Wriggling, the severed arm gradually adhered to the stump and healed.
It was a sight that could feel somewhat grotesque, but I never took my eyes off it for a moment.
I absolutely could not allow any issues with her body due to a lack of proper confirmation.
As I watched with that thought in mind, the junction eventually healed completely.
Yoon Si-woo briefly checked the arm that had neatly reattached and cautiously asked Scarlet.
“…How is it? Does it hinder your movement?”
“…Hmm, doesn’t seem to be a problem. I still can’t believe it. To think that the severed arm would quickly stick back like this.”
Seeing her muttering in surprise while wiggling her fingers, Yoon Si-woo let out a sigh of relief.
It was truly a blessing that she didn’t have to replace her limbs with prosthetics.
If that had to happen, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
Just with this situation, the guilt was already driving him crazy.
The pain that she must have experienced from losing her limbs was surely horrendous.
The thought of her undergoing the kind of pain he felt when one arm got torn off while crossing the twisted gateway earlier just made him furious.
Telling himself it would be fine even if limbs fell off as long as she was alive had only applied to him, definitely not a promise made to her.
Why couldn’t he have come faster? If he had, she wouldn’t have to endure such agony.
As he continued to silently berate himself, Scarlet noticed his mood and spoke with a wry smile.
“…I told you it wasn’t your fault, so stop worrying about it. If you’re that sorry, just help me attach my leg quickly.”
“…Leg too?”
Yoon Si-woo grimaced as he checked Scarlet’s leg.
The leg was cut off above the knee.
That obviously meant he would have to lay hands on her thigh to reattach it.
“…What, is it too bothersome to help with the leg? Then I’ll do it alone.”
“No, it’s not that… Sigh, it’s nothing. I’ll help, so just stay still.”
He hesitated, questioning whether it was okay to touch her, but looking into Scarlet’s innocent eyes gazing back at him as if she knew nothing, he couldn’t help but shrug and respond with a hollow laugh.
Right, she had that carefree personality, didn’t she?
So he silently muttered that this was merely a medical procedure as he began to lift her leg, which had been lying nearby, to initiate the attachment.
But trying not to be conscious only made him more aware.
After all, he had just been teased by her with words like “secret friend,” which didn’t help at all.
He had to concentrate on the junction so it wouldn’t attach incorrectly.
The sight of her white leg, glistening with sweat from battle, peeking through her slightly raised skirt was distracting him more than he had anticipated.
The strange texture he felt while holding her thigh was hard to put into words, making it all the more difficult to focus.
However, thinking of the pain she had to endure made him feel that even having such thoughts was a sin, and he desperately tried to divert his mind from it.
In the midst of a fierce internal struggle against his desires, Scarlet, gazing at her rejoining leg, lifted her eyes to look up at him from his embrace.
With a somewhat dazed expression, she murmured, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard at her strange aura.
“…If this gets discovered by others, it could be a big problem, right?”
…Yeah, it would be.
If news got out that a somewhat famous person like himself was groping a girl student’s thigh, it would surely not just end as gossip.
Articles would be written all over, and with both his identity and face published, she would be completely branded as someone involved with him.
“…I can’t never get married now. What am I going to do…?” she would say in a teary voice, and he’d be responsible for that kind of situation…
No, wait.
Amidst his thoughts spiraling out of control, she murmured again.
“…If my body, with a severed limb swirling back together and your appearance as someone who’s advertising “I’m a witch” gets exposed to others, it’ll definitely be a big issue, right?”
Ah, so that was it! Realizing this, Yoon Si-woo stiffened his expression and nodded.
“…It would indeed be a problem. The hostility toward witches among the people would only increase from this incident.”
Both she and he were in a situation where, if others were to witness this, they would be suspected of being connected to witches.
It was even worse because they were indeed connected.
That’s why there was nothing to fear more than this.
Although they would be as careful as possible to remain hidden from others, if either of them got exposed, what would happen?
Scarlet, who had been interrogated for treason for collaborating with witches, would be executed without a trial.
Such a thing must never happen.
He would do whatever it took to prevent it.
As he pondered this, Scarlet shivered slightly and murmured anxiously.
“…That’s true; people only think of witches as bad. They’ll try to catch us, right? What should we do if we get caught…?”
How could they deal with such a situation?
Truthfully, even at the moment they were caught, there would likely be no way out.
Witches were undeniably recognized as humanity’s enemies.
In simple terms, getting exposed for being associated with witches would turn all of humanity against them.
There were only one another who would not become enemies no matter the circumstances.
So, after hearing her words, Yoon Si-woo thought about the day when Lucy revealed her identity to him.
He had once thought about how to respond if Lucy’s identity were discovered by others.
After contemplating several times, the conclusion was to escape outside the city.
For him, with his defenses against miasma and the holy sword of unyielding strength, the others wouldn’t be able to pursue him outside.
Of course, even if that was the only option, he felt he would absolutely hate it.
The outside world was a perilous place where no human could survive, and even if he fled, he would be all alone there.
There would be no paradise outside to escape to.
But, he thought.
Yoon Si-woo silently gazed at Scarlet.
Even in an empty place, as long as she was there, just her.
For sure…
As he reached that thought, Yoon Si-woo unconsciously blurted out the thought that had surfaced in his mind.
“…What if we run away to a place where people can’t chase us?”
“…Just the two of us?”
“…Yeah, just you and me. Only the two of us.”
After he said it, he immediately realized what he just stated.
Oh my, what did I just say…
Realizing he had basically uttered half a confession, he was stuck in a flustered state when a small voice broke the silence.
“…Yeah. Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea…”
Yoon Si-woo was startled by that response and looked at Scarlet.
And without noticing, he gave a wry smile.
The girl who had just been conversing with him was now soundly asleep, her body relaxed as if the tension from battle had slipped away, and she was breathing steadily.
…Considering how strange her condition had been since earlier, maybe she had been struggling to stay conscious.
Her response to his question definitely hadn’t been said with a clear mind.
With a sigh, Yoon Si-woo chuckled and devoted himself back to reattaching her leg.
Honestly, he was thrilled.
She had said they had now shared a secret that they couldn’t tell anyone else and could genuinely understand each other.
To hear her agree that running away together wouldn’t be a bad idea filled him with joy.
Yet, Yoon Si-woo thought.
More than anything else, he wanted Scarlet to be happy.
Not living in hiding from others, but enjoying a happy life here, just like everyone else.
If only that could happen, he knew he would do anything.
With that thought in mind, Yoon Si-woo restored Scarlet’s limbs to their original state and quietly set her down. He reached for the sword that had been resting beside him.
And for that, the secret between him and her must remain known to no one.
“…It’s time to come out; I can see everything.”
Turning around with the sword in hand and speaking in a colder voice than ever,
From across the sewer, the air rippled, and a figure appeared.
“…So, you knew.”
It was someone he knew all too well.
So he asked.
“…How much did you see?”
“…All of it. What will you do about that?”
At that response, Yoon Si-woo silently pointed his sword.
For Scarlet’s sake, to protect her secret,
He was willing to do anything.
Even if that meant having to slay someone he respected greatly, his master.
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