to convey, “this will suffice,” the First Elder, she could only stare blankly at him.
Not knowing how her own appearance looked to the others, someone muttered in a disbelieving tone.
“…I understand. I won’t blame Miss Sylvia.”
“…Thank you for your leniency.”
“More than that, I would like to hear more details about the experiments conducted…”
“There is a bit of an issue regarding that…”
Faced with the sudden mental fatigue that engulfed her, she wished to just bury her head in a bed and forget everything.
However, the First Elder’s next words forced Sylvia to abandon that idea.
“The one most knowledgeable about the Witch Weaponization Project is Sator Astra, the former director of the Psychic Research Institute. However, he has been missing for some time. Therefore, there is one more person who knows next best, and I think it would be good to request his cooperation.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s Luke Aegis, the former Deputy Director of the Psychic Research Institute.”
The crisis of Scarlet’s identity being discovered might be looming.
The thought of wanting to rest felt like a luxury now.
*
An uproar erupted.
It was quite shocking for the two families of Astra and Aegis, names known far and wide, to be simultaneously involved in the same incident.
And perhaps the most shocked among them was the headmaster of Aegis Academy, Mark Aegis, who suddenly heard his family’s name mentioned.
With a grave expression, he muttered.
“Are you saying my brother… is involved in such matters?”
“It’s not just involvement; he is an important associate who worked on the experiments with Sator. Were you unaware?”
“…Not at all. Unless one inherits the position, the Aegis hardly has contact with the family. We do exchange messages occasionally, but to think he was involved in such a thing…”
Mark, speaking with a worried voice, was addressed by the First Elder.
“Could you call him as a witness? It seems that our attempts to reach him were not welcome. Family contact should not be disregarded.”
“…Understood.”
Mark nodded in response to the Elder’s words, let out a deep sigh, and took out his phone to call someone.
[…Brother? What’s the matter? You always reach out first…]
After a few rings, he heard a confused voice from the other end.
“Luke…”
Calling out his brother’s name, Mark hesitated, then asked.
“…Have you ever heard of the Witch Weaponization Project…?”
[…Who told you that?]
“Not ‘what is it,’ but ‘who told you about it?’” The question made Mark realize his brother was indeed related to the matter, and he responded with a trembling voice.
“…They said you are involved with Astra.”
[…I see.]
“…They want you to appear as a witness; what will you do?”
[I guess I have to… If Astra says that, there’s no way to hide it.]
“……”
[…Brother.]
“…What is it?”
[…I’m sorry.]
“Ha… it’s fine, you rascal.”
*
In the conference room, a brief break was given until Luke arrived.
Sylvia felt the vibrations in her pocket and stepped outside for a moment to check her phone.
“…”
A message had come through.
It was from a familiar number she had contacted not long ago.
[Miss. Are you there with them as well?]
The number of the burner phone prepared just in case, of course, belonged to Luke.
After replying, [Yes.], she quickly received a message in return.
[…Alright. May I get your permission in advance? I think I might need to tarnish your family’s honor a little to keep that child hidden.]
At that text, Sylvia couldn’t help but laugh once and replied.
[Do as you wish.]
[Thank you.]
With that short note of gratitude, no more messages came.
After looking up at the sky briefly, Sylvia took a deep breath and carefully called Yoon Si-woo, who was sitting in the corner of the conference room, eyes closed in silence.
To his stiff expression, Sylvia said.
“…Yoon Si-woo, Luke will be here soon.”
“…Yeah.”
“…Can you match our story?”
“…I got it.”
After their quiet little conspiracy wrapped up, it wasn’t long before Luke arrived at the conference room.
Sylvia sat in her seat, her expression hardening.
The ridiculous farce to protect a single girl was just about to begin.
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